A Cool Ending
After parting ways with Dr K, I admit, I was a little blue. I was soo excited to have a riding chum this go around. However, as I entered the Bridge River Valley, most of that feeling dissipated as I had eye candy to distract me. Oh, and the heat. Boy oh boy was it hot. 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 C). With my gear and heat coming off the bike, it was pretty intense, especially with the humidity out this way.
I stopped to shoot some drone footage and did take a few snapshots along the way. Stopping in the hot sun, was worse than riding with the breeze. So stops were going to be kept at a minimum.
Riding into the mouth of the Bridge River Valley is amazing. A road such as this is unlike anything one would experience in the United States. As a major thoroughfare in the states, it would have signage, speed limits posted and guard rails, etc.. None of this exists out here along a narrow road hugging the mountainside following the Bridge River far below. It is a really neat riding experience.
I soon found myself at Horseshoe Bend. This is a geological wonder and very scenic. When the glacial dams gave way from the last ice age, a barrage of water came rushing through form the mountains and slammed against the mountainside with incredible force. Out of the narrow gorge at high speed, it made a nice horseshoe type turn to push its way towards the Fraser canyon. Hoodoos and green glacial water make for spectacular viewing today. One can only imagine what it would be like today if the river hadn’t been dammed farther up the canyon.
Just a bit further up one can see the Yalacom river rushing into join in the fun. It joins the Bridge River from a side canyon at nearly 90 degrees and the road cuts right through the middle of the canyon creating a storybook scene.
From here I descended into the valley gorge and enjoyed a bit of a reprieve from the heat. The narrow gorge and ice fed river sitting in the shade made up for the heat higher up. I drifted off into a trance as the world around me seemed unreal and imaginary.
I did not see another vehicle until I came to the Terzaghi Dam at the head of Carpenter Lake. Then the temperature went up to the 90’s again. I suspect that the sun reflecting off the lake acted like a mirror and the valley gorge now had a east-west orientation and the afternoon sun shown straight down the lake.
There is a tunnel at the dam, just for grins I rode through it and shot some video. I then headed back up the north side of Carpenter lake. My destination, a snap decision, was to go to Marshall Lake. I saw a rec site on a map there and being that it was in the trees and at higher elevation, I was hoping it would be much cooler. In the mean time, I just couldn’t take it any more. I had to stop and take some pictures of Carpenter lake and share them with friends and family. The scenery was intense. I also had to take a pee. But that’s besides the point or what some may call TMI.
Just look at that view eh? Memories were being made and I was fortunate enough to capture them with my camera.
From there I made my way up off of Carpenter Lake up the mountainside to Marshall Lake. I arrived at a very small... very small rec site. Fortunately it was devoid of humans. I had it all to myself.
The sun tucked in behind the clouds, it was shady and a breeze was coming down the lake. For awhile, the temps dropped to 78 degrees F or so. It sure felt good.
A quick check of the lake and it was perfect to go for a swim. Afterwards I washed my clothes and hung them out to dry overnight. What a cool place to end my day. The sounds of the loons calling and the glassy smooth lake was a nice way to bookend my day. I sat by a little fire I made near the lake soaking it all in, wishing I had a cool one to wash it all down. But never mind that. I had mother nature stroking my all my senses and emotions ... it sure felt great to be alive and out of the hustle and bustle of my daily routines at home.
Epilog:
I had set my tent up near the lake. Sometime during the dead of the night I heard something pounding around behind me near the lake and then I heard a big splash. I quickly grabbed my headlamp and looked out of the tent, but I couldn’t see anything. A bear, a deer, a moose? I dunno. But it was a big animal judging by the splash I heard. As I lay there trying to get back to sleep, I heard something else a bit later. Wolves on the mountainside howling. There were a few cabins farther down the lake from me and I heard dogs reply back in kind... echoing down the lake. The wolf howls were replied to in kind until the wolves disappeared on the other side of the mountain and their howling became fainter and fainter. I drifted off to sleep without further interruptions.
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