We made it to BC!

We woke early today, after a cold night but cosy in our tent, for the penultimate day of this trip across Canada and the day we reached our new home province. Since showers weren't open in Jasper National Park, we've been having quick washes in the mornings ... but, oh, the hair! 

Just before we left, we had a visit from a female Wapiti (aka elk).

We left Jasper shortly after 10am (Mountain Time) and had a beautiful drive through the Rockies via the famous Yellowhead Pass. Before crossing the continental divide and into BC, we had this view of more Rockies to the north. 

After crossing into BC and Pacific Time, we were soon following the Fraser River valley, watching for Mt Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. As we went by the Mt. Robson park campgrounds, we couldn't see it anywhere so pulled off at a lay-by. It was nowhere in sight. So, Richard asked the reluctant driver (Catharine) to turn around and go back to a viewpoint she'd seen while he was napping. But just turning around was enough. It was right behind us. We both let out a gasp; there it was in all its majesty and momentarily free of clouds — a real honest to goodness mountain! 

It is almost 13,000 feet but seems twice as big because the Yellowhead Pass is so low. It rises 9,200 feet above where we were sitting. In contrast, Mt. Victoria, which is the peak behind Lake Louise, and only 600 feet shorter, only rises 1,800 feet above the lake. We took some time at the lay-by and took this shot of the young Fraser River, not far from its source, seen here below Moose Lake, with Mt. Robson just out of the left-hand side of the frame.

We drove south, out of the Rockies and learned of two other smaller mountain ranges that lie further to the west of them. The Cariboo Mountains run parallel and the Monashee Mountains are a bit further south. The Yellowhead Highway took us south between these two ranges and down into a wide open valley full of farms, fields, horses and cows; ranch country. As we dropped down out of the mountains, the temperature got warmer. As we write this, it's about 14C.

We learned that the Fraser River flows north/north-west from Mt Robson Park all the way to Prince George, then turns south and flows down to Vancouver. The Yellowhead Highway, the southern route follows the North Thompson River and the railroad all the way to Kamloops. (The northern Yellowhead route goes through Prince George all the way to Prince Rupert on the northern BC coast just south of Alaska).

We mentioned in an earlier post that the Yellowhead highway is named for the Yellowhead pass through which it passes the Rockies. Today we learned that these are named after an Iroquois-Metis trapper. His name was Pierre Bostonais but the French voyageurs called him "Tete Jaune"  or "Yellowhead" because of his blond-streaked hair. Tete Jaune worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1800s as a guide and opened the pass, named after him, for trade.

Kamloops sits at the confluence of the Sage and North Thompson rivers and straddles both banks and hillsides. The landscape is dry and arid, semi-desert really. 

Tonight we're staying at Silver Sage RV Camp on the banks of the Sage River. It's located on the edge of town, next to an industrial park and across the river from the railroad and the highway. It's threatening rain and is windy but the bathrooms are clean and have free hot showers are free. Tomorrow we will wash our hair in honour of our arrival into Vancouver.