Discovery of 3,000 Kilometers

[Roger Sutcliffe lives in Chilliwack, British Columbia, with Polly,
his wife and children Bailey and Liam. Their small farm includes
7 horses and a 1996 Discovery. An aircraft mechanic for
AcroHelipro Global Services, he specializes in structural repairs
on helicopters. He’s also a wildlife and commercial photographer,
which might help explain this family expedition –ed.]
Three thousand kilometers, my wife and two kids, a wedding, camping,
and a new-to-us ‘96 Discovery- was it a recipe for adventure or
disaster? Only time would tell. I confidently told my wife, Polly, that
all the stuff would fit no problem. I had added a dog guard and a soft
pod on the factory rack of the otherwise stock Discovery. We were on
the road by 9:45 stuffed to the gills with Bailey (9) and Liam (3) in
the back with a pile of necessary stuff between them. Although we
were fully loaded the Discovery handled great and performed well on
the hills.
18
Discovery of 3,000
Kilometers
Story & Photos by: Roger Sutcliffe
We traveled 340km east to Johnston Creek Park on Hwy 3 east of
Osoyoos. We stopped for a cooling swim at Bromley rock on the
Silmilkamen River. We didn’t want to get out of the turquoise water
that coursed through the shallows and deep pools. We watched the
cliff divers before driving on to Keremeos for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Keremeos is the bottom end of the Okanogan, a major fruit and
vegetable region in British Columbia (It also produces excellent
wines - check out Mission Hills). Feasting on cherries, we carried on
to Johnston Creek. We arrived in there about 5:30 and set up camp in
the evening sun. Johnston Creek is a little campground with about a
dozen sites and is very quiet. We were the second or third site occupied
(no reservations).
Tuesday morning we got away about 9:00am. Today we were
going to try for Kimberly via the Grey Creek Forest Service road. We
drove up through Nelson to Balfour to catch the ferry. Nelson is
perched on the hillside overlooking the south west arm of Kootenay
Lake. Lots of musicians, artists, and performers make for a very
eclectic town. If you’re ever there, try the Cajun Salmon sandwich at
the Redfish Grill. After lunch we followed the lakeshore to Balfour to
catch the ferry to Kootenay Bay and the Grey Creek Road. The road
runs 80kms from Kootenay Bay to Marysville over a 6500 ft pass. After
a 35 minute ferry ride across Kootenay Lake (one of the longest free
ferries in the world), we found the junction of the Grey Creek road.
It was about 35 degrees Celsius when we hit the gravel and I dropped
the Disco into low range and started up the switch backs. Forestry’s
decommissioned road warning sign had a spray painted addition.
Apparently, the road had claimed a few axles! From Kootenay Bay to
the summit is about 10 miles as the crow flies and a 4000 ft climb.
With the AC on and the engine fan kicking in periodically, the temperature
gauge barely moved. The truck handled the deep cross ditches