Matti made me a big cup of coffee when Charlie and I got up this morning. I drank it, appreciating the warmth of the cup on my hands, the steam on my face as I sipped it, all the while thinking that this was a mistake; coffee is a bladder irritant and I’m going to have to crouch beside some bush on the side of the road to pee. Oh well, live for the moment. Besides, we’re not going far today. We had a couple of things to do before we left and truth be told, I procrastinated as long as I could. We are in the mountains. There are bears in them there woods and I lied when I said that I would not be afraid. When we finally left town I was slightly out of breath, solely from anxiety. Fortunately that dissipated as I got into the task at hand.
Another day of extreme raw beauty. The scenery is breathtaking. No wonder tourism is such a big part of the BC/Alberta economy. The day started out grey with low lying clouds. 
. There was an ever-present threat of showers but it held off until early afternoon. We had stopped at tourist information notification boards to read about the railroad, etc and had our picnic lunch at a table set up there. 
Suddenly the sky opened up and we scrambled to put on our waterproof jackets and pants. As I thrust my leg into the pant leg there was a scent of “Je ne sais quoi” except that this time I knew exactly what it was! I retracted my foot from the pants and there on the tip of my shoe, like a hood ornament, was a soft blob of doggy do-do that I had smeared all along the inside of my rain pants! I need a drink!
Off came the pants! I don’t like them anyway. They’re MEC rain pants, kinda rubberized on the inside. They feel fine when you first put them on and soon they vacuum-seal to your body. But of course, being rubberized, you sweat like a warthog and then get the oddest sensation as the pants release their cling in random areas, clinging and reclining. I do not suggest you buy them. But enough about pants….
The road was still very rough and uneven today. So, to my left is the road where the traffic flys by. Spits and spurts, heavy, heavy trucks, sports cars, logging trucks, half tons,…. They roar past. If you were to stick out your arm it would be swiftly excised, they are that close. Next to the traffic is the white line, which we all know is “no man’s land”. Next to that, moving laterally are the rumble strips, which crop up intermittently. Then there is about a 2 foot strip of broken pavement with deep vertical gashes yawing for your bike tires and then… well, then there’s cliff. Or often enough, cliff.
The rain was pounding when we saw the sign for Canyon Hot Springs. 
We registered, went to our cabin, strung up our tent to dry from camping 2 days ago. The cabin is small and just fine. I cranked the heat and made us 2 cups of tea each and we ate those with Cliff Bars. Charlie is having a nap, snoring, which is unusual for him and I’m happy here blogging and reading “The Girl on the Train”. We’ll go up to the little cafe in a little while for pizza, which I’m expecting to taste like cardboard and then we’ll dip our bodies into the mineral springs and just relax there for a while before going back to this cozy little cabin.
Tonight’s gonna be a good night. Yeah, tonight’s gonna be a good, good night! 😉
Wendingourway:Across Canada by Bike 2017 
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