Our first day in the saddle was a cruel one. We made a fundamental error in our choice of route by heading out of Calgary on route 1A. We then compounded our mistake by attempting to change course half way though the day, turning left at Cochrane to join up with the road we should have been on from the start, route 1.

We'd also not accounted for the strong winds blowing East from the Rockies. We were averaging just 5mph heading West into the wind and by 5pm were well behind schedule with at least 25 miles to go. I was drained and although cold from the wind, the sun had been beating down all day and burning my legs.

The Rockies, which had looked small and distant at Calgary, now loomed large - the only indicator that we had in fact moved in the past few hours. Finally we saw the first building for over 25 miles - a service station. We went in to get water and dad managed to negotiate a lift from a native American for the remaining 20 miles. We pulled our bikes into the back of his wagon and sat back until we reached Ribbon Creek Hostel.

In 20 years of cycle touring, this was without doubt the worst day I’ve ever had to endure.

Ribbon Creek however is a fantastic hostel and really lifted our moral. This time, unlike Calgary, they had the details of our reservation!