Kimberley

August 1, 2018

Last night, after it cooled down a bit, I walked through the neighborhood around the motel for a bit, looking for additional wildlife. I was so startled by seeing the bighorn sheep sauntering down the street on our way to dinner that I thought I should look again. I didn’t find much for my efforts though - just the almost kitchy Wagon Wheel Ranch, right next door to the motel. And a deer. And her two spotted fawns.

The Wagon Wheel Ranch (and an interesting gate for the Grumbys’ consideration)

Kitchen stove and a unique porch support, Wagon Wheel Ranch

This morning I went out again to the Bighorn Cafe for coffee and a Cornish Pastie. On the way, I encountered what looks like the same family unit from last night. I got closer to them this morning, because I separated the mother and her young - they were on opposite sides of the street I was walking down, and more or less froze until I passed by. I can’t be sure they’re the same ones though - they’re probably not the only doe with fawns in town.

The same, or different? You be the judge.

Sorry. This would be easier to judge if I showed you the same side in both photos, but she wouldn’t cooperate.

OK, enough with the deer pics already. We’ve got a ride to fit in, and about a three hour drive ahead of us as we move on to Creston, our new base for the next two nights. Looking around though, we decide to change our plans. We had meant to bike north from here along the Columbia to Spillimacheen and back. The smoke is noticeably worse this morning though, and it looks like the worst nearby blaze is in the direction we planned to ride.

It just doesn’t look that inviting, so we reconsider. We decide to drive south to Cranbrook and ride from there to Kimberley and back on the Northstar Rail to Trail conversion. That looks inviting because Cranbrook is out of the worst of the fire belt, and it breaks the drive in half, and it’s a pretty simple ride - practically a rest day, which for me is a good thing.

The ride is pleasant enough, but not as dramatic as we’ve grown accustomed to in the last weeks. We’ve definitely gotten badly spoiled, riding some of the best mountain scenery on the continent. We need a bit of an attitude adjustment and come back down to earth again, I suppose.

Since it was almost a rest day, I’ll extend that to the post as well, stop here for the night, and catch up on some rest.

Looking across the Columbia Wetlands again, on our way south to Cranbrook. Visibility is quite poor this morning.

The start of the Northstar trail, which runs between Cranbrook and Kimberley.

There are some dramatic views of the formations along the Saint Mary’s River, but we didn’t often see them - too dang many view blockers (Greg’s term, not mine) in the way.

The Saint Mary’s River, seen from the bridge. It’s nice there were cutouts from the fence so you can get a decent photo.

The Saint Mary’s River again. There are mountains in the distance, but you can barely make them ou through the haze.

In Kimberley, a sculpture honoring the town’s mining heritage

On the way back, we get a decent view of the highway overpass spanning the river.

A pond, and some haze-veiled peaks in the distance.

Oh, one other thing about the day - we found a cricket in the road! It reminded me of the beautiful Albanian cricket we saw this spring. I’m becoming a fan. I’m going to have to get an ‘I brake for crickets’ sticker to put on the back of my bike.

The big wildlife sighting of the ride - an addition to my small cricket collection (small collection of photos of normal sized crickets). I was worried about this guy when I looked for him after getting out the camera. I feared the worst, but he was safe - just inches from Rachael’s foot.

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Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 1,122 miles (1,806 km)

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