To Revelstoke - An American Summer, 2023 - CycleBlaze

July 23, 2023

To Revelstoke

Moving day.  Perhaps from having been reading Kelly’s journal for the last month, Rachael’s got ice on her mind.  Her plan is to head down to the ice machine at the office just before we leave so she can put a chill on her water bottle for the hike we’re hoping to take in Glacier National Park (the Canadian version) on our way to Revelstoke.

The time comes, she heads out to the office and comes back sounding sheepish a few minutes later, sans ice.  There is no ice in the offICE.

Oh, how nice! They have ice!
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Kelly IniguezExcellent eye on the photo, and thinking for the mental connection.

Thanks for the journal plug - I do like an ice cold drink.

I ordered watermelon seltzer water on the flight home, and thought of Rachael with her after ride drink preferences.
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1 year ago
Rachael AndersonTo Kelly IniguezI am definitely addicted to fruit flavored fizzy water as long as it doesn’t have sugar.
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1 year ago

The drive to Revelstoke starts with about an hour heading north on Highway 93, the same road we biked on our first day here.  As it was then, it’s quiet and scenic the whole way - better to be biking of course, but very pleasant and relaxed driving too.  At Golden though we come to the Trans-Canada Highway and head west and suddenly the driving is heavy and stressful.  

As I drive I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen this stretch of the TCH, which my first wife and I drove most of the way across Canada back in 1972.  We were on a road trip with my best friend from the army, Gary Rose, who was tragically left paralyzed from the waist down just a month after getting released from service on the same day I did.  We joined him as he checked out a set of universities he was interested in pursuing studies at that were allegedly wheelchair-accessible, something that was much less widespread fifty years ago.  Dalhousie in Nova Scotia was the last on his list, and after that we made a bee line west across the country.  And I do mean beeline - the road across the heartland was virtually empty then, and I got the only speeding ticket of my life on the open, featureless prairie near Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

At some point we turned south and across the border, but I can’t remember where; and I can’t remember even how we joined up with or separated from Gary since we were living in Ferndale (near Bellingham, where I was going to school) and Gary and his wife lived in Pueblo, Colorado.  I’ll have to send a message to Carol Jo to see what she remembers.

Also on my mind as we drive is climate change.  I’m thinking about the glaciers that are rapidly receding everywhere, the name of the park we’re coming to, and wondering how much longer there will be glaciers up here or even if there will be much ice to see even today.  As we start the climb up to Rogers Pass though suddenly the sky is filled with craggy silver and white peaks - awesome, but not really conducive to a hike because suddenly the air ahead is dense with smoke from an apparently nearby fire.

Approaching Rogers Pass.
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And what was Rachael thinking about during all this time I’m contemplating such deep thoughts?  There’s the sad fact that her water bottle doesn’t have ice in it for one thing, but the other is undoubtedly the bears.  We’re city folk and easily spooked by menacing wildlife - we were even anxious in our tame walk along the Old Coach Road.  We spent some time last night reading the literature about hiking in Glacier and finding ourselves anpprehensive about it.  Neither of us likes the thought of a grizzly knowing on our bones.

Our thinking is that we’ll stop in at the visitor center and ask the rangers about safety issues, but when we get there and read the signs saying we need to find another couple to walk with us without risking a steep fine we decide we’ve seen enough.  Between the smoke and the threat of bears we decide to just keep driving.

We’ll, here’s a sign.
Heart 5 Comment 5
ann and steve maher-wearyI feel exactly the same as you do, takes the fun out of the hiking
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1 year ago
Kelly IniguezHave you seen any signs about required cyclist numbers? 2019 was our last Canada trip, but I don't remember seeing any requirements.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauThat's crazy. I've never hiked in a group of four in my life, mainly because hiking with other people reduces the chances of seeing a bear--or any other cool wildlife.
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooThis rule has been in place for at least 5 years in the Canadian National Parks where there have been numerous bear sightings on popular trails. Often two groups of two 'join' up at the trail head. It is a pain to say the least.
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Kelly IniguezAs far as I know there has never been any thing similar for cyclists. Although, I have stood on the side of the road waiting for a car or other cyclists to ride beside as I pass a grizzly as it feeds in the ditch on the other side of the road.
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1 year ago
The view east from Rogers Pass. The sky looks clear enough in this direction.
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Worse to the west though, and worse than it looks here. My eyes are burning by the time we reach Revelstoke.
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Whatever fire is here, it must be pretty localized. We haven’t gotten far past the summit when the sky starts clearing again.
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We arrive in Revelstoke not long past noon, several hours before we can check in at our hotel. We spend a couple of hours killing time at a coffee shop and then move on to the Craft Bierhaus where we have our main meal of the day, appreciating a colorful decor, enormous portions and an impressively long tap list.

We’ll be staying four nights in Revelstoke lodged at the Grizz Hotel, a good enough place right in the heart of town.  

Have we ever eaten at a place with burl tabletops and beer kegs for chairs? Not that I can remember.
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Nice place. The video offerings are definitely a cut above those at the golf club yesterday.
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And how many places have a tap list like this? Offerings one thru eight are all IPA’s, but I’m in a mood for something darker today so I look further down the list.
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Jacquie GaudetAnd the volume is clearly specified, though the word “pint” doesn’t appear.
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1 year ago
#16, Brave Liver Scotch Ale, is dark enough. Also, we can appreciate here the corporate dress code of this place.
Heart 2 Comment 3
Graham FinchDid you have one for me?
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1 year ago
Scott AndersonTo Graham FinchNo, I thought you were strictly an IPA man. I did think you’d like the chairs though.
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1 year ago
Bob DistelbergPersonally, I was eyeing the oatmeal stout. It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of those.
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1 year ago
I ordered the half chicken but this looks more like a turkey. This must be three times the size of the half-chicken the golf course teed up for me.
Heart 2 Comment 2
Keith AdamsThey were clearly trying to match the bird to the size of the salad. Wow.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauLike Keith, the salad is the thing that caught my eye first. I love how it was served. Also, good choice on the beer. It's almost as important to have a brave liver as it is to have brave taste buds.
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1 year ago
Rachael’s enormous bowl with chicken left enough leftovers for two meals. And we didn’t really each need our own side salad if we’d known they’d be like this.
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Kirsten KaarsooThose are massive portions.!!! Although they look very tasty.
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1 year ago
Rate this entry's writing Heart 6
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Patrick O'HaraHey Scott. I agree with you in that stretch of highway from Golden to Revelstoke, it's fast and scary to drive.
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsProbably a good call on the bears, though the odds are in your favor. A friend of mine told me how to distinguish between brown/black bear scat and grizzly: brown bears put out smaller pellets that tend to have lots of seeds and berries, where grizzlies eject larger pellets flecked through with small bells and bits of hiking boot.
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Patrick O'HaraIt is a horrible stretch of highway and in the winter it is that much worse. One never knows if it will be open or not and then how long will be closed as Roger Pass always has avalanches, more often than not they are set off by the highway department to make sure it is safe to drive through. They will give you warning when they are going to 'bomb'.
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1 year ago