Day 11: Hope to Merritt

I left Hope about 8 and got on the Kettle Valley Trail which was quite nice (reminded me of Land of the Lost).

I was really looking forward to going through the Othello tunnels on the trail but was foiled but yet another rock slide.

After heading the 5 miles back to the turn off I got on another road that would go around the tunnels, this road wasn’t very pretty and had lots of truck traffic to the Nestle bottling plant (understandable because the water is delicious!) it was also set the tone for the day as far as climbs go. there was a lot of climbing throughout the day but it was way easier than a the thru hike of Mount Custer.

I got on Highway 5 which was the only way to go and after a time I ran into my first fellow cycle tourers, two girls from the interior heading to Newfoundland as well, on their first cycle tour and they picked a big one! They were nice and after a little while chatting we parted ways and I trucked on.

Snapped a pic of one of the tourers snapping a pic 🙂

Another Summit!

The turn off to Princeton is where my plans were thwarted. Everything was fine as I got on a forest service road and after a mile or so got on the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) after another mile the trail was washed out by a landslide making it impossible to pass which sucked! That’s the second time that the TCT maps say the trail is perfect for biking but the reality is quite different. I am now suspect on any TCT route through BC as I think they are not being truthful as to their finished level. Hopefully the other provinces are keeping more accurate information, we shall see.

The landscape is starting to change this side of the Rockies and the roads are fun to ride on.

So after doubling back for the second time today I re-routed my destination to Merritt, BC. Whhich turned out to be a cool little town so far. I didn’t snap any pics of the town as I was exhausted after a big riding day, but will get some on the way out of town tomorrow.

Until then see you later!