Great Trail – day 4

Today on our journey from Brisco to Fairmont we learned about eating. I know that our trip to date has been a bit focused on food. This is because last year there were so many long stretches without anything to eat, that this year we started out a bit desperate about food. Additionally, when we did find a place to eat last year it was usually a gas station or a bar. This year there are so many options we’re learning where best to eat. That does require a lot of trial and error.

Space was limited in the Addison bungalow where we slept last night. In fact the refrigerator was on top of the kitchen table and if you bent too far over in the shower you might bump the sink. However, we did have a good sleep allowing us to get started early at 7:30. Gumby was a bit reluctant and sleepy. He was the last out of the cabin. The rest of us we’re packed and ready.

We had picked up an egg and sausage sandwich the evening before and enjoyed it prior to leaving. Then, about 20 miles down the road, we stopped at Radium Hot Spring for what I will call our real breakfast. The reviews were good but the food not so much. I saw a bottle that looked like orange juice but turned out to be some weird witches potion. The orange juice included cayenne pepper and Himalayan salt, if you can believe it. Lesson learned: do not eat in the same place that offers yoga.

We continued from Radium on to Invermere. Most of the time the wind was blasting as a headwind and the riding was not much fun. The weekend traffic heading to all of the resorts in the area was also heavy.

In Invermere I found an A&W and had what I will call the third breakfast. Of course it may have been a brunch since I was enjoying Frosty mugs of root beer along with my eggs and pancakes. Pedaling into the wind definitely created an appetite, or at least an I deserve it attitude. Lesson learned anytime’s a good time for A&W.

We were a bit discouraged with the headwinds but rather than taking the highway went to the west side of the lake and found an amazing Trail. The trail paralleled the highway and lake and took us almost all the way down to Fairmont. It was actually a really enjoyable part of our ride. Of course passing a few road cyclist with my loaded mountain bike going uphill helped me enjoy it even more.

Fairmont is a hot springs and we stayed at the resort. The white robes, turndown service, steam room, and Spa are a little bit out of our league. Walking up to the front desk and dirty shorts and smelly t-shirts we didn’t quite fit in but we’re suffering through it. Gumby enjoyed some of the natural Hot Springs nearby.

Photos day 4