Day 7.........Nimpo Lake to Quesnel

All I can say is that sometimes the Gods of Olympus are not with you and our planned flight over the Rainbow Range, the Tatla Falls and the Anhim Glacier Fields was saboutaged by the inclement weather.....nuff said that I am very seriously pissed about this but as they say...swa ha! 

Ok.................so these long drives need to be done.

Early morning wake up and hoofing it along through the Chilcotin to Williams Lake.

This drive is quite beautiful if you want it to be and don't have a longing for the wet valley of the Bella Coola. The first part of the drive is through flatish open range country with horses and cattle hanging round the road. The forests are devastaed

by the pine beetle and the recent fires. At Alexis Creek there is a canyon where a big fire raged recently and just after that we came across a roadside cemetry overlooking a pretty lake. My mind has been dwelling on death and the effect of walking through the tinder gravesites got me thinking and contemplating the infinity of complex energy....maybe life?

We came across real cowboys herding their cattle

looking very dapper with their handsome horses

and very bright dogs.

Then we drove through to Williams Lake via the very steep hill down into the Fraser River Valley and across a high bridge where obviously Mum was freaking out again. Luck would have it that good planning made us miss out on staying at Williams Lake and hoof it further to Quesnel.

Travelling up the Fraser River Valley we saw references to paddle steamers and I realised that in the 1920's during the gold rush at Barkersville there must have been a very active world of commerce and exploration up here. We got to Quesnel and lo and behold there was a hotel that resembled a paddle steamer with a casino inside. This was a sign from above and it was sent to Mum so we booked in and here we are at Billy Barker Casino Hotel where once again Mum had sole for supper and gambled till she won $30 .........now it's time to go to bed and wake up early and rush as far North as possible.....probably Smithers if we're lucky. At this stage it would seem we may even get up to Telegraph Creek as I first planned.............but that's for another post.