Clearwater to Kamloops to Cache Creek to Lillooet to Whistler to Squamish to Vancouver International Airport to Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay to Lochside Drive, Victoria

No post yesterday because we had a very long day. We left Clearwater at 7.45am heading for Kamloops, our intention being to get to Whistler to overnight. Plans changed en route as we discovered we would be reaching Whistler in the early afternoon so we might as well go on to Vancouver, return Gypsy to the airport, get the ferry at Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay and get back home. We arrived home sometime before 10pm.

Our drive brought us through several different kinds of landscape and was different to the Rockies but just as spectacular in places and just as beautiful. From Clearwater to Barriere we were in the North Thompson Valley. It was very pretty and could very easily have been Ireland.

A view over the Lower Thompson River

It's strange that this part of the Thompson River Valley is so pretty but the part from Valemount to Clearwater was just ordinary - that is until we saw the bear!

At Little Fort we saw an elk or some class of a deer with antlers but I was too slow to get a photo.

The deer scrambled up here in a frantic effort to avoid being photoed!


Close to Barriere we saw 2 goshawks. In this area it was flat farmland surrounded by rolling hills. They grow ginseng in this area too - we knew from the tarpaulin covering large areas of the fields and anyway Gypsy told us!

In 2003 there were huge forest fires in the area around Barriere due to the arid conditions. They completely destroyed one lumber business and resulted in lots of the locals leaving Barriere to look for new jobs.

A view of some of the dead/burnt trees in the Barriere region along Louis Creek

At Kamloops we were back to the desert area that we had seen on Sunday, our first day of the road trip. Even knowing what to expect it still comes as a surprise. From Kamloops to Cache Creek was the only part of our 4 day trip that we repeated.

Arid conditions around Kamloops.

At this stage it was attempting to rain - the first rain we had seen since we left Victoria. However it was light and short-lived. I think we were travelling too fast for it. From Cache Creek we were into Rattlesnake Country. Gypsy told us that the rattlesnake is a very shy creature and not in the slightest bit interested in humans unless it feels threatened. Its first reaction is to shake its rattle, the second to flee. Striking is a last resort. We were safe in the car and not likely to check out if that is true or not! Between Cache Creek and Lillooet there was a turquoise lake called ...

Turquoise Lake!

This was on a very windy road in Marble Canyon. A little farther on was Pavilion Lake with a little island that seems to be inhabited. This lake has a coral-like structure underwater created by microbes not found anywhere else. We didn't dive down to check it out as we hadn't the gear. In winter it freezes up and is popular for ice-fishing. Imagine going out in freezing conditions onto a frozen lake, cutting a hole in the ice and waiting for a fish to bite! Seemingly it is very popular!! And some mad people cut a hole in the ice and have a swim!!

Pavilion Lake.

Next we were back to the Fraser River Canyon which reminded me of the Copper Canyon in Mexico though on a smaller scale.                                

At this stage Jim admitted that this was a much trickier drive than anything we had experienced so far. The road was ok but not as good as the roads in the Rockies. 

    






This photo should give you some idea of what it was like.

Another view of the area.

And another

 If you look carefully at what looks like a hole in the rock face just left of centre you will see (imagine?) a railway tunnel.

And this is the tunnel from the other side, slightly right of centre.

                                                                                                                          

And there's snow here too eventhough it's not the Rockies!

Can you see the snow in the distance just up against the clouds?

Another colorful lake - Seton Lake.

Now we moved into the Coyoosh Canyon where there was much more evidence of snow.  In front to the left was Fountain Ridge where someone discovered Ice Caves. The story was that someone who lived at the base of Fountain Ridge was digging a hole to create a\ larder/store for food during very hot weather. While he was digging in temperatures around 40 degrees C he got very cold and went inside to get a sweater. When he came out the hole had filled with ice. He made a fortune selling ice during the hot weather!

We passed on into Coyoosh Canyon and drove along Duffey Lake.

Duffey Lake was still frozen in places.

And the Cayoosh Range of Mountains was snowclad.












We had our lunch in Pemberton. Soup in British Columbia is excellent we have discovered and not limited to vegetable soup which is the ubiquitous lunchtime soup in Ireland. Jim had goulash soup and I had broccoli. Other soups sampled on other occasions were tomato and basil, cauliflower and bacon, mexican chowder and creamy turkey - all good homemade versions!

When we arrived in Whistler it was clear that it is a winter sports resort and winter sports were not yet over as we could see people skiing on Blackcomb Mountain. On Mount Whistler the slopes were still snow covered a lot of the way down but it looked as if they were closed.

Black Tusk Mountain just past Whistler, called by the first nation The Landing of the Thunderbird.

You can just about see the Cheakamus River.

The Tantalus Range.

While on this road we passed a bus with a sign "Burn a bee swinging 60s club". Whatever about a bee, we have been burning the kilometres - more on that later.

This road that we were on from Whistler to Vancouver is know as the Sea to Sky Drive only we went from sky to sea. We had now reached the coast and drove along Howe Sound. This is a very scenic road but hard to get an opportunity when driving to get an unobstructed photo. Anyway, these are what I got with my limited skills.

Views along the coast of Howe Sound.

At this stage we had to say our farewell to Gypsy and returned to our very neglected Garmin Nuvi. I knew by her voice that she was rather disgruntled but she still did her job and ensured that we negotiated the heavy traffic of Vancouver to arrive at the airport to return Gypsy. She also got us to the ferry in time for the 7pm crossing to Swartz Bay from where we knew our way back to Lochside Drive, Victoria.

What a day! What a road trip! And we have so much else ahead. Today, however, blogging, housekeeping, washing, ironing etc.