Epics And Road Trips - Kamloops

This long weekend started out weird. Myself and Chris went to pickup Santino who we met at the bike shop and ridden with a few times. When he heard we were going up to Kamloops and Merritt he asked to join us. We said sure but had not realized at the time he was only 15. So when we picked him up it was the first time his mother met us and she told him to have a good time. Santino is a very good friend to this day and I bug him about how much his mother cared about his safety palming him off to complete strangers.

We arrived at night around the outskirts of Kamloops and had to find a spot to camp. We found one but in the morning we saw a sign that said the little meadow we were in was a sensitive area and no trespassing. Wellllll. The riding around Kamloops ended up being a bust, the guide we arranged for decided not to show up and we could not contact him. So we rode around the hills that the dirt bikers were riding up and around. Hopefully Merritt will be better.

We arrive in Merritt around dinner time and start looking for a place to camp. No luck, a lot of no tresspassing signs and areas that were part of the local reserves. We decided to head into town and find a motel to stay at. Well most motels were full except for the Road Runner Motel. I just checked Google to get the proper spelling for the motel and this description on the right hand side bar came up: Road Runner Motel (100% Bug Free Guarantee). WTF?! it hasn't changed 20+ years later. When we got into our room, there was a big dark reddish stain on the sofa bed. Hey, looks like someone died here. Santino that is your bed. Myself and Chris decided to pull the cover off the bed and sleep in our sleeping bags.

The next day we met our guide Bert. He was a great guide and took us on a memorable ride. He informed us we will be going through ranches and that the last person must close the gate we go through. Two memorable moments for me were: Myself and Bert come over a small rise and instantly head into a herd of cattle that begins to run from us and before I realise what is happening, I'm in the middle of them. The second was when I was riding down a trail and come around a corner and in front of me is a huge bull. It gets up, turns around and starts to run from me. The trail is pretty closed in with trees and bushes that the bull ran in front of me for around a 100 yards before seeing an opening and exiting stage left. Another interesting moment and I missed it but the others saw it. After riding through the ranches, we got back into the vehicle and went up into a local mountain to try other trails. All of a sudden a big cougar came out f the bush and ran across the road in front of the truck. I only saw a tail, everyone else were excited about the encounter.

I can't remember any trail names or the areas we rode in, however it was a fun ride. Bert was a great guide and appreciated him taking the time to show us around. The Road Runner Motel on the other hand... I hope it is a much better place to stay now a days.