Cycling often takes on a local angle, riders come from Calgary, park in Cochrane and ride a route, but not so for one cyclist riding down Alberta Highway 567, otherwise known at Big Hill Springs Road.
“I’m actually from the UK (Devon, England),” said John Baxter, with his creamy-green Oxford bike, stocked with a tent and other pertinent supplies.
“I flew from there to Vancouver and I’ve been puttering across Canada, seeing how far I can get,” said Baxter.
The trip was originally planned 20 years ago when Baxter planned on moving to Vancouver, but the move never happened and the excursion of a lifetime was put on hold.
Baxter, however, was not put off from the idea, and 20 years later, at the age of 73, he’s well over 1,000 kms into a journey, which he hopes will take him past the Great Lakes and into the harbours of St. John’s, Nfld.
“I hope the most difficult part is over,” he laughed. “The Rocky Mountains weren’t easy, but I’ve had wonderful experiences and met a lot of friendly people.”
