Tuesday, July 1 : Canada Day!


 My Canadian Flag

July 1:  Canada Day at Creston:

Monday, June 30, was a resting day for me.  My primary concern was moving the truck along to the Creston area, as my bike was now around 50 miles ahead of the motel I was staying at.  Mondays are good days for rest days because many restaurants, resorts, and other tourism-oriented businesses do not open on Mondays.  While missing meals was not a concern on this trip, it can be disappointing to work up a raging hunger on the bike only to find there is no food available in the little burg you were planning on stopping for lunch.  

So no progress on the Trans Canada Trail on Monday, but I did find a nice family motel in Creston, so I took up residence there for a few days.  It was apparent the motel had changed ownership lately.  It was managed by a nice young couple; when I asked for some ice for my water bottles, he went back into their own living quarters to fulfill my request. It was called the Mount Shimmerhorn Inn, and there was hard work going on with remodeling.  I could tell the former owners had let the place run down, and it is nice to see a young couple working hard at making a go of it with a new business venture.  My small room was spotless, so I guess they gave me one of their remodeled rooms.

But we need to move on to Tuesday, July 1, because I did make some progress on the TCT that day.  
My route took a left turn from  southbound 3A, and turned on Route 3, The Crowsnest,  finally EASTWARD.  Capital letters because this multi-year ride is all about going east across Canada.    I had spent much of the day trying to find a replacement for my handheld GPS device, that gave up the ghost on Sunday.  I had  tried the highest recommended sporting goods store in Creston, "we had them earlier this summer, but we are sold out", a couple of bikeshops, "no we don't carry equipment like that for bikes, but maybe I could order one from the warehouse in Penticton" (sorry Bud, I was in Penticton in 2019 though). 

 My GPS device is the most expensive piece of equipment that I carry on the bike.  I love it.  I can see the progress I am making while moving along on the bike.  I can see how far it is to the next turn. Its invaluable for getting back on track when I make a wrong turn.  I love knowing exactly how far I travel each day, my average speed, how many minutes on the bike, etc.  And indeed, the most interesting  piece of data for me always is the elevation.  I always want to know how tall that last monster uphill was; will I be going up or down  to get to the end of the ride, etc.

So no luck on the GPS device, but I felt I needed to make some miles, so on the bike in the later afternoon, eastward on Rt. 3.  And an hour later, do a 180 and head back to the motel.  Shortly later, I came across a small Canadian flag, laying on the roadway. Went by it, and then turned back to pick it up.  It is about the size of flags that people can attach to their car radio aerial.  It looked like it was brand new.   I just happened to have two clips in my front pannier (saddlebag), which were perfect for attaching it to the pannier.   How appropriate to display it today, on Canada Day - the Canadian Independence Day was July 1, 1867.   Its the first thing oncoming traffic sees when they approach my bike.  So like a proud Canadian, I displayed the flag for the entire rest of the trip, and probably will take it along in future years too.😃


Finally East!

A barndominium?





     

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