Return from Spruce Meadows to Vancouver - 12-17 September, 2011

The band march into the International arena for the last time at the Spruce Meadows Masters 2011.  On Monday morning we drop Roger Laplanche and Gary Sinclair off for their FEI course designers seminar being held at Spruce Meadows and we start our journey back to Vancouver over the next six days.

We decided to take a route along the old 1A highway, first along 22 through Bragg Creek, west of Calgary, then north via Cochrane before turning west again.  We find Cochrane a rapidly growing town following the footsteps of Calgary.  What was supporting such growth.  Soon further west we notice this gas processing plant.

Then more industry this time using minerals mined near Seebe and Kanaskis at the LaFarge complex.  There were several other plants processing minerals including making concrete and aggregates.

 It was not long before we were well into the Rockies.  This time turning onto highway 93, off Highway 1, which we had joined after stopping off at Canmore for a quick lunch bite.  Our immediate destination was Radium Hot Springs, then heading further south to highway 3 just above the US border.

Wildlife over passes.  These have reduced wildlife collisions with vehicles by 90% where installed over recent years.  Animals have become used to crossing however very much assisted with the highway fenced with 2m netting (deer fence) each side.  There are also some underpasses as well as one way access through the fence off the highway.

Forested land with bare mountains towering above.

There was plent of heavy transport using the road south as well as aircraft overhead noted by the thin vapour trail across the top of the picture.

Regeneration from fires approximately six years previously.

The last week had seen several fires around Kelowna to the west.  This was the view north but we were not aware of further serious fires.

A mountain stream running down through the old burn area.

This remarkable serration in the rock beide the stream above as it shattered.

A lone deer benefits from the young regeneration, espescially willow which has mostly been grazed.

Fireweed is an early coloniser following fire.

Trees that missed the fire but are suseptable to pine beetle attack with a dead tree showing in the middle.

Classic tree fringed rivers have their headwaters in the Rocky Mountains.

A lone cow Moose on Sinclair Pass (1486m) before we decended to the springs where we stayed the night.

Small irrigated area are often used for growing hay for sale, here stored within view of the highway.

Irrigated alfalfa (lucerne) is grown along many of the river flats adjacent to valley streams and rivers.

We stayed the night at Radium Hot Spring after decending from the Kootenay Crossing and out of the Kootenay National Park.  Now in British Columbia, the Rocky Mountains being the bounday between the provinces.

The morning was bright and clear and we moved south down the valley.

Wetlands are highly prized espescially in the area called Dry Gulch Provincial Park.

A rather lonely Hotel in the valley.

and near neighbour!!!

Another picture postcard lake with...

...the caretaker.

Upon reaching Kimberley, a small town of German origin we stopped a light lunch having previously stopped at what had beena busling tourist town to find it almost deserted.  This eatery was living on its reputation with a few customers, but it was past its best.

That night we stayed at Castlegar after passing a few more hay paddocks.

The 14 Sept dawned another fine day and we continued our journey west along highway 3, stoppimg at the small town of Grand Forks just above the US border.  We had seen many smart motor cycles but this one caught our eye more than most.  It was the paintwork!

The rest of the street scene.

...and the coffee shop whihc was as delightful as the street providing food with a Russion influence.

This town was a small oasis.  The surrounding country was semi arid.

The borscht bowel was very good - Russian soup.

Irrigated alfalfa in and otherwise arid landscape.

A very arid land.

That evening we found a very delightful farm cottage to stay for two nights.  It was located about 4 miles (6.5km) distant from the ranch steading.

It was a full time ranch running breeding cows and selling calves in the autumn although depending on the seasona and prices some additional weaners may be carried over into the spring.  In addition they had "volunteer" grazers that just helped themselves.  7-10 were seen morning and night appearing from the nearby woodlands to help themselves to the ranchers alfalfa.

Other locals were less demanding.

The steading area of the ranch was very modest with a modern house and adjacent cottage and older but well maintained buildings and corals (yards).  The whole property comanded several thousand hectares split between deeded (freehold) and government grazing rights lands over several blocks.  The winters are long with stock fed for 5 months.

Cattle grazing on Crown Land where public access is available and there may be other commercial activity such as forest logging.

We drove through back roads toward Oliver and Penticton and met this fellow with a cow and calf.

It has not been easy on the range over the years and many buildings of a past era were seen on a drive from Bridesville to Rock Creek close to the US border.  Here a church once part of a settlement now abandonded.

Properties have been amalgamated and less people are needed to run larger ranches.  Here a windrower ina  large paddock.  Possibly a contracter servicing many small to midsize holdings.  The owners of the property on which we stayed also did contract work and had once been an aerial contractor but now limited such work to stock spotting.

Elsewhere unused former ranch buildings.

We left the ranch where the family were getting ready for the local fair (Agricultural show etc).  This young girl preparing her pet rabbit that lived in a very good run and hutch in the shed.

After travelling north through back roads from the Fossen's Bar 7 ranch near Rock Creek on Highway 3 this is our first view of the Okanagan, and area renown for fruit growing.  Very similar to Central Otago in NZ.

In the floor of the valley vineyards under irrigation.

 Another view.

Flags fly through the villages along the river valley.  This township had a major cattle selling centre added to its business mix.  Operated by a Co-operative of British Columbia Cattlemen who operate several centres throughout BC with headquarters in Kamloops.

While this slip or old quarry area may look eroded it is in a recovery phase with dryland species colonising the face.

The views across the many lakes like this Lake Skaha were spectacular in this landscape.

Then suddenly another oasis, here in the Penticton - Summerland area before we head east into the Kettle Valley and follow and old rail line route to Princeton where we stayed Friday 16th.

Into desert again.  Here pine trees survive and help keep the sun, frost and wind from destroying the sandy soil.  As we progressed west the trees became larger with increasing rainfall but the whole area appeared to be under stress from the climate.

Near Princeton a ranch of over 2400 acres (about 1000 Ha) was for sale.  Appeared to be an aggregation of several smaller former holdings, as seen here.  No stock were seen.  They may have been sold off or were grazing on mountain forest areas.

As in other areas there were the irrigated hayfields upon which ranchers rely on for winter feeding of stock.

A frequent sight as we travelled.  Middle aged couples reliving their childhood ambitions and now able to to afford a good touring "bike" and the time to tour.  Two couples about to set off form the "Ponderosa" motel next morning in Princeton.  The motel had two and a half stars on the board but barely passed the test however the proprietors did everything to deal with any problems.  eg. Plug for the sink, try and fix a ring that did not work on the stove (however three more did work), let me into the unit when I shut the door with the key inside, they still smiled and helped. 

Several vehicles of this type were seen about the town, all in very good condition.  Later we passed a gathering that appeared to be assembling for an organised cross country drive during the weekend.

Driving out we discovered the commercial backbone of the district.  A very large copper mine just a few kilometres south of the town on highway 3.  In the area between the Similkameen (the river through Princeton) and the Okanagan there are frequent names that are reminders of mining now or in the past such as Nickel Plate Provincial Park or Silver Creek.

An indication of the extent of the mining operation.  There appeared to be considerable effort in restoration to a tidy landscape following ore extraction.

The browning of trees in natural forest caused by a pine beetle that has been invading forests for several years in the BC and NW USA forests for several years.

A hugh natural slip, the Hope Slip, following a small earthquake in recent years when four people were killed in cars stopped on the highway due to a snow drift.  The rock slipped into a small lake and wetland in the bottom of the valley, then the mud and water slopped up the opposite side of the valley and  then rebounded back down the slope entombing the cars and people.

The town of Hope on the Fraser River at the junction of three highways through the Rockies.  It has had a varied and interesting history but usually associated with access and commerce related to the interior.

Like most towns there is a growing pride in the visual appearance.

Something different.  The local preservation society at Harrison Falls on the north side of the Fraser River, and beside the Harrison River,  along highway 7 are maintaining the old store and hotel which operated until the 1970's and was then taken over by the society so there was not "decaying period" requiring major restoration.  It sits adjacent to the railway line which was the only means of access until the mid 1900's.  In early times a major sawmilling area, now intensive agriculture on the silt flats.

Silt flats backed by steep rocky hills.

With older intensive dairy farming and ...

... new intensive dairying.  A lot of maize and sweet corn was being grown in the area.

The fence heigh give an indication of the height of the crop.

The was also considerable recreation activity beside the Harrison River, which flowed into the Fraser River at about this point.

By travellers and locals alike, but being on the north side of the Fraser was more a destination for locals.  We were now only 45 minutes from our B&B at Abbotsford, where we had stayed before leaving for the UK and only our return prior to travelling to Calgary for Spruce Meadows.  The  http://www.weeirishbnb.com/  of Lorna and Stephen Walker has been a good spot to stage trips to and from Vancouver being about an hour from the airport and close to highway one.  We hope you have enjoyed the tour.