A Good Start

Yesterday was a long day for both Jim and me. It was one of those not getting much sleep nights where the list of things that we hadn't done kept popping into our heads. I clocked a little more than two hours sleep on Wednesday night & Jim got marginally more sleep so last night we had some sleep to catch up on. This morning we got up around 8:30 but managed to get on the road by 9:30 so it wasn't too late a start.

The weather was cool and overcast as we left hope. Fingerless gloves weren't the best choice but it all worked out. Our first stop was at the Hope Slide where the whole side of a mountain slid off and crossed the valley bottom. The old Highway 3 is now under about sixty metres of rock and debris while the new one sits atop the slide. 

Views of the 1965 Hope Slide

We stopped at the west entrance to Manning Park mainly because I like the wooden sculpture of the marmot that marks the entrance to the park. Carrying on, we made a brief stop at the Manning Park Lodge. 

Love this marmot!

Views of the west entrance to E.C. Manning Park

Manning Park Lodge with Jim's Street Glide in the foreground.

Highway 3 between Hope and Princeton is a wonderful bike road. We stayed at the speed limit and really enjoyed the experience. At Princeton we stopped to refuel but when I opened the left saddlebag on my bike the lock disintegrated. For the fourth f@(41&6 time. It amazes me that Harley-Davidson will build a motorcycle that cast around $27K and cheaps out on a twenty-five cent piece of hardware. So far it has cost me more than $250 to keep having that lock replaced. I'm becoming quite irritated with H-D, and as my friend Jim frequently says, "I'm going to write a letter."

On the way to Keremeos we stopped to see the Ashnola bridge, a remainder of the old VV&E railway that was built around 1915. As Jim was turning his bike dropped off the edge of the pavement and his foot slipped on the gravel as he tried to hold it up, so down it went. With the help of a guy who had just parked we righted it. Fortunately, the crash bar on his saddle bag saved the bike from any damage so all is well.

The VV&E railway bridge at Ashnola, west of Keremeos.

On the was to Keremeos we came upon the scene of an accident. There were about six trucks parked on the opposite side of the highway along with a semi. As we passed I saw that there was a semi overturned in the ditch & the people there were involved in a recovery operation. I hope the driver wasn't seriously injured. We stopped at a fruit stand on the way into Keremeos and I bought about a pound of fresh cherries. The I found out that Jim doesn't eat cherries. Quel dommage! I will have to eat them myself. 

The ride to Osoyoos was uneventful except for a brief glace of the Spotted Lake. There is so much alkali in this little lake that when the water evaporates in the heat of summer, there are circular formations that look like spots  in the lake. The decent from the Old Richter Pass into the Okanagan Valley is spectacular! A great deal of the lake is visible along with the mountains on the east side of the lake, while the orchards and farms cover the land on the west side.

After refueling in Osoyoos we climbed Anarchist Mountain on our way to Rock Creek and Midway. The climb up Anarchist Mountain is a rider's dream with many curves that challenge rider's of all abilities.

The plan was to get a motel room in Midway and stop for the night. We had our first experience of the room shortage that is endemic this weekend. The Shambala Music Festival is being held in Salmo this weekend and most motel rooms are booked. Finding an available room is more a matter of good luck than good management this weekend. 

We carried on to Greenwood and the first motel we stopped at had no vacancies. Down the road we stopped at another motel and fortunately a room was available, and at a decent price so we have a place to stay tonight. 

Tomorrow will be a short riding day because we will be stopping in Creston for the night. We were unable to find a room anywhere in southeastern BC east of Creston. Motels are sold out along Highway 3 all the way to the Alberta border. We tried to book a room in Golden, BC, but the only rooms available were in the three hundred dollar range and that is a hard 'No!' for us.

So our plans have changed. Tomorrow night we will stay in Creston. Sunday we will be in Invermere, and on Monday we will do a long run to Rocky Mountain House. On Tuesday it will be a 500 km ride to McBride, and then we will return to Kamloops on Wednesday. It looks like the weather will hold so I'm keeping my fingers crossed with the hopes that the rest of the trip goes smoothly. Distance covered today- 349 km.