Down the River

Friday, August 5th

We had a long drive ahead of us today, so we got an early start. We actually managed to get the car packed before breakfast. We managed to get on the road by 8:15. Wow, that’s good for us.

As I said, it was a long drive. The traffic on Highway 1 was quite light, so the driving was easy going. The scenery was amazing too, so the miles just seemed to melt away. Once we were in the Thompson River Canyon the scenery turned from beautiful to dramatic. It was a perfect day for a drive too. The temp outside the car was a cool 64 degrees.

Thompson River Canyon.

I was hoping to photograph some trains along the way, but one of the two railroads that run through the canyon was shut down for maintenance. Most of the time the trains we saw were way over across the river. Oh well, there were a lot of trains running over there though.

Eventually we crossed into the Frazier River Canyon. This happens where the Thompson and Frazier Rivers meet at the town of Lytton. Here the scenery becomes even more dramatic. The scars of last years big fire were still quite evident though. The town itself was heavily damaged and there is still burned forest all around the area.

There is a spot in the Frazier River Canyon I really wanted to photograph. It’s called Cisco Bridges. This is a spot where the two railroads swap sides of the river. There are two very cool bridges that seem to cross one over the other. They don’t really, but from a distance the perspective creates this illusion. I’ve been there once before, but couldn’t remember the exact spot where my friends and I stopped.

So, there is this road that supposedly leads down to a good viewing location. Well maybe under the right circumstances. As we turned onto the road we were met by the railroad police. The officer asked what we were doing there. So, of course I was up-front with my plans and he seemed fine with me taking photos. However, he said it’s a criminal offense to trespass on railroad property. Well, unless you trespass it’s not possible to even see the bridges. And since I didn’t want to go to jail we just bagged the whole thing. I didn’t want to bore Karen by driving around until I found a good spot, so we just continued on.

We had planned to do a walk in the small town of Yale. Yes, yet another walk. The walk took us by the Yale Museum and historic site. Yale was a gold mining boom town back in the mid 1800s. It was also a camp town for the railroad workers who built the railroad through the canyon. It was fun to browse around the museum and learn something about the history of this part of BC. We also had a bit of excitement as we were walking along the river. We watched as a fisherman landed a giant Sturgeon onto his boat.

Tent city exhibit at the Yale Museum.

Along the trail in Yale.

Catching a large Sturgeon on the Frazier River.

Once we finished our our walk we headed back down the Highway to Harrison Hot Springs. We are spending the night at the Spring Villa Hotel. Yes I know, the name sounds kinda cheesey, but it’s really quite nice. We have a nice room on the second floor with a balcony overlooking the lake and the mountains. No, it’s not as plush as the Hot Springs Resort, but it’s clean and the room is nice. Oh, and it has a killer view.

Although we are both looking forward to getting home so we can rest, I hate to see our vacation come to an end. I’ve always liked southern British Columbia and it was nice to be able to explore places we’ve never been. So far my favorite spot was Revelstoke. Mainly because it’s just a pretty, down to earth little town. Friendly people, awesome scenery, and a relaxing atmosphere. There wasn’t anywhere I didn’t like, although it took a couple days to warm up to Penticton and Kamloops. It was the total chaos that greeted us in Penticton that really had me wondering.

Harrison Hot Springs is certainly a pretty place to spend our last evening. We had an amazing dinner at a German restaurant just down the street. Now we’re enjoying the sunset from our balcony. It’s a fitting end to a fun vacation. We’ll be home tomorrow evening and our trip will be over. Thanks for following along, it’s been fun sharing our adventures.

Jim and Karen