The first 15 km went by very quickly on the very gently rising road which we shared with other traffic very occasionally. The road then swung upward, first gently, then with increasing aggression until at 25 km we were climbing at 8% which we continued for over 4 km, then it was back to the 6-7% range for the rest of the 38 km to the top. We had a light breeze from the rear which meant that we got warm while riding, but when we stopped for a break, we got cool very quickly. So socks and Gortex jackets were the uniform of the day.
Out time to the top from Salmo was a creditable 3h 45min, though we agree not up to the standards of King Lance. Once at the top, several things had changed since our last visit 9 years ago. Most importantly there was a large maintenance depot built and a helicopter was doing sling lifts. Fortunately, the log cabin was still there and we set up for brewing a cup of tea and eat our lunch. I begged some water from a passing fifth wheeler, (Thank you) as the pristine Bridal Lake was now somewhat sullied with run-off from the Maintenance yard.Having recovered we started down the hill, but had to stop after a kilometer to dress up in cold weather kit in order to avoid hypothermia, and later a good wetting in a passing heavy shower. The descent went well and it was good to feel secure with the new rear tire as we touched 70km/hr. When we got into Creston, we stopped for a burger and coffee at A&W. Excellent coffee, better than Tim H’s I’m afraid, and no problems with refills.
We met some really nice folks there Clarence, a WW2 vet, and his wife Orah, Harold and Tina, and Gerry the talkative twin of Mike L. The rest is boring admin, but we found a Motel, shopped, cooked, ate and blogged. Sorry that the narrative was not as inspiring as the day. But that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Night Night.
Pictures
16.8kph average
Distance: 86km
Total Distance: 2950km
Alt change: 1100m
Total Alt change: 20824m
Speeding again!
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