Today wasn't a long day but we saw some new country north of Sandpoint, ID. The country we rode through this morning wasn't spectacular but still it was quite beautiful. We covered the first fifty miles north through Bonners Ferry and headed toward the border. We topped up our tanks at a big gas stop and made it to the border in short order. Before crossing we stopped at the Duty Free and picked up some bargain priced items. Jim picked up a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of Glenmorangie La Santa, 12 year old Highland single malt Scotch whisky for a very good price. I bought a bottle of 10 year old Ardbeg, an Islay single malt Scotch whisky.
Crossing the border was quite easy with the customs officer asking us what we had and if we had done any repairs on our motorcycles. Since all we had was the duty free and had done no work on our bikes we sailed through and rode on to Creston where we stopped at the Tourist Information Centre. The people there were quite helpful and gave us a map of the routes we could ride in the Kootenays.
Looking southeast from Creston, BC
Looking northeast from Creston, BC
Someone takes 'pride' in their work.
We didn't want to stop for lunch at this point so we hit Highway 3A and began to ride to the Kootenay Lake Ferry. On the way we stopped at a small harbor on Kootenay Lake to take a few photos before continuing on.
The view east across Kootenay Lake
Southwest view across Kootenay Lake
This highway is a rider's delight. Curve follows curve and the speed limit is 60 kph but we were able to cruise at about 80 kph most of the way. The vistas were terrific and there was very little traffic. It was a pleasure to ride this highway without having to follow some tourist in his motorhome at unnecessarily slow speeds. I think that Big Red was having as much fun as I was and Jim commented that it was a pleasure to ride this highway.
Riding the east side of Kootenay Lake north of Creston, BC
Sometimes even without us expecting it, things come together in small ways that are just good. So it was with our ride. Had we not gently exceeded the speed limit we would have missed the ferry at Crawford Bay. We rolled down the hill and the guy on traffic control waved us right onto the ferry. Two minutes later and we would have missed the sailing and had to sit in the hot sun until the next one arrived. We rode onto the ferry, slipped into the last places on board, and as we were taking off our gear the ferry pulled away from the dock. It was that close.
Jim with our bikes on the Kootenay Lake Ferry
The mountains surrounding Kootenay Lake
The Osprey 2000, the new ferry on Kootenay Lake
The ride across Kootenay Lake takes about thirty-five minutes and the run is the longest free ferry ride in the world. The lake was calm and the vistas amazing. We met a couple from Libby, Montana in a 2004 40th Anniversary Mustang. They were headed to Nelson for the night and were then continuing on to explore BC. Another guy we met was a French Canadian riding a H-D Heritage Standard. He was doing the circuit from Creston to Crawford Bay, across the lake, through Nelson and Salmo and back to Creston. He said he was doing the ride because today was too nice not to.
We left the ferry at Balfour and rode the thirty-five kilometres to Nelson where we decided to wrap it up for the day.
After unloading our bikes we rode in to Nelson, parked our bikes, and spent an hour walking around downtown. The old buildings here are quite substantial and many were built in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The Courthouse is an outstandingly beautiful. it was designed by Francis Rattenbury, the same architect who designed the BC Legislature buildings and the Empress Hotel. Some of the buildings have some intricate detail while some others are built of granite but not too architecturally sophisticated.
Taste of Shiva storefront in Nelson, BC
Nelson Museum, Nelson, BC
Nelson Courthouse designed by Francis Rattenbury
One of the turn of the last century buildings in Nelson, BC
Building made from rough hewn granite, Nelson, BC
Detail on one of the older buildings in Nelson, BC
We stopped at a small shop on Barker Street and had some really good ice cream before hopping on out bikes and riding back to the motel. For the first time since I've had my motorcycle I rode without chaps and a jacket. I felt kind of naked, but it was a short ride and we were careful not to push very hard.
Entering Nelson, BC
Bridge across the Columbia River, Nelson, BC
Columbia River, Nelson, BC
Bridge across the Columbia River, Nelson, BC
After dinner at the restaurant we packed it in for the day, just watching a bit of TV and planning the ride for tomorrow. If we liked today's ride we're going to love tomorrow's. Today was our shortest one in terms of distance at 235 kilometres. So far we have ridden just under 2000 kilometres on this trip and Jim and I have seen a lot of new country. We are both lucky to be able to do this and we're hoping to be able to keep on riding like this for a long time.
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