We knew today would be an extra long day. It's about 750 kms from Nelson to our home in Riske Creek, BC but a lot of it is slow mountainous road. We got a jump on the day because the weather report said it would hit 35 degrees through Central BC so we wanted to try to get through it as early as possible. We got up at 5:00am and hit the road by 6:00am after prolonged goodbyes that are always hard to say to my mom and dad.
We chose to ride up through the Slocan Valley which is another spectacular BC ride through rural countryside that hugs mountain sides and runs along the Arrow Lakes. We stopped in Nakusp for breakfast at our favourite little bistro we always seem to hit and had some great eggs benny. The ride in the early morning was quite chilly - only 13 degrees C - and a lot of it was along the shady side of the mountain range. By the time we hit Galena Bay, the sun had crested the mountain tops and it had started to warm up considerably.
We caught the Galena Bay ferry and rode into Revelstoke and then on through Three Valley Gap, Salmon Arm and into Kamloops. We arrived in Kamloops right at the height of the day's heat and it was a scorching 38.5 C. GAH! We dove into an A&W for a root beer float and to cool down. I soaked my cooling cloth and wrapped it around my neck which really helps with the heat and we braved the furnace and took off again.
As we climbed out of Kamloops, it almost immediately cooled off to 35 C and, just beyond Savona, as we were climbing Dead Man's Hill, a pick up truck zoomed past us and a woman in the passenger seat was hanging out the window, waving furiously at us with a huge grin on her face. I thought she looked familiar but couldn't figure out who it was until the truck pulled over and waved us to pull over as well. It turns out it was our friends Russ and Denise, who live in Walhachin. We visited on the side of the road for a bit before the heat and our deep desire to be home urged us onwards but it was really fun to see them.
Cache Creek was another furnace and the temperature soared again to 37 C so we dashed in to buy gas and immediately bolted again, knowing that things would cool off once we climbed the hill past Clinton and, as expected, so it did. Along the 70 Mile Flat, it dropped down to a heavenly 28 degrees and, from there on to Williams Lake, it stayed between 28-30 degrees. Sigh...
As always happens, we are always blown away by the beauty of our province when we've been away and return home again. It's like we see it through new eyes and what always impresses me is the variety of landscape you cover in relatively short distances here. From the high majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains and the interior rain forests there, you head into wider country as you come out of Revelstoke and into the broad river delta of Salmon Arm. Things rapidly become more arid and Kamloops and Cache Creek boast desert climates with velvet grassy hills and deep cut rivers. Finally, as you come into the Cariboo region, it greens up a bit more up on the plateau and the forests start to encompass again. We are always grateful to live in such a beautiful place.
We stopped in Williams Lake for a quick dinner because we knew there wasn't much at home and then we rode the final 50 kms home, along Highway 20 that crosses the mighty Fraser River and climbs Sheep Creek hill up onto the Chilcotin Plateau. The sun was low in the sky, showing hints of the amazing sunset that was on it's way. As we came into our driveway, our big dog, Mack, stood in the yard, looking hard to see who was coming down our drive. We both started to call to him and, as he heard us and realized who it was, his tail started to wiggle and then his whole back end began to waggle furiously. Finally, he couldn't help himself and his whole body erupted in paroxysms of joy as he bounced and bounded his way towards us, tongue lolling and eyes bright. What a wonderful welcome home.
We unpacked the necessities and then walked our property a bit, checking out our yard, the garden, the shop... saying hello to all the nooks and crannies, looking to see what had changed and what had remained the same, Mack bouncing and frolicking along beside us. The only sad part was not having our little pug Stella, who we lost right before we left on this trip, there as well... The sun dropped to the horizon in the western sky, leaving us a brilliant orange and cherry red sunset over our pond. Home. We made it home - after 53 days and 17,091 kilometers, we were finally home, safe and sound.
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