Day 4 July 27, 2026 Bellingham Washington to Merritt British Columbia 167.6 miles
After a delicious breakfast of fresh berries, peaches and quiche we headed off to Costco for gas and to decide where we are going next. Gas was nearly $6.00 per gallon for middle grade fuel. Forest fires are burning in British Columbia so we needed to pick a route carefully. We did see a deer in the yard just after breakfast.
We decided to stop in Merritt on the way to Prince Rupert. It’s located in the mountains but not currently on fire. The drive to the border didn’t take long. The line to cross was about 10 cars but the lapsed time wasn’t too long. They asked very few questions and we told them no lies so we were soon on our way. More orchards and some huge houses. They looked like mansions. Obviously some people are doing very well.
We drove through a couple of small towns and along a river. This was mostly two lane road but lots of vehicles. Lunch was a picnic in a rest stop that actually had toilets and picnic tables. A bicyclist stopped to talk and take a break. He said some of the roads are closed due to the fires but a big board will tell us which are open. He also said we could weigh the woodie at the scales just up the road.
We did stop to weigh the car and trailer. The scales weren’t big enough to weigh everything at once. Rather interesting. The attendant was very helpful about road closures.
Most of the remainder to the trip was on two to three lane divided highway. Only a couple of minor construction areas. One spot where a wreck had occurred. They had traffic down to one lane but the vehicle(s) had been removed. Lots of big trucks on the road. We went up and down hills. The trucks went about the same speed as us. The landscape is forested mountains. The skies are mostly cloudy but no rain.
We spotted a small hotel just as we arrived in town. We stopped for a room. While Rob was checking in the clerk ran over and put towels in the room. The inside could use some TLC. The curtain rod would fail a level test. The drapes are hooked to the rod occasionally. More room than the tear drop however. We can stand up in the room.
Spoffords Travel 