July 18, 2014

Tunkwa Provincial Park

Up early and on the road.  We headed towards Cache Creek & then through Ashcroft.  A very nice town is Ashcroft.  If you didn’t know better you’d really think you were in the southwest U.S.  Very dry but nicely kept town.  Very clean and friendly.  A GOOD coffee shop and bakery!

BC Interior

The very smokey and dry Interior of BC

Firehall at Ashcroft

Highland Valley Rd near Ashcroft looking at the Thompson River

From there we took Hwy 97C which is a little-used road thru some beautiful areas.  It climbs up to around 1100 – 1200 metres and the vegetation changes dramatically.  Much cooler and so a lot more trees.  I like it a lot.

We turned north at Logan Lake to head to Tunkwa Provincial Park where we’ll spend the night at least.  Several campgrounds here and it looks like it’s very popular with groups and families as most sites have 2 or more picnic tables.  No services, but they do have pit toilets.  We’re camped on a marshy spot at the end of the lake with no one else around (for now!).  It’s quite windy so I’m not sure we’ll get out in the boats.  Might go for a bit of a walk though.

Our Campsite at Tunkwa Provincial Park

There are a few hikes in the area and we followed one to a bluff overlooking the lakes.  The lakes are all man-made from the early part of the 1900’s and were dammed to make watering places for cattle.  Today they’re home to numerous birds and ducks as well as some cute Yellow Bellied Marmots!

HIking around the lakes

Tunkwa Lake

Butterfly on Asters

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Yellow Bellied Marmot at Tunkwa Provincial Park

It’s gotten cloudy and beginning to sprinkle a bit and for the sake of those fighting all the forest fires, I hope it rains like crazy tonight (but no lightening!).  The smoke is beginning to get thick here as well.