To Yahk, BC

June 25, 2024

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Ah, another no alarm day! It’s also a day with a provided breakfast. Jacinto was on his second cup of coffee when we wandered down to eat. Except, he didn’t eat, because he wanted to eat right before leaving so he would be full. Perhaps his opinion on motel eggs has rubbed off on me. I ate, but I sure didn’t go back for seconds, and I didn’t make myself a breakfast sandwich to go.

I was loaded up and out the door at 10 AM. I was taking the direct route down Highway 3. Jacinto had an alternate route that included six miles of dirt, and came in at Moyie Lake. I need wider tires to ride dirt. That was his plan unless his foot hurts too much. He was also going to try the bike shop and see if he could buy a new Garmin computer mount. His was slightly broken before the trip. Riding the dirt roads around Seeley Lake finished it off. Plus, we both knew there was no reason to be in a hurry to get to Yahk. The most we had to look forward to there was ice cream at Two Scoops Steve.

I’ve decided I quite like Highway 3, traffic and all. The good thing is that there’s always a shoulder. There’s also a rumble strip, but I like the shoulder. I don’t know what we’ll get as we head north to Crawford Bay on 3A.

I wore capris today, for the first time since I don’t know when. Winds were light, traffic was fine. It was an average riding day from this tour. Perhaps I was just a teeny bit bored of big trees blocking in the view. Jacinto laughed at me when repeated all of that to him. These are outstanding mountain views? I’m getting tired of mountain views? Shame on me!

We were carrying big ass burritos from Cranbrook for dinner tonight. Jacinto said I had to carry my own, because the burritos were too big and heavy (!) and his foot was wounded. I’ve been carrying the same apple and orange for several days. I need to eat those. As I approached Yahk, I passed the general store. Then I thought to myself that we walked down there last time we were here, and it was quite a hike. I didn’t want to walk back later. I turned around. This is a fully stocked little store. There wasn’t any need to carry food. I bought milk, hard root beer, V-8’s, and a bag of chips for Jacinto.

I was sitting out front drinking a V-8 when a woman about my age pulled up in a car. She was wearing a flowing blue and white flowered sundress. I was still sitting there when she came back out. She asked the usual questions. I asked if she could explain the license plates to me. We had noticed that all of the cars have expired stickers on their plates. The woman said that in 2021, they quit giving stickers, you pay for your tags, and get a registration paper, but no stickers. She said if you get pulled over, the police run your plates before they even get out of the car, and they know everything about you. I added, “Yes, they even know what color your underwear is.”. The woman replied - if you have any on! Then it was like she embarrassed herself, and said - of course I have underwear on. We had a good laugh and both headed off.

It was almost a mile to the motel. There was also a gas station turned store next door to the motel. I haven’t been there yet. Jacinto is saving that for evening entertainment, to check it out.

When I walked up to the motel office door, there was a sign to call for registration. I called, and left a message. A motorcycle rider pulled up. He was hoping to camp at the campground. We had a nice conversation while we were waiting. He is from Elkford, headed towards Crawford Bay to meet some friends for a three day tour. We had about run out of conversation, when I said I’d try calling the number again. This time someone answered, and she said she’d be right over.

The man asked about camping. The woman replied that she had 60 ‘tree people’ camping, and the campground was full and noisy. I do not know what tree people do. I should have asked. He ended up taking a motel room. We have ‘the’ room with two beds. My bike is outside on the walkway. I’ve eaten half of my burrito, and could have eaten the whole thing. I ate my orange, so I’m down to an apple, and two bananas.

Jacinto has pulled in. He said the dirt road was a no go. That five miles of it was so rocky, it reminded him of the cobblestones in Portugal. Jacinto said all he needed was to fall down here, or to break some spokes. He said it was a climb and a descent, and that the descent was just as slow as climbing, he had to be careful because of the road conditions.

We’ve shared a hard root beer and chocolate almonds. Jacinto says his toe is some better today. We’ve both showered and done laundry. Life is exciting on the road. If this is an average day, it’s a mighty fine life. Many would like to be here with us!

We are now in the Pacific Time Zone. Sunrise is at 4:41 AM tomorrow! I am not getting up that early. Maybe I will roll over.