Day 16 - Fernie, BC to Pincher Creek, AB

I wake up in the middle of the night thinking I’ve left my helmet flashing light on. I check, but it’s not on. I lay back down and there again is a flash… this time it’s followed by a low rumble. A storm is rolling in! I check my new “Lightening” app, and, sure enough a storm is nearby. Storms can be unnerving when you are safe & cozy inside a house. Being in a tent during a storm takes it to a whole other level. It starts to rain, and I am tired. I figure there’s not a thing I can do about the storm or my situation, so I just roll over go back to sleep. (When did I get so chill?}

Morning arrives and the storm has passed. Today has an exciting milestone - I will be going through the Crows Nest Pass and entering into Alberta!

Preparing for my departure I have a mishap that will have a big impact on my meal prep and consumption. For dishes, I only have a cup and a spork (spoon/fork/knife all in one). As I made my peanut butter buns (no nice deli sandwich today), I broke my spork in half! After some thought, I figured that duct tape will have to do to save my one and only utensil.

Leaving Fernie, I depart at 6:40 and I’m making great time. I see a mother elk and her baby running in the field (I think this is called Elk Valley). I take note of two roadkill beavers and find that really odd (I’ve never seen one, never mind two, beavers hit by cars before). As I’m contemplating this, I feel a pull on my bike - a dragging sensation. I stop to find that I have a flat - the dreaded rear tire. Part of my preparation for this trip was to learn some basics bike maintenance and repair skills. Tire change was one of them. Changing a front tire is okay, but the back tire change is like “giving birth” (as I described to one of my instructors). What luck, today I get to “give birth” along the side of a well travelled road. After an hour of trial and error, I finally get the job done! I want to do a happy dance when a commercial mechanical repair van pulls off the road just in front of me. A lady with skeleton hands on the front of her shirt comes over and offers me a ride to Sparwood. She was concerned about me as she has passed me twice this morning. I graciously declined her offer and was happy to share this moment with her!

Something I’ve noticed on the east side of BC is that there are a lot of trucks transporting animals - mostly cows and pigs. Farming is a major industry here and in Alberta. This provides me as a biker with a strong smell of manure every so often. Both of my opas (Dutch for grandfather) dealt with livestock. When these trucks pass by, I don’t mind because they remind me of my opas. While I was in the middle of the frustrating tire change, a livestock truck passed by. I put my head on the tire for a moment and felt so grateful - I could hear both of them in their own brusk, way tell me that “You can do this Corinne”. I think both of them would have thought this adventure to be absolutely crazy, but I know they would have wanted me to succeed.

I continue on my way, and come upon a ‘point of interest’ stop with a very old, tattered sign. I think to myself, “This couldn’t possibly be THE Crows Nest Pass”. And yet, it is - I am right here in it! My eyes water up. I will now cross into Alberta! One province done!

I can feel the transition to Alberta with the different signs. There are no longer “Litter Barrel”stops, they are now “Roadside Turnout” stops. No toilets, just a garbage can.

The scenery is breathtaking! Amongst the most spectacular of the journey so far (which is hard to believe it could get any better).

Once I am through the Crow’s Nest communities and the Frank Slide, there is a quick transition into the foothills. The sun is blazing hot (even though it was supposed to be cooler today). I am greeted by the prairies with a tailwind that not only cools me off, but pushes me to Pincher Creek where I get a hotel room. I am grubby from head to toe from the tire change and need a good scrub down.

As I eat my dinner, I feel the fatigue of the day. I have a headache - likely from the heat. I look forward to seeing my cousin and her husband tomorrow - I’ve been invited to dinner and to stay over. I feel like I need to learn more about this new land - and to get some tips on how to manage travel in this terrain. Surely as long time Albertans, they will have some good advise for me.

Day 16 - May 29, 2026

Start Time: 6:40 am

Stop Time: 3:00 pm

KM Travelled: 115.3 km

Elevation: +872/ - 737

Special Stuff: Experience with tire repair, Crossing into Alberta