It came out of nowhere. Dusk was falling and thick alders crowded the narrow gravel road. Traction was adequate, but when a grizzly bolted from the brush on the right, my reflexive grab of the brakes showed just how easily the tires — and I — could lose our grip:
“Oh s–t! I’m going down with a grizzly!”
It was such a close call that, in fact, I may have clipped it, and even though I had immediately gotten on the throttle, he seemed bent on revenge, charging down the road — and gaining on me. They were some of the longest split seconds of my life, and it wasn’t until he peeled off into the woods on our left that my heart returned to beating. There would be no photos, of course, but I still had all my limbs and that seemed like a reasonable trade. I was spooked just enough that the white-tailed deer standing broadside around the next corner had me wide-eyed. And when a tiny lone weasel had the same effect, I knew it was time to get off the road.
Warm Welcome
I had begun the day just west of Keremeos, B.C., and after riding in what could have been the American southwest, I came suddenly upon green orchards, lush vineyards, and perfect fields of
