Friday morning we left Golden to light rain showers that turned into a steady rain by Revelstoke. We arrived to the ferry dock at Shelter Bay to a 45 minute wait for the next boat. The ride to the opposite shore was about 30 minutes across the smooth misty lake. We were spared the rain during the wait and ferry ride but it started spitting again minutes after riding off.
The twisty roads to Nakusp were a bit wasted due to the wet conditions – had to be a bit cautious with the speeds. Nakusp is a cool little village on the lake and is where we stopped for gas and lunch. By the time we had finished lunch it had stopped raining and the clouds had begun to clear out. Good news as there were more twisty roads in the route ahead!
The roads to Balfour were some of the best of the trip in terms of curves, snaking along creeks and then Kootenay Bay. I enjoyed a delicious cherry tart from a small bakery near the dock during the 45 minute wait for the ferry at Balfour. 3A greeted us on the other side and traced the Bay all the way down to Creston.
We had booked a room at a motel just outside town earlier in the day when the weather looked dismal but it was sunny and warm when we arrived in Creston. We grabbed some dinner at an Indian restaurant in town and it was spicy and delicious! Before leaving for dinner Cynthia stopped by on the way to meeting up with her friends Rosie and Vanessa camped just down the road. She was on her first multi-day moto trip riding out from Cawston.
The next morning Joe and I met up with Cynthia and Vanessa (Rosie was working) for breakfast in town. After breakfast Joe and I said our goodbyes and he headed east for Seattle – its been great riding with him over the past several weeks!
We supplied up at a local vegetable/fruit stand and headed out to the girl’s camp spot. It was a great shady spot right along a rocky creek – and free! The afternoon was spent lounging around the creek and playing dice games. It is now getting dark around 8:30pm so tent sleeping is much easier – no blackout eyeshades needed anymore!
The next morning I said goodbye to the girls and pointed the motorcycle south towards Spokane. The girls were headed to some hot springs near Nelson and then back to Cawston. It was a bit sad knowing that this would be my last day on the bike. By the time I reach Coeur d’Alene the temps were in the mid 90’s. By Spokane it was just under 100. I reached the storage facility and my camper, de-rigged the bike and loaded up. I found an RV park to stash the camper while I got a much-needed oil change on the truck. Next stop is Colorado in about 3 days. Then I will head back to Virginia to ditch the camper and pick up the BMW for a ride to Michigan and then through the northeast US and Canada.