Big Bar Lake

 

Finally made it down to Big Bar Lake Provincial Park for our annual camping trip.  More importantly it was a shakedown trip for our newly purchased pop up tent which we hope to use next year on a trip up the Dempster highway, which is too rough for our trailer,  

We also brought along our big screen tent that we bought last summer for our Yukon trip  (not yet erected over the picnic table in this photo).  They both got a good test as it rained all through our first night camping.

The new tent passed muster; it didn't leak despite the measly little fly.  Importantly to Leo, it pops up in 90 seconds.  It's also large and heavy but you can't win them all.

We didn't travel very far, we walked twice a day on the Parks lovely trail around a Marsh, through the forest and up to the top of an esker.

After the rain the lichen really popped against the damp tree trunk

Our friend Glen rode his bike around the trail with his too granddogs:

Closeup of  Pepper andGlenn's mountain bike that he coverted to an ebike 

Here are Leo and Glen washing the dishes.

And here we all are gathered around the fire.  

Shiny Badger and Moon Road

Selfie with Doc English Bluff in the background on Moon Road.

 Patti have changed up our training hike and this month we have walked on the Shiny Badger Trail  just West of the Sheep Creek Bridge over the Fraser River

Climbing up the Shiny Badger trail

And Moon Road just east of the Sheep Creek Bridge.

We hiked as far as the platform on Shiny Badger.  From here you can see the Chilcotin Highway across the Fraser.  

In the upper left of this photo you can see a meadow. That is the start of Moon Road.

The wildflowers were lovely along the trail.  We spotted Mariposa lilies

And a single bee balm (wild bergamot) flower.   I had no idea they grew this far north.

Here's Henry looking photogenic on the grassy slope.

A week later we checked out Moon Road.  

Here we found lots of bee balm growing on the side of the road, along with lots of Mariposa lilies. I guess you just have to be out on the grassland at the right time of year.

Lots of nice views across the river to the ranches on English Road:

Camping Horsefly Lake

Hard at Work or Hardly Working?

We camped out at Horsefly Lake for 2 days a couple of weekends ago.  We didn't get up to much, it was too cold for swimming but we did hike up to the lookout.

Like every other berry/fruit tree/shrub this year, the salmon berries are going to have a bumper crop.

The tiger lilies

And columbines were blooming.

Patti found a giant moth.

I lost my phone so I didn't take my customary photo of our trailer in our campsite but Leo did get a shot of three empty chairs in front of the campfire.

June and Stampede Weekend

 

We made into the Williams Lake Tribune's montages of the Stampede Parade!  The Tribune reporter was across the street from us and we were in the backdrop of many of her photos.  I'm sitting at the curb in a gray hat and a pink shirt and Leo's sitting further back under the trees in a lawn chair.

I haven't posted much lately because I lost my phone and haven't been taking any pictures.  We've been out camping at Horsefly Lake once and I'm still training for the PEI walk.  We made it to 18 km but now we've scaled back as it was taking up most of our days with a four hour walk and rest afterward.

Patti and I rode our bikes down to the eagles' nest on a non walking day. I brought Leo's camera to take a few pictures.

The adult was on the nest and the two eaglets were up and in view.

Here Patti is sitting on the riprap at river's edge checking out the eagle nest. Note the curious marmot in the background.

Big Momma

They've gotten pretty used to us as we stop for a break here on our walks.

Here's the other adult eagle in a nearby tree.

And more marmot cuteness:

Meanwhile Leo flew back to Nova Scotia for a week to visit his sisters.

At sister Cathy's retirement party

While Leo was home he helped with the garden at the family home in Dartmouth, including power washing the house.

Power washing the house

May Days

We are enjoying the spring weather.  We've decided to mix up our Wednesday walks and go somewhere new each week after a winter walking in the creek valley.

Last week we crossed the Fraser River and walked along Moon Road.

Nice view of Englishman Road on the other side of the Fraser

The balsamroot were blooming on the edge of the road.

After our walk we sat at the side of the road and had our tea/coffee break.

Patti and I continue to train for our PEI hike and are enjoying the changes in the creek valley as spring progresses.

On May 5 we first noticed the clematis

And the Oregon grape in bloom.

When we first spotted the osprey nest there were only a few branches but every day the nest gets more substantial.

Osprey nest May 10

On May 13 we first spotted an eagles in the eagle nest.  We ran into Leo right afterward on his run and he took this picture with the nest behind us.

Spot the eagle nest.

A day or two later we met Leo again just as he spotted a bear coming down the hill.  We yelled out and it took off before we could get a look at it.

We take our snack break on a pile of riprap right near the eagle nest.  

There are marmot living in the pile of rocks and one day a deer crossed the river right below us.

This week we reached 13 km and have now walked past the lower parking lot (no longer accessible to vehicles since the big flood) and halfway down the old sewage ponds.

Nobody else walks this far down the valley so we have it all to ourselves.

Selfie time!

Yesterday on our walk we spotted a flock of ravens on the side of the road just before the (new) sewage lagoons.  We deduced there must be a kill there and sure enough we found a dead deer.  Always curious, Patti checked it out and discovered a stillborn fawn half out of the womb.  The deer was intact so must have died during labour right on the side of the road.

Patti pulled the fawn out.  I told you she was always curious!

I guess I was curious too because I took the pictures.

We continued on our walk but on the way back we realized we should be concerned about bears.  We made noises but the carcass was still untouched.  Patti phoned the city and they said they would remove it but just in case, today we walked from Patti's house up to my house and back down to Patti's.  Almost 10 km total but it's all uphill to my place.  Back to the creek valley tomorrow.

 

Chilanko Marsh

Last year this time we were in Ontario but this Victoria Day weekend we returned to our annual tradition of the naturalists' field trip to Chilanko Marsh.

We were the first to arrive at the marsh and as soon as I stepped out of the truck I could hear two Virginia rails calling.  Leo managed to get a good picture.

It was a cold day and always threatening to rain so the birds were not as active as in previous years.

But it was still a good day out.  We ended the day at the old ranch so we could add Brewer's blackbirds to our checklist.  We also saw some ducks we hadn't seen in the main part of the lake -  shovelers, cinnamon teal, common goldeneye and bufflehead.  Trip leader Jim says this is because the loons chase the ducks away from the more open portion of the marsh the loons need to take flight.

The beautiful old ranch house (now owned by the Nature Trust) u der a glowering sky

It started raining hard so we jumped into the truck and headed home.