Spring turning to summer in Anahim and Nimpo Lake, BC.

This is about a remote area in west central British Columbia, Canada called the West Chilcotin. Surrounded by numerous glacial mountain ranges, alpine lakes teeming with wild Rainbow Trout, and full of wildlife. Living here goes from no running water or electricity to spacious log homes with all the conveniences and without the smog!
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07/06/2006 2:01 PM

Two Days To Touchdown

Actually, it's about a day and a half now. And if I had realized that getting ready for a three month trip away from home would have been this much of a nightmare, I don't know if I would have gone for it. Actually, I'm usually pretty good at getting things ready for something like this, but against my better judgement, I took on a web site repair job that I should never have taken. Unfortunately, once the goals of the client became more apparent as we went along, the more obvious it became that I was probably going to have to pass the remainder of the job off to someone else. In the meanwhile, I've spent almost a week off and on of very precious packing time on a job that probably isn't going to work out. So, I'm waaaaay behind. In fact, I'm so far behind I think I'm ahead, which might be a better way to think.
In addition to that, I have an old Conservation Officer buddy that's coming for supper Thursday night. We didn't want to miss seeing him, but it will make things a little tight for packing all the kitchen stuff. Much of that may be done Friday morning. We're going to stop overnight in Quesnel to see those great folks we went snowmobiling with this spring, so it's not like we have to be up at four in the morning to get on the road. Thank heavens!!!
It's to the final rundown where you have so much to do that you can't think of one thing to do, and even our list isn't helping much. Silly little things like checking to see that we can access our answering machine remotely. Telus as usual is unable to provide either voice mail or call forwarding because our lines are so old. We're still trying to figure out everything we need for the trip but we keep chugging away carrying stuff to the trailer. I needed to do some major weeding in the garden as well as pruning and the Roundup thing. Still have to set up water around the place if we don't run out of hoses, and show the fellow staying here what needs to be done. Add that to a million other things and Friday morning looms close.
The day started out gloriously with sun shining and warm temperatures, making it a great day to accomplish things outside. This afternoon it has clouded over, it's spitting rain, and the mosquitoes are absolutely wicked! So it was time to work inside and let the bugs have the great outdoors. It's been such a cool spring that now that it's warmed up, the mosquitoes are all coming on at once. Just a reminder of what it will be like up north I guess and I need to get used to the little buggers. Once you do, you don't really notice them so much. It's just getting to that point, that's all.
I know one thing, it's going to be a surprise when we get home. Whenever we get some sunshine, the mountain beetle killed pine turn redder and redder. I'm sure the landscape will look quite different when we get home.
I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to write once more before we head out. I need to transfer all of my files to the laptop so I won't be switching back until our return. I also need to move a lot of my office equipment and furniture against the computers to make room for guests should our housesitter have them. This is supposed to be the second bedroom after all. You just usually can't find the bed most of the time and I need to rectify that. So this might be goodbye for now. Boy, am I going to miss this country...
On the road again...da da, da da.....

05/06/2006 6:44 PM

Anahim Lake

I realize I don't mention Anahim Lake as much as Nimpo Lake. The obvious reason being that I don't live on Anahim Lake and so it's that much harder to write about it. However, I was over visiting friends yesterday that live on the shore of Anahim, and I was reminded of how pretty it is as well. My friends actually have a spectacular view from their front window that easily rivals ours. They're looking at some pretty wicked mountain peaks in what should be the big Rainbow Range, and those mountains look much closer than ours. I also heard a floatplane while I was there and watched a few rainbow trout nose to the surface of the lake much like they do here.
I should mention that there are two very beautiful resorts on Anahim Lake. One, Anahim Lake Resort, offers RV parking right along the lake as well as cabins. Escott Bay Resort offers cabins, chalets and the added bonus of trailrides. So if you're thinking of coming up to visit this summer and that's your lake of preference, check out the two resorts as well as the Anahim Lake Inn in Anahim Lake itself.
Well, I'm drowning in a sea of packing. Actually, that's not entirely correct. More like a pond of packing. We're not doing too badly on that score. Only a few more things to be packed in the trailer, plus clothes and food and a few things to be put in the truck yet.
We did one of those 'test the partnership' things yesterday. The challenge? Putting a dark tinted film on the windows in the bedroom of the trailer. Not easy considering that the window frames had to be pulled off of three windows so that the bug screens could be removed, and then you could consider putting the film on. You know right off the bat that you're in trouble when the instructions read as follows. "Plan to practice patience and ensure there are few distractions before attempting this...."
Instructions such as that usually means that one spouse in the marriage partnership needs to leave the premises and go visiting, or have coffee with the neighbour or something while the other gets to work on whatever job is at hand. Unfortunately, the instructions also stated very clearly that it required two people to do this job. Since the dogs don't really qualify as people, and wouldn't have been particularly helpful anyway, that left it to us. To do the job together...
I would like to state proudly that the marriage did survive, and that the tint doesn't look too bad. I was a little disappointed that the tint wasn't much darker on the windows. The film looked quite dark in the box, but once on the window, it didn't look like it was really going to filter nearly as much light as I had hoped. However, it did darken up the bedroom part of the trailer somewhat, and in view of the daylight hours in Alaska in midsummer, I'm sure it will still help.
It looks like it's setting up a big high pressure system out over the Pacific that should bring us some really nice weather for the next week. It's going to be really hard to leave here if it warms up and the sun is shining full time. Right now all the fresh leaves on the trees and green grass have the country looking glorious!
Okay, back to work! Hope you all had a good weekend and should the folks from Texas get a chance to read this article once they arrive in the area....Welcome to the West Chilcotin!

03/06/2006 11:04 AM

Good Morning! Good Morning!

Hey, sounds just like that commercial on TV, doesn't it? Heaven forbid. But I figured I'd better get something out this morning since I missed yesterday. I expect you'll be seeing that more and more often by this next week. Once we hit the road, it'll be hard to judge just how difficult finding an Internet hookup will be. And, for the first few days when we're doing a lot of straight through travelling, a person might be a little tired for writing. Don't know. We'll just have to see.
It would be really nice if I could give some kind of schedule for those terrific people who have been coming back to the blog every day. I'm afraid that all I can suggest is check once or twice a week to catch up on what's been happening. I sure hate the idea of regular readers having to check all the time to see if there's anything new, but unless you subscribe to a news aggregator, I don't think there's any other way of being 'pinged' when there's a new subject on the blog.
Terry B. is back in the country and has been up flying his Super Cub the last two days and I see Buddy's plane is in. Bryan from down at Wilderness Rim has been putting the hours in on his Beaver getting ready for the big fly in up to Yellowknife and Whitehorse next year. Quite a few people from Nimpo Lake join with people that are summer residents here in their various planes to fly north for a few weeks. It's a biannual trek that I hope to join some time in the future. As a reminder, Wilderness Rim Resort has one of the best prices in British Columbia for Aviation Fuel so if you're visiting Nimpo Lake by floatplane, that's a great place to refuel.
Another reminder. The British Columbia Floatplane Association will be having their annual fly-in and AGM from the 14th to the 16th of July hosted by Terry and Lois at the other end of Nimpo Lake.
Last item. The neighbour, Ted, sent me a beautiful picture of a bald eagle taken by his partner Deana. They've kindly given me permission to use it here so enjoy. It was taken just outside of their house on Nimpo Lake. They watched it go down, grab a fish and then take it off across the lake to eat it.
Okay, enough fun. Back to work for me!

01/06/2006 7:24 PM

Yay! Summer!

Happy June first everyone. I guess that technically it isn't summer yet since it isn't the summer solstice. And, in fact, it doesn't really seem quite like summer yet because the temperatures are good but it's still off and on cloudy and spitting rain. But the mosquitoes think it's summer, and that's all that counts! They are so liking this weather! The poor dogs have to be brought in this time of evening because they're both coal black and so are prime targets for the little buggers. Normally we only get about two weeks of really bad mosquito weather here, (last year being the exception) when temperatures are cool yet and we're experiencing our spring showers. After that it generally warms up enough to clear out a lot of them.
I'm hoping that our extensive experience with mosquitoes locally will prepare us for the hordes of the north. I remember reading books about the old trappers and then the Klondikers from the gold rush going crazy from the bugs, their mules and horses burying themselves in swamps and muskeg to get away from them.
Pretty much everyone we've talked to have warned us about the mosquitoes and black flies (some call them no-see-ums) in Yukon and Alaska and even the travel books list them right up there with grizzly bear attacks. LOL. I'm joking, honest. But the books do warn that wearing long sleeved shirts, a hat and face screening is a prudent way to dress and that bug dope should be considered at least as important as your toothpaste when you pack for your trip. Since I don't go anywhere without it in summer anyway, that won't be a hard way to think.
Our biggest concern will be for the dogs. We do have a canopy on the truck with screen on the windows, and we bought a large screen tent. We're hoping to be able to set it up right in front of the trailer entrance so that we can keep down the mosquitoes that get into the trailer as well as providing a screened in area for the dogs next to the trailer door. I guarantee that will be their preferred location to lay all the time (where we can trip over them entering and exiting the trailer) so we might as well make it comfortable for them. I also know for a fact that a certain sucker in this family will let them sneak into the trailer from time to time to get away from bugs and for company, so their welfare is well covered.
At least the purchase of the rv trailer will more than pay for itself for my peace of mind and good humor. I was not looking forward to sharing living space in the tight confines of a camper for up to three months with two very large dogs. Especially two large dogs that smell like wet chicken when they get wet. Can you imagine sleeping in the same small, stuffy room with that?
The one, Mocha, is a black lab, so she's not too bad for size. But the other one, River, a.k.a. The Indian Dog, is about the same size as that really big Indian on "One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest". Well, maybe not quite...but close. River moves through the world with about the same degree of nonchalence as a fully loaded sherman tank. He loves people, is loyal only to the cat and the next treat, leans on you like a big sleepy horse, would stay in the exact same position all day...or week... no matter how uncomfortable he is, as long as you will pet him, grins, (really, he does, except that to most people it looks like a snarl) and is completely and totally selfish. He will knock Mocha flying if it looks like she's getting attention and he's not. He hates predatory birds (Eagles, owls, even ravens, etc.) and water. And we're pretty sure he's scared of the dark. Actually, we're sure he's scared of the dark. But so are a lot of people and like most of the animals around here, he thinks he's people. So why not?
In any case, the two dogs really will be well looked after in all regards, including bugs. Short of hanging screens off of them, there isn't much more that we can do. We've already trained them to let us put bug dope on them. Actually, the mosquitoes last year trained them to accept bug dope. Right now we have more Deet spray of varying strengths around here than any sports store as well as mosquito coils, candles, sticks, face screen, and bug deterrent to wash your clothes in, most of it courtesy of my mother. She's been to Alaska.
So we should be set.
You'll probably have noticed that I've started a new week. Yes, I know, it's about time. You'll see a few new pictures of the waterskipping races on your right because it was so much fun and you'll find last week's articles at Wilderness Adventure May Week Three.

The purpose of this web site is to draw attention to a remote area of west central British Columbia. It is a beautiful area that relies heavily on tourism. The search engines don't know much about the West Chilcotin, Anahim Lake, Nimpo Lake or any of the other small communities in the region and I hope to change that! Even as large as this site will eventually be, there just isn't enough room or time in the day to fully describe this incredible country but I am going to try scraping away at the tip of the iceberg, so join me!

Follow the links, and see what the West Chilcotin is really like!

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