09 Sept 2012
New Denver to Nelson BC 67 miles (TNV 283 miles)
Today was a day filled with wonder.
Wonder #1
Reaching the lookout point at the top of the mini-pass south of Silverton, we wondered if the two men parked there and making breakfast at the picnic table were normal. Not really, it seemed, kind of like George and Lenny had walked out of the pages of Mice and Men and into the wilds of Canada. After taking a few moments to catch our breath and exchange a few polite pleasantries, I asked Gina what time it was. “Time to leave” she replied, and off we went, noting as we passed by George and Lenny’s picnic table that truth really is stranger than fiction: next to the frying pan full of fatty, bubbling mystery meat lay Starbucks instant coffee wrappers.
Wonder #2
As the shoulder disappeared on Highway 6, we wondered if it was better to risk being eaten by a bear or the front grill of Bubba’s truck. The bear won out, meaning we rode about 22 miles of the Slocan Valley Rail Trail, bypassing Highway 6. My bike bell got more use ringing out into the silent forest (is my warning of approach scaring the bear off or merely informing it that dinner is ready?) than on a Sunday afternoon on the Burke Gilman. And my adrenaline got kickstarted more than once through my incorrect identification of horse piles as bear scat, but when flying down a dirt trail at breakneck speed (well, breakneck for a bicycle loaded down with full panniers) to outrun Wonder #3, it’s possible to make such mistakes.
Wonder #3
When the thunder began rumbling and the sky began to flash, I wondered if my helmet mirror would double as a proper lightning rod. Fortunately this hypothesis was not put to the test, thanks to Gina’s tendency to break rules (is it trespassing to seek shelter in someone’s open garage when they’re not home?).
Wonders #4 and #5
After nearly 60 miles of pedaling and negotiating that last hairpin corner on a 10 percent grade uphill, only to see more hill stretched out before us, I wondered if that man in the pickup truck that just passed by, the one to whom Gina has now stuck out her thumb for a ride, will (a) see her thumb and (b) if so, please please please stop. Brake lights flashing, slowing down, oh goodie I see the white of his reverse lights, big smile, big dog, big empty truck bed, big enough to hold two fully-loaded bikes and two tiring cyclists. As we sped up the hill, the back tailgate open, I also wondered if I wouldn’t just roll right out the back, such was the grade of the hill we never would have fully scaled without at least one meltdown apiece.
Wonder #6
Gina in particular and I, who don’t really disagree, wonder what it is about Nelson, BC that people find so appealing. Maybe it’s the grunge scene (not in the music but in personal hygiene) or the sense of community (every other shop is a co-op) or the availability of locally-grown “BC bud.” As for us, well, we find Nelson falls into our bucket of places that are Just Okay and that’s okay because really, our vocabularies could use a break from saying the word “cute.”
