Aug 19, 2017 Cranbrook to Yahk (and back)

Ken and I were up and on the road by 7:00 Am.  The first stop being Tim Horton’s for breakfast bagels and coffee.  Out on the road  the sun was out and it was a glorious morning to be riding.  We headed straight down highway 97.  The highway wasn’t very busy in the early morning and we were just sailing along.  The highway had a good shoulder with rumble strip on it so any traffic there was, was well away from us.  

There were only two short and not too steep climbs on the route and they were right by Moyie Lake.  The views from the top of the climbs down the lake were absolutely stunning.   The total climb on the way to Yahk was only 827 ft (252M) over a distance of 40 miles (64 Kms), and that included the two climbs.  So the road was pretty flat.  It seemed like there was a lot more down than up and in fact there was on the way south to Yahk however it was only 177 feet (54 m).  

At the 31 mile (50 km) mark we stopped to decide if we were going to call turn around or go the extra distance as this was the first ride since the Golden Triangle for Ken and my first ride in over a month.  We decided on the full distance as the wind was forecast to pick up in the afternoon from the SW which would give us a nice tail wind home.  

After a snack at the Yahk general store (and that is only in the most general way).  It is the commercial hub of Yahk.  We headed back to Cranbrook.   The wind failed to develop and in fact turned into a head wind most of the way although there was a lot of swirling so there were moments of tail wind.  

Along the way we spotted a fellow getting out of his truck along side of the highway with a bow and arrow set.  I called out “Going Hunting”  He answered back “ Nope going fishing”   Fishing with a bow and arrow set?  Never heard of that one.  Bow hunting season doesn’t open until Sept 1.  

Up over the two climbs by Moyie Lake where we stopped for a Coke.   I asked about the guy with the bow and arrows and was told he was probably just sighting the bow in.  Really? 

Ken and I dragged your butts into camp after what turned out to be a 136 kms ride and with a head wind most of the way.   We were both happy that we had completed a fairly tough ride, averaging 17.7 mph (28.5 kms/hr).

A fine supper in the local craft brew house topped off a great day of riding.

Terry