Summertime ~ Kamloops, BC

The first day of summer arrived on a Friday leading into a week of summer activities.  We wait for this day with great anticipation as we expect summer weather to be a constant sunny and warm.  That may be our normal summertime but it just doesn’t always happen.  We had a bit of Spring overlap.

He scores!

For the most part, the soccer tournament games were played between the weekend showers.  We only went to two of the games, one on each weekend day, and got rain neither one but there were scattered showers happening.  We did see our youngest grandson make a special goal, his very first!  I would have sat in the rain to see that. 

Westsyde Horse Show

Westsyde Park hosted a horse show on Sunday.  Several showed their horses by walking around the outside arena, being judged for things I would not have any idea about.  They were so enjoyable to watch, but what horse isn’t, especially when being ridden by someone who knows what they are doing. 

Mental Health Bike Ride

We saw many many bikes riding the Westsyde Road before they headed down to ride on the dyke that passes Westsyde Centennial Park.  They were supporting bringing mental health into the open.  The total ride was 25 km long, so good for all and thanks to those who participated for this worthy cause.

Entertaining Emu

The Little Farmer’s Zoo adjacent to Westsyde Park never lacks for some animal entertainment.  So many people enjoy watching the antics, especially of the goats, they do seem to know to perform.  I think my favorite is the Emu, who seemed as interested in my camera as I was in him.  He did give it a peck once, as his long neck gives him a long reach, but I think he was hoping for an edible.

Little Farmers Zoo

Little Farmer’s Zoo offers machines to purchase appropriate food for the animals to avoid feeding them food scraps that may do them harm.  Feed is very inexpensive and will definitely get the animals to the fence once they know you have something for them.  All animals are behind the fence but petting can still be accomplished for some.

TRU basketball

This basketball court is at Thompson Rivers University and has attracted several young players on this morning.  As regular classes are over for the year, I suspect these kids could be here for fun, practice or lessons?

Deer attending University

We see a local visitor on the grass of TRU enjoying a lunchtime snack.  She’s alone here and with all the construction going on at the campus I am surprised to see her.  This campus has grown.

McArthur Park Skateboarding

Kamloops has several skateboarding parks, and rarely are they empty but with summertime here, they will likely keep pretty busy.  This one is located at McArthur Island.

Brock Pool

This is a small group of swimmers at the Brock Pool compared to shortly after.  There were 5 school buses arrive in the parking lot while those who came on them had swimming or picnicking in the park.  Brock Park includes a playground area, swimming pool and tennis courts, as well as an inside ice arena.  Great place for any summer day, especially ones like this.

Mt. Paul and North Thompson River

What could be prettier that Mt. Paul and Mt. Peter reflected in the North Thompson River, which is great for kayaking, and is lined with lush green bushes and trees.  This pathway offers a nice walk along Schubert Drive on the NorthShore.

So many things to do in summertime Kamloops, an outdoor paradise.  Hopefully everyone has a safe and fun summer ahead of them.

Little Farmers Petting Zoo ~ Westsyde Centennial Park ~ Kamloops, BC

There are many things to make it easy to say we love Kamloops and lots of them are free!  Like the Little Farmer Petting Zoo in Westsyde Centennial Park. It is a great spot to bring our kids or grandkids to. The little ones can enjoy the safe but close up look at the animals at the Little Farmer Petting Zoo on Franklin Road in Westsyde. Many of the animals come to the fence to let you pet them, they’re all pretty friendly and curious.  The animals especially love the treats that are available in small vending machines on site that have the right food for them for a small fee of 25 cents to $1.00 so bring quarters and loonies when you visit.

 

Llama at Little Farmers Petting Zoo, Kamloops, BC

The llama was domesticated in the Andrean Highlands of Peru 4,000 to 5,000 years ago and that makes them the oldest domestic animal in the world.  They are very intelligent and that makes them easy to train.  Their hair is grease-free and very lightweight and that makes it a favorite with weavers and knitters, too.  The llama is very social but shy, they’re very gentle but curious.  They live up to 25 years and grow almost 2 meters tall  (6 ft. high) and average 280-450 lbs.

Emu at Little Farmers Petting Zoo in Kamloops, BC

The emu is covered with soft feathers and has tiny wings but is a flightless bird.  They feed on plants and insects and they only drink once or twice every day.  They grow to about 2 M. (6’6”) in height and have long legs that help them sprint at 50 km (31mi) per hour.  The emu is very curious and nosy, too.

  

Goats in sun at petting zoo, Kamloops, BC

There are quite a few goats and I believe are the pygmy breed. They all love to come to the fence to see if they will get fed. Pygmys have good natured personalities and are very friendly and affectionate. These little ones fight for their spot at the fence when they see the treats coming but when all is quiet at the fence, they just enjoy soaking up the sun. 

 

Tom Turkey in Little Farmers Petting Zoo

The Bronze Turkey got his name from his bronze-like iridescent sheen, the color of his 5,000 to 6,000 feathers.  The male called a tom or gobbler, has red wattles on his throat and neck and they make them very different from the female, who has duller colors of brown and gray and no red wattles! 

 

Bronze turkey in Kamloops, BC

This handsome fellow followed me from one side of the fence to another, he seemed to enjoy the company so we had quite a visit.  I couldn’t resist putting in an extra picture of him, I think he is pretty special.

 

Curious chickens at Little Farmers Petting Zoo

Who knew there were chickens dressed in fluffy coats?  There are many varieties of chickens at the Little Farmers Petting Zoo.  These ones are not for petting but they love to get some of those seeds available in the vending machine close by.

Exotic birds in petting zoo, Kamloops, BC

There are some beautiful birds at the petting zoo. Their cages border Westsyde Park which gives them a great view of the park and all those who come to visit there.

I’ve not met the owners of the petting zoo so am not familiar with the business of it but I understand it is privately owned and these animals are here for our enjoyment at no expense to us. They allow us to pet and feed the animals at the fence by having vending machines available for us to purchase grains and seeds that are suitable for the animals to eat.

Follow Westsyde Rd north to Franklin Rd, then into Westsyde Centennial Park and the Little Farmers Petting Zoo is there on your left at the entrance with the parking lot nearby. Winter may be a bit quieter but no doubt the animals enjoy your company then, too.  A new webpage is being developed  for the Zoo so check out some of their photos and information on there by clicking here.

North Thompson River ~ Kamloops, BC

We love Kamloops and we’re surrounded by the natural beauty of the Thompson Valley.  The North Thompson River is one of the natural beauties of the Kamloops area, but it seems to be the river that gets little attention. There are no public boat launches and the river has not been charted so it doesn’t encourage the summer power boats that crowd the South Thompson River nearby. That means the only boat traffic is the occasional kayak or canoe and that makes a quiet river to enjoy.

 

North Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

The North Thompson, named by Simon Fraser to honor his explorer friend David Thompson, originates west of Valemount, BC at the base of the Thompson Glacier then continues south and meets up with the Clearwater River, the North Thompson’s biggest tributary, which drains much of Wells Gray Provincial Park.

 

Reflections in the North Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

On this day I stopped to visit the Little Farmers Petting Zoo in the Westsyde Centennial Park, which I will share with you later, and hoped to see some fall colors along the North Thompson River from this vantage point.  Much had changed in the years since I was last down to the river there and the river was so much prettier than I remembered it to be.

Damaged tree in Westsyde Centennial Park, Kamloops, BC

There are many more trees in that grove than I remember, and they’re so much larger, too.  This tree, sadly a recent victim of this damage, stood alone but I remember a cluster of birch trees where we once had family photos taken nearby that no longer look the same, how things do change.

 

Looking north on North Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

Spring and summer runoffs from the winter snow bring the river levels much higher than you’ll see in these pictures and have been known to flood on more than one occasion but today I am walking the rocky beaches and enjoying the very still water of the North Thompson River in the Fall season.   It is a calm and quiet river today.

A path to the North Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

There is a walking path that follows along the dike that protects the park and Oak Hills/Oakdale subdivisions, rebuilt after the flood of 1972. If you want to get right down to the river, you will follow the path past the dog park but there are other access paths along the dike, too. Some will take you through a grove of trees that run along the rivers edge.

South view of the North Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

I gained a new appreciation for our beautiful rivers while on our Cross Country trip and that was that we do have some of the most beautiful rivers on this continent! We crossed many rivers during our eight month trip and few came close to comparing to the size and beauty of the rivers we have right outside our own backyard.

This just gives us another reason why we love Kamloops.