Day 9, June 7th, Cranbrook to Sparwood. (131km)

Rocky Mountain Sunrise

RV'ers!  They must be some of the friendliest people in the world.  They love a good story and word quickly spread in the RV Park that I was the guy on the bike on my way to Toronto.  A Montreal cycling team was parked across from my tent site.  They are a supported tour meaning the 3 riders are using super light racing bikes and have an RV to transport their gear.  A couple of lots down, an older couple offered me dinner and beer.  They were visiting their daughter in Cranbrook.  The old guy had some great stories, he must be 90 and he's been everywhere.  His daughter knew the upcoming road from Cranbrook to Sparwood like the back of her hand.  After talking with her, I knew where every hill, tunnel and town was going to be along the way.  I thought it would take the fun out of the surprise but it was impossible for her to describe the scenery.

Sky Mountains & River

Todays ride was spectacular!  The route followed a series of meandering rivers and lakes through Jaffray, Elko, Fernie and finally to Sparwood.  Panoramic views of the mountains had me looking sideways more often than forward.  From Cranbrook to Jaffray, the ride was downhill or flat.  Starting early, I had the opportunity to watch the sun slowly light up the side of the mountains.  While the ride was easy, the shoulder along the road was rough. I often found myself riding on the white line like a train rides a rail until conditions improved near Jaffray.

The View of the Mountains From Jaffray

Jaffray to Elko was a fairly smooth ride.  A couple of steep climbs outside Elko reminded me that I was still in B.C.  Nearing Elko, the mountains started closing in.  By the time I got to the general store in Elko, the clouds were threatening and the lady warned me that there was a heavy rain and thunderstorm warning.  She advised me to get to my final destination as quick as possible.  Nasty weather was coming my way.  On my way out of town, a cop pulled up and told me the same thing and asked if I had seen anyone else riding today.  They really take weather warnings seriously around here.

Tunnel on the Road From Elko

Leaving Elko, the road got rough.  Winter storms have left large pot holes on the shoulder and even on the surface between the lines.  I was riding in traffic at the mercy of the cars and trucks coming up behind me on the winding road.  Just before hitting a tunnel cut through the rock face of a mountain, fresh black asphalt reappeared.  During the last recession, the federal government poured a lot of stimulus money into infrastructure projects.  After some hairy moments outside Elko, I was happy to see a sign that said the project for repaving up to Fernie had been completed.

Mountains Get Larger Close to Fernie

Near Fernie, things really started to get fun.  The scenery was spectacular.  I ignored the threat of bad weather and kept stopping to take more pictures.  Better and better opportunities for pictures kept appearing the closer I got to the city.  It was magnificent. Beautiful mountains, tons of wildlife, raging rivers and a fast road for cycling.  Outside of a rest stop, I passed the Montreal cycling team.  I think they were surprised to see a soloist in a fully loaded touring bike blow by their group in strong headwinds.  The guys from Montreal are a bit older.  They were riding in a tight paceline because of the wind.  It's smart for them to use an RV to carry all their equipment and gear.  Tonight we ended up at the same campground again.  Tomorrow they want to go for Lethbridge.  At close to 200km it's a bit ambitious.

Entering Fernie, I stopped for lunch.  Fernie is beautiful.  The mountains are so close on all sides of the city.  Fernie's principal industry is tourism. Particularly, it's a major destination for winter sports.  There are some great ski mountains in this area and colder temperatures ensure that the powder is light and dry.  As I was chomping down on lunch sitting on the curb outside of Safeway, I struck up a conversation with a mother and daughter who were hanging out nearby.  The daughter told me some of the best coal in the world comes from mines around Fernie and Sparwood.  Her boyfriend drives one of the huge coal trucks.  She mentioned the world's largest truck is on display in Sparwood and that the 30km ride to get there wouldn't be too hard.

Dandelion Fields

As I left Fernie, I whipped past beautiful fields of dandelions.  I watched deer running across the fields and jumping the fences.  At one point a group of 3 deer were running parallel with me in a field along the road.  We kept glancing at each other like it was a race.  After almost a minute, I watched them jump a fence and disappear into the forrest.  The scenery here is surreal.  All of natures best elements are on display in this part of Canada.

My Bike, & Driver of Worlds Biggest Truck

The ride into Sparwood was fast and easy.  Near the town I ran into a short but tough little climb.  At 3pm, I checked out the only campground but a sign said that the office was closed until 4pm.  With the extra time, I made my way to the site of the worlds biggest truck.  Not only did I find the world's biggest truck, I also found the guy who drove it.  He told me that GM made the truck in London, Ontario.  Everything was overbuilt including the dual rear wheels.  At $60000 a tire it was a pretty expensive truck to maintain.  When they wanted to scrap the truck, he fought vehemently to have it displayed in front of the Tourist Center.  The old guy had a lot of great stories.  I took a picture of him and my bike beside the truck.  My bike looks like a toy compared to that thing.  It seems a lot bigger then the mining truck a Britannia Beach.

Looking Back At the Mountains 

At 4pm, I went back to the campground.  The bad weather was closing in and the rain started falling.  The lady who runs this place is top notch.  When she saw my touring bike,  she said tonights storm was going to be really bad and that I shouldn't go up the Crowsnest Pass this late in the day.  In the campground, there's a picnic area under a log shelter with a roof on it.  She told me I could pitch my tent in there and she would turn on the electrical power for my computer.  People in these small towns really go out of their way to help strangers.  I'm glad I stopped here tonight.  The rain is coming down like a waterfall and I've got a dry place for my tent tonight.  Tomorrow I cross into Alberta.  B.C. has been even more beautiful than I imagined.

Distance: 131km
Average Speed: 23.5km/h
Maximum Speed: 48.7km/h
Time: 5:35
Odometer: 1026km