Fernie to Elkford
Strava: 85.73 km, 963m, 5:09, 251 shifts, 68 kph max
I slept well maybe because I achieved a new level of sound isolation with my ear plugs. The loud fan in the living room was not audible at all! And I have no idea if Andrew snored or not. Packing up was simple and we rode to the bagel store in town. The world should have more fresh bagels.
We rode out of Fernie on the bike path then the highway for a little while but soon the route headed onto singletrack. It was curvy and steep, swooping through the forest with some quick and surprising turns. One long section was narrow (30 cm) with plants coming in from both sides. The squirrels or badgers or whatever had dug deep holes, big enough to swallow a tire, sometimes the whole width of the trail. I was wondering how this section would be in the race, at night, at top speed.
Another section was on the Elk River Discovery Trail, very fun and almost like home swooping up and down, skinny trails with multiple options, right next to trees, not Redwoods though. It was really fun and then we came out in Sparwood after 40 km. We bought lunch at the supermarket and picniced outside in the shade on the grass.
As we left I noticed The Big Truck exhibit, part of the Sparwood Museum. I pulled in for a quick photo then everyone else stopped too. We ended up staying a while, reading the signs and shooting lots of photos.
We weren’t even halfway and it was already after noon and Hot! We had a nearly 10 km section on paved road but mostly it was gravel or singletrack. Some of the trail was crazy steep but somehow I managed to not only ride it all but do every section clean, first try. My bike is amazing and I guess my legs are somewhat stronger than usual now. There was lots of climbing, up to 1500m, then a super smooth descent to town on pavement, all at over 60 kph.
I pulled into the Elkford gas station and joined Wytze and Daniel and a SOBO rider. An ice cream and a liter of lemonade was just the thing for me!
After a while we rode across the bridge to the campground and got a couple of sites. It was expensive at CAD$75 but they’re small dollars. After showers and laundry we walked across the street to the Blend Bistro which was modern and very nice, not what I expected but I don’t know why not. We had a round of Fernie Brewing ‘Hit the Deck’ Hazy IPA and appetizers. Burgs for dinner with salad; mine was an Impossible Burger, very good. Then we shared the two desserts.
After dinner we hit the supermarket next door. We were hoping to buy a last gas canister and cook up a final mashed potatoes with tuna feast tomorrow night, but they didn’t have the right gas. So we bought non-cook foods then got the potatoes and tuna anyway. Maybe we can make a fire or beg some hot water tomorrow.
We had dessert back in camp and it included Whittaker’s Peanut Slabs from New Zealand. As I wrote this after 21:30 in my tent it was still hot. Maybe no sleeping bag tonight?
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