September 15, 2019
Nelson, BC –> Pass Creek campground, Castlegar, BC

Distance: 47.7km
Ave: 17.7km/h
Max: 51.2km/h

Rain Rain Rain. I opted for the 50km day rather than the 130km day. I did laundry, packed up, went for brunch, and bought fresh food at the local co-op before hitting the road.

The past few days, I’ve been seeing signs (literally) of the upcoming election with unfamiliar names. While waiting for brunch, I tried the 2019 vote compass put together by the CBC. If you haven’t, it’s a fun tool:
https://votecompass.cbc.ca/canada/
I like that you can adjust the weighting of issues they ask about, and that you can see what each of the major parties responded for each question.

My short ride today was deliberately slow to avoid breaking a sweat while fully decked in rain gear. I managed it, but still started to get damp from the outside. I fear resistance may be futile.

There are multiple hydro dams on the river here. I couldn’t get close enough to the signboards to read full details about this one because the puddles were too big (booties don’t prevent your feet from getting wet from below), but I gather this one was upgraded in the 2000s, and has been a major power source for the area since the early part of the last century.

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I also stopped to traverse the Brilliant bridge (it goes to Brilliant, which looked a lot like a chunk of the TCT, and sure enough it had a sign for “The Great Trail” on the far side). It is a restored pedestrian/cyclist suspension bridge which is juxtaposed nicely beside a major traffic arch bridge.

My campsite tonight is the best deal yet. $10 for a fully covered picnic area with 3 tables to myself. There are bathrooms, showers (which I didn’t even need thanks to my snail pace), wifi, and every good thing. The grounds seem well on their way to becoming marshes, although I’m not sure they yet justify this sign. Perhaps by tomorrow morning though…  the rain is supposed to continue for several days.

Alice