Picto Diary - 19 June 2017 - Barkerville
Today, starting in Quesnel, BC, I visit Barkerville, BC, ground zero of the great Caraboo Gold Rush, and then continue southward towards home with tonight's destination of Kamloops, BC.
Milage is over 400 miles; 100 of those miles will be out and back to Barkerville (BC 26) from Quesnel (BC 97).
Note: This is big country. I'm still 600 miles from the US Canada border, notwithstanding being well on my way home.
Above: Bishop listens to "Richard Goldsworthy" at Barkerville, heritage site of the 1862 Caraboo Gold rush. 19 June 2017
In Smithers, yesterday, at the hotel, Bishop was talked out of continuing southeast to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff by couple from Missoula riding a 1200 GS. "Real busy over there," they said.
So, I opted to ride south, back the way I came up. BC 97, the gold rush route, to Kamloops. I stopped for the night in Quesnel.
Today, I rode the 50 miles east from Quesnel, BC 26, to get to Barkerville.
Barkerville, named for the English miner, Billy Barker, who struck the mother lode here in 1862. The greatest creek-side golf nugget deposit the world has ever seen.
"If you can't keep up with a gold rush, you'll never catch it." Billy Barker, 1862.
Barkerville claims to be largest heritage site in North America..ie. bigger than Colonial Williamsburg.
70% of structures are original.
Speaking to our group is the doppelganger of Richard Goldsworthy, the fifth miner to arrive at Williams Creek in 1862.
"Goldsworthy" looks the part, carries a bottle of hootch, and speaks in period dialect.
"Richard" died in the 1868 fire that destroyed Barkerville.
Great performance by Richard!
Barkerville. Very much worth the detour! A good place to take young people for them to get a flavor of the challenges of life in the west just over a century ago.
Above: Billy Barker (doppelganger). Barkerville, BC. 19 June 2017.
"Billy," actually a retired BC judge playing the roll of Billy, poses for the Bishop's camera.
At the very site of Billy Barker's motherlode discovery in 1862, "Billy" presented the story of his life.
Newly married British waterman jobless; railroads replace his trade.
Migrates to CA in early 1850s looking for god.
No success in gold, but learns a lot about prospecting and survival.
Goes to BC in 1859 to prospect for gold.
Wife in UK dies of cancer. Never sees his young daughter again.
Works his way, prospecting, up the Fraser River.
Finds the mother lode at bedrock 60 feet deep off of Williams Creek.
Biggest find in the Caraboo rush.. 1 oz gold each three pans dirt.
Town founded at Williams Creek in 1863. Barkerville.
Remarried. Settled Victoria, BC
Made bad investments. Broke by 1880. Wife dies cancer.
1880's resumed prospecting in Beaver Pass, BC.
1894 died a pauper living in a boarding house in Clinton, BC.
Great grand daughter visits Barkerville 1990's. "Billy" proud of her.
Like "Richard Goldsworthy" earlier, "Billy Barker" gave a wonderfully theatrical recitation of his life.
I applaud the effort that went into Barkerville's doppelganger meme as a way of familiarizing visitors with this exciting time in history.
Above: Gold nugget from Barkerville, BC. 19 June 2017.
"Richard Goldsworthy" passed this nugget around to his tour goers, indicating that it was representative of the types of nuggets Billy Barker and other prospectors found in the deep gravel at Williams Creek.
Above: Bishop poses at Troll Resort. BC 26 between Quesnel, BC and Barkerville, BC. 19 June 2017.
Stockli and Guzzi, if you ski here I'll buy your ski passes.
Owner, a forty five something woman, came out of her home as I was riding around her property.
Seeing that my intentions were harmless, the owner was happy to engage in conversation.
She and her sister had inherited the ski property, over 500 skiable acres, from her father.
Her married sister lives in Salt Lake City and is a regular skier at 'Bird. Her sister and her husband are moving to Troll Resort this year to help manage the property/business.
Troll Resort:
500 skiable acres
1200 foot vertical
4 T bars, longest is 2 km.
40 trails
No snow making
Three new Bombadier groomers
500 skiers on a good weekend day
Three meters snow fall in average year.
Most customers from near by Quesnel
I am fascinated by the proliferation of ma and pa ski resorts I see around BC and the western US. I'm wondering if there isn't an entrepreneurial opportunity to organize tours to these places... you know, for the skier who think's he's done it all?
If you actually wanted to ski Troll, you could fly to Prince George from Vancouver then drive 120 miles to the resort. There is a good Best Western Plus motel in Quesnel, 25 miles away.
Animal Sightings
Riding along BC 26, back towards Quesnel, just after the Troll Resort, I came upon a full sized black bear slowly ambling across the road. After checking my rear view mirror, I slowed to a crawl. I didn't want to get to close.
I've have now seen perhaps a dozen black bears on my trip to date. I regret not getting any images. I was properly warned last year by John Galt about dangers of stopping, while on a motorcycle, to take pictures of bears.
A Go Pro camera might be a good idea were I serious about wildlife photos while riding.
Many of my best wildlife sightings have been while on motorcycle trips. Humpback whales at Guerro Negro, Mexico. Wolf crossing the road, Yellowstone. Brown bear cub near Liard, BC. Herd of elephants crossing the road, outside Chobe National Park, Botswana.
Above: Kohinoor Restaurant. Kamloops, BC. 19 June 2017.
I had been looking forward all day to a paneer curry at Nandi's. Closed Monday! Drat1
But, wait! Another Indian Restaurant is down the street, also with good views of the swollen Thompson River.
Passed on the paneer. Chicken biryani, instead. Excellent.
Addendum:
Hell of a ride Steve. As usual your photography and commentary is superb. It's like a virtual ride without the mud, the dirt and the weather! I'm there as soon as they pave the Dalton. I hate getting the GT muddy. By the way the replacement GT is better than the original. I hope to share some tarmac with you this year.
ITYW,
San Angelo, TX
I'd like to. Let me look at calendar. Maybe rendezvous midway.
Hi SDT
I enjoy reading diary immensely and I seldom if ever miss one (admittedly sometimes delayed). Very informative and interesting.
Thanks for proxy traveler access.
Yrs,
Bean Counter, Coral Gables, FL
Great human interest from your trip….I remain envious of your trips to remote areas never seen by most of us. River cruises afford us non motorcycle riders a snippet of what you experience on these trips.
Awesome trip/experiences. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
'Cake, Park City, UT
Thanks.
Brand, Ventura, CA