Grand Loop: Segment 4

Whistler to Kelowna, British Columbia


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Segment 4 was packing up and leaving Whistler, BC and making the run to Kelowna, via Kamloops. The day didn't start out all glassy smooth though. We had a little trouble getting the Subaru going in the morning and needed to call in a jump start. But once we got it up and running, off we went.

The first part of the trip was retracing our ride from a couple of days earlier. You can see the video from the previous post. The segment took us over a number of the Destination Highways routes. The first of which was the segment from Whistler to Pemberton (DH13). Next segment up? Mt. Currie to Lillooet (DH3)

After Lillooet, the route was new to us. First up, Lillooet to Hat Creek (DH21), just north of Cache Creek. The next was the turn south and continuing eastward to Kamloops along Canada 1/97 (DH69). Frankly, I don't remember much from these segments. The landscape was dry and brown/tan. But not much beyond that.

Kamloops was our lunch break. We stayed along the highway and settled on a Wendy's for our mid-day break and munchies. I remember it being a little chilly and just gray overhead. We ate on Wendy's patio to keep the doggy in happy company. After lunch we saddled up again and went on down the highway a couple of more exits.

The target was Barnhartvale Rd. (DH68). At the very least to get off the highway. After getting through the development along the highway, Barnhartvale turned into a very nice country road flanked by farms and individual homes. On the far end it meets up with the highway again.

Jim and I lost James and Brett at the exit for Barnhartvale. They had sped ahead and I suspect missed the exit. But we proceeded. Even if they missed the exit they would be going the right direction. When the intersection with the highway (two lanes again at this point) came up we waited to see if they would re-appear for little bit. They didn't show at that time. We went on to Westwold via Monte Lake (DH77).

From there we searched for the Westside Rd. (DH11) at the north end of Okanagan Lake. We thought this would be a more interesting entrance to Kelowna than the delevoped highway. And interesting it was! This road started out pleasant enough. But it soon turned into a narrow two-lane twisty, paralleling the ridges leading down to the lake. It is not a route to speed on. Many of the curves lacked guard rails. It appears a lot of the region's people have lake houses and summer vacation spots on the this side of the lake. And it's quiet scenic. So it's a destination for RVs, gawkers and vacationers.

Besides the variable payment quality, narrow lanes and lack of shoulders, what made this road memorable was the wildlife! Big horn sheep crossings! And they were. We two wheelers came around a bend to meet a small flock that decided to go uphill from the other side of the road. Luckily, we weren't speeding by any means. But we didn't quite see them in time. Their taupe color blended into the tan hillside VERY well. What ended up being the first part flock crossed and were mostly up the hill. There was a small gap and we proceded. But because they blended so well, I didn't see the one on the shoulder. I passed within a couple of feet of her!

After that encounter, we wound up a ridge and back down the other sided to meet up with Rt.97 again, west of Kelowna. We crossed over to a business park to regroup and decide our next step.

Next step? Head into town find a hotel. Find dinner. Relax a bit and sleep. We didn't have any reservations set up. So we looked on the portable electronic gadgetry to see what was around. Our first stop was way to0 pricey for a night. We moved on. The next one was good enough and close to the downtown hub of summer evening activity.

After settling in and getting Drucilla walked and fed, we set out for dinner. We picked Katie/Carlos O'Bryan's for some pub food. It came with an entertainingly sassy waitress, too! The menu was fairly extensive. But I recall whatever I had being tasty and satisfying. And the beers were tasty.



After dinner we walked about town. Maybe it was more to stretch our legs and exercise our behinds, but Kelowna was actually a pretty interesting town. It was hopping fairly late into the night. The public artworks were impressive. The town prides itself on its water heritage, being on the lake. It definitely could be a place to spend a summer holiday.

However, being in inland Canada for winter??? Not for me!