Days 5 and 6- Sparwood, BC to Surveyors Lake

June 25, 2023 to June 26, 2023

The world's largest dump truck, built for the coal mines in the area. It's so massive, it makes my calves look small. Yeah, it's that big.

June 25- Elkford to Sparwood, 31 miles, 1600 feet.

Elkford is a small coal mining town and has the basic services, grocery, hotels, campground, etc. It made for a pretty comfortable night.

The road began to climb immediately and steeply out of Elkford, almost 1000 feet in 4.5 miles up paved Fording River road. The route then jumped back onto the Elk Valley Trail, which was rough muddy and puddly. The scenery was, again, stunning. I really don't want this Canadian section to end. The route reconnected to the highway and we blasted down to Sparwood and took pics by the big dump truck. The campground was south of town, with showers, water and electricity. It's amazing what living rough can do for your expectations.

Ellie anticipating her first taste of authentic Canadian poutine at the A&W

We set up camp and headed back into town to A&W for August and Ellie's 7th anniversary. I insisted on treating them to dinner for the occasion, and certainly didn't spare any expense, it being A&w and all. As a special treat, Ellie had her first taste of poutine...at A&W. Fancy! After the fine dining we rode back to the camp as began the evening rituals. Ellie went off to shower and August and I were talking, probably about something incredibly important, when our campsite neighbor walked over and asked if we were missing a child. Apparently Bill wandered off to a neighboring campsite and was poking around. The guy was nice and let Bill okay with the bubble lawn mower he had there for his grandkids. It was a great day.

Bill tidying up the campground with bubbles

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June 26, 34 miles 1300 feet. - The day began with a few miles of rolling singletrack from the campground, then on to flat and incredibly rocky roads. Rough riding. We rolled in to Fernie and headed to the downtown area for delicious lunch at The Brickhouse. The crispy chicken sandwich was delicious, and downtown Fernie is charming. I was through here last year on a motorcycle trip (Wild Hogs 2), but mostly saw the ugly sprawly suburbs. My brother, brother-in-law, and nephew almost got lost in the Wal Mart that year. I had to go rescue them after about 3 hours.

Anyway, I stocked up at the grocery store- instant potatoes, peanut butter, Snickers, etc. Bill has gotten used to me and now brings me assorted pine cones and sticks, just in case. He's a sweet, funny kid, and I intend to teach him some important skills and some possibly very annoying things. We continued to the Surveyors lake Provincial Park, which is so fancy it also has showers. I'm gonna get spoiled showering all the time. Who do I think I am, Little Lord Fontleroy?*

Anyway, a Kiwi named Phil rode in and we spoke for awhile. He was riding northbound in 30 days, a very fast pace, but he seemed unimpressed with his effort. Almost defeated, which is crazy, because he has ridden about 2500 miles in about 28 days over rough and harsh terrain.

Surveyor's Lake Park, our camp for the night

Hmm, is that the shadow of the Singing Cycling Cowboy?

Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 172 miles (277 km)

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Rachael AndersonGlad to see another post! I’m glad you found companions for the ride.
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9 months ago

Ron SuchanekTo Rachael AndersonI'm trying to get caught up. I was so exhausted at the end of the days, and wifi has been so sketchy that it's been a struggle. But I'm on a roll.
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9 months ago