British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon is only an hour away from Vancouver, but it takes you a hundred miles away from your cares and worries. (Photos by the author)
When life in the big city on the coast becomes too hectic and I need some time away, a romp through British Columbia?s interior is just the ticket. Making my way to Hope, BC?the little town that doubled as Hope, USA, in the movie ?First Blood? with Sylvester Stallone?is quick and easy, and then the real fun begins.
Heading north from Hope there?s Fraser Canyon, so named for the river that it closely straddles. This is a piece of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH), but you may think otherwise, as the mostly two-lane road is lightly traveled and the newer Coquihalla Highway (5) takes on most of the interior?s business traffic. As the Fraser river makes its way to the coast, it is flanked by the Canadian National Railway on one side and Canadian Pacific Railway on the other.
This is a bonus for us motorcyclists, as the road narrows and reveals its recent past. Carved out of rock and canyon only a century and a half ago during BC?s gold rush days, it still follows what were originally native Indian trails and later wagon roads. The scenery is truly spectacular, with the rushing river on one side and granite cliffs on the other, punctuated with six tunnels bored through the solid rock. Do watch the speed limits a bit, because some corners really do require you to slow down.
Map of the route taken, by Bill Tipton/compart...