Day 6, June 4th, Christina Lake to Nelson (122km)

The Climb Up Paulson Pass

The sign said it all... Next gas 74km.  It was 7am and I'd spent the better part of an hour scouring Christina Lake looking for supplies.  I was out of food and the only store open was Turbo Gas at the bottom of Paulson Pass.  With a sigh, I considered my options.  I could go to Turbo Gas for breakfast or ride 74km ride on an empty stomach.  A Cliff Bar from Turbo Gas would have to do, it was going to be hot today and there wasn't time to wait for the other stores to open.

Paraglider Paulson Pass

For 2 hours, I slogged away.  After 27km of uphill climbing, Paulson Pass didn't seem to be the horror others had mentioned on the internet.  Up to Paulson bridge at 1106m, the climb was gradual with no surprises.  Taking a break for a picture and another Cliff Bar, I crossed the bridge.  With only 429m of elevation left to gain, how hard could things get?  Then it got steep!  Crazy steep.  For a minute, I was tempted to shift to my granny gear.  I'd made it across B.C. this far without using it and I certainly wasn't going to use it now.  The sun was blasting me like an oven now, I was grilling.  My ears were on fire... they were getting sunburned.  I can't remember the last time that's happened.  Just before the 3 hour mark, I heard something that sounded like a chainsaw.  I looked all over but couldn't locate the source.  Looking up at the next bend, the source revealed itself.  A paraglider with a motor strapped onto his back appeared in the sky making his way around the bend down the pass above the road.  We waved at each other, the joy of this adventure is the sense if absolute freedom from the world that surrounds us.

Paulson Summit

After over 3 hours of climbing, I saw the avalanche gates. Normally these gates are found near the summit.  I was ecstatic.  The summit sign had to be near.  Racing down the hill past the avalanche gates, I rounded the bend only to see another climb in the distance.  This was no summit, it was a false summit.  Thirty more minutes of climbing got me to the top.  The summit ended up being 1535m.  Climbing it was difficult but, as memorable as the climb up was, it was the trip down to Castlegar the rocked my world.  For 40km, the road went down.  I startled a deer, it jumped over a fence.  The nearer I got to Castlegar the steeper it got.  Without regard for danger,  I started passing semi trailers on the left.  I was flying.  My fully loaded touring bike maxed out at 78.5km/h.  For a while a group of motor bikers let me draft behind them.  It was a wild and reckless descent that continued straight into town.  

Zamboni in Castlegar

Hitting the town, I paused and chatted up the bikers.  It had been an epic descent.  Castlegar was my lunch stop.  While riding the main road, a Zamboni passed the other way.  It's game day.  Cars honked and the bikers cheered.  Everyone was in good spirits.  After lunch, I continued towards Nelson.  Just outside of Castlegar, the Kootenay River appeared beside the road.  Almost immediately, the sound of rushing water reached a loud crescendo through the trees.  Beside the road a clearing appeared.  It was the viewpoint for Brilliant Dam.  

Brilliant Dam

During World War II, Cominco owned Canda's largest smelter in Trail, B.C.  This smelter was Canada's largest supplier of Zinc & Magnesium for arms and explosives.  Also in Trail, unbeknown to the public, was a top secret heavy water plant critical to the development of the Atomic Bomb.  With the smelter and heavy water plant running at full speed, electrical capacity needed to be increased.  To increase capacity, Brilliant Dam was built on the Kootenay River.  Between Brilliant Dam and the other 7 dams on this river, enough electricity is produced to power half a million homes.  On the trip along the Kootenay River from Castlegar to Nelson you see a number of these dams.  It really is a beautiful ride.

Old Houses on a Hill Nelson B.C.

Just before Nelson, I came onto a sad sight.  A black bear had been struck by a vehicle and was lying dead in a ditch.  There's so much wildlife in B.C. that these type of accidents seem inevitable. With Nelson down the hill around the bend, I put my bike in cruise control and rolled with the road. Nelson's history starts in 1886 when the Hall Brothers discovered silver, copper, gold and lead on Toad Mountain south of the city. Later, the city would diversify its industries to become a supply and distribution center as well as a major center for the forrest industry.

Historic Downtown

Nelson's a beautiful city with a funky vibe.  It's got Gas Town's historic architecture, Commercial Drive's ambiance and is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts who love skiing, kayaking or mountain biking.  This town really has that "Je ne sais quoi" feel to it.   It strikes me as a place that hasn't lost its roots or its character.  Tonight I'm staying at the White House.  The British president in the oval office runs a great place. If you ever make it out this way, I would highly recommend this hostel to any traveler.

View of Downtown Nelson

Distance: 122km
Average Speed: 18.6km/h
Maximum Speed: 78.5km/h
Time: 6:29
Odometer: 671km