Day 4 Ride

Day 4 Castlegar to Proctor

After a great night’s sleep at the Prestige and the Josie Hotel in Rossland, we woke up to beautiful weather and excitement for the day.  Today’s journey will take us through the incredible West Kootenay from Castlegar to Proctor.  We pumped our tires, lubed our chains, filled our water bottles, and got ready in anticipation of what the day would hold.

I have had the good fortune to have breakfast with the dedicated Ladies of the Royal Canadian Legion twelve times.  These wonderful folks make us feel like welcome guests sitting in their homes sharing a delicious home-cooked meal. A perfect way to start the day.

We head out energized and ready to roll. Temperatures perfect, sun is shining as we set off toward Nelson. We had a bit of a headwind; our lead riders worked their magic and kept the team sailing along at a great pace.  Anyone who has driven this road knows the beauty of the Kootenays and today was no exception.  We received many honks and waves of appreciation which buoyed our spirits.  At the Junction we turned up Hwy 6 towards Crescent Valley for a pit stop at Crescent Valley Fire Hall, one of our amazing sponsors.  After a quick snack and water break, we started rolling again.  We ducked off the highway and enjoyed the smooth paved rail trail running from Crescent Valley to South Slocan.

We arrived in Nelson and with the help of the Nelson Police and Nelson RCMP we made our way to the Real Canadian Wholesale Club, another of our dedicated sponsors.  With rumbling tummies, our next stop was the Nelson RCMP detachment where we were welcomed and treated to a very tasty lunch.  This is always a beautiful stop with views of the Big Orange Bridge (BOB) and Kootenay Lake.  It was time to ride again as the skies began to darken and it appeared as though we might see our first rain of the ride.  Lady Luck shone upon us, and we remained dry as we made our way to Proctor.  Thank you to the paving crews who gifted us with new smooth pavement!

The views along the lake are unparalleled, but being a Nelsonite, I may be a little bit biased.  With a zip in our step (which really means we know we get goodies in Proctor); we cruised our way to Harrop Ferry.  Such a fun little ride across the Lake. For cyclists, the road between the ferry and Proctor is quiet, which makes for fun riding.  Thanks to Lisa and her great staff at the Proctor Bakery, for coming in on their day off to whip us up delectable cinnamon buns and coffee.

The bus ride back into Nelson offers time to reflect on why we ride.   Our time riding through our hometowns touches our hearts as we encounter the families and children that give us the strength to keep our feet on the pedals and a smile on our face. We ride for them.

Dinner in the park.  Not just any park…. beautiful Lakeside Park.  Not just any dinner…. dinner served by the Nelson Rotary.  What a great way to end another wonderful day.  Thanks to all for taking such great care of us on this journey.