CCCT 2012 - June 7, 2012 - Day 19

Cross Canada Cycling Tour - Thursday, June 7, 2012 - Day 19
Cranbrook to Fernie, BC. Trip 103.68 kms Time 6 hrs 30 mins Max 42.9 kph
We were up at 6:00 AM, packed and ready to leave at 7:00 AM. We had vouchers from the motel for breakfast at the Husky Truck Stop Cafe for up to $6.99 per person. We cycled to the cafe and chose the $4.99 Senior's Breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. We thought we would come out ahead by chosing the $4.99 special only the tea was extra at $2.50 each!!! We still ended up having to pay $2.33 and leave a 15% tip. So much for a "complimentary breakfast".
We set off for JARRAY at 7:50 AM. We had much better cycling conditions than yesterday except for a head wind. Bev spotted several large brown birds with white heads/necks and golden beaks (Bald Eagles?)waiting to feed on a carcass. Not sure what the carcass was? We arrived in Jarray  at 11:00 AM. I called the B&B to let them know that we were going on to FERNIE. While stopped at the service station in Jarray we both went in and used the facilities. Bev bought a chocolate milk, which we shared, to go with our sandwiches.
We continued on to Fernie. We had one very tough climb to 945 m at ELKO. Very scenic. The mountain tops were covered in fresh white snow. I took several photos.

Scenery on the way to Fernie, BC

Bev & Roly with a price on their heads

Scenery on the way to Fernie (note tunnel on the right)

We arrived in Fernie at 4:00 PM. We stopped at a DQ to use the washroom and treated ourselves to an well deserved ice cream before cycling on to the Visitor's Centre. It turned out to be on the other side of town. OK if you're in a car or coming from the other direction!!! We decided to get some groceries instead. While waiting for Bev to come out I was approached by several people who were curious about our cycling trip including a "free lance journalist" who took our photos for a local publication. Also got a tip on a nearby hostel. We cycled to the hostel and paid $50 cash for a private room with bathroom on the 2nd floor. We only took the essential panniers up to our room and locked our bikes up in a shed. Our leg muscles were quite sore. They were not used to climbing stairs!!!
We cleaned up and walked over to the nearby PUB for Baby Back Ribs in a great BBQ Sauce. They went down real well with 2 cold beers. We finished the evening off with a date cake for dessert. Very yummy!!!
Before going back up to our room we checked out the hostel kitchen facilities. Very neat and well equipped. When I was checking in I asked the hostel manager about breakfast in the morning. He said they usually had pancakes but wouldn't be offering them until July when the busy season started. We decided we would make our own breakfast of oatmeal, tea, etc. The room was a bit cold so Bev quickly got under the covers and was soon off to sleep while I worked on my e-mail, etc.

Bald Eagle and carrion

Bev and Roly