Monday, July 23, 2012

Day 21 - Joseph, OR to Hedley, BC

I left Joseph around 7:15 this morning and it was cold enough to dig out the Gerbings. Initially I didn't plug it in but about 50 miles further, it was worth a stop. I think that it was in the mid 40's (°F) when I left Joseph and it was colder in the mountains. I stopped at Moses Lake for some lunch before heading for the border crossing at Osoyoos, the same crossing I had used two weeks ago. Central Washington wasn't at all like it was earlier with moderate temperatures and scattered clouds. I stopped at the Chief Joseph Dam in central Washington to rehydrate a bit.

This is the view down river from the same power plant viewpoint. I didn'teven know that is was here. All I ever heard about was Grand Coulee dam in school. By now, the temperature was in the mid-80's but still scattered clouds. As I headed north, the sky got darker and darker.

I just made the border crossing with about ten minutes to spare and within minutes aft crossing the border, it started to rain. I am camping just north of Hedley, BC, in a nice RV park. I thought about looking for a motel but decided that camping would be fine. It looked like the rain was done for the day. If it wasn't wet and dark, I would've kept on going as I didn't feel tired at all.

There is a nice river running just behind the campground so hopefully it'll drown out the noise from the adjacent campground. Some really noisy folks right on the other side of the fence. A bit over 700km today. A good start.

26 comments:

  1. Wow! High temps for IMBC and then temps in the 40's? Nuts! Hope the return ride is fun and easy.

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    1. Pretty wild temperature swings in this area. I think it's partly due to the elevation.

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  2. Richard:

    you made good time to get to BC in one day. We thought you were going to wait for us at Elgin before you headed north, so we could say our final farewells.

    I must say that you are liking the twisties

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. I must admit that I had no idea when I was turning north since I was just following the GPS directions. And yes, the twisty roads are addictive....

      Are you still heading further south?

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  3. I'm headed home and have had nice weather today. Almost perfect temps for riding. Well, once it warmed up this morning.

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    1. It was a whole lot colder than I thought it would be.

      Have a good trip!

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  4. Replies
    1. Thank you! Though I am approaching Prince George so I'll need all the help I can get...

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  5. Richard,

    Now that's what I call a good tour and you're racking up some great daily distances! Really enjoying your posts.

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    1. It'll be nice to get back to reasonable weather and traffic again. Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I looked you up on Spot's satellite. It shows that you are sleeping in the middle of the road. Please be careful! Wife

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    1. SPOT doesn't seem to work well in canyons and that's where I was camped. I guess it needs a clear view of the southern sky to report in.

      See you soon...

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  7. I'm a little jealous of those temperatures, even if they chilled you a bit, which I quite understand. We have regularly been hitting 100 during the day with lows in the upper 70's. The morning ride to work is nice, but in the afternoon, all you want to do is get home.
    Sounds like a wonderful trip. Ride safe!

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    1. After spending a couple of weeks riding in hot weather, I'm ready for some reasonable temperatures again. Though it never really got warm enough to try out the evaporative vest since I got one.

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  8. Richard,

    cpa isn't the only one who's jealous. I wouldn't trade you for the long AK frost, but it's so hot here I want to die every time I set foot out. Extended drought. I finally got on the bike today and went to the grocery store, 95 b 9:30. Keep safe out there, you're kind of a superman with all that riding, don't get too excited at the end. Stay focused.

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
    www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com

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    1. What do they say, it's not the heat but the humidity. I've found that I can ride with temperatures approaching 100°F but it's been very low humidity. Today, it was in the 90's and humid. A much more distasteful combination.

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  9. A great day of riding for you Richard.

    As always it was great seeing you again. Come visit anytime you are in Corvallis.

    Hedley? Now that is a small town. I grew up in Keremeos nearby - not much bigger. Hope the neighboring campers settled down.

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    1. I just switched campsites since it was pretty empty. The owner suggested that particular site since it was somewhat sheltered in case a storm came again. Very pretty area inside the canyon.

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  10. You were making good time yesterday, I couldn't catch you without leaving the others behind. A friendly wave and you were gone.
    Thanks for joining us, I had a great time.

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    1. I learned a lot this trip on riding through corners. I still need lots of practice. Thank you for everything especially for taking the initiative to get it started. I had a great time.

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  11. I really enjoy your blog. I envy your adventure.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! I occasionally see some great clouds but don't take the time to stop for a picture...

      As far as "adventure", I don't think this qualifies. It's been a great summer vacation!

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  12. Looks like nothing can stop you when you're on the road riding. Ride safely, lots of crazy tourists on the roads.

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    1. It seems that once I get going, the miles pass quickly and before I know it a couple of hours have passed. Every time I see nice vistas there isn't anyplace to pull off.

      The traffic has been crazy since hitting 97. I'm hoping things quiet down after Prince George.

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  13. You'll be home in no time - I hear you're hard to catch.

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    1. I'm thinking that I'll be home sometime this weekend. And you can't believe everything you hear on the Internet. I get passed a lot though I'm really starting to enjoy those "high pasture roads".

      Have a safe trip!

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