Clear to Clearwater

We think most of Whistler was hungover because it was quiet at 9:00am when we left. We wanted to stay in the village of Whistler to be close to everything and experience the energy. Been there, done that. Next time we’ll pick a nice quiet inn outside the village where the bass-pumping disco music and the whoops and shouts of 20-somethings is muted by midnight!

The weather was iffy with imposing clouds but we decided to chance it and not put on our rain gear. We were rain-free all day! The sky was beautiful with puffy clouds.

The scale of these mountains is unbelievable. We went from 675 feet in Whistler to over 3,000 feet in elevation over several passes. Much of the ride was in canyons between towering mountains.

We stopped for brunch and espressos in Lillooet and then hit the road again to Clearwater with skies still mostly clear. The road follows creeks which pour into several Alpine lakes. Again the scenery is simply stunning.

We rested in Lone Butte at a cute little park that their historical society created. The original water tower that served the railroad was restored and they brought in a caboose and a small utility rail car.

Back on the road, the terrain started to flatten. We went from high mountains, to high desert, to valley farmlands – all with multiple lakes and creeks. When we rode into Clearwater, not only was it clear, it was 88 degrees!

Today’s ride was gorgeous but we saw virtually no wildlife. We saw signs for bears, deer, moose and even wild horses but no actual sitings.

Once in Clearwater, we cleaned up and went in search of food. We walked halfway around Dutch Lake for a fantastic meal and a view that was unbeatable. Lakeside dining with lily pads, jumping trout and a stunning sky is perfection.

Tomorrow we go to Jasper. We’re hoping to see some wildlife and more of Canada’s incredible beauty. It should be a shorter day on the bike so hopefully we will explore Jasper more than we did last time we were here.

Canada doesn’t have many barns so we felt lucky to have captured this one for today’s barn pic.