Papa and Nana On the Go   GRANDPARENT RAMBLINGS – AS FAR AS THE MONEY WILL TAKE US

We have now left our furry friends to the north and have driven along the north shore of Lake Superior, a very apt name.  I will talk about that in another post but things have moved faster than my ability to post lately so I will have to work backwards sometimes.  Like this time.

A couple of months ago, Nana mentioned that she wish she could bike ride sometimes.  I had been waiting 25 or 26 years to hear that but could never on my own justify spending the money.  What a waist of time.  Yes, I know I said waist.  I’m not stupid and meant exactly that.  We could have been burning pounds around the middle all of that time.  And by the way, it was also a waste of time.  So within two weeks we had two spiffy more-than-I-meant-to-spend-on Treks.  So before our journey we had made a number of outings and built up our feeble miles a bit and learning to control our balance on mostly paved or very smooth greenways and such. As I have previously mentioned, for both of you following this thing, we brought the bikes on the trip and have had several really good rides.  But as so often is the case, I may have over reached on our last ride.  Just a bit.  No injuries but frayed nerves.

We had left the Okanagan region for Kaslo in British Columbia.  We had seen many creatures such as rabbits and squirrels.  Oh, I know that doesn’t seem like much but deer were far less rare.  We’ve seen a couple of bears on the trip as well.  These weren’ t the Jellystone type that are mostly tame and come to your car hoping for Hostess Cupcakes, which I would never give up even if the bear had its teeth wrapped around my skull.  I might share some if he asked nice.  But not the filling.  We never did, to our disappointment, see a moose, Nana’s favorite, I think.  We did see beaver, eagles and lots of other creatures.  Had we come upon a grizzly, which frequented the areas around Kaslo, I reassured Nana that after I out ran her I would be sure to get help back as soon as possible.  She said that wouldn’t be a problem after she threw some ground meat on me, maybe a little bacon, and just sat there until the bear moved on.  Neither thought these were very good ideas.  As scary as this would have been, nothing was scarier than our ride on the Galena.  (insert Kettle Drum rumblings here).  The Galena Trail is a trail just outside of New Denver, British Columbia, along one of the many linear lakes that can be 100 miles long but only a few miles across or less.  Absolutely stunning country.

Now for younger or more experienced riders this might not have been a big deal but we were Nana’s and Papa’s.  I think it was on Monday, Monday, or was I just California Dreaming?  Whoops! Wrong Papas!  Anyway, this is not a very long trail as some go but it was no greenway.   Basically, we were doing single track much of the time.

Start of the Galena. Happy in our ignorance.

The beginning of the trail is flat but only about 5 inches wide, just have to work on balance, which neither one of us have in spades by any means.  So on we go.  Soon we can hear the roar of the river to our right.  Well, not exactly, you also have to look down about 700 feet and to the right.  The trail is on the edge of the drop.  Again, no big deal if you are confident.  I wasn’t too bad but Nana was really confidant.  Confidant that she would soon be dead.

Nana contemplates the afterlife. Not the narrowest point on the trail with cliffs.

Not all of the trail was this way.  Some was worse.  There were some very narrow up and down hills with curves and no run-outs if your brakes were wet and it was slow to stop.  This whole region had been flooded so there was much aqua on the trail.  This equals wet brakes.  So there were times it was prudent to walk it.

Sections of trail not Nana and Papa proofed.

With long drops, sometimes better to walk if not confident as newbies.

Not all was terror, however.  It was a beautiful trail.  A fine place to die if there ever was one.  Unfortunately, no one might actually ever find our bodies.  But there were some fantastic scenes along the way.

The river far below.

Waterfall along the way to the moment of terror.

Little did we know that these moments of beauty and joy, coming like a roller coaster, alternating with mild to extreme discomfort and wondering if the insurance was paid up, were mere distractions as were the most peaceful times along the trail.

Nana, go!

And then we arrived.  Finally, we approached the river itself, having risen up through countless cataracts and waterfalls to our level.  But were was the trail?  No, not to the left.  Only forest and briars.  Not to the right!  Rocks and more trees screened the view to the river crushing around the bend, swollen and roiling like water boiling on the stove.  And what was this contraption ahead?  Well, it was the way across.  The only way.  One needed to load the bike, unhook and pull yourself and the bike across the river, dangling just feet above the maelstrom.  And it was so.

Now for me, it was like being 10 again.  For Nana it was like all of her kidney stones and childbirths rolled together with every scary movie she had ever seen.  But she was brave.  And she did the deed.  Our version of Amazing Race.

Mounted and ready to unhook.

Papa having a blast!

Victory!

That is not joy on Nana’s face. But she is brave!

Nana’s fear overcome. This because she is thinking how many pieces she needs to chop Papa into so that no one will find the evidence of the deed she contemplates.

And so we completed our journey with no significant injuries.  Though many were considered both accidental and purposeful.  Nana is braver and Papa is wiser.