Day 3 – Lillooet to Mount Robson

On our drive the previous day, we had traveled along roads that followed rushing streams and led us through lush mountain passes. When we reached Lillooet, suddenly we were in a dry, barren valley. The Fraser River runs through the valley along with glacier-fed mountain streams as in the photo above, but it doesn’t relieve the sense of dryness. It was quite a sudden transition, as if someone had switched on the heat and cranked up the temperature.

When we reached our hotel, we asked for directions to the best place to get some ice cream. The desk clerk was at a loss for words, but he finally said that the grocery store was the best bet. It seems that people in Lillooet don’t eat a lot of ice cream cones. We found that very surprising given the desert environment that surrounds the town. Nevertheless, we made our way to the grocery store and promptly devoured a pint of chocolatey goodness.

Hotel DeOro had a shared kitchen that all guests could use and, after having breakfast and preparing our lunch for the next leg of our journey, we headed out. Of course, I had to first take a photo of the bear trap located just behind the hotel. Interesting inscription on it. Wonder if anyone has tried to get into that thing!

Our trip this day consisted of continuing along Hwy. 99 to the junction with 97 that took us to Cache Creek. There we turned east to follow Hwy 1 to Kamloops. The first couple of hours consisted of mile after mile of open valleys filled with sagebrush and eventually lodgepole pines – about all that grows in those dry conditions.

As it got close to lunch time, we began looking for a shady spot to eat. I didn’t relish the thought of sitting in the open sun for even a few minutes. The temperature wasn’t extreme – only 28 and probably mild for the locals who would be used to 34 degrees or more at this time of year – but it was plenty hot for me!

I searched Google and found a campground coming up a few miles ahead at Juniper Beach Provincial Park on the Thompson River. One of the reviews on Google said, “Only place with trees for a while.” I thought it was our best bet for some shade – and it was.

I had noticed in the reviews that someone mentioned you had to love trains if you wanted to camp here overnight. Suddenly, as we were packing up to leave, we heard the loud whistle of a train. The CNR main line runs right beside the campground! Apparently a train goes by about every half hour.

After lunch, we headed off again following the Thompson River as it expanded into Kamloops Lake just before we reached Kamloops itself. Our route now called for us to follow Hwy 5 north up past Clearwater, Valemount and Tete Jaune Cache where we would take Hwy 16 towards Mt. Robson.

Just as we turned onto Hwy 5, we decided to stop at Tim Horton’s for some refreshment, a good Canadian thing to do, of course. Unexpectedly, we found that this “Timmy Ho’s” was right beside the site of a major event, the 40th Annual Kamloopa Powwow at the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Powwow Grounds in Kamloops. The website says it is “one of the largest celebrations of First Nations’ culture and heritage in Western Canada… a vibrant display of storytelling, song, and dance in traditional regalia.” Check out the website for more information and a video.

The restaurant was very busy and we saw a number of people in traditional clothing. Unfortunately, we had a long way still to go that day and couldn’t stop to watch. So we grabbed our filled carrot muffins (they must be a Tim Horton’s special creation) and headed back out to the highway.

This section of the drive was very long and it was getting late in the afternoon. However, we gradually began to see more mountain peaks and lush vegetation which lifted our spirits. Finally, after turning onto the Yellowhead Highway at Tete Jaune Cache, the mighty Fraser River appeared again – displaying its cold, green, fast-flowing power. What a welcome sight!

We were almost at our destination for the night, Mount Robson Lodge. We eagerly watched for the sign and then, right in front of us was the sign AND Mount Robson! Her head was in the clouds but she was magnificent, nonetheless.

It was getting dark; so we were happy to get settled in our cabin, and get up early in the morning to check out this glorious mountain at dawn.