Princeton - Swan Song for the Jetta - CycleBlaze

July 14, 2018

Princeton

We did it!  74 miles, 4,900’ of climbing, 90 degree temps at the end, 10-15 mph headwinds most of the way.  Tired but happy.

More words later.

We make it out the door by 7,and already it’s in the low 70’s. It’s windy too - Osoyoos Lake has small whitecaps on its surface.
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Our plan: Heremeos for a late breakfast, Princeton for dinner. A long day ahead.
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Looking down the vineyards toward Lake Osoyoos
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After about a 1,400’ climb we top out and cross over to the Similkameen Valley.
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Dropping to the Similkameen
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The Similkameen Valley is lovely for its whole run, lined with colorful, dramatic formations lining both sides of the river. Narrow enough that it almost feels like a canyon.
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Hooray! It’s Keremeos, our breakfast stop. Our cafe is only another five miles upwind.
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West of Hadley, the colorful mountains continue. It’s too bright to really show well, but they’re very colorful. We’re in mining country.
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This blue globe thistle was a surprise sighting, in the drainage ditch. We haven’t seen another on the tour.
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Bill ShaneyfeltIt took some searching, but I found it! This is blue globe thistle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinops_ritro

----->Bill
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5 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltI wondered about thistles, because the rest of the plant looked thistle-like. I’d never seen a blossom like this though. Thanks!
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5 years ago
Bill ShaneyfeltTo Scott AndersonA first for me too.
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5 years ago
An old church, approaching Hedley; I’ll research it when I get time, and add a zoom photo of it that I forgot to unload last night.
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Saint Ann’s Roman Catholic Church, at Chuchewayha, the First Nations village just east of Hedley
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This is a huge scar, presumably from a slide. I’ve been watching it grow larger for about ten miles.
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Hedley, an old gold mining town, gave us another well spaced break. Only about 25 miles more to go.
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In Hedley. We could have stayed here, I think - it looks like there’s lodging.
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In the Hedley junk shop
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In the Hedley junk shop
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In the Hedley junk shop: a birdhouse propped on a rusty truck axle.
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For the last 20 miles we avoided the highway on the Old Hedley Road. Much quieter, but slower too - intermittent chipseal for about half the length.
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Andrea BrownNow this shot looks exactly like the part of Montana I'm from. *homesick*
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5 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Andrea BrownI hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right or course. We drove through Yaak twenty years ago on our way to Glacier. I’ve never forgotten how incredibly wild and remote it seemed back then.
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5 years ago
The Similkameen River
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Entering Princeton, on the pedestrian/bike bridge
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Louie, the very social son of our motel managers. Five years old, birthday in March, very proud of his new watch. Likes our GPS’s. Ninja warrior.
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Little Creek Grill, our restaurant in Princeton
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Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 327 miles (526 km)

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