Leaving the Lower Mainland

Today’s ride: 86 kms (Mission to Hope)

Trip total: 230 kms

Gordon:  I’ve lived in B.C. for more than 35 years, yet I had never taken the highway to Hope along the north side of the Fraser River.  “Pity”, as they said in the Red Rose tea commercial, because it is a varied and beautiful route.

By the time we reached Mission, last night’s stop, we had surrendered the excellent cycling infrastructure of the Lower Mainland, and entered a world where bikes are rare and barely acknowledged.  Mission appeared to still be within a (long) commuting distance from Vancouver, and traffic in the late afternoon was fairly heavy.

Leaving Mission early this morning, the traffic was light and the light was beautiful.  We passed through some rich looking farmland, mostly producing blueberries, corn or dairy products, until the farms were crowded out by the hills.  It was a generally flat road, but eventually we found ourselves surrounded by heavily treed mountains.  

Tomorrow we climb into those mountains as we cycle towards Manning Park on Highway 3.  Our ability to continue the tour has been rendered doubtful by the fires that are burning throughout the interior of the province, and indeed, across the western half of the continent.  I’ve been telling Ruth that “I have a good feeling about our chances of getting through the interior”, which she is treating as some sort of flaky spirituality.  Judging by the highway camera pictures that Ruth has been reviewing each day, smoke conditions do appear to be improving along our route.  Perhaps I’ll have to sacrifice a goat near the Alberta border.