July 23-26 - Merritt, BC
We had a lovely drive this morning down Hwy 5A from Kamloops to Merritt. The weather was partly cloudy, some sun with a pleasant breeze.
We stopped at the Stump Lake rest area on the shores of, you guessed it, Stump Lake. There was some wildlife around so I shot a video. (To be posted later).
Just on the way into Merritt, large "bugs" started slapping against the windshield – you could see 'em coming. Turns out they were grasshoppers! Three times we were "bugged" by these critters – flew across the road in waves! The wasps will have a good feed tonight, picking the remains of said grasshoppers out of the radiator! Good thing I decided NOT to wash the van and trailer this morning before we left Kamloops!
We arrived in Merritt around noon, gassed up, and headed for the local car wash. Alfie, the van, and Phoebe, the trailer are nice and clean again! The last time we washed either was when we arrived in Watson Lake – the re-construction of a few miles of the Alaska Hwy meant both were covered in mud!
We have a very nice, large campsite, unlike the one in Kamloops for the last 3 days. Cheek by jowl is not our idea of camping. (We were both ready to leave yesterday!) Rant over!
We are here in Merritt for 4 days. We've driven past Merritt in years passed, always in a hurry to get to our destination. Now, we have the luxury of being able to spend 4 days exploring this previously unexplored town. We'll keep you posted on our activities.
Patio out - time for something cool to drink and a rest!
Friday July 24
We awoke this morning to a cool and cloudy day. After completing a few business-related chores while it rained, the rain stopped and we headed to the Bramble Bakery & Cafe for a morning refreshment. Actually it was close on noon so it might have been lunch! The cafe was busy and the scone was delicious.
Saturday July 25
We drove the short distance into town this morning for a coffee/tea. I tried to no avail to take a picture of Jen in the coffee shop. So I decided to clown around.
I took the picture on the left, then snapped Jen's reaction (on the right). Hah, gotcha!
Nope, not Stump Lake. This is further down Hwy 5A. It is Nicola Lake - very pretty.
Tomorrow, there is a Show & Shine car show at Central Park. Hope the weather holds.
We'll see you there!
Afterwards, we walked one of the main streets had a look at some of the historic buildings and murals. Boy, it sure is windy today! But very nice to see the sun.
Not clowning around:
I noticed the Canadian flag flying on a hillside, so we stopped at the Info Centre to enquire. Armed with a map, we made our way up to the lookout. Well if truth be known we went as far as the two-lane gravel road went. From this point on, it was a one-lane road. We didn't fancy meeting someone coming the other direction - as it turned out, as we drove back down, there was a vehicle coming down from the top, so it could have been interesting.
