Our walk yesterday began at a field off the highway ( Trans Canada #1 ) that we go to a few times a week. It's also a perfect *pee break* spot for the dogs if I'm driving to Chilliwack. It's the old Hope-Princeton Hwy, an old 2-laner that is overgrown now with blackberry bushes, scrub and fruit trees..... I guess the fruit trees came from the old homesteads that used to line that old highway way back then.
Now the "highway" ( barely a one lane now ) is used by fishermen to get to the good spots to fish. ( Oh! sidenote: My friend Chrissy is a fisherwoman, is fisherwoman a word?? does anyone know where to get fishing gear in adult sizes in the color pink? There is one website, but they are kind of limited....)
You jump over the tracks, head down through a well hacked back scrub and brush to get to this:
To the right of that photo is Herrling Island, a Cottonwood tree farm owned by Scott Paper. They harvest the trees for toilet paper. Poor trees.....
The river is the Fraser River, and it was running pretty fast so I kept Watcher and Frankie on shore. There are alot of still pools in this river but this area is not one of them.
Back up over the tracks and wow, what a pretty scene! Lots and lots of wild Rose bushes!
I love spring. Everything is new and happening! I believe these are new shoots from a Hazelnut tree. ( Frankie in the background )
Here's Frankie urging Watcher and I to hurry our asses. With every day he is becoming more brave. He darts ahead, but always stops and makes sure I am heading in the same direction as he is.
It never fails to boggle my mind when I come across scenes such as the one below. What the hell is it with some people? Where I see a lovely pastoral setting, they see a perfect place to dump their used items....grumble grumble grumble.
Off to Flood Falls......
And this was weird because the trail to the actual Falls has never been marked before, but this time there was this sign:
and it's not even marking the trail! Well, it's marking a trail, but not the one that we normally use. The one we normally take is wide, and well worn. This one was steeper, the ground was loose, and it was difficult to make out a trail at all. But we went up it anyway for a change.See what I'm saying....wtf is the trail?
Follow me!
Cool! Someone built a seat for the weary about half-way up!
At long last ( not really, it was only a 1/2 hour up :-) the falls are in my sight....
Pool at the bottom of the Falls
And another seat! Yippeeee!
The gully from the Falls
View from across the highway....Flood Falls is smack dab in the middle.
It was a nice day and a couple of great walks. On the way home I had to take a photo of this old barn.....isn't it cool!
Beautiful photos! I remember the day we took my dogs and yours to Flood Falls - such a peaceful place. I hope the new signage and benches don't suggest it will become "developed" and spoiled from too many people dropping their litter, drinking their beers by the pool, etc.
ReplyDeleteJean
Hi Jean!
ReplyDeleteThe sign totally threw me for a loop. I asked some people that were born and raised here and they said that there has never been a sign. It's an everyday provincial park sign.....scary stuff.
But the benches are old and well worn, they are basically a part of the landscape at this point.
I rarely get out your way these days ( driving past Chilliwack gives me the heebie jeebies.....looking at all the homes like bee hives on the mountain side )but I hope you come out this way soon! I have yet to meet Sadie and Belle. :-)