Clinton to Abbotsford by U-Haul

Clinton is pretty much a one street town, and that street is the highway. However it does support the surrounding rural area and villages as we could see with the large school and some of the businesses. Our motel was old but refurbished and comfortable. We were warned that the last remaining room had no kitchen, but we had a toaster, kettle, 2 coffee makers (Keurig and electric coffee pot), toaster, microwave, frig and full set of dishes and pots & pans. You get the picture: this older, humble motel offered all we needed and more with a comfortable bed and pillows, an eating area, well cleaned, a bowl of Werther candies and well cleaned...all for a good price.

Not the most reassuring of signs. The steep embankments with gravel and rocks along the roadside tell the same story.

After we left Clinton the scenery changed dramatically. It is like we have entered a new dimension this morning.

This rocky topography gives the feeling of being in a desert environment with an oasis of lush green supported by the river.

A few kilometres before you get to Cache Creek there is an amazing family run Farmer’s Market and cafe. A must stop when you are in the area.

George the cat is a fixture at the market. He is not interested in people's lunches. He just wants some companionship. Unfortunately, he chose the only people in the cafe that are not cat people.

Horstings is famous for its pies. We were too full after our lunch to have a piece of pie. You can buy freshly made pies or frozen pies to take home. We know from experience how good they are. Recommended.

As we were leaving the market, this creature jumped out at us.

Evidence of the devastation of the forest from the Pine Beetle infestation.

A pretty scene, yet overshadowed by the devastated pine trees.

The multitude of colours In the rocky hills is quite striking.

Along the banks of the Fraser River is the tiny Gold Pan provincial park. What a great spot to camp as each site is directly on the river with lots of space for privacy. You have to love trains, though, as two train lines run right past the park, one on each side of the river.

Two train lines follow the Fraser River. The CPR on the west and the CNR on the east side.

The Coquihalla Highway has had a negative impact on this section of the Canyon as most people prefer the faster highway. Many businesses have not survived and as you can see the road is not very busy here. We prefer this route and love the scenery.

It is a continuous battle to keep slides from shutting down the rail lines as well as the possibility of catastrophic impact on the river. It is fascinating to see the rock and sand formations that have formed over time.

This area is known for its rapids and many companies offer rafting tours. With the heavy rain through the summer, the force of the river and its rapids are impressive.

A CNR (Canadian National Railway) freight train heading to Prince George. We dearly miss the CNR passenger train that offered service from Vancouver to Prince George. In our view, it is the best way to go (if you can’t bike it).

An awesome view of the train making its way north through this unique landscape.

You can see the fences that have been erected at the base of the cliffs to create a barricade for falling rocks on the tracks.

We have had a fabulous day of driving along the canyon. Low traffic and magnificent scenery have made this a memorable day. The weather is changing the closer we get to Hope. It is getting colder and the rain has arrived. We will stay in Abbotsford and head to Tsawwassen in the morning, return the U-Haul and make our way to the ferry terminal for our journey back to Saltspring Island. It is always a bittersweet feeling to reach this point in a trip, but especially so, since our bike was not our primary means of transport.

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Steve Miller/GrampiesIt was a nice outing to follow along with, even if the bike did fail.

Hey, don't forget to answer the question about Ligo and Steps. To review, there are two things: Are you sure a pile of LiGOs will be allowed on a plane? and Can LiGO really interface with Steps?
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4 years ago

Barry BartlettTo Steve Miller/GrampiesHi Steve
Thanks for hanging in there with us. The trip has been good and frustrating too, but no regrets!
Sorry we overlooked getting back to you regarding the Ligo batteries
Barry has been a researching machine regarding all of this....and as far as we know, yes, one can travel with them in a carry on bag. Your info from the Air Canada pilot is the first we have heard of this restriction. We ordered our trikes beginning of August and as of then, we were still advised that Ligo were allowed on the plane.
Now, on to the Shimano system. We contacted Shimano and yes, they will allow a different battery, but with research we discovered that it is still a Shimano battery, just a different name and manufacturer. And that is why we went with Bafang originally. After our problem with the Bafang on this trip, we are now going with Shimano Steps and Shimano battery. If we want to travel internationally someday with our trikes, we’ll figure that out at the time. Meanwhile, we plan to have fun here with the trikes.
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4 years ago

Suzanne GibsonI enjoyed your trip with all its ups and downs. Thanks for sharing. You certainly had some beautiful scenery, and plenty of adventure! Sorry that you had e-support problems. I love riding an e-bike but also realize what it means to be dependent on so much technology. I now have a Shimano Steps and it is giving me grief, too, just giving partial or no support on hills if I reduce my cadence just a bit. So I am always trying to outmanoeuvre the system. I never had problems with my Bosch, but my husband did with his. So I guess we can't say one system is better than the other.
I hope you get the technical problems taken care of and find more touring opportunities when the seasons and Covid allow.
Greetings from Munich,
Suzanne
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4 years ago

Mike AylingHi Barry
Have you found out yet why your e motor is misbehaving?

Mike
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4 years ago

Barry BartlettTo Mike AylingHi Mike
We don’t have any idea.
Magically, when we reached Tsawwassen and unloaded our tandem from the UHaul, the motor worked! We were both fighting a cold/flu bug (not COVID thankfully) when we got home, so we haven’t had a chance to pursue it. Nonetheless, on our island rides, the motor has been working just fine. Will update if we figure it out. A truly frustrating experience for both of us. The irony is not lost on us that we are committed to travelling by bike and in our our island life we rarely drive our car. Yet this adventure lead to a need to rent 2 UHauls.
What a crazy year it is.
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4 years ago