Into the valley
Down the Thompson
After a good night’s sleep in Kamloops, we rebounded the train and began a long day’s descent to sea level via along to banks of the Thompson river. The only practical route connecting Vancouver and Canada. The view from the train transitions into the walls of the canyon with patches of trees transitioning into mountain desert, punctuated by occasional views of distant snow covered peaks.
No bears today, but mountain sheep, bald eagles, and osprey are plentiful. As we get further downstream and closer to sea level the canyon narrows and the rapids go berserk.
Then we pass through the Cascades into the Thompson Valley, where 30% of the province’s produce and fruit are grown. You can literally see, smell, and almost taste how rich the soil is, thanks to millions of years of soil deposited by the Thompson.
Then we are swamped by freight train traffic and I am godly able to grab a few hours sleep before the driver arrives to take me to the train station where I catch the bus to Seattle.
