Distance Day

This was a day for some distance, with some shortcuts.

I left PG (Prince George, the locals use the short form) early and ran fairly steadily south on BC97.  Most of the locals were doing somewhere between 120 and 125, so the miles flew by.

I spotted a shortcut which would eliminate going into Kamloops and which resulted in a little bit of dirt riding on some logging roads. 

It was gorgeous and I think I wasn't the only one with this idea, since

I passed two BMWs going the opposite way.  I now am convinced that the shortest way is the bestest way.

Dropped down through Salmon Arm and the Shuswap Lake.  The local fruit is in-season, cherries primarily.  Things that we won't enjoy so much in Ontario this year.  Yes, I bought some and yes, they're delicious.

The clear, blue sky of the last few days has finally given in to overcast, high clouds.  The worst clouds were in Quesnel...where the clouds are man-made.  The local pulp plant just fills the whole valley with that unique sulphur-ey smell.

In Salmon Arm, I found the local WiFi McDonalds and uploaded two blogs.  It's quite a task to stay current, to write, to organize the photos, and then to find a way to upload from the road/fast food hut.

I also met a guy, Daniel, who is on a DRZ normally, but now is the curator of Bacon.  You need to go to ADVrider.com and read the story about "bacon".  Bacon is a stuffed pig who is going around the world via various rider/curators.  He's been all over and is handed over when the present guardian finds a new rider/guardian.  He encouraged me to get this blog up on that website.   Done. 

Then, before I left, Gary, a City counsellor in Revelstoke came in on a KTM 950 Adventure (black).  We chatted for a bit and he agreed to lead me into Rev'town and point me down the road to Naskusp...recommended by others along the way.  See the mountains in the distance?

So, we had an awesome ride up past Sicamous, past Craigellachie (Last Spike), and through some of the coolest air ever.  Seriously, when you go past a stream or waterfall which is mountain-fed, the air temperature drops dramatically and you can even get the shivers, though the ambient air is probably 25 deg now.  When we got to Revelstoke, we crossed the Columbia River, which is seriously swollen.  The recent early summer/late spring rains and the melt of the last few weeks have combined to bring the river nearly to spilling over.

Gary sent me down a one-way highway (23) to continue my ride.  It ends in a ferry across the Columbia

(which is really more like a lake between mountain ranges.  The half-hour ferry deposits you on the east shore and you can ride 5 minutes to a hot springs/spa. 

I continued down to Nakusp, which because  of the late hour didn't permit me to get to their hot springs.  Perhaps in the morning.

I'm tenting again...having eaten at a fast-food trailer at the ferry dock.