The Lakes District

We have found an area in B.C. that just won't quit!

Endless numbers of lakes with fish that just refuse to stay off your line, miles of back roads that seem to go on forever amidst lakes and rivers and mountians, and recreation campsites with nearly a soul in them until we arrive with our truck, camper and trailer in tow loaded with the tools of the campers trade...kayak, canoe, zodiac, dual sport bikes, mountain bikes and fishing gear.  The Lakes district that lays between Smithers, Babine Lake and south to Oosta Lake including Francois Lake and too many lakes to mention by name really is an outdoors persons dream.  We spent some time in this area last year and loved it so much we came back again this year.

We have seen an amazing amount of wildlife this year...and more bears than ever, and some a little too close for comfort.  The abundance of rain has laid a carpet of wild flowers that is amazingly colourful. Though the wild berries are just starting to ripen they are promising to be as bountiful as we remember from last year! and this years, once again thanks to more rain, lots of boletus and oyster mushrooms and even giant puffballs.  And fishing!!!what can I say Ken has been lucky on the lakes and has even smoked a few rainbow to perfection (so he claims).

The weather so far this year has not quite lived up to the warmth of last year with quite a bit of rain but starting TODAY the weather is beginning to get better...right Mother Nature?

While spending time at Bear Island Rec Site on Babine Lake we had the opportunity to watch a cow moose swim with her calf across to Bear Island where she left it for the days while she continued to swim back and forth, from the island.  She left every morning and came back every night.  We thought maybe she did this because it was safer for the calf on the island as there was a mother grizzly and three calves spotted in the area around our campsite.

Yes, we have had lots of rain, but it made for beautiful rainbows.

Just one sample of the many fish Ken has been catching, a Lake Trout or Char.

Bear Island out in of our campsite on Babine Lake on a rare sunny day.

Ken digs a drainage ditch beside our camper otherwise we may have floated right off of terra firma and into the lake.

Houstson's biggest fly rod.

Al and Linda with her son Scott and family, in Smithers.  A quick game of Mexican Train before dinner.

Kingfishers, friendly neighbours during our stay at Francois Lake West Rec Site.

During frequent paddles on Francois Lake I was able to get as close as 9 or 10 ft from a doe that always hung around the same area.

Quite often while paddling, beavers would circle my kayak checking us out, they are very curious.

While Ken is fishing I'm paddling with the locals.

This is just the biggest of the giant puffballs we found...

And yes, we did eat some of them.  Sliced and fried in a little butter with salt and pepper.

I could include a hundred of these, just another beautiful sunset over Nadina mountian, taken from our campsite on Francois Lake.

Can you see the bird walking on the lily pad?