Forth and Back, TOR '23

[RBMann]

Day 24 - Jasper to Wells Gray Nat. Park-246 miles



Today we would venture west hoping our camp site on Clearwater Lake would be good. First up was a drive along Moose Lake-



About 20 minutes from Moose Lake, as we descended into a valley, I noticed a large parking lot on the right. There were a lot cars and campers parked so I craned my neck around to see why. Ralf had just driven past the Mt. Robson Visitor Center. I quickly turned in and Ralf u-turned to come back. As soon as he turned around he could see the mountain too. I don't know how you could miss 3,959-metre Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. I am glad we didn't. What a stunning view-





To the west a shot of 2,727-metre Cinnamon Peak from the same viewpoint-



We picked up supplies in town and 35 miles later arrived at the campground. After setting the tents up we walked over to buy some cold drinks from the rental shop/restaurant. Ralf checked and we could rent a canoe for the whole day at the same price as one hour at Maligne Lake. Ralf booked one for the next day then we wander back to camp.

[RBMann]

Day 25 - Clearwater Rental to Diver's Bluff to Clearwater Rental-6.3 miles



Ralf started his morning with a case of vertigo in the tent. We waited to give it a chance to pass. Once out of the tent, standing in the sun seems to help-



We pickup the rental equipment and started paddling. Ralf spirits improved the minute we were in the canoe-





Perfect weather today without any wind-





We made it to Diver's Bluff without any problems. Now it was time for snacks, laying on the beach, swimming and skipping stones-

[RBMann]

Day 25 - Continued

As we pulled away from the beach, someone was driving off the rocks. I didn't catch a photo of it but it looked pretty thrilling-



The wind had increased while we were at the beach. Fortunately the breeze was coming from the North to give us a tailwind going back down the lake. It cut our paddle time almost in half which was a good thing. My shoulders and some other parts were starting to rebel. It was 4 o'clock when we arrived at the rental shop so an early dinner was on the table. The food looked good at the Osprey Cafe run by the same rental people. A reasonable price meant skipping the 60 mile round trip to town. Very enjoyable dining on their deck while watching the river pass by-





With an early dinner there was time left to walk around the campground and view Osprey Falls.-

[RBMann]

Day 26 - Wells Gray to Cache Creek, BC-211 miles



One of the locals stopped by to say farewell as we parked up the bikes-





There must have been a wind shift as driving down the road the smoke was back with us. To put it bluntly the views sucked again just like around Jasper. First up Helmchen Falls-







At first we thought Dawson Falls was at the bridge but it turns out you need to walk a ways on the trail to see Dawson-

[RBMann]

Day 26 - Continued

We also stopped at Spahats Falls where I was having a hard time getting a clear shot. Some German tourist kept stepping in front of me. Yes Ralf, I am talking about you. Finally got the shot-









Again, the views would have been so much better without the smoke. This was one of the days we had not really planned out before hand. Ralf did find us a place to stay at an RV park-

[sgoodwin]

A fun night listening to generators?

[RBMann]

No generators, they all had shore power.

[RBMann]

Day 27 - Cache Creek to Omak, WA-287 miles



I should have mentioned that yesterday we had decided to change our route. Originally we had planned the go west from Clearwater to Lillooet, BC then down past Whistler through Vancouver to Seattle. I just couldn't get excited about the drive through Vancouver and then I-5. So we, well I, decided to head east of the Cascade Mountains. Good weather appeared in the morning so that was good-



The RV Park had been purchased the year before by a family and then this spring a flood had caused some damage. Luckily not as bad as their neighbor's property-



Looking back at Ashcroft, BC-





We climbed into the hills on Hwy 97C and came across a white sand dam that was manmade-





Big pale blue lake behind the dam that the road ran along-

[RBMann]

Day 27 - Continued

The blue lake and white sand just kept going and going until we arrived at a view point letting us know it was the Hidden Valley Copper Mine. The biggest copper mine in Canada. I was stunned by just how much area this mine covered. It was a 14 mile drive along the mine-







Hwy 97C took us down to Merrit where we had lunch and I again managed to take a wrong turn onto the freeway for several miles before we could turn around to get back on track. At least once a year this seems to happen. Hwy 5A took us through Aspen Grove where we detoured to see Kentucky Lake-



When we stopped in Princeton for gas, I felt like Lord of the Flies-



At the small border crossing of Nighthawk,WA we were out numbered by agents. We were the only people at that time. Along Palmer Lake the smoke was still with us-



The Okanogan Fairgrounds would be our home for the night with a tinted sunset-

[Droptarotter]

Wow! I can't believe how big that copper mine has gotten! But it has been about 16 years since I have driven past it.

Smart move avoiding Vancouver/I5!!

Cheers

[RBMann]

Day 28 - Omak to Home-238 miles



It rained during the night and everything outside the tent was wet. Welcome back to WA. My camp chair had a pond in it. The weather still looked iffy as we packed up. Also we found out from a fellow camper, our route over North Cascade Hwy was closed do to a fire near Diablo Dam. Our new route had us going farther south then over Stevens Pass Hwy 2. At Monse we donned our aluminum helmets-



Hwy 17 took past Chief Joseph Dam then up on the plateau, down McNeil Canyon to rejoin 97 near Lake Chelan-



When we stopped for gas in Orondo it became clear the weather was changing so we pulled out the rain gear. Heavy rain all the way to the rest area near Lake Wenatchee. The rest of the ride was uneventful until we stopped about 40 minutes from my house. Road closed detour added about an hour to the ride. Last stop near Duvall-



Well that's it till next year. Thank for coming along.

[RBMann]

SAT view Mr.Rotter-

[Droptarotter]

Thank you RB.......and the maps were pretty good also!

Cheers

[wswartzwel]

Nice report. You guys seem to be in no hurry, and able to enjoy whatever is around the next corner.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

[signit98]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

Nice report. You guys seem to be in no hurry, and able to enjoy whatever is around the next corner.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

That is, in fact, how we travel, Bill.

Lately, we seem to be adding a few more multi-day stops. This year was the most we have ever done that and it was quite enjoyable... it gives you the opportunity to explore, relax, fix, and just downright enjoy.

As we get "more experienced", hurry is not a word we use very often anymore. Ice cream, photo opportunities, lunch, showers and such are way more prevalent nowadays,

Traveling with Ricardo, who despises hurrying and long riding days, has a very calming effect for the most part. We have learned to handle each other's idiosyncracies very well and also to be there for each other.

I am having a very hard time, imagining doing this with anyone else.

Thank you, Ricky.

P.S. Here he is, meditating in front of the Ice Cream Shop in Paonia... probably planing our route.

[ckcarr]

Or sleeping...

[RBMann]

I was probably trying to remember where I am and why.