Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada - Day 1

Friday, September 20, 2024

Our day began in the arid desert hills of Cache Creek, British Columbia. We rolled into the area late last night, and camped for free along a Canadian forest service road overlooking the Thompson Valley below. It was a quiet spot except for a brief rain storm that passed through the area around midnight.

I knew where we’d camped, but it was still surprising to open the blinds this morning and see dry, desert soil and shrubs outside our window. That’s the beauty of RV Life — the view outside our window changes every single day.

Andi flew his drone to see what was around us, and honestly there wasn’t much — grasslands for as far as the eye could see. This area of British Columbia, and just to the south of here in the Okanagan Valley, is the warmest and driest climate in Canada. This region is known for ranching, farming, and wineries.

Today, we planned to drive to the town of Lillooet, B.C., about 90 minutes to the west. Lillooet is a gateway to the Coastal Mountain Range of western Canada.

We filled up with diesel before leaving the small town of Cache Creek, and passed a small taco nearby. Andi really wanted to stop. There were quite a few cars and rental RVs in the parking lot, so the food must be good! Either that, or there’s only a few other options around town.

Inside was a happening Mexican restaurant — huh? This was unexpected! A large open window peered into the restaurant kitchen with at least 20 different people making various plates, meats, and sauces. The other thing we noticed was a huge toppings bar that stretched the entire length of the restaurant.

The menu was simple — tacos, tostadas, or nachos. Andi ordered a shrimp tostada and an al pastor taco for himself. I ordered a carnitas taco, Tory chose a chicken taco, and Aden got a pork taco. The best part of the meal was the toppings — everything from red cabbage to strawberry kiwi salsa was available.

Now that our bellies were full, we made the 90 minute drive toward Lillooet. Honestly, there wasn’t much to see along the way. The landscape was dry and barren with buttes and sagebrush. We passed through several Indigenous communities.

In our minds, Lillooet was a gorgeous little town; basecamp at the start of the Coastal Mountains. We were disappointed to discover, however, that it was more of a blue-collar railway town. Its streets and buildings were worn down and in need of repair. For whatever reason, I just didn’t get a good feeling about staying there.

Andi and I decided to stop at the visitor’s center to get some recommendations for things to do & where to camp for the night. Andi read from travel forums that the hydro dam was a good place to stay & offered free camping. “Eh, yeah, you could stay there,” the young woman working at the visitor’s center said. “Or maybe you want to keep going and camp at one of the small recreation campgrounds outside city limits.

She gave us a map of the area, and offered a few more recommendations about things to do in & around Lillooet. Before we left the visitor’s center, Andi and I walked around the small museum to see the displays. There’s a long history of gold mining in this area, as well as farming, ranching, and working the railroad.

I didn’t want to stay in Lillooet, but Andi thought we should take a look at the hydro dam. There were a ton of good reviews for camping there, but we’ve also learned the hard way that sometimes a campground is reviewed so highly is because it’s free.

We definitely could have camped at Seton Dam, but I was convinced we could find a better spot for the night. That said, if we went somewhere else, we couldn’t guarantee we’d find a campsite with a decent north-facing view for our Starlink satellite internet to work. And, I did want to watch the Nebraska Cornhuskers football game tonight.

“Let’s take the chance,” I told Andi. I just had a weird vibe about this town, and when traveling — instincts are always worth trusting.

Had we known what the drive was going to be like from Lillooet to Pemberton, we probably wouldn’t have filled up our RV’s water tank. The Highway 99 section between Lillooet and Pemberton, nicknamed “The Duffey” by locals, was a doozy of a mountain pass. This was definitely one of the most twisty, mountainous, and challenging drives we’ve made in our RV. Making matters worse was the condition of the roadway; it was full of potholes and broken pavement.

The landscape along “the Duffey” was beautiful with several glacial turquoise-colored steams and lakes. Several cars were stopped at the pull-out by Duffey Lake, but we didn’t take the time to sightsee.

We did check out a few of the small recreation area campsites the gal at the visitor center recommended, but most were either closed for the season or so densely forested that we knew Starlink wouldn’t work. All said and done, we drove for two white-knuckled hours until we reached Pemberton.

The minute we pulled into town I knew we made the right decision. Pemberton was a cute small town decorated with flower gardens, specialty shops, and diagonal parking. We saw signs for a Friday evening farmer’s market, and decided to check it out.

The farmer’s market was so cute, held underneath the “community barn.” Vendors were selling everything from meat to ceramic mugs, pastries, and locally grown veggies. A woman was singing and playing the guitar for entertainment.

Andi bought a sausage handpie, a sun-dried tomato cheese pastry, and a craft iced tea. We wandered through the market, and then stopped into Spud Valley Sporting Goods store. Andi wanted to buy some bait, and ask for some area fishing tips. The guy working there recommended Owl Creek Recreation Area for both fishing & camping.

We found a great spot to camp for the night at Owl Creek. Site #1 was located right beside Owl Creek, and had a wide-open northeast view to sky so our Starlink satellite internet worked perfectly. Andi got everything hooked up just in time to tune into the Nebraska vs. Illinois football game.

Not more than 10 minutes after we settled into our spot, a black bear wandered by our campsite. The small black bear was busy fishing himself as he hopped from rock to rock in the creek.

Tory stayed inside the RV with me to watch the football game while Andi and Aden decided to try their hand at fishing. The guys walked up the bank of the creek to several different spots, but weren’t successful in catching anything. They decided to come back to camp when they encountered the same black bear, and this time the bear began approaching them.

I was really appreciative of Andi finding a campsite where our Starlink would work to stream the game. Even though it wasn’t the outcome I’d hoped for, I was still glad I got to watch it.

We ended our evening listening to the soothing sounds of the creek rushing beside our campsite. Tomorrow, we’re planning to hang around Pemberton, and hopefully do a little more hiking and exploring.