Lillooet to Whistler - The Sea to Sky Highway

Yesterday we drove south -- on Highway 12 from Lillooet to Lytton, where Highway 12 meets B.C.'s main north-south highway, 97.  Today we drove west, continuing on Highway 99 to Whistler.  The highway, known as the Sea to Sky Highway, continues past Whistler to Vancouver, but we chose to do this as a day trip and the ski resort was of interest to us, so we picked Whistler as our turnaround point.

No sooner did we climb out of Lillooet than we arrived at the base of Seton Lake, a natural fjord which is drained by the Seton River, which joins the Fraser River in Lillooet.  To confuse visitors, the Seton River is called Cayoosh Creek all the way from Seton Lake to the Fraser River, even though, from a geological-naming point of view, Cayoosh Creek joins the Seton River just below the lake.  This is important because we're camped on Cayoosh Creek (or Seton River), and our drive toward Whistler continued past Seton Lake along Cayoosh Creek.

That's a lot of words, but the view from the east end of Seton Lake is what is important.  That's Whitecap Mountain in the far distance, tucked behind and between those two peaks:

While Seton Lake stretched east and a little north from Lillooet, Highway 99 turns southwestward and continues along the beautiful Cayoosh Creek, through some of the most spectacular mountains and valleys we have ever seen:

Eventually, we reached Duffy Lake, which is both drained and fed by Cayoosh Creek, below where Cayoosh Creek joins Highway 99 as it flows south out of the Cayoosh Range.  Here is a view west from a vantage point at the east end of Duffy Lake, with a pretty view of Joffre Peak in the distance: 

The view east from the logjam on Duffy Lake gives a bucolic feeling, with shoreline grasses tinged in light greens, yellows, oranges and autumn reds:

We drove further along the south shore of Duffy Lake to a pullout near the west end, where the waters of the lake were more still and reflected the surrounding mountains in symmetric patterns:

Here is another view of Joffre Peak and nearby Mount Matier from further west along Highway 99:

Normally, it is a 2 hour drive from Lillooet to Whistler, but ours took 3 hours due to our viewing and photography stops.  However, by a little after noon we arrived at Whistler and its well-known Inuksuk.  The mountain and some of the slopes are visible behind Blackcomb Village:

After a tasty lunch and libation at High Mountain Brewing Company, we started our walk over to the new Blackcomb Gondola, which we would ride to the top of Blackcomb Mountain.  But, first, we needed to stop by the Olympics monument in the public square, which commemorates Whistler's hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics:

It wasn't long before we were lifting off in the Blackcomb Gondola above the village and Faux Frontenac (behind David's head):

The gondola climbs an incredible 4,000 feet at a steep pitch, and it wasn't long before we were high above the village:

We hopped off the gondola and started a hike on the Alpine Loop, which offers views in most directions from near the top of the mountain (well, near enough that you could see the peak from the trail in the photo below):

Toward the end of the trail, as we approached the Blackcomb end of the Peak-to-Peak Gondola, which connects Blackcomb to Whistler Mountain, we spotted this warming hut for the Jersey Cream run.  It looked like a lot of fun.  Hopping off the gondola, a skier would head left from this sign and drop steeply down into a bowl, where there would be perhaps a mile of wonderful, floating skiing before the skier would hit the lip of the face of the mountain.  After that, Katie bar the door!

At the bottom of the Alpine Loop Trail, we walked out to a viewpoint where, to our astonishment, we found a hoary marmot begging food from some tourists.  Aside from being offended that tourists would feed it (a fed marmot is a dead marmot), we felt sad for the little fellow, because he wasn't engaging in the very necessary work of providing for his winter survival.  Presumably, he's learned that he can get through the winter by mooching off of skiers as well.  However, it still is just not right.

Turning from Mr. Marmot, we looked out, down the mountain, toward the valley and little Green Lake, tucked between clouds below us, along the opposite shore of which we would soon be motoring to head back east on Highway 99 toward Lillooet:

For us, this day involved a lot more driving that we normally will like (other than when we move the motorhome from campground to campground).  Normally, when we are camped, we don't like to drive more than an hour from our base to explore, and we prefer getting more exercise than turning the steering wheel of the Jeep.  But this drive, along the Sea to Sky Highway, is one of the most spectacular and memorable we have ever taken, and it ranks right up there with the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park, or the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff, or perhaps the Apache Trail east of Phoenix.

Lillooet to Lytton

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Hi Blog!

Yesterday, we drove down from Williams Lake to Lillooet. After leaving Highway 97, we followed Highway 99 west. This road goes by many names - Fraser Delta Thruway, Sea to Sky Highway, Squamish Highway or Whistler Highway. No matter which name it goes by, the road is spectacular.

The first part of our drive took us down Marble Canyon. The canyon's name comes from the brilliant colors of its limestone walls. We then followed the Fraser River until we reached Lillooet. We camped in the Cayoosh Creek Campground.

For our coffee walk this morning, we walked down to where Cayoosh Creek joins the Fraser River.

Salmon have returned to the Cayoosh Creek, so there are a number of bears in the area. Luckily, they are Canadian bears and don't usually wake up until after 11:00 a.m. We had the creek to ourselves.

The weather this time of year is very changeable. One minute sunny, next minute we are being soaked. Because of the sun and rain, we were able to catch this faint rainbow.

Once we finished our coffee, we decided to walk into town for a refill and some breakfast. We stopped at the entrance to Lillooet to read all the historical markers. We really liked this little rock garden with the salmon and sturgeon playing among the rocks.

This photo is actually a photo of a photo. Note the "You are Here." That's where we were.  Our campground was on the far side of the river to the left of the bridge.  Town was in the upper right of the photo.  The Fraser Rivers runs across the center, and Cayoosh Creek enters the Fraser River from the middle-left of the photo.

We stopped for breakfast at the Rugged Bean Cafe. We still had some time to kill before the Visitor Center opened at 10:00, so we walked down to the the Miyazaki House. 

During World War II Lillooet’s only doctor passed away and Lillooet was left with no option for health care. Mayor Artie Phair met a man in the Japanese internment camp (yes, Canada interned the Japanese too, at the demand of the U.S. in exchange for the Yanks' agreement to defend the West coast of Canada) named Dr. Miyazaki. Dr. Miyazaki happened to be a medical doctor but he was not allowed to practice due to the internment. When Artie returned to Lillooet, he wrote a petition, which the town’s people signed, to have Dr. Miyazaki and his family taken out of the internment camp and brought into his home.  When the government approved the petition, Dr. Miyazaki moved into what is now known as the Miyazaki House. He became Lillooet’s new doctor and started making history.

After gathering lots of local information at the Visitors Center, we stopped at the local sporting goods store to stock up on fishing tips and local flies. We finally made it back to the RV around 11:00. After walking Baxter, we packed lunch and drove down Highway 12 toward Lytton. 

Highway 12 follows the east bank of the Fraser River on the western flank of the Clear Range for 39 miles. All along the drive, we had spectacular views of the Fraser River Valley. We even managed to catch a glimpse of a couple of female bighorn sheep.

Lytton is located at the confluence of the Fraser River and the Thompson River. The big brown river coming down the center of the photo is the Fraser. The clear blue-green river entering from the right is the Thompson. The two run side-by-side for almost a mile before they mix together.

After lunch, we headed down to the Public Gold Panning area along the banks of the Fraser River. The sandy banks towered high above us.

Before walking down to the beach, we decided to hike across the CN footbridge. Just as we arrived, a train had passed, so we thought we had plenty of time to get across and back again before the next train.

This was our view up the Fraser River.

This was our view down the Fraser River.

The footbridge was completely enclosed.

Just as we began our walk back across the Fraser, we noticed another train was approaching.

Because the tracks cut off our exit from the pedestrian bridge, we had no choice but to stick it out as the train rumbled by. Luckily for us, it wasn't going very fast. Nevertheless, it was still unnerving to be standing less than six feet from a speeding locomotive.

Once the train passed, we set about seeking our fortune in gold!

After trying a couple likely spots, Dave found an area marked off by a previous prospector. We may have found one little fleck of gold, but the jury is still out. However, we did find 15 cents in change left by the prior prospector, so we figure we are ahead of the game.

With another sprinkle cloud approaching, we decided to wrap up our prospecting and head back to Lillooet. Just before we crossed the bridge into town, we stopped at the Fort Berens Winery to sample their wines.

Back in camp, it was time to relax and enjoy a day well bibbled! 

We have several more days here and hope to get out and explore more. Cheers!

Biking the Williams Lake River Valley Trail

Once we finished our hike around Scout Island this morning, we took Dusty the Jeep out for a good washing after our muddy drives to the Chilcotin Dome and Dunes yesterday (see our blog entry about that adventure).  Once we were done with that and some grocery shopping, we turned to a bicycle adventure for the afternoon, which was forecast to be the warmest and sunniest of our stay here in Williams Lake.

We learned about the Williams Lake River Valley Trail from our counselor at the Williams Lake Visitor Centre, and, based on her recommendation, we were eager to have at it.

The trail meanders, interweaving with the Lake Williams River down its deep canyon between opposing cliffs toward its junction with the Fraser River:

The Williams Lake River is a gorgeous stream, and it is the spawning ground for a variety of salmon species that swim up the Fraser River from the Pacific Ocean.

The Williams Lake area has been subjected to the action of great ice sheets about 10,000 years ago during Pleistocene times.  Today, glacial deposits from these ice sheets can be found in the sides of the Williams Lake River Valley. These deposits are exposed in some areas where the valley wall has given way to gravitational forces or along stream cut banks where water erosion exerts its influence. As ice retreated from the area in a South Easterly direction, the Fraser River was dammed and a lake formed that covered the entire Williams Lake area.

Near the top of the valley sides there are deposits rich in shells that provide evidence of the former glacial lake. Over the years since the glacial epoch, Williams Lake River has eroded away significant amounts of glacial sediments and redeposited them as fluvial sands and gravels.

The river valley starts within the boundaries of the City of Williams Lake as a narrow green strip draining from the north end of Williams Lake and is surrounded by industrial and commercial development. West of the city boundary, the valley is at its widest. As it nears the Fraser River, the Valley narrows again with high spectacular cliffs rising over 150 metres with deep gullies on each side. A variety of trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses are found in the valley.

As we bicycled, we found rich wetlands filled with migratory geese, coots and other water birds:

As we bicycled, we were treated with spectacular views of the sandstone-and-glacial-moraine of the surrounding cliffs, through which the Williams Lake River flows:

Our trail intertwines with the river.  We crossed 16 bridges over the river as we pedalled the 12 kilometers from the city to the Fraser River.  Here, Kathy peers from one of the bridges into the waters of the river to watch the salmon spawning:

The salmon were everywhere in the river this year, despite challenges presented by commercial over-fishing and a rockslide at a pinch-point in the Fraser River downstream that created a 15-foot waterfall that made it nearly impossible for salmon to navigate up the Fraser River to spawning grounds such as these.

Some of the salmon were huge and aggressive, and we enjoyed watching them as they competed for territory and females in order to obey the spawning imperative:

We weren't the only observers.  One bald eagle soared right over our heades, up the stream, and perched on a well-placed fir branch to watch for his (her?) opportunity to snatch a tasty salmon from the river:

Lower down the river, the valley opened up and flattened, and we were treated to more spectacular views of the cliffs on either side:

The descending sun cast shadows on the canyon walls as we pedalled down the trail:

Here is where the Williams Lake River empties into the Fraser River --

-- and here the mighty Fraser River speeds its way south toward the town of Hope and its turn west toward Vancouver:

We paused to admire the Fraser River before climbing on our bikes and starting our return pedal uphill back to our trailhead in Williams Lake.

On our return, we spotted several hoodoos we hadn't seen on our way down, including this prominent fellow:

The afternoon sun lit our way as we continued our uphill ride back to where we started.  The dramatic scenery made indelible memories for us as we rode:

Unfortunately, today was our last day in Williams Lake.  Our only consolation is that we will move south tomorrow to the mountain community of Lillooet, which has a strong First Nations population and promises us more adventures of the fishing, paddling and hiking kind.  We'll see what we find!

Exploring Scout Island at Williams Lake

We found so many more things to do around Williams Lake than we had time for!  We tried to narrow our choices by consulting with the lady at the Visitor Information Centre, and she was a great help.  However, she gave us four great activities, and, because of a rainy day, we only ended up with three days to do them in.

So, today was the last day, and the weather was forecast to be the nicest of our stay.  So we decided to fit in two of our activities.  These were each of shorter duration, so we hoped it would work.

We stretched our daily coffee walk into a hike out to Scout Island.  As luck would have it, Scout Island was only about a mile from our campground.  Combining our walk to the Scout Island Visitor Centre, and then around Scout Island Nature Preserve, we covered about four miles.  Pretty long for a morning's coffee walk, but pretty mellow for a hike.

The Scout Island Nature Centre is a nature sanctuary where living things and their environments are protected.  Considered an important wildlife viewing area in the province of BC, it is a place where people can enjoy and learn about nature in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region.  The Nature Trust of BC, the City of Williams Lake and the Williams Lake Field Naturalists are responsible for the operation and maintenance of Scout Island.

This was our first view as we started out on the nature trails:

On the east shore of the island was an observation blind, where we could see ducks and other waterfowl.  We could also see the near shore of Williams Lake and the development along Highway 97:

We decided to take the less developed Willow Trail, along boardwalks through wetland groves of willow and alder:

As we emerged back onto the main trail and passed a beaver lodge, we spotted this deer and her three (!) fawns down at the lake for a drink.  She heard the click of our camera and looked up at us:

We continued on the trail and found this old juniper stretched across, overhead.  David decided to model the juniper for scale:

Out toward the far end of the island, we could look back toward the main part of the island, from where that deer and her fawns had been taking a drink from the lake.  By the time we got to this spot, the deer had disappeared without a trace.

However, we had been alerted, and we walked quietly, trying to find the deer again.  As we climbed to the lookout at the end of the island, we happened upon this lone deer who first looked suspiciously at us, then, judging that we were harmless humans, went back to munching her juicy leaves:

At the top of the lookout, we got this expansive view south along Williams, Lake, which is very long.

Williams Lake is named in honour of Secwepemc chief William, whose counsel prevented the Shuswap from joining the Tsilhqot'in in their uprising against the settler population.  It is fed by the northwest-flowing San Jose River and drained to the Fraser River via the Williams Lake River.  (We biked down the Williams Lake River to the Fraser River later in the day, but more about that in the next blog entry.)

The woods through which the Scout Island trails meander are typical of Pacific Northwest forests -- damp and green from the constant rain, fog and moisture with which they are inundated:

We completed our circuit of Scout Island and headed back to our campsite at the Williams Lake Stampede Park Campground, where an impressive, wood-carved gate welcomed us.

The campground has proven friendly, quiet and insulated from the hustle-and-bustle of the City of Williams Lake, even though it is located in the center of town.  The Stampede Grounds are set down in a bowl beneath the main part of town, forming a natural sound barrier.  We could have stayed longer -- and wanted to -- but we have miles to go before we reach Riverside, California for Thanksgiving, so we'll have to content ourselves with what we can do here in the time alloted.