Day 46 – Prince George, BC to Hope, BC

We had the longest drive of the trip today. It held some delightful surprises.

The Route

We took BC-97 south from Prince George to Cache Creek where we connected with TCH-1 which took us on south to Hope. It was a 388 mile day.

About the Day

We awoke to overcast and light misting rain that was hanging around after a late night shower. The sun broke through early and we had a delightful travel day.

Along the Way

Our landscape scenes changed dramatically as we followed the Fraser River. Traffic volume has been increasing each day. It may be a holiday weekend effect. Tomorrow is Canada Day and this is the 4th of July weekend.

The small city of Quesnel was the first treat of the day. It’s a very finished, attractive and prosperous community with a huge lumber mill. What do they do with the mountains of sawdust?

The Cariboo Wood Shop (at McLeese Lake) offered many interesting treats. The fresh fudge attracted us and the gift options hooked us. We left with some of both. Carol was delighted.

Scenes ...

We saw gentle fields, rolling hills, deep canyons and a wide Fraser River as we continued south.

Fraser River

Boat travel was possible north of Williams Lake.

The highway continues to overlook the river.

Williams Lake

Hills emerge and seem to grow.

The landscape gets more arid.

There was a fire along TCH-1 at Lytton. It was well under control when we passed.

Fraser Canyon …

The route from Prince George to Hope goes through Fraser Canyon. We didn’t know of it before today and were delighted by 52 miles of awesome views that guided us into Hope. 

The chasm begins to show itself near Cache Creek and grows from there. We didn't get pictures that show the depth of the chasm or the highway clinging to the side of steep mountainsides. In our opinion, the experience ranks right up there with the Grand Canyon.

We think it's best if seen by traveling south.

It’s an interesting descent.

The descent seems to go on and on.

There are 7 highway tunnels

... and even more train tunnels

Train tracks line both sides of the river.

This is an exciting drive 

The Campground

We’re staying at the Hope Valley Campground, just off TCH-1 east of Hope. It's OK, but nothing special. 

The place is packed as everyone prepares for the holiday. RVs of all sizes and shapes are jammed into every conceivable space. We got one of the last sites available. The first place we tried was full.

Surprisingly, the evening has been very peaceful.

Tomorrow and After

Tomorrow - we’ll return to the U.S. via the Abbotsford border crossing.

Saturday - we'll visit Jon and Judy Siehl in Seattle.

Sunday - we'll arrive in Portland and stay put for a while.