Second Leg - Merritt to Golden, BC

Woke up this morning to beautiful weather alongside the Kicking Horse River and surrounded by the mountains in beautiful Golden, BC.  We're on our second rest day which I'd say is well-deserved, since the past 4 days of riding have been terrific but definitely tiresome.  The average distance each day has gone up, and we've done quite a bit of climbing as well.  I'm very happy with the training I've done but unfortunately the flat terrain of Southwestern Ontario did not quite prepare me for the mountains out West!  Although the hills do get easier and easier with each ride.

 

 

 

 

View from the campground in Merritt.

Following the rest day, we left Merritt to ride to Pritchard, bypassing Kamloops.  It was one of those days that felt like it could rain at any time, but never did.  First leg of the ride was amazing, possibly the riding highlight of my trip so far.  Rode with Alastair and Zach and rode along at a pretty quick pace, and the road was just fantastic.  We probably only saw 10-15 cars in the first couple hours of riding, the wind was non-existent, and the scenery was great.  Some rolling hills and a very Old-Western feel to the countryside... I kept expecting to see tumbleweed and saloons along the way, but it was not to be.  We did, however, see two bald eagles, which, to date, has been the only interesting wildlife I have seen (all I want is to see a bear - at a distance - during this trip!).

Beautiful Nicola Lake outside of Merritt.

En route to Pritchard.

Had a couple of interesting detours that afternoon taking us through about 10 km of unpaved road in farmland, then another 3 km path of loose gravel that went downhill at about a 20% grade at times.  That 3 km portion is and will be the only part of the trip I will ride my bike!  The last 20 km we rode directly into a headwind, which was brutal.  But with a couple breaks in between and a strawberry milk to fuel the last 6 km, we made it to the campground for a chill night of food, cards and relaxing.

Detour through the farmland.

The next day, we left Pritchard to ride through Salmon Arm and into Mara, BC.  Lots of rolling hills along the way and a couple decent climbs before Salmon Arm, but again the scenery was lovely as we rode along the water.  Salmon Arm is decently sized, which I was not expecting based on the name, and we stopped for a long lunch at a local cafe and a trip to the bike shop.  There was a massive, steep hill coming out of town which was do-able, but just at a bad time considering I'd just stuffed myself with baked goods.  Had some sweet downhills afterward (hitting ~60 km/h for a couple minutes -- I have this on my helmet cam and will upload sometime soon!), and pretty easy riding the rest of the way to Mara.  We were coming in quite early, so a few of us stopped in the hilariously-named Grindrod to see the famous hubcap-house (ha!) and enjoy a pint at the local bar before cruising through the last 10 km into camp.

Picturesque view on the way to Salmon Arm.

The hubcap house!!!

The next morning, woke up to rain for the first time in a few days and was very glad to have bought a half-decent tent to keep me dry!  Felt fairly tired after the last couple days, so I left camp alone and planned to have a nice day at my own pace and lots of stops along the way.  Caught up with another rider, Katie, who had the exact same mindset and we rode along together to Albert Canyon.  The first 70 km were quite flat but started to feel more alpine/mountainesque compared to the day leaving Merritt.  Stopped mid-morning for some local beer at an interesting-looking restaurant called the Burner that was absolutely beautiful inside!  Rode along to the place where the last spike was driven into the trans-continental railway, and again at a waterfall/suspension bridge.  We met another rider, Frosty, who was repairing a flat and then stopped again at Three Valley Gap, which was incredibly scenic and impressive.  Finally, we rode the last 60 km straight into camp, with a couple breaks for pictures and chatting along the way.  We passed by Revelstoke, where the scenery was very impressive, and following that, much of the last stretch was uphill until we got to camp.  It seemed like perfect terrain for bears, but yet again, was not able to see one.  Had a great night in camp -- surrounded by the mountains, it was absolutely gorgeous AND it had pools heated by hot springs, which was the perfect way to wind down the evening.

Being a total tourist at the Last Spike

Three Valley Gap

Finally, we had one last day of riding before this beautiful rest day, and this one was worrisome to many riders.  We were taking Roger's Pass over the Selkirk Mountains (elevation 1330 metres), which meant that we would be climbing for about the first 35 km of the day.  This climb was not nearly as difficult as climbing over the Coquihalla last week!  It was long, but not super-steep and just required patience and pedaling (and I guess a decent amount of energy!).  Again, no bear-sightings along the way despite warnings of grizzly bears in the area.  I was blown away by the temperature change by the time we got to the top of the mountain -- it was freezing!! I started the ride in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, and by the time I got to the top, needed gloves, a jacket, and running tights - and I still was shivering!  The view of the mountains at the top was excellent, and we stopped for a well-deserved coffee and break to warm up.

Happy riders on the way to the summit!

Made it!!

The descent was just amazing!  I barely pedaled for the next 20 minutes, yet still traveled about 15 km in that time!  I just wish the wind wasn't quite so strong -- I reached a top speed of about 65 km/h, but felt like the wind was blowing my bike around a bit, so decided to play it safe and not go quite so fast.  The rest of the day had a time zone change, a few more climbs and lots of wonderful views of the mountains (but no bears!) and I made it to camp in lots of time for dinner.

Zach taking a quick siesta after some of the post-Rogers pass climbs.

Getting into camp, it was my first night on galley duty.  The campers are responsible for doing the cooking, so we're split into six crews of 6-7 people and we take turns doing dinner one night, then breakfast the next.  So really, you only have to cook one day a week, which is pretty nice!  We made spaghetti, and I contributed by making some Jello Pudding like a pro!  The rest of the night was spent celebrating Canada Day around the fire.  I was blown away with how late it stays light here (wasn't until about 11 pm that it was dark)!  Enjoyed some fireworks along the river, and a few drinks around the fire with the other riders.  Now on my rest day, I've been doing what I typically do on rest days - eating, laundry, eating, relaxing, and eating a bit more. 

Happy Canada Day!

Massages by the fireside...

Hope everyone had a happy Canada Day!

Merritt to Golden, BC Riding Stats
4 Riding Days
478 km

Peanut Butter Sandwiches consumed, to date: 18