Fernie, B.C.

Tuesday November 6...10:00pm

We were only a few minutes from the Frank Slide, and so after a quick breakfast we headed to the interpretive centre they built at the site of the disaster. If you don't know about the Frank Slide...it's when millions of tons of limestone rock came
crashing down from Turtle Mountain onto the town of Frank...way back in 1903, and killing 70 people in the process. To believe it you have to see it. This is my third visit to the slide area, and I still look at it in total amazement. You can't imagine how the rock from the face of the mountain travelled such a distance. I couldn't get a really good picture of it today, so the panorama view you see is from my last visit to the area in May of 2005. So we did the little 1.5 km hike around the interpretive centre (we did NOT spend the $9 each they wanted for the official "tour") and then headed off on a backcountry hike that was supposed to go to the ghost town of Lille about 6 km's away. We had no intention of making it all the way to the ghost town and back, but would have liked to at least thought we were on the proper trail. Nothing was marked though, and we soon found ourselves hiking a trail in the brush through some ranch property. Don't think it was a problem though because we met up with a couple of women walking their dogs who came across as locals and didn't seem to mind us being there. Not sure how much distance we travelled but we're gone just over an hour and a half.

View of the Crowsnest Pass and the Rocky Mountains in the distance

View of the Frank Slide and Turtle Mountain

All the debris from the Frank Slide as seen from the Interpretive Trail

Panorama of the Frank Slide when Kevin saw it in May 2005

Drove a few km's to the town of Sparwood. Their claim to fame is a coal mine that has been going since the 60's. In fact, Sparwood is a relatively new community given that it's only been in existence since then. Their claim to fame is having the "World's Largest Truck". We thought our motorhome has bad gas mileage?? This big rig consumes 70 gallons of fuel PER HOUR!

Ruth and the "World's Largest Truck"  

Went for yet another walk...on a trail around the Sparwood Golf Course. Was supposed to be a 3.4 km hike, but they were doing mine work above the trail on the other side and so we got 2/3 of the way around and had to turn back the way we came. Poor Whiskey was lookin' pretty tired by the time we were done. I think we did about 10 or 12 km's today. She's sleeping like a baby tonight.

Saw an RV repair place in Fernie and stopped in to see if they had the part we needed. Spoke to Shane, their RV repair technician, and he gave me some tips about what is causing our furnace problem. I think we have everything we need to do the job, just have to have a decent day because I need to totally remove the furnace in order to change the switch.

Fernie is another beautiful town in the Rockies. It's getting close to Vancouver though, and you can see that Vancouver real estate prices are starting to have an effect on little communities like this. About 5 years ago this would have been a great spot to live. I give it another 5 years and there will be a major 4 lane highway blaring through here. It's kind of a shame.

We're staying in a roadside RV park that's attached to a motel sort of deal. But we really need the power hook up until we (once again!) fix the furnace.

Heading for Cranbrook tomorrow.

Total Nights Sleeping in the RV... 24...

November Fuel $ 201.84

November Grocery $ 123.69

November Overnight Costs $ 88.38