USA - Canada - Mexico 2016 - Day 52

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 - Fort Langley - Merritt - Fort LAngley, British Columbia

We went for a drive with John and Terry today to their lakeside cabin north of Merritt to finish winterising the cabin in preparation for the season. A very nice drive up through Hope and up the Coquihalla Canyon. We passed through Hope the first day of our ride but this time we went up Highway 5 instead of Highway 1. Another very scenic drive through the ranges and it is amazing how once you cross the summit, the country suddenly changes from green to brown as you come into a drier area. Not today though, left Fort Langley in the rain and returned in it tonight. We did get some breaks during the day though. Not uncommon weather for this time of year.

Tasks completed and a walk taken through the area around the cabins in the area, spotted a couple of chipmunks but they were too fast to photograph. Very nice and tranquil area with the exception of the occasional truck travelling another highway on the other side of the lake.

Cabin secured for the winter, we headed south again and made a stop near Hope to have a look at an old railway line site. Known as the Orthello tunnels, the fellow building it named a lot of the stations after Shakespeare's characters. Opened in 1915 and closed in 1961, this line was a master engineering feat. One of those jobs they said couldn't be done as the country was too rugged, men were lowered down the cliffs in woven baskets to survey the sites. We walked through two tunnels to the third and were impressed by the manner in which the three tunnels aligned to allow two straight trestle bridges over the Coquihalla River to link the tunnels. The Coquihalla River narrows here as it rushes through the canyon creating a constant roar as it crashes over the rocks below the tunnels and bridges.

Then it was into Hope to catch up with a couple of friends over some red wine, saki and a Japanese meal then back to Fort Langley to complete packing up and preparing for tomorrow. Tomorrow night I'll be coming to you from Los Angeles.