Day8 - Entourage

Today I had company all day.  LuAnne rode out with me from Cranbrook, and Joe and Linda were going to drive ahead, park the cars and get settled further up the road in Sparwood or Hazel and then ride back to meet up with us.  We rolled out at ~09:45 and were once again treated to an absolutely STUNNING day.  I have to say, I've been really fortunate with just incredible weather thus far.  Lu was riding really well, and I did my best to keep up. 

Before they left Vancouver, Linda had dispatched Julian to get some proper chamois cream for me and he picked up a jar of Assos.  I've used most products in this genre before - Chamois Butt'r, Bag Balm, George's, Udder Butter, a variety of hand creams and lotions, even diaper rash cream - but this stuff was something entirely different.  Something remarkable.  It's pure gold.  My butt was the closest to happy it's been since Day1 of the trip.  That is significant given it's current state.  My legs weren't there, but I wasn't really expecting them to be.  My ankle was bothering me again, and would continue to bother me all day.  It was definitely the weak link in the chain. 

I've enjoyed rolling along solo for the great majority of the past week, but it was really nice to have familiar company.  Lu and I rolled along, stopping for fuel when necessary and making decent time.  I had to fight a bit to stay with her at times, but that was good because it helped to take the focus away from my ankle. 

Lu hasn't been on her bike much this year and I was feeling pretty gassed - so at about 30k out from Fernie I sent a text to Joe and Linda to see where they were - hoping that they had opted for a shorter endpoint rather than trying to push for the AB border.  They had gone as far as Sparwood, and were rolling out to meet us.  ~60k to go.  Ok.  No problem.  I can handle that.  We rolled out and were treated to some more amazing views.  It really is incredible seeing the country this way. 

Joe and Linda met us just outside of Fernie and we all rolled back together.  Well - Lu had had enough of being on the bike, so she took off down the road to get it over with quickly.  The rest of us rolled back together.  :p

Showers in Sparwood, I did some laundry at a proper laundromat and got a massage from Lu while Joe and Linda walked the dogs and found some beef jerky, and then we were off to dinner in Fernie. 

Fernie is a really cool town.  It's almost completely surrounded by mountains, and has an amazing feel about it.  I want to come back in the winter to ski.  Joe called it "Classy Hope".  Dinner was massive, and then we came back and crashed.  The three of them have a ~10hr drive to get back to Vancouver, and I'll continue to plod East.  Word is that Hwy1 is washed out between Medicine Hat and Swift Current, so I'll have to see what my options are when I get further into AB. 

Stats:

Total Ride Time: 7:10
Actual Ride Time: 5:31
Total Distance: 126.22
Avg Speed: 22.8kph
Max Speed: 55.5kph



Interesting road sign (I didn't realize that I had crossed into WI)

Southeastern BC scenery

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Fernie, BC