Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Hippy town

DAY 3,  Thurs. July 21 2016.  Creston to Nelson BC.
               Ride time: 5:36,  116 km., 19.8k/hr. Max. 60km. 3119 cal. HR 119 Avg.

A Great day.
Hot and sunny.  The 3A out of Creston was a real bonus. Almost no truck traffic! The conditions were not ideal, but I didn't whine much. It was windy with rolling hills, minimal shoulder and the threat of a blown rim on some descents was rated "Defcon 5".
I saw a few other touring bikes which is always nice. In one instance, I passed a strange rider going the other direction. It was a fully contained recumbent that may have been part of a aerodynamic project or something, Not only did it look cool, but it sounded cool as well. They hooked up a bizzarre sounding horn. This was a nice distraction. Sometimes you never know what will be seen on the roads by bike. Unfortunately I was too slow to get a pick, so I did a sketch instead.

I continued along Hwy 3A which follows Kootenay Lk. to Crawford Bay. I had 2 hills as I got close to the Ferry Berth. The second one was crazy steep. I kept thinking, "Why am I climbing so much as the ferry is so near, shouldn't I be hitting sea level soon?" I thought that I screwed up and was headed the wrong way. Anyway, up up up eventually became down down down and I found my way across Kootenay Lk. on this free 25 minute service. Highwaycat loves free fairies.  Not that kind, but this kind; "ferries"
This portion of the 3A is wider and has more traffic. Crossing the "Nelson Bridge" into town was great. The roads were hectic and a bit stressful. After finding the visitors centre, I checked out the local campground.  There was one site available, but it was beyond pathetic,
http://www.nelson.ca/assets/Residents/Maps/CITY_TOURIST_MAP%20.pdf

I ended up getting a room at the Mountain Hound Inn. A shitty room for $85.00. I especially liked the concrete block wall treatment. Also, the small room has no place to sit and read or doodle. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest" kinda feel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WSyJgydTsA

The town is so overpriced and designed for clueless tourists. I'm not totally clueless. HWC maxes out the eye roll. Sigh.
There is a Subway down the street which is helpful. Otherwise, there are no brand name businesses that are recognizable. Where the hell is the damn Starbucks?!
They have kept the local flare intact and at least in the downtown core, they have kept big retail out. It's cool but a bit expensive, I can adapt.

The Magnusen Motel had a huge storage room where I kept Shirley. She was nervous at first, but enjoyed the quiet time. Packed and ready to seek out the land called "Nelson"

Kootenay Lake

A nice stretch

Sketch: A strange encounter. I'll take strange over Grizzly any day.


No brakes requiered. WEEEEEEEEE!!


HWC waits for the ferry to Balfour. She may look content, but believe me, she was furious. I almost lost my left eye. Gotta clip those talons!

Happy cat

Bridge into Nelson BC. Yay.

Local bike shop. Mountain bike heavy town.

Little Mexico

Unfortunate base camp

Nice view at least




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