Once you leave Revelstoke, your cell phone goes dead and you head into the Three Valley Gap. As you enter this area, there is a hotel that looks and feels like the hotel in the movie The Shining. I've never stayed but I've read this place is off grid & produces it's own electricity. Hence, you don't get creature comforts like AC when it's hot. Did I mention the interior of BC gets hot? I read a few reviews on TripAdvisor & some folks complained about the place being a bit "rudimentary". I really have little sympathy for those people. Look man, it's the interior of BC & one of the most rugged areas in Canada.
As you pass Three Valley Gap the wilds of BC continue for about another 40 kms. Cell phone service is non existent as is FM radio. The first sign of civilization is Sicamous, a small town which looks like it was built around logging. Not long after that you come into the Shuswap.
The Shuswap is much like cottage country north of Toronto, only it's nicer. It's an area filled with a winding lake, beautiful vistas & what seems like hundreds of houseboats. The main city in the area is Salmon Arm, a small, modern city which is actually quite nice. It was the place where I usually bought fuel, so, if time permitted, I'd take a walk along the water or downtown. If you're heading out this way, take a few hours to stop & enjoy.
Once you pass Salmon Arm, you continue in the Shuswap and head toward Sorrento. The mountains are noticeably smaller here as is the amount of snow in winter. Summer temperatures get VERY warm & in winter temps seemed to hover around freezing. I never experienced any bad weather in the many times I drove this route.
Sorrento, BC is a small town along the highway and it's beautiful. I get the feeling it's both a vacation spot (summer) and retirement area (year round). IF you're a photographer, bring your camera & bring some time to stop and take photos.
Once you pass Sorrento, you head toward Chase, BC, which is a small town with a few stores and gas station. Chase seems to mark the end of the Shuswap. The terrain is that of rolling hills in a river valley, much of the hills deforested (often just dirt). About 20kms past Chase, BC, you start to notice civilization against as you enter Kamloops.
I won't write anything about Kamloops as I didn't spend much time there. I did stop there on the "drive from hell" to find a liquor store. The fog reminded me of being in Newfoundland. Kamloops is a city of about 60,000 people, so it has a full variety of services.
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