Living the Hostel Life
We have finally resisted the urge (well, there wasn't much of an urge) to stay in a motel, and we have checked into our very first hostel. Unfortunately, getting to the hostel did not turn out as pleasant as hoped...
Dave and I left Salmon Arm bright and early this morning with the sun trying to break through a mostly overcast sky. We realized that weather conditions would probably turn sour once again, but we didn't let that get in our way from reaching our destination. We hopped on our bikes and headed toward Revelstoke.
At first, we were a bit slow going as Dave was a bit of trouble working out the morning kinks. As a result, our pace was not quick as we had hoped, but we did manage to get to Sicamous, approx. 30km from Salmon Arm, in about an hour and a half. There we stopped for a snack and then, feeling rejuvenated we headed out once again, this time at a much quicker pace. Things were going well for much of the way, but about 40km outside of Revelstoke the rain started. Although it was just a slow drizzle at first, we could tell by the cloud cover that we were about to get soaked again! Sure enough, within an hour the rain began falling at a steady rate and we were quickly drenched from head to toe for the second day in a row.
Once we finally reached Revelstoke, the rain had gotten the better of us and we were freezing cold from the low temperature. We quickly located the hostel and checked in. I was actually so cold that I could barely get my bank card out to pay for the room, and then when my bank card wouldn't go through, I had to struggle to get my credit card out of my wallet... I had developed my own claw symptoms!
Once we finally got settled away in the hostel and cleaned ourselves up, we headed out for a quick tour of downtown Revelstoke. It is a very quiet town where it is evident that outdoor activities are the dominant industry. We had supper at a small pub/restaurant, and the headed to a small cafe with an Internet hookup in order to read email.
As for the hostel, experience, I have nothing but good things to say. The people here are super friendly and everybody has their own interesting story to tell. The place is very clean and everybody is respectful of everyone else's property and space. It is truly unlike anything else I have experienced. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical and hesitant at first, but those feelings have long since subsided.
Tomorrow we intend to head towards Golden, but it doesn't appear that we will make it the entire way. The weather forecast once again looks ominous with possible snow in the forecast for tonight. As a result, tomorrow may be an abbreviated day of riding as we simply try to make progress towards Alberta, and more specifically Calgary. I must admit that this rain is making me feel a bit down, but I realize that it comes with the territory. We will just have to tough it out til we get to Calgary where hopefully conditions will get a little bit warmer. I almost think that we started the trip a little early, but it is too late to reconsider... we just have to deal with it and move on. Dave certainly seems to have a better attitude towards the poor weather than I do... hopefully I will be able to draw upon that positive attitude myself as we go forward towards our ultimate goal.