Friday, June 27, 2025 : Boswell to Sirdar

 

Kootenay Lake

June 27:  Boswell to Sirdar

In my travels today,  Rhapsody in Blue were my thoughts as I took more photos of Lake Kootenay.  Blue were the skies, blue was the lake water, mountains in the distance were  a darker shade of blue.  Sorry my photos don't capture the beauty of the scenery today.  

Parking my car  at Boswell, todays travel was 22 miles to Sirdar, and of course 22 miles back to Boswell.  I noticed the hills were longer today, compared to yesterday.  When cycling along a long lake, one hopes for flat and level riding.  But with Lake Kootenay hemmed in by both  the Purcells (easterly) and the Selkirks (westerly), the Kootenay valley is narrow.  Whenever Highway 3A strayed away from the lakeshore a bit, you could bet there was going to be an uphill involved.  There were hills along yesterday's ride too, but today the hills were longer and steeper.  But I was feeling strong after a successful ride yesterday, and so I set my sights on a longer distance.

Sirdar was a good destination, and I came flying into town, coasting down the largest hill of the trip so far.  As I approached Sirdar I noticed that there was now a railroad track between me and the lake, where there had been none yesterday.  It turns out the arrival of the train was instrumental in the development of the little town.  I chose to stop there in the Sirdar Pub for my lunch meal.  Interesting decor, with a steel model of a train locomotive hanging from the front wall above the bar.  The display was made to look like the train was emerging from the wall itself; I can only imagine the weight of this display. I would not have felt safe at the bar, but a couple of locals paid no mind.  The floorplan was unusual, as there was living quarters above the pub, and the front wall display  spanned both floors.  

The food was delicious, and soon it was time to return back to the truck parked in Boswell.  The return trip commenced with the long uphill that I came speeding down a couple hours before.  The return trip went well and I arrived in Boswell early enough to buy some groceries there before the store closed at 5:00PM.  Good day today!

44 miles

Unusual Wall Decoration in the Pub in Sirdar

        This Dog has backpacks
Rhapsody in Blue?

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