I am going to bore you all to tears now with my trip to British Columbia .

The trip itself was a ten day stay at a place called Gotchen Lake, in British Columbia, Canada.  It's run by some very nice folks, who run the lodge under the name of Eureka Peak Outfitters.  Outfitters in Canada generally have multiple operations--they offer hunting trips, fishing trips, horse pack trips to view scenery, etc.  Some of them also offer mountain biking, and of course, one can just stay at the lodge and enjoy time away from all things work related.

My husband and I started off bright and early, leaving around 5.00 am.  This got us to the border crossing at Sumas, Washington State around 10.00 am.  It did not take us too long to cross the border, and we were on our way!  The trip up to the lodge goes through the spectacular Fraser River Canyon:

At Spence's Bridge, we encountered these wild desert bighorn sheep on the road:


They are all ewes, and still shedding out from their winter coat.


A bit of the river canyon.


And a bit more of the canyon!

We arrived at the bustling town of 100 Mile House around 4.00 pm, and stopped for the evening.  We had stayed in 100 Mile House before, and there is a lovely wildlife refuge just behind the motel where we were spending the night.



We spotted the following creatures:



I think they wanted breakfast!

Many, many birds--too numerous to link to good photos (as I did not get very good shots of these)--so I will just list some of them:

Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Barrow's Goldeneye, American Kestrel, American Coot, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Calliope Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Common Loon, etc.

The two biggest prizes were the Sandhill Crane we spotted in the middle of a thicket (nesting, apparently), and the Great Grey Owl.

Kingfisher

Sounds a brilliant holiday! The scenery looks stunning, and I love the picture of the ewes. It would be great to see some of the bird photos if you had time.

If I ever went to Canada I would want to do it like you did, go somewhere deep in the countryside away from the big towns and spend some time with the wildlife and countryside. Did you do any of the activities at the lodge? The horse ride to view the scenery appeals to me the most.

The scenery is amazing, Canada is one of the places I would love to go to. The holiday sounds like a lot of fun, and to see the Great Grey Owl nesting must of been a real treat.

Thank you, Bill and Xeract.

Yes, the scenery is brilliant! Even the drive up to the lodge is wonderful.

Bill, all of the activities at the lodge revolve around the outdoors. There's fishing in the lake, birdwatching, looking for wolves, bears, deer, moose, mountain goats, and other mammals, and horseback riding. The horseback riding is a wonderful way to see the country, as most animals are not afraid of horses, just humans.

If any of you ever have the chance--go for it!

Kingfisher

What a holiday!!!!!! The scenery is stunning I can't ever imagine being able to get there but I would like to. I wouldn't like to meet a bear though.. Some pics would be lovely.