Mara Lake Pictographs

My Sister



My Dad

I went out to one of my favorite fall kayaking spots with my Dad and Sister today. We hit a bit of rain while we were driving but thankfully it cleared up and the water was like glass and aside from one fishing boat we were the only ones out on the water, which made it very peaceful and relaxing.

I have not been very successful in obtaining information regarding the history and meaning of the pictographs in the Shuswap area. I have looked online but not too much out there that I could find, I have ordered a couple of books from the library and hope those will be a good starting point. When I do find the information I'm looking for I will post for those who are interested.

Mable Lake

 I went out this morning for the first time on Mable Lake and really lucked out. As this is a big lake and it was a bit overcast I was a little concerned that it might be a bit tough going, but the weather was perfect and the lake was extremely calm. I would rather be out on this lake than Shuswap Lake any day, there were far more fishermen and less water skiers which makes for a lot less wake:)

I kayaked up to the point directly across from Cottonwood bay and was able to get out on a nice little bit of beach and stretch my legs, there's a bit of a campsite there and no signs stating you can't camp there so I assume it's available.

There are two pictograph sites before this beach, the first one has a number of symbols and is not in great shape anymore so I had a hard time understanding the images. The second site which I have included photo's of was really interesting, again it had some symbols I could not understand, I have heard that this pictograph means good fishing so I did wonder if some of the images were of fish that have been filleted, just my guess? I love the deer drawing, there is one similar at the Mara Lake site as well. I thought it was neat that you could see paint drips on the rocks below the pictograph, I could really visualize the artist at that spot when I saw those, I'm an artist so I think it might be an artists thing.

I had the privilege of having a Kingfisher fly about 50-75 meters ahead of me the whole way to the pictograph site, it would just stop and wait up, then when I got too close it would fly off again find a perch and wait all over again. Well at least I'd like to think he was joining me, maybe I just happened to be going the same direction??

I put in at the River Mouth boat launch as the other one a bit farther down the road is private, crowded and there is a small charge to launch your boat. Although Mable Lake is a bit farther than I am used to traveling to "put in" it was well worth the drive and I will be back.

Salmon Arm bay and the mouth of the Salmon River

I was on the water by 7 am last sunday and it was so peaceful. I paddled up the Salmon River, just a little way as there were so many little duck familys about half a kilometer up that I turned around, I didn't want to disturb them anymore than I already had.

This photo is of a group of pelicans that were also enjoying the peaceful morning! I saw a group of seven of them this time last year, but there were only three this time around. This is the third year that I seen them here in late spring and through the summer, I didn't even know we had such exotic birds here as these. The pelicans were curious regarding what I was but with all the canadian geese sqwaking and flying off like I was a predator the pelicans decided that maybe they should too!