August 5, 2011
I spent the afternoon yesterday at the Red Deer River beside the Sundre campsite.
The location was splendid, the fast running river wonderful to watch and a joy to listen to. I searched continuously for stones but found numerous Devonian shell/corral fossils instead. (Which is not a complaint.) Some of them are beautifully formed. (I found an exquisite coral polyp). I was hoping to see a Dipper or a Harlequin Duck, but they probably live upstream or downstream from Sundre, away from human interference or familiarity. (The trail, up-stream, was also closed, unfortunately, or I might have seen either.) Once I returned to the motel I retired early but then was unable to sleep.
I was on the road by 9 AM and heading East toward Olds. The morning ride was blissfully cool, as Sundre and about ten miles East of Sundre was covered in mist, therefore I hardly noticed the countryside and, except for a few hills, the road lay mostly downhill, therefore I was flying in high gear most of the time.
One downhill ride was Glorious Descent of a mile (Cyclists' ultimate). I saw no hawks. I saw no animals, but I did see Olds ahead almost without the awareness of the time, and other than the monster trucks that I constantly had to watch for; one of my most exceptional rides ever.