Cache Creek

Lillooet is a town with a past and not much future. It was a mining town, with jade being the main thing it mined. In town, there are several jade pieces about the town, each on its own pedestal, and prominently displayed along the main street. It was also the start of the Caribou Trail, which was important during the Caribou Gold Rush in the 1800's. (They even imported 23 camels to help with the transport of goods, with no long-term success.) today, it seems to be a place to drink and party. the main street is dying. There is a good restaurant, a Greek one. But the place is for sale because the owner wants to go back to Greece. There is a good German bakery, but it is also for sale, since the owner wants to retire. There is not much else. 

We stayed at the Mile 0 Hotel, in a room with two bedrooms and a kitchen, for just over $100. It was great for us, probably not good for them.

The trip out of Lillooet involved a few hills of some steepness. And the topography had begun to change a lot, from the rainforest of the coast to the desert of the interior. We w

ere following the Fraser River initially, and it is big and fast at this time of year. The area was stunning.

Lots of RV's, many German tourists, lots of motorcycles spotted. Little other wildlife. Although we did have some butterflies following us for a while, which was kind of neat. The ride across was long, but was pretty pleasant. Lots of scenery, not much traffic and not much settlement. And I saw my first Magpie! That was a treat.

We got to the end of the road, and there was the Big Hat Ranch, but we decided to pass it up, even though there was ice cream there. Then onto the Trans-Canada for the first time, on our way into Cache Cre

ek. That was scary, with the transports and the mega-RV's going by at close range. We saw a sign for a bike shop, and thought we might stop by there for a bit of advice about our route. I was designated to do this. Drove around on the bike for a while and found a few local people who were able to help me find this guy who runs a bike shop out of his house, somewhere near the end of the town.

Now Cache Creek is something else. Nancy had found us a

 wonderful place to stay the night, two rooms for about $100. And she had found a place to eat out across the street. But the town is not too much to look at: lots of motels, occasional banks, and a place that sells leather goods to motorcycle folks. We were tempted by the leather G-string, but demurred in the end. Went for supper and then went to bed. After looking at some maps 

for the next day.