Yesterday we decided that first thing in the morning as we didn’t plan on camping Monday to not bring extra breakfast, because of that we opted to just pack up and hit the road.
With Leah’s bike being picked up the day prior we decided to make some adjustments to how we pack up the trailer to ensure we could bring everything with us. It didn’t take us long and camp was taken down and we were on our way.
Initially the roads were damp from the rain overnight so Leah and I were happy to have our rain gear on but by the time we reached Blue River it was time to peel off the rain gear and have a coffee.
Once in Blue River we tried to find a restaurant but as it was Monday we didn’t have any luck so instead we grabbed a coffee and a muffin at the gas station. Leah picked this great picnic table that functioned more as a teeter todder than a table, as I sat down it almost spilled our coffees. We ended up chatting with another local rider that was just out on a scoot for a day from around Clearwater. Man I can’t wait until I’m retired and can just go for a 300km ride for fun.
Leaving Blue River we got stuck behind a transport with a excavator on it and it seemed that no one wanted to pass, this turned into a real test for the transplanted 120st that I dropped into the bike this winter. I have to say that extra torque and hp really makes a difference as passing with both the trailer in tow and Leah on the back was no effort.
We quickly reached Clearwater for a quick gas and go and readied ourselves for what we were told was going to be a busy highway as highway 97 was closed south of 100 Mile House so there was going to be a ton of traffic. Sure enough the traffic was crazy, during the climb out of Little Fort we ended up passing the transport with the excavator again but this time he may have been doing 5 km/h up the hill. Due to this I decided the next stop would be the turn to the Horse Lake Road as it would most likely be quiet.
We stopped at the Interlakes store to see about lunch and decided that there may better food in 100 Mile so we decided to just grab some beers for our time at Sally’s. I also noticed that it was starting to get smoky with the sky visibility hazy with smoke around here.
Let me tell you my plan to avoid traffic and take one of the best roads in the Cariboo. It’s filled with some great twists and turns that can actually be pretty sneaky so with me pulling the trailer I decided to take my time vs my usual hit the road hard approach.
Hitting 100 Mile we found parking and made our way over to the Chartreuse Moose, a coffee shop that we frequented over the years for a coffee and a bite to eat. We found a note on the door that said they had closed permanently in May which we found pretty sad to see. Wandering around 100 Mile House we saw quite a few closed businesses and I think how the impact of the closing of the largest employer of the city will hit into the next few months. Sad state of affairs in BC when we hear about mill after mill closing lately thanks to government policy.
We left 100 Mile and made our way to Lac La Haché as I said to Leah that we could stop at for a bite to eat. We stopped at the Hungry Bear diner and each had a great burger and looked outside as the smoke intensified. After eating we headed to our destination in 150 Mile House.
The next day we chilled at Leah’s Moms place, played games with our nephews, and overall just relaxed. We also got ahold of Harley on Tuesday and they were able get Leah’s bike back in order and ready for pickup.
Keith and Leah's travel on 2 wheels 