Sun Peaks ~ Louis Creek ~ Kamloops, BC

The recent months leave very little opportunity to do much socializing due to the 2020 pandemic but we have so many country roads that welcome us to enjoy the beautiful calming sights that are there to enjoy and a great way to spend some time.  Kamloops is known to be a semi-arid climate and our sagebrush and cactus are true examples of that but once we climb some of these hills we see it differently. 

                                                            Little Heffley Lake

We followed the Yellowhead Highway north to Heffley Creek and turned up towards Sun Peaks.  The hills and valleys are so green with plenty of trees in this part of the drive.  We pass Little Heffley Lake that quietly sits roadside with some visitors enjoying this hot sunny summer day here.

                                                                      Sun Peaks

Sun Peaks is home to the ski resort that resides on Tod Mountain, which is all we called it when we were skiing so many years ago.  The small resort of that time was purchased in 1992 and has grown to become the village that it now is. 

                                                       Sundance chair at Sun Peaks

The parking lot was surprisingly full but then I realized the chair lift is open and one could enjoy a ride up there whether to do some hiking or just some sightseeing. That would be a great opportunity for taking photos but with Maggie along for this ride, we couldn’t be doing that today.  We’ll put that on the list for another day, as long as I can convince myself I can do it. 

                                                 Heffley Louis Creek Road

We drove up to Sun Peaks with the intention of following an old route to Chase from there, but it turns out that road is no longer available so the plans change.  There is no shortage of country roads in this area so we find another.

                                                            A babbling brook

We’ve lived in Kamloops for most of our lives and have covered a lot of these country roads whether for skiing, snowmobiling, fishing or just sightseeing but there are still some we’ve not seen, at least not during the last 60 years!  We cross a few creeks or  brooks, on this road that enter into Louis Creek that then flows into the North Thompson River.

                                                                   A tiny church

This tiny little church was a surprise to see and a definite must to get photos of, we turned around and went back for this.  This was a Sunday afternoon and no services happening but it doesn’t look like there had been any visitors in quite awhile.  For some reason I felt I shouldn’t go peek in windows so I enjoyed the view from the roadside.  One of the few photos of the day that wasn’t a drive by one!

                                                                     Old barns

I’m always drawn to old barns and livestock so this was another “stop and pull over” photo opp.  Most barns we see are old ones, and not often in good shape. That could be a dangerous building so I doubt there is much use for them anymore but glad they’re still standing to remind us of days gone by.  The smaller building may have been a home.

                                                                The talking cow

As I approached the fence I noticed a single gal going down to the creek for a drink.  She noticed me, too, so I think she was putting on a show.  Once she had her drink, she walked into the water in the shade of the tree and called out a couple of times.  We had a very short conversation before she headed out of the creek, I don’t think she could hear me properly. lol

                                                                   Bales of hay

Scattered over many fields at this time of year are bundles of hay.  We used to see them much smaller and rectangle shaped and still might on occasion but we now see many huge ‘marshmallow’ bales out there.  Some are wrapped in clear like these loaded on the truck and shows you just how big these bales really are.

                                                                Louis Creek

Louis Creek is the main creek that weaves its’ way down to the North Thompson River, and a good source of water for many, I’m sure.  It also has a community named after it that is north of Kamloops on the Yellowhead Highway, where we arrived to after travelling through this pretty valley.   

We hope you enjoyed some of our beautiful Kamloops scenery today and will join us again when we take another ‘Sunday drive’.