Friday, May 28 to Thursday, June 3, 2021 (Tunkwa Provincial Park, Logan Lake, BC)

Friday (May 28) morning we said our goodbyes to Angela, Isaac…and then Chris as they all headed off. Grampa got big hugs from Isaac...
We were a little later getting going than planned because although I had finished the blog updates last night (when Blogger finally allowed me to upload pictures), Steve still had his bit to do.

So it was a few minutes before 10:00 when we hit the road. Our first stop was at Cabela’s in Abbotsford where I waited in the car while Steve went in to pick up a few things. Our bank account got a break as he came out with only a couple of rolls of new line for his fly rods. We stopped at Costco to fill up with gas and then continued east, stopping for lunch at Mr. Mike’s in Chilliwack. It has been years since either one of us has been to one and although the burgers we had were “okay”, I don’t think we’d rush to another one anytime soon.

We arrived back at Tunkwa shortly after 2:30. After unloading the car, Steve got to work immediately on fixing the satellite dish. The LNB broke off it's arm so he used JB Weld to repair it. It had fallen over for some strange reason that we don’t understand…it has withstood all of the strong winds we have had but had fallen over the day we had left. And apparently it wasn’t even windy out! Thank you, Sue and Doug, for messaging us to let us know, sending pictures and moving it under our trailer…very much appreciated!

While Steve was doing his repair work, I unpacked the suitcases, put away all of our clean laundry and made the bed up. Good to be back home, but we’re missing Isaac and his parents already!

We decided to get out for a walk around the campground for a little exercise before retreating inside as big black clouds came in.

There was a pretty sky tonight...
We woke Saturday (May 29) morning to clear, blue sky and a chilly 2C outside. I got up, put the coffee on and turned the propane heater on…it was only 6C inside…and then got back into bed until it warmed up.

It was basically a morning of chores…Steve taking care of stuff outside and hooking up his new fishing line while I took a quick trip into Logan Lake to pick up a few groceries to tide us over until we go to Kamloops next week.
After lunch we thought we’d go for a hike up to “the bench” but as we headed out, we noticed another couple ahead of us going that way, so we decided to hike around the Leighton Lake instead. So, we had a much longer hike than planned, but it was excellent…love that hike!

We just relaxed the rest of the afternoon alternating between sun and shade. Steve got a small campfire going and we roasted brats for dinner. After dodging the smoke for a while, we called it a day and headed inside to watch a little TV before heading to bed.

Sunday (May 30) morning the sun woke me up at 5:30 as it burst into my bedside window…hmmm…black-out shades would be nice!

The day started with just a light cloud covering but it got a little thicker as the morning progressed. Late morning, we went into town to fill our water containers…and have some internet time. And that was pretty much our day.

Monday (May 31) morning we had our lunch packed, and all our riding gear in the truck…and were headed over to the staging area at Leighton North before 9:00. We’re riding to Greenstone Mountain today.
Our first rest stop...





Arriving at an old camp...

This huge washout used to be part of the road...




Still a little snow in spots...
Our destination ahead...Greenstone Mountain...



2 1/2 minute video of us arriving at the top of Greenstone Mountain, a small Provincial Park...

We signed the guest book...
Tunkwa and Leighton Lakes in the distance...
Highland Valley Copper Mine and the Coast Mountains in the distance...
The city of Kamloops down there in the haze...

Rear view...
Panorama view...
36 second video panning across the valley...
Steve had a spot on his nose taken care of at the dermatologist last week... 
Time to move on, Kamloops Lake in the distance...
2.05 minute video of our ride down...


As we continued our ride a small black bear ran across the road in front of Steve but didn't hang around for a photo.

East Dairy Lake...
Dairy Lake...
Arriving at the Dairy Lake Forestry Rec Site...
A single campsite on the left...
There were only another three sites on the right. Definitely not big rig friendly getting in here... 

View of Greenstone Mountain where we just came from...
Our GPS showed a connector trail to the Rim Trail we wanted to get back to so we continued on but our track on the GPS veered off in an opposite direction so we turned around. 
We backtracked to Dominic Lake. This used to be a resort but it went out of business. We understand you can rent RV sites from the current owner...

We rode past several private recreation lots to the far end of the lake...


Rest stop on our way back...
Coast Mountains...

Time for another rest at the old camp...



It was shortly after 2:30 when we were back at the staging area…a fabulous day of riding! It had been mainly sunny and beautiful.
By the time we had the quads loaded back in the truck, got back to the trailer, and cleaned up, it was 4:00 and time to sit outside with a cocktail. Although by this time it was cloudy, it was still a very warm with the temp reaching 23C.

Our neighbour Dan joined us for happy hour, bringing a sample of his breadsticks that had just come out of his oven…yummy, thanks, Dan! We enjoyed about an hour or so of conversation and then it was time to start dinner.

It was an incredibly beautiful, calm evening with no wind! And, of course, with the cloud cover, it was still very warm when we went to bed. We knew the flannel sheets and duvet would be too hot to start with, but it tends to cool down through the night. It did somewhat but it was still a pretty warm night.

I was up just before 6:00 Tuesday (June 1) morning…it was 10C outside and 14C inside. I got the coffee going and turned the propane heater on for just a few minutes to take the chill off. It’s going to be another hot day…forecast to be even warmer than yesterday. We’ll enjoy this while it lasts as temps are expected drop drastically by the weekend.

I dropped Steve and his fishing gear off at the boat and then had a shower…big mistake because I went out for a hike around the lake afterwards. I was drenched by the time I got home…it was so hot! I prefer to take a shower after my walk however with generator hours 9am to 11am, I’d have to get out for a walk earlier if I want to shower and dry my hair (generator is needed for my hairdryer).

Steve was back around noon…a slow morning to start but just before he was about to come in, he caught a fish, so stayed out a little longer. He caught 2 fish.

We had a couple of errands to run in town so we ended up stopping at the Pick 'n Shovel Pub for lunch and a brew. COVID restrictions have been eased allowing inside dining again...this is our first time sitting inside...
Wednesday (June 2) we went into Kamloops. Such beautiful scenery as we take Tunkwa Lake Road towards Savona.

We saw some wildlife, LOL!
The fields looked beautiful in bloom...
Kamloops Lake was a mirror...
The sawmill at Savona...
It was another hot day, topping out at 36C! We had a number of stops today…leaving the grocery shopping until after lunch before we headed home.

It was after 3:30 by the time we got home. After putting the groceries away, we loaded the car with our chairs and a bevie and drove over to Leighton North campground to visit ATV friends, Jane and Chris. They, along with others from the Logan Lake ATV club are here for a few days of ATV riding.

We met Olie and Elsa, enjoying happy hour with them. Me, Chris, Elsa,  Ollie and Jane...
More folks will be arriving later this evening and tomorrow…looking forward to a few days of riding in the area!

Thursday (June 3) was another breezy day and not as hot as yesterday…but still in the 20's C. Steve did his outside chores and then organized his new tackle box. I puttered around and did a little baking.

While in Kamloops yesterday, we received an email saying we could book our 2nd vaccination, so I had immediately gone on-line and booked times at the clinic in Merritt. So after lunch we had a little road trip there. Again, the vaccination clinic was well organized and we had our shot and were out by 2:40. Yay, we are completely vaccinated!

We had just gotten home when Chris and Jane stopped by on their way back to camp to confirm we were coming over to drop the quads off. Rather than having to off-load and re-load each ride over the next couple of days, they suggested we just drop them off and leave them locked up with their quads at their site. Perfect, thanks guys!

After finishing a couple of things, Steve fired up Buster and we headed over. Once we off-loaded the quads, we joined the group for happy hour. We met the new comers…hopefully by the end of the weekend, we’ll remember everyone's name! LOL!
Stay tuned for a couple of days of great ATV riding with the Logan Lake ATV Club!


4 comments:

  1. What fun getting out and about again and seeing people!!!! Yeah for you.

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  2. Steve,

    Great videos Steve. I swear you guys are taking some damn fine amazing clips and pics. The longer you stay out there the better you seem to get! Keep up the good work as I live vicariously through your blog....sheessh! Wish I were there.

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    Replies
    1. Really appreciate your kind words Guy. Makes doing the blog worthwhile. 😉

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