Ola!
I trust this finds everyone in as good a mood as i'm in! These past few days have seen a vast improvement in the weather as well as an increase in speed on my part. Since i last wrote, I made it through to Midway with ease, and from there to Greenwood where i discovered i was clean out of cash- BUGGER!!! However, i was lucky enough to find out while trying to check into a motel owned by a couple named Mike and Michelle Walker- possibly the coolest people i've met so far! They were awsome- they let me use their phone and internet to contact my bank, my folks- just about anyone i could to try and get things sorted. They even put my up for a night for free and made me pizza for dinner, and a bacon + egg sarny for breakfast! Once i'd arranged for some cash to see me through for a month or so, i paid for another night to give myself time to re-suply on food and head out at first light. That night they dropped a bombshell................... now, considering i'd been on the road for about a month, i was tired, i was really worried about what was going to happen for the rest of the trip as i'd run out of cash half way through the first state, and generally not happy.......... Mike had GUINNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god i've never been so happy in my whole life as i was when i took my first sip of the black stuff that night- perfect! I've now sorted my cash problem by selling just about everything i own back home........ tears almost fell when the subject of selling the pool table came up but hey, s**t happens.
After leaving Greenwood i made good progress, it didn't take long until i was passing Christina lake and approaching Bonanza pass (access to Paulson summit), Bonanza pass wasn't the highest or steepest pass i've hit so far, but it was the hardest! The weather changed in a spilt second from being quite pleasant (maybe 3/4 degrees and sunny) to windy, pissing it down with rain which eventually turned in heavy HEAVY snow. On my last leg to Paulson bridge a car pulled over to offer me a lift- i would have been tempted has his first words not been "hey man, you wanna toke?" as he passed over a joint. His name was Grant and he was as high as i've ever seen anybody! he was speaking in some language (may have been english, but i can't be ceratin) and all i could understand was that he suggested i didn't pass the bridge that night- i suspect that this is becasue he was concinced that it was guarded by an evil troll............. i wasn't taking much he said seriously! "yes Grant, you are spot on my friend- the king is indeed, still the king!..... sorry, tell me again how is it that you have a licence?!" what a f**king nutter!
That night on Paulson summit was the coldest i've been so far- easily dropped below -20. From there i just wanted to get to a lower altitude as soon as i could. So Castlegar didn't take to long to reach. Castlegar to salmo passed without incident. From Salmo though things have been pretty interesting. I'd stayed in Salmo for a day to stock up on food- the weather was perfect, i had a wash, and left in a good mood. After about 10 miles i was stopped by an officer from the RCMP- officer Long. Nice enough bloke, just wanted to ask why i wasn't hitching etc etc. We had a chat for a few minutes and i was back on my way. I stopped short of my target that night because the weather was coming in fast- i was maybe 6-7 miles from Kootenay summit (1774meters) when i dropped my pack and set up camp at the side of the highway- I've been camping by the road side for ease of access for emergency services should something happen..... a practice that would pay off the next morning. ................
I trust this finds everyone in as good a mood as i'm in! These past few days have seen a vast improvement in the weather as well as an increase in speed on my part. Since i last wrote, I made it through to Midway with ease, and from there to Greenwood where i discovered i was clean out of cash- BUGGER!!! However, i was lucky enough to find out while trying to check into a motel owned by a couple named Mike and Michelle Walker- possibly the coolest people i've met so far! They were awsome- they let me use their phone and internet to contact my bank, my folks- just about anyone i could to try and get things sorted. They even put my up for a night for free and made me pizza for dinner, and a bacon + egg sarny for breakfast! Once i'd arranged for some cash to see me through for a month or so, i paid for another night to give myself time to re-suply on food and head out at first light. That night they dropped a bombshell................... now, considering i'd been on the road for about a month, i was tired, i was really worried about what was going to happen for the rest of the trip as i'd run out of cash half way through the first state, and generally not happy.......... Mike had GUINNESS!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god i've never been so happy in my whole life as i was when i took my first sip of the black stuff that night- perfect! I've now sorted my cash problem by selling just about everything i own back home........ tears almost fell when the subject of selling the pool table came up but hey, s**t happens.
After leaving Greenwood i made good progress, it didn't take long until i was passing Christina lake and approaching Bonanza pass (access to Paulson summit), Bonanza pass wasn't the highest or steepest pass i've hit so far, but it was the hardest! The weather changed in a spilt second from being quite pleasant (maybe 3/4 degrees and sunny) to windy, pissing it down with rain which eventually turned in heavy HEAVY snow. On my last leg to Paulson bridge a car pulled over to offer me a lift- i would have been tempted has his first words not been "hey man, you wanna toke?" as he passed over a joint. His name was Grant and he was as high as i've ever seen anybody! he was speaking in some language (may have been english, but i can't be ceratin) and all i could understand was that he suggested i didn't pass the bridge that night- i suspect that this is becasue he was concinced that it was guarded by an evil troll............. i wasn't taking much he said seriously! "yes Grant, you are spot on my friend- the king is indeed, still the king!..... sorry, tell me again how is it that you have a licence?!" what a f**king nutter!
That night on Paulson summit was the coldest i've been so far- easily dropped below -20. From there i just wanted to get to a lower altitude as soon as i could. So Castlegar didn't take to long to reach. Castlegar to salmo passed without incident. From Salmo though things have been pretty interesting. I'd stayed in Salmo for a day to stock up on food- the weather was perfect, i had a wash, and left in a good mood. After about 10 miles i was stopped by an officer from the RCMP- officer Long. Nice enough bloke, just wanted to ask why i wasn't hitching etc etc. We had a chat for a few minutes and i was back on my way. I stopped short of my target that night because the weather was coming in fast- i was maybe 6-7 miles from Kootenay summit (1774meters) when i dropped my pack and set up camp at the side of the highway- I've been camping by the road side for ease of access for emergency services should something happen..... a practice that would pay off the next morning. ................
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