Day 10 - Osoyoos, BC, to Rock Creek, BC. Trip 55 kms Time 4 hrs 46 mins Max 63.1 kph
We were up at 6:00 AM in order to tackle the ANARCHIST pass which has a summit of 1233m. We had instant oatmeal with fruit & nuts and banana and Greek yogurt for breakfast. After cleaning up and packing our gear on our bikes we set off for Rock Creek at 7:45 AM. Again there were no facilities on the way just a lot of great scenery but when you are climbing at 5 to 6 kph it's hard to appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. We had to stop many times to rest and walked quite a bit. The first 8 kms was an 8% grade! Many people stopped to talk to us and encourage us. Once we reached the summit after 7 hrs of climbing for 30 kms we had to put on our jackets and warm gloves for the descent.
A resident of Bridesville, BC, must have heard about us coming up the Anarchist and drove out in his VW Rabbit to invite us to stop by at the "red barn" in Bridesville for coffee. We had to get off the highway to pass through Bridesville (pop. around 46). I think there were more dogs than people as we managed to get everyone of them barking as we passed by. He was there waiting for us and came out to the street to greet us. We stopped and chatted for awhile but in the end politely declined his invitation to come in for coffee and see his new born baby. He even offered us accommodation for the night!!! Just a very friendly former Ontario resident.
We pushed on to Rock Creek and arrived at 3:00 PM very exhausted but quite satisfied that we had managed to conquer the Anarchist pass. I went into the Trading Post to ask about accommodations. The manager was busy serving customers lattes or some such concoctions. A customer suggested the Goldpan Motel which was part of the "truck stop" service station. We went over to the Goldpan and asked about the cost of a room for the night which was $65 - no wi-fi. The only wi-fi available in town was at the Trading Post. There was another hotel across the street and down a lane called the Rock Creek Hotel. It looked like it had been there since the "gold rush" days. I went in to ask about a double room for the night. It was $44.60/night with no TV and shared washroom down the hall. We decided we'd already had a rough enough day so returned to the Goldpan and checked in there for the night. I managed to talk the manager down to $60.
While I got settled in Bev walked up the highway to the PetroCan for some groceries for breakfast and lunch tomorrow. I was quite fascinated by the Rock Creek Hotel and convinced Bev that she should walk back over there for a cold beer. We found a quiet sheltered spot to sit out on the rear deck by the river side. There were multi-flower baskets and bird feeders hanging from the open roof. There were numerous species of birds at the feeders including GrossBeaks, Finches, Sparrows, Humming Birds, etc and a couple Lewis Woodpeckers which according to the hotel manager are quite rare. They were nesting in a tall tree that had been hit by lightning and was partially dead. We both ordered mushroom bacon cheese burgers with lettuce and tomato and mayo and the best home cut fries plus a couple of pints of beer for $42.50. Suddenly all the birds disappeared. The hotel cat was on the prowl. He certainly looked well fed!!!
After dinner we walked to the PetroCan for icecream. Ah but the icecream shop was closed!!! We ended up getting a "drumstick" out of the freezer in the gas station convenience store. On the way back to the motel we passed by the Trading Post which was already closed so no wi-fi.
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| Damn that hill!!! |
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| Should have packed a bit lighter??? |
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| Rare Lewis Woodpecker |
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| Grosbeak(sp) |
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