I really like getting an early start. Hitting the road at six a.m. gives me a few hours of quiet riding before traffic picks up. I feel bad for my hosts, though, who feel obliged to see me off. Lindsay was a really good sport—she got up early and got on her bike to give me an escort out of town. I really appreciated it as it gave us a rare chance to ride together, and I had help navigating the patchwork connections of bike routes in Kamloops.
I had a nice ride along the South Thomson River on my way to Shuswap Lake. Some rolling hills, but mostly flat. Today is a day with a surprising amount of climbing, but very little net elevation gain.
Stopped for coffee and second breakfast at the Inside Out Coffee Shop in Chase. The proprietor was a fellow bicycle tourist, and he gave me a couple cookies for the road. They were yummy.
Radar is a wonderful thing. As I approached Salmon Arm I could see a storm was following behind me, giving me time to seek shelter. I found a peace gate in the park, and spent an hour eating snacks, calling my wife, and planning the route ahead.
After the rain subsided I pushed on to Sicamous, which had a wonderful sign. Sicamous dubs itself the “Houseboat Capital of Canada” I had planned on stopping here for the night, but I had made good time, my legs felt strong, and the winds were favourable to I made the decision to press on.
I made it to Yard Creek Park on the Eagle River. It’s my favourite type of frontcountry camping, where the sites are surrounded by trees and you can’t see the next site. The park has a muddied history, though. It was used as an internment camp for Japanese Canadians during the second world war who were put to work widening the highway between Sicamous and Revelstoke. The brochure said you could still see the foundations of the interment camp buildings, but I was tired so went right to bed after pitching camp and cooking dinner.
Today marks the end of my first week. Tomorrow I’ll be hitting the mountains proper, making my way most of the way up Rogers Pass.
Today’s Distance: 157 km
Cumulative Distance: 705 km
