View allAll Photos Tagged kamloopsbc
Kamloops B.C.
A group of trumpeter swans winters in Kamloops. I had never seen any up close before because they usually hang out on the other side of the river. They are an imposing sight with a wing span of up to ten feet. The swans are the largest species of bird native to North America.
The trumpeter swan was close to being extinct in the 1940's with a known population of less than 100 but now has a population of 46,000.
South Thompson River
Kamloops, B.C.
I've always loved this old wooden bridge. Yes, that's wood even though it may look like metal in this shot. It was the first bridge across the river when it was built in 1890 and has been rebuilt twice since. The last iteration was built in 1936 and survives today, albeit with the reinforcing of four steel piers.
It's not clear how it came to be known as the Red Bridge but it's always been called that. The pedestrian walkway that was added on the far side of the bridge was painted red a few years ago.
Ranch along Paul Lake Rd
Kamloops, B.C.
Just kidding about it being a tree farm. It's a small ranch; you can see some cattle just to the right of the barn. I've always been intrigued though by the corral around that tree on the left.
The snowy mountain, about 8 km drive to its base, is Mount Harper (elevation 1524 m or 5000 ft at its summit). The markings atop it are not Nazca lines nor directional markers pointing the way for alien spacecraft. Those are the ski slopes of Harper Mountain ski area. :-)
This is an item in the kids' playground in a park. I'm not sure what it does as I've never paid any attention to it before the snow chose to sculpt it. I think though that a kid can sit on it and bounce up and down. Just a guess.
The snow in this image has a pinkish hue in several places. I've no idea why, except for under the plaything which is explainable as a reflection of the red plastic. The rest, I just don't know. I thought of trying to take it out in Lightroom but then I decided I liked it. :-)
This will be my last photo of shadows on the snow. I promise. (but I've got my fingers crossed)
McArthur Island
Kamloops, B.C.
I took a walk in the snow today and was amazed to find when I got home that you could see the falling snow in my pictures. It's my first time taking pictures in the snow with a good camera.
My two favourite shots have almost the same frame but a different focus -- one on the trunks and heaviest branches of the trees and one on the falling snow and needles/scales on the finer branches.
Batchelor Heights
Kamloops, B.C.
In all the years I've lived in Kamloops (about 25 years total), I've never seen a wildfire come so close to the city. There were 12 homes evacuated. These were about a mile from where I live and I took these photos from a parking lot across from my home. The initial moments, as high winds fanned up the flames, were terrifying. All is under control now though.
Near Tranquille
Kamloops, B.C.
About a week ago I posted a shot of the thick low clouds parting to reveal a brighter sky. I called it "Let there be light" and described how I'd driven around in a quest to find the light. A bit later I also found this pink light of the setting sun.
McArthur Island
Kamloops, B.C.
There's a parking lot that despite getting plowed out regularly never gets used in the winter. Never used by cars, that is. It's used quite a bit by ducks and geese but not usually at the same time, it's usually one or the other. They like to go there and just hang out or "chill" as it were.
This goose looked a bit odd, all alone in a sea of ducks. He seemed quite unconcerned though and, as for the ducks, the goose might as well have been invisible for all the attention the ducks paid to him.
Yearling buck enjoys some dinner in the sunshine
McArthur Island
Kamloops, B.C.
In Explore 2017-10-30
It was a pleasant sight to round a corner and see this deer right along the path. I'd seen deer on the island many times last winter but not before or since. I was annoyed not to have my 250mm lens with me but I was able to get fairly close and then made do with a bit of cropping later.
Mule deer
McArthur Island
Kamloops, B.C.
My life has gotten very busy lately and I haven't had much time to go out taking pictures. I generally hate going into the archives for pictures and I'm not sure why because when I do go looking I find lots of pictures that I like but just didn't post because I had moved on to newer ones. Or in this case because I didn't want to post 10 deer pictures in a row. :-)
I remember a lot of the deer that day had snow on their noses from rooting around in the fresh powdery snow, looking for the most tender long grasses.
On the CNR branch line to downtown Kamloops, three bridges have been built over the South Thompson River at this location.
The first structure was a temporary wooden trestle erected in 1913 to move construction supplies between the CPR and CNR yards.
The first permanent structure went into use in 1919 and was a wooden truss bridge with a central swing span. It was intended to be used for a short period.
In 1927 it was replaced with this steel girder bridge with a 208 foot swing span of through truss design. This span rotates on a center circular pier and provides two openings, each of 90 foot width.
The bridge span was built by Coughlin Steel Ltd, a Vancouver firm that fabricated steel used for merchant ships during World War 1.
The bridge is designed to be swung manually, with an arrangement somewhat akin to winding a mantlepiece clock. A four sided stem or shaft rises vertically to track level and presumably a capstan bar was attached to this and two or four men rotated it.
Today a compressor is trundled onto the swing span and creates the turning power.
No passenger train ran over this bridge from 1963 until 1988 when the thrice-weekly summer train, the "Rocky Mountaineer", began operation.
In recent times the swing span was used regularly, allowing the Wanda Sue paddlewheeler, a tour boat, to pass on its tours of the South Thompson. These tours ended in 2005.
Most recently the swing span was opened in early July 2011 to allow a private boat to pass. With the era of commercial traffic on the river long gone, the only boats plying the waters today are small private craft which pass easily under the bridge except in times of extremely high water.
This is one of those fences where you kind of wonder why it's there. It makes a nice photo though and that's really all that matters for a Friday. :-)
©All photographs on this site are copyright: DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) 2011 – 2020 & GETTY IMAGES ®
No license is given nor granted in respect of the use of any copyrighted material on this site other than with the express written agreement of DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams) ©
.
.
**** This frame was chosen on March 19th 2020 to appear on FLICKR EXPLORE (Highest Ranking: #206. This is my 175th photograph to be selected.
I am really thrilled to have a frame picked and most grateful to every one of the 35.500+ Million people who have visited, favourite and commented on this and all of my other photographs here on my FLICKR site. *****
.
.
Photograph taken at an altitude of Five hundred and fifty four metres, at 09:28am on Friday 13th September 2019 off Trans Canada Highway 1 around thirty kilometres West of the city of Kamloops, looking out over Kamloops lake as it narrows into the Thompson River from a viewpoint in Savona, British Columbia, Canada.
.
.
Nikon D850. Focal length 24mm Shutter speed 1/100s Aperture f/16.0 iso250 RAW (14 bit uncompressed) Image size L (8256 x 5504 FX). Hand held with Nikon Image stabilization VR enabled on Normal mode. Focus mode AF-C focus 51 point with 3D- tracking. AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode - Aperture priority exposure. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. Matrix metering. ISO Sensitivity: Auto. White balance: Natural light auto. Colour space Adobe RGB. Nikon Distortion control on. Picture control: Auto. High ISO NR on. Vignette control: normal. Active D-lighting Auto.
Nikkor AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. Lee SW150 MKII filter holder. Lee SW150 77mm screw in adapter ring. Lee SW150 0.6 (2 stops) ND Grad soft resin. Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon EN-EL15a battery.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960. Matin quick release neckstrap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.
.
.
LATITUDE: N 50d 45m 1.88s
LONGITUDE: W 120d 43m 33.60s
ALTITUDE: 554.0m
RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.5MB
PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 34.90MB
.
.
PROCESSING POWER:
Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.10 (9/05/2019) LD Distortion Data 2.017 (20/3/18) LF 1.00
HP 110-352na Desktop PC with AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. Verbatim USB 2.0 1TB desktop hard drive. WD My Passport Ultra 1tb USB3 Portable hard drive. Nikon ViewNX-1 64bit (Version 1.3.1 11/07/2019). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit (Version 1.4.7 15/03/2018). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 1.3.2 15/03/2018). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
--- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
This deer was lightly snow-kissed too. But she's prepared for it in a heavy winter coat. I've noticed these last two times I've seen deer how heavy their coats are compared to the sleek ones they have in summer.
Ranch
Kamloops, B.C.
This ranch is a photographer's dream. Well, this photographer anyway. Views of the rolling golden hills, the site of the eagle tree, plenty of sagebrush and the best fences anywhere. Paradise!
Kamloops Stuart Wood School is a three-storey schoolhouse with a symmetrical façade, red brick cladding, a broad hipped roof, front and rear gabled projections and Classical Revival detailing.
5 of 6.
Built in 1906-07, it is situated on a large corner lot, surrounded by an open schoolyard with mature perimeter plantings, set far back from the street.
The building is named after its first principal Edward Stuart Wood (1857-1942).
The schoolhouse permanently closed in 2016.
When the Kamloops-Thompson school district closed the school in 2016, title required it to be used as a school or the land would be forfeited to the province.
It remains unclear what will happen to the former school.
I thought it was time to pull out another deer in the snow picture because... well, you can never have too many of those. :-)
I love the changing of the colours at this time of the year, and how better to find it than with my 2nd favorite, old cars in a field!!
Marshland,
Paul Lake road,
Kamloops, B.C.
I've called this a marshland but it is more likely properly called a swamp, due to the number of trees in it. I've noticed in many wetlands there can be numerous dead trees. I am not sure why this is, I can only speculate. Perhaps the brackish standing water is alkaline or otherwise not good for growing things.
In this particular wetland, the contrast between the verdant new growth of some of the trees up against the dead trees was stark yet beautiful. And with the high water table of spring, the reflections in the standing water were beautiful.
The twins reflected in the North Thompson River,
Kamloops B.C.
The first time I climbed these was as a teenager. We climbed up Mt. Paul, the closer of the two. It has a very steep face of loose shale which is hell to climb and can do a lot of damage to your footwear. Then it was down a little dip and on up to Mount Peter. The lower half of the descent here (on the left hand side in this pic) is very slippery long grass. It seemed easiest to kind of slide down. It wasn't until the bottom that I and one of my friends realized we had ripped the ass out of our jeans. LOL. Ahhh, to be young again.
North Thompson Oxbows Jensen Island Provincial Park
(yes, that is the long, long name of the park)
This shot taken from Westsyde Road looks down over the oxbow which surrounds most of Jensen Island on the left side of the bridge. An oxbow is a wide meander of a river which gets cut off from the main river and forms a lake or, in this case, a marshy wetland. The U-shaped area is only completely filled with water for a few months in spring/early summer.
This wetland is a protected nature conservation area, home to otters, beavers, and many species of water fowl. When I was there, I could see quite a number of trumpeter and tundra swans.
Kamloops, B.C.
The name Kamloops comes from a word of the Secwépemc people, meaning "meeting of the waters". Here is the confluence point of the North and South Thompson Rivers. The South river seldom freezes over and thus is the home of the many water fowl which winter here.
The North Thompson, coming in from the left of this picture usually does freeze over, though not to the extent that it once did. As a child I recall my family going 50 km upriver to McClure to experience driving across the "ice bridge" there. Most of the year a small two car reaction ferry operates at McClure but in the winter, once the ice was really set, cars could drive across. I don't think that happens anymore. Even if it did, you wouldn't catch me doing it. :-)
....I can melt your heart.
Mule deer,
McArthur Island,
Kamloops, B.C.
As a matter of fact, yes you can. Luckily for me, he only gave me a brief look before darting off to play with his cousins. This shot was from the same day last week as the other deer shot I posted.
Pair of Bald Eagles,
Kamloops, B.C.
I first noticed the nest at the beginning of March but didn't see any birds around it then. I did assume it was an eagle's nest though because of its size. In the two or three times I've been back there, I have seen one but not both of the eagles flying around or perched on the branch but not on the nest. Though I've no idea if I'd even see them if they were in the nest.
From some reading I've just been doing it seems that the eaglet(s) might still be in the nest but about ready to leave. The eggs were probably laid early April and hatched early May which would mean the eaglets are almost ready to learn how to fly and to hunt for themselves.
I do wish I had a more powerful lens but in this case I guess I can settle for getting the pair and the nest all into one shot, :-)
Along the Thompson River
Kamloops, B.C.
There were great landscape shots to be had here but, as many of you my Flickr friends have come to know, I just can't seem to stop taking pictures of fences and sagebrush.
Thompson River,
Kamloops, B.C.
Really not much more than a large sandbar in the middle of the river, Rabbit Island is the white flat area mid-ground in this photo. It's hard to tell just now where the island stops and the snow-covered river ice starts. Directly across the river is McArthur Island, a large city park which is one of my favourite photo-taking haunts. I've taken pictures of squirrels, Canada geese, ducks, deer, trees, rowan berries, the river, and last but not least -- my favourite -- little deer on Rabbit Island. :-)
I'd hoped I might catch them from this side but they only seem to venture out onto the island from that wooded area on the left in the late afternoon.
The Red Bridge is an historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C. which is still in use. First built in 1890 and rebuilt twice, the last iteration was done in 1936 and survives today. The bright red hand railings seen here were added in more recent times (I'm guessing about 15 years ago).
McArthur Island
Kamloops, B.C.
One of life's major philosophical questions : why is the way squirrels hold their food always so amazingly endearing?
Tranquille,
Kamloops, B.C.
This is not the greatest of images but I thought some of you who found my short history of Tranquille interesting might also like seeing one of the buildings. This was shot from a narrow country road that runs along the edge of the Tranquille property and is bounded by Kamloops Lake on the other side.
This mural dates from the days when the property bore the name "Padova City" about 20 years ago. The plans were for it to become a resort for people from Italy and was named for the Padova City there (aka Padua). The mural is a rather bizarre sight glimpsed from the road on the side of a dilapidated building. It contains some scenes which appear to depict the Kamloops area. After a quick read on Padua, I'd guess that some of the other pictures chronicle the history of Padua.
I gather that plans for the resort fell through and it never did open. It is really difficult trying to piece together information about this era and, in fact, the overall history of the place. I am getting more and more interested and might just start on a research & writing project.
Kamloops, B.C.
Growing up, this was the railway bridge that kids jumped from into the river in some idiotic teenage rite of passage. I only did it twice but that was two times too many. :-)
At first, I was going to title this "Railway Bridge" but then I thought ... no, I hadn't taken the picture for the bridge. This shot was about everything -- the gorgeous sunny day, the snowy hills (Mt. Paul on the right), all the water fowl in the river, and childhood memories including the bridge.
Kamloops, BC
As one might guess from its various names -- King Edward Tuberculosis Sanatoriium, Tranquille School, Padova City, Tranquille-on-the-Lake, Tranquille Farm Fresh -- the place has had an interesting history.
It was opened in 1907 as a hospital for tuberculosis patients and was its own independent community. Besides hospital buildings, it contained staff dormitories, several small houses, several multi-family complexes, an elementary school, office buildings, a gymnasium and many ranch & farm structures. A system of underground tunnels connects many of the buildings.
Today, with only the farm and ranch buildings in use, the future of the 191 acre property with over 40 buildings is unclear. Most of the buildings are boarded up and in disrepair. It's behind locked gates but a narrow country road runs along one side, between it and Kamloops Lake. The lake is on the far side of the farm, on beyond the buildings shown in the picture. The body of water in the foreground is just a marshy area.
The dilapidated buildings are spooky with their cracking plaster and occasional graffiti. One three storey building sports a garish mural which covers a whole wall leading to the conclusion that it was planned and sanctioned. I'd love to know the history on that.
New growth on the sagebrush
It's officially spring! No crocus, or leaves on the trees or apple blossoms but there's new growth on the sagebrush. It's a sign of things to come. :-)
Trumpeter swans
South Thompson River
Kamloops, B.C.
I'd been noticing this group of seven swans swimming together along the icy shoreline for a while. It struck me as odd because you don't usually see them swimming in a line like this except when they are babies and mom & dad are teaching them to swim. It was only when I zoomed in on them that I noticed the back five were juveniles (mottled grey feathers), probably about 10 months old.
When I got home I looked up the likelihood of them being a family group and found it's possible. Usually once the parents have taught the young everything they need to know, at about 8 - 10 months old, they drive them away. However if the swans are migratory, the adults keep parental ties a bit longer until after they have taught the youngsters about migration. I'm not sure when they leave Kamloops to go off to their nesting place but I think it's in about a month.
Jensen Island bridge,
Kamloops, B.C.
The bridge, which goes to Jensen Island to the left of the photo, appears to be just barely above the water line right now. Beyond the bridge is the actual river; this side of the bridge is an oxbow which for most of the year is a shallow wetland.
I took a shot of essentially this same view (seen two posts back) at the end of March. I am astounded at how different it looks and not just due to the high water. The whole landscape is so much greener. I'm not so sure that's a good thing just in terms of aesthetics. I think I liked the view better with some browns, greys and whites in the mix.
Near Tranquille
Kamloops, B.C.
It's officially been spring for a week now. Just a week ago, I was skeptical about the arrival of spring but now I'm starting to believe. The snow has gone, the grasses are looking perky, albeit yellow, and the birds are singing. In about a month, leaves will be coming in on the trees and a tinge of green will dot the grassy hillsides. To be honest, I actually prefer the golden grasses but the green only lasts a month at most before being toasted in the hot sun. It's pleasant for a short time. :-)
Ring billed gull
I believe this to be a ring billed gull but I am not sure. I trust my birder Flickr friends will correct me if I'm wrong. Gulls are not a very common sight in Kamloops and this one appeared to be all alone. It was hanging out with some Canada geese in the park.
My next shot (rendered in B&W) shows it doing a vigorous shaking after a dip in the river. On both shots I did a bit more processing than I normally do. Feel free to let me know whether or not I was successful. :-)
Mule deer,
McArthur Island,
Kamloops, B.C.
I came across four deer, all fairly young, down in a bit of a bowl munching on the tender leaves of saplings. The other three engaged in the deer equivalent of "horseplay" butting heads, nipping at flanks, and just generally frolicking about. Not this one though. She watched me the whole time.
#Boats -- FlickrFriday
I had a hard time thinking of places to shoot boats in Kamloops or close by. Then I remembered there was a marina at a small planned community called Tobiano, about 22 km away.
In the background on the left, lit up like a rock star (har har) is Battle Bluff. Beyond it, mid-frame, are Mount Peter and Mount Paul looking quite sharp considering the 22 km. Beyond them is a nameless hill almost lost in the haze of the sand and dust kicked up by the wind storm back in Kamloops.
Rose Hill
Kamloops, B.C.
The elevation of Rose Hill is 1049 m (3442 ft) making it about 704 m above the city of Kamloops which is mainly located down in the valley. This shot was taken through the windshield of my car as there was no place to safely stop and get right out of the car but this view begged to be photographed.
The nearest peak on the right is Mount Peter and to the left, joined by a saddle shaped ridge, is Mount Paul.
Aging fence posts, a loop of barbed wire, a length of irrigation pipe. Odd things to see beauty in, perhaps, but I found the angles and shapes they formed to be pleasing. And some days you take joy in doing depth of field shots... just because you can. :-)
One last photo from Kamloops - the nicely maintained bowling green at Riverside Park Lawn Bowling Club.
The Club was formed in 1922 and greens ready for play in 1923. The club is in Bowls BC (British Columbia) and affiliated to Bowls Canada Boulingrin.
Bowls Canada Boulingrin is the governing body responsible for lawn bowls in Canada.
Its mission is to advance the conduct and development of lawn bowls by fostering international success, as well as to promote, foster and safeguard outdoor and indoor bowls in Canada through events and programs.
This beautiful stained glass window is in the Old Courthouse, built in 1909, in Kamloops, British Columbia. It shows the coat of arms for the province of British Columbia.
The work is interesting for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it shows an early design version which did not receive official approval from the Crown and which was later revised. The contentious issue? The placement of the setting sun above the Union Jack flag contradicting the old adage "the sun never sets on the British Empire".
Some of the other elements include: the royal helm and crown, the Crest of Queen Victoria, which later was to be garlanded with dogwood flowers which are the official flower of B.C.; the sun and wavy lines are the flag of B.C. and represent B.C.'s position as the westernmost province with the sun setting on the Pacific Ocean; and, the elk and the bighorn sheep represent, respectively, Vancouver Island and the mainland, each of which were originally separate Crown colonies but which united in 1866 to become British Columbia.
The motto "Splendor Sine Occasu" means, literally, Splendour Without Diminishment but is taken to mean "a shining without a sunset" to emphasize that the sun never sets on the Empire.
Kamloops BC
The buildings in the distance are of Tranquille which was once a self-sustaining community but is now, basically, a ghost town. A few days before official stay at home orders were issued I got notified by my theatre group of a casting call that was going out for extras forVan Helsing which is a vampire series on Netflix. They were to be shooting for a few days out at Tranquille.
I was conflicted. I've always wanted to be an extra and always wanted to see inside the buildings of Tranquille. In addition, the pay would have been around $200 a day for 2 or 3 days of shooting, But I was already about 2 days in to self-imposed self isolation. And there were guidelines about physical distancing and about no gatherings involving 50 people or more. I didn't see how they could possibly keep those so I passed on the casting call. :-(