Back to Allison Summit in a Ford

July 31, 2021

Today: 68 Kms mostly down   

Valerie, Perry, Dave and Kari have been friends since they were in grade school in the 60’s.  We were warned that a ride in their truck might be entertaining, and it was. We were in Dave and Kari’s truck, but the banter between the two vehicles over walkie-talkies was constant. Parry would let us know when he spotted a deer or any other wildlife.  Behind the wheel of his Ford F-350 Dave would tease Parry about whether or not he could keep up in his Chevy truck.  When we made it to Allison Pass in Manning Park, we asked to be dropped off. Kari got onto the walkie talkie and said, “We’re getting sick and tired of these two so we’re going to dump them out at the next pull out.”  Kari then looked back at us with a great big smile. 

Even without the much needed lift, running into this group of friends was such a lucky break. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and hope to reconnect in Victoria. 

There is a new fire burning in Manning Park and the clear skies we previously had at the summit were replaced with thick smoke. A health hazard for sure, but on a downhill run, manageable. We flew down the road and were back in Hope in 3.5 hours. Unfortunately, the smoke came with us. 

I must say bike trips in BC are great for food. After our long coast down we returned to our motel to bathe and then set off for another wonderful curry dinner at the Indian/Italian restaurant.  I love seeing signs for all the interesting combo restaurants, including “Sushi and Fried Chicken”, “Chinese and Canadian”, and “Greek, Italian and Indian”.  While these are all impressive in the breadth of their offerings, in Mission this afternoon we kept it simple and had a delicious meal at a restaurant offering only Indian cuisine.