The long way to Lethbridge

My brother lives in Lethbridge and there was rumor of a familial BBQ going on down there so Nita and I decided it was time to ride down and let her break in her own bike – a Honda CBR600RR – which I have to say is a blast to ride. Since taking HWY 2 all the way from Calgary seem like a bit of a bore we decided to tackle some of the twisties on alternate routes and extending the normally 2 hour ride.

Heading out to Bragg Creek on HWY 8 is always a nice start and is a great spot to stop for a cuppa joe. From there the twisting HWY 762 and 549 past Millarville which are always a blast to ride. It should be noted though that some of the locals are sick of the bikers hitting these roads – as we noted when we got the finger while riding the speed limit from an hornary hick. Still, there’s no way it would ruin the ride.

On through Black Diamond and Turner Valley to Longview where we stop for some gas-stop coffee and a wrist-break. Now, for some reason we decided *not* to fill with gas which we usually do. Heading down to the Chain Lakes road off of HWY22 the fuel light came on and it was a race to beat the emptying tank. For future reference we should always fill up in Longview – we were running on fumes by the time we hit Nanton. From Nanton its a pretty straight ride to Lethbridge. All in all it took 3.5 hours over the normal 2 hours to get to Lethbridge on this route but it is *infinitely* more interesting.

Once in Lethbridge we had a cool drink, some food then hopped on the bikes and headed back – taking the 2 all the way back to Calgary in an effort to beat the failing light. It was a long day but well worth it!

* Ride Duration: 5.5 – 6 hours
* The route

Images: Copyright © Wade Flemming