My book tour for And The River Still Sings started at 5.30:am! I left in the dark, and by the time I got half way to Williams Lake and daylight came, the autumn colours had faded. That day, the Williams Lake Writers’ Workshop was held. Sage Birchwater, Donna Milner, Christian Peterson, and myself all gave 1/2 hour presentations about the process of writing. We had a great exchange of information, a lovely lunch, and a meet and greet session. All lots of fun.
We were done by mid afternoon and the day was gorgeous so I drove south on Hwy 97 until the shadows were long, then pulled off onto a logging road to camp. Not quite a frost – the stars were incredible. I started again in the dark in the morning, then turned onto Hwy 99 just north of Cache Creek to enjoy a break at Marble Canyon.
Pavilion Lake, part of Marble Canyon Provincial Park, contains internationally significant “microbialite” structures, thought to be comparable in some respects to microbial reefs that existed on earth over 500 million years ago. If you google microbialites, you will see some amazing pictures. Here is just one of them.
The road to Lillouette goes through sagebrush country.
It is high above the Fraser River. (The sun has not yet penetrated the canyon.)
Clemetis is tangled amongst the shrubs.
The scenery becomes very dramatic close to Lillouette.
My route goes into the canyon behind the ochre bluff.
The road gains quite a bit in elevation to cross the mountains. Near the top, mist was rising from Cayoosh Creek.
Duffy Lake, at the top, was totally socked in at the eastern end, but part way along, a bit of the far shore could be seen.
On the far side we broke through into sunshine.
Not far below the pass is a popular hike. Three lakes run along Joffre Creek – there is a wonderful mountain view at each of them.
The water is glacier fed so a gorgeous turquoise colour.
Being not far from Whistler (and less than 3 hours from Vancouver), the trail is groomed for city hikers!
It is like a freeway! There are even work signs along it,
And I was amazed to see a little cat with a tiny bucket perched high on a steep part of the trail.
After a steep grind (being a spectacular Sunday, the trail was very crowded: everyone, even old folk, were sailing past me at speed) we reached the second lake.
Three women, who were apparently from Russia, performed yoga on a sunken log.
After another steep and quite rough climb, the third lake came into view.
My face ached from smiling at everyone. I would say I encountered 200 people at least. A very different hiking experience from what I am used to! But it was still well worth doing.
The drive from there to Vancouver was a zoo. A gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon meant everyone was nose to tail, hurtling along a twisty mountain road at 100 km per hour.
The next day, in North Vancouver, it rained! I wish I could send some of the rain home. But what a fantastic trip. What a diverse province we live in!
Tonight I give me first slide show at Capilano library in North Vancouver.