to Merritt BC and back again

I know, I know, not too long ago I went on with my spiel about not posting travel pictures. Well, I didn't mean NO travel pictures, just not as many. 

So here is our trip to Merritt the other day. It really is a beautiful drive and I thought I'd share.

I am not sure if I have mentioned this previously, but when we are here at the park we only shop twice a month - they are HUGE shopping trips but they happen very infrequently.

The main reason for this is that the larger grocery stores are either 1 or 2 hours away - one way. We try to stick to the 1 hour which is Merritt - but it isn't a big city and so a few times each summer we do the 2 hour marathon. They are always very LONG and frustrating days because we get up and eat breakfast, sometimes do a bit of work, get organized for the trip, drive, shop, drive, get dinner ready and go back to work. It really bites when it is the 2 hour drive because 4 hours of the day are already taken up.

Of course I do shop locally here in Lytton. And you should too! Shop local that is.... Those business owners NEED your business. On the other hand, I can't do ALL of our shopping at the local grocery store. Prices are not competitive. I do get the flyer once a week and will buy the things we need that are on sale. I will also shop local for things we do need - such as milk - if it is all we need at the moment - no sense driving all that way for a jug of milk. Although in the summer fresh produce is plentiful at the Lytton Farmer's Market and from a few fruit stands just north of Spences Bridge.

Last Monday we went to Merritt to stock up for the next two weeks.

Our first stop was the Nicola Valley Meat Market. Every time we drove by this business last year we thought that we should stop and shop. But we thought to ourselves - oh - but the meat will be more expensive - more then we can afford. By the last shopping trip last year we DID stop in because they suddenly had a JERKY sign out front. BOY, did we wish we had stopped sooner. Wouldn't you know they had lots of great stuff - including Dutch products - I'm of dutch ancestory by the way - and all kinds of beef, pork and chicken. AND at good prices - in some instances - lower then the grocery store! 

This year we have decided to do ALL of our meat shopping here - well - anytime we go to Merritt for groceries anyway.

Better to eat less of the good meat then the other way around - right?!

It was also a nice day to stop and sit a moment before continuing on to the grocery store in town.

The barn across the street from the meat market. 

Now on our return home I took this picture of the local restaurant - the Hitch 'N' Post. A really good restaurant - sometimes we stop for an early dinner on the way home - but not today.

A view of the quickly rising Nicola River. The Nicola comes through Merritt and then feeds into the Thompson River  - the river that goes past Gold Pan and Skihist.

We stopped to take a picture of the Kumsheen Rafting Resort training.

The highway we take from Spences Bridge to Merritt and back again is the #8.

Back in 2005/2006 when we moved off of Vancouver Island we thought to buy this place.

We would have had our own bridge, 2 houses, 1 garage with truck and tractor, 1 shop and lots of lots of land and fruit trees. It was a good deal at the time but still a bit much for us...

L O V E the rock along the drive.

A neat sky that day....

Yup - we get rattlesnakes up here in Canada.

Just getting into Spences Bridge and another train.

Here, you can listen to the train that day....

Canadian Pacific Railroad.

To took a detour into Spences Bridge and found this beautiful crab apple tree in bloom - amazing isn't it?

Looking south down the Thompson River.

Every time we drive by this building we think about the potential it has with a whole lotta money! Imagine large windows which are south facing and a warehouse/loft layout inside.

Left to Skihist - Right to Cache Creek.

Along the way we crossed paths with the Rocky Mountaineer.

The rock that I have been showing frequently. The water is definitely rising - it won't be long until it is almost completely submerged.

That's it for this post. I can't believe I've FINALLY gotten this far. I started on it this afternoon but then it was dinner time and off to work. I have been trying to work on it now but the internet connection is really really slow. 

So - I will call it a night.

I hope you enjoyed the picture of our area here and where we spend our summer.

Cheers,

Teresa

Today's Interesting Link: I wasn't sure what to link tonight but thought I would show you this website. I was trying to find the website for Hilltop Gardens, the fruit stand we will visit in a few months, alas they don't have one. Here is a link to the local watering hole in Spences Bridge called the Log Cabin - they have some GREAT ariel shots of this area I thought you would enjoy.

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