Day Two-Four: Winthrop, Washington to Golden, B.C. (or, "Closing the Loop")

I started the day by backtracking along Highway 20 from Winthrop to its junction with 153.  Here I took a left and followed a new section of 20 to the town of Okanogan.  The road was fantastic, an endless series of sweeping curves with essentially no traffic.  At Okanogan I rejoined Highway 97 and headed north towards Canada's Okanagan.  (Yes, the "o" turns to an "a" at the border.)  After a quick and painless border crossing I was back in Canada, re-learning to read my speedometer's natural units -- no more mental conversions to miles!  I soon passed through Oliver, which presents about as pretty a landscape as any populated region anywhere. Here I have to apologize, as I only pulled out the camera once today (and it wasn't in the Okanagan).  With the goal of Golden, B.C., I knew I'd be pushing the boundaries of daylight; as a result, I reverted to my old habit of covering miles.

Highway 97 leads to Okanagan Lake and the shoreline towns of Penticton, Summerland, Kelowna, and Vernon.  No sightings of Ogopogo, unfortunately, the lake's very own Loch Ness monster.  North of Vernon Highway 97A splits off of 97 and heads through Enderby and Sicamous.  Here 97A meets with the Trans-Canada Highway (No. 1).  A bit less than an hour later I gassed up in Revelstoke -- where I checked the distance to Golden, the time of the sunset there, and the current time.  I really didn't want to ride after sunset given the increased movement of ungulates, but it appeared that I'd arrive within a few minutes of 7:01 pm.  Off I went.

The ride took me up and over Rogers Pass (1,330 m/4,362').  The crossing was quick and easy (and fast-paced -- traffic really cooks through here), despite the repeated signage stating "Use Winter Tires or Carry Chains Past This Point, Oct. 1 - April 30".  Although the mountains above were snowy, the road was clear and dry.

At Rogers Pass, the last major orographic obstacle of the trip.

I reached Golden at about 7:05 and checked into Mary's Motel, where I also stayed at the end of Day One of my trip.  I've thus closed the loop.  Tomorrow I'll head up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, turn right at the Yellowhead Highway -- and head home.