Travel Day....Get Ready Golden!!!

Sleep was actually pretty good Thursday night!!  Everything was all packed and I was in bed by about 11.  I did wake up before my alarm, which was set for 5:45, but I felt well rested.

The other two ladies that were travelling down with me showed up right on time at 6:45 and we were on our way to get gas at 7AM!!!

Overnight, it had stopped raining, but the roads were still wet.  First stop was at Crooked Creek to get our last supply of "race food".  No race road trip is complete without donuts!!

As we continued east to Mayerthorpe then south to Rocky Mnt House, the rain started to fall then turn into snow.  By the time we got to Rocky, there was several inches of snow in the ditches, but there was very little snow accumulating on the road.

Heading west from Rocky, the closer we got to the summit, the lower the heavy snow got in the mountain tops.  Soon our conversation changed from discussing Shari's WIDE variety of race snacks that she had packed, to our clothing strategy for race day.   Luckily, I threw in my winter running shoes at the last minute. I was prepaired for anything Mother Nature had in mind for the weekend!!!

Starting the decent into Golden, the snow accumulation in the ditches lessened, then disapeared all together.  We started watching the navigation screen on the truck to see when we would be able to see our targeted summit ahead!!!  There were several mountain tops that were heavily loaded with snow, we hoped those werent the ones we were going to be climbing.

Soon we rounded a corner and could see a mountain across the valley with distinct ski runs etched into the mountain side!!!  Thats the one!!!

After dropping off the ladies at the hotel, I found my campsite and set up the holiday trailer.  It was a small camp site right along the Kicking Horse River, with the running trail for day three right behind the trailer.

Once the trailer was set up, I went for a quick 3 km run down the trail to work out all the travel kinks.  The trail followed the river and lead me into town with my first view of Spirit Square and the start/finish line for day 2 and 3.  Then it was time for a few pictures along the river and mental preperation for the upcoming weekend.

After a hearty supper of salmon, sweet potatoes and peas, followed by a protein shake for desert, it was time to roll my legs, then attempt to sleep!!!

Suprisingly, sleep came quickly, about 11:00 in between the rumbles of the frequent trains across the river.  At 7:00AM I woke up well rested and ready for Day One of Golden!!!