(232/366) They say one’s home is one’s castle…

8

August 19, 2012 – We’ve ridden by this place numerous times, but it wasn’t until last week when I rode up to Hell’s Gate that I realized it wasn’t a pumphouse, but someone’s house. Bit odd. But sort of fun.

We thought about riding yesterday, but I was a bit of a lump after Kitimat, so we caught up on our to-do list and went out to a movie instead. When we woke up today it was overcast and the satellite images showed rain in the Valley and a 30% chance of precipitation across the region. We muddled it over and then decided it would be a nice change to have a ride that wasn’t in sweltering heat for a change. It might be nice to ride without having sweat dribbling down our backs.

And we both wanted ice cream.

If you don’t ride, you might not realize that to us “Let’s go for ice cream” is code for “Let’s do a 280km ride!”

“Let’s go for coffee” means a minimum 120km ride.

So we did the back roads out through Pitt Lake area where we stopped at the Golden Ears Cheesemakers to sample some cheese and load up Kirk’s panniers with farm fresh chili gouda, black pepper gouda, and roasted garlic and red pepper cheese curds, and some fresh picked corn on the cob. I’d ridden by the place before, but today just seemed like a great day to stop and sample their wares. From there is was up through Stave Lake and above Mission, then down through Dewdney, Deroche, Agassiz, and finally landed in Harrison where I savoured a two scoop ice cream cup of green tea and double chocolate gelatos, while Kirk enjoyed his combo of double chocolate and black forest gelatos.

YUM!

Then home, through the overly aggressive Sunday evening drivers, to lube the chains and put the bikes to bed before firing up the BBQ for a dinner of chicken and fresh Fraser Valley corn on the cob.

And maybe a late night snack on roasted garlic and red pepper cheese curds?