My bike down the icefields parkway was the pinnacle of my 2300 km trip this August. Great scenery, lots of great people and a great time altogether. It looks like you guys had a blast. Yes, the strip down the shoulder made biking much smoother in alt of places but the ride into Saskatchewan River Crossing was anything but smooth. I ended up breaking 5 spokes one day later in the middle of nowhere between the mountains and Red Deer. Those shoulders along the parkway are tough on bikes!