Views from Shuswap Road

Wheels, wine and water
fowl are all to be had on 
the South Thompson shore

~ carliewired

The Shuswap Road winds alongside the north shore of South Thompson River. It is a scenic backroad between Kamloops and the village of Chase, about 30 miles east. 

My first stop was for a photo of the Wanda Sue, a replica paddlewheeler created by George Slack, a local resident. It provided tours on the South Thompson and Shuswap Lake for some 20 years, but has been anchored on the South Thompson River  since 2004. It was delightful to get out on the river for a tour on a summer evening. 

We have a significant number of Trumpeter Swans that winter on the South Thompson. They are our largest native water fowl weighing over 25 pounds and having a wing span of 6 feet. The usual pose one finds them in is bottoms up. They are those little white dots on the river before the Lafarge Bridge.

Harper's Trail is Kamloops' first winery. They planted their vineyard in 2008. I have to say they would win no prizes for their architecture, but they certainly win prizes for their wine. It is named for our early pioneer and rancher, Thaddeus Harper, who used this area for a camp during the cattle drives from the US to the Harper's Gang Ranch in the British Columbian Chilcotin area. 

It was -9 C when I left the house at 2 PM. We have a large Arctic air mass moving into our valleys. It is forecast to bring a big drop in temperatures, our first deep dive of this winter. We are told to expect it to last for 10 days. I must plug in my vehicle tonight as it's supposed to be going down to -20 C overnight. If we get clear skies and sunshine through this period, it will be worth the cold. 

I noticed that the willows are already showing yellow. I have to wonder what this deep freeze will do to gardens and plants in general. We have not much for snow cover left. My yard is snow-free, so there's not much to insulate the vegetation now.