Just before we left we managed to get a picture of the world famous Fernie “GHOST Rider” so the advert said. It is the shadowy figure visible on Mt Hosmer on a sunny evening. Make your own mind up.

Now it is the morning of day 9, unusually we awake to rain (we have been very lucky with the weather). A cold breakfast sheltering inside the tent but cheerios always put a smile on your face first thing on a wet morning or it was more likely the massive handful of fresh blueberries.
We packed up all of the bags in the tent along with the inner and footprint but by the time this was sorted the rain had stopped, so a damp Fernie RV Resort was left behind (9.30 today).

We cycled right through Fernie and out in a nice quiet road, this road ran parallel to the train line, it seemed to be a freight line, one passed and it was pulling what seemed like 50 coaches, you know the films where the good guys just make it over the railway line in front of the train, leaving the baddies what seems like half an hour wait whilst this giant train trundles past, it was real.

The track degenerated into the usual track / potholed road, continuing all of the way to Elko.

We were passed by one very large logging wagon, cue lorry talk “it had 8 axles” calm down Pete. By this time it was nice cycling weather sunny spells not too warm.
A short lunch just down from a Motel come Convenience Store come Campground and our legs were now powered by cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. So we set a hearty pace down highway 3 and turned into Kikomun Road very quickly (that’s what a hearty pace does for you).

We immediately saw a flock? or maybe a gang of Turkey Vultures they were certainly looking tough. They have a bright red head and are huge birds, a slight camera malfunction so the pictures are not so good.

We spent a while there watching them,  all very impressive.

Why were they their I hear you ask, two words; dead cow. It was very aromatic, the only stench worst than following Martin into the toilet I have come across.

We continued on to Kikomun Provincial Park Campground only to be told it was full, not what you want to hear at the end of your cycling day. But the ranger suggested if we camp over the road out of sight we could use the showers and water from the campground which we did.

A very nice end to the day.

As this is being written you can hear the drone of crickets on a hot summers night, all we needed was a porch with a swing chair and a glass of mamas home made lemonade  (make sure you say the last part with a southern drawl). We say hello to another cyclist who has just turned up and hello to those Turkey  Vultures who keep circling overhead.

28 miles today and one more night in Canada.