June 24, 2024
To Cranbrook, BC
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I didn't hear a train pass by until 6:40 AM - I wonder if it is dependable enough to use as an alarm clock. This morning we had a kitchen to cook eggs. Hot breakfast!
It was supposed to be windy again today. I think that's going to be a regular story and I shouldn't be so concerned about it. We are headed west now, and then will be going south. Basically the entire balance of the trip will have a headwind, if prevailing winds dominate.
The sky was blue, temperature was high 70's, and the road pavement was smooth. It seems British Columbia likes rumble strips, but they are well placed, and the shoulder is wide. Traffic was humming along, but I had my own space, and never felt traffic was a concern. Sometimes I thought there was an advantage, because it helped with the wind.
Which isn't to say I wasn't happy when I reached the turn for Ha ha Road. RWGPS shows this as unpaved, but the google guy showed paved. Indeed, there was a big sign at the turn, saying the pavement project was finished in 2023. It also had graffiti spray painted across the sign. That's the first graffiti I've seen in Canada. I've also noted no trash on the road sides. Especially nice is no broken glass bottles on the shoulders. There's only occasionally retread tires. I don't know if the highway department cleans more often in Canada, or retread tires aren't popular here. Highway 3 is a major highway, but it has been a better riding experience than expected.
The Ha ha detour was about seven miles. I saw a couple of ranch trucks and a couple of motorcycles. One deer crossed the road in front of me. It stopped completely and stared at me as I approached it. I'm sure the deer was trying to figure out what that strange machine was!
Soon enough I was back on Highway 3. It was a steady uphill into Cranbrook. Just as I reach the intersection with the turn for Kimberly, I got something in my eye. I tried to blink it out, but had to pull next to the jersey barrier and wait for my eye to cry it out. Talk about a bad place to stop. I couldn't even look and gauge traffic, because I couldn't get my eye open. No one honked at me.
I came into town on the main road. RWGPS had routed me around, but I wanted to get something to eat, so I did want stores. At first it didn't seem like much traffic, for a big town and the main road. I stopped at Wendy's for a chili. I have one of their free frosty key tags. They accept those in Canada also! After I ate, I got three wraps to go. They were very small. Jacinto later told me he could eat ten of those, no problem! It seemed as if traffic really picked up while I was in Wendy's. I rode maybe one block, and didn't see a chance to get to the left. I ended up managing to cross over and then I rode on the sidewalk. I never ever do that, but it seemed like the best choice today.
I thought we had stayed at the Day's Inn/Cranbrook previously. I didn't recognize this building at all. It looked large/fancy. Look at me - thinking the Day's Inn is fancy. I had called this morning and asked to check in early. The clerk remembered me. They have hot breakfast here in the morning. Hurray! That's one less thing to shop for.
When I got to the room, it was full of dust and I could see someone sand blasting the outside right at our sliding door. I didn't say anything to the office. Jacinto wasn't happy when he got in. He said I should have gone back. The air smelled like dust and there's a heavy coat of dust on everything in the room. We can see our footprints on the carpet, and write in the dust on the desk. He did end up going to the office, but they said they don't have any available rooms. They are supposed to send someone down to clean when the workers are done outside. I ended up using a damp towel to wipe off the surfaces so we can unpack.
Jacinto has checked out all of the food options around. I don't think those Wendy's wraps lasted very long.
Last night Jacinto stubbed his pinky toe on the bed leg. He heard a crack, and his toe was sideways. We tried to tape it using rim tape. But that wouldn't stick. He took ibuprofen and iced it. This morning the toe itself is black and blue, and a fair portion of the top of his foot is blue. He won't ice it any more, he says that's too cold. Jacinto said it was a matter of picking his poison while riding. If he rode standing up, his foot hurt. If he sat down, his butt hurt. I haven't managed to convince him that he needs some medical tape. He will take ibuprofen and show me how colorful his foot is. Hopefully this is not an issue beyond him complaining.
We've been looking at our schedule and the weather. We had a 67 mile day to Creston, followed immediately by a 3,800 foot climbing day to Crawford Bay. To make things more interesting, it looks like rain! We decided to forfeit our day off in Cranbrook to even out the days a little more. Tomorrow we are riding to Yahk. We've been there before. It's not an exciting stop, no food (just an ice cream shop), and a 'happy it's there' sort of motel. By changing our schedule, we will now have a 26 mile day into Crawford Bay. We will probably get wet, but at least it will be a short day, and not snowing like the day into Babb!
Later - We walked to dinner at Mike's Steak House. We shared a salad. Jacinto had a burger (no gravy for his fries, but he did want ketchup). I had a steak and shrimp combo. We shared a cookie with ice cream for dessert. They had added carmel sauce and Oreo crumbs. That was too much sweet for me. Jacinto finished it. Then we walked across the street to a burrito shop and bought 'big ass' burritos for dinner tomorrow. I do think they are the largest burritos I've ever seen. Their heft was significant on the walk back to the room. We dropped the burritos off, then went walking to the grocery for ibuprofen and tape for Jacinto's toe. We got slightly lost on the way there, and walked around a big apartment complex instead of directly past it. Neither of us were interested in the extra steps today.
Jacinto's toe is getting more colorful, and he's very slow walking. We bought bananas, and fig newtons to carry for snacks. We've figured out that we are supposed to have our own bags here. It is .25 for a paper bag, or .35 for a reusable bag that is of pretty good quality. Just like home, the challenge will be to remember to take the bags to the store!
With our new schedule, we are riding to Yahk tomorrow - 41 miles. There's no reason to arrive early in Yahk. Our room here ended up not being as nice as I wanted, with a layer of dust on everything. They did come by later to dust for us. I had already wiped surfaces down with a damp towel. What I really would have like is fresh bedding that doesn't smell dusty.
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Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 801 miles (1,289 km)
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