The waterfalls park

Clearwater, Canada

Today’s drive was short and very sweet. I travelled from Valemount south on Highway 5 to Clearwater, just a couple of hundred kms away because I wanted to spend some time in Wells Gray Provincial Park. So I’m here at the Clearwater KOA for two nights. It’s a mediocre KOA with the usual amenities, but rather crowded and the facilities could use a make over. They’re kind of tired. And the wifi is so bad, I’m once again using my personal hotspot. Today after quickly setting up camp and doing a reconnoiter of Clearwater, I headed into Wells Gray Provincial Park. I wasn’t planning on going in until tomorrow, but because the forecast is for overcast and rain all day tomorrow, I decided to go see as much as I could before the heavens opened. From my pictures you’ll see a small sampling of why this park’s nickname is “Waterfalls Park”. It is home of Canada’s fourth highest waterfall, Helmcken Falls, and 38 other falls that have been deemed substantial enough to be named. The Clearwater Valley is in the Cariboo Mountains in east central B.C. and it runs between forested hills that are less rugged than those in the Rockies but beautiful nonetheless. This area is an outdoor enthusiasts paradise: whitewater rafting (not over the falls presumably!), horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and just generally room to breath. The town of Clearwater provides services for all these activities. For dinner this evening I stopped at a place that was recommended by the visitors centre, called the Painted Turtle. It’s part of a Good Sam campground and cabins which is right on Dutch Lake and it’s got a huge deck overlooking the lake. I was good and had a salad for my main, but then indulged in profiteroles for dessert. Yum. Highly recommended if you’re in the Clearwater area. Tomorrow is chore day, since I’ll be arriving into Vancouver on Saturday and storing my home on wheels for a bit. This will likely be the last of my blogs for a while since I’ll just be visiting with family and friends in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island for a couple of weeks. Then Sept 8th I’m taking a vacation from my vacation and letting someone else plan my life for a couple of weeks. I’m heading on a G-Adventures Tour with my friend, Nanci to Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia. I don’t think I’ll manage to do a blog for that journey but you can bet I’ll be taking lots of pictures. Then I’ll be back in BC until mid-October before resuming the North America No Fixed Address Tour. So until then, thanks for your likes and comments, and suggestions. Keep them coming.