Day 26 July 27, 2025 100 Mile House British Columbia to Osoyoos British Columbia 268 miles
The town is foggy but as soon as we started up the hill the fog cleared and the skies were partly sunny.
We came to our first big hill. It was a very long slow drive. Thankfully there was a passing lane. It’s a busy road with four lanes most of the time. In fact traffic today was much more than we have been experiencing. We decided some of that is because today is Sunday and the weather is nice.
Lots of motorcycles are out. Some in groups of six or more but others are one or two. Some are out for the day and others are packed for a long ride.
As we came down the hill we could see a deep canyon. Two of the hills in the canyon had flat tops. Different crops were being raised on the top with the aide of sprinklers.
The trees have thinned out and have been replaced with sagebrush. The ground cover is no longer green and lush. We can still see mountains but no more snow.
We have not been on this road before because we came to a very strange lake. Well we think it is a lake. It looks more like the Salt Lake in color. Lots of what appears to be white sand surrounds the lake. Then we came to a huge mining operation. It’s an open pit mine to mine copper. Several of the mountains have been systematically carved away. We read later they expect to mine there for another 21 years.
On the opposite side of the road and down a little further is a large gathering of horse trailers. There are a few horses and people standing around. Would be interesting to know what was going on.
Oh no. Another big long hill. It’s lunch time and there have been no rest areas. At the top of the hill is a rest stop on the opposite side of the road. It’s not intended to be used by people going up the hill. It’s real purpose is to give semis a place to check their brakes. There is one outhouse. We pulled in anyway. Then we saw the signs that said to limit your stay to 15 minutes. Well we stayed longer because we ate lunch. Maybe the limit ment 15 minutes for each person? A big sign said this was Hamilton Hill with a 6% grade and a stop sign at the bottom.
The next area was dotted with numerous small lakes. They were like mirrors. One of these had numerous paddle boarders at one end. There was a nice beach there too.
Canada deserves some real credit for the number of electrical vehicles charging stations they have. Some are even at rest stops. Small towns may have one or two as well. Not sure how many electric vehicles there are. We rarely saw any at the fuel points.
We passed another odd lake. The sign said its called Spot Lake. Sure enough there were large spots floating on the surface. An internet search revealed that it is a saline endothermic alkali lake. It is full of minerals too. Then it changes colors.
Now we are in a large area of orchards and vineyards. One small town had more fruit stands than anything else. Cherries and peaches seem to be the current highlight.
We got to the hotel a little before 5:00 pm. Check-in is not till 5:00. We think that is the latest we have ever seen for a check-in.
The car took the hills slowly and did not overheat. However, the gears are grinding more than normal. Hopefully we can make it home without any major problems.
Spoffords Travel 