7/2, Sunday. Headed out on a road trip with my parents, to re-visit some of the places dad and I visited 6 years ago. Overall, a lot more people, a lot warmer.
First stop, Shannon Falls. Had to park across Hwy-99 and walk over. Yes, a lots of people. The waterfall was in full swing. A lot better than last time. As always, visited the restroom here: running water.
Second stop, Brandywine Falls. Had to wait around for a parking spot. 5-10 minutes walk, across a railway track. This one is always flowing nicely, often has rainbow like today. Walked a few more minutes to the end of the fence for a view of Daisy Lake, and Black Tusk.I didn't go into Whistler Village. Made a stop by Green Lake at a pullout. Got chairs out and had some snack overlooking the green lake and mountains behind.
Third and last waterfall of the day, Nairin Falls. 3Km RT. More or less flat, along Green River. Some mosquitoes. The last bit is going up a fenced rocky outcrop to view the twist and turn of the water. Thundering. On the way out, saw a jet boat heading upstream of the river, making a lot of noise.Had a proper break at One Mile Lake, outskirt of Pemberton.
Lots of kids. Swimming decks. Standup paddle for rent. I have an inflatable lounge chair, set it up on the lawn under a tree, and dad took a nap. Lots of waterlily, but not many flowers. I walked around the lake on the boardwalk. The view on the NW side is better.
Joffre Lakes was the highlight of my last trip. This time, we only visited the lower lake, 10 minutes from the gigantic parking lot. Even thought it was already 5:40pm, there were still quite a number of people. You have to take turns to take a photo. Didn't see any climbers this time.
Duffey Lake is further north on Hwy-99. There's a boat launch area to stop by, looking out to west. A good place for sunset, but right now, the sun was very bright.
Seton Lake is on the outskirt of Lilooet. Maybe owned by BC Hydro. A bit windy here. Nice, because otherwise it would be too hot, even at 7:30pm. Saw one guy fishing. Last time, we took a sightseeing train ride on its northern shore. Now it runs only on Friday.
Checked into an Airbnb in Lilooet. Even though our host turned on AC, the room was still stuffy (over 30°C, gradually dropping). She brought us a few pieces of freshly baked cake. Yummy. Some mosquitoes.
7/3, Monday. Already warm at 8am! Walked in downtown Lilooet, checking out the jade stones in front of the visitor center and a few businesses. Less than I remembered. Took a photo of this stone monument commemorate mile 0 of the Old Cariboo Road to Alexandria, where you could catch a steamboat to Quesnel to pan gold or continue to Bakersville's gold field. 
We filled gas here next to the museum/visitor center (10% more expensive than in Pemberton) waiting for it to open (9am). It's small but has quite a lot of things. Don't forget the downstairs. The girl who operates the place was not enthusiastic at all. Afterwards, we walked across the Old Bridge (1913), yes, at the end of the Old Bridge Rd. Very nice looking sturdy suspension bridge. A falcon family lives on one of the tower. Saw two adult falcons. There's another monument by the main bridge coming into the town, which commemorates the 23 camels imported in 1862-3 as pack animals. They didn't last long in their job, because of harsh ground surface to their feet, as well as the fact that every other animal was afraid of their looks.
Drove further north to Pavillion Lake hoping to see why fresh water microbialites were able to survive in this lake. According to the researchers, the communities at the lake bottom are stable. Of course, I saw nothing of importance. Saw a couple of cars in the neighboring lake side of the Marble Canyon Provincial Park (not impressive). The drive here is somewhat scenic and open.
Almost lunch time when we got back to Lilooet. Stopped by Fort Berens Estate Winery for lunch (recommended by our Airbnb host and on all the local websites). But lunch only starts at noon (till 4pm daily), so we did some tasting while waiting for the kitchen to be ready. The girls who man the tasting counter were very nice. We tried all their 4 whites, a bubbly and 2 reds (Cabernet Franc, Meritage). Their Riesling is not very sweet, so bought a bottle. 
Lunch is served outside under a white canopy. Even though it's very hot in the sun, enough breeze made our lunch comfortable. View is good. All dishes nicely presented. Whoever did the grill needs to be more watchful. Way over cooked. Our morel mushroom was just charcoal, the wine braised burger (recommended by the girls at the tasting counter) was well done and dry (I asked for medium rare). The lamb is excellent. I do recommend the lunch, just stay away from the grill.
Now heading home via Hwy-12, and then Hwy-1. Checked out Lytton Ferry, operated daily by the local Indian Tribe. Free. Holds only 2 cars (or a small RV). The pontoon is angled so the current propels the right direction. We drove onto the ferry just to experience it. 
The current is strong and the breeze is nice on this hot day. Just so we don't turn around right away, drove 5Km to Stein Valley Heritage Park. But the last turn goes on a very narrow gravel road, where we turned around. On the way back, I asked permission to step out of the car, so I was able to take these photos. The Stein Valley area is quite scenic. But it's really too hot here.
Lytton Visitor Center is small, by a swimming pool. The boy who was at the counter is very nice. At the confluence of Thompson River and Fraser, also Hwy-12 and Hwy-1. Fraser River Catwalk is just north of the small downtown.
We stopped by Hells Gate, just as they were closing the lift down to the water level. There's also a trail to go down, which we didn't take. Instead, we walked ~1 mile to the historical Alexandra Suspension Bridge. The original bridge (1863-1894) was 10' lower, destroyed in a flood. Now no longer accessible by vehicle, remains majestic for all those who walk on it. It's very stable and wide. From here, you can also see the red-orange new Alexandra Bridge ~1 mile downstream (much higher), which you wouldn't even notice when driving on it.
At Hope, Hwy-1 joins Hwy-5 and we turned west, still following Fraser River downstream. Visited Bridal Veil near Chilliwack. About 1KM RT, 500' gain. Easy trail. Lots of people even at this hour (past 7pm). The water is thin but wide, splashing. However, to see it close, you'd need to scramble. Lush forest, mosquitoes are out. Got home just past 9pm. A lot of driving. Good scenery.
7/4, Tuesday, I took a bus back to Portland, a bit too exhausted to go see the fireworks in the waterfront.
