North Thompson River ~ Chinook Cove ~ Barriere, BC

Kamloops, BC and the surrounding area have much to offer.  We decided we would like to enjoy our hometown area more and so we planned a two day RV stay with friends up the North Thompson Valley in Barriere, BC.  Our RV trips are usually much longer but with so much here to see, why not spend time in the comfort of our RV.  Our mini holiday begins.

Chinook Cove, Barriere, BC

We stayed at Chinook Cove Golf and RV.  The golf course is absolutely beautiful.  The course is so well kept and the weather, although we had nighttime showers, was perfect with sunshine during the days.  Perfect RV’ing and golfing weather.  I enjoyed the scenery and the ride around the golf course more than I did the golfing, lol.  This is a view of the flat half, wait till you see the next half!  The hills and valleys aren’t easy to see in these photos but they were there!

Chinook Cove Golf and RV Park

I am not a very accomplished golfer, although I have swung those clubs a zillion times at many golf balls, but this was the most intimidating golf course I have ever been on.  I likely only golfed about three of the nine holes, rather than lose the pretty golf balls I have!  I would suggest that anyone going might want to carry extra golf balls with them.  The fellas lost a few of them on our round.

RV Park at Chinook Cove

The RV Park is not large with 18 great spots and nice facilities, as well.  It is only a 45 minute drive from our home in Kamloops and makes for a good place to spend a few days, especially for those who enjoy a challenging round of golf. 

Green hills on the Yellowhead Hwy

These lush green hills are slightly different than the sage hills we have closer to Kamloops but we have still not reached our dry days of summer yet, so the green will not stay so lush, I’m sure.  No drought but we’ve had them in the past.  This area is part of the McLure Fire in 2003 that destroyed over 65 thousand acres.  The spikey outline at the top of these hills are what is left of the trees that burned.

North Thompson River

Droughts can be a danger with fire season as well as lightening, arson and human carelessness, which was the cause of this 2003 fire.  Thankfully, much of the terrain has new growth since that time and creates a much nicer sight than it did back then, it was a sad sight to see.  The North Thompson River weaves its way through the valley and creates some beautiful scenery.

Ranch land at McLure, BC

Being a passenger in the truck definitely allows me to see more and usually with my camera ready.  I had hoped I would get the rainbow showing under the irrigation sprinkler and there it is. Takes little to excite me for photos. lol Much of Kamloops and area is ranching country and we see many horses on this part of the North Thompson Valley. 

Young buck

Timing was good for me with my camera as well as for this young buck as he ran across the busy highway.  Not all wildlife are this lucky.  This wouldn’t be an unusual sight so hopefully most drivers would be watchful for them. 

Ranching on Westsyde Road

We had been following the Yellowhead Highway north from Kamloops on the east side of the North Thompson River to Barriere and today we are on the Westsyde Road on the west side of the River.  The valley width is not large and as on the Yellowhead, this road rarely loses sight of the river.  Peaceful days of summer with horses grazing in the field are such a calming sight to see.

Whispering Pines 

Our drive took us as far as Whispering Pines when Mother Nature decided to rain on this off road racing fun.  These facilities host numerous events throughout the summer but hopefully most of them would happen on a warm summer day.

There are many things going on during our summer months but we hope to get out and enjoy some more of our local areas before the summer ends.

North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo ~ Barriere, BC

A recent drive up the North Thompson on the Yellowhead Highway was a perfect reminder of how pretty this valley is with the green fields and the North Thompson River gently rolling downstream on a sunny day.  We have so much to enjoy in our part of the world.

North Thompson River, BC

Some of the tree covered hills near Barriere and Louis Creek, BC were destroyed by fire some years ago but they are slowly coming back to life and filling in some of the devastation that we saw then.

Cutting hay in field near Barriere, BC

Farming is a big part of the communities that line the North Thompson River and crops are filling the fields at this time of year and keeping the workers busy. The highway is on the west side of the North Thompson River until we reach Barriere when we cross the bridge and travel on the east side of the river. The Yellowhead is never far from the river and all it’s splendor through this part of the North Thompson Valley. 

Entertaining hay structures along the Yellowhead Highway

Then we began seeing some hay sculptures, this wasn’t something we had seen before so had to get some photos to share.  Perhaps this is a regular sight for the locals; it is fun to see for those of us who happen to drive by and it was a great reminder of the upcoming North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo held in Barriere, BC.

Artistic displays of crafts for competition in the Exhibit Hall

The last time we spent a day at the North Thompson Fall Fair and Rodeo was their 60^th anniversary celebration in 2010 and it was a rainy day but that did not seem to put a damper on for those that were enjoying the Fair.  There were hundreds of items on display inside the exhibit hall including some very large vegetables and canning goods, too and crowds were here to see it.



Roosters, chickens and pigeons win awards

The judging had been done and the ribbons were proudly displayed.  I wouldn’t think the chickens, roosters and pigeons were impressed by these ribbons but some of them seemed to be pretty puffed and strutting around a little more than usual! (:  I'm just sayin'! 

Sheep patiently wait for the judging to be done

We watched the sheep being clipped by some very young participants that were likely 4H members and we were amazed at their skills!  There is no doubt that they’ve spent plenty of time learning this and should be proud of their job, their finished products were beautiful!  I am sure the judging wasn’t easy.

The llama patiently stands at the North Thompson Fall Fair

The llama barn had lots of them to see including some little ones, which are called “cria”.  The llamas are often used to control predators like coyotes and help protect herds of sheep and goats. They stand tall and are known to spit if provoked and their indifference does not encourage petting so we admired them from a slight distance.

Smiling piglet has a nap

This little guy seemed to be having a happy dream and was totally oblivious to all of us wandering past his pen.  He may have already finished his competition along with other farm animals so today was his day of rest and relaxation.

Horses and donkeys at the North Thompson Fall Fair

Horses are a big part of the Fair as well as the Rodeo. We did watch some of the horsemanship demos like the barrel racing and we wandered around the barn to get a good look at these magnificent animals, as well. The Fair is “a celebration of agriculture, livestock, western country living and community spirit” and this community certainly lives up to this philosophy.

A very large Brahma Bull

The rodeo is held in the arena on the grounds and is handicap friendly and the price of the entrance to the Fair includes the rodeo. This Brahma bull is one like you will see being ridden if you stay for the rodeo, he weighs about a ton and is to be taken seriously. I wasn’t getting too close for this photo, he seemed to be keeping his eye on me!

The North Thompson Fall Fair began in 1950 with about 500 people attending their one day event. After all these years of hard working volunteers keeping this great fair going strong, they expect to see almost 10,000 people attend the 3 day event Sept. 1, 2 & 3rd., 2012.

Check the schedule here so you don’t miss the rodeo or any other shows of the day and you'll also find a map on their website to show you the way.

They’ve come a long way since the first North Thompson Fall Fair and we would recommend you take that 45 minute drive north on Highway 5 to Barriere, BC from Kamloops this Labor Day weekend and enjoy all the Fair has to offer, you won’t be disappointed.  It is just another reason why there is no place like home.