May 16 to 22, 2009
Victoria Day long weekend / Keremeos Rodeo / Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally
Saturday ; YEE-HAW ! Today was the first day of the 71st annual Keremeos Rodeo. And it was a partially sunny, warm day, a nice day to be sitting outdoors at the rodeo.
Late this morning our Escapee friends Ron and Mary arrived to spend the weekend with us before the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally which Joanne and I are hosting. Ron and Mary are our rally co-hosts and mentors. After lunch we headed into Keremeos for the rodeo. This is our third time attending the Keremeos Rodeo. We quite like it. The first rodeo we ever attended was the Keremeos Rodeo two years ago. We went to the rodeo that first time not really expecting to enjoy it, but we were pleasantly surprised. We particularly like the barrel racing and the bull riding. This place is turning me into such a redneck. HA HA HA !
After the rodeo we returned home where we sat in our screen tent gazebo with Ron and Mary chatting about our winter adventure in Mexico. Mary prepared supper for all of us. While eating supper in Ron's and Mary's rig we noticed some of our neighbours staring intently at something across the highway. We didn't see it, but it was a bear.
Sunday ; YEE-HAW ! Today was Day 2 of the rodeo. And a sunny, very warm day.
This morning we sat outside at our picnic table and reviewed our plans for the upcoming Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally with Ron and Mary. Afterwards I showed them the Arpa Mágica ( MA heeka ) / Magic Harp I bought from a Chiapas Indian in Palenque, Mexico. Because he is a musician Ron has an electronic tuning device. He helped me tune my harp using it.
After lunch we headed to the fairgrounds for the rodeo. It was a lovely day to be sitting outdoors watching the rodeo events. And at the end of the two day rodeo, there were no injured animals and no injured cowboys, so that's a measure of success. The Keremeos Rodeo always ends with a big barbecue in Memorial Park in town. But the rodeo ended a bit sooner than usual, and we felt it was a bit too early to have supper. So we went to the Royal Canadian Legion Hall ( for my American friends / readers, that's the Canadian version of your V.F.W. ) in Keremeos and chatted while sharing a pitcher of beer before walking over to Memorial Park for a great barbecued steak dinner.
After supper we returned home to watch the three hour season finale of Survivor.
Monday ; Victoria Day ; Today was sunny and warm. It became windy late in the evening.
Every Victoria Day there is a parade in Keremeos, followed by lawnmower races all afternoon out at the fairgrounds. The lawnmower races are the third and last day of the Keremeos Rodeo. Ron and Mary were not interested in going to either the parade or the lawnmower races, and since Joanne and I have attended both events the last couple of years, we chose to miss them as well. We spent a relaxing day, enjoying the nice weather, chatting with Ron and Mary in our screen tent / gazebo, walking around the park and along the river. Joanne, Ron, and Mary went into town in the afternoon for some last minute grocery shopping for items we need for the SKP Rally which starts tomorrow. Joanne made supper for all of us. I hitched Lanoire to Harvey and did some preparations for departure tomorrow morning.
Tuesday ; Today had very variable weather, from sunny and warm, to partially cloudy, cool, and windy. It even rained for about half an hour in the afternoon.
This morning we prepared for departure and set off for the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally which we are hosting. We drove ... about 15 km. west to Riverhaven RV Park at Hedley. We got set up in our site, then spent a few hours playing rally hosts, getting people into campsites, set up, and registered upon their arrival. We have 16 RV rigs, and one couple in a motel room, for a total attendance of 34 people. That's a great turn-out for a Chapter 33 Rally. One more couple is expected to arrive tomorrow. The rally "theme" is "New Orleans On The Similkameen". At 4:00 P.M. Joanne began her Cajun cooking class which resulted in a Jambalaya dinner for 34 people at 6:00 P.M.. Joanne's planning for, and preparation of, the Jambalaya dinner was superb ! Well done, my dear. After supper we had a campfire with a "Zydeco" theme. I played Zydeco music CD's, and told two stories ; the story of "Cajun" and the story of "Zydeco".
I was surprised and very annoyed by the amount of "arm chair quarterbacking" I was subjected to as rally host ! HEY ... when it's your turn to be rally host ... then it can get done your way. Until then ... **** off ! Nevertheless, it seemed that everyone was very pleased with the first day of the rally. The campground is great ! And in the bigger picture, our rally plan and execution were great !
Wednesday ; WHEW ... I'm typing this close to midnight, it's been a long day, and we're tired ! Today was the second day of hosting the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally. It went very well. The rally is now half over. We're looking forward to the completion of the rally.
We awoke early this morning to have us and everybody else ready for the 8:30 A.M. departure to the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. The Upper Similkameen Indian Band, who operate the Mascot Gold Mine Tour, picked us up in their small bus right here at Riverhaven RV Park. I had made these group tour arrangements with the Upper Similkameen Indian Band's Director Of Operations who was also our bus driver and tour guide today. And he did an excellent job ! He drove us a few km. from the RV park into Hedley, to the Snaza'ist Centre, the headquarters of the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. In the Snaza'ist Centre we watched a short video presentation on the Mascot Mine, the Snaza'ist Centre, Hedley, and the Similkameen Valley. We got back on the bus to begin the exciting ride up Nickel Plate Mine Road, up the back side of Stemwinder Mountain, Nickel Plate Mountain, and Apex Mountain until we were at the top of Stemwinder Mountain overlooking the town of Hedley more than 4000 feet below. On the ride up the very narrow, steep, winding dirt road we saw a lot of deer and a Bald Eagle.
Our tour guide parked the bus and we walked about a km. downhill to the edge of Nickel Plate Mountain directly above Hedley. It was cold up there ... about 30 degrees colder than the valley temperature of 60 degrees. It was snowing lightly for awhile ! At the cliff edge, we began ( sigh ) climbing down the 589 stairs to the mine entrance. We toured around some of the mine's buildings perched precariously on the steep side of the mountain before heading underground into the gold mine. Joanne and I had never been inside a mine before. It was quite an interesting experience.
The Mascot Gold Mine began operation in 1935. It has been closed for many years. In 1995 the Upper Similkameen Indian Band acquired it from Heritage B.C. ( the provincial government's historical preservation department ) and began refurbishing it. They have been conducting these mine tours since 2004.
After walking about 200 meters / 600 feet underground we turned off our miner's helmet lights and had a "sound and light" show inside the mine tunnel, recreating the sounds and dancing shadow lights simulating what it was like to be a miner working underground in a gold mine. Very well done ! We walked back to the surface and ( huge sigh ) began climbing the 589 stairs back to the top. At the top of the stairs we sat down at a small picnic table shelter to eat our picnic lunches before ( another huge sigh ) the one kilometre uphill hike back to the bus. On the bus ride back down we stopped at a scenic viewpoint area to take some pictures overlooking the Similkameen Valley. This particular spot is a favourite of ours, and we usually take anyone who visits us there.
On the remaining trip down the mountain by bus our group decided that I should prepare some New Orleans French Quarter Café du Monde café au lait for them as soon as we got back to the RV park. That was supposed to be part of our special New Orleans French Quarter Hitch Up Breakfast on Friday morning. Okay ! While I prepared café au lait Joanne prepared for her 4:00 P.M. Cajun cooking class. Her Cajun Pistolettes cooking class went well, and was well received. She produced three dozen pistolettes which was our contribution to tonight's "finger food potluck". After the potluck dinner we had our campfire featuring Mississippi Delta Blues music. I told two Cajun stories / history lessons. I told a story explaining "Courir de Mardi Gras" ( Fat Tuesday Run ... actually a horseback ride ) and explained the Cajun phrase of hope "lache pas la patate ( don't let go of the potato ).
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm, a lovely day. This morning was our SKP Rally's traditional pancake breakfast. What an amazing amount of bitching because we only bought 48 sausages to feed 34 people. Get over it, people ! ! ! After the pancake breakfast was our chapter's annual general meeting. Afterwards while people relaxed and enjoyed the fine weather Joanne cleaned, sorted, rearranged, and labelled the contents of the chapter's utility trailer full of miscellaneous equipment. Her lasting legacy to Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33. I worked on a minor repair on the trailer.
After lunch some of our group left for a golf outing in Princeton. Some played card games. Some sat around enjoying the lovely weather. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday on the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. I did an obedience session with Bo. And ... I squeezed in a short nap before spending the rest of the afternoon sitting around socializing.
At 5:30 P.M. Ron loaded his musical equipment into the back of our truck and we headed for The Hitching Post Restaurant in Hedley. Less than a week ago I sent an e-mail to the owner of the restaurant to confirm our group dinner reservation and ask if he could prepare at least one of the three entrée offerings on our prix fixe menu as a Cajun dish, in keeping with our rally theme of "New Orleans On The Similkameen". Upon arrival at the restaurant I was thrilled to find that he had prepared all three menu items as Cajun dishes ; a Cajun Halibut dish, a Blackened Steak dish, and a Jambalaya over noodles dish. Jambalaya over noodles was certainly a creative twist. And ... the meals were superb ! ! ! Dessert was a freshly baked home made apple, rhubarb, and strawberry crumble. The owners of The Hitching Post certainly are good at what they do ! ! ! After dinner, it was time for ( sigh ) our Chapter 33 musicians to get up on the restaurant's small stage and ( sigh ) entertain us for an hour and a quarter.
We ended the evening back at Riverhaven RV Park with a relaxing campfire.
Friday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm day. Whew ... the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally is over. And, in our opinion, it was an excellent rally. We prepared an excellent plan, and we executed it flawlessly. We deserve a pat on the back !
This morning while I began preparing New Orleans French Quarter Café de Monde café au lait Joanne drove into Hedley to pick up our custom order of 100 freshly made small beignets at The Hitching Post Restaurant. The members of the group ate their beignets, drank their café au lait, prepared for departure, and took off. Some of them went boondocking for a few days to a new B.C. Forest Services campground nearby. Before they left I had a photo taken of the group that I declared to be the new Chapter 33 "589 Club". Those brave souls who exhibited the courage to tackle the 589 stairs down to the Mascot Gold Mine and back up. Joanne and I cleaned up and put away the remaining equipment, tidied up the campground, then prepared ourselves for departure.
Back home at Riverside RV Park Resort we got set up in our lot, had lunch ... then took a very long and well deserved nap.
Victoria Day long weekend / Keremeos Rodeo / Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally
Saturday ; YEE-HAW ! Today was the first day of the 71st annual Keremeos Rodeo. And it was a partially sunny, warm day, a nice day to be sitting outdoors at the rodeo.
Late this morning our Escapee friends Ron and Mary arrived to spend the weekend with us before the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally which Joanne and I are hosting. Ron and Mary are our rally co-hosts and mentors. After lunch we headed into Keremeos for the rodeo. This is our third time attending the Keremeos Rodeo. We quite like it. The first rodeo we ever attended was the Keremeos Rodeo two years ago. We went to the rodeo that first time not really expecting to enjoy it, but we were pleasantly surprised. We particularly like the barrel racing and the bull riding. This place is turning me into such a redneck. HA HA HA !
After the rodeo we returned home where we sat in our screen tent gazebo with Ron and Mary chatting about our winter adventure in Mexico. Mary prepared supper for all of us. While eating supper in Ron's and Mary's rig we noticed some of our neighbours staring intently at something across the highway. We didn't see it, but it was a bear.
Sunday ; YEE-HAW ! Today was Day 2 of the rodeo. And a sunny, very warm day.
This morning we sat outside at our picnic table and reviewed our plans for the upcoming Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally with Ron and Mary. Afterwards I showed them the Arpa Mágica ( MA heeka ) / Magic Harp I bought from a Chiapas Indian in Palenque, Mexico. Because he is a musician Ron has an electronic tuning device. He helped me tune my harp using it.
After lunch we headed to the fairgrounds for the rodeo. It was a lovely day to be sitting outdoors watching the rodeo events. And at the end of the two day rodeo, there were no injured animals and no injured cowboys, so that's a measure of success. The Keremeos Rodeo always ends with a big barbecue in Memorial Park in town. But the rodeo ended a bit sooner than usual, and we felt it was a bit too early to have supper. So we went to the Royal Canadian Legion Hall ( for my American friends / readers, that's the Canadian version of your V.F.W. ) in Keremeos and chatted while sharing a pitcher of beer before walking over to Memorial Park for a great barbecued steak dinner.
After supper we returned home to watch the three hour season finale of Survivor.
Monday ; Victoria Day ; Today was sunny and warm. It became windy late in the evening.
Every Victoria Day there is a parade in Keremeos, followed by lawnmower races all afternoon out at the fairgrounds. The lawnmower races are the third and last day of the Keremeos Rodeo. Ron and Mary were not interested in going to either the parade or the lawnmower races, and since Joanne and I have attended both events the last couple of years, we chose to miss them as well. We spent a relaxing day, enjoying the nice weather, chatting with Ron and Mary in our screen tent / gazebo, walking around the park and along the river. Joanne, Ron, and Mary went into town in the afternoon for some last minute grocery shopping for items we need for the SKP Rally which starts tomorrow. Joanne made supper for all of us. I hitched Lanoire to Harvey and did some preparations for departure tomorrow morning.
Tuesday ; Today had very variable weather, from sunny and warm, to partially cloudy, cool, and windy. It even rained for about half an hour in the afternoon.
This morning we prepared for departure and set off for the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally which we are hosting. We drove ... about 15 km. west to Riverhaven RV Park at Hedley. We got set up in our site, then spent a few hours playing rally hosts, getting people into campsites, set up, and registered upon their arrival. We have 16 RV rigs, and one couple in a motel room, for a total attendance of 34 people. That's a great turn-out for a Chapter 33 Rally. One more couple is expected to arrive tomorrow. The rally "theme" is "New Orleans On The Similkameen". At 4:00 P.M. Joanne began her Cajun cooking class which resulted in a Jambalaya dinner for 34 people at 6:00 P.M.. Joanne's planning for, and preparation of, the Jambalaya dinner was superb ! Well done, my dear. After supper we had a campfire with a "Zydeco" theme. I played Zydeco music CD's, and told two stories ; the story of "Cajun" and the story of "Zydeco".
I was surprised and very annoyed by the amount of "arm chair quarterbacking" I was subjected to as rally host ! HEY ... when it's your turn to be rally host ... then it can get done your way. Until then ... **** off ! Nevertheless, it seemed that everyone was very pleased with the first day of the rally. The campground is great ! And in the bigger picture, our rally plan and execution were great !
Wednesday ; WHEW ... I'm typing this close to midnight, it's been a long day, and we're tired ! Today was the second day of hosting the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally. It went very well. The rally is now half over. We're looking forward to the completion of the rally.
We awoke early this morning to have us and everybody else ready for the 8:30 A.M. departure to the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. The Upper Similkameen Indian Band, who operate the Mascot Gold Mine Tour, picked us up in their small bus right here at Riverhaven RV Park. I had made these group tour arrangements with the Upper Similkameen Indian Band's Director Of Operations who was also our bus driver and tour guide today. And he did an excellent job ! He drove us a few km. from the RV park into Hedley, to the Snaza'ist Centre, the headquarters of the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. In the Snaza'ist Centre we watched a short video presentation on the Mascot Mine, the Snaza'ist Centre, Hedley, and the Similkameen Valley. We got back on the bus to begin the exciting ride up Nickel Plate Mine Road, up the back side of Stemwinder Mountain, Nickel Plate Mountain, and Apex Mountain until we were at the top of Stemwinder Mountain overlooking the town of Hedley more than 4000 feet below. On the ride up the very narrow, steep, winding dirt road we saw a lot of deer and a Bald Eagle.
Our tour guide parked the bus and we walked about a km. downhill to the edge of Nickel Plate Mountain directly above Hedley. It was cold up there ... about 30 degrees colder than the valley temperature of 60 degrees. It was snowing lightly for awhile ! At the cliff edge, we began ( sigh ) climbing down the 589 stairs to the mine entrance. We toured around some of the mine's buildings perched precariously on the steep side of the mountain before heading underground into the gold mine. Joanne and I had never been inside a mine before. It was quite an interesting experience.
The Mascot Gold Mine began operation in 1935. It has been closed for many years. In 1995 the Upper Similkameen Indian Band acquired it from Heritage B.C. ( the provincial government's historical preservation department ) and began refurbishing it. They have been conducting these mine tours since 2004.
After walking about 200 meters / 600 feet underground we turned off our miner's helmet lights and had a "sound and light" show inside the mine tunnel, recreating the sounds and dancing shadow lights simulating what it was like to be a miner working underground in a gold mine. Very well done ! We walked back to the surface and ( huge sigh ) began climbing the 589 stairs back to the top. At the top of the stairs we sat down at a small picnic table shelter to eat our picnic lunches before ( another huge sigh ) the one kilometre uphill hike back to the bus. On the bus ride back down we stopped at a scenic viewpoint area to take some pictures overlooking the Similkameen Valley. This particular spot is a favourite of ours, and we usually take anyone who visits us there.
On the remaining trip down the mountain by bus our group decided that I should prepare some New Orleans French Quarter Café du Monde café au lait for them as soon as we got back to the RV park. That was supposed to be part of our special New Orleans French Quarter Hitch Up Breakfast on Friday morning. Okay ! While I prepared café au lait Joanne prepared for her 4:00 P.M. Cajun cooking class. Her Cajun Pistolettes cooking class went well, and was well received. She produced three dozen pistolettes which was our contribution to tonight's "finger food potluck". After the potluck dinner we had our campfire featuring Mississippi Delta Blues music. I told two Cajun stories / history lessons. I told a story explaining "Courir de Mardi Gras" ( Fat Tuesday Run ... actually a horseback ride ) and explained the Cajun phrase of hope "lache pas la patate ( don't let go of the potato ).
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm, a lovely day. This morning was our SKP Rally's traditional pancake breakfast. What an amazing amount of bitching because we only bought 48 sausages to feed 34 people. Get over it, people ! ! ! After the pancake breakfast was our chapter's annual general meeting. Afterwards while people relaxed and enjoyed the fine weather Joanne cleaned, sorted, rearranged, and labelled the contents of the chapter's utility trailer full of miscellaneous equipment. Her lasting legacy to Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33. I worked on a minor repair on the trailer.
After lunch some of our group left for a golf outing in Princeton. Some played card games. Some sat around enjoying the lovely weather. I downloaded and processed the photos I took yesterday on the Mascot Gold Mine Tour. I did an obedience session with Bo. And ... I squeezed in a short nap before spending the rest of the afternoon sitting around socializing.
At 5:30 P.M. Ron loaded his musical equipment into the back of our truck and we headed for The Hitching Post Restaurant in Hedley. Less than a week ago I sent an e-mail to the owner of the restaurant to confirm our group dinner reservation and ask if he could prepare at least one of the three entrée offerings on our prix fixe menu as a Cajun dish, in keeping with our rally theme of "New Orleans On The Similkameen". Upon arrival at the restaurant I was thrilled to find that he had prepared all three menu items as Cajun dishes ; a Cajun Halibut dish, a Blackened Steak dish, and a Jambalaya over noodles dish. Jambalaya over noodles was certainly a creative twist. And ... the meals were superb ! ! ! Dessert was a freshly baked home made apple, rhubarb, and strawberry crumble. The owners of The Hitching Post certainly are good at what they do ! ! ! After dinner, it was time for ( sigh ) our Chapter 33 musicians to get up on the restaurant's small stage and ( sigh ) entertain us for an hour and a quarter.
We ended the evening back at Riverhaven RV Park with a relaxing campfire.
Friday ; Another lovely, sunny, warm day. Whew ... the Escapees B.C. Okanagan Chapter 33 Spring Rally is over. And, in our opinion, it was an excellent rally. We prepared an excellent plan, and we executed it flawlessly. We deserve a pat on the back !
This morning while I began preparing New Orleans French Quarter Café de Monde café au lait Joanne drove into Hedley to pick up our custom order of 100 freshly made small beignets at The Hitching Post Restaurant. The members of the group ate their beignets, drank their café au lait, prepared for departure, and took off. Some of them went boondocking for a few days to a new B.C. Forest Services campground nearby. Before they left I had a photo taken of the group that I declared to be the new Chapter 33 "589 Club". Those brave souls who exhibited the courage to tackle the 589 stairs down to the Mascot Gold Mine and back up. Joanne and I cleaned up and put away the remaining equipment, tidied up the campground, then prepared ourselves for departure.
Back home at Riverside RV Park Resort we got set up in our lot, had lunch ... then took a very long and well deserved nap.
DSK
