Day 5 - Wednesday, Nov 5 – Kamploops to Merritt to Chilliwack – 4500' of climbing - then The 12 Tribes

       

 I googled Kamploops to Hope … and found it to be 204km via the Coaquilla and Merritt. I had heard this route was closed to bikes … but on further googling – found out it was not.

I can do this.

Lac de Jeaunne - Never Ending Climb - 4500 feet
in 97km from Kamploops to Merrit

After climbing 1500m into falling Snow,
I was happy for this 19km descent
at 6% grade into warmer
temperature.

The Nicola Valley, Merritt

I left the wrongly named Skyline Motel and climbed 3000 feet out of Kamploops to Lac de Jeaunne, over 30 ‘ish km.   There was a cold boring 30 ‘ish km at about 1200m than a 20km descent into Merritt. Traveling over the rockies from Banff ... this was my fewest kilometers traveled and most climbing - 1500 meters or 4500 feet!

Looking for Tim Hortons, I spotted Kentucky Fried Chicken – thinking of Mom – I headed in!

I was still freezing – so went to Starbucks for coffee until I was warm.

About an hour later I headed out to the road … it was about 3pm and I had 100 km to go to Hope.

Thumb time.

I met Jayshie from Twelve Tribes. He grew up just North of Vernon with Hippie Parents (gone bad).  He found Twelve Tribes three years and is part of the "utopian" ideal of of a society of complete sharing.  His community is in Nelson.

He was going to Chilliwack to Yellow Deli, and offered me a Mate.  I met all the workers there ... all the men have beards and a pony tail!

Before arriving in The Chilliwack Community, I had idea's of what 'arriving' there might be like.  It is a cool business and I recommend a lunch there.  However, the interaction of the youngish men and women was pretty awkward and a bit weird.  (... that's too bad.)