Blogs from Blue River, British Columbia, Canada, North America

Today I got to try out the kayak as we headed for McDougall Falls. It was a short paddle of about 5 km with a 10 km hike. This was the main outlet of the lake and there was a torrent of water flowing out. We found a rocky landing spot to start our walk. The path was even lusher than our last hike, plants along with blueberries and raspberry bushes galore lined the pathway. Matthew was in his glory sampling just about every bush we went by. We had been warned that the first km had vegetation that concealed the pathway and numerous rock and stump outcrops. It was slow but the pathway eventually opened up and travel became quite fast, at least for Mark and Matthew speeding ahead. My mind took the opportunity to ... read more

New experiences. Mark offered Matthew a chance to pilot the solo kayak and he took it up. After some advice on getting in and getting out, Matthew was on the go and did really well in navigating the 19-foot long, narrow beast. His sleep must have reinforced the paddling and steering skills. Mark, in the rear seat of the canoe, sent out his fishing line and we trolled up the lake at a leisurely pace. He caught one small trout that he sent back to grow up some more. We continued to Murtle River, one of the lake's main sources, and proceeded to wander upstream a bit to a nice little beach on a sharp bend. Lunch! Mark was designated our fisherman for the trip, and how he was able to cast and catch fish from ... read more

Windy and wet was the theme for most of the day. We planned a hike to either Strait Lake or Wave Crest Peak (900 meter gain). I opted in my mind for the more gentle walk to the lake with only a 200 m elevation gain. (Yes I'm being wimpish again.) A short paddle was required to get to the the trail head so off in the tippy canoe the three us us went, wind whipping the waves from the side, we all thought "we're going in." From shore it must have been quite the scene to see three bodies flopping around as the waves hit the canoe, rolling it one way, then another. Matthew who was in the middle and no paddle decided enough of this and curled up to lower our center of gravity, ... read more

With canoe and kayak loaded, food and gear in the back we headed out for an early start. None is us slept well with the excitement and were up early anyhow, no alarm clocks needed. Our travels were from Calgary through Banff, Jasper, Mount Robson and onto Blue River where we took a rough logging road into the east side of Wells Gray--the real start of the trip. If you have never travelled the Banff-Jasper corridor, do it! It is a wonderful road trip, and the scenery is remarkable! The kayak and canoe weight 50 and 40 lbs respectively, glad these boats were light for our first leg of the trip a short 2.5 km portage. We decided not to put a lot of gear into them for the trek to the lagoon, so Mark kindly ... read more

We were on the way by 8:30, not bad considering Kerry took the new tire to be mounted this morning and then we had to put the spare back on the rear of the camper and figure out how to stow the jack. Bob fixed his electrical problem this morning, too. The rain stopped last night just before bedtime, and although it is still cloudy, we have hopes of seeing the sun today. From Penticton we continued north on Hwy 97 through one small town after another, through traffic and what seemed like continuous city. All the way the Okanagan Lake was beside the road. It’s a huge lake, many miles long, and is home to Ogopogo. As local legend has it (so I’ve been told) Ogopogo is one and the same as Nessie from Loch ... read more