Today was the last day of out motorcycle trip and after a stop at A&W we took our leave of Tom. He headed south to his home in Merritt while we headed north to Highway 99 which we would take the three hundred and forty kilometres to the BC Ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay.
Since there was little traffic we roe apart from each other with Garry in the lead. Within twenty minutes I had my first close call of the trip. I was running at the speed limit, one hundred kph when a large black dog appeared out of nowhere and darted across the road in front of me. I was on the brakes immediately but the dog hesitated then carried on across the highway. I figure that I missed him by less than a metre. My adrenaline was quite high for a few minutes afterward.
That incident is what I refer to as my 'Code Brown' moment. I have no idea where the dog came from, nor where it was headed, but its appearance in front of me was a surprise, to put it mildly. When I mentioned it at one of our stops Garry mentioned that he had a deer cross in front of him as well as an old brown dog about the size of a Labrador.
The terrain begins to get more rugged as the highway approached Lillooet. The Fraser River runs beside the highway but several hundred feet below. Right now it is running high and muddy just as many of the rivers in the Interior are doing because of the heavy precipitation and cool temperatures over the spring.
Fraser River looking northeast
Fraser River looking west
At Lillooet we reunited and headed south on the Duffy Lake Road. Garry was att he intersection ahead of us and had been checking his phone. Unfortunately, he had placed his reading glasses on his seat and forgotten to put them away and when we moved out, they fell off his motorcycle. I believe that they were drug store readers and he was able to replace them later in Pemberton. The town has a striking are installation that welcomes people. It is in the form of several flowers made from metal and glass.
Welcome to Lillooet
The road climbs quickly out of Lillooet rising from about two hundred forty metres to almost eight hundred metres, while rising in a series of switchbacks and steep pitches. The spped limit for the first part of the ride is sixty kph with some of the curves having a recommended speed of thirty kph. Fortunately we were able to ride without being caught behind a CruiseCanada or CanaDream rental motorhome.
Duffy Lake Road
I was forced to pull over to remedy a problem with my GoPro camera so Jim and Garry moved on ahead of me. Except for stops to put on a sweatshirt and one at Duffy Lake, I rode straight through to Pemberton where met the guys. I had to put on my sweatshirt because at just under four thousand feet altitude it was cold. The surrounding mountain have more snow on them than I have ever seen at this time of year. It seems that except for a few days in May, spring hasn't yet arrived and it is less than a week from the beginning of summer.
Snow in the mountains at the end of Duffy Lake
The hundred kilometres to Squamish went quickly after we passed through Whistler. I always ride by Whistler because it seems to be a very expensive place to spend time and it is very busy even in the summer. Finding a parking spot is apparently very difficult and expensive when you do find one.
Squamish is easier to access and we stopped for a Tim's break and to refuel. The remaining sixty kilometres to Horseshoe Bay passed without interruption. Parts of the highway overlook Howe Sound and the view is terrific as you ride south. We arrived at about 2:15 for the 2:30 sailing. Traffic was lined up on the hill outside the terminal for at least a one sailing wait. Friday afternoons are very busy this time of year, but being on a motorcycle has its advantages. Bikes get to bypass the lineups, and when the fare is paid we are placed at the front of the line to load first and to unload first at the other side.
Sea to Sky Highway north of Horseshoe Bay
While we were waiting a guy arrived on his motorcycle with a bicycle tied to this back. It was an idea and an arrangement that I had never seen before, but the guy was going to Nanaimo to do some mountain biking for the weekend. We also met a couple who were on a motorcycle because theydidn't want to take their car and chance having to wait in line for several hours. judging from the length of the lineup when we arrived, they made a very intelligent decision.
Bike with a bike
In an 'Only In BC' moment, as were rounding Bowen Island an announcement was made over the louspeaker. "Would the people on the deck who are smoking products other than tobacco, please desist." That was the end of it. There were no more announcements of that nature. After all, were ARE Canadian.
There was no reason to stop in Nanaimo so Garry and I rode north on the Inland Island Highway after we parted from Jim who rode south to Sooke. The ride to Campbell River was quite windy and the bikes were being buffeted quite heavily in places. However, the sun was shining so we didn't have to worry about rain although it was quite cool. I arrived home at about 6:15.
In fourteen days we have ridden 4944 kilometres according to my trip meter. We travelled through British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Idaho, Washington, then back to British Columbia. Most of our riding was on on secondary roads with most of them being particularly suited to motorcycle riding. We met a wide variety of people and saw beautiful country in most places we went. The riding was outstanding. This year was different from past rides because the object this year was just to find good roads and ride them, rather than to get to a destination. It is great to be on the road, but it is good to be home. Now I have to start catching up on all those chores that have been neglected for two weeks.. Next year? Who knows?
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