East Kootenay Smiles

by Dean Marchand, Penticton

Today was a really good day. We woke up at the Creston Hotel, and I felt great after a solid sleep. It put us all in the right mindset for the ride ahead.

Breakfast sandwiches at the Creston Fire Hall were made for us on site thanks to the Creston Lions Club. Yesterday we had left the bikes inside the Fire Hall where it was nice to spend some times cleaning off the grime from the last few days. Before we left town, we took a photo with the folks at Save-On-Foods. They made our lunch for us, and it felt good to thank them and share a moment together.

The morning ride started off cold, but we knew it wouldn’t last. Sure enough, the sun came out and warmed everything up.

Our stop in Yahk  this morning was great. The community greeted us with baked treats, and some kids even rode into the hall with us. Seeing their excitement reminded was so fun, and their smiles made the whole day brighter. Then it was on to a quick lunch at Moyie Provincial Park so that we weren’t late for our arrival into Cranbrook. While we spent the day riding toward Cranbrook, there was a Jail & Bail event happening at Tamarack Centre. People were getting “arrested” to raise money for Cops for Kids, all in good fun. It’s amazing how many people step up to support this cause.

We managed to arrive on time at the Cranbrook RCMP detachment to a reception hosted by the detachment. Cranbrook always shows us so much support, and it means a lot every single year.

We’ve just finished our team dinner at Boston Pizza and it’s time to tuck in before a “rest” day tomorrow. I think the legs will appreciate our low mileage to reposition ourselves on to Salmon Arm.