to Kamloops

Again, the installment plan...I took too many pictures again...so, off to the 'Loops through the Frasier Canyon. It is a gorgeous drive. This is the same drive we took in July when it was so hot we thought we would be cooked in the van like a tv dinner....we didn't stop to look then, only to plunge ourselves into the river to cool off. This time we took our time. This is the Alexander Bridge...this was the main route long ago, but it was bypassed with a change in the road and a new bridge. The cables were cut, there was no deck to it, just the pillasters that used to hold it all together...they have done some work for travelers and tourists. It is now open to foot traffic and is part of a lovely park, a good rest with a refreshing walk when you have been on the road a while...tour buses make this a stop.
Here is a view from the bridge...
Looking straight down.....
We made some friends on the trip. These mountain goats came down to the highway and stopped traffic. There were about 25 or so. They were absolutely unconcerned about the cars they stopped, nor did they even flinch when the irate semi-truck driver started blowing his horn to move them along. Why, I ask you, can't that driver just relax a bit and enjoy this for what it is?!? It was a fantastic site! Get over your damn self. The rest of us out there were jumping out to take photos and to marvel.
Across the canyon...I imagine when the big road went in on the opposite side of the canyon, hundreds of places just like this died. That side is the ghost town side. We'll make it over there, yet.
I love this shot in particular, though I couldn't explain to you why....
Prickly Pear and Juniper...we are in the desert for sure, now. Prickly Pear are edible. You can pull the needles off, mash 'em up a bit and fry them. They also have a bloom that is edible, though I have never seen them bloom up here, my timing on these trips must be wrong. They are gorgeous when flowering...they were everywhere in Colorado and in Texas.
These are the colours of fall in the high desert...stunning, isn't it? I have said before that I am forest-born and green, but I am overwhelmed every time by the beauty of the desert...wait until you see some of Kamloops! Oh, and the drive home through another mountain route, the old road, long and scenic....but, for now, I have to go.

whew

Well, we are home, full and fine and finally home...did I mention that we're home? But today is for laundry and groceries and reconnecting with the hood and futzing with the photos so that I can bring you all along on another roadtrip with us in the bright orange van...tomorrow. Just wanted to say hi to you all...missed talking with everyone.

and now back to our regularly scheduled program

Apparently last night there was someone roaming the streets down here brandishing a gun. We were watching the "local" news out of Victoria and there was a brief news flash about it, though it didn't really come across as much...it was time for one last walk with Emma and off to bed. Hmmm, cop and roadblock on one corner....
Hmmmm....cop and roadblock on the other corner....this may be a bit more serious than we initially thought. But Emma does have to pee...and NOT ONE of these officers said to us, "Hey folks, good evening. There is an armed man running through your neighbourhood...maybe you would feel safer if you returned to your home...I would feel safer if you returned to your home." Nope. We just wandered half a block up til she peed and hustled home. I guess they considered this person dangerous enough to post road blocks for seven, count 'em, seven blocks, but not dangerous enough to tell us we should get off the street. Protect and Serve, baby!!!
This was the night before we left on our trip...the RCMP are rousting our newest pain in the ass. At least they are right on top of it this time... though, she(pain in the ass), also, was walking the street last night with an armed ne'er-do-well out there. Nobody told her about it, either, I guess.
This is her earlier that day with some of her "friends." She has been hanging out in Spanglish while the owner is there, hobnobbing. Then when a cab arrives with one of her "pals," she goes out to make a deal around the corner in the alley. Then she goes back into the store. I suppose Spanglish's owner will try to tell us she really has no control over this, she doesn't know what that lady is doing...grrrr.
Well, folks, I may or may not post while I am gone but I will check in with you all ...we are off again tomorrow for Kamloops. I think we will be back on Tuesday. Mmmmm, turkey dinner...my very, very favourite... And it may seem sarcastic to say it at the end of this post, but remember all that you are thankful for and give thanks. I am thankful for all of you reading along. I sincerely thank you for your words, your kindnesses and your friendships. I cherish each one.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Talk to you soon.

roadtrip(final installment)

We pulled into our Stamp River campground in the last warmth of the day, the final moments of dappled sunlight helping us find our perfect site... making sure we had a spot where we could hear the water in our pop-up tent throughout the night and had an easy walk down to dip our feet into the crisp, clean water....
..........like so.

We stoked up a good hot fire when the coolness came down. We roasted smokies and ate too many...drank beers by firelight, watched the stars in our tiny patch of sky over the trees, listened to the chatter of the river over the rocks until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.
We woke to a foggy morning heralded by birds and tree frogs...and the arrival of fishermen...the Chinook are running and as long as you are in possession of a fishing license, and are not taking advantage of the staging areas where the fish gather to go upstream, it is salmon season. Good luck, everyone. Wish we had remembered licenses...and poles strong enough for a Chinook. Next year, my friends, next year.
Here is the fish ladder...at the top of the falls, so I don't really understand HOW this helps the fish at all...
Here, below the falls, the fish are lining up to attempt to "swim" upstream. It is more like Leaps of Faith...(make the picture bigger, there are LOTS of fish in there!)
The water here is super-oxygenated from the waterfall...already the fish are leaping, expending precious energy they will need to climb the falls. The splashes are so loud, like a big, fat man doing a belly flop in a pool. Isn't this amazing, everyone? Thousands and thousands of fish coming back to where they were born to lay eggs and die? Nature rocks! Doesn't She? It is incomprehensible, the number of fish we saw...and yet, what were those numbers like 100 years ago? 200 years ago? I can barely take this in and I was looking right at it...what was this sight like then?!?
Look at them....just look at them...we will never be as strong as them...it will never happen that we will be as strong as this...remember that...we may have big brains, but without them, we would be lost. Love nature...love the design. Respect, respect, respect.
Here they come....
Go, you mighty act of god and nature, go!!!! Good luck!

roadtrip(second installment)

Sproat Lake...Sproat, not Sprout.... it is a beautiful little spot to soak in the sun and have an adventure. We thought so anyway, and so did this little chickadee...sweetness.
Petroglyphs here on the water...they are difficult to photograph, but well worth the short stroll to see them up close and personal. They are all water creatures...
...like these....the skeletal remains of a crawdad, crawfish, crayfish...I think we covered these linguistics in an earlier post...anyway, the poor thing makes my heart ache...makes me think of Sebastion, my hermit crab, and how happy I am that he made it through another moulting and is back with us among the land of the living. I had been beside myself for weeks lately, waiting for his reappearance...if I had seen this little sad sight last week, I might have cried. How many people are moved by the sight of a dead crawdad? I have not eaten lobster or crab in many a year, either...Heaven help me if I ever had a pet chicken(of which I did have many once, and I was a vegetarian at that time)...or cow...go ahead, call me soft!!!
This is where the water bombers slumber...it is nice that they are sleeping. It is a good thing....a peaceful thing. Sleep long and sound here in Sproat Lake, guys. We like it better when you are resting.
Well, one more installment should do it...stay tuned...I am working with photoshop to try and show you the salmon running(by the thousands) up Stamp River...tomorrow, ok?

because

I simply
can't resist...............................sigh........ feels good.
Karma or coincidence? Your call.....

roadtrip(first installment)

Cathedral Grove, an old growth forest surrounding the road for a while on our trip....the powers that be think we need to put in paved parking, to make room for more visitors....I think it is perfect, as do most Vancouver Island residents. There are never too many many people, there is never a day when you can't see what you came to see here, the TREES....
....the very big trees.
The light is soft and green, every little thing is in a soft-focus world of moss. The sun filters down through layers and layers of branches to speckle the ground and those of us walking beneath...breathe deep, it smells so good here.
There is a little river here and the light plays here, too.
Forest-born and green, I was raised in the Pacific Northwest, but there is no "getting used to" scenes such as these...the play of light, the intricacies of the colour green, the softness of the earth and the way you can feel so very tiny at exactly the same time you feel a part of something so vast....how could you ever tire of such things? There is such a thing as a saving grace...and I have touched the face of god on many occasions...my god, anyway.

say it with a smile

No offense, honestly, but in the words of my hero, Willie...... can you hear this?
No more entries for this week...Michael is gone, daddy, gone, the love is gone away...that's right, folks. He is NOT finishing his two weeks notice and we are OUTTA HERE tomorrow!!!! WOOT!!!!


Impromtu camping in the last warm days of a glorious summer... I am so thrilled by the words "pack up."
It means smiles and smoke, hiking and Songs From the Wood(shout out to Jethro Tull)...it means nights with stars in the sky instead of city lights...it means easy smiles on my love's sweet face...it means everything....it means there are not enough words to tell you what I mean...or it means I don't know those words...it means I am in love with a boy and his van....
You all have a good weekend....we are starting early and will be back later!
much love to you all....WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks....

To all of you out there who sent birthday wishes my way....via e-mail, blog, cards or phone calls...thank you so very much...I appreciate each and every gesture of friendship...I love you all...
Thank you, Michael, for remembering the important details.....
Thank you, Beauty Queen, for making me feel fabulous....like a Queen on my birthday!!!!
Can I thank you enough for the sinful pumpkin cheesecake?!?!? Never. And the gifts? Everyone, thank you, thank you....and the flowers? Gorgeous!!!
And more flowers? Stunning. Beyond all reason, you have all outdone yourselves. I feel blessed and loved...how did I get so lucky as to land where I have landed? Thank you one, thank you all...so very much.

speaking of spiders...

over on thebridgeofcows , the subject of spiders came up...kind of, in a roundabout fashion.... so, in sticking with the subject, here is a regular spider, not a Daddy Long Legs. I can handle this spider, even appreciate it a bit because IT IS OUTSIDE, where it belongs. I may be able to find a Daddy Long Legs in our basement...and that, also, is alright...they seem wobbly, uncoodinated and kind of cute. Also? They eat Wolf Spiders, which are not cute, are not liked and are absolutely not wanted in my house but do find their way in sometimes. Here are just a couple more shots of Piper's Lagoon yesterday....
...and then I will move on to something else...
*Note to Self* Find a blog subject today.... and take something out of the freezer for dinner.....

another dog walk....

Some days, dog walks are better than others...the weather, the air, the emotions...the place...Yesterday, Michael and I took Emma to Piper's Lagoon...it was Maggie's favorite walk...don't ask me how I know, I just do. It is unexplainable. Two days before we relieved her of her suffering, we drove Maggie out here one last time. We had not returned since...and that has been a shame. It is my favourite park, also. There is so much beauty wrapped up in a small package at this park...yesterday, I encountered it all again, walking with Michael, Emma and the ghost of Maggie.
Garry Oaks....one of the most fantastic groves of these beauties...
...the colours and the smells of fall on the coast.....
I love, love, love when Michael has the time to come with us on our walks... he is absolutely in his element outdoors, in nature...it seems a shame to confine him to town life...his smiles comes easier out doors....he is a wonder to me...still.
Emma and I in the foggy, foggy dew....
goodbye.....