Tulameen travels

 When our Okanagan holiday was cut short, we decided to make a few day trips instead. On this day, we took a familiar route to a place we discovered a few years ago, during our KVR exploration.
Getting to the Coldwater exit was a real exercise in patience...there must have been a dozen "Construction Zones" along the way, slowing us down to 40 mph on a highway that is rated at 70....

Eventually, we reach the exit and the results of this summer's wildfires becomes obvious...

Before long, we have arrived in the sleepy community of Brookmere, where we offload the TW and start down the KVR towards our destination.

The sign said "Trail damage ahead"...they weren't kidding! Luckily, there was a bypass around this.

After this, the railbed was clear, with a few small rocks that had fallen from the hillsides. A few miles later, we arrive at Coalmont road, and the remnants of the old Coalmont trestle.

Now, we travel along the 12 miles of gravel that is Coalmont road. This road is wide and smooth, with a few twisties thrown in...watch for local traffic! 
Along the way, is this old leaning tree...must be 60 to 80 feet tall...you can't miss it.

Once the gravel ends, we travel through the residential area...there are some nice homes along the way. 
The road travels along the perimeter of Otter Lake.

We pass through the villages of Tulameen and Coalmont, then pick up the KVR railbed again. We were running late today, so we stayed on the asphalt as much as possible.

Soon, we arrive at our destination...a place the locals call "White Sands"...for obvious reasons.

After a brief picnic-lunch, we check out the area...the old KVR trestle pilings are still visible in the riverbed. 

The TW takes a well-deserved rest...

It isn't a huge area, so our exploration was done fairly quick. The KVR from Coalmont to White Sands is in rough shape with a lot of "whoops" and some slide debris, so we used to 4x4 track to reach the highway and took the slab back into Coalmont.

In Coalmont, we took a small detour to visit another historic site...Granite City. These are the remains of the "Coomes cabin". There is a small interpretive plaque nearby that tells the story of this particular homestead.

On the way back to Tulameen, we pass the famous "Tulameen Shoe tree"....

Having used up just over half a tank so far, I decided to top up at the Tulameen General Store. Three dollars later, TW is full....gotta love it!

Now, back on Coalmont road...the return trip.

Some lovely valley vistas to be had along here...the Otter Valley is so pretty.

A crumbling old barn...there are a few to be seen along this stretch.

My one regret, is that this trip should have been made in about 3 weeks from now....when the leaves have started to turn, this place is just beautiful.

Still a pleasant outing nonetheless...I really enjoy this area.