True Tour

Day 17. Nelson to Creston. 77 miles. 2513 feet elevation. Weather shockingly warm.

For some reason, very few of the motels have laundry. So, I’m sitting in a laundromat at 7:15 on Tuesday night, dressed literally only in my gym shorts. I hope the video camera is not recording. I have been trying to get my clothes washed for several days and raced to get here tonight before the laundromat closed at 8:00. I expected to be here earlier, but had two spokes break on my back wheel, which put me a good hour behind. In any case, I walked into the laundromat, or instead ran into the laundromat, and while two Asian women chattered away in the next aisle, I stripped to the nude (sort of hidden behind the washer door, which was glass), pulled on my shorts, and threw everything into the wash. If you hear from the police, it’s likely me seeking bail. But at least I’ll be in jail with clean clothes.

The day started beautifully. I pedaled down along the beach in Nelson, then up over the Kootenai River. I then spent the next couple of hours on the edge of the Kootenai River on my way to Kootenai Lake and the last BC ferry of the trip. This area is just incredible. I’m surprised that it isn’t overrun by everyone in Canada. There is amazing skiing in almost every direction and water sports right out the front door.

In the last few miles approaching this Ferry, a rider pulled up beside me and started chatting. He came all the way with me to the ferry and stayed for the next hour while we waited. Rick lives a few miles back but was nice enough to share his story of crossing Canada with his two sons last year. His wife drove an RV, and the three of them pedaled. He had a wealth of helpful information. Most importantly, he saved me from a huge hill at the end of my ride into Creston today.

Increasingly getting the hang of engaging with others, Goal number two, I also chatted with a motorcyclist on board the ferry parked next to me. He lived in a nearby ski town since the 70s and has all sorts of stories about skiing, snowboarding, and also living part-time in New Zealand. It made the 35-minute ferry crossing go by quickly, and it was fun getting to know him. I still don’t want to admit that goal number two is less and less of a burden.

The road along the lake heading to Creston was rolling but beautiful. I found this lovely Beach Park and went for a nice swim. Other than the spokes breaking, the ride couldn’t have been more pleasant.

BTW, despite the bad book suggested by AI, I’ve returned to my list of 10. The last couple of days, I’ve been listening to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. This is, of course, not Cosmo, but about the cosmos. Pretty different emphasis. I personally love Carl Sagan. It is enjoyable to listen to someone who loves and admires the magnificence of the world, our solar system, galaxy, and universe. He’s also very good at explaining complex topics in easy-to-understand ways. Anyway, I’ll give the AI a brownie point for this recommendation.

And finally, I helped two people get in and out of the laundromat this evening with their heavy loads. Of course, they looked a little concerned as I was half naked, but I did do my service 🙂