July 2, 2015
Tiger Lily, Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada

We went to Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, after leaving Lac Le Jeune because we had gotten reports that it was a great place for wildlife and especially bears in May and June. Our first impression as we drove into the park was that it wasn't a very good place for us. The park is heavily wooded, at least along the road into the park, so whatever wildlife you'd see on the road or on the heavily-vegetated shoulder could quickly disappear into the dense brush away from the road. Then we discovered that the campground is also heavily wooded which most people probably prefer for the cool shade, but it's not good for our solar-electric systems, and there are very limited generator hours. It rained the first afternoon and evening so we stayed in. I went out the next morning and explored a bit and did see two black bears along the road that disappeared way before I could even start shooting them. I got out at Helmcken Falls, the fourth highest waterfall in Canada, and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. On the way back to the campground, in between swatting mosquitoes that I had trapped in the car, I came upon a mink running along the road. It was nice to watch, but it wasn't a photo op. It rained that afternoon and evening too, so we holed up in the RVs. Yesterday morning, I got my mosquito net head cover out and returned to the Helmcken Falls area to photograph this Tiger Lily, Columbian Lily, or Oregon Lily (Lilium columbianum). I was still bitten through the net and smashed many mosquitos that were trying to bite me through my gloves. Lots of fun — he said sarcastically. We left the park yesterday even though it was starting to grow on me.