Friday, May 27, 2016

Skydivers ~ Animals ~ Blooms ~ Kamloops, BC

Surrounded by great Springtime sights in Kamloops, BC.

Kamloops is a busy city in the Springtime with new activities, petting zoo babies and blooms galore.  I’ve shared a few of those sights here.

Kamloops Skydivers
The Kamloops Skydivers Club had their annual MayMeet.  The long Victoria May long weekend was a busy time for the club and all who were interested in skydiving.  The Kamloops Skydiver Club is one of the oldest in Canada and has been active for over 50 years. It was fun to watch the fun they had…. from my viewpoint on the ground!

Safe landings
The weekend weather wasn’t perfect but there seemed to be quite a few jumps, we could hear the plane overhead between rain showers.  We went out to watch a jump on the last afternoon, which had calm weather with blue skies.  

Curious Emu
The Westsyde Petting Farm is a private farm adjacent to the Westsyde Centennial Park.  Only the fence is between you and the farm animals living here, and visiting them is encouraged. Many of them are quite willing to pose for the camera, too!

Playful kids
These kid goats were purely entertaining for our visit.  They were not interested in us or food offered but played with each other as kid goats do.

Alpaca cuteness
They do not have limited hours nor is there a gate fee to pay, it is strictly visiting over the fence but most of the animals are very curious and will come running to the fence to see what you might have.  Click here for more info and photos.

Great Blue Herons
The Great Blue Heron was spotted out towards Tranquille when the river was high and the nesting season was happening.  There were two of these beautiful birds, who are wading birds usually found nesting in groups near water. 

The Great Blue Heron are very large birds, although we were quite a distance away which makes it hard to see their size.  We once saw one land at a friend’s fish pond just outside their door and it was amazingly huge!  They stand up to 54” tall and their wingspan is 66 to 79”, it was slightly intimidating to see it that close so this distance is preferred.

Blooming Cacti
The time is perfect to see the blooming cacti on the hills of Ord Road.  We took a drive to see them and were amazed at how many there were and no hill climbing was needed.  Our semi-arid country makes a perfect climate for some cactus.

Golfing buddies
In contrast to the sagebrush and cactus of Ord Road, we have the nice green of several golf courses in Kamloops.  We spent a recent sunny afternoon of golf at McArthur Island Golf Course and were visited by a few four legged friends.  

Kamloops sunset in May

May is still Spring time which often brings rain but we do get plenty of sunshine.  The green hues of Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter will turn brown in time but until then, we can enjoy the green we now see as we look at this sunset in Kamloops.

There are many beautiful spots to visit and sights to see, we just need to remember to take time to enjoy what we have in our great city of Kamloops or in the city you call home.