More Salmon

Adams River Sockeye Run

To celebrate my 60th birthday we decided to go see the Adams River Sockeye Run.  As I reach this milestone, I realize I better get get going on my Bucket List!

We stayed two nights in a motel in Chase.  After we checked in we drove out to Tsútswecw Provincial Park (formerly Roderick Haig Brown), pronounced tschuschwech.

 

The river was indeed teeming with bright red fish; the whole park was teeming with people snapping photos.

We hiked up the Adams River

Till we got to the canyon.

In the eddy below the canyon was a deep hole full of dead salmon that had washed down the river:

Spot the pictograph:

We also drove up along Shuswap Lake to the resort communities of Scotch Creek, Celista and Anglemont and checked out the  Shuswap Provincial Park campsite.  It was closed for the season, but we parked outside and walked to the beach.

Most of the leaves in Williams Lake have fallen, but in the Shuswap they are still in their full fall colour.

Maple in the afternoon sun.

Thanksgiving

We drove to Smithers for Thanksgiving as we usually do.  There was no Turkey Trot (10 km) run in Kispiox this year so we had to go for a hike instead.

We started behind the railroad tracks and hiked up the ridge above Sybille and Dave's place with a nice view of Seymour Lake beyond the trees.  Then we walked down the road to their house.

The leaves were falling so the forest seemed bright and open.

The bright red foliage is the highbush cranberries.

Thanksgiving Dinner was at Sybille's house and the turkey was fabulous.

Elders History Tour - Day 3 - Quesnel Forks

Two days later we were back on the bus to Likely.  This time we drove out to Keithley Creek, site of another gold strike.  Here we drove by a giant pile of rocks that Chinese miners removed from the Creek to search for gold.  There's also a historic cemetery and the Keithley Creek library (a shed full of donated books)

Checking out Keithley Creek Cemetery

We also stopped in to visit Ethyl Winger, the former mayor of Williams Lake who grew up in Keithley Creek and still spends all summer in her cabin.

Back to Likely for lunch at the Likely Hotel, and then down to Quesnel Forks, once the largest city in BC.  

Lovely Fall Day in Quesnel Forks

Most of the town was washd away by the Quesnel River, and only the Chinese settlement remains.  In 1996 our kayaking friends were camped at the Forks and were wakened in the night by a the loud sounds of a landslide.  They woke up in the morning to find that the high bank across the river had collapsed and entirely blocked off the flow.

When the blockage washed out the river was pushed over to the townsite and began to erode away the bank.  Several of the remaining buildings were washed away but the Tong House was saved and relocated away from the bank.

We paddle the Cariboo River several times a year (not this year though, too much smoke for outdoor activities), and we take out at Quesnel Forks where the Cariboo joins the Quesnel River.  But I haven't actually walked through the townsite in the last 10 years.  Back then the buildings were in pretty rough shape.  Most of their roofs had caved in.  But in the intervening years they've gotten grants and reconstructed many of the buildings.  

They've put up interpretive signs and we were given a handout describing all the buildings.  

Another great Cariboo History tour!  Thanks to the Elders College and our guide, history buff and retired educator, Barry Sale.

Elders History Tour Day 2 - Likely Road

The second day of the History tour we woke up to 4 inches of snow on our car.  Not quite the vision of a lovely fall day we had in mind for early October.

Our first stop was at the site of the old Roadhouse on the Patenaude Ranch, built to service the Cariboo Gold Trail.

Next pit stop was at Big Lake, just off the Likely Road.  Apparently we've been driving right by the Big Lake Heritage site for almost 30 years,not realizing it existed.   They have moved several buildings to the site from the old Big Lakr Ranch (now a subdivision).  They look great in the snow:

And you can walk down a portion of the original Gold Rush Trail.

Next stop was the Bullion Pit, once the largest manmade hole in the world.

This viewpoint is actually over the Drop Pit, a smaller hydraulic mines it near the Bullion

Just past the ghost town of Hydraulic, we stopped at the turnoff to the once bustling Bullion Pit townsite, but we did not visit because of the muddy road.  Its just as well, I was there in the pouring rain for work in the 1990s and all that was left was the roofs of the collapsed buildings.  Apparently, the current owners are cleaning up the site and as they remove the debris they are donating artifacts to the Likely Museum.

Lunch was at the Likely Hotel.

Its really spruced up since the new owners bought it after the retired from running the Salvation Army Mission in Williams Lake.  Yup, straight from saving souls to drawing draft!  They can be counted on for good home cooking.

Our last stop of the day was the Likely Museum,



which was built since the last time I visited Cedar Point
 Provincial Park on Quesnel Lake.  Its a great little museum, and not just because there's a prominent picture of me playing with the Community Band in the Likely Victoria Day Parade in the mid 90s.

The docent told us a touching story of a visiting Japanese man who tracked down his lost Grandfather who moved to Canada and disappeared.  He followed his grandfather's tracks to the Boulion Pit mine, and he has returned seeral times to the Likely area since.

We watched an old CBC documentary about the wife of the former mine manager revisiting the abandoned Bullion townsite in the 60s.

Cedar Creek is the site of the Cariboo's last Gold Rush in 1921.  Its a nice campsite and on site is a large steam shovel from the Bullion Pit.  There's another one now located at the visitor centre in Quesnel.

Elder's College Cariboo History Tour Day 1

Leo and I signed up for the Elder College history tour again.  Last year we toured the Cariboo Roadhouses from 100 Mile to Dog Creek to Quesnel.  This year the theme was the Golden Rush.  Unfortunately, I missed the first day due to an appointment, luckily Leo took photos.  His favourite part was the 153 Mile General Store.  "Best museum I've ever seen!"

153 Mile General Store Museum

It is only open by appointment, but the Patent use Ranch is donating it to the City to be moved to the Stampede Grounds.

It's stuffed full of old time items:

Biscuit tins

Traditional Baskets

Assorted who knows whats

Annual Bocce Tournament

Every year my fellow band member Rocco invites everyone he knows to
 a bocce tournament and spaghetti potluck in his backyard. This year it was cold and rainy but we persevered.

Leo and Rocco judge the winning ball

Later on a few of us played music from the Godfather for the guests:

Surprise Medal

Leo got a surprise bronze medal in the long jump, and there were even more than 3 people in his age group!  (He didn't train and has only long jumped twice in his life! Last time he competed he didn't even qualify.)  Some action shots below:

Leo Cleans Up Again at Seniors' Games

In all Leo got 6 medals, his standings are below:

	Rankin	Leo	Gold	1	Men 65 - 69 1500 Metres	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	6:26.98	Williams Lake
	Rankin	Leo	Gold	1	Men 65 - 69 10 Kilometre Road Race	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	0:47:22	Williams Lake
	Rankin	Leo	Silver	2	Men 65 - 69 800 Metres	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	3:13.24	Williams Lake
	Rankin	Leo	Gold	1	Men 65 - 69 5000 Metres	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	22:35.49	Williams Lake
	Rankin	Leo		4	Men 65 - 69 5000 Metre Power Walk	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	35:39.46	Williams Lake
	Rankin	Leo	Bronze	3	Men 65 - 69 Long Jump	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	3.15	Williams Lake

Rankin/Johnston	Gold	1	Men 75 - 79 4 x 400m Powerwalk Relay	final standing	Final Standings	(Z9) North Central	10:58.12

Start of Leo's first race, 5000 metres

3 Amigos at the 5000 metres medal ceremony

As always, competition was keen, with Leo's perennial rival, Robert, just steps behind him in more than one race.

Finish line of 1500 m race

Gold medal team for North Central, Men's 4x400 power walk relay

Mixed 4x100 relay team (Leo ran with Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island runners to make up a team).  Pauline (2nd from left) had just collapsed at the finish line of her 400 Metre race, but insisted on running the relay anyway

On the last day of the Games, Leo ran the 10 km race on a paved Rails to Trails that runs from Cranbrook to Kimberly.  Our Kimberly friends, Rob and Liz, came out to cheer Leo on in 3 different places, but apparently he just ran by them, oblivious to their calling out his name.

Just before the finish line.  You can see Robert in the green and yellow just 18 seconds behind him.

Senior's Games in Cranbrook

After the wedding we headed over to the Kootenays for the Senior's Games (now officially called the 55+ Games).  We lunched at Rock Creek in the Kettle River Provincial Park.  The park was burnt in a forest fire a few years ago, but we were happy to see that they stopped it just before the campsite.

We camped at Jimsmith Lake Provincial Park (a Senior's deal at only $11night in the off season), just outside of Cranbrook.

We checked out Cranbrook's nature reserve on Elizabeth Lake.  We forgot our cameras, but we saw lots of birds, including the bird of the day, Wilson's warbler.  They are long gone fom our neck of the woods, but I guess still hanging around southern BC.

The next morning we hiked up the Eager Lookout Trail to the site of a former lookout north of town with great views in all directions. Appropriately, we saw the last of many of this year's fires in the area. 

View from Eager lookout

In the afternoon we drove up to Kimberley to register for the games.  We stopped off at our friend Kelly's parent's house for a visit.  Kelly's Dad Rob showed us his collection of First Nations' baskets he'd collected in the sixties.  Very cool.

Then we drove up to the skill for registration.  They were giving free chairlift rides up the mountain so we couldn't resist.  Nice views from the lift:

View of Kimberley from chairlift

We were grateful there was no mechanical  problems because it was darn cold!  Soon after we got to the top we jumped back on because rainclouds were gathering.  Luckily we made it down before the rain.

A wedding in Kelowna

Our great niece Justine got married in early September  in Kelowna.  We camped at Bear Creek Provincial Park (great deal for Seniors after labour day 1/2 price $17.50).

Leo overlooking Rose Valley

The day before we had a great hike in Rose Valley Regional Park, a short drive away on the westside.  You climb up a hill for great views of the hidden Rose Valley in one direction 

and across the lake in the other direction.

Great view over Kelowna, hiding the business strip sprawl

Justine wedding was held at the Harvest Golf Club with beautifully landscaped grounds, including a man made waterfall in front of the clubhouse.

Newlywed Justine with new husband Mac and her family

Congratulations Justine and Mac!