Getting back on track

My detour down to Vancouver Island took me way off my planned route, but the few days getting back on track have been amazing. This time it was my time to drag Isobel around, over through Whistler and the much more daunting Duffy Lake.

After a rendezvous with Isobel we braved the city traffic. Not really such a big deal though as we were on bike paths.

We were headed for the Sea to Sky hwy, 4 lanes of divided traffic. Another road offered a quiet, albeit undulating alternative. Upon reaching the hwy entrance we found it closed, with a steep hiking trail a suggested alternative. It was a bit of an adventure, taking the long way around would have been quicker though.

The actual riding on the hwy was unpleasant, spectacular views have a habit of making things bare able.

Riding to Whistler was great. With an Iron man coming up there were plenty of cyclists around, and the town was dominated by mountain bikers. Its always amusing seeing people on aero bars whilst climbing.

A few great descents and we were in the flatlands again. In Vancouver I'd been warned about a really narrow windy section, even being advised to ride facing the traffic, but with low traffic, and in comparison to what I'm used to it was nothing.

We thought it prudent to leave ourselves with enough distance to be warmed up before tackling Duffy Lake the next morning so when a track leading down to the river came up we checked it out. Turned out to be a great campsite.

I've mentioned Duffy Lake a few times now, and locals probably know what I'm talking about. For everyone else this is a climb that averages 8% for 13km, exceeding 1000m elevation gain, a record for me in touring. It also has a rough opening of 3km at 10%.

The smell of burning brakes was the fragrance for this first section. One car that was forced to stop for roadworks had smoke billowing from the front brakes.

A sunny day could have made the climb unpleasant, but the shade from the mountain kept the temperature very reasonable. The opening was a slog, but not so bad as some NZ passes, or maybe it was just my lower gearing making it easier.

Whilst the work wasn't all done, the grade become much more manageable. The sight of some ghost bikes was a bit sobering though.

Nearing the top I met Rick, a Dutch cyclist, who was about to enjoy a very rapid descent. At the top I dropped most of my gear and had a very brief but fun descent down to Isobel. Being stubborn (and very close to the top) she turned down my offer of lightening the load and soldiered on.

After so much elevation gain we were due a good descent, but we had to keep working for it. The ride was spectacular, plunging through gorges before climbing back up the other side.

The final descent into Lillooet was spectacular, but massive gouges in the road made for some sketchy moments.

After a small resupply we headed a few km out of town, finding a camp spot below some power lines. 

Taking a bit of a tangent I would like to mention something that made itself felt going over the pass, the lack of rubbish bins. All throughout the Yukon and northern BC there were rubbish bins placed regularly along the highways. When we entered lower BC though these were replaced with signs warning of fines for littering. The worst section just happened to be over Duffy Lake, with none until just before Lillooet. I blame that for not getting the Strava KOM...

Checking bolts should be done regularly, alas I had left it too long and found a rack bolt missing, at least that's what I thought. With spare bolts it was an easy fix, until I noticed that the bolt had sheared off rather than just coming loose, leaving the end still in the frame.

With my rack secured with cable ties we headed to Cache creek. It was hot so we had a swim stop at Pavilion Lake, to scare off the tourists with our tan lines.

In town a truck mechanic helped me remove the old bolt, free of charge!

A late ride brought us to our latest wildcamp, just behind a line of bushes off the hwy.

After the heat of the previous days some clouds made for much nicer riding conditions.

After a decent amount of climbing we had the novelty of flat roads, the first in a long time. After another swim we had the company of some rec cyclists, it was amusing though as we were gaining time at every cattle grate as they were walking each one.

After a few hours on quiet, good quality roads the main highway was a very draining experience, with bad cracks causing jolts every second or so.

Thankfully that night we had a warmshowers place sorted, and we were met by some very friendly dogs. The humans arrived a bit later as well.

Lydia, Glenn and Brett were so great we had to stay another night (we were actually just really lazy). Great company and amazing food made for a nice rest day, even though it was only a few days since the last one. It would be the last for two weeks though.