Video 30: 100 Kilometres (Cycling Cranbrook - Wardner - Bull River - Fort Steele)

I'm currently working in the East Kootenays. We've been experiencing temperatures in the mid-30s, hence the timing of this ride. I set out early so I can get back just before the heat became unbearable. The idea of doing this ride came from a picture I received recently. It was taken in Fort Steele back in the 70s. This would be my second time at Fort Steele. The first time was a couple of weeks ago, when I wasn't in the mood to record yet. I was feeling the vibe of the place first. I grossly underestimated the elevation change at Eager Hill, just outside Fort Steele. I burnt myself during the first ride, hence the bright sun shirt in this video.
This time, the ride was more about exploration than physical exertion. As I've already seen Fort Steele, I wanted to see if there were other spots in the area that were potentially interesting. I decided on Wardner Bridge, Bull River Falls, and Norbury Lake (the locals apparently call it Peckham's).
When I mapped this out, I liked that the route was not entirely on a highway. I spent the first part of this ride on the Isadore Canyon Trail, which turned out to be absolutely gorgeous. Ha Ha Creek Road looked idyllic with its working farms. The start of Wardner-Fort Steele Road (from Wardner Bridge) is this beautiful cascade alongside Kootenay River.
I rented an e-bike for the drastic elevation changes, which I experienced especially coming out of Wardner Bridge, in the last third of Bull River Road before you see the falls, and the aforementioned Eager Hill. If you're in Cranbrook, the awesome young men at Northstar Bicycle Co. will be more than happy to assist you: / northstarbicycleco I got the Trek Allant+ 7 for this, and the range is impressive. I had 3 bars left on the bike when I returned it.
I slept really well, afterwards. I missed this feeling as well, as it had been a while since I did a properly long-distance ride. I want to do it again but I'm not sure where yet. We'll see. For now, I hope you enjoyed watching this.
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