Saturday, Aug 22- Monday, Aug 24

The Thompson Canyon out of Spences Bridge and the Fraser Canyon south are far too much excitement first thing in the morning. I didn’t even have coffee yet and I had to manage tight esses around rocky walls with nothing but cliff on the other side descending in to the river combined with sharp ascents and descents. The big problem is other vehicles, and there were many other drivers laying on pressure from behind. They did not seem to appreciate that a biker needs a little more time around blind corners and cannot simply slam on the breaks if trouble should arise.

I tried to take my time on this stretch in the morning but I reached Hope in only a few hours where I stopped north of town for a special treat. There is a little gas station that I visit every time I’m through that sells wild double smoked salmon. This stuff is amazing and is certainly not something I can easily get at home, so I bought a bag of it and headed to a rest area to enjoy the fish on the shores of the Fraser. This was a perfect lunch.

The Trans- Canada Highway out of Hope is very different than the stretch north of it. Long, straight, and fast, I had my ipod blaring tunes as I worked hard to keep up with the swift Saturday traffic. I was able to reach my friends Scott and Gill’s house in Port Moody by 3:00.

After visiting a local pub in the afternoon (where I discovered an awesome beer) we were hosted at our friends’ Erin and Arron’s home for a Caribbean- themed house party. Amazing jerk chicken, caribbean salsa, rum cake, and coconut shrimp filled my belly as I sipped on several fruity island cocktails. After several days of hard riding this was a welcome reception to the Lower Mainland.

The next day we visited the Fisherman’s Wharf at Steveston, where we had lunch on the boardwalk. One of the reasons I visit the coast in the summer is the seafood. You just can’t get good, fresh seafood on the prairies. After lunch we visited the wharf where we saw the wares fisherpersons were selling right from their boats…halibut, salmon, prawns- all fresh and priced to sell. If only there was a way to get some of this stuff and take it home on the motorbike…

We then went to Granville Island to check out the shops and visit the Granville Island Brewery to try out the samplers…and I was very surprised at how good the beers were. And here I thought the best Canadian beers ought to come from the prairies.

The next day and a half were spent visiting, sharing old stories, and resting. It was great to be back at the coast after over a year, and great to catch up with friends. I always have such a great time out here. My time in the Lower Mainland culminated in Scott making a stew of local, fresh seafood. I’m determined to try making it at home. I went to bed early to prepare for a day of riding, and realized that after this point the seafood would never be as fresh.