Winter Wonderland - Douglas Lake Road - Nicola Region

Winter is a season that offers so many beautiful scenes out there.  We’ve been waiting for that day that has sunshine, blue sky and snow that will offer us some of those scenes when we go for a drive.  Our winter has given us some of that but not all at once until we decide, “this is the day”.   So off we go.

Hwy 5A view

We don’t have a promise of sunshine all day so we know that our sunshine may not last long but we will continue ….as we head towards a cloudy area.  Our drive takes us along Hwy 5A from Kamloops and we will find a road we want to follow from there.

Stump Lake

There are several lakes along 5A.  We pass some maybe-frozen lakes and some that are not.  The only sure indication of a frozen lake is seeing some people ice fishing on the far end of Stump Lake so we know that one is ok, but we have not had the typical cold winter days so not seeing as many ice fishing as expected.  

Douglas Lake

We decided to turn up Douglas Lake Road. Keith has only been part way and I’ve never travelled this road so this is new territory.  We are not seeing a lot of snow yet but we do see some great reflections as we pass by Douglas Lake.  There is not a lot of traffic today so we’re able to take our time and enjoy the sights.

Ranchland

Douglas Lake Ranch has been here since 1872 and raised cattle that supplied beef to the early CPR construction crews.  The ranch has since shipped hundreds of train loads of beef from this half million acre ranch.  We are not going to see all of that acreage but we do see their church and some of the housing as we pass by. 

Steep logging road

Once we get to the highest part of the Douglas Lake Road we begin to see more snow but we have yet to see what I’d hoped for.  We are about as high as we are going to get and I was beginning to lose hope that we’d see something spectacular. There is so much history in these hills and we pass a few ranch signs that must have stories to tell.  I’ve shared some of that here.

Winter is here

We passed a sign that said we were in a Logging Area so we’d need to proceed with caution as these roads were not always meant for two lanes.  We are leaving the ranching fields and getting into the trees.  Due to the snow on the road, we’re not sure what is under it but we are heading down a very steep and curvy road, hopefully not too slippery.  It isn’t easy to show how steep they are in photos.

Creek meanders downhill

All of a sudden we are seeing a winter wonderland!  I am so excited I just keep snapping pictures to get as many as possible as we travel down the hill.  We sure don’t want to stop and thankfully nor do we need to.  The next few kilometres were all offering sights of such pretty snow covered nature.  Good old Mother Nature has come through for me, once again.  We even got a slight bit of sunshine that got to peek at us down there from over the mountains.

Beautiful winter scene

Never would I have expected this change in scenery but as we followed this road, which also had running creeks all the way down seemed to make the difference of the tree growths by the creeks as well as the moist air that had to have contributed to the covering of the bushy branches.  Everything looked so pretty and clean.

Winter Wonderland

We did not meet one truck on this stretch of the road, for which we are thankful but I will say it isn’t an easy road with all the curves and the steepness of the descent.  Not everyone would be too comfortable with the roadside deep ravines. 

Westwold 

All of a sudden we are back to our familiar winter scenery as we approach Westwold on Hwy 97 to return home, covering 230 km on our drive today.  Although we don’t see any ‘spectacular snowy’ scenery on this part of our travels, we are passing some that have their special times of the year and we will return for those when Mother Nature tells me it is once again time to enjoy this part of her beautiful world.

 

Snow ~ Kamloops ~ British Columbia

When we think of winter, we think of cold and snow but that isn’t always the way it is!

Kamloops also has a lot of sunshine, even in winter. I am no weatherman and I don’t keep a weather journal but for those winter days that we think will go on forever, we need to remember that it won’t be this way for long and then find a way to enjoy it.

View to the west, Kamloops, BC, Canada

Sometimes we have lots of snow over the winter and other winters not as much. There is no real sure way of knowing what our winter will be like as some of these photos will show. There is El Nino, La Nina and cold fronts then warm fronts; wind or fog; we have a lot of weather variations that make for an interesting weather pattern in our part of the world.

Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter at Kamloops, BC

No matter where we might be to see a view of our city of Kamloops, we can see Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter as it stands tall and proud at the conflux of the North and South Thompson Rivers.

North Thompson River in Kamloops, BC

The North Thompson River appears to be frozen over at this point but never can it be trusted to be safe for crossing or skating on.  The river will be flowing beneath the ice, although slowly, but it could take very little weight to break through.

Thompson River at McArthur Park, Kamloops, BC

The South Thompson River has been frozen at times, but at this time it is open with snowcovered sandbars, as seen on the other side of the river.  Very often you will see a variety of birds and geese visiting this area but snow now covers any food they may forage so none were seen this day.

Scenic sunset on hills over Kamloops, BC

The range of hills and mountains behind Batchelor Hills seen in the distance, offer a beautiful setting with a dusting of snow as the winter setting sun shines onto some of those hills.  From this vantage point we can see some of the Lac du Bois area and then in the far distance is the Porcupine Ridge; both areas are favorites with the snowmobilers in winter.  

Trumpeter swans on the South Thompson River

The Trumpeter swans usually spend time here over the winter.  Those residents that live near the river are likely very familiar with the loud nasal honking call of the trumpeter, which is how they got their name.  They are the largest swan species and one of the largest flying birds.  The trumpeters are the only swans that live exclusively in North America and they may fly 2500 km (1600 mi) on migration.

Swans on their winter visit

Both sexes of the adult trumpeter swan look alike with their white plumage but the immature birds have grayish plumage with gray-pink legs and their bills are gray-pink toward the tip.  The swans can weigh up to 13 kg. (30lbs) and may live to be 24 years old. There have been incidents on the S. Thompson River in past years that swans have frozen to the surface, then were rescued by some very caring and careful people.

Cloud formations cover a winter sunset

Late afternoon cloud formations make the sky look very luminous and eerie.  We can have winds come through the valley which can create interesting cloud formations at times.  The big advantage of the wind is that if we have threatening clouds overhead, they may be gone within minutes due to the wind.  Our weather can change in a moments time.

Fog sits in the valley

The vantage point for this photo was taken from the Dufferin area and shows a beautiful fresh new snowfall and a bank of fog hanging over the city.  It can be socked right in when down in the valley but a short drive up the hill and we’re ‘above the clouds’ enjoying sunshine and blue skies.

Hoar frost on a sunny day

I believe this to be a great example of hoar frost.  It is a white frost, tiny solid deposits of water vapor from saturated air.  This happens when the temperature of the surface is below freezing, usually with clear skies.

Peterson Creek Nature Park

Peterson Creek is a great spot to see some incredible views from. This particular spot is near the parking lot just off Summit Drive in the Sahali area and from there you can hike on several paths to enjoy more of the view.

There is more for you to see on Kamloops if you click here and even more if you click here, too.
Enjoy the Kamloops winters and the beauty of the snow covered hills, there is just no place like home.