My first drive into Wells Gray Park was back in 1972, when my girlfriend and I were at the end of a three-month east to west drive across Canada.
At that time the road into the park was only asphalt as far as the turnoff to Spahats Falls; after that it was a bumpy dirt road. Back in 1972, I wasn’t expecting that I would return to make British Columbia my home and that for the rest of my life I would be a regular visitor to that scenic park.
Since then, I have spent many a night in Wells Gray and even enjoyed some great hikes, but these days I just enjoy a slow drive through the park. I’ll stop a lot to just look at or photograph some feature that I probably have photographed many, many times. However, even if I don’t take any photos, I just enjoy driving through Wells Gray. And gosh, the drive from Pritchard to and through the park and back is a nice day no matter the weather.
This week I decided that it was time to make another drive. I told my ever-ready-for-adventure friend Jo what I planned, and I think she just ignored the list of housework things she had to do, grabbed her camera to come with me, and off we went.
What started as a partly clouded day in Pritchard quickly turned to a grey, overcast day as we drove north. Nevertheless, I like that drive, and the flat grey light is just another way to see the landscape if one isn’t expecting to make exciting landscape photographs.
Surprisingly, the park was full of visitors. We had stopped along the road to snap some shots, but when we reached Helmcken Falls the parking lot was almost full. I wonder if the same tour buses that we saw stopped at Sun Peaks last week also visited Helmcken Falls?
The falls lookout has been changed from the woodsy log platform to an all-metal structure that is a much larger, and absolutely safe, viewing area. Jo and I walked out on that new platform to admire the falls and then joined other photographers who were walking along the path that continues beyond the safety fence. As I took my turn setting my tripod at a place that still gives a good view of the falls, I thought about how many times, with many different cameras, I have taken that exact same photo.
I feel fortunate to have that park so close. It is perfect for backwoods hikers or tent and trailer campers, or for day-trippers like me who just enjoy driving to Helmcken Falls and back.
Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.
