A lactic-acid-flush of a ride today along a paved trail from the charming alpine town of Kimberley to Cranbrook. It was easy going, but our legs felt the accumulation of mileage from the previous four days and we were properly tired.
For 35km we rode through grasslands and Ponderosa pines, into the company of deer, ground hogs, chipmunks and snakes. For South Africans, this area had the feel of Underberg – grassy foothills with towering mountains behind.
Kimberley, names after the Kimberley mine in South Africa, is the kind of town you are happy to end up in for the night. From 1917 to 2001 it was home to the world’s largest lead-zinc mine (Sullivan); now it’s an outdoor haven for skiing, hiking and mountain biking.
The Kimberley Hotel, run by an Australian couple (Hawks supporters), was spacious and welcoming. Morning coffee from the nearby gourmet market store was great, and the spotless town has an air of rural warmth.
From here the old North Star Rail line to Cranbrook has been paved and is a bike route popular with both Lycra-shorted road cyclists and families with kids.
It also has the least aesthetically pleasing bridge we have crossed – concrete over the old railway sleepers, and wire-fenced sides with occasional cut-outs to enable uninterrupted landscape photos.
This was the least littered leg we have ridden so far on this entire journey – Vancouver and the Fraser Valley towns could pick up a few tips.
Having completed 316 uppity and gnarly kilometres in this five-day stretch from Christina Lake, it was two tired bodies that headed home to Vancouver. Actually, it was three tired bodies that got into the car in Cranbrook – roadie Liz had been up especially early to catch two ferries and drive for over two hours to fetch us.
Now to start the planning for the next leg – Cranbrook up to Banff over the Canadian Rockies.
Today: 33km
Total distance: 1364km
#thegreattrail
#transcanadatrail
Trans Canada Epic 