I had myself well organized when I went to bed last night so I could pack up quickly this morning and be on the road early. Check. And get a good night's sleep...not so much. Apparently British Columbia's weathermen don't know it's June yet either. Sicamous wasn't quite as cold as Banff was the previous night, but it was still pretty cold - into single digits for sure. I also awoke to a new weather forecast - more rain, more cold. (Yay! another day with the full face and rain suit!) It didn't matter which direction I went as far as the rain was concerned so I decided to go south out of Sicamous through the Okanagan Valley.
As it turned out the rain threatened all day but never came as I rode through Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and the border town of Osoyoos. The ride itself is quite varied - some nice Muskoka-esque tight and twisties in the north Okanagan, some straight flat plains further south and in the Vernon/Kelowna/Penticton regions there are some nice scenic vistas with some high speed curves.
Once I crossed the border took a chance and shed the rain gear (and managed to stay dry).
Washington State has more varied geography than I thought. There are areas south of Osoyoos that have the scrub desert look, not unlike parts of Arizona. But after turning onto Highway 20, heading up the mountains the roads were excellent with curve after curve. But the higher we went it got colder and colder.
Washington Desert
Washington Mountains
I had planned to stay at the KOA in Winthrop (purely because it was about 425km from Sicamous, in the general direction of Seattle). By the time I got there it was cold again and I couldn't bear the thought of another deep freeze in the tent. Fortunately the KOA offers cabins for a little more than a campsite, but they have power and they're heated. They had some available and I couldn't say no. (So here I sit in the warmth writing this blog.)
Home Sweet Home
I set off to find some dinner in town, hoping I would find a restaurant with a waiter, instead of having to settle for microwaved gas station food. I was shocked with what I found - Winthrop is a wonderful little tourist town with many shops and restaurants. All the storefronts on the main street are done in a Western theme.
Some visitors I spoke to recommended the local brew pub for dinner so I opted for that. I was going to take a seat on the back patio, and I fortunately found eight HOG members from the Seattle area, headed home after a fundraiser rally in Kamloops (who knew?). They graciously invited me to join them at their table and they were able to share with me the local knowledge of the roads.
The consensus was Highway 101 was a better riding option than heading to Reno/Tahoe. I think that change in plan might get me to San Francisco a day earlier than planned, with a better ride - just what I was looking for.
Let see what tomorrow brings.
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