Canada - Day 18 - Farquier to Mohr Rec Area

 53.1 miles, 3949’ climbing, lots of deer

We packed up in light rain and left Tukaluk campground for the Needles-Farquier ferry. It operates 24/7, and cars were waiting to cross back to our side, so we didn’t have to worry about how to get the operator’s attention to let them know we were waiting. The ferry is operated by moving along cables stretched between shores.  We were curious how it worked.  One of the operators told us that the ferry has large spools below decks, and it moves by winding the center cable around the spool, one in each direction. There’s a guide cable on each side, also. Cables get changed out 4 times a year.

It was raining in earnest by the time we boarded the ferry, and we pedaled 36 miles, mostly up hill and quite steep at times on a small shoulder of a 2 lane highway. Traffic was sparse, but it was a soggy grind in full rain gear and chilly too. We turned off on Kettle River forest service road — wide, potholed, muddy. After about 8 miles, we came to the first rec site, small informal camp sites maintained by the BC government. It was creekside with wildflowers. We checked out a few other sites as we went past, including Winnifred by a dramatic water fall. Ultimately we stopped at Mohr, a site beside the large Kettle River with bear poles, a latrine, and a picnic table. The river here is gorgeous.

Canada - Day 17 - Nakusp to Farquier

 50.3 miles, 3970’ climbing, 1 deer

Our ride this morning started with 14 gently rolling miles on pavement to the ferry at Upper Arrow Lake. It’s an on-demand ferry run as a free service in British Columbia all year round, and the ferry is pulled by cables. The two of us and our bikes were the only passengers. After winding thru the forest, we had a long, humid climb over to Whatshan Lake where we had lunch at a recreation site. 

More rolling miles thru the forest took us across the dam and down to the “Hippie Hole”, a large swimming hole with a slightly treacherous approach. It looked great, but the water was too cold for us to want a swim. We splashed a while, the went off route a couple miles to reach a campsite that was another short ferry ride away, this time across Lower Arrow Lake. We dropped a long ways, and second guessed our decision since it will mean starting tomorrow with a big climb.

Monday is Canada Day, so it’s a three day weekend here. Lots of people are out camping.

Canada - Day 16 - New Denver to Nakusp

 41.1 miles, 3609’ climbing, grouse

We started the morning with breakfast at the gas station and a ride on a rail trail. Soon we turned up the long, beautiful ascent to Beaver Lake followed by Little Wilson Lake and then Big Wilson Lake. 

At Big Wilson Lake, there was a 2.8 mile steep climb, then descend to the other side of the lake and the town of Nakusp. The climb was so steep that we pushed our bikes up parts of it. When we were only 0.4 miles to the top, we saw something in the road. A stick? Leaves? A bird? … it was a grouse. As Ed pedaled slowly towards it, it put up its tail, clucked, flapped its wings, and headed right for him. We walked our bikes as we passed the agitated birds, then we finally saw three small, puff-ball chicks. There were probably more in the adjacent bushes. Thankfully the hen didn’t fly at Ed or try to scratch him, though that would have made some great footage.

We proceeded to the top of the climb as calmly as possibly, then had a long descent to Nakusp, including more rail trail. We booked a hotel room and proceeded with our chores: laundry, groceries, showers. Later we had an awesome dinner at the Arrow and Anchor Pizza Restaurant. We are all ready for at least 3 days off the grid.

Canada - Day 15 - Nelson to New Denver

 52.5 miles, 4068’ climbing, 1 grouse and a lot of mud

The climb up Six Mile road went through some deep and beautiful forest. Moss hung from the trees. There were puddles of indeterminate depth, rivulets of water, thimble berry plants and ferns where the forest opened up. The road was also bumpy and rocky near the top, making it hard to take in the view while pedaling. 

Near the top of the pass at Six Mile Lakes, we met Charlie from Duluth coming the other way on our same route. He looked every bit as soggy as we were. We were all travelling a bit slowly due to the rain. We told him that the road would smooth out for him in about a mile. He said our route was going to be  bumpy for a long time. We all laughed hard, but it was too cold to linger. 

It was bumpy for several miles, but gorgeous, until we turned down Lemon Creek Road, a small sandy road that was a fun descent down to the Slocan River (so big it looks like a lake to us). The clouds lifted, and it got sunny as we got on the Slocan Rail Trail. We stopped at a picnic table, took off our wet shoes, socks, jackets, overmits, and rain pants, laying them on the warm table to dry while we had a late lunch. A local mountain biker came by and we chatted, but weather was headed back our way, so we put all our gear back on and headed up the rail trail. The Slocan Rail Trail was pleasant and easy with tons of wildflowers.

In Slocan we turned onto a path by the river that was the old highway, now covered with moss and greenery. We had an awkward time getting our bikes past a collapsed tunnel, then enjoyed a couple of beautiful miles up to the highway. We were tired when we rolled into New Denver and got a campsite. There are a bunch of kids, all running around and having fun. a couple came by and asked how we slept in such a small tent (heads on this end, feet this way). A mom told us it’s the last day of school for the local grades 1&2, and everyone camps out to celebrate. It’s definitely kid paradise here. 

Canada - Day 14 - Zero Day in Nelson

 We took it easy on our zero day, starting with a great breakfast in the Full Circle Cafe (Lyonnaise Style Breakfast Salad!), a short walk from The Adventure Hotel. Next we took our bikes to Gerricks. It turned out that Ed’s rear hub was destroyed, so lucky we made it to town before it fell apart completely. Gerricks was able to provide a new wheel, and they adjusted Sarah’s brakes also. They let us clean our bikes at their bike wash station. 

We did shopping, laundry, and visited the aquatic center which had a hot tub, sauna, steam room, water slides, and a large pool. All was in walking distance. Downtown Nelson has a lot of charming shops that are local, not chain stores.

We met Julie again for dinner, first talking a walk near the river, and then dining on the porch of Findley’s with a view. We packed up our bikes before turning in.

Canada - Day 13 - Gray Creek Pass to Nelson

 53.2 miles, 3783’ climbing, no wildlife

In the morning chill, we packed up and headed for Gray Creek Pass. It quickly got hot in the sun. A few sections of road were steep, but there were flatter parts to balance it out. The wildflower show continued. A dirt biker passed us headed for the pass.

About 1/2 mile before the pass, we came to our first patch of snow that we had to push our bikes across. It wasn’t very long or difficult, and it was melting fast. We could roll our bikes in the tread mark from prior cyclists or dirt bikers. More snow patches followed, but none were too big an obstacle. 

Right at the pass, a man coming up the other side was stuck in the snow in his Chevy. It didn’t look like he’d get over the pass today. We headed down the snow free but steeper west side. Soon we met 3 women bikepacking the BC Epic coming in the opposite direction. They were from Australia, Idaho, and Colorado. They told us they had met a dirt biker below who had been charged by a mama moose with 2 calves. This put a spin on our descent; the road was steep and the adjacent hillside was steeper. What would we do if we met an angry moose? People have a lot of advice for dealing with bears, but faces are serious when discussing moose. “Just try to get away.” “Moose are friendly until they aren’t.”Fortunately we didn’t see them. We think we saw the dirt biker headed back up, looking no worse for the wear.

We had a cold drink at the Gray Creek Store, then rode around to the ferry across Kootenay Lake, a beautiful dark blue lake with deep green forests and snowy peaks in the distance. There are trees, rocky outcroppings, and some sandy beaches on the shores, not to mention beautiful homes with large decks and grassy lawns and private docks. It’s like a summer resort here with intermittent stores and shops and hotels.

We had a quick ride on pavement to Nelson, a charming, a historic town on a hillside along the river that feeds the lake. We met up with Sarah’s friend, Julie, who lives here, such a pleasure to see after many years. We all went out to dinner at a place overlooking the river. We are planning to take a rest day to give our bikes some attention and spend more time with friends.

Canada - Day 12 - Cranbrook to near Gray Creek Pass

 50.3 miles, 3920’ climbing, deer and 2 garter snakes

After a decent breakfast at the Day’s Inn, we rolled out of town and onto a paved bike path. Eventually we turned onto a wide gravel road and then another one, slowly pedaling up to St Mary Lake which had an impressive outflow into the St Mary River. We missed the provincial park and most of the lakeside was private land. We stopped by the only access point for lunch and chatted with a local on an e-bike. She told us that mountain caribou were mostly up on ridges, but we could potentially see mountain goats or moose. We saw neither.

We were stopped by a young man in a pickup and later a man on an ATV asking if we were going over the pass. Some motorcycles went by and didn’t return, so that’s another sign that people are getting thru though the road is officially closed.

We camped near an old avalanche hut in a spot recommended by the man on the ATV. We can tackle the pass in the morning. Wildflowers were great today. The road grade was very reasonable, and the rushing creeks/rivers beautiful.

Canada - Day 11 - Lake Koocanusa to Cranbrook

 36.5 miles, 2290’ climbing, deer

Late last night, after we had retired to our tent, some folks drove down to our camp site and parked about 20 meters away. I went over and called hello to make sure they had seen us and wouldn’t run over our tent, and they had seen our bikes. I went back to our tent. They turned on their stereo with a thumping bass, for hours. Sarah  fantasized about confronting them, telling them off, spraying them with bear spray, but in the end there was no confrontation, just some lost sleep. Otherwise it was a perfect lake view camp site.

In the morning there were some beautiful colors over the lake. We had a pleasant pedal through the woods to a small community, then we hopped on the 40 km Chief Isador trails to Cranbrook. Part was flat rail trails, but the main part was glorious singletrack through the woods, flowy and not too hard for a loaded gravel bike. We crossed some small bridges, some meadows, curved around hill sides. It was a pleasure. 

We had a stiff headwind on the last several miles on a flat rail trail into Cranbrook. Seems like a popular mountain bike town. Northstar Bicycle Co pumped our tires with a floor pump, so much nicer than our little hand pump. We had a good burger downtown after resupplying. Tomorrow we plan to go towards Gray Creek Pass. There’ has been community discussion on whether the pass is open after last weeks snow, but we heard a positive report today and will give it a try. We’re hoping to see a friend in Nelson in a couple days. It’s hard to plan a timeline in unknown parts!

Canada - Day 10 - Fernie to Lake Koocanusa

 48 miles, 1781’ climbing, deer and elk

Rolling out of Fernie, our trail was blocked for work, so we jumped on the Great Divide route for an easy ride into Elko. It’s the 2nd day in a row where we’ve had a lot of sunshine. 

We met a northbound (NOBO) divide rider who was near the end of his journey from the Mexican border. He looked like he was travelling light.

Stopping for lunch at the Dairy Bar in Elko, we met 2 riders coming from Vancouver who’ve been travelling for two years: the UK, Europe, Turkey, South Asia, SE Asia, Australia, now Canada and the US to New York, next South America. We talked gear a little. Regrettably we didn’t get their names or social media info. Inspiring! They let us know that there’s still snow on Gray’s Pass and we compared alternates. Some bikepackers got thru with a long push in the snow a couple weeks ago, but the snow last week may have closed it. As we were talking, a SOBO divide rider also stopped, cyclists keeping the Dairy Bar busy.

The next segment of our ride took us down a two track filled with small orange and black butterflies that would fly up in a cloud as we passed. Tricky to photograph, but captivating. 

After Lake Baynes and crossing Lake Koocanusa on a bridge, we stopped at the marina store for ice cream and a soda. All the local vacationers seemed to stop in as did a group of road bikers. After leaving, we ran into Roy (Ottawa?) and Stephane (Quebec) riding our route in the opposite direction from us from Victoria, both riding as far as they can get before the snow falls. They started a couple of day apart and seem to be riding together now. We had a good conversation about fun singletrack near Canbrook, Gray’s Pass conditions and bypass, and good breakfasts (the bakery in Seult or Holt, must research).

Soon we continued riding through the woods near the lake, crown land so dispersed camping is allowed. The forest since Elko is much dryer than before Elko, not unlike some Arizona forest. We found a great place to camp with a lake view.

Canada - Day 9 - Elkford to Fernie

 49.5 miles, 1952’ climbing, deer, elk

At the recommendation of a couple northbound GNBR riders, we rode a mile down to Mel’s Diner. An unassuming place with the fantastic aroma of home baked goods, we met Mel herself, super friendly. The breakfast was amazing, five stars, and Mel was great too.

We pedaled the mile back to our route where we knew we’d be going up the big hill east of town. We were pleased to leave the pavement for trail quickly, but it was a hard climb with loaded bikes. We persevered up switchbacks and were rewarded with a ride through the deep forest and flowy descent. At that point, 8ish miles in, we realized we were only about a mile south of our campsite, and an optional route would have bypassed the entire hill climb. 🤪

The Elk Valley trail to Sparwood is fairly new, we think, based on something posted recently on Facebook. Parts were good two track, parts were obscure, bumpy trails that we could barely see. Definitely it will be better once more bikes have been on it. We passed Sulphur Springs which were more the color of Mountain Dew than green Jello, but the smell was indeed sulphur. It burbled a little. 

We surprised a few deer and elk which disappeared into underbrush that seemed impassable. Eventually we arrived in Sparwood and had lunch at Tim Horton’s. It was getting late, so we cruised into Fernie on pavement with a good headwind. We arrived at our hotel in time to get dinner and go watch the Edmonton Oilers win game 6 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a good day.

Canada - Day 8 - Boulton Creek Campground to Elkford

 55 miles, 3524’ climbing, a lot of descending, a couple deer, ~20 elk, and some horses that didn’t want to share the road

We got up late because of the cold, and we rolled out of camp on a paved bike trail for a few miles. The first hill towards Elk Pass was around a 17% grade, which warmed us up quickly. We stayed on trails this year instead of coming up under the power lines. There was snow and mud, and it was pretty in the trees. 

We reached the pass at the border of the province of British Columbia. It was a swift descent. This is our third time over the famously bear-dense Elk Pass and our third time not seeing any bears. We did meet two guys headed south on the great divide, day 2 for them. We bypassed each other a couple times then didn’t see them again. At one point we saw ~20 elk off to one side, and we saw a couple deer.

The ride south is long with rolling hills, and we had a lot of memories of prior trips through the area. For the 3rd year in a row we met a herd of seemingly feral horses standing in the road, looking irritable and disinclined to let us pass easily. They were shod and some wore bells, so they must belong to somebody.

We met two guys who were on our same route, the GNBR, headed the opposite way. They started in Victoria and were 4 weeks into their journey. Just as we were looking for the turnoff to the dreaded Koko Claims, part of the Tour Divide race route, a solo rider caught up to us. It was Nick Legan, doing an ITT (individual time trial) on the GDMBR route. He had started in Banff this morning, and was cheerful and fun to chat with for a few minutes.

Last year we came north from Elkford on the dirt road. Two years ago we went south over the hideous Koko Claims in rain and snow. This year we turned off on singletrack. It looked brand new and barely travelled. We considered vailing to the road, but once we pushed up a hill we were on a marvelous track through the forest, lasting 4-5 miles all the way to Elkford. About half way along it was more heavily travelled and flowy with banked turns — a great way to finish the day. We grabbed a campsite near the river in town, got a beer & burger for dinner, met other bike travelers, and relaxed.