While Fernie lies just 70k north of the US border my route, true to form, meandered and so I pulled up just short of the border to camp at Loon Lake. Here, I befriended five year old Daniel from the camp next door. I traded him some Lemonade (Gatorade) and cheese for some 'Smores (melted marshmallow and chocolate between two biscuits), which I failed to get. Little Daniel couldn't get over the fact that I was using a push-bike to travel. He couldn't get his head around why I would do that when I could use a motor-bike. He is probably right but I felt a little sad since he is only five. I would have hoped that we could chat about the one thing which should be common to both of us, bicycles, but it wasn't to be. I appreciate that Canada is the third largest territory in the world and also suffers from some horrendous snows due to its latitude but its car culture is a little overwhelming and particularly if you are on a bike on the roads. It is particularly problematic around the tourist areas as you have a whole load of international tourists renting unfamiliar motor-homes for their two-week Canadian Rockies road-trip. Still, camping in Canada is a far cry from the staking a tent into the ground that it is for me; it is more about how much of your house you can manage to pull on your pick-up truck or conversely how much of a truck you can pull on the back of your house depending on which RV set-up you choose. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind an RV myself, but the motor culture here is so pervasive that as a cyclist I feel totally lost as if cycling into a gale. Cycling is something that is best done off the road in Canada it seems.
My brief incursion into Canada (considering the size of the place) had been very positive. The warmth, earthhiness and worldly curiosity that I had found in Canadians outside the country was also reflected inside the country. It is mildly amusing that they try so hard not to be American but their efforts only make them even more so. This is evidenced by the aforementioned car culture and the staggering amount of Canadian flags in evidence. This is by far the most patriotic place I have seen, the maple leaf is on absolutely everything. I'm not sure if it is a symbol of how proud they are of Canada or of how much they don't want to be considered American. While I could pick up the route at a later date to complete a Trans-Canada I have no desire to do so due to the stress of biking in the lower more populated part of the country. Any biking should be done in the northern territories where there are a lot less people and greater possibilities for wild-camping. That being said, Yukon, Toronto, Montreal and in particular St John's in Newfoundland are places that I would be keen to explore so no doubt I'll be back at some point.
Regards
Marco