One evening of my fall Canada vacation I decided to drive up to the Norquay Ski Area to take some photos at sunset. Little did I know what I was in store for!
There were a lot of clouds at the time, but the breaks in the clouds allowed rays of sunlight to shine through, creating a very dramatic scene in the valley over the Vermillion Lakes. I was so excited I was literally pumping my fist, smiling from ear-to-ear, and yelling, “YES!” I honestly don’t think I’ve ever gotten so pumped up about the photos I was taking! I feel like this looks like something out of a movie! What do you think?
“We yell on the trail, because the bears come close.”
That’s what the woman at the bike shop told me when I checked out my rental bike at the Canmore Nordic Centre. By the way, we’re talking about grizzly bears, not black bears! A bit nerve wracking, but certainly not enough to stop me from riding! Besides, I had bear spray with me. 😉
I screwed up by not ensuring that my gimbal batteries were fully charged, nor did I bring the spares with me, and the result was a gimbal that didn’t work as well as it could have. That was disappointing to me when I watched the footage back, because the riding was outstanding! The dirt was amazing. I know that sounds weird to anyone who is not a mountain biker. Let me try to explain. It wasn’t mud, but there was enough moisture to keep it soft, and prevent loose dirt from laying on top of the hard-packed trail. This is what we call “hero dirt” because you can go ahead and be a hero riding it! It has a high amount of grip, but it’s not tacky like mud. You can get a lot of speed.
Even without the great dirt, the trails were well designed, and being in that pine forest is what dreams are made of! Although I was somewhat adjusted to the elevation at this point, my legs were still sore from hiking two days prior, and the amount of climbing I did on this ride wore me out after 13+ miles.
hunt.style 