DEER!

With the workshop finished on the 14th, suddenly I found myself in a position I had not been in since the start of the trip; I had nowhere to be. The ferry to Alaska out of Bellingham, Washington wouldn't leave until the 22nd, and with a little over a week until then, my agenda was wide open.

The coffee shop in Castlegar where I did all my blogging. I think they though I had moved in.

Some cool clouds that had rolled into Castlegar, grazing the top of the mountains. Of course, I'm not showing you that there's a Dairy Queen right below all this...

One of the workshop participants had mentioned the town of Nelson, a half hour drive northeast from Castlegar. As he recounted, the town, first established in the late 1800s, reestablished itself in the 1970's when anti-war draft dodgers from the states made their way to Nelson during the Vietnam war, many of them never returning even after the conflict was over. As the decades progressed, ordinances were put in place to preserve the historical integrity of the town, but the progressive vibe would remain. I was told that I shouldn't miss it.

With that recommendation I made my way north, settling in a wonderful hostel on the edge of the main drag through town. The description was accurate. As I walked through town, I was struck simultaneously by the meticulous preservation inside and out of hotels, storefronts and public buildings; but also by the high percentage of tattooed hipsters strolling about with dreadlocks and guitars strapped to their backs.

Downtown Sunday morning in Nelson. Pretty quiet.

Some pretty cool architecture.

I should know what building this is, but I completely forget. It's important, though...

One of the side attractions to Nelson is a series of hot springs that begins about 40 minutes north of town. Anyone can take the drive along the Kootenay River, a massive body of water that further entices visitors to the area, and for eleven dollars, soak in mineral water that comes out of the ground at 115 degrees. After the week of labor I had just participated in, I could think of no better idea, so I packed the bike for the day trip and set out.

The ride along the river was spectacular, with twists and turns that were a welcome change from the endless highway miles I had endured on the ride across the states. The speed limit never exceeded 45 mph, and there was traffic both in front of me and behind; presumably tourists as well, also making there way to points of interest in the region.

Without warning, a deer appeared in my peripheral vision to my left. It made absolutely no sense for it to be there, as it wasn't a particularly rural area, and with roadside stores, gas stations and residences all around, it wasn't a logical area for a deer to appear. Logical or not, though, I could see in those few milliseconds that it was already in the road and spooked, and with cars coming in the other direction, it had made the decision to bolt. Those few milliseconds also allowed me to realize that with the path that it had chosen, it was going to ram right into me.

I was running on instinct now, with just a fraction of a second to respond. I had told myself a thousand times that if I were in such a situation, my best choice would be to brake as best I could, but never swerve. I took my own advice, hunkering down in the seat, keeping the front tire straight, and bracing for the impact. I could feel the deer bearing down on me, just a few feet from my left shoulder.

I felt the impact, but it was nothing like I expected. Instead of 200 pounds of deer colliding with my bike and body, all I felt was a sharp whack to my helmet, knocking my head to the right. I drove on for a few moments, otherwise unharmed, processing what had just happened. When my mind cleared, I figured it out. The deer had jumped over me! I pulled over, the shock of my realization just sinking in.

The car behind me, a red Jetta driven by a youngish couple with three boys in the back seat, pulled over next to me, everyone in the car wide-eyed with disbelief. I asked them if what I thought had happened was true, and with heads shaking in disbelief, they said yes. Making sure that I was alright, they drove on, surely as stunned by what they had seen as I was for having experienced it. I finally pulled away, as ready as ever to reach the hot springs.

The experience would stay with me the rest of the day. Even in the relaxing warmth of the hot spring waters, I kept replaying the scenario in my mind, wondering how I could have been so lucky. The day; this entire trip; could have turned out much different with just a slight change in events. I drove back to the hostel, thankful for whatever had made it possible for me to ride another day.