June 6: Leaving the Prince

The bus route just outside Bon Voyage Inn wouldn’t have arrived early enough on a Saturday to take me to my departure point, so I ordered a taxi the night before. It took me to the transit depot, Bay C, “near the Terry Fox statue” as my ticket booking stated.

I waited on the footpath in the cold, foggy morning, while other travellers gathered around me. Our bus south arrived and we headed off.

Rather than being surrounded by mountains as in Banff and Jasper, here in middle British Columbia the highway followed rolling hills. The countryside alternated between forest, farmland, and small towns often set around small lakes.

The weather went from foggy to fine to stormy. By the time we reached Williams Lake, about halfway to Kamloops, cold rain had set in again.

While we stopped there, I checked out a local mall, but half of it was closed. Got some snacks from a chain store before we set off again.

The “Incident”

Just after we left Williams Lake, our driver, Annie, pulled into a village, saying she had to check the coolant. After a few minutes, she announced it was just a faulty sensor and we set off again.

Along this section of The Cariboo Highway, there’s a series of towns named 70 Mile House, 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House, etc, a leftover from the old gold rush days (which a lot of the tourism in the area is dedicated to). As our bus reached 100 Mile House, Annie pulled us over into the carpark beside the visitors’ centre, then motioned to everyone to get off the bus. We all did so, standing around outside several metres away. I asked one of the other passengers what was happening; he said “There’s been an incident.” I took the opportunity to quickly visit a nearby toilet. When I came out, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had arrived and were boarding the bus.

After a few minutes, they emerged escorting a passenger who’d been sitting near the back, in handcuffs.

Annie explained that another passenger, Ryan, had alerted her that this passenger had a concealed weapon and appeared to be high on drugs. Annie had contacted the authorities when she’d “checked the coolant”.

After speaking with the man for a few minutes (presumably reading him his rights), the cops put the man into the police car and took him away.

After the police checked the bus again, we were allowed to reboard and go on our way, Annie thanking Ryan for his diligence.

One other odd thing about that incident is that, outside the visitors’ centre, sits the world’s largest pair of cross-country skis.

Into Kamloops

As we continued, trees on the hills steadily gave way to scrub and the weather improved. We arrived in Kamloops just a little late. Fortunately, my next stay was only 15 minutes’ walk away, so I set off immediately.

Hospitality Inn is a motel that’s seen better days. Outside, it has a slightly run-down appearance. In my room, there were no plates or utensils, and the microwave didn’t work. However, the room and the beds were clean and serviceable.

It was still mid-afternoon once I’d settled in, so I went out and walked steadily downhill towards the central area. Much of inner Kamloops is in the valley beside the Thompson River, loomed over by Mount Paul.

In Victoria Street, which runs through the central retail area, three blocks had been blocked off for a mini-basketball tournament, featuring school or other teenage groups.

I had some pizza, then wandered around, checking out local sights.

Early Screening

One sight particularly got my notice. I’ve been following the YouTube series The Amazing Digital Circus for several months. The last episode is due on YouTube on June 19. However, Glitch, the animation company that makes the series, announced special screenings at cinemas around the world two weeks early. Along Victoria Street is the Paramount Theatre, a local indie cinema—and it was going to screen Episode 9 that evening.

Naturally, I quickly booked a ticket online (it’s been popular elsewhere, so I wasn’t taking chances). I walked around town a little more and had some cider at a nearby pub, before heading to the now-open cinema.

The Paramount is run by the Kamloops Film Society, a local group that are obviously proud film buffs: they serve popcorn with butter; there are info panels about the Paramount’s history on the walls; and they’ve even painted murals of films scenes in the toilets.

And Episode 9 itself? Unexpected ending, but definitely enjoyable, although I’ll be watching it again on YouTube to pick up the finer details.

Afterwards, I went down to the transit depot. The timetables stated that buses going my way were an hour apart on Saturday nights (worse than Melbourne!) and the next ones were 35–40 minutes away. I figured I could walk back the motel before they arrived, and I was right.