Day 2 - BMW R1200 GSA Solo Adventure: B.C. Chilcotin Plateau to Bella Coola

"I was thinking of time and how much it will cost
To recapture the souls that we surely have lost

In the cities and towns there are millions who dream
But the traffic’s so loud that you can’t hear them scream
There’s a heaven on earth that so few ever find
Though the map’s in your soul and the road’s in your mind"
~ Dan Fogelberg "The Wild Places"

This is my story... my solo adventure motorcycle ride through remote lands where I camped every night except one. I had no real itinerary and a vague plan of the route of where I wanted to go.

                                                                 

Day 2 (Sept 1, 2012)

Note: Click pictures to enlarge

My morning view from my tent camp on Lillooet Lake

Camp coffee never tasted so good

Breakfast wasn't bad either

10 minutes from my camp and this is what I saw

Gretchen looking good

Mt Currie... Let's head up to D'arcy

A local native took my picture near the start of the high line road 

Anderson Lake - A fresh water fjord

High above the lake is a power line road, known as the High Line Road, connecting D'arcy to Seton Portage. It offers incredible views and is a road perfectly suited for my big dual sport bike.

A questionable bridge scares me a bit

All is going very well at this point. Fun gravel roads, scenic lakes, deep gorges and forested mountains. All very beautiful. And then... I come upon this bridge. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the bridge deck itself, but it essentially consisted of 2 wide planks separated by a distance, the width of a typical vehicle, that spanned a metal truss floor. I had to precaiously make my way across the bridge on one of the planks knowing that if I had to put my foot down, it would have be a disaster and possibly injury. As I proceed across the bridge, it begins to flex and bounce like a giant spring.. WHOA! I am not sure what kind of specs and certifications B.C. has in place, but, construction like this would not be found in my neck of the woods. It was as if this was a temporary bridge. I could see old wooden bridge pilings underneath... farther below, a deep chasm. Yes, this kind of stuff is what seperates a vacation from an adventure.   

Looking west back where I came

 With the bridge behind me, I proceed on to greater things. Did I mention the lake views?

Stopping for lunch

Looking toward Seton Portage and Seton Lake

Looking good

Looking at the slide that separates Seton and Anderson Lakes

Anderson and Seton Lake were originally the same lake in this fresh water fjord, which was cut in half between ten and twenty thousand years ago by a large landslide. The slide created a locality known today as Seton Portage,

Penstocks at the BC Hydro plant

The support columns contain native artwork

I found the artwork fascinating

The penstocks coming down from Mission Mtn

More artwork

As I leave, I head toward Lilloeet up Mission Mtn

The view down Seton Lake is fantastic

Past the summit on the other side is Carpenter Lake

Carpenter Lake is a very beautiful reservoir

The road heading down toward the west

The road is wonderful

My head kept spinning from the views

Add some greenery

Beyond the lower part of the reservoir it is beautiful

Nice road

Yes, this is a bikers' road

Where does the road go?

Looking back, the road is incredible

This is also known as the bridge river road. The Bridge river dumps out of Carpenter Lake on it's way to Lillooet. Damn fine motorcycle road if I ever saw one.



The natural erosion of the canyon is something to see



The carved canyon is nothing short of spectacular

Yours truly

The bridge river is scenic from the roadside cliffs

The bridge river road is one of the best roads in B.C. for raw scenery

Unbelievable vistas

Bridge just before Lillooet

I had to make a decision here. At this point I could have taken the road over to Big Bar Ferry. It was late afternoon by now and I was concerned about finding a good place to camp. I decided to head over to the town of Lillooet and grab a late lunch. From there, I would head over to Pavillion and take a dirt road over to Kelly Lake. Where I would spend the night.

First glimpses of the Fraser River Canyon escarpment

The road from Pavillion instantly climbed to a high plateau. I stopped to soak in the views of the Fraser River canyon. I began to hear rumbling noises. I couldn't quite figure out where they were coming from. Looking around I see nothing. There was definite deep rumble sound and I was puzzled. As I was looking around to determine the source, I see a train winding through the edge of the canyon below me.  An incredible sight for sure. I took some video of the train.

Great road through private ranch lands

The Pavillion-Clinton road also referred to as a a "short cut" by locals. The road parallels the Marble Range and passes through some incredible ranch lands. It s probably less than 20 miles of dirt, but has 18%  grades, some steep drop offs and offers some great vistas on the way over to Kelly Lake.

The road offers relentless scenic opportunities

I fond myself stopping often

It took me more than 2 hours to travel this road. The pictures here demonstrate my reluctance to leave the area in any expedient manner.

The early evening sun made for some great lighting

I must have stopped in awe for an hour to soak up the views

The marble range provides some great backdrop

I pull into Kelly Lake that evening to camp for the night. I set up my tent and took a quick dip in the lake to wash the road off my body. I have a light dinner and some hot cocoa. I pour over my maps to plan my route for the next day. Again, as I drift off to sleep, not one thought of work crosses my mind. Awe, what a great adventure vacation this is.  

Stay tuned for Day 3.

Until next time...

Read about the previous day and the start of my adventure here:

http://rubikonadventures.blogspot.com/2012/09/day-1-bmw-r1200-gsa-solo-adventure-bc.html