Everyday for 7 Weeks–Day 24–Prince George to Hope

After yesterday's long ride, I wasn't in the riding mood initially this morning. The weather or road didn't really help change that opinion either. It was warmer, so I didn't wear my thermal underwear for the first time since I crossed into Canada. yay!

I rode south on BC-97 towards Cache Creek which was my original destination. The road wasn't very exciting at first. It was more of the same from yesterday on BC-16. The only difference was this road had a lot more traffic.

It started to rain about an hour after I left Prince George. I had been watching the rain clouds get closer and closer. I was hoping the road would turn around them, but no such luck. A stiff southern wind was blowing the rain right at me. I rode in denial for the first twenty or thirty minutes hoping it would end. It didn't, so I pulled over and put on my rain gear. My coat and pants were keeping me dry, but the swamp cooler effect was making me cold.

An hour after I put the rain gear on, it stopped raining, so I took it off. When I stopped for lunch, it started again. The covered picnic table was already in use, so I ate lunch in a covered bridge at a small historic site. It worked well as it had high sides to block the wind. There was an ok view of a lake as well. I put my rain gear back on, and continued to ride. The rain quit about twenty minutes later.

By now, riding into the wind the whole day with rain gear tugging on me was starting to wear me out. I thought for sure I would stop in Cache Creek, but when I arrived around 3pm, it was 75F and sunny. It just seemed to early to stop. The scenery started to get better as well. It reminded me of southern Colorado or northern Arizona. Large brown hills sparsely covered with evergreens and small shrubs. I had entered Fraser Canyon.

The canyon sucked me in, and I found it hard to stop riding. The scenery improved dramatically as did the road. The traffic however got worse. Large RVs pulling even bigger trailers were having trouble staying on their side of the road much less being within 20kph of the speed limit. The twisty canyon road was too much for their drivers. There weren't many passing opportunities, but one by one each of us made it past.

Squint and you can see me in the trailer’s reflection:

As I headed south, the canyon turned from brown to green. The temperature dropped as well. I enjoyed the lush green scenery of the southern end much more than the brown on the north side.

The southern end also had several tunnels that were fun to ride through. I had heard they didn't have lights, but all were well lit.

Which made for a cool photo:

By the time I made it to Hope the air was very wet, and little clouds hung around the large hills. It was trying very hard to rain again. I rode past the totem poles in Hope, and had planned to visit them once I found a place to stay. The innkeeper was the most friendly guy. He even tried to help me carry my bags. I don't think that has ever happened before.

After the bike was unpacked, it started to properly rain. Bah. I wasn't in the mood for walking around in the rain after spending most of the day riding in it. I opted for a large cup of tea and a hot bath instead. Fraser Canyon was great. I’m glad I had the chance to see it. Thanks for the tip Richard!

I'm looking forward to Vancouver tomorrow - the meetups, the food, and some time off the bike.

 

I missed my own tulips blooming, so I was happy to find these today:

   

Day 24 Full Flickr Album (110pics)

 

Video: Fraser Canyon (will be live when finished uploading in a couple hours).

 

Today’s Route:

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