Wells Gray - Covid relief!

 

We’re going to blame this one on Dr. Bonnie Henry or maybe Jr.(Trudeau)

 

With 3 weeks between booking and actually getting our second vaccine we need to get away and with hot weather in the forecast we activate the plan to go to Wells Gray Provincial park during spring run-off. Forecast for Kamloops, our tour centre for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,  ranged from 35 to 34C.

Catching the Departure Bay ferry Monday morning we had a quick shuttle over to Horseshoe Bay with some other bikers, this time chatting with a couple from North Vancouver, who had been doing a weekend tour of the south island on their bikes. The time went by so quickly!

Sea to Sky

Duffy Lake

From there the ride up to Squamish to Whistler took up the remainder of the morning and we had lunch in Whistler Village. From there it was over to Lillooet, BC. on what is known as the Duffy Lake road, is one of the hottest places in Canada and the upper ride limit of many a day trip motorcyclist from the lower mainland.

Lillooet loop

it did not disappoint. Close to 37C when we pulled in for gas. That's starting to feel too hot, a full 10 C cooler than 47 C we experienced in Turkey in 2011. The day’s ride ended in Kamloops at 35 C and we readied for our ride the next morning. Ride total for the day was 425 kms.

 

Tuesday we dressed much lighter and left for the ride up to Clearwater and into Wells Gray at 8am so temperatures were perfect for riding. The whole ride up, especially the first 60 kms. was beautiful winding along the Thompson river. 

Of course the big draw was Helmcken Falls profiled by the Knowledge Network on TV. but Spahats Falls is the first within the park.

We couldn't believe the canyon Spahats Falls is in. Apparently this area was formed as a result of volcanic activity some 200-400,000 yrs ago and then covered by a Glacier which thawed 10,000 yrs ago. Since then, the canyons have formed based on the wear of the water running over and through the lava rock which is much softer.

Awe inspiring to say the least. While smaller in size you are closer to it and it feels more intimate. You can see in the canyon shot (top right) where the viewpoint is to look back at the Falls and out towards to Clearwater river which is fed by these and the other creeks and rivers. (Click on any pic to view full screen)

Then we are off to Helmcken Falls but just before the turnoff for Helmcken is Dawson Falls and a one lane wooden bridge. With the spring run-off the river raging as it is right now that scene was impressive to say the least. Of course Helmcken didn’t disappoint even with such high expectations, so it was a very good day.

Helmcken, compared to Niagara

 

After photos and a picnic lunch we decided to head back to Kamloops as we had booked the hotel pool and spa. With Covid they are still keeping small groupings.

Mc Lure Ferry

But we still had plenty of time and I saw the sign for the McLure ferry so I doubled back to drive down to see what kind of ferry it was. For many years when hauling our sailboat to the coast we had seen the sign for this ferry.It crosses the N Thompson river. 

Well as it was hot again today 35C and the river high we arrived at the ferry ‘terminal’.

McLure Ferry terminal

There appears to be no-one around. Huh!

As I'm taking picx of this tied up old ferry, kind of a wood platform with an engine and cables, I hear a voice from back in the trees call out  "Want a ride?". I finally associate the voice to a guy laid back in a small screened hut in the trees overlooking the ferry ramp. It was right out of Tom Sawyer, tucked in the shade letting the river run by hotter than ever.

 

After a bit of discussion given the sketchy appearance we conclude that it can’t be worse than the Greek ferries, after all BC Ferry Corp. operates it. You can see the bustling ferry terminal on the other side!

The ferry captain (hahaha) said today was ‘dead’ but yesterday he did 100 trips, all full! The road into Kamloops from here is smaller and more windy but very scenic and currently Trans Mountain is busy with pipe installation along that side of the Thompson river.

We got back for our 1 hr pool and spa reservation use of the hotel pool. Imagine getting the hotel pool for yourself! It was a very good day made even better when we went out for Greek food at Dorian's. Truly a day trip to remember.

We'd highly recommend travelling here to see this natural beauty of our country's landscape. The town of Clearwater is nearby with most facilities. And North Thompson Prov. park offers excellent camping before entering the park, so for those with trailers you can get a spot and then drive in.

There are campsites within Wells Gray park itself but many of them are set back from the main road.

Wells Gray is also a huge park with the paved road ending at Helmcken Falls but a gravel road continuing north to Clearwater lake and beyond.

Please excuse the orientation of the attached video (fixed). It is a clip taken of Helmcken Falls and I had the camera in Portrait orientation to capture the whole falls.