Highway 24 is a great road with scenic mountain passes and steep hills. Cipi needs gas and we refill at 100 mile house. As we pull in, Jeff advises us that we passed a deer a few feet off the road watching us pass, but staying still. That’s the way I like it - first animal encounter where the beast is at the side of the road. Breakfast is hearty: eggs, sausage, ham, toast, pancakes at a local Smitty’s pancake house. It turns out there are several places that offer a decent coffee and meal in 100 mile house.
It seems that in this part of the old west, road houses were built to provide lodging, food and other services to gold seekers and travellers. They were simply marked by their distance on the road from mile zero of the Cariboo wagon trail which started in Lillooet. Because of it’s proximity to good farming land, 100 mile house continued to thrive after the gold rush subsided.
Km = 17,247
Leaving town, we have many miles on 97, so Cipi takes the lead so that he can exercise his “aching to go” throttle wrist. As he powers out on to the highway just outside of town, unknowingly, he startles a buck on the left side of the road who then bolts across the highway, just behind Cipi, who had no idea what happened. I was far enough back that there was no risk at all, but was able to watch the deer bolt up a steep hill off to our right. This was a fitting reminder of how fast an animal encounter could happen.
We didn't get far out of town when it was time to spill the breakfast coffee and at 150 mile house, we stopped and did our stuff and that's where we found Lizzy, who accompanied us for the rest of the trip.
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| Lizzy and Cipi |
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| 150 Mile Center - "rest" spot |
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