After several quite warm blue-sky days, the weather still held, but with a quite cool 10deg C start. Ten vehicles set off at the 10:30am start from Car Park # 7 in the UFV Chilliwack Campus. For the initial leg we went out to Prest Road and on to Fairfield Island, with a re-group stop at the Scouts hut. Then it was a continuation on Camp River Road with an encounter with a large oncoming tractor who obligingly pulled over to run partly on the verge and then there was a stop at a one-way traffic control for some quite serious tree trimming work on overhangs. Mt Cheam had been in plain view off to the right whilst were going east but by the time we reached the approach to the turn-off for Ferry Road with the southerly view enabling a through-the-windscreen photo, a cloud had come down, so not so great, but one taken anyway. The Agassiz bridge came in sight through the trees followed by the sharp turn underneath the approach spans and the curve round to join Route 9. The traffic was light so we were able get out with no problem to go over the bridge, with it’s somewhat bouncy surfacing and transverse joints. We took the long curve round Agassiz to join Route 7 and then enjoy the 20-minute mostly 90kph cruise to Hope. At to turn onto H/way 1, there might have been a problem – there was a tractor-trailer unit loaded with long girders patiently waiting to get on and turn left. However, after a couple of minutes with passing traffic, there was break and he drew forward considerably quicker than one might have expected and several of our convey were able to follow him. We arrived at Hope Dairy Queen on schedule at 11:45am to find one Hope member and his wife waiting as arranged with their ‘78 MGB. It had warmed up considerably and after the pit stop, we set off at 12:05pm for the 20-minute drive up the Fraser Canyon to Yale. The mostly 90kph speed limit, the gentle curves and gradients along with the glimpses of the Fraser River made this stretch a really pleasant final leg. The picnic lunch spot was overlooking the river at the end of Albert Street. There was a plaque with some interesting facts about the Cariboo Wagon Road, constructed 1862-65, which was instrumental in greatly improving access to the gold fields. We left at 1:25pm. There had been some discussion about calling in at Harrison for ice creams, but it came to light that there was a forest fire round by the hot springs. As such, it was decided that for those who wanted to, we’d stop at Kent’s Ice cream on the way into Chilliwack. There were four takers on this, with the others wending their own ways home. All-in-all, with no mechanical problems or mis-routings and with a blue-sky day that warmed up nicely, it was voted a good run.

Michael Hamilton-Clark
Run Coordinator

Photos by Michael Hamilton-Clark
Marcel Thibault