In the late summer of 1993 Sandy Keith and I rode our rigid mountain bikes up Harrison Lake up to Pemberton. We rode about 100 miles in three days on mostly logging roads. Part the trip was on the old Gold Rush Trail, it is one of my greatest adventures. The weather and scenery was fantastic. We had disposable cameras that took some great photos.

On the 25th September/1993AD Greg Tolme & his dog Sinbad drove us up to twenty mile bay. We stayed for a couple days (Saturday and Sunday) to test and get the bugs out of bikes

These pictures are of Twenty Mile Bay looking south down Harrison Lake towards Harrison Hot Springs, Twenty Mile Bay has a logging camp with a gravel runway, a forestry campsite in grove trees at the north point of the bay.

On Sunday after noon we rode our bikes around the bay area. There was two guys stand by their mini van with at least 10 rifles leaning by their van side door. We had to said "Hi", one of guys asks," Where is all the game here". We could tell that this was their first time hunting. I asked, " What are you hunting for? They were not to sure about what they wanted, but as long they could shoot at it, that would be okay. I told them I didn't think that they would find anything on this runway with all people hanging around. (There had to be 30 or more people hanging around this small bay in view of us all) And I told them that they might only need to use one gun at a time. They said that they were all loaded and they were ready for anything. These guys had wondered too from the big city were ready for battle with mother nature or any other city rednecks. Sandy said, "Well I seen enough lets ride on Billy" and so we did..

Later on Sunday afternoon Sandy and I had the campgrounds all most to ourselves, it was so quiet. We were sitting at picnic table at our camp site, we both heard a strange whooshing noise behind us coming out of woods, we look at each other wide eyed and slowly turn around, (I'm thinking OK wants next?). It was a huge Raven was flying though the trees straight to wards us, the flapping wings were making the noise. As it flew over us it turned its head and cry out at us. We went out to the point of bay had a fire and slept out on the beach.

UPDATE JUNE 2010: Twenty Mile Bay weekends all summer long has thousand of people trying to camp in this little area, with no washroom or garbage control, fights, guns, cops, 10 to 20 vehicle accidents on long weekends, little access to the beach and etc. The long weekends can have over 700 cars try to get one of the 20 forestry campsites at 11:00pm, with several road blocks, and people heading for hospital by emergence vehicles. I am told the weekdays are nice in the forestry campgrounds? (with all that garbage else were, it is not for me ever again.

Harrison Bay in June 2010 in 1993 you could drive your truck all the way around the bay to the far left of this picture, not any more.

Most of the pictures along Harrison Lake are taken on the tops of the hills Helicopter pad at Twenty Mile Bay looking north

The only reason I took this picture is that when we thought we were riding up the lake, but this was a dead end. wasted about one hour). I was so mad, I thru my hiking boots away, they were too heavy .  I said " I drive my truck up here one day and I get them.( I never did! or did make it back to Twenty Mile in summer of 2010, too late for my boots)

By around 9:30 am Monday morning we found the main road up the lake. There was a huge log across the road to stop anyone from driving on it due to the logging and the logging trucks, So we pick up our bikes put them over the log started riding up the road, we waved at the first few logging truck drivers. They had radios so they knew we were on the road. We found a log at the end of the logging area. We put our bikes over the log and never saw anyone till the late afternoon. (We saw only four more people for rest of the day) The front pannier bags on my bike would fly around and hit my tires and slowing me down. It was like having my front bakes on, it was way to hard. By mid afternoon I had enough riding, and now I was dehydrate too (maybe we shouldn't of had drank all that over proof rum and ice tea last night). I stop got off my bike try to walk but I was too weak, it hitting me real bad now,  I was a little dizzy, a little ill, I started thinking Billy is going to pass out. I couldn't even put the bike down because I knew bending down I would pass out before the bike hit the ground, and it was holding me up like walker. meanwhile Sandy was getting too far ahead, I call out "Sandy" he just kept riding and he was gone around a corner. I was getting even weaker, with the last strength I had; I yelled out to Sandy.  He stops and could see there was something wrong. By the time he reach me, I was shaking now holding the bike. I said "I am so weak I can't even put the down the bike". We stop made coffee, (The picture above) and waited to I could ride again. We needed to get to Bremner Creek it was the only source of water. (I had drunk all the water we had!) Just then a two guys in a small pickup showed up, in a panic I stop them and in a despite voice  I cried out "How far is it to Bremner Creek" not hello or hi. They did not know, and took off right way, and don't blame them, years later one those guys marry my niece, and I was talking about this ride at family get together and he "That was you". I got better, we made it to the creek. It was beautiful spot that the creek had made a gravel point that went way out into the lake. Sandy made a fire out on the point there was so much driftwood all we had to do was reach down and pick up the wood put on the fire. (We didn't even have to stand up!) I boil water and made supper. I fixed the panniers by use two long pieces driftwood logs tied to front rack to hold my bags down it looked like two bullhorns. Just as it was getting dark while we were still sitting on the point a truck came by. They stop looked at us and our bikes, we waved at them, they shook their heads, and drove on.

Kirkland Creek

I had been cheap and had only a forestry map for all of Chilliwack forest area, Sandy and I had gone too a main map store in Vancouver to buy large topographical maps of our trip. If We went to buy all the maps of the trip. We had little money and it would over $100.00 plus tax!. So I had the forestry map with me and so I try to copy/transfer info like water, lake access, distance and hills. I had counted maybe 5 to 6 big hills along Harrison Lake. Sandy said "How high are they?" I said "200' feet"( bought only one map) Well the big hills were 5 or 6 little 200 feet hills making some 2000ft high total.














In the valley across  Harrison Lake is Big Silver River which I rode up to Boston Bar a few years after this adventure.

We rode on old logging roads and hydro electric transmission line slash roads.

Some of the road was so rough like this at about 8% to 12% grade, our bicycles weight over 90 lbs(40kg).We would ride down every hill, the small rocks were the size of cantaloupes, we aimed for them. We sat on the packs on the rear bike racks, lay down forward and flew down. We never fell or had a flat. After one downhill I ask Sandy "How fast did your speedometer say we did that downhill" He said "51 km/hr". I look at him and said "Hey you didn't wear you helmet", he look down at his bike helmet tied to the front bike bag, then he look at me and said "and yours Billy?". aaa mine was tied down to my bag too. For then on we try to put the helmet on for downhill stuff. It was so rough that Sandy's odometer broke within hours of this day. Everything in my front handle bag was pulverized into a handful garbage, Sandy burn it.

 

 

 

We finally made it to Bremner Creek area, were I made supper and camp in a nice campsite. Just before we call it a night, a truck came by second one all day. They stop look at the Mt bikes and us. We waited, they shook their heads, and drove way.



Every time we would stop long enough Sandy would make a fire, I would look for sandy and he be starting a fire. We brought small axe for firewood, but all we had to do for wood was reach down and pick up the wood put on the fire. we didn't even have to stand up!) Some days Sandy would of had 5 to 6 fires by the time we went to sleep. We bought these rubber coated WW2 German troop movement parkers coats fitted into a little packs which could turned a sleeping bag with hood like a little tent, and a couple self inflating air mattress, three zipper ground sheets that could be zipper together to make a tent if a rained. (It never did rain) Every night we slept under the stars. I would wait for Sandy to start snoring before I would fall a sleep. I believed that snoring is way of protection. I believe that we lived a caves or outside, that snoring sounds like an  animal growling which keeps most animals away I hope and we slept by one of Sandy fires too.

 

This was a gravel/sand spit that went out into the lake made by Bremner Creek's spring washouts.

Cairn Needle looking north

In the morning I felt great and ready for even harder riding. This area we met a couple guys in a 4x4 truck. we could hear them trying too get up the last hill we just did( they would back up as far as they could up the opposite hill ,then floor it. We waited and made some coffee, ate granola bars. When they finally made it, and stop when they seen us, I said "It took you guys three runs to make that hill we did it one try!" They were in shock to see us, the driver said "Do you know were you are?" I said "Yes, do you?". He said "Not really; is this the main road and were is the nearest gas station?" I looked at Sandy and then said "80 miles that way and 60 miles that way". The other guy got of the truck and got up close to look at the bikes and said "Hay Dave they are bicycles, not motor bikes!" The driver said "What the beep are you two doing here?" I said " We are having a cup of coffee" He said" Not that were are you guys going? I said "We are go to Pemberton and you guys?" The other guy said "so are we". Sandy and I showed them on their map were we are and how to get to their gas station. Maybe I should of told them to follow us.

 

We could ride up the first couple hills of the day, no matter how steep or long. The weight of the bikes made them have incredible traction, so if you could peddle and balance you would make to top of the hill. Then we could only go haft way and then walk the bikes up and ride down. Either we were going straight up or straight down the hill after hill again and again, slowly getting weaker and weaker, till we could only take a couple steps at a time and rest, then couple more steps up. The sweat would drip off my eyebrows into eyes, off finger tips. I kept asking" why do I feel so hot?" we found out later that here was a heat wave and it was almost 100F every day. We would sweat so bad when we went up these huge hills that we had to tied off bandanas round our necks to make the sweat run off the bandanas instead running down our backs. I lost 25lbs and 2 inches off my waist on this trip. Sandy was have hard time walking the bike up the hill on the loose rock shale, sometimes sandy would slide backwards if tried to move. He had it and want to leave his bike, everything and just walk out, but by time he got to the top of the hill, and saw the view he said" This is great adventure and You won't hear that me from again!"

Mt Breckinridge ice cap

 

Trethewy Creek And Breckinridge glacier

 

Finally the road got flat and no more big hills.

 

Sandy at the end of Harrison Lake

 

The cloudy Lillooet River

 

This is Skookumchuck a native village

 

We had only seen six people since we left Twenty Mile Bay in last three days, till we got to Skookumchuck. There was a small school with all the kids playing in the field, the biggest one was holding a soccer ball facing the road and towards us riding by, all the other kids were looking him. When he saw Sandy and I he drop the ball and walked over to the fence and all the kids turned around and ran over to the fence too! and they all said " Where did they come from and were are they going?". There was a community office in the village, we went inside the office a man and a women were work in there and  said they had herd we were coming and one guy said" Was that you two at Bremner Creek the other night" we said yes. He said "you guys got here really quick"( he was the driver of the truck that stop, looked at us, shook their heads and drove on.) The people in the village said they don't see people riding mountain bikes to often, some of them didn't know there was a road that went down along Harrison Lake to Fraser Valley

Over 100 years old cathedral

Church of the Holy Cross, Skatin BC

 

 

 

St Agnes Hot Spring We had rode our Mt. bikes 3 days and had not washed for 5 days. We always sat around fires and only used sand and water to clean our hands. So a the natural hot springs would be nice for a swim, I think we smelled bad, there people there but they didn't come near. There were three hotubs to dip in, the big one under the old wooden A frame roof was hot. The other big tub outside beside the bathtub was really hot, the bathtub I am in is full ice water. I was so hot from the ride and hotubs that stayed in the bathtub for whole hour before I cooled off

 

alpine meadows

 

. I would drink gallons of water in a day, I boil the water as soon as we started making camp, make supper and boil all the water for the next day. Sandy would make fire. We would eat in one place, We would hang all the food up high in tree at least 500 feet away from were we would sleep and 500 feet away from were we ate and Sandy would make a fire too. We never saw a bear or any that could eat us. We had some protection bear spray, big maceity and knives. We didn't talk about that too much.

 

Looking back south towards Harrison Lake














Lillooet Lake looking south

 

 

Driftwood Bay

The Driftwood Bay forestry camp site was the last night we camp out. The water was down the road about half a mile down the main road. So I went to get water to boil, I rode my bike without any bags or packs for the first time in five days. I flew up the dirt hill out of the campsite and hit the gravel road. I had no traction I was spinning my rear wheel and my steering out of control, I was going all over the road sliding from one side to other side of the road. I could not control my bike at all! I stop the bike and look all over the bike to see what was wrong. I couldn't find anything, so I rode slowly to Lizzy Creek and got my water. While I was down at the creek I realized I was on my own for the first time in five days and in the woods. The hair on my back of my neck stood up, I fill up the bottles and quickly rode back. I said " There something wrong with my bike" I lower the seat and got Sandy to get test my bike and gets some more water. Now I was at the campsite by myseft,I started to worry about Sandy it was starting to get dark. So I walked up the dirt driveway and met Sandy coming back. He was laughing about bike. He said "You have gotten use to the all that weight on the bike and you are using to much power. He did the something when he hit the gravel road too! We laugh And I started boiling water. The next thing a big old white van pulled to the campgrounds, stop the doors open. About ten native men get out, Well I had already been unglued a couple times in the last hour. Sandy was standing behind me, I said" What should we do if they come over here" The next thing the acuity came flying down right in front of me, and Sandy stab into the picnic table. At the same time Sandy yelled at me "We use this on them" Well I jump and almost fell off the seat. They waved at us, used the outhouse and drove away. While I was trying to relax waiting for Sandy to fall a sleep, I was laying down looking at the full mom thru the little clouds that were moving by quickly. I was starting to feel sleepy, the next thing a huge owl fly just over my head and screamed at me. It was only about 3 or 4 feet above me. It took a long time after that for me to fall a sleep

 

Looking north up Lillooet Lake towards Mt Currier

End of Lillooet lake

 

Duffy Lake road in Mt Currier

 

last look at Lillooet Lake

 

When got to Pemberton Sandy's friend Chris was managing the Pemberton Hotel, Sandy went in the hotel and got Chris to come outside I told him " We haven't washed or had a shower in six days" He Said" I know, I could smell you guys as soon I got outside". (Sandy wore the same shorts for five days) So he gave us used room before the maids clean up so we could have a shower. I looked at myself in a mirror I was so dirty that the only things that was kind of clean was my face and palms of my hands, my was neck was black caked on dirt, My reddish hair was black It took me six times shampooing my hair before the shower water stop turning black.( I hope Sandy thru away those shorts and maybe the bike seat too!)
Nice and clean Sandy waiting for the train.

 

Mt Currier at Pemberton train station

 

It was only $17.50 cdn for us each to ride the train to North Vancouver($10.50 train ticket + $7.00 excess baggage -bike)

( its well over $100.00 now) Thanks to the government selling the government ran railway.

 

lake near Whistler

 

 

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Sandy & Bill's first Mt bike. Photo by Riley Charters 1992AD

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