My First Look See - An unforseen Sidetrip

    There was a big wreck, including sulphur cars on fire on the CN Bridge at Cisco in August of 1977.

    I have made a separaste blog on this event of this. Access the blog here.

    Well, after I was all done riding the Fraser River to North Bend and looking at wreck on the CN bridge at Cisco I decided to go further up-country. When I got to Spences Bridge I turned East and went to Merritt on Hwy 8.

    By this time I had been a relief operattor and relief dispatcher on CP for a few years, and by having availability of company timetables I knew about the Princeton and Carmi Subs which was still publ;ished but abandoned at this time.

    I decided to take a look-see to find out what I could about the Princeton Sub. I drown South, got Kingsvale and then headed for Brookmere which was good for another picture (the double spouted water tank).

    I then returned to Kingsvale. Having heard stories about how it was possible to get from Merritt to Hope via back-roads. As a matter of fact there was a yearly convoy from Merritt to Hope on this trail to convince the government to connect the two towns with a direct link. Voila, in 1986 the Coquihalla Highway was opened with great fanfare in conjunction with Expo86. (AND WE'LL NEVER NAME IT THE YELLOW HEAD HIGHWAY). Back to the story.

    I followed the very rough trail, which existed for maintaining the Trans Canada Gas Pipeline, up over and down what is now know as Larson Hill. It was very rough. Well, on the downside I found remnant of an old bridge over the Coldwater River, which had been the Brodie Wye. (took a picture).

    Then along level ground, mostly on old KVR Right of Way, until I arrived at the approximate location of where the toll-booths were later located. There was a lumber mill there at the time. Today (August 2022) they are building another compressor station there for the addition of the second pieline. Proceeding down the Right of Way, I arrived at another one of those moments for me, the first view of the Coquihalla Tunnels. I have retaken this picture numerous times over the years. As a matter of fact, since I had a problem with paying the Coquihalla Tolls, I inevitabely used this as a bypass to avoid the tolls and re-entered the main highway at Portia.

     Following the Right of Way for about a mile, the trail dropped sharply to the Coquihalla Valley floor. Not too many miles later I came upon, what to this day I consider one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen, namely the Falls Creek Trestle. I took a picture, one of the best I have ever taken, and a blown-up version hangs in my living room. Over the years I have taken numerous pictures from this same location until the bridge finally collapsed on what is assumed to be Sept 16^th 1996.

    There were some very rough section of trail, especially in the Portia are, then over a hill to bypass the Coquihalla Canyon (Quintette Tunnels) and into Hope. It was a very hot day, and I jumped into the Lake, Kawkawa Lake that is.

    And that was my first look-see at the KVR.