Agassiz and Chilliwack: Farm Tour Biking & Cold River Swimming

After a one year break we decided to do the Agassiz Farm Tour again. The problem was that Neil really had a hard time falling asleep the night before (which seems to be a pattern this summer) so we left Vancouver pretty late. By the time we started riding in Agassiz it was almost noon, which was actually good timing for having lunch just a few kilometers later at a cheese farm.

The toasted sandwiches were yummy (although the bread was just regular supermarket bread) and we also had a delicious soup. We thought we’d keep some room for the next stop which was supposed to be tacos de carnitas, but alas, by the time we got there they ran out of food… I made another quick stop at the cheese farm and got us another toasted cheese sandwich and a cheese platter just before they ran out of food as well.

Just like last time we made a point to stop at the blueberry/raspberry farm. We were happy to find out that again this farm was offering a FREE raspberry u-pick. There was less fruit this time, but it was still delicious. The non-spray blueberries were especially good. Since Neil was napping we had plenty of time so we picked a good amount of blueberries as well.

Then we rode back to the car, with Neil back on his bike, and the way seemed very long. Finally back at the car Neil and I went to check out the very impressive spray park while Gili mounted the bikes on to the car. From a distance I could see that he kept on looking for something. Finally he came to ask if I knew where the car keys were. I had no idea, so Gili went back to search. Then I decided to ask Neil who knew exactly where they were – he had put them in the trunk of the car! Of course by that point the bikes were already on the bike rack and opening the trunk was complicated, but we managed to get the keys out…

Our Warmshowers hosts, Anna and Henry, live just on the outskirts of Agassiz and run a dairy farm in addition to raising ten children… Most of their kids are grown now, and they only have one or two still living at home. Of course they already have more grandchildren than our parents could ever dream of – eight and counting.

We had a lovely dinner with them that included fresh (raw) milk from their cows, and a warm apple crisp from the apples from their garden. We set up the tent by the apple trees and had a good night’s sleep although Neil woke up a few times since he was cold.

In the morning we were already baking in the tent but Neil was still tucked in his sleeping bag – he was finally convinced to go inside it in the middle of the night. The temperatures were rising quickly and it was getting hot on the farm. Since it was Sunday, our hosts were at church so we went to the local supermarket and got some food for breakfast and lunch. Then we drove to Chilliwack to do a loop along the Vedder River. 

It was a nice ride but very hot, and luckily some sections were in the shaded forest. The main reason we decided to do this ride was to stop for a swim at Cultus Lake on the way back. However when we saw the traffic jam a few kilometers before the turnoff to the lake combined with the realization that the lake was actually five kilometers away, all uphill, we decided to change plans. We connected again with the river and rode a bit more in the direction which we had ridden in the morning, and stopped at the first “beach” we saw. The river was cold but very refreshing after the hot and sweaty ride.

The drive back included one tired Neil who fell asleep in less than five minutes, stopping for 30lbs of blueberries again like the previous weekend, some traffic delays, and long overdue Ethiopian food at our favourite Ethiopian Restaurant in Vancouver, Fassil.