My introductory ride though British Columbia

This is one of my first weekend trips through BC, the first of many to come. There are some wonderful roads there, and a friend of mine asked specifically what this route was like, hence the detailed description of the roads themselves.

August 29-31st, 2003
Total Miles: 919.3, 2 days
Seattle – Whistler - Kamloops – Seattle
Tickets: 0
Mishaps: 0
Puckers: 1

Day .5
The plan was for Joe and I to ride up to White Rock, BC, meet Doug, and spend the weekend touring British Columbia. We would finish the trip in Seattle, Doug in tow, and then he would go back to Victoria on Monday (BC Civic Holiday and all) while we went back to work. Joe and I left Friday after work – what a mistake! Traffic on 5 northbound at 5:30 on a Friday is murder. It took us an hour to make it to Arlington (usually about 30 minutes). We finally hit Bellingham and the traffic cleared up a bit, but by then we were almost at our destination. We waited about 20 minutes at the border, crossed with no problems, and found Zarly waiting for us on the other side. His ferry had been late, so he had just gotten there himself. Good timing all around! Doug had made reservations for dinner and a motel in White Rock and we ate and slept well that night!

Day 1 – 477 miles
Saturday we woke up bright and early to prepare for the ride. Joe wasn’t too sure about the trip, however. It was too soon for him after our San Francisco trip and he complained about... well, about needing a more comfortable seat. Since he didn’t think that he’d enjoy himself, he chose to ride back to Seattle while Doug and I pressed on for the weekend. We parted ways at 8:10 from White Rock.

Doug and I headed into and through Vancouver (always a beautiful city, but particularly pleasant on a quite weekend morning) and then on to Horseshoe Bay and Squamish. This being a three day weekend for Canadians, the roads were plagued with cars, buses, boats and bikes (the bikes were acceptable, though). Route 99 to Squamish is pleasant and follows the contours of Horseshoe Bay for some time, giving us some fun curves and good pavement. Once we neared Whistler, however, major construction set in and the road was almost torturous! Zarly hit one particular bump that I was sure would kill his rear shock. The road finally got back to normal as we rode through Whistler and on to Pemberton. Right after we passed Pemberton it became smooth and fun! Mt. Currie marks the start of the ascent into the heart of the mountains.

Breakfast in Squamish	A peaceful lake at Mt Currie

Near Mt Currie	Near Mt Currie

The road becomes slightly rougher, and the turns tighter. The traffic has lightened considerably and the few cars that we come across are easy to pass. I had my only close call along this stretch of road… The road edges were all gravel and dirt, and some of it would get on the road surface. Apparently there was some dust (it had to be dust – I never saw anything on the road) in the middle of my turn. I took the turn and was completely surprised when BOTH tires slipped out about 6”! Nothing more than that happened, but it gave me a little bit more respect for the corners after that. Doug and I stopped at Duffy Lake for a photo op, and then we continued on toward Lillooet.

Duffy Lake	Duffy Lake

The road conditions got better and the mountains got steeper! We stopped for some more pictures and heat break (we had reached the “warm” side of the mountains) before descending into Lillooet.

On the way to Lillooet	The road to Lillooet

More views heading for Lillooet	A quick stop at Spences Bridge to quench our thirst

From Lillooet we headed south on 12 towards Lytton. This is a decently paved road that is sculpted into the side of the Fraser River Canyon. The hills tower above the road and far below you is the flowing river. It is an engineering marvel that this road even exists. We maintained comfortably high speeds on this road all the way into Lytton. From Lytton we turned north on 1 to Spences Bridge. The road here varies between 2 and 4 lanes and is really fast as it follows the N Thompson River. The trees have all but disappeared by now and the hills are golden with the heat of August. At Spences Bridge there is a darling little motel/restaurant that had a Twisted Edge/Destination Highways sticker on the door – discount!

We then turned off onto 8, following the Nicola River. Eight is another great road (these are really all great roads actually) that follows a wide river valley down to Merritt. At Merritt we slipped off to a side route and took 5A north to Kamloops. This is a much better alternative to 5, as there is virtually no traffic and many interesting landmark features to enjoy as you ride by. Doug pointed out a coyote running across a field and I saw at least four osprey and some bald eagles.

Fires near Kamloops	Fires near Kamloops

We followed 1 east until we reached Monte Creek, where we planned to take 97 down to Vernon. Much to our chagrin, they had closed 97 due to the forest fires in the area. We backtracked to 1 and continued east to Salmon Arm and then followed 97B and 97A to Vernon, a pleasant but completely non-descript route. Doug says that 97 is much better. We found our hotel in Vanson at 9:30 that night and then immediately found a place to eat. It was the first meal that we had eaten since breakfast at 9:30am.

Day 2 – 442.3

Doug and I got another early start on Sunday. From Vernon we headed south on 97 to Kelowna and then slipped off to the east to enjoy the fast-paced splendors of 33. Almost no traffic, fairly fast corners and a bobcat! Yes, we had one dart out across the road in front of us and then pose just long enough for me not to get a picture.

Dramatic sunset due to the forest fires	Breakfast stop in Beaverdell

Coming into Osoyoos	The road into the Okanogan Valley

The day was overcast and cool – in fact, I was surprised that we didn’t get rained on. We followed 97 down through Oroville, Omak and Wenatchee. At Wenatchee we turned west on 2 and flew over Steven’s Pass. We had picked up a stray bike at this point, and he was game to keep up with us as we experimented with the limits of Doug’s RT and my patience with traffic. Coming down out of the mountains is always disappointing (traffic, of course) and today was no different. Our riding day ended at 7:20 that night. Doug stayed in Seattle that night and then headed back to Victoria; another successful trip under our belts.