P.A.G.E. 2007

Let’s go Pedal Around the Glacier Eh! Don’t forget to bring a looney for the shower.

Time to get away from the hot, arid hills of southeastern Washington and go where it’s cool and green and shady. Our Canadian neighbors to the north are unsurpassed in their hospitality, the weather was perfect for cycling, and the scenery did not disappoint.

This was the 13th addition of the P.A.G.E. ride sponsored by the First Baptist Church in Nelson, B.C.. I believe they had forty-some riders this year, a few of us were first timers but there were a lot of veterans who have been to all or most of the previous PAGES.

I was happy that my son Dan from Coeur d’Alene came along with me so I didn’t have to make the trip by myself. Dan recognized Ron Hill from C d’A Kiwanis who has been on the last ten PAGE rides so we rode together and it was nice to have his familiarity with the terrain available to us.

P.A.G.E. is a 213 km (135 mi) ride in two days. We did 72 miles on day one and 63 the second day. The route follows water virtually the entire way around Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. Saturday’s ride proceeds from Nelson along Kootenay Lake. There is an obligatory side trip to the park to see the Kokanee in their red spawning regalia crowding the stream and maneuvering for prime nesting beds. If you go to Kelly Creek this time of year you’ll see the red fish laying in the deep pools, having made the swim from Dworshak.

We heard that a couple of years ago the rain was so bad that a large number of riders bailed out at Ainsworth Hot Springs opting to soak in hot water rather than get soaked in cold water. After a nice lunch in Kaslo the work of the day begins. There is a steep but short climb getting out of Kaslo that reminds me of the back road out of Colfax, but it’s maybe only a quarter of a mile and then the grade moderates to a mere 2-3 % following what was an abandoned train bed up the mountain pass for 20 miles before descending to New Denver.

Our overnight stop is situated on Slocan Lake in the park at New Denver. Some of us camped while the cushy types headed for local hotels or B&B’s. The most intriguing digs appeared to be the Dome Quixote hotel. If you look at the photos you’ll see how they got the name, although I didn’t see any cyclists tilting at windmills. Rick Loewen and Lorne Westnedge of Nelson are our main hosts for the event and Lorne’s son, who happens to be a chef, cooked a fantastic Pasta Mexicana for dinner and fresh, hot breakfast wraps to get us going the next morning..

The main hill of the two day ride is the climb south out of New Denver. It’s about five miles and reminds me of the Winchester grade. With a morning temperature of about 55 it was actually a good time for a climb. Once on top it’s mostly down hill all the way back to Nelson. Our pace line of three nearly collided with a bear cub along the Slocan River. He darted out right in front of us, saw us, slammed on the brakes and headed back into the bushes, but it was a near miss. We saw one other bear and that was the extent of the wildlife sighting on this trip.

I’d definitely consider becoming a regular on this ride, it’s well supported, the scenery is consistently pretty, the group is very congenial and this year it was great to get away from the heat! I’ll be back!