Day 7: Creston to Cranbrook

Finally an honest sign for cyclists

In contrast to yesterday’s sweltering climb to the peak of the Salmo-Creston, today’s ride was essentially a recovery for us.  Before we even started, we walked over to a fabulous Polish restaurant which served us the best breakfast of the trip so far.  Chatka-styled scrambled eggs, sausage and a crispy potato pancake, today had to be good if just due to the breakfast alone.  We set out of Creston, an otherwise extremely unremarkable town, and headed down the No. 3 Highway until the town of Yahk.  Apparently the residents of Yahk have a great sense of humor as we saw a number of amusingly named landmarks such as the “Hay U” R.V. Resort and the ride-appropriate sign pictured to the right.

Me and my roommate Stan

Simona doesn't know either

Martina blazing her way to Cranbrook, GU gels really work!

We finally made it into Mountain Time and have thus lost an hour, much to our disappointment.  At least the mornings will be cooler but it also means getting up an hour earlier for breakfast.  Our descent into Cranbook ended the shortest ride of our trip even though I slammed into a loose rock and blew my rear inner tube.  If there was any day to receive the inevitable flat, it would be today and with the help of Andrea, I was able to get back on the road in a few minutes.  Cresting the final hill of the day, we finally got a glimpse of our destination and final challenge, the Rocky Mountains.  So far we’ve traversed the Coast mountains, Cascade Mountains and the Selkirks.  Our final climbs will be through the Rockies which will eventually bring us to Banff.  Everyone on the team arrived at our destination in less than 4 hours of riding.  It’s amazing to think that we’ve now come over 920 km from Vancouver.  I am absolutely going to miss this experience when we land back in Vancouver on Monday but the reality is that there is a lot of work to be done and as a researcher, my responsibility is in the lab.  Following this experience, it is unlikely that my journey in the CF world will simply be coming to an end.  Though I don’t know where I’ll even be in a year, finding a cure for CF will always have a special place in my heart.

Rebecca considering a tattoo, or not

Finally a peek of the fantastic Rockies

Yes Sam, your sweetheart and princess are in Cranbrook, BC

Tonight we rounded off our evening with another wonderfully hosted meal by the kinsmen and kinettes of Cranbrook.  We ate at a local golf course and even got to meet the Sweetheart and Princess of Sam Steele, a competition based title given to grade 11 students of Cranbrook, ripe with history related to the city.  Following the meal, we relaxed and stretched our backs in an embarrassing round of balls at the driving range.  Tomorrow we’ll be arriving in Invermere where we’ll gear up for the final stretch into Banff and the end of our 2010 ride for cystic fibrosis.

Ride Statistics:

Total Distance:  106.2 km
Cumulative Elevation Gain: approx. 300 m
Average Speed: 26.3 kph
Maximum Speed: 55.7 kph
Total Time Spent on the Saddle: 4:02:16

I'll stick to cycling

Martina and Rebecca... in the middle of the street

The crew with the local kin groups