Willy’s Past week of un-excitement…..Sort of.

I was going to title it…”Willy got lucky”but I didn’t want to give anybody the wrong idea..More of that later.First off I have changed locations but wanted to go back and show some final shots taken around Tunkwa this past week.It was one of those days that I thought I should get off my aging backside and walk around a bit with my camera since its been considering applying for unemployment benefits,as it sat in the corner staring at me.

A flutterby on a flower for starters….and an example of a nice unoccupied camping area on a lake full of fat rainbow trout on a warm day in July…..Who says all the campgrounds are full in July/August.And at $16.00 a day,with a paved road all the way to the park entrance,leaving about one mile of good gravel.

All of this with a city of about 100,000 just an hour or less away.(Kamloops)It goes to show that with so many nice camping spots in this general area,it really thins out the population of people looking for a nice lakeside spot.

 

And below the waterfall that drops down about 30 feet into Leighton Lake from Tunkwa Lake,with more camping on the far side of Leighton.This shot taken up on the bluff above Leighton, at Tunkwa lake’s level.

And finally a young family of ducks on the point where I stood back in 1980 when Mount St. Helens blew.I’ll never forget that day and the sound that roared across this highland valley so many miles away.

So!….After a week here at Tunkwa,I decided that a day trip back home was in order so I took off early on Monday morning for the 3 hour drive down to Chilliwack first, where I had a visit with my wife in the nursing home.I don't know how much she gets out of my visits,if anything as she doesn't communicate beyond an occasional yes or no and greets me with a blank stare, as there really isn’t any personality left with her brain damage,although she will laugh if I tell a funny or at least smile.I stopped trying to figure her out years ago when I was still looking after her. After some Chinese lunch at the mall food fair and some grocery shopping,I headed across the river to my home park,45 minutes drive away,where I checked the house,got the mail, did some watering then headed back up the highway to Merritt…..Geeze! gas was cheaper than Chilliwack by one cent.I arrived back in camp at Tunkwa around 5:30PM hot and tired.

Early next morning,yesterday,I packed up and headed out with the trailer in tow,back down to Merritt,leaving behind the sunny, cooler, almost 4000ft level and trading it for the 2000ft,much warmer desert climate of the Nicola Valley.

I headed northeast about 22Km’s(13 miles) to Monck Provincial Park on the shores of Nicola Lake.This is a popular summer park for holidaying families and I figured if I had any chance to get a spot without reservations,that Tues. might be the day,and mid morning the other factor as I noticed several rigs coming out as I approached.I have my favorite spots in this 120 campsite park,but the chances of getting one was slim to none but worth a try.I approached the nice lady at the entrance building with my list of fav’s and low and behold,”I GOT LUCKY”as my 2nd choice had just been vacated.This is very lucky because there are mostly reserve-able sites,and very few first come sites.

So Here I am right on the lakeside.I prefer more open sites for my solar panels and satellite dish,along with a nice breeze off the water.

There is a nice paved road through,so no dust problems as there is a lot of traffic with the campers driving back and forth to the boat launch and beach area all day.

Its nicely spaced(below) as you can see my next door neighbor is a fair distance away.The 2nd shot looking across the lake in the evening with the sun on the far hills.This area is mostly sagebrush and ponderosa pine.The pine beetle kill has been mostly halted at the edge of the park with the addition of traps.Quite a contrast to the hillside above which is mostly made up of dead pine trees.

A little zoom shot across the lake last night,looking at what seems to be a private park at Quilchena,with the greenery of the golf course contrasting with the dry hills.

 

The old Highway 5 between Merritt and Kamloops runs down that side behind the trees.

So here I am for awhile in a spot that I like and missed last year, and this is my first time blogging from this spot.The days are warm,in the 80’s and the nights are certainly warmer than at Tunkwa’s elevation,and the lake is warm for swimming… and the beer is cold……What else do I need?

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