Squamish to Kamloops
419 KMS
Last day of the trip and we had sun for the whole run from Squamish to Kamloops. The ride to Pemberton wasn't bad... We had traffic in front of us as we cleared Whistler and put the hammer down for Pemberton. Allen had a bit of a moment in a corner where his vision locked onto a maroon van coming from the opposite direction. It's hard to look away when that happens. The motorcycle mantra is that you go where you look. It's an unconscious act but true. It happened to me when I was learning and I couldn't tear my eyes off a fuel tanker coming towards me in a corner and I had to force myself to lean the bike over to change my line. Allen made it through the corner fine, but was a little upset at himself. We all do it - no worries. Highway 99 turns crazy gnarly just after Pemberton with some fun esses heading into four or five tight switchbacks. Some of the best riding in BC is on the first 45 kms of this road. The second half to Lillooet is pretty bumpy. It's still insanely fun, but the first half is better due to the fresh ribbon of asphalt.
We really lucked out and had 8 vehicles max in front of us that we had to pass that whole segment. Most of them we quickly passed and we were able to find a good carving rhythm. The ride is intense enough that I forget to enjoy the scenery in the area. It's all mountains and canyons with a river by the road. Take the trip in a car if you don't have a bike. The views are easily worth it.
We stopped for lunch at a Subway in Lillooet. It was hot as is the norm there and we talked to a guy on a Ducati Multistrada. I love Ducatis, but can't really justify the expense of buying and maintaining the brand. The guy was on his way to the island from Edmonton and was stoked for the ride down 99. Allen and I saddled up and kicked it down the rest of 99 to Cache Creek. All of highway 99 is great... some sections are just greater than others.
We made Kamloops and stopped at a Shell to fill up, grab a drink and to split up. Allen still had another 150 kms to home and I had 20 to my place. The end of these trips are pretty tough as we don't see each other as much as we would like. The trip was great though and at least we were able to do it. We shortened it by a week and almost had to cancel it due to job issues with me. Next year we'll ramp it up to the next level...
There's a good selection of pictures and some links to peruse. Thanks for visiting!
Joel