Issue #2-8 April 20, 2000

The Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000

Right: The old Grand Forks Station.
Below: Assembled in front of the New Grand Forks Station now operating as a restaurant and pub, are some of the 35 people, and assorted pets, that prepared for a walk on the Trans Canada Trail last SundayApril 17th, 2000
Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail
Trans Canada Trail cabin
tunnel
Trans Canada Trail ward lake
north fork view


The Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 will be here on Thursday, April 27th, traveling from Greenwood to Christina Lake on that day with water gathered from the Pacific ocean en route to Hull, Quebec. After a short stop in front of Grand Forks City Hall the Relay entourage will be stopping in downtown Grand Forks at 2:00pm to enjoy borscht and bread lunch special at the Borscht Bowl and everyone is invited to come out and join in the celebration of the official opening of the Trans Canada Trail.

Several Grand Forks and Christina Lake residents have been chosen as “official water carriers.” Brad Littler, Terry Gaudry, Chris Moslin and Stu Dale will run or cycle the portion from Eholt to the Station Pub. The water vessel will then be passed on to Teisha Bryant, on horseback, then to Brad Ashton and Erin Acton through Grand Forks. John Mackey, Kyle Tulk and Lylly Bryant will carry the water east to Gilpin Station to be picked up by Barb Saunders, Ruth Archer and Rick Seymour who will head on to Christina Lake. Erin Bartlett will be the final water carrier, on horseback to Cascade Cove for the reception at the lake. The Relay will be spending the night at Christina Lake before they head over the Dewdney Trail and on to Rossland. Everyone is invited to come out for an evening of fun and celebration at a barbeque at Cascade Cove Campground starting at 6:00pm on Thursday. Bob Dupis, Ron Little, Devin Lang and Gary Wilson will be carrying the water on Friday past Christina Lake.
More Rails More Trails
By Dave Brummet
The other day while cycling up the section of the Trans Canada Trail from Grand Forks to Eholt I was pleased to see that some local residents have done some clearing and raking of the trail adjacent to their property.
Hats off to the Eagle Rd. residents, and any others, that have put their time into this project! A few km later near the old Fisherman station, some slides have been cleared and the railbed regraded. The upcoming Relay 2000 has brought a lot of attention to the old railway corridor that passes through the Boundary Area.
The rail beds, averaging a nice 2% gradient, makes it perfect for cycling although a multitude of outdoor activities like hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing can also enjoy these special areas.
There are also a number of other abandoned railways to enjoy in this area that are worth mentioning. The largest of them is the array of CPR and GN trackage that once serviced the city of Phoenix and the numerous mines around Eholt. The best access is by the Phoenix Ski Hill Rd., off of Hwy 3, or the Greenwood St./ Lind Creek
Rd. in downtown Greenwood. There is an excellent guide map available from either the Grand Forks or Greenwood Museum
entitled “Phoenix Forest and History Trail.” It breaks the trails down into seven segments and gives distance and accessibility. There is a lot of interesting mining history and nature information in the pamphlet, as well. Another railbed that is part of this old system has been bisected by the construction of the main highway. Now it must be accessed by the Thimble Mountain trail system that is on the other side of the highway about 2km north of the Ski hill turn-off . After the sign at the parking lot take a left and follow along the highway 1km till you meet up with the BC Mine Rd., which used to be the railway. This carries on up the hill for about 4 km to the abandoned mine. The trail turns into an old forestry rd. and continues on up to the Thimble Mtn Lookout. In Grand Forks sections of the North Fork Rd. are built upon a piece of railway history. Once part of the Kettle Valley Railway, this line served the town of Niagara and went as far as Archibald (Lynch Creek). This is a good cycle trip although you will have the added element of automobile traffic to share the road with. The main Trans Canada Trail is also accessed off of the North Fork Rd., just past the Hardy Mountain Rd. turn-off. This is one of the most frequented of the railbeds and probably the most rewarding with two tunnels and great views of the Granby river valley. A little closer to town, you will find a piece of old GN trackage off of Reservoir Rd. You can travel either east or west for a few kilometers before having to turn around. Privately owned lands prohibit further passage so be respectful of any signage you come across.

Right in Grand Forks there is access to a short portion that starts from the highway by Donaldson Dr. to the old river bridge by the mill. Primarily used by pedestrians it is a nice walk to take on a warm evening. East of Grand Forks another section of the Trans Canada Trail will take you to Christina Lake, then on to Castlegar. The Christina to Castlegar section leads into some remote backcountry and there are not a lot of access points to this part of the system making it a trip for the more experienced adventurer. It is, however, a very rewarding ride with some spectacular views of Christina and Arrow Lakes. For maps and more information, you can contact the Boundary Forest District, the Grand Forks Boundary Museum or the Greenwood Museum.
“Cycling the Kettle Valley Railway” by Dan and Sandra Langford is a good book to get regarding the railways in this and other areas.

The goods and gear then and now for the Trail ahead
As today’s Canadians take to the Trail in ever more sophisticated and technological hiking gear and supplies, it’s worth a look back to see what our Native Roots forefathers struggled with as they took earlier paths into our untamed wilderness. In those days they were out to make a fortune in Canada, not to see its natural riches.In the way of supplies, here’s what it took to take on the Chilkoot Trail in 1898, according to the McDonald and Secord Outfit List for clothing and food.
100 lbs. navy beans,150 lbs. bacon, 400 lbs. flour, 40 lbs. rolled oats,20 lbs. corn meal, 10 lbs. rice, 25 lbs. sugar, 10 lbs. tea , 20 lbs. coffee, 10 lbs. baking powder, 20 lbs. salt,1 lb. pepper, 2lbs. baking soda, 1/2 lb. mustard, 1/4 lb. vinegar, condensed milk, 20 lbs. evaporated, potatoes, 5 lbs. evaporated onions, 6 tins- 4 oz. extract beef, 75 lbs. evaporated fruits, 4 pkgs. yeast cakes, 1/2 lb. ginger, 1 lb. citric acid, 2 bottles Jamaica ginger
1 waterproof blanket, 1 pair unlined leather gloves, 1 dozen bandana handkerchiefs, 2 suits heavy knit underwear, 6 pair of wool socks, 1 pair heavy moccasins, 2 pair German stockings, 1 heavy woollen sweater, 2 heavy flannel overshirts, 1 pair of overalls, 2 pair 12-lb. blankets, 1 stiff brim cowboy hat, 1 pair hip rubber boots, 1 pair prospector’s high land, boots, 1 Mackinaw, coat, pants, shirt, 1 pair heavy buck mitts, 1 duck coat, pants, vest, 6 towels, buttons, needles and thread, comb, mirror, 1 pocket matchbox, toothbrush etc. mosquito netting, 1 dunnage bag, 20 lbs. candles, 1 sleeping bag, medicine chest, 1 pkg. tin matches, pack saddles, complete horses, 6 lbs. laundry soap, 6 cakes borax, 25 lbs. hard tack, That’s sturdy stuff for hardy men, but let’s make, provisions to also salute horses – those hoofed heroes who nayed and brayed their way along the early trails of Canada hauling most of the supplies.
In 1998, the supplies for hiking the Chilkoot Trail can all fit into one backpack. The horse would come along just for the ride. Here’s the list. Tent, binoculars, sleeping bag, camera & film, sleeping pad, journal or novel, warm-layered clothing, trail book, broken-in hiking boots, personal toiletries, rain/snow gear, first aid kit, quick-cooking nutritious food, bug repellent, energy bars/chocolate, camp stove, pots & pans, cutlery.
1898 and 1998 supply list from “Returning to Nature and the Natural State:.
Midway River & Railway
Midway, a community of 700, on the banks of the Kettle River has a lot to offer the exploring traveller.
Being at Mile 0 of the famous Kettle Valley Railway, the local Museum located right on Highway #3, offers exhibits of interest to both railway buffs and those curious of local history.
The Kettle River is renowned for its recreation uses. Whether it’s by canoe or just floating on a tube, the Kettle is safe for many kilometers around Midway.
If you are camping, there are shady, cool campsites right on the bank of the river. Camping is inexpensive and clean water, flush toilets and firewood is available. Tubes for floating the river and canoes for a fun paddle are available. for use by campers.
The Kettle is also an excellent trout stream and is especially good for fly fishing. Floating and fishing from a canoe is a great way to spend a day.
The Kettle Valley Golf Course is located only ten minutes from Midway. This is a challenging and inexpensive nine hole course which is never too busy for a leisurely round.
For more information on activities, services and accommodations, you can contact Steve Stewart at ph: (250) 449-2467, fax: (250) 445-6360 or e-mail: stevestewart@looksmart.com.

Postponed Nature Walk
The planned bicycle trip for children on the rail grade from Eholt to Grand Forks was canceled due to the cold, rainy weather last Friday. However, the trip has been rescheduled for the next Pro D Day in May. Cycling on the rail grade is a lot of fun and can be a perfect day’s adventure for families, especially the downhill ride from Eholt to town. There are several access points to get you onto the trail. For maps detailing these accesses and information on the history of this section of the Trans Canada Trail, stop by the Grand Forks recreation office.
If you plan on walking or cycling the grade on Thursday, April 27th you may meet some of the “official water carriers” for the Relay 2000. They will be cycling, running and horseback riding between Eholt and Grand Forks starting at about 11:00am at Eholt and arriving downtown at City Hall at 1:45pm. Be sure to join the party at “the Borsht Bowl” downtown at 2:00pm.

Thanks for passing on the openminder recently. I just got around to reading it on the weekend and wanted to mention a couple of things and send you my recently created poster of the Human Chain Event – which incidently 10 minutes ago a person rang to ask me if they could quote it on K.B.S.
The other thing was to say thanks for putting my dads poem in you paper, it was nice to see it.
And actually I wrote a poem as a result of reading your article on the Trans Canada Trail Relay 2000 and today I gave it to the Human Chain event for persal, so thanks for the timely inspiration. If they ok it I’ll calligraph it and send you a copy.
In human solidarity, Paul Bowles, Fruitvale.
Thank you Paul for your gift. It is things like this, that make doing this publicaton worthwhile. (beside is a reproduction of the work of Paul Bowles. My copy is 8 1/2″ X 14″.
 

HOW CHOCOLATE IS MADE
Chocolate is made from the seeds, or beans, of the tropical cacao tree. The processing of the cacao seeds, better known as cocoa beans, is complex. The beans grow inside leathery pods that are found both on the trunk and on the branches of the tree. Workers cut the pods from the tree trunks with large heavy knives called machetes and from the branches with long-handled knives. The purple or creamy-white beans are shelled from the pod, which is about the size of a small cucumber.
At this stage the bean has a raw bitter taste. As the first step in the long process of making appetizing chocolate, the beans are piled in bins for several days. Bacterial action causes them to take on a rich brown color and the fragrance of chocolate. After several more days they become dry enough to prevent spoilage, and they are bagged for shipment. When they arrive at the factory, the beans are roasted in large rotating machines. This improves the flavor still more and dries the shells of the beans so that they can be easily removed in the next machine, the cracker and fanner.
Here the beans are cracked, and fans blow away the brittle shells, leaving the nibs, or meat. The nibs are the part used for making chocolate products. The shells are saved for use in fertilizer or as feed for cattle. About 50 percent of the nibs is made up of a fatty substance known as cocoa butter.
In the next stage large grinding stones or heavy steel disks crush the nibs, creating frictional heat that melts the butter. The hard parts of the nibs are ground to powder. The result is a smooth, dark-brown liquid known as chocolate liquor.
When poured into molds, the liquid hardens into cakes of unsweetened chocolate, which are used in cooking. To produce cocoa powder the warm liquor is pumped into a filter press. Pressure exerted by a pump forces much of the cocoa butter, a yellow liquid, through the pores of a strong filter cloth. The filter cloth holds back a light brown cake of solid particles, which is then ground and sifted to form cocoa powder.
Chocolate for eating is made by adding cocoa butter to chocolate liquor. For sweet, or dark, chocolate finely powdered sugar is added. For milk chocolate a third ingredient, milk, is included. Various flavorings may also be added. These mixtures go through a set of rollers that reduces them to a paste. Next, more machines with heavy rollers knead the chocolate mass for periods ranging from a few hours to several days. This process, called conching, makes the rather gritty mixture very smooth. Varying the temperature in the machines and the movement of the rollers produces variations in flavor. Finally the chocolate is tempered, or heated to a high temperature. This reduces the size of large fat crystals and gives the chocolate a velvety quality. The chocolate is poured into molds by automatic machinery.
Cocoa butter is sold separately for other purposes. When solid, it is white and pleasant tasting. Baking firms may use it instead of regular butter. It is also an ingredient of soaps and complexion creams.

Mistranslations
+ In a Tokyo shop: Our nylons cost more than common, but you’ll find they are best in the long run.
+ From a Japanese information booklet about using a hotel air conditioner: Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself.
+ Two signs from a Majorcan shop entrance: – English well talking / Here speeching American
+ In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk.

Easter
The greatest festival of the Christian church commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a movable feast; that is, it is not always held on the same date. In AD 325 the church council of Nicaea decided that it should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox of March 21. Easter can come as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.
Connected with the observance of Easter are the 40-day penitential season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding at midnight on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. In many churches Easter is preceded by a season of prayer, abstinence, and fasting. This is observed in memory of the 40 days’ fast of Christ in the desert. In Eastern Orthodox churches Lent is 50 days. In Western Christendom Lent is observed for six weeks and four days.
Lent may be preceded by a carnival season. The origin of the word carnival is probably from the Latin carne vale, meaning flesh (meat), farewell. Elaborate pageants often close this season on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent. This day is also called by its French name, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).
Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, gets its name from the practice, mainly in the Roman Catholic church, of putting ashes on the foreheads of the faithful to remind them that man is but dust.
Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Holy Week begins on this day. Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is in memory of the Last Supper of Christ with his disciples. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion.
Many Easter customs come from the Old World. The white lily, the symbol of the resurrection, is the special Easter flower. Rabbits and colored eggs have come from pagan antiquity as symbols of new life. The Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. Easter Monday egg rolling, a custom of European origin, has become a tradition on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. During the Octave of Easter in early Christian times, the newly baptized wore white garments, white being the liturgical color of Easter and signifying light, purity, and joy.
The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals. Others come from the Passover feast of the Jews, observed in memory of their deliverance from Egypt. The word paschal comes from a Latin word that means belonging to Passover or to Easter. Formerly, Easter and the Passover were closely associated.
The resurrection of Jesus took place during the Passover. Christians of the Eastern church initially celebrated both holidays together. But the Passover can fall on any day of the week, and Christians of the Western church preferred to celebrate Easter on Sunday the day of the resurrection.
Tax tips
If you do not need your charitable donations to reduce your taxable income for the current year, they can be carried forward up to 5 years

Linen & Things Expanding
Gayle Kienas, long time resident of Grand Forks and a Director for the Chamber of Commerce, was able to realize a dream of operating her own store when she opened Linen & Things, on October 1/99. Seven months later, and after knocking down an adjoining wall, the store has more than doubled in size and is now open 6 days a week.
The planning started about 3 years ago, first in finding something that she enjoyed doing and at the same time would fill a unique void in the local market place. Having been a seamstress for more than 35 years, including traveling extensively throughout northern B.C. creating period costumes for Diamond Tooth Gurty’s in Dawson City, for Parks Canada in White Horse.
For 2 years Gayle had operated a bridal boutique out of her basement before moving up town. Many Wedding gowns, Graduation gowns, and Grand Forks Pageant gowns you might have seen locally are the work of Gayle as well. Gayle’s portfolio does not stop there, for on top of work that has been done for theatrical agents, locally and out of town Gayle has her own line of leisure clothing, with extra attention given to children’s clothing.
After being closed for five years due to back surgery, Gayle went back to college, full time, to take a business administration course, but still found it hard to get a job, so the independen spirit in her, brought her to the Entrepreneurial course given by the C.F.D.C. “I did a lot of planning, a lot of researching, a lot of costing out, to see if it was viable.” says Gayle. “The course was excellent for getting a good look at what you are to expect, so that you don’t go into it blindly. You take the steps to do a profile, figure out how much it will cost to run, and have three month, six month projections, and before you get bigger and better, reach those goals.”
“One of my secrets to success” Gayle explains “is that I started out very small and paid up front for everything and still, even though now that I am established, I have accounts I try not to grow faster than my finances.”
Consignment sales help to fill the store with a variety of items, without having to extend the finances in running the store.
Gayle is well aware of the help that she has had in bringing her dream to reality and extends many thanks to all her customers and special thanks to Gloria and Len Welder, Anne and Pete Kostinoff, Yvonne Copland.
Come in, browse, and say hello to Gayle
of Linen & Things!

Technology for country folk
+ Log On: makin’ a wood stove hotter.
+ Log Off: don’t add no more wood.
+ Monitor: keepin’ an eye on the wood stove.
+ Download: gettin’ the farwood off the truck.
+ Mega Hertz: when yer not kerful gettin’ the farwood.
+ Floppy disc: watcha git from trying to carry too much farwood.
+ Ram: that thar thing whut splits the farwood.
+ Hard Drive: gettin’ home in the winter time.
+ Prompt: whut the mail ain’t in the winter time.
+ Windows: whut to shut when its cold outside.
+ Screen: whut to shut wen its black fly season.
+ Byte: whut them dang flys do.
+ Chip: munchies fer the TV.
+ Micro chip: whuts in the bottom of the munchie bag.
+ Modem: whutcha did to them hay fields.
+ Dot Matrix: Old Dan Matrix’s wife.
+ Lap Top: whar the kitty sleeps.
+ Keyboard: whar ya hang the dang keys.
+ Software: them dang plastic forks and knives.
+ Mainframe: holds up the barn roof.
+ Random Access Memory: when ya cain’t member whut ya paid fer the rifle when yore wife asks.
+ Mouse Pad: that there hippie talk fer the rat hole.

Dalai Lama – Instructions for life
+ Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk
+ When you lose, don’t lose the lesson
+ Follow the three Rs: Respect for self – Respect for others and – Responsibility for all your actions.
+ Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
+ Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
+ Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
+ When you realise you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
+ Spend some time alone every day.
+ Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
+ Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer
+ Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
+ A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
+ In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
+ Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
+ Be gentle with the earth.
+ Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
+ Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other
+ Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
+ Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

The OpenMinders roving photographer will be taking pictures of our local citizenry doing their part in keeping the Boundary Area beautiful.
Hello from Wayne Kopan, who has been with the City of Grand Forks for almost 16 years was busy this day power washing buildings in City Park. Little things like this go unnoticed, but help to keep our area attractive to visit and live in.

Editors Bloopers
In the TC Trail story in issue #2-6, Paul Lautard was said to be 76. Well, even more remarkable is that he is 77, and will be 78 in September. Also the nail factory mentioned as their production was 2 tonnes a day, it was 200 tonnes a day. Sorry Paul.
In the previous issue, #2-7 in the story about the airport, one reader said the first airport was not located where the paper said it was, and later that day another reader phoned and said that there was 3 locations for the Grand Forks Airport and that I mentioned only 2.
Thank you for your input and I will be researching the airport history and will try to have it ready to print in the next issue.
Brian McAndrew
Publisher/Editor.