Friday, 8/11 – Kitwanga to Ft. Fraser

We started the morning riding in mist and rain. We stopped at Tim Hortons for a morning break. This shot shows how we try to park in just two spots and make it easy to get out.

Taking a break at Tim Hortons was a relief, but it did not prepare us for the afternoon rain.

We had lunch in this restaurant rather than try to make sandwiches at a rest area in a drizzle.

Beth enjoyed a bowl of good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup and a plate of fried mushroom. I had a grilled cheese sandwich.

Let me explain what made the afternoon rain so difficult. The road’s tire tracks are depressed and form a trough. When the pavement is dry, the troughs tend to force one of back wheels to stay in in the trough. When it rains, the troughs fill with water and cause some side-to-side hydroplaning. I had to slow to 45 mph to keep control of the trike. Also, the large windscreen of the Goldwing collects water and the road grime forms a film making it more difficult to see ahead.

We did find a place to pull off and let the following traffic pass. As soon as we pulled off the road, the rain stopped. Wouldn’t you know!

We found one of those weird indoor malls like the one we had lunch in a few weeks ago. One of the locals who stopped to talk with us said the mall is built on an old factory site and rises and settles. Some people won’t shop there for fear of the building collapsing. We weren’t deterred and were successful in finding some #377 batteries for my watch and Beth’s Marlin watch on her bike. (Side note: the camper and the Florida plates are conversation starters.)

We made it to Piper’s Glen Campground for the night. We were assigned the same site Lynne and Mike had used the night before. This campground is filled with trailers belonging to workers. The facilities are pretty shabby. The sign said the campground was for sale, but no one in their right mind would buy this place, fix it up, and expect to make a profit. To its credit, the campground has a beautiful view of Fraser Lake.