Today’s route took us west to Kamloops and then south along Hwy 5A, which proved to be a very nice alternative to the Coquihalla to Merrit. The traffic was light, no cops in sight and the road was mostly scenic sweepers.
Arriving in Merritt we popped into a local café for the usual espresso. The café was run by aboriginals and featured various baked goods based on Bannock. Some tasty offerings.
Leaving Merritt we blasted south on the Coquihalla to Hope for a (not so ) quick refueling at the local Chevron. The weather cleared nicely as we travelled on to Harrison Hot Springs for a visit with Carlo (one of our past travel companions). Carlo had grown up in Harrison as his parents worked at the local hotel, and so he returned after his career with BC Hydro. He was hoping to join us afterward for the run south to the border, but his Stelvio was still in the shop, so he had to stay put.
Passing through the border at Sumas we weaved through a series of picturesque backroads on our way to Bellingham. Another helpful gent met us at the Coachman’s Inn where we stopped for the night. Fortunately, there were several promising restaurants within walking distance. We settled on a local Thai restaurant and were not disappointed.