By K.A.Pendergast
Hi everyone, this is your Valley Tourist coming to you from the amazing North Thompson Valley, this week checking in on the adventure sector with Interior Whitewater Expeditions (IWE) rafting and a great side trip for some of the scrumptious food from the Clearwater Stop including a peek at the new gift shop.
My mission, as you may know, is to look into anything and everything that brings fun, enjoyment, and adventure in this stunning valley. In case you are wondering just what attractions there are or where to head to see, do, eat, drink or participate in new and interesting things, each week you can just follow along on this journey of discovery and become a Valley Tourist with me.
Ready?
Today’s journey begins right on the highway. The left side of the road right on the Highway 5 intersection, going through town in an easterly direction you can find the Clearwater Stop. It’s a take-out restaurant run by Markus and Brittney Wenzel. They have Canadian and German cuisine and speak both German and Polish as well as English.
I decided to have a go at the homemade burger with wedges. I didn’t have room for a bigger meal. It was so worth it. Definitely finger-lickin good! They had patio seating and reading materials to watch the rest of the world drive by. So relaxing.
I will for sure head back there again to try some of the other types of food as I hear they are amazing as well, and the first job I had as a girl was in a German schnitzel place, so I have got to go for more.
We lucked out and although they had no one opening the gift shop for customers they let me inside to check it out. A really cool display with a variety of different types of gift items from jewelry to homemade soaps to indigenous crafts, naming a few.
Very cool and I am sure that you can find some hard-to-buy-for person a unique special memento.
On to the adventure part of the trip. I was unsure just what was possible for me but wanted to check it out so I continued driving down the old North Thompson Highway to the old section of town and after a couple kilometers I came right upon the IWE building.
IWE has been operating in the area for many years and are one of the recognized expert companies in the field. They have a selection of types of trips for your adventure. There are Catch a Wave and Take it Easy, for those less willing to get too much exhilaration (a great option for those who are wanting a calmer ride) as well as Guaranteed Addiction and many more expeditions. These can take a half day, full day and multiple days.
There are hiking, canoeing, camping and many options for wilderness adventures. There’s something for pretty much everyone. After checking these out I knew that although I couldn’t get into the boats with my bum knee, just yet, I could look forward to a time in the future where that may be possible.
So I did the next best thing and chatted with some fellow adventure-seeking tourists. I chatted with some new friends from Denmark named Signe, Katherine, Fie and a second girl named Signe. They were so excited and looking forward to their fun trip. They had googled it during their stay in Kamloops. They relaxed in the lobby with some foosball and laughed and joked around. While they waited their anticipation was building and they couldn’t seem to stay still. So fun.
I decided a look at the before-group was not enough, so I waited around for the next group to come back from the trip. I chatted with a number of those disembarking the ride and they were laughing and smiling their tired way back to the lobby.
Niall from Ireland said, “It was such good clean fun,” he would recommend it to all of his friends. His group of six was so happy they had participated they couldn’t wipe the smiles from their faces. I felt like I had been on the ride right along with them, almost. I can’t wait to be one of that disembarking group in the future. I am just sayin that it is going to be so worth the expedition.
Maybe you all should join me?
I hope you had fun on today’s journey and will come along next time! As the Valley Tourist, I am looking forward to my next adventure in our beautiful North Thompson Valley!