The ride: Ride 2

The day started on the right note with uncle Dave making me breakfast. It was raining in the morning so I didn’t leave until 10:30. Traffic was quite busy but I felt reasonably safe as there was decent shoulder on the side of the road. The east side of Coquitlam is not too pretty along the highway but you do have a view of the mighty Fraser River. As you start to closer to Mission BC the highway has a lot more trees but still allows glimpses of the river to keep the mind distracted.

I stopped at the London Drugs in Mission to pick up a camera and some memory cards for my tablet. I tested the memory cards but didn’t test the camera for some reason. My cousin Karen lives in Mission and her daughter Marissa was making me veggie Jambalaya so off I went to there place up the hill. It was raining at this point and the hill was a killer. I actually stopped near the top to take a breather – who designed these roads anyway?

Bart, Karen’s husband was also there and we chatted over lunch as I played with my new camera. Unfortunately it did not want to talk with Android tablet so I spent the next few hours trying to get it to work before heading back to London Drugs in frustration. They agreed there was no direct integration but swapping out the memory card between the camera and tablet when I want to upload video will have to suffice for now. In Calgary I can still return it.

Off into the rain it was well after 3pm so I decided Hope BC wasn’t in the cards today. After Mission you enter farm land with lush green crops and grasses. It is flat all the way the river on the right an there is a slough on the left side with the odd home and farm. It is really flat riding here and I stopped often just to take in the views. At one point an eagle gracefully glided over the road. The road does eventually start hugging the mountainside on the left of the road as the view become more spectacular with snow capped mountains in the distance. The view and the Harrison River crossing is exceptional with the almost turquoise coloured river.

There is one hill section about 15km outside of Agassiz with an 11% grade but that was only on the downhill section! There are a few bed and breakfasts around here before  you get to the turn for Agassiz. Harrison Hot Springs was an option but it was close to dusk so I just headed into little Agassiz. Well there are no hotels in Agassiz! I spoke with a man on the side of the road about possible options but there were very few. I ended up staying at the Pathfinder Motel which is about a kilometer back down the highway.

When I got there the office was closed but there was a phone number which I called to book a room. There was an open room so I dragged my tired butt over there and started attacking the sub sandwich I bought in Agassiz. After a hot shower I played with the internet for a while until my eyelids started getting a little heavy. I resolved to write this blog the next day which I am doing 9am the next day. Tired but adjusting!