South Thompson River

Since leaving Kamloops two days ago we've been following the South Thompson River upstream. This is a large, meandering river. It seems to me that the pace of the river has changed the tempo of the riders. We've been much more relaxed the last couple of days. The 90+ degree temperatures could have a little something to do with it as well I suppose, but we all seem to be taking it a little easier. The picture on the right is Terry's water-pistol sneak attack.

We're making our way from Kamloops to Jasper over the course of 4 days. The roads are wonderful, with mostly sparse traffic and typically a full lane of shoulder to ride on. I've been riding mostly solo the last couple of days, just enjoying the scenery, taking photos whenever I feel like it, and riding at a pace that feels right. It's been quite wonderful actually. Here are Dean and Terry raiding yet another Saskatoon bush.





This area is sparsely populated, which makes the handful of local establishments work pretty hard to catch our attention. This particular place had Snoopy dogfighters on poles, along with an antiques store and a snack shop. We see the occasional sign for the oddball tourist trap. ("Grizzly Experience - takes one hour!"), but other than that there's not much civilization out here. Tonight's camp at Blue River has been tagged "Hillbilly Heaven". It's the only place we've stopped at that has no cell phone service. However, you can buy live bait at the campground office. So, net win for the regulars.