June 16, 2026 - Lake Koocanusa: Cooperation! If we could only bring back the good old days

Lake Koocanusa

 Today we leave the village of Wardner, and head southward toward Baines Lake, and our nearest connection to the US border, for  this year.   At the end of the day, we cross Lake Koocanusa, another milestone on our trip across Canada.  

Our route leaves the village and climbs steeply for the next couple of miles on a gravel road.  However the condition of the road deteriorates, and it becomes questionable whether Audrey, driving the Escape will be able to navigate the same path I am biking upon.  (When Audrey and I can travel the same route, it promotes security that we can remain in close contact, especially if I find myself in need.)  As we are traveling along, we both became concerned whether we were actually on the path of the TCT, due to lack of signage and ambiguous directions ("left at a fork") in the guidebook.  The road surface had  become quite rocky with some potholes  which stretched across the road, and filled with water.

Fortunately, we  happened to come across a family that was tending some farm animals.  We stopped and had a nice visit  with the mother.  She asked whether we were attempting to cross Canada.  When we said we were, she related to us that she rode her bike across Canada when she was 18.  She was able to allay our concern about the route.  Indeed we were on the correct route, and she assured us that Audrey would be able to follow me.  

Now that is what I call Cooperation between Nations!  And if readers are wondering what type of reception we Americans are receiving,  everybody so far has been gracious and cooperative, even though I think most people recognize that we are from The States. 

Near the end of the day,  my route took me on a bridge that crossed Lake Koocanusa, where we had the nicest scenery of the day.  It is another milestone on our eastward journey, as we continue to pass important rivers and other geographic features. Lake Koocanusa was a project completed jointly between the US and Canada, and is an example of the benefit of cooperation between our two nations.  It is a reservoir, formed by the Libby Dam in Montana, on the Kootenai (American spelling) River.  It is an important source of water in the Columbia River system.  The level of the water varies by 25 meters over the year, with about half of the reservoir in Canada, and the other half in the US. The elevation of the roadway is 2460 ft., which makes it the low point of our journey today, as tomorrow we begin the long climb to the Great Divide in the Rocky Mountains. 

I look forward to a future when our two nations can resume friendly cooperation with each other, and I'll just end here with that.

Ponderosa Pines - everywhere pine cones
Our path is a road without maintenance.  Can the Escape travel on it?
    The TransCanada Trail looks like this today
Mount Baker:  the TCT has been circumnavigating the lower flanks

Lake Koocanusa: the sightseeing highlight for today

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