View allAll Photos Tagged kamloopsbc
Thompson River
Viewed from McArthur Island
This was one of the first days when the wildfire smoke began to ease its grip on the valley. Too little too late though. Summer was almost gone and we'd not had time to enjoy it.
It may not look very smoky in this shot but it was still there a bit, seen in an orangey-yellow cast to certain things, mainly evident here in the colour of the water.
Near Tranquille
Kamloops, B.C.
I sometimes wonder if I was a rancher in another lifetime for I love looking at these vast fields full of cows, especially at this time of year when they hold mamas and their calves. It always makes me laugh when prolonged mooing, like a bellowing noise, is heard followed by the sight of a calf scrambling to get to his mother's side. The calves like to play with each other but if they wander off too far mama will get perturbed.
Mallard in a snow storm,
McArthur Island park,
Kamloops, B.C.
I had a blast this day watching the ducks slither around on the snow-covered frozen pond. It was even more fun to watch them land on it.
Back road,
Kamloops, B.C.
I took this picture because of the colourful trees, many of them still bearing their leaves from last autumn. However, when I look at it now all I can see is the road that I thought was going to rip off the underside of my car! I'd been along it a few months before so had no fears turning off the main road onto it. Alas, it had changed as the melting snow ran in streams across it, washing away the dirt and leaving deep holes.
North and South Thompson Rivers meeting place
Kamloops, BC
If predictions of flooding for this year hold true , where I was standing to take this picture would have a water level of anywhere from ankle level to, believe it or not, waist level. The latter was the record flood level back in 1972.
No, it's not really going to break (I don't think). I just wanted to use a Led Zeppelin song as a title. It's nice how along this and many other stretches of the rivers, there is a nice walking path on top of the dike.
Fun fact: Although dike and levee are often used interchangeably they really are two distinctly different things. Dikes are made to stop rivers or seas from flooding low lying land which is already permanently a swampy wetland. Levees on the other hand hold back high water rivers from flooding land which is normally dry.
So this is actually a levee even though it is pretty much universally referred to as a dike here.
Flooded pond,
Kamloops, B.C.
The water in this small pond near to Stake Lake is not usually up this high. I thought it made a nice picture with the water up against the old fence.
The area is a year round recreation site. In the winter it has several kilometres of cross-country ski trails through the woods and in the summer open to hikers.
I wasn't too thrilled about the dump of snow we'd got overnight but as the day went on and the sun came out, I knew I had to get out with my camera for a bit, something I had not done for a while.
So I headed over to McArthur Island Park, home of the marmots. I wasn't expecting to see any wildlife except for ducks; the marmots are probably nestled down in their burrows for the winter. What a lovely surprise it was to round a corner and see this young buck standing in the middle of the road like he owned it.
I've heard these birds many times but never actually seen one before except from a long distance. It's times like these that I find myself wishing for a longer lens say a 400 mm. I had to settle though for my 250 then crop the image way down.
Along Mt. Lolo Road,
Kamloops, B.C.
Half-submerged fences are a common sight these days as alpine snowpack has finished melting and water collects in lowlands along the river or, as in this case, forms seasonal pools in bowls up in the hills.
Birds seem to enjoy these temporary pools and ponds, often flocking there in large numbers. Not at this pool though. Just the one crow sat vigil on the fence post.
I just discovered this place a couple of weeks ago and it has become my new favourite place. I say "discovered" but I had actually been to the park that it's in many times to attend the Highland Games (love bagpipes so much!). However, I had never ventured over to the far side of the park where this beautiful pond area is.
The pond is home to a lot of different birds including many species of ducks, Canada geese, american coots, red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds, marsh wrens and song sparrows. I'm no birder but it's lovely to sit on a bench near the pond and watch & listen. I was also delighted to see a couple of muskrats. First time I've ever seen one.
People probably think I am exaggerating when I keep mentioning how strangely green the grass still is. Well, here is why. This is how the grass usually is for all but one or two months of the year. I find my beauty in the golden grasses as well as the green.
The previous photo in my stream, the one of irrigation pipes, was shot in the fields just beyond the tractor in this photo.
Near Tranquille farm
Kamloops, B.C.
I'm not sure if this corral and ramp for loading/unloading cattle from trucks is still in use. It's hard to tell because something can look very old but still be serviceable. There are still cattle in the fields here so the chances are that it is still used.
It's a plane! No, really, it *is* a plane!
Every time I am out somewhere with my camera and hear a plane overhead I always tilt my camera up and shoot it. I really wonder why I do it. It's not like I am an airplane afficionado. And when I look at my photos from a day's shooting I ask myself again why I do it. I've never turned out a vaguely interesting shot. Until now. I kind of liked this one.
Thompson River
McArthur Island
Though this tree is most certainly dead, I find a strange beauty in it. I'm no tree doctor, but I believe that this tree fell victim to a blight that affected many trees in BC from 2000 - 2015. The mountain pine beetle bores in through the bark then feeds on the phloem, the living tissue inside the trunk.
Mission Flats,
Kamloops, B.C.
We've been getting quite a bit of rain the last few days. Quite a bit by Kamloops standards, anyway. It was actually still drizzling a bit as I took this shot. Rain always seems to freshen up the landscape and make plants glow with life & colour.
The Railway Bridge
Kamloops, B.C.
I jumped off this bridge when I was about 14. It was a rite of passage and everyone did it at least once. Once was quite enough for me. It was one of those stupid and dangerous things that kids always do -- a train may have come along, it was hard climbing up over the railing and down to the ledge, it was a fairly long drop into the water and the river current was very strong. So many things could have gone wrong but I survived. We all did. :-)
Thompson River,
Kamloops, B.C.
About a month and a half ago, this part of the river had sand bars everywhere. In fact, there was more sand showing than there was water. It hasn't been very warm yet so the snowpack up in the mountains hasn't melted much. However, lots of rain lately has started bringing it down and swelling the creeks which feed into the Thompson.
I got to wondering how many fences I have shot over the last few years. After a quick look at folders, I am going to guess 150. Wow!
Explored 2020-04-10
Happy Fence Friday, Happy Easter
Flickr Friends: I've been gone for a while but I'm back now! I will be trying to be post daily again and will be looking at your wonderful pictures. I don't think I will be able to catch up but will stay current again from this point onward.
Thompson River
Kamloops. B.C.
Late afternoon sun illuminating the grasses and brightening the leaves reminds me of why autumn is the best season. I love the warm, earthy colours of fall and the crisp air in the mornings which eventually rises to a soft warmth in the afternoon sun.
Creek emptying from Paul Lake
The snow looked so pristine and white in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree...
-- Joyce Kilmer
A view looking westward along the Thompson River toward Kamloops Lake. On the left is Rabbit Island surrounded, for now, with a big sandy beach. In a few weeks none of the sand will be visible.
Near Tranquille Farm
Kamloops, B.C.
In Explore 2017-03-24
Lately I seem to have been drawn to simple scenes with golden grasses, simple fences, distant fields full of cattle, and rolling hills in the background.
I'm beginning to wonder if I was a cattle rancher in a past life. Not that I believe in past lives. But I don't disbelieve in them either. You never know... ;-)
Not that there was every any chance of this bench atop the dike/levee flooding but flood warnings have now passed for the Thompson Rivers system. The water level has peaked and will start to subside. In a couple of weeks those partially submerged bushes in this shot will be fully in view.
Dairy Road,
Kamloops B.C.
I saw a horse with similar markings to the wild ones I got a shot of and couldn't resist the contrast of scene.
Along the South Thompson river,
Kamloops, B.C.
It seems odd that with the snows gone but new growth still dormant that the main colours come from the yellows and reds of autumn leaves.
Tranquille Farms
Kamloops, B.C.
To me, this photo is quintessentially Kamloops -- a simple fence, a length of irrigation pipe, rugged rock faces and golden-brown rolling hills. For a couple of months, April and May, the hills will take on a greenish hue until the hot summer sun burns the grass back to its more customary colour.
The brown landscape is relieved by stands of leafy trees in gullies and valleys and by irrigated fields. It's not to all tastes but it is to mine. It's home and I love it. :-)
Along the Thompson River,
Kamloops, B.C.
Initially when I looked across the river at these trees I didn't really notice the lovely greenery which had begun sprouting from the tops. When I returned from a walk along the river bank, the sun was hitting the river from a different angle and producing the beautiful reflections. It was then I looked through my zoom lens and noticed the new leaves coming in. It's spring!
Buildings in Downtown Kamloops B.C.
With a glimpse of Mount Paul & Mount Peter
In Explore 2017-01-28
Kamloops doesn't look quite as weird as this might suggest. This is shot from an alleyway.
I realized after posting this photo that the mural in the middle depicts this section of downtown, The building to the right is, of course, the office building in this shot. The one to the left is an office building in the next block. On the far right is a foot bridge/overpass that goes above the railway tracks and allows people to get to the park and the arena when there are trains. Mount Paul and Peter are there too and the meeting of the rivers.
Dairy Road,
Kamloops, B.C.
Whenever I get really sick of winter weather I pull out photos that remind me of what there is to like about winter -- sunshine and shadows on the snow, fairy-dusted snowy plants, crisp reflections on icy waters. Yep, there is good in it too. :-)
Thompson River
Kamloops, BC
The hills, with just a skiff of fresh snow, looked rather mountain like here. So that is where the title came from.
... and the livin' is easy...
Explored 2020-07-09
As we all know, CoVid is far from over. But living does seem to be getting a bit easier now. Let's hope the trend continues. :-)
Here's the same view back in January:
If you understand the title of this photo, you're old. :-)
I took this photo in the park which has become my weekly "get out of the condo destination" during the pandemic. It has always been a favourite place to go with my camera and now is a good place which allows for nice walks with appropriate physical distancing from other people.
This bird was fairly near the bench I was sitting at, I've never seen a bird like it in this park. I immediately thought it was a chukar (aka chukar partridge) which, although not common are found in the region. Several people stopped on their walks to chat about the bird, all saying that they too had never seen one like it here before and a couple of them expressed the opinion that it was a chukar. Then one guy said the colour seemed a bit wrong for a chukar and I'd been thinking that too so when I got home I did some googling and have decided it is probably a rock partridge which, as it turns out, is very closely related to the chukar.
Along Paul Lake Road,
Kamloops, B.C.
I have taken so many pictures of this ranch and all its various buildings. Many were in the fall and countless were in winter when it was under a blanket of snow. I can't wait to see it when spring bursts forth.
People who have been following me for a while might remember that mountain behind where you can see the ski slopes of Harper Mountain ski area. They have just closed down for the year; their last days of skiing were just this last weekend.
Frozen duck pond
McArthur Island Park
Kamloops BC
I always feel so bad for the ducks when their pond freezes over. This female mallard took advantage of a small opening in the ice to get a nice cool drink.
There was something very regal about this Canada goose as he stood on the river bank looking out over the river and the sand bar, a few feet below.
Kamloops, B.C.
This shot is from Thompson Rivers University and is looking over the area of the city known as the North Shore. The North Thompson river cuts a white swath across the view then meanders on northward into the pink haze.
Thompson River
Kamloops, B.C.
I hadn't been right down to the shore at this part of the river in quite a while. I didn't realize how much ice was still on it. It's been warm, 10 C or higher, but it's going to take a while for all this ice to go. In the meantime, it's fun to watch little mini-icebergs floating along in the current.
Mt. Paul & Mt. Peter
Kamloops, B.C.
If you were expecting seven dwarves, sorry to disappoint. My ultra-clever title comes from the fact that two things are the actual same colour in B&W as they were in reality -- the snow and the sky.
I guess this guy had been working on the burrow for a while if his nose is any indication.
I decided it was time for another marmot picture. It's been several days without one and the world needs more marmot pictures!
Along Paul Lake road,
Kamloops, B.C.
Three silver birches sit at the edge of a marshland area. You can either think of this image as grey, brown and yellow or silver, bronze and gold. I've made my choice.
Kamloops BC
Explored 2020-02-19
These hills are among a few of my favourites which share the characteristics of being smooth and relatively free of vegetation except for a velvety cover of grasses. The sparse vegetation allows view of the contours formed when such precipitation as hits them flows down, forming gulleys and sculpting the hillsides.
Unfortunately, I can never seem to get the colour quite right either in the raw photograph or with post-processing. That is why I have opted for B&W for this shot.
Thompson River
Kamloops Airport
Float Plane dock
Explored 2020-05-26
This picture was taken from the float plane dock which forms an official part of the Kamloops Airport. I can only surmise that the poles form some kind of protection for the dock. You can see all the branches and debris built up along the red barrier.
I found the odd juxtaposition of the man made in front of the natural beauty of Mt Peter and Mt Paul strangely beautiful.
Thompson River valley
Near Cooney Bay
This area is kind of like a foreign place to me, mainly because it is so flat due to being on the river flood plain. There are still mountains all around but it is a relatively vast flat place with no buildings and the fact that there are no trees either accentuates the flat and barren aspect.
It is a new area to me. The first time I came here was three weeks ago and I marvelled then at the starkness of the landscape with so many uprooted trees lying strewn across the gravel and sand bars. Trees have obviously grown here at one time, else there wouldn't be so many dead ones lying about. Something has happened to change the ecology of the area I guess. I haven't yet been able to find out any information on what it might have been.
Tranquille Farm
Kamloops, B.C.
In Explore 2017-04-19
This is a zoomed in view taken from McArthur Island and looking along the river toward Tranquille Farms. I've had questions before from other shots I've taken about the rock bluff. I have determined that it is volcanic rock but finding a name for it has not been as easy as one might imagine. I believe it may be called Battle Bluff.