Wednesday, July 21, 2010

British Columbia is so fun to ride. There is such a diversity between each region…geologically, meteorologically, biologically…up to this point I’ve spent days riding in one or maybe two unique areas. Today I rode through 4 on a marathon 11 hour ride as I began my long trek home.

I began at 9:00 by saying goodbye to Scott and Gill in Port Moody. The ride through the Fraser Valley can be a bit droning, as the mountains loom in the distance the bike only felt like it was slowly edging toward them even though I was racing at high speeds just to keep up with traffic. The day was pleasant enough- sunny and about 21 degrees. I reached Hope, gassed up, stretched the legs, and was heading north to follow the Fraser River into the Fraser Canyon by 11:00.

This part of the journey is one of my favourite rides! The Fraser Canyon (and especially Hell’s Gate) are one of the most vivid memories of a trip my family took when I was just a little kid. It is absolutely amazing. The canyon gets so steep and the mountains close right in on you. The road itself gets quite narrow with canyon wall on one side, and cliff straight down to the swirling Fraser below. It is very exciting though, and the sheer majesty of the mountains and the river and the ferocity of nature are humbling. Even on Silver I couldn’t help but feel a tad insignificant amongst these giant mountains towering above me.

On the way up I picked up some double smoked Indian Candy at this little place in Yale. I get some every year on my way through, and I enjoyed some of it for lunch just south of Hell’s Gate. I did not stop to go down the tram this year, I went last year and have enough pictures…plus I had a lot of ground to cover today.

An hour later I said goodbye to the Fraser and headed east up the Thompson Canyon. I would follow the Thompson River for the rest of the day. I always liked the Thompson although the Fraser is definitely my favourite. The Fraser is ferocious, volatile, enduring…while the Thompson is like its more even tempered, dependable brother.

Anyway…enough about rivers…I headed into the Thompson Plateau and the temperature really got hot. It was about 35 degrees out with some clouds. The scenery here is more hilly than mountainous, the trees are more sporadic, and it is almost desert-like…kind of like it’s an extension of the Okanagan. I had to stop frequently here to take in water.

I reached Kamloops via Cache Creek at about 5pm. I rode right through the city and headed north on the Yellowhead, following the Thompson the entire way. It seemed the hot and sunny conditions in the Fraser Canyon and Thompson Plateau were not going to follow me into the Monashees. I had to change clothes as there were rain clouds ahead.

The Yellowhead north of Kamloops to Valemount was like an after dinner mint. After the winding and treacherous road of the canyons, and after riding through the tumultuous Kootenays, this road was a breeze…straight, wide, and predictable. I usually come in to BC on this route and it is a great introduction. I usually take lots of great pics here but the rain and the sunset took away all of the opportunities. Too bad.

I arrived at Valemount at about 10pm as the sun went down. There were several moose on the road toward the end but none of them jumped onto the road. I enjoyed a soak in the hot tub at my motel. After 11 hours on the road I was a bit sore and the rain gave me a bit of a chill. It was a great way to end a very long day.

Tomorrow’ forecast does not bode well… is going to rain. Tomorrow is the day I am leaving the mountains, and in fact I was expecting to be home…but there is a late development…a SURPRISE…and I’ll be going to Edmonton instead! Stay tuned!