Barbara B.'s Adventures: 24-Hour Vacation: Fernie

It finally happened: I got 24 hours of 'me time', so celebrated by going on a 24-hour vacation to Fernie. There, I spent spent Friday night at a bed & breakfast, just relaxing. It was nice to finally feel like I was getting away.

My start on Friday was definitely an adventure. In the morning my tire warning sign went off, so I checked the tires at a gas station near Brentwood and pressure was all good. The light, however, stayed on, so I checked again in the south of the city after having driven about 40km. Perfect, all tires still have pressure exactly where they're supposed to be at, so it's probably just the light being wonky. Time to hit the road!

It didn't take long for me to make a first stop in Black Diamond. It had been a busy morning, so I wanted to stretch. I opted for the library - washrooms and internet, can't go wrong with that! Has anyone ever noticed that the big black diamond is really a big chunk of big plastic? I'm being drawn more and more to these small towns. After that I figured I should get some distance behind me, so wasn't planning on stoping again until Hailstone Butte. That didn't last, as I turned around in Longview when I saw the beef jerky place. After all the COC events that I've seen go to this place, I figured I should try it. It really is good stuff, and it filled me that I didn't need another lunch break after that.

The original Longview beef jerky

After our first snow in the city, the area south of Black Diamond was all clear. However, as soon as I turned onto Hwy 532, I was greeted by winter driving conditions. The only options I had were to continue my planned route along the Forestry Trunk Road, knowing it would be very slow-going and I might get stuck, or change my plans and continue down Hwy 22. I opted for the former. After all, I have all wheel drive, felt confident in my tires, had food to last me two days, as well as my sleeping bag good to -12C, just in case. I also had radio, several books and my camera to keep me occupied. Surely if I had car issues, someone would travel this road on the weekend. The snow was high and for about 25km scraped the underside of my car. There were tracks from a car before me which I followed, but got sucked into the side once, which had the skid control go off. As Hailstone Butte is the high point, I figured that if I can make it to there I'd be able to make the rest. And so I did. It wasn't even windy up there. Unfrotunately I didn't get any photos of this stretch as my focus was just to get through the snow.

The drive down the Forestry Trunk Road was a stark contrast from the stretch up to Hailstone. After a few kilometres it was pretty much clear. I was greeted by sun and wider valleys. It was just a little wet to keep the dust at bay and no potholes, so at times you could go 100km/hr. I saw no-one until I got closer to Coleman and hunter camps were set up. Fires were smoking and it was so tempting to just walk into one of the camps.

Forestry Trunk Road (Hwy 940)

Weather vane or sculpture?

The device in the image above is something I had come across online before. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a weather vane (there appeared to be no moving parts) or a sculpture. One website notes that it's on the Hailstone Butte access road, which it really isn't. It's just along the east side of the Forestry Trunk Road, maybe 15km south of the junction with Hwys 40 and 532, at the start of the Ridge Creek Trail. If you have the Southern Alberta Backroad Mapbook, it's on page 19, grids C-5.

I hit paved road again in Coleman, thinking the last stretch to Fernie would be quick. I stopped quickly at Miner's Park (which was supposed to have some nice falls that I couldn't see [or rather couldn't be bothered to walk to], and was also home to the worl'd largest piggy bank), then saw a sign to Chinook Lake. The latter I had never heard of, so thought I'd check it out. It was 6km from Hwy 3, offered great views of Crowsnest Mountain, took me past a trout hatchery, and to a little lake. And then the squaky noise in my tire started. I had it before, so figured it's a darn rock stuck in there again, thanks to all the gravel roads. But something told me to stop and do my 10th car walkaround for the day. Flat tire. But, I was calm, changed it, and ten minutes later was back on the road.

Crowsnest Mountain (2,786m)

The bed and breakfast was absolutely beautiful! It's a house that was built in 1908 with lots and lots of character: an eclosed porch, squeaky stairs, sliding wooden windows, and plenty of antiques. Everything was decorated in a ski theme. The owners seem to be outdoor bunnies: the guy hunts after work, the woman used to give ski lessons, their three-legged dog is an avalanche rescue dog, and their two-year-old sun is a bundle of energy. My room was named after the husband's favourite ski run at Fernie, the hot tub was enclosed by skis, and there were maps for every ski run imaginable scattered about the house. There are even extra gloves and things to use ... just in case you want to ski. They owners live next door, so one has the full house all to oneself.

My room

Kitchen

Living room

Looking down from my room

Main Street. What can I say? It's a little historic thing that looks like it belongs in a movie. I went o a quaint little bookstore where I found a neat card. They also had a calendar titled the Magic of Stones, which I ended up going back for the next day. The historic court house is quite a spectacle, there's a fancy new Aquatic Centre, and things are clean. For dinner I went to the Brick House, which used to be an old bank, so has a vault and stone walls, but was spiced up with contemporary pieces. I had a delicious steak sammy with FuZion '09 red wine. Delicious! I wasn't expecting a dinner this good here, but it was grand, a real treat!

Historic Main Street

Court house

Brick House by day

Brick House by night

Brick House by night

I felt a little tipsy after dinner, so went back to the B&B. I had the house to myself, so I explored. There's the door that led to the dining room, then another door that led from the dining room to the kitchen, another door that led from the kitchen to a vestibule, and and other that led to stairs ... down. I didn't find a light, but I had my camera. It's a little freaky being in a 100+ year-old house, not knowing what's in the basement. There are no lockes on the room doors either. I guess you just trust small town honesty. I could see the moon from my window, had old radiators to keep me warm, and enjoyed the rest of the evening without any fancy new technology ... a return to a simpler life. Just read, enjoy the quiet, dark night.

Saturday morning I woke up at 3:28am to the sound of one of those wood-chips-making machines. The time seemed odd, and it instantly reminded me of a horror movie. I went to the washroomw ithout turning lights on, couldn't see anything, then curled back under the covered, just hoping for the best. It was one time that I wished there had been a lock on my room door.

The morning was absolutely stunning - perfect blue sky, and a crisp -5ºC. If I hadn't stopped for two new Michelin Destinys (P205/55R16) at Canadian Tire, I would have never taken the walk from Maiden Lake to Annex Park, where I came across these leaves and thistles. So simple, and yet so beautiful.

My main hit list for the morning was the road up to Island Lake, where I wanted to see the 800-year-old cedars. Unfortunately this was gated off and I guess will only reopen again for cat skiing. I wasn't prepared for a 7km walk in, so settled for a lunch break along the creek, then scoped out Fernie Alpine Resort instead.