Crossing BC

Yesterday we followed highway 3 across southern BC from Keremeos to Cranbrook. It was a much more gentle route through the mountains than following highway 1, which lowered the risk for snow, and it was also a new one for us. Generally speaking, highway 3 is only 2 lane all the way, which means a slower more intimate travel experience. Most of the mountain ranges run north south, and so do all the valleys and rivers. These all needed to be crossed, so the day was spent chugging with effort up and over many mountain passes, down again into deep and narrow river valleys, over ancient bridges and through the old towns of BC's mining and ranching past. Little has changed on this route. The dry sunny Okanagan still grows most of the province's tree fruit and wine grapes. The river bottoms still grow alfalfa and hay. The cattle still graze on the dry open grasslands, and the cariboo and long horn sheep still own the higher elevations. This is BC as it would have been 50 or even 75 years ago. The photos were taken as we were driving.


Okanagan fruit:

Valley towns like Osoyoos:

Greenwood:

(Log cabin is for Sheila!!)

Grand Forks:

Creston:

In between, it's just a steady stream of mountain and valley vistas...

Today we start off from Cranbrook, cross the Continental Divide at Crow's Nest Pass and leave the
mountains and valleys behind us as we reach the Canadian prairies, the vast land of eternal sky. Tonight we will be camping at Eastend Saskatchewan, on the Frenchman River, in the place where
my first Scottish relative settled in Canada, on a homestead in 1909. We will be exploring the area, visiting the location of my family's ranch, and the place in town where they moved the ranch house when my uncle retired. Outside of Eastend proper, we will be exploring the ghost settlement of Ravenscrag on the Frenchman River valley, and Chimney Coulee, the place where there used to be an old NW Mounted Police Post, a Hudson's Bay Post and a Metis settlement who used to hunt the wild bison roaming the area. It is also the location of the original ranch for Corky Jones, one of the most famous and colourful of Eastend's inhabitants and a great family friend. More about Corky and the ranch and the dinosaurs tomorrow. Today we have that last mountain pass to climb.