Bicycle enthusiast-and-a-half Scott Mullin started riding on his birthday on February 21, 2009.  He started in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA – the other side of the continent!

He just left Banff National Park on June 25 and then spent a few days riding through and camping in Jasper National Park.  On June 28 he rode from Jasper townsite to Hinton, Alberta and will continue all the way to Alaska.

“Why?”, you ask.  He explains on his website:  “No mortgage… no wife… no kids… and now no job… what’s a guy living in South Florida to do? Jump on a bike and ride to Alaska of course.”

Sounds reasonable.

Scott also writes:  “For me this journey is about providing myself with an opportunity to learn from other people/cultures so I can contribute more.”

Scott posts to his blog about his epic cross-country bicycle journey every step of the way (or is it ‘peddle of the way’?).  He’s seen lots of North America during his first 4 months – Georgia, Kentucky, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta to name a few.  He takes plenty of interesting photos along the way.

A few days ago, he wrote about staying at Wabasso Campground in Jasper (pointing out how strict they are about quietness/drinking) and then about getting friendly tune-up service at Freewheel Cycle, a bicycle shop in Jasper townsite (which, by the way, is a good place for us mere mortals to rent bicycles).

On his last day in Jasper, he writes about the ride out and then camping at a KOA in Hinton.

Browse through some of his recent posts, as he has wonderful pictures of the Canadian Rockies.  Speaking of pictures, see a picture of Scott and his bicycle here in Florida, to see where it all started.

Good luck Scott!!

Freewheel Cycle Jasper, one of the places to rent mountain bikes in Jasper, provides a nice printable trail guide (PDF) worth downloading. The map provides details about which Jasper National Park trails are open to mountain biking.

Freewheel Cycle rates Saturday Night Lake Loop (27.4 KM) as advanced and Mina-Riley Lake Loop (9KM) as intermediate to advanced. Both are part of the Pyramid Bench Trails adjacent to Jasper town-site.

Athabasca River Trail (23KM) is a beginner to intermediate trail that goes behind Jasper Park Lodge’s famous golf course and eventually alongside the scenic Athabasca River.