Trip Report
Back from a 6 day trip with the CT conversion. Overall the trip was a success and had no problems with either the truck or CT. In total, the mileage was just over 800 KM (480 miles) of which all was mountain driving over some of the recorded, steepest (but not hightest) roads in western Canada.
Headed out on Wednesday early afternoon and the first part of the trip was uneventful and the weather was good. After leaving the town of Pemberton and following the meandering road through the scenic Pemberton Valley, Cayoosh Pass looms ahead.
This very scenic pass is considered the steepest (not longest or highest) paved highway in British Columbia Canada. From the Pemberton Valley at 670 feet, the narrow and winding Duffey Lake road at it's worst, climbs steeply up grades that reach 15% to 3359 feet over a short 7.5 miles which is puntucated by several hairpin corners. The top of the summit further ahead tops out at around 4400 feet. This is where having the Dodge Hemi 5.7L engine and 3.92 gears in the TV pays off. It pulled up this section of road with relative ease and the rpms never went over 3000.
Here the weather was sunny with clouds but cool however as always, the scenery is great.
Mount Rohr at Duffey Lake.
Mount Rhor peak is at 7980 feet and has snow year round. The mountain is a very popular climbing destination due to it's gentle slopes.
At Duffey Lake on the boat ramp.
The Duffey Lake road traverses 60 miles over Cayhoosh Pass then descends into the town of Lillooet. Here the grades are reported not as quite as steep, however in one section, the descent is 1560 feet in 3.75 miles. On the return trip (as always), it seems that driving up this side of the pass is more work on the vehicle as once the the worst of the hairpins and grades are behind you, the road decends and ascends quite a bit more and is in rougher shape with uneven pavement, potholes etc.
After leaving the town of Lilloeet and heading slightly northwest, the destination 60 miles away is a hydro electric reservoir/lake where the provincial hydro (power) company maintains a free campsite.
Along the way, the road slowly climbs up through the Bridge Valley and the views can be very good!
Here the weather was unsettled and there had been rain earlier which helped keep the dust on the intermittently at times, gravel road down to a minimum but only served to make a mess of the TV and CT (see pic below). This all weather road is quite narrow and very rough in spots and would only take a second or so of inattention to be in a bad spot...
Also the road is carved out of sides of hills and mountains that are subject to continous rockfall. An unnoticed rock such as this can really play havoc with your oil or transmission pan.
Arrived at the campsite just as darkness fell. Getting setup the first night was quick and after a couple of snacks and a cup of tea, it was sleep time. Overnight the temperature dropped to 41 degrees and with no heat in the trailer, it was a bit cool but an extra sleeping bag fixed that. By sunrise (5:10 am) the temperatures warmed up quickly and soon the inside temperature of the trailer was comfortable.
As you can see, the CT and TV took a good mud bath from the wet gravel roads on the way in. With it now daylight, I crawled under both the TV and Ct to check for any damage or concerns but both were fine.
Backdoor view. No there is nothing wrong with the door on the left, it is just the curvature of the camera lens.
Although this particlar campspot gets continuous sun, it was also too exposed to the daily afternoon wind gusts which can reach 30 miles per hour or more. The next day, another more sheltered campspot was choosen...
Some photos of the local area.
As mentioned, this is a hydro electric reservoir/lake which is about 50 miles in total length. This time of year, the water is drawn down but by mid July, the water level will be much higher at which time, fishing, boating and canoeing can be done. In the meantime, there is a lot other activity in the area such as mountain biking, hiking etc that can still be done.
Small pond with a gorgeous view and has a great little camp spot right where this photo was taken. Also across the water and to the left is a small area which has room for about 6 camping spots. I don't usually camp here though as those camping spots are fairly tight to each other and can be noisy...
Creek running into the reservoir. The campsite is to the immediate right of here.
Just before sunset looking roughly NE.
After spending 5 days here, it was time to head home. Over the course of these days, I found that the CT served it's purpose very well. With a few minor changes such as the addition of one more smaller cabinet and re-aranging some of the camp gear for easier accessibility, there is not much more I would want to add to the CT. Of course there are a few other projects that still need to completed such as the bed extension, wiring/battery and ceiling panels, but other then these, overall very pleased with the CT conversion so far. I also had a few tours by some of the other campers here and they all liked what they seen. In fact after I told one woman how much the CT and actual conversion cost, she mentioned to here husband "See I told you we did not need to spend $19,000.00 on our trailer just to sleep in it..." That made my day!
A few more photos taken on the return trip
As mentioned, the road is carved out of the side of hills and mountains. The possibility of a rockslide is very high and having extra food and water on hand is mandatory as this road can and has been closed for days. The only alternative route out is back down the other end of the lake and then over a 6500 mountain pass on a forest service road that is still closed due to winter conditions.
Slowly descending down the valley
Looking back into the valley.
Note sure what the name of this canyon is but you can actually walk down there via a trail.
Descending from Cayoosh pass at 4400' back down to 670' feet was uneventful. With this descent and others encountered along the way, electric brakes on the trailer really help a lot and even with a lighter CT such as mine, I cannot see why people don't spend the extra $200.00 to have the factory install electric brakes.
Even though it is May and only just over 4000' elevation, there is still snow up here but this day it was sporadic rain here which helped clean up the CT and TV.
Once back onto the highway, the drive home, albiet pouring rain at times was fine. I did notice at highway speeds (50-60 mph) that there was a slight ossilation/lightness on the steering wheel and I think the weight balance on the trailer was off and the front end was a bit light as compared to the trip up. This is probably because the CT was carrying much less drinking water on the return so this is something I need to keep in mind and redistribute some weight as needed.
Next big trip is 5 weeks so in the meantime, work on the CT and progress updates will continue until then.
by 8ball_99 » Sat May 05, 2012 7:21 pm 
