It never ceases to amaze me how coincidences come to pass. A slight delay or something going faster than one expects, and unforeseen things can happen. This morning I left Castlegar with the intent of riding into Salmo, BC, looking around and leaving. Instead, on a whim I pulled into a parking spot in front of the Salmo Library & Museum. My intent was to take photos of the Salmo Hotel, a late 19th century building which had suffered a fire a while ago. It is still standing and looks good with its new paint. I'm not certain what was done to repair the damage but it looks great.
Salmo Hotel
Salmo Hotel
I looked in the window of the museum and was getting ready to leave when a woman approached me and asked if I wanted to go into the museum because she was there to open it for the day. We chatted about Salmo for several minutes when I mentioned that my wife, Darlene had a cousin, Greg wozny, who lived in the area at Ymir, a village a few kilometres down the highway on the way to Nelson, BC. The lady named Heather Street, knew about Greg and told me quite a lot about him.
Heather Street
Greg was a horse logger and she was very complimentary toward him, because several people in the area considered that his practice of selective logging had saved their properties from the ravages of clear cut logging. Heather mentioned that Greg was well read and his opinions were respected in the community. Greg passed away several years ago but he is remembered and his memory is held in high regard. It was a real pleasure to have had the time with Heather.
Salmo was a happening place more than one hundred years ago. The Great Great Northern Railway built a line from Nelson, BC, to Salmo, but with the decline of mining and logging in the area, the line was abandoned and removed in the 1930s. The only evidence remaining is the old railbed, and the old station which is still standing. It is always sad to see how a town which was a lively place one hundred or more years ago has lost a part of what allowed it to be established.
Old Great Northern Railway station in Salmo
The old railbed of the Great Northern looking toward Nelson, BC
Mural of a GNR train at the Salmo station from a photo taken in 1910
Toda was a more relaxed day as I had to ride about 260 kilometres, so I stopped from time to time. The Salmo-Creston section of Highway 3 rises to almost 1800 metres, and in the shade it was decidedly cooler than it was at lower altitudes. Again, the scenery is astounding, but there are very few places where one can pull over to enjoy the scenery, so I am lacking pictures of this part of my ride.
I stopped for a coffee break in Creston. As I was there a gentleman pulled up in a 1930s pickup truck with Kootenay Telephone Co. painted on the doors. The truck looks like it has not been a 'garage queen' because it had dust and mud on it. Still it is most unusual to see an almost ninety year old vehicle being driven around town.
1930s pickup truck with Kootenay Telephone Co. on the door, Creston, BC.
At the edge of downtown Creston, the Alberta Wheat Pool elevator stands beside the CPR track. It is unusual to see a grain elevator in this part of BC. I have only seen them in the Peace country but it is a part of Creston history. It is no longer in use as a grain elevator but has been restored.
Alberta Wheat Pool elevator in Creston, BC
The Creston Valley is apparently rather good farmland and is well known for its apples, cherries and peaches. The valley is a beautiful area and I tried to capture the view from downtown Creston. Unfortunately, smoke from the Colville, WA fire obstructed the view. On the way east I stopped at a fruit stand to buy cherries. The stand had large yellow and red Rainier cherries and they are delicious. Travelling by motorcycle limits what I can carry so I contented myself with about 20 cherries. They'll be good for snacks and breakfast tomorrow.
View of the Creston Valley
Haze from the Colville WA, fire hanging over the Creston Valley. CPR tracks lower left corner.
Rainier cherries bought at a fruit stand in Creston, BC.
The remainder of the ride to Cranbrook was uneventful although the highway does pass through so great mountain scenery. I was pleased to see a CPR potash train heading to the US border as I entered Cranbrook. I would like to see some trains in this trip so maybe on Friday as I ride along the Trans Canada highway I will have to opportunity to see some and I'll stop in Revelstoke to get some photos. The trip is going well with today being a short day covering about 260 kilometres. Now if I can avoid rain all will be perfect.
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