Easter 2009 - End of inaugural trip.

By 10:00 am we were on the road again, heading north towards Penticton in beautiful sunshine.
Since it was such a nice day we decided to chance the Connector, the road report we had heard earlier had said it was bare with a few slushy sections, and this proved to be the case. The Connector goes through such high areas that the weather at the top can be very different from that in either Kelowna or Merritt, the two places it 'connects'. It was obvious that there had been quite the snowfall the previous day or night and it would not have been a good time to be traveling, but by Monday morning the roads were pretty much clear except for a stretch a kilometer or so long where there was still slush on the road.

As we approached Merritt, where the 'Connector' joins the Coquilla Highway, the signs warned of compact snow south of Merritt and it looked very 'black' in that direction so we decided to not take the chance and figured we would head home via the Nicola Valley out to Spences Bridge and down the Fraser Canyon, as this is a lower route. While Ernie was picking up a burger I took this picture of a male House Sparrow. Birders aren't supposed to be impressed with House Sparrows, they are an introduced species and known to hang around places like fast food restaurants, but hey, they are birds, it's not their fault they are here and in fact are apparently in trouble in their native England....besides, they are notoriously difficult to get a decent picture of.

After a quick lunch we headed out the Nicola Valley until we reached this Recreation Site, at Lower Nicola. Recreation Sites are often located in really beautiful areas but because they are unregulated, they tend to be occupied by people who enjoy the outdoors by tearing it up with quads and dirt bikes and have little regard for the surroundings or others also trying to enjoy the area, hence we look forward to the time that we can enjoy such sites during the week and in the off season and avoid them the rest of the time.

Most of the weekend visitors had already pulled out when we arrived and I was delighted to find the area carpeted with early Sagebrush Buttercups.

The above view is of the Nicola River, looking in a southerly direction, towards Merritt.

This view, taken from the same spot, is looking northwards towards Spences Bridge. Shantz was enjoying this last vestige of last winters snow - she was sure there was something down there!

Back to my Sagebrush Buttercups - one of my favorite flowers, just because they are the first thing to flower in the dry open grassland areas of the province that I also love. Note these ones growing amongst the cactus.

A closer view of Sagebrush Buttercups.......

and closer yet!

Buttercups weren't the only flowers - there were a number of these 'Yellow Bells', another early flower found in the interior grasslands. The 'bells' start out yellow and then turn to orange as the flower ages.

In another area there were a lot of these 'Woodland Stars' or 'Fringe Cups' another early wildflower.

and finally these little pink flowers that I can't find in my reference book - possibly a type of Rockcress????

After getting my fill of wildflower pictures, it was back on the road until we reached another spot, this one not even a Recreation site, but a spot where people do camp, also beside the Nicola River. Note that we are into really dry 'sagebrush' country here as this isn't very far from Spences Bridge.

The river, looking towards Spences Bridge.

More Sagebrush Buttercups here - growing amongst - what else - but Sagebrush!

And one final view of these Sagebrush Buttercups, before hitting the main highway and heading home.

Easter 2009 - Inaugural trip part 2

We left Keremeos and headed towards Osoyoo's, the skies were dark and threatning with a strong wind just screaming straight at us. Not the most inviting welcome! At one point I noticed some early Balsam Root and Sagebrush Buttercups in flower, but the weather was so miserable I didn't even attempt getting the driver to pull over so I could get a picture. At Osoyoo's we turned and headed northwards. The Okanangan appeared to be maybe a week behind the coast as far as trees being in leaf, but daffodils and forsythia bushes were in flower in gardens, so it was definitely 'spring'. We stopped in Oliver for a minute to pick up some milk at the grocery store, and then back on the road. I suggested we check out Vaseux Lake campsite, as I've always wanted to try staying at this small site right on the lake, but it was usually full. 'Checking out' apparently meant looking as we drove by - it wasn't full - but I guess Okanangan Falls Provincial Park was our destination.

Okanagan Falls is a small, very 'civilized' campground but a favorite spot, at least in the early season, as there is lots of bird life and you can walk for as far as you want, either south along the tamed 'Okanagan River' or north along the shores of lake.

The campsite had obviously been full for the Saturday night, but some people had pulled out and we were able to find a nice spot. Skies were still very gray and overcast. Okanagan River, looking north towards the campground which is on the left side of the picture. Bird life didn't disapoint. There were Mallards, both types of Goldeneyes, and Canada Geese on the river. A Kingfisher sat on a wire overhead. The whole canal (river) was swarming with Violet Green Swallows.

One area had a number of very quiet Steller's Jay - I've been here before and I'm sure they nest in this bushy area, just to the south of the campground itself, as they are always very sneaky and hush hush - in other words acting not at all like their usual boistorous selves!

There were also a lot of these little Ruby Crowned Kinglets bouncing around in the bushes. Despite taking numerous pictures, this was the best I could manage as they are so small and so active. If you have your camera on automatic, it tends to focus on a twig rather than the bird, and if it is on manual, I, at least, have trouble getting it to focus clearly as they move so fast.

I was also thrilled to see that the Yellow Rump Warblers had already returned. The above shot, taken on Monday, is of a male.

Weather deteriorated throughout the day on the Sunday, in fact looking at the snow line creeping down the mountainsides I was beginning to wonder how we were going to make it back home the next day. During the night there was a terrific thunder and lightning storm with hail pounding down, but that obviously cleared the air because we woke the next morning to beautiful sunny skies.

The campground cleared out nicely during the morning and as is so often the case, I hated having to pull out too and felt very envious of those luck 'retired' folk that could stay during the week.

I took one last trip over to the washroom before we hit the road and saw this pair of Black Cap Chickadee busy checking out potential nesting sites.

This looked like a really good site!

This one - the vent to the washroom - not so much!

Easter 2009 - New rig's inaugural trip

Thursday, April 9th, we picked up our new camper and spent the next day, Good Friday, loading it. Much to my delight, I found that everything I had taken out of our travel trailer, fit in it with no problem, with room to spare. The fact that we didn't have steps for it yet (the RV dealer had been out of the right size steps), was a bit of a challenge and meant we had to take the step ladder along in order for us to get in and out, and the dogs had to be lifted in and out, but that will soon be remedied.

We left home at 8:30 am on Saturday, heading to Hope where we stopped and filled the tank with diesel. One of the goals of this trial trip was to get an idea of what sort of mileage we were going to be able to expect, as compared to what we had got with the other truck and trailer. I'm pleased to say that this set up gets far better mileage!

In Hope there was a light, misty rain falling as we headed up the Hope Princeton Highway (#3). The road, that early in the morning, was very quiet with very little traffic. There was noticeably less snow than there had been when we had driven this route a few weeks before, in fact, despite the fact that there were the odd snow flake drifting down as we neared the lodge, there were also many bare patches of ground showing and the area was alive with Robins and Junco - as sure sign that spring was here.

We had hoped that perhaps Mule Deer campsite might have been open, despite the fact that the B.C. Parks website said it was still closed - and the website was correct, so we continued on to Princeton and to Bromley Rock Campground, which according to the same website, was officially open - wrong! - it was open in that you could use it and two of the outhouses had been 'unboarded' and actually, while we were there the park people came and put tops back on the picnic tables and unboarded the second set of outhouses, but wouldn't put the handle on the pump for water 'as it wasn't officially open' - too bad I hadn't printed off the page from the website!

Not that water should have been a big issue, my husband had informed me that we had 2/3rds of a tank and he had put a spare water jug in the truck......turns out we had 1/3rd of a tank and he did put the jug in the truck, but it would have been nice if he'd put water in the jug....... oh well, the 1/3rd of tank made it.....

There were a number of other units already in the campsite when we pulled in. My husband was thrilled with the controller for the electric jacks. We were quickly set up and set about to go for a walk. The weather was rather varied, cloudy with some light rain, sleet and sunshine. As the afternoon progressed it became quite windy. During probably the worst wind/rain session, a couple came in and were setting up a tent - there are some people crazier than us!

Shantz has been RVing since she was 10 weeks old - do you think she was happy to be 'on the road again?!'

Compare this to the photo taken at the same spot a few weeks ago. In that photo there was still a lot of ice in this spot. All gone now.

Another view of the Similkamen River. You can see the tiny traces of snow left along the river bank. No doubt that would all be gone in another day or so.

I took this shot from just below our campsite, before we pulled out on the Sunday morning. While we were sitting by the river a couple came by in Kayaks, very small kayaks that seemed very tippy - the girl in particular kept tipping into the water and doing the 'kayak roll' - not something that appealed to me! but they were thrilled to be out on the river again.

And just to prove that our old Shih Tzu 'April' was along for the ride, she decided she needed a drink out of the river.

About 9:30 we were back on the road. Stopped at Stemwinder Campground, just down the road as it was also 'officially' open according to the website, but no, it was in the same state as Bromely Rock - no water there - although a number of people camped there, so onto Keremeous where we headed to the Sani-dump and finally, there, were able to fill up the water tank.

Heading to Alberta - May 2008 - Day 4

Some days when you are away are for staying put and exploring where you are, other days are traveling days. Day 4 was one of those. After stopping in Kamloops at an RV dealer for the necessary part to make repairs to the toilet system, we turned north towards Barrier, Clearwater and eventually, Avola - just south of Blue River. Our intention had been to visit with 'Den Mother'. Unfortunately that extra day spent at Juniper Beach meant 'Den Mother' was at work although we didn't realize that at the time, just found no one home, so once again, headed north.

By this time the day is getting on so headed to Mt. Robson Provincial Park. We have stopped at this park before but never actually stayed there since we are usually heading in the opposite direction and the timing just never seemed right - that and the fact that one time we stopped the gigantic mosquitoes chased us back into our vehicle!

There were no such problems this time and we found a lovely campsite, in what turned out to be a lovely campground. The terrain, tall trees and thick forest was reminiscent of the coast. There was very little birdlife in the park, apart from crows, but there were quite a few of these Red Squirrels who seemed extremely busy and gave you 'what for' whenever you walked by.

At the back of the campground there was a large grassy area with playground and picnic sites. This female Elk or 'Wapati' was enjoying the fresh grass. She is rather shaggy looking as she was loosing her thick winter coat.

These little wildflowers were growing at the edge of the grassy area. Without consulting my wildflower book, I think they are native 'Jacob's Ladder'. A native plant variety that is now found in all sorts of cultivated forms for the garden.

And here is Mt. Robson in all it's glory. Mt. Robson is probably most famous for always having it's top shrouded in cloud. I don't know how many times we have been amused by tourists at the visitor center, busy pointing cameras and taking pictures of what would be the top of the mountain if they could see it. No such problems this day as it was crystal clear without a could in site.

Stopped at the visitor center and gas station and then hit the road, headed for Jasper National Park.

Heading to Alberta - May 2008 - Day 2 & 3

Well after a few hectic days of appointments with RV dealers and medical professionals, not to mention a couple of beautiful days, weather wise when I was attempting to get some of the yard looking a bit more ready for spring, I am finally able to get back to this blog. As we left last time, we were headed to Juniper Beach Provincial Park on the banks of the Thompson River.

Juniper Beach is rather unique as provincial parks go in B.C. as it is one of just 3 that have 'hook ups'. This is an aspect that B.C. is rather behind the times on. Nearly all provincial parks in our neighbouring province of Alberta, give you the choice of either 'powered' or 'unpowered' sites. Not so in B.C. It is probably this aspect that makes this particular campground very popular, not only do they have power, they also have water hook ups with a sani station on site. The campground itself is not very large so you take your chances as to whether a spot will be available or not. Fortunately, this time, we managed to find a spot right at the far end, sort of all by itself, which suited us to a 'T'. As you can see, it didn't take anytime at all for my alto-ego to get right into this 'camping' routine!

The above view shows the general dry 'sage brush' terrain of this park. Highway #1 runs along that cut at the base of the hillside, which means the park is a long way from traffic noise, however, there are not one, but two railroads that run very close to the park, one borders the campground boundary and the other is immediately across the river. One would think this would be a drawback to the park, but is actually an attractant as there are not only 'bird watchers' out there - but 'train watchers' and believe it or not, you do get used to the sound of the trains so you barely notice them.

This shows the trail that runs along beside the Thompson River. You cannot take your dog along this trail and you don't want to walk it in sandals because the ground is carpeted with Prickly Pear Cactus. I've never been here when the cactus are in bloom, but it must be sight to behold. The campground itself is irrigated with lush lawns and beautiful big shade trees, quite different from the native landscape.

This is a Western Kingbird sitting in one of the many native Juniper which gives the park it's name. Western Kingbirds are one of my favorite birds, I'm not sure why, and are only found in this general area, around Kamloops and in the Okanangan.

Another view of a Western Kingbird

And another, better view. Note the dead pine needles. Unfortunately, nearly all the Pines in this area are dead, thanks to the notorious pine beetle. Western Kingbirds nest in the park. We have been there on the Canada Day weekend and seen fledgling. Bullock's Orioles are also here in abundance, the large shade trees almost 'drip' with Orioles. We have also seen Common Nighthawk here in great numbers, but it appeared that this particular visit was maybe a bit early for them.

In the wildlife department, it is said that there are Rattlesnakes in the area, but fortunately, so far, I haven't seen one. I have seen these Yellow Bellied Marmots though on pretty much every visit.

This guy was enjoying some spring salad.

and another, closer view.

The birdlife in this small park is amazing. Above we have a male Yellow Rump Warbler of the Audubon variety (yellow under the bill) and below, probably the best picture I got, of an American Crow. American Crows are larger than the Northwestern Crow that are only found west of the Cascade Mountains.

It seems that every year becomes a particular species year. In 2008 it seemed to be the year of the Lewis Woodpecker. It seemed that everywhere we went that year, we saw Lewis Woodpeckers which is a good thing as this particular species has been on the decline. Although I was never able to get any really decent shots....these show the spectacular colours of this particular woodpecker.

another exciting find was this Lark Sparrow. He wouldn't co-operate and come out of the shade, but stayed perched in one of the Junipers, but this was the first time I had seen one of these birds in B.C. My only other sightings were in southern Alberta.

another view of this attractive looking Sparrow, but the 'icing on the cake' was this male Lazuli Bunting.

again, the bird would not co-operate for a good photo, but the spectacular coloration shows in this photo. Lazuli Bunting are summer visitors to a very small area of the province.

Finally, this photo was supposed to be first, but shows our campsite, right on the river, and some of those dead pine trees. We had planned to only spend one night here, but waking up on the Sunday morning to find water running across the floor, thanks to a leaky connection to the toilet, we decided to spend a second night so we could stop at an RV dealer in Kamloops to get the necessary part to make repairs, before continuing on.

Heading to Alberta - May 24, 2008

In reality, today is the 2nd day of April 2009 and for the second day the weather is wet and cold and miserable and each day has started off with snow - so what better time to go back to last year and re-enjoy the trip we took to Northern Alberta!

As with all of our trips, we are so eager to hit the road that as soon as my husband gets home and has his shower, we head out. We are lucky to live in an area where an hour or two of driving will get you to any number of campsites for a quick overnight stay. This time we chose to head up the Fraser Canyon and thought we would try Goldpan Campground which is right on the river.
We had stopped at this campsite a week or two before while on one of our drives and had been amazed at the number of Warblers and other bird activity. Pulled in about 7:30 pm after stopping at a near by truck stop restaurant for a burger. As these pictures show, this area is no longer wet coastal, but arid Pine trees and sagebrush. As far as I'm concerned, as soon as I can inhale that wonderful smell of sagebrush, I'm finally really 'on the road'.

The river was in full flood at this time of the year with lots of debris floating on it. Our site was beside an area with a sort of backwater inlet so the debris came in and circled around. Brewer's Blackbirds were busy walking all over this floating debris. We saw some Common Mergansers out on the river itself.

Spotted this Bullock's Oriole in amongst the sagebrush. Would have liked a better picture, but this was as good as I got.

We awoke the next morning to sunny skies. The below shot shows the campground and our traveling rig - at least the rig we had for all of last year. This year we'll be using an entirely different system.

I took this shot just to give another idea of the sort of vegetation, it is all nice and fresh and green at this time of the year (May 25, 2008). This area gets extremely hot in the summer time so the green must be enjoyed while it is there.

We are now off to our next destination - Juniper Beach Provincial Park.