Today was promising for weather. We woke up in Vernon to blue sky (well partly cloudy) and the temperature was 12 C. We wanted to get on the road and pedal towards Sicamous before traffic got too bad on Highway 97A. The weather forecast showed rain beginning in Sicamous at 2 PM.
Very quickly Jessica and I learned we did not like the speed of the vehicles on the road next to us. We feared their size and their ability to kick up a rock that might hit us. After about an hour, Jessica discovered a route that took "Powerline Road" and therefore took us off the four lane highway and onto a smaller two way road with a speed limit of 60 km per hour. This was our cup of tea! This highway allowed us to look around, see the landscape and enjoy the ride.
Shortly after we pulled off 97A, it started to rain - a full three hours ahead of schedule. After it started to rain harder, Jessica and I decided we wanted to call Jeff for a pick up and J decided he wanted to cycle fast - on to Sicamous.
Since Jessica and I weren't too savvy as to how to drop a pin on google maps - it took Jeff a while to figure out where we were on the road - but he found us!
Here is Jessica - clearly looking cold as we waited for our support vehicle! She couldn't decide whether to keep on her soaking wet cycling coat or enjoy the warmth of her long sleeve thicker layer cycling shirt.
We loaded up in the vehicle and started driving north on 97A towards Enderby. J had texted and asked us to drop off his portable bike pump because he had forgotten to pack it this morning. Shortly after that text, he said "Never mind. Just pick me up - I got a flat tire." So we found J in the town of Enderby, then loaded him and his bike on the roof of the car.
We surveyed the road along Mara Lake that we would have cycled had we not had the warmth of the SAAB. I asked Jessica how she would have felt about cycling along this section and she said something like, "It would be scenic but the shoulder is too narrow and the cars are driving too fast." That sums up my opinion too. I did cycle this route about 35 years ago and thought it was amazing scenery. The scenery remains splendid - but blue sky would have made it much more spectacular. I suspect the closure of Highway 1 on the west side of Sicamous and ALL the traffic being rerouted onto our little highway 97A, made it far busier than one would ordinarily expect on a Monday morning.
So we pulled into the Sicamous Visitor's Information booth shortly before noon and ate our Subway sandwiches, rice bowls and salads for lunch. At the Visitor’s Centre we asked what a person could do on a rainy Monday in Sicamous and they directed us to a couple little shops next door. One was called Hooked where they had locally made soaps and jewellery. The other was called Anvil Coffee House. Hot drinks were calling us! Americanos for the boys and hot chocolate for the girls!
Here Jeff is educating me on how to drop a pin so he can find our location easier next time!
Then we headed to our Best Western Hotel about 1 PM and they were kind enough to let us check cold wet selves into our rooms early. By 1:15 PM J, Jessica and I were in the hot tub - but the pool area closed for cleaning at 1:30 PM so our visit was cut short.
We then had another card game, aptly named Frustration, to which I declined to finish - so that I could write this blog!
We will return to Moose Mulligan's for supper tonight. Last time we ate here (about a week ago) we sat outside on the patio. The patio won't be calling our name tonight - but the inside of the restaurant will!
Stay tuned to see if we find a side road to pedal tomorrow!
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