The warm sunny days of the past week in Nelson ended on Saturday, with the return of the rains, which made the leaving a little easier. Rather than head straight back to the coast on highway 3, we took the opportunity to visit our friends Neil and Heather in Sicamous, which made for a longer drive home, but it spread the drive over two days. The fastest route from Nelson to Sicamous, is north up highway 6 to Nakusp, and then continuing north on highway 23 to Revelstoke, on to Highway 1. But our neighbour, Moe, had suggested an alternate, more scenic route from Nakusp, via Fauquier, so that became the plan.
As it was a drab, rainy day, we did not stop for any walks or sightseeing, as most of the sights were covered in cloud. We made good time to Nakusp and so we stopped at "Whats Brewing on Broadway", the best cafe in Nakusp (according to Trip Advisor), for coffee / tea and a shared cinnamon bun. It was a cute cafe, with lots of funky signs for sale, but the cutest sign of all hung above the counter (see photo below).
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| Sign at Whats Brewing on Broadway, Nakusp, BC |
The challenge for road builders in the interior of BC has always been getting across the lakes and the mountains - the roads skirt the lakes and cross the mountains at the most convenient points, resulting in a route that can be quite circuitous. Hence from Nakusp we turned south to Fauquier, took the ferry across Arrow Lake at The Needles, and then over the Monashee mountain range to Cherryville, Lumby and Vernon. We ate lunch in the car while waiting for the ferry at Fauquier, as it was raining too steadily to sit at the picnic tables.
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| Ferry Crossing at The Needles, BC |
I remember a Trivial Pursuit question from days gone by that asked which Canadian province has the most ferries. The correct answer at the time was Saskatchewan. But today Saskatchewan has only 12 ferries, while BC has 25 (BC Ferries only) on the coast, plus many more on inland river / lake crossings, so would now trump Saskatchewan's claim to fame. Several of BC's inland ferries are required as a result of hydro dams flooding large areas.
After a brief stop at Jitter Beans in Lumby (thanks again Trip Advisor) for a tea refill, we headed for Sicamous. The only disappointing part of the journey was that the weather prevented us from seeing much of the scenery.
The weather cooperated in Sicamous, and we were able to enjoy a walk around town on Saturday afternoon, and we had a walk along the Eagle River plus a bike ride on Sunday, all without getting wet, although it pored with rain at other times. These activities were of course intertwined with lots of eating and conversation with Neil and Heather. The District of Sicamous has decorated the downtown area with planters containing fruits and vegetables, which you are welcome to eat, so you can actually graze while you walk. What a cool idea!
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| Strawberry Planter in Sicamous, BC |
On Monday morning, in torrential rain, we left Sicamous and headed to the coast. It rained most of the way, so again, no stops for walks or sightseeing. We gassed up & picked up coffee / tea in Salmon Arm, refilled the drinks in Kamloops, had a bathroom break at the top of the Coquihalla highway, and were at our daughter's house in Delta by 2:30 pm.
Our son and his girlfriend were also visiting our daughter in Delta, so we had a short visit with the family over dinner and then caught the 8:15 pm ferry home, to complete our 2500 Km vacation.
It was a great trip and we hope to return to Nelson in the future, as there are still many trails that we have yet to walk or ride. But for now, the garden beckons.
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