Above Photo: Below is the Thompson River In British Columbia.
One thing I have always enjoyed is traveling along Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway) through this dry climate. It is so different from here in Houston, B.C. where we are surrounded by green coniferous trees.
In this drier area what you will see are tumbleweeds, rugged pine and mountains of rock. Also when driving the Highway, keep an eye out for sand hoodoos, as seen in some of my pictures.
Above Photo: Sand hoodoos above the Thompson River.
Above Photo: Blow up of the sand hoodoos picture above the Thompson River.
There isn't much in the way of precipitation throughout the year. Summer temperatures can exceed 35°C (110°F) and in the winter months normally it doesn't seem to get the really cold temperatures and there is very little snowfall.
In one of the pictures my wife took from the car is a Canadian Pacific Railway train traveling through the area. Also on the other side of the river runs the Canadian National Railway.
Above Photo: Empty Canadian Pacific Railway coal train.
I did manage to take a short video of a empty Canadian Pacific Railway coal train and I posted it to YouTube. You can find the video clip at the below web address.
Canadian Pacific Railway coal train video:
If you enjoy camping or stopping for a picnic lunch, then there is a beautiful area right along side the Thompson River called Goldpan Provincial Park.
Above Photo: Thompson River Canyon and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Goldpan Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, located on the Trans-Canada Highway between Lytton and Spences Bridge, on the Thompson River. The park has camping above the highway and a picnic area and riverfront below.
Goldpan Provincial Park website.
Above Photo: Picture shows how dry it is with tall dry grass and pine trees.
Canadian Northern Pacific's Last Spike.
Canada's third trans-continental rail link was completed near Basque on January 23, 1915. In a simple ceremony the last spike was driven, witnessed by a small group of engineers and workmen.
The line later became part of the Federal Government's consolidated
Canadian National Railways system.
Province of British Columbia. (1967)
The below text is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
At Kamloops, the combined Thompson River river flows 15 km from the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers before reaching Kamloops Lake, which is roughly 30 km in length, ending at the town of Savona. From there it flows in a meandering course westwards through a
broad valley area.
Above Photo: A twisted dried out Pine tree.
At Ashcroft, the Thompson Canyon begins and the river turns southwestward to its confluence with the Fraser. The river is paralleled by the Trans-Canada Highway, the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway.
Above Photo: A twisted dried out Pine tree and low cloud ceiling.
From Ashcroft to Lytton, the river is completely confined within Thompson Canyon, making for spectacular scenery. The Thompson River joins the Fraser River in Lytton. There is a striking stretch of dark black cliffside just downstream from Ashcroft and visible from the Logan Lake-Ashcroft highway is officially-named the Black Canyon.
Just below the town of Spences Bridge was the site of a major rail disaster in the early 20th Century. Communities along this section are Bighorn, Shaw Springs, and Goldpan.
Travel British Columbia with Brian Vike blog, please contact me at b_vike@telus.net
Travel British Columbia with Brian Vike.
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