When freshet brings the North Thompson and South Thompson Rivers to a high water point , the area at the head of Kamloops Lake floods.   The flat floodplains near Tranquille  get covered in several feet of floodwaters.   In addition, Cooney Bay floods, the beach disappears, and the shoreline recedes.   We paddled out of Tranquille Bay then followed the river downstream to Cooney Bay.   the feet of the cottonwoods are under water and a barrier of logs covers all parts of the shoreline.   A river buoy was untethered from the channel and also ended up along the log-covered shoreline.

The piling up of logs on the shoreline started about a kilometer upstream and continued all the way to the north end of Cooney Bay.   The gate to the Cooney Bay Road has been closed for a few weeks now, but there would be nowhere to walk anyway.Ducks, ospreys, loons, and bald eagles are still  resident at Cooney Bay.   This eagle had caught a sucker and landed on a pot in the logjam.

The shoreline past Cooney Bay was log-free all the way to Battle Bluff.

Paddling back upstream,  we enjoyed seeing the sheltered floodwaters reflecting the images of logs and stumps on the shoreline, this time creating a loop in the water.

Lenticular clouds formed over Tranquille Bay.  Lenticular clouds, scientifically known as altocumulus standing lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction.

Mount Mara and the shoreline reflect in the calm waters of Tranquille Bay on the paddle back to the launch area.

More Information:

• Paddling the Floodlands (video)
• Paddling the Floodlands
• Next post – June 17 – Stony Lake Loop