In glorious sunshine we left Kelowna after a brekky of scrambled eggs in our hosts' crowded kitchen.
The scenery was initially sparsely treed rolling hills with evidence of logging, but merged to become tall and rocky mountains.
Hope was not too far away so it was only a couple of hours drive. After checking at the Visitors Information Centre for suggestions we drove to Hells Gate which is about 40 minutes north of Hope.
The tram (gondola) ride took us down to the suspension bridge over the Fraser River. An accident when they were building the railway had caused rocks to block most of the river, making it impossible for salmon to swim upstream to spawn. Large concrete fish walls were built to slow the flow of the water and ensure the salmon were able to continue upstream.
Back in Hope we drove to a river/creek that runs through the town to watch salmon spawning in the upper reaches. The area reeked of dead fish! Once the salmon have spawned they are completely spent and simply die! There were many salmon swimming in pairs in very shallow water, seeking the ideal place to spawn before they take their last gasp and end up dead on the banks of the creek.
Tonight we are in Evergreen B&B which is a huge improvement on the last B&B. Tomorrow we head to Vancouver to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island.
No comments:
Post a Comment