Spring Touring! Part 2 - Whistler to Penticton

Day 2 - Whistler to Penticton - 450 km

We both woke up with just a touch of a sore head in the morning, but after a coffee and a light breakfast, we were ready to head on the road.

Leaving Whistler was a lot easier than getting there, as we continued North on highway 99. The first stretch is to Pemberton, where I had never been before. There were some nice mountain vistas but, unfortunately, I did not take any photos. We were both waking up a bit as we rode, and it was quite cold (6° C.) so there was a bit of an urgency to keep going.

Dale taking a break at Joffre Park

We gassed up in Pemberton and then continued on the next leg toward Lillooet. This part of Highway 99 is known as the Duffy (or Duffey) Lake Road. It was a dirt road for a long time but was initially (mostly)paved in 1991 and then upgraded and completely paved in 2009. I had never been on the Duffy Lake Road but it is rated one of the best highway drives in BC and it is easy to see why.

Joffre Park view.

The highway is quite twisty with lots of elevation changes. It also has lots of breathtaking scenery that forces you to stop at times and just take it all in. There are some great hiking trails that we saw many people taking advantage of. Overall, it is a glorious ride.

Mountains from Joffre Park

Our first stop was Joffre Provincial Park (not named after the Game of Thrones boy-king, I hope) and was a spot for hikers to congregate and set out from. 

Duffey Lake View

We continued on Highway 99 North until we reached Duffey Lake. It was a beautiful lake and a perfect, almost cloudless, sky. The temperature by now had increased dramatically and we were quite warm. 

Reflected hills in Duffey Lake

A feathered friend mistakes me for Dr. Doolittle

It is interesting trying to determine if the spelling is Duffey or Duffy for the lake and the road. Apparently, there was a sapper (military engineer) named James Duffy who was surveying in the area and, in 1861, froze to death. I assume that the lake is named after him, so it should be spelled without the 'e". 

However, all of the official Government websites have it spelled with the 'e' so, there you go! Maybe someone in the government bureaucracy way back couldn't spell very well and screwed up!

Dale taking a photo near Duffey Lake

There was some traffic on the road - everything from other bikes to giant motorhomes - but it really wasn't that busy at all and, on the few occasions we got stuck behind someone, it wasn't long until a passing opportunity presented itself. 

We continued on towards Lillooet which is the end of the Duffey Lake Road portion of Highway 99. I snapped this photo of the trees and mountains as my last photo on that scenic road.

When we arrived in Lillooet, our goal was to find the winery. Fort Beren's has been running for a few years but its slick tasting room has only been open since 2014. It is the only winery in Lillooet and has a beautiful location.

For a full accounting of the wine tasting, head over to my other blog, Wine And Then Somm, and read the blog entry for Fort Beren's wine tasting.

Tasty lunch at Fort Beren's Estate Winery 

After our wine tasting, we headed outside to the nicely shaded bistro area and had a fantastic lunch. Sipping on my wine, enjoying the sunshine, and eating my sandwich, I felt that this was the pinnacle of the day!

 

The day, however, was far from over! We rode south along Highway 10 through pleasant scenery until we arrived at Lytton. There were some very nice views and some curves as well but not nearly as exciting as the Duffey Lake Road. It was a lot hotter, as well, so we did need to stop and remove as many layers as was safe to do so. 

Once we got to Lytton, we were in familiar territory. We rode down Highway 1 until Spences Bridge and then Highway 8 to Merritt, with no repeat of the near empty gas tank that Dale suffered last year when we went on this part. Still feeling nice and toasty, we then headed up the Okanagan Connector, Highway 97C.

I had been on that very highway the previous weekend and it had been very cold (1.5° C. from inside the car). However, the sun was shining and we thought it would be nice an warm on the connector. 

Not so.

As we approached the summit (Pennask Summit) it became colder and colder. Stubbornly, Dale refused to stop and add some layers and, stubbornly, I refused to stop as well, opting to crank my heated grips and seat. It was quite an experience! Happily, as we headed down the other side, the temperature began to rise again.

We stopped to gas up at Peachland and I had an interesting experience. I had gassed up and was waiting to leave a busy gas station. A guy with a truck and a big boat was backing up towards me so I gave him a toot on my horn to warn him that I was there. He glared at me and asked me why I honked my horn to which I replied, "Just so you can know that I'm here."

"I saw you," he replied.

Then he muttered something about how I shouldn't be honking my horn at him as I rode off. Interesting. 

From there we road on Highway 97 towards Penticton, an easy ride on a good highway that was nice and warm as well. We stayed with Dale's mother-in-law where I had a nice bed, a great dinner, some enjoyable conversation, and a wonderful view of her back yard. 

Tomorrow, back home!