African Queen

We'd planned to go to Moose Valley Provincial Park , southwest of 100 Mile on Monday.  But when we stopped in at the Tourist Information Centre to see if they had a map, they told us the road was closed due to a forest fire. No, we said, not Flat Lake Provincial Park, the other park southwest of 100 Mile with a canoe route, where we knew there was a fire, Moose Lakes.  No, she said, they both have a fire.

So we made a quick change of plans and headed for 108 Mile Lake.  Our friend Mark brought his canoe, so we paddled around the lake and then some of us went for a dip off the swimming platform at the public beach.
One of us forgot to bring her bathing suit, so she missed out.  None of us knew there was a public beach at the 108, but now we do.

108 Mile Heritage Site seen from the lake.  That's the world's longest log barn on the extreme left of the photo.  Okay the website says it's Canada's largest, but where else would there be a bigger one?

Next we drove to Lac la Hache and looked for the public beach at the south end of the lake that Leo remembered.  There didn't seem to be one, but we found a boat launch/lake access which served our purpose.

There's a section of the Moose Lakes Loop that is called the African Queen because it can get so shallow you might have to get out and drag your canoe like Humphrey Bogart in the movie (and possibly get covered in leaches?). (Note the park website tells you not to do this to protect the marsh.)

Well we may not have been able to go there but I felt like the African Queen as I lolled in the middle of the canoe and Leo and Mark paddled me through the rushes.

Lot of birds in the marsh here:

Spot the great blue heron.  Bird of the Day?  Why not.