0560 N Thompson PP to Blind Bay

10^th July 2016

Ospreys, a waterfall, and catching up with 2 good friends.

Ed and Sarah Shook were busy today to I decided to head on past their property and on down to Salmon Arm.  This meant that I would end up doing this stretch of road 3 times, but it is not only a very easy road, but is also very scenic, driving down beside the North Thompson River most of the way.  After Kamloops I turned east in towards the extensive and very scenic arms of Shuswap Lake that stretch for miles, and provide endless opportunities for boating, fishing, camping and everything else that goes with big lakes like this.

I had originally met Bill and Debra down in a Utah camp ground right at the beginning of my 2012 Lotus trip, and later on stayed with them here at their home in Blind Bay, not far north of Salmon Arm.  The go down to Mexico for 3 months every winter, not far from Puerto Vallarta, which I visited on my trip through Mexico.  We have kept in touch and as soon as I knew I was coming through this part, I emailed them to plan a visit.  Unfortunately I now need to get a move on to Seattle so I can get everything sorted out for my return to Australia, so it had to be a short visit.

After a quick lunch at the house, Bill had to go into Salmon Arm for a Dr’s appointment, so I went with him.  He dropped me off down on the pier in town while he went to the Doc, and I spent a very pleasant hour or town watching some nesting ospreys, and wandering around the boardwalks they have around the shores of the lake.  I finished off at an ice cream shop about 15 minutes before Bill was due back, but he was early and spotted me, and joined me for the ice cream before we headed on round the Shuswap for a walk up to the Margaret Falls.  This was a short but almost magical

walk up a little gorge with lots of fallen trees lying across the gorge casting shadows everywhere from the sunshine.  The falls were lovely, and we walked back down the path and went home.

We sat around chatting and hatching plans over a beer or two, and then Bill bbq’d some steak for supper while we worked on an assessment of the quality of various S American wines !  A very pleasant evening, and somewhere during the evening we decided that they needed to come out to Australia in 2017, so we are trying to hatch some plans in that regard !  We shall see !!  But great to catch up with them whatever happens.  

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/6306870923549092369?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDz24yzscWcnAE