Day 9 Cache Creek to 100 Mile House

 

What an interesting day!  It started out under broken clouds and about 19⁰C with very little wind.  We could see heavier darker clouds to the south but then we were headed north so who cares.  We were out of camp and then a 2 kms downhill to the right turn onto Hwy 97.

This turn marks the end of the TransCanada #1 highway and the start of the Cariboo highway.  The Cariboo Highway was first constructed in the mid 1860’s as a stage coach road to the gold fields along the Frazer river. So a lot of the towns are designated based on the mileage from Cache Creek. When the road was first constructed it 100 Mile House was 100 miles from Cache Creek. Thanks to the new highway it is only 115 kms (72 miles) from Cache Creek.  

In the morning there was one big climb which was 8 k,s long and we climbed over 450 m before we hit the summit. This climb took us out of the Thompson River basin which we had been following all the way from Salmon Arm to Cache Creek. 

Just before lunch the wind which had been picking up all morning out of the south (yes that would be a tail wind) blew the clouds out of the south and it started to rain. Fortunately we were only a couple of kms from 70 Mile House we lunch was set up.  Liam rolled into lunch announcing he had seen his second bear of the trip. He has seen everything. I have seen a coyote.

While we were at lunch the wind picked up out of the south and was now blowing at approximately 35-40 kms/hr. However the rain was now coming down pretty hard. I had convinced a couple of the other riders to wait out the rain as we had only 40 kms to go and it was only 11:30 AM, but Liam set off and the scramble to get on bikes was on. Pushing, shouting, and spinning of wheels in the gravel. My gloves had gotten thrown in one of the bins in the panic and so by the time I found them I was 10 minutes behind everyone. The rain is pounding down when we hit some construction. They had removed the shoulders of the road in order to widen the road but in the mean time it was a 4 foot drop. The logging trucks were very good about moving over but never the less you got a huge blast of cold water.  

After about 18 kms we were out of the rain and had to climb to the top of Beigbe Summit. This summit is at 1212 m or only 100 meters below the Rogers Pass summit.  With the huge tail wind it wasn’t much of a struggle. I was rolling up the hill at 28 km/hr and this huge “B” train semi-truck had a heck of a time passing me.  On the way down from the summit I hit 70.8 kms/hr but Earnie got first prize at 72.0 kms.

 

Everyone over shot the campground so I was able to get in first.

Terry