Today was cloudy with light rain in Clinton, and as we were driving, but ended up partially sunny and cool at Tunkwa Lake.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Gold Trail RV Park in Clinton, continuing south on Hwy. 97. We stopped at Cache Creek to refill with diesel ( YIKES ... $138 ! ), then turned east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 following the north shore of the Thompson River. We stopped to view two provincial park campgrounds, Juniper Beach and Steelhead Provincial Parks.
First was Juniper Beach Provincial Park on the north shore of the Thompson River. The spring here in the BC Interior has been so wet that the Thompson River is overflowing its banks. The waterfront campsites are flooded. We didn't realize that the Thompson River Valley from Cache Creek to Kamloops is desert, like the Similkameen River Valley from Keremeos to Osoyoos. There were small Prickly Pear Cacti with yellow blooms in the Juniper Beach Provincial Park campground. And ... WOO-HOO ... Saskatoon berries ! And ... WOO-HOO ... they were ripe ! AND ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... so low to the ground that Bo could pick ( and eat, obviously ) his own ! HA HA HA ... Bo LOOOOOVES to pick his own Saskatoons. He was SOOOOO excited ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done ! What a funny little dog. BUT ... the Saskatoon berries were seedy and bitter. Not enough sunlight as they were ripening ?
A little further east we stopped at Steelhead Provincial Park on the western tip of Kamloops Lake. It was not as nice a park as Juniper Beach. At Savona we turned south on Tunkwa Lake Road for a long, leisurely drive higher into the mountains, away from the desert area and into forest and alpine meadows, to Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park. We viewed the Tunkwa Lake campground then drove another mile or two to check out the two campgrounds on Leighton Lake. We liked Tunkwa Lake better than Leighton Lake so we returned to Tunkwa Lake and got set up in a campsite.
We had a late lunch. I napped with Sully. We did some obedience work with Bo. He's a tad unfocused on obedience exercises when we're in a new place, especially a forested campground with lots of interesting scents. Since he has seen deer every day for the last few days he's ever hopeful that maybe he can catch a deer < rolling my eyes >. I wonder if the scent of a live deer bears any resemblance to the scent of the dried deer meat / venison jerky I've been feeding him for the last few days ?
When the campground attendant came by to collect the nightly camping fee I bought some firewood. I chopped / split the firewood then we went for a long, leisurely walk with Bo around the campground and down to the lake. Joanne has been expressing interest in learning some of the Tai Chi that I learned in Yuma last winter, so ... today I taught her some introductory Tai Chi. I hope we can find the motivation to practice Tai Chi together on a regular basis.
After supper we spent the evening sitting around a campfire. AHHHHH ! ! ! At twilight we were once again serenaded by the haunting calls of loons. I wasn't aware that the BC Interior freshwater lakes have so many loons. I find their twilight calls so soothing and relaxing. Quintessential Canadian wilderness !
Our plan for today was to drive to Logan Lake, phone and arrange to attend a tour of the Highland Valley Copper Mine this afternoon or tomorrow, stay at the Logan Lake municipal campground, and take advantage of their Wi-Fi to get caught up on online work.
We departed Tunkwa Lake Provincial Park and continued south on Tunkwa Lake Road until it reached Logan Lake. As soon as we reached Logan Lake, and it seemed likely that we would get a cell phone signal, I pulled over and phoned Highland Valley Copper Mine. DARN ! They have a morning and afternoon tour of their mine every day, and the available spots were booked up for the next three days ! I did not expect that copper mine tours at Logan Lake would be that popular. I was told that their mine tours were busy this week due to university student visitors. We decided to continue on to Monck Provincial Park.
While in Logan Lake we did some grocery shopping then went to the municipally operated trailer dump station to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We left Logan Lake heading south on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch on the side of the road near Merritt. At Merritt we turned east on Hwy. 5A to Monck Provincial Park on Nicola Lake.
We got settled into a nice site at Monck Provincial Park, I napped briefly with Sully, then we went on a long, leisurely walk around the campground and down to Nicola Lake.
I made a campfire, Joanne packaged sliced potatoes, leeks, zucchini, and mushrooms in foil, I cooked them and barbecued chicken over the campfire. Well done, Daniel.
Oh, by the way, the weather was mostly sunny and mild today.
Tuesday ; Monck Provincial Park to Otter Lake Provincial Park
This morning we departed Monck Provincial Park and returned on Hwy. 5A to Merritt. We stopped at Wal-Mart to replenish supplies. We stopped at Canadian Tire to dump our grey waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at their free RV dump station. Thank you, Canadian Tire ! We refilled with diesel at the Extra Foods Fuel Bar. We headed out of Merritt, southbound on Hwy. 5A.
We were headed for Otter Lake Provincial Park. We had planned to stay on Hwy. 5A all the way to Princeton, then "backtrack" north through Tulameen and Coalmont to Otter Lake Provincial Park. But ... halfway between Merritt and Princeton we found a "back door" to Otter Lake Provincial Park, driving 43 km. of an unmarked "back road", 33 km. of which was gravel, to Otter Lake Provincial Park. On this lovely drive through forest wilderness we saw ... a huge bull moose. We stopped and watched him stomping loudly through the bog. He was a big fellow with a big antler rack. We realized that this is the first moose we have seen in six years. The last time we saw a moose was in the spring of 2006 in Newfoundland. I also stopped at the site of a rockslide to pick some rocks that I hope at least one of will be the right size and shape to be "arms" for the Inukshuk I built five years ago in front of our little shed. I've never got the Inukshuk's "arms" quite right yet.
As soon as were settled into a nice site at Otter Lake Provincial Park we set off on a hike. It was Bo's idea. We picked a site right beside the park's "nature trail". As soon as we began to take Bo for a walk, he turned onto the nature trail and off we went. We hiked a lot further and longer than we had anticipated before returning to our campsite and trailer. I started a campfire and, once again, cooked supper over the open fire. I've done that a lot on this trip. I enjoy the challenge and it gives me a strange sense of accomplishment and self-sufficiency.
Today was sunny and mild.
This morning we prepared for departure from Otter Lake Provincial Park, but before we departed ... we walked down to the lake to play "beach doughnut" fetch with Bo. He LOOOOOVES to play "beach doughnut" fetch. Except ... HA HA HA ... when the lake is ice cold ! ! ! He jumped in the lake and retrieved his beach doughnut about half a dozen times, but each time he was a bit less enthused about jumping in. Poor Bo ! Well done, Bo, good dog ! Good thing he doesn't have any nuts or he would have frozen them off. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
We dried him with a towel and off we went heading south following the Tulameen River through the interesting and remote little communities of Coalmont and Tulameen before reaching Princeton. AHHH ... the home stretch. East on Hwy. 3 to Bromley Rock Provincial Park for lunch, then home to Riverside RV Park Resort.
Thursday ; Happy 48th Birthday to Joanne's sister Lorraine
Today was sunny and warm. After morning chores we headed into town to run some shopping errands. This afternoon Joanne did laundry and phoned her sister. I rebuilt my Inukshuk. WOO-HOO ... arms ! We moved our yard furniture around < rolling eyes >. We went for a long walk around the park. WOO-HOO ... the Saskatoons are almost ripe !
Today I bought a sinus rinse kit. Hopefully, to help with my allergies. And Sully's. This afternoon I sprayed saline solution up Sully's nose. I should have asked for Joanne's help to hold his legs. And I have the shredded t-shirt to prove the point. HA HA HA ... ouch !
Friday ; A sunny and warm day. I went to town this morning to get a haircut. We spent the afternoon doing yard work. I did some minor "upgrades" ( can you spell "OCD" ? ) to the four wood planters we bought in Clinton, we positioned them in the yard, filled them with soil, and Joanne planted flowers in one, lettuce in three.
Saturday ; Today had a few brief moments of sunshine, but most of the day was gloomy with occasional thunderstorm bursts of heavy rain. I was inspired to do ... not much of anything. Certainly not outdoors ! I did some computer work, but mostly just blew off the day !
DSK
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