It seems as if most roads in BC have names as well as route numbers. Route 99, from Vancouver to Lillooet is called the Sea to Sky Highway – and traverses rain forest to desert mountains. The 13 and 14 grade mountain grades, with tight hairpin curves thrown in for extra excitement, made for a nerve wracking day of travel.

It was with relief that we pulled into Lillooet, a small frontier town of 2,500, along the rushing water of Fraser River. It became our base as we explored two more Provincial Parks – Marble Canyon and Lake Seton. Blue sky days and warm weather just added to our fun! We even saw some wild horses along the road and were amazed to discover that Lillooet had 3 bear traps and a bear hot line. Dave took some great photos while I slapped paint on some canvases – but didn’t see even one of those elusive bears.

A few of the Lillooet residents shared with us that they had intentionally moved there years ago because they wanted a simplier lifestyle for their families. There was little crime, no locked doors and everyone looked out for each other. But now that the children were hitting their teens, the parents were looking to re-locate to larger communities because of the limited opportunities in Lillooet. This seems to be a common theme in many of the small communities we have visited – opportunity in education and jobs vs beautiful scenery and wide spaces.

You can see a few pics in the album at right called 05-14 To Lillooet.