May 31, 2017, Day 10. Salmon Arm to Revelstoke. 109 km

Oh, what a day! When we left Terri and Mark Mason’s lovely home we were immediately confronted by a long, long winding hill. Charlie took off, up, up and away, but I fumbled with my gears as the positions were different since my handlebars were changed. There was no way I could get the momentum to get up that hill, so I trudged up pushing Hoss and about 368 pounds of gear. That’s what it felt like.  So, I got to the top of the hill and….no Charlie. I looked left….looked like a country road. I looked straight and it looked like a country road too. On the right however, I could see traffic. That’s where he must be! Off I went, but no Charlie. I alternated between fuming mad and disheartened exasperation with a touch of feeling abandoned. Eventually we found each other, as you may have guessed, but we lost a good hour and a half.

Initially I freaking hated my new handlebar set-up. If you saw it, you’d think it looks pretty standard and it is, but I prefer riding in the downs. As time went on though I began to appreciate the increased real estate literally at hand. And I started feeling more comfortable braking from up top. Still, and especially when riding downhill, I want to ride low. I definitely need to find some adjustable brake levers that will fit my smallish hobbit hands.

The landscape continued to change. Salmon Arm is lovely and green but the higher we went and the further east, the denser the foliage. Moss grows on top of moss, the trees are so dense that at ground level nothing grows; the tangled mesh of branches and leaves block every ray of sunlight. It’s the kind of forest Hansel and Gretel got lost in….  All the streams and rivers are over full with immense cascades of water rushing down the sides of the mountains. So loud. So cold as we passed beside them.   So massively impressive. What a beautiful world we live in! And it’s amazingly pristine.  I rarely saw garbage on the sides of the road.  

There’s a lot of repaving going on. Great lengths of the road have been scraped into a herringbone pattern, so as to, presumably, allow for better bonding when the new layer of pavement is layed. It will be great when it’s done but right now, it’s murder to ride on. It’s bbbbbbbumpy! My whole body as been shaken, rattled and rolled. My molars must be loose, my brain rattled, (finally an excuse), and the best part, all my fat cells vibrated! For at least an hour and a half. People pay good money for that!  I was sure glad to get onto regular pavement. So we coped with that along with the constant passage of huge transport or logging trucks and cars. 

We are at the home of Matti Little, another cycling enthusiast. He just finished his PhD in diabetes in indigenous peoples. He and his girlfriend, who is a firefighter, love to mountain climb. He also bakes awesome sourdough bread and made us a great meal.

Tomorrow we are headed to Canyon Hot Springs. It’s only 30 km but it will set us up better for the two days following this. Apparently there’s snow in Rogers Pass. 

Well, I need a shower and I need some sleep. 

Goodnight and God bless. Xxxxx