Sunday ; Boundary Creek Provincial Park to Keremeos
And so ends our two week camping trip exploration of the Kootenay region of the BC Interior. And so begins Year 8 of our full time RV life.
This morning we departed Boundary Creek Provincial Park and continued heading west on Hwy. 3. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of the BC Tourist Information Centre in Osoyoos. While there I went inside and obtained information on what needs to be done to get our business information cards racked in there.
WOW ... the Similkameen River is really high ! We stopped at Sanderson Farms in Keremeos to buy some fresh produce. And finally, we arrived home at Riverside RV Park Resort. The last two weeks were a great exploration adventure. Well, except for the continuing crappy weather.
Tuesday ; Well, today was the summer solstice. The longest daylight of the year. First day of summer. The sunny and warm weather has finally arrived ! Time for summer chores to begin in earnest.
Today I washed the truck and trailer. WHEW ! Joanne defrosted the fridge. The trailer's new fridge needs a lot less defrosting than the old fridge did. She began the difficult, tedious task of dewaxing / deoxidizing / rewaxing the trailer.
Riverside RV Park Resort had a summer solstice party tonight in the orchard on the waterfront. What lovely grounds we have. There is a large outdoor "fireplace" beside the river and we had a "potluck weenie roast". The party lasted until 11 PM. It was daylight until after 10 PM and just as the party was breaking up around 11 PM the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis became visible.
Saturday ; A few days ago Joanne discovered a hole in the flower bed beside our storage shed. The hole obviously led to underneath the shed. We thought it might be a pack rat hole. I set the pack rat trap. This morning the trap contained ... a baby pack rat. Aw, shit ... must be a nest of them under our shed.
This morning we headed to Oliver to attend a memorial service for a friend of ours from the Escapees Okanagan Chapter 33. Diane died recently after a heart transplant. We extend our condolences to Murray. After the service we went to Oliver's Centennial Campground to visit with the half dozen or so Chapter 33 members who were camped there.
We returned home late in the afternoon. We were only home briefly before leaving again, this time in the opposite direction, to Hedley. We attended a dinner concert at The Hitching Post Restaurant in Hedley. This was definitely the last time we go to The Hitching Post. In the four years that we've lived here they have gone from excellent food and excellent service to atrocious service ( I mean really bad ) and food that is mostly quite mediocre. After waiting for fifty minutes for our order to be taken, we finally had to flag down a waitress and ask her to take our dinner order. The previously excellent Russian borscht has deteriorated into tasting ( and looking ) like dishwater. Joanne's pork chop was tasteless. And the vegetables might as well have been made out of rubber ! On a more positive note, the performance by the blues guitarist / singer from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island was good. Too bad it was slightly marred by the drunk and very obnoxious grey haired biker bimbo. Too bad her balding old biker bozo boyfriend couldn't shut her up !
DSK
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 12 to 18, 2011
Sunday ; Box Lake to Nakusp to Kaslo
Bo and I were both feeling ill today. This morning we departed the remote wilderness campground at Box Lake, drove the dirt trail back to the highway, then north on Hwy. 6 to the small town of Nakusp, a lovely little village on Upper Arrow Lake. It seemed similar in size and feel to Keremeos. At Nakusp we refilled a propane tank, got some money from an ATM, refilled a water jug, and bought some groceries We walked along the waterfront walkway on Upper Arrow Lake. We drove around the municipal campground, then had lunch in a lovely municipal park where the annual Nakusp music festival is held each July.
We left Nakusp and drove north about 15 km. to Nakusp Hot Springs. What a lovely drive ! We didn't enter the hot springs, preferring to wait until tomorrow at Ainsworth Hot Springs. We drove back to Nakusp, then south on Hwy. 6 to New Denver, then east on Hwy. 31A to Kaslo. On the way we entered a couple of provincial parks to check out their campgrounds.
At Kaslo we checked into Mirror Lake Campground. We spent what little there was left of the afternoon wandering around the campground and lakeshore. For supper we had home made borscht and home made flax seed and sunflower seed bread, both soup and bread purchased at the New Denver farmer's market a few days ago.
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Monday ; Kaslo
Another day of clouds and intermittent rain ! ! ! I'm still sick. Bo isn't. Our plan for today was to spend the morning exploring Kaslo and in the afternoon head to Ainsworth Hot Springs. We didn't make it to the hot springs. Maybe tomorrow !
This morning, as planned, we headed into Kaslo for some downtown exploring. How fortuitous ... a parking spot right in front of the bakery. HA HA HA ! Fourteen bucks later ... ! We wandered around Kaslo's downtown. We browsed in The Live Art store, an artist's co-op. I bought a pine scented beeswax candle. I love beeswax candles ! We wandered over to the Langham Hotel. It now houses a collection of artists' studios and galleries, and the Japanese Canadian Museum. Yes, yes ... the Langham Hotel was another Japanese Canadian internment centre during World War II. It housed Canada's renowned scientist Dr. David Suzuki and his family when he was a little boy. We peeked in the open door of the studio of artist Robin Wiltse who does "felting", a form of fibre art. She invited us in and gave us an explanation and demonstration of felting art. Very interesting ! We strolled the length of Front Street and decided to have lunch at BlueBelle Bistro. Excellent food, ruined by bad service. I was so pissed off ! Soup and entrée arrived at the same time, after a very long wait. Soup cold ! Entrée hot. Sent soup back to be heated. By the time it returned, and I ate it, entrée was cold ! ! ! Tip zero ! ! ! ! ! Hope she got the message !
After lunch we returned to Mirror Lake Campground briefly. Sick Dan ! Decided to postpone trip to Ainsworth Hot Springs. Took Bo and headed for Fletcher Falls instead. Nearby, tough downhill hike to waterfalls on Fletcher Creek just before it spills into Kootenay Lake. Very pretty. Bo loooooves hiking ! Drove back to Kaslo and explored town and surrounding area by truck. Another lovely, little BC Interior town about the size of Keremeos. Went for a very short hike beside the Kaslo River but it was getting late in the afternoon and I wasn't feeling healthy enough to hike any more.
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Tuesday ; Kaslo and Ainsworth Hot Springs
This morning we went into the village of Kaslo to run some errands. Bought some groceries ... and some fresh baking, of course ... and checked voicemail. I noticed yesterday that Landmark Bakery had free Wi-Fi so today I used it to check our Skype home phone number voicemail. Although that bakery is not where we bought baking today. Today we walked down to Kaslo Sourdough Bakery and bought sourdough rye bread and sourdough sandwich buns called wagels.
After lunch in the trailer at Mirror Lake Campground, we headed south on Hwy. 31 to Ainsworth Hot Springs, about half an hour away. We spent the afternoon soaking in the hot mineral water ... "taking the waters", as it's called in Palm Springs. We alternated between the hot "swimming pool" and the horseshoe shaped cave that is the source of the hot springs. Inside the cave the water is hotter than in the pool, and it drips down from the stalactite ceiling, creating a steamy sauna like atmosphere. Walking through waist deep hot water in a dark, steamy cave is a pretty unique experience !
I remain convinced that soaking in hot mineral springs provides long lasting relief from arthritis pain.
In the evening, back at Mirror Lake Campground, I built a campfire and we had a "weenie roast" for supper.
Wednesday ; Kaslo to Gray Creek
Another mostly cloudy day with intermittent light rain. Every day of our camping trip ... 10 days so far ... has been the same. This morning we prepared for departure from Mirror Lake Campground and headed south on Hwy. 31 past Ainsworth Hot Springs to Balfour where we caught the ferry across Lake Kootenay. The 45 minute ferry crossing from Balfour to Kootenay Bay is the longest free ferry ride in the world ( so they claim ). From Kootenay Bay we continued south on Hwy. 3A through Crawford Bay to Grey Creek where we stopped at Cedar Grove Campground, a Passport America affiliated campground. What a lovely little campground in a beautiful wilderness setting. With friendly owners. And a cute little dog. And a very reasonable rate. With good amenities. Full hookups. Free Wi-Fi.
We got situated in our site then had a late lunch. After lunch I finished getting set up in our site, raised the antenna, turned on the TV and ... WOO-HOO ! One channel ... and it's CBC. WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ! I get to watch the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. I'm only interested in watching one hockey game per year, and this is it !
We gave Bo an overdue bath. Two weeks of Canadian wilderness camping, when he hasn't had a summer haircut yet ... what a stinky, filthy, little cur. With sticky tree things embedded in his fur. I downloaded and processed some photos then went to sit by the campground office to use Wi-Fi for a little while before watching the hockey game. The Wi-Fi signal doesn't reach the campsite we're in.
I watched the hockey game. Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup. From the perspective of one who has watched only one hockey game this year, it appears as if the better team won.
After the game I went back to the deck outside the office to continue to use Wi-Fi to work online until it got dark. When I returned to the trailer just before 10 PM I was appalled to see on the news that downtown Vancouver had turned into a riot zone following the hockey game.
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Thursday ; Gray Creek, Crawford Bay, Lockhart Beach, and Boswell
This morning we drove a few miles north on Hwy. 3A to the community of Crawford Bay. It's a little village of artists and artisans. There's a lot of those in BC. A lot of Canadians ... like us ... who don't want to get a real job, head for BC. HA HA HA HA HA ! We browsed through about a half a dozen artisan shops including a blacksmith, a fabric hand weaver, a glass blower, and most interesting, a hand crafted broom maker. I bought a teensy little broom for cleaning computer keyboards, and another little broom for cleaning mushrooms. The brooms are quite expensive, although I realize that all hand crafted items seem expensive. When the cost of specialized and usually "natural" materials, and artisans' time and effort and skills are taken into account I realize that the prices are justified however. I enjoyed watching ... and receiving an explanation of ... hand weaving on a traditional wooden handloom.
We stopped at a local nursery and produce stand to buy some fresh produce. Gee ... living in the "Fruit Stand Capital Of Canada" we're a little spoiled when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. Back at the community of Gray Creek we stopped at the old fashioned General Store to look around. And ... I found something I've been looking for. A leather sheath for my axe head.
After lunch in the trailer I napped briefly with Sully then we set off on Hwy. 3A to the south for more exploring. We drove around the campground at Lockhart Beach Provincial Park, then parked the truck and walked down to the beach on Kootenay Lake. There was a lot of driftwood washed up on the beach. We found a few pieces of interesting driftwood that we picked up to take home and use for yard landscaping. Just a day after getting bathed, Bo waded into Kootenay Lake. Seems he and I are both in the dog house for that ! HA HA HA ! We continued south on Hwy. 3A until we reached the community of Boswell before turning around and heading back to Cedar Grove Campground at Gray Creek.
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Friday ; Gray Creek to Nelson
This morning we prepared for departure and left Cedar Grove Campground at Gray Creek and headed north on Hwy. 3A back to Kootenay Bay where we caught the ferry across Kootenay Lake to Balfour. Once off the ferry we headed south on Hwy. 3A to Nelson where we found our way to Nelson City Campground. We set up in our site, had lunch, unhitched, and headed downtown.
First stop was ... a French Canadian bakery. Well ... what did you expect ? HA HA HA ! Next was Kootenay Co-op, an eclectic "foodie" store filled with anything and everything organic / natural and mostly local. I felt indulgent and spent a lot. Shitake mushrooms, fiddleheads, exotic teas, locally made artisan cheeses, another beeswax candle ... ! We wandered around the downtown area browsing for a couple of hours. We drove around for awhile exploring. I stopped at an auto supply store and bought a part I needed to do a minor repair on the truck. I refilled Lanoire with diesel. We shopped at
Wal-Mart. While Joanne started the shopping at Wal-Mart, I did the truck repair in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The full time RVer's version of
multi-tasking. HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Nelson to Boundary Creek Provincial Park
7 years of full time RV'ing
WOW ... we are now 7 years into our 2 year plan. HA HA HA HA HA ! And while most people don’t “get it” ... what a privileged lifestyle it’s been !
This morning we departed the Nelson City Campground and headed southwest on Hwy. 3A to Castlegar, then west on Hwy. 3 to Grand Forks. We stopped at Cecil's Perogies in Grand Forks ( that doesn't surprise you, does it ? HA HA HA ! ) to buy some frozen home made perogies. AND ... some wonderful dill cream sauce to go with them after the owner gave us a sample perogy with her secret recipe dill cream sauce poured over it. MMMMM ... I want to try to replicate that sauce. And I think I've got a pretty good idea how to do that, even though the woman wouldn't give me her secret recipe. Like ... DUH ... ya think fresh dill might be involved ? And cream ?
We continued west on Hwy. 3 to Boundary Creek Provincial Park. After getting set up in a site I napped with Sully. We made a special "anniversary" gourmet dinner. Dandelion greens salad, baked salmon, new small potatoes, fiddleheads, Shitake mushrooms, all covered in Cecil's Perogies dill cream sauce. MMMMM ! ! ! After supper we spent the evening sitting outside by a campfire.
There certainly is a population explosion of deer in the BC Interior this year !
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DSK
Bo and I were both feeling ill today. This morning we departed the remote wilderness campground at Box Lake, drove the dirt trail back to the highway, then north on Hwy. 6 to the small town of Nakusp, a lovely little village on Upper Arrow Lake. It seemed similar in size and feel to Keremeos. At Nakusp we refilled a propane tank, got some money from an ATM, refilled a water jug, and bought some groceries We walked along the waterfront walkway on Upper Arrow Lake. We drove around the municipal campground, then had lunch in a lovely municipal park where the annual Nakusp music festival is held each July.
We left Nakusp and drove north about 15 km. to Nakusp Hot Springs. What a lovely drive ! We didn't enter the hot springs, preferring to wait until tomorrow at Ainsworth Hot Springs. We drove back to Nakusp, then south on Hwy. 6 to New Denver, then east on Hwy. 31A to Kaslo. On the way we entered a couple of provincial parks to check out their campgrounds.
At Kaslo we checked into Mirror Lake Campground. We spent what little there was left of the afternoon wandering around the campground and lakeshore. For supper we had home made borscht and home made flax seed and sunflower seed bread, both soup and bread purchased at the New Denver farmer's market a few days ago.
Another day of clouds and intermittent rain ! ! ! I'm still sick. Bo isn't. Our plan for today was to spend the morning exploring Kaslo and in the afternoon head to Ainsworth Hot Springs. We didn't make it to the hot springs. Maybe tomorrow !
This morning, as planned, we headed into Kaslo for some downtown exploring. How fortuitous ... a parking spot right in front of the bakery. HA HA HA ! Fourteen bucks later ... ! We wandered around Kaslo's downtown. We browsed in The Live Art store, an artist's co-op. I bought a pine scented beeswax candle. I love beeswax candles ! We wandered over to the Langham Hotel. It now houses a collection of artists' studios and galleries, and the Japanese Canadian Museum. Yes, yes ... the Langham Hotel was another Japanese Canadian internment centre during World War II. It housed Canada's renowned scientist Dr. David Suzuki and his family when he was a little boy. We peeked in the open door of the studio of artist Robin Wiltse who does "felting", a form of fibre art. She invited us in and gave us an explanation and demonstration of felting art. Very interesting ! We strolled the length of Front Street and decided to have lunch at BlueBelle Bistro. Excellent food, ruined by bad service. I was so pissed off ! Soup and entrée arrived at the same time, after a very long wait. Soup cold ! Entrée hot. Sent soup back to be heated. By the time it returned, and I ate it, entrée was cold ! ! ! Tip zero ! ! ! ! ! Hope she got the message !
After lunch we returned to Mirror Lake Campground briefly. Sick Dan ! Decided to postpone trip to Ainsworth Hot Springs. Took Bo and headed for Fletcher Falls instead. Nearby, tough downhill hike to waterfalls on Fletcher Creek just before it spills into Kootenay Lake. Very pretty. Bo loooooves hiking ! Drove back to Kaslo and explored town and surrounding area by truck. Another lovely, little BC Interior town about the size of Keremeos. Went for a very short hike beside the Kaslo River but it was getting late in the afternoon and I wasn't feeling healthy enough to hike any more.
This morning we went into the village of Kaslo to run some errands. Bought some groceries ... and some fresh baking, of course ... and checked voicemail. I noticed yesterday that Landmark Bakery had free Wi-Fi so today I used it to check our Skype home phone number voicemail. Although that bakery is not where we bought baking today. Today we walked down to Kaslo Sourdough Bakery and bought sourdough rye bread and sourdough sandwich buns called wagels.
After lunch in the trailer at Mirror Lake Campground, we headed south on Hwy. 31 to Ainsworth Hot Springs, about half an hour away. We spent the afternoon soaking in the hot mineral water ... "taking the waters", as it's called in Palm Springs. We alternated between the hot "swimming pool" and the horseshoe shaped cave that is the source of the hot springs. Inside the cave the water is hotter than in the pool, and it drips down from the stalactite ceiling, creating a steamy sauna like atmosphere. Walking through waist deep hot water in a dark, steamy cave is a pretty unique experience !
I remain convinced that soaking in hot mineral springs provides long lasting relief from arthritis pain.
In the evening, back at Mirror Lake Campground, I built a campfire and we had a "weenie roast" for supper.
Wednesday ; Kaslo to Gray Creek
Another mostly cloudy day with intermittent light rain. Every day of our camping trip ... 10 days so far ... has been the same. This morning we prepared for departure from Mirror Lake Campground and headed south on Hwy. 31 past Ainsworth Hot Springs to Balfour where we caught the ferry across Lake Kootenay. The 45 minute ferry crossing from Balfour to Kootenay Bay is the longest free ferry ride in the world ( so they claim ). From Kootenay Bay we continued south on Hwy. 3A through Crawford Bay to Grey Creek where we stopped at Cedar Grove Campground, a Passport America affiliated campground. What a lovely little campground in a beautiful wilderness setting. With friendly owners. And a cute little dog. And a very reasonable rate. With good amenities. Full hookups. Free Wi-Fi.
We got situated in our site then had a late lunch. After lunch I finished getting set up in our site, raised the antenna, turned on the TV and ... WOO-HOO ! One channel ... and it's CBC. WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ! I get to watch the seventh and deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals tonight. I'm only interested in watching one hockey game per year, and this is it !
We gave Bo an overdue bath. Two weeks of Canadian wilderness camping, when he hasn't had a summer haircut yet ... what a stinky, filthy, little cur. With sticky tree things embedded in his fur. I downloaded and processed some photos then went to sit by the campground office to use Wi-Fi for a little while before watching the hockey game. The Wi-Fi signal doesn't reach the campsite we're in.
I watched the hockey game. Congratulations to the Boston Bruins on winning the Stanley Cup. From the perspective of one who has watched only one hockey game this year, it appears as if the better team won.
After the game I went back to the deck outside the office to continue to use Wi-Fi to work online until it got dark. When I returned to the trailer just before 10 PM I was appalled to see on the news that downtown Vancouver had turned into a riot zone following the hockey game.
This morning we drove a few miles north on Hwy. 3A to the community of Crawford Bay. It's a little village of artists and artisans. There's a lot of those in BC. A lot of Canadians ... like us ... who don't want to get a real job, head for BC. HA HA HA HA HA ! We browsed through about a half a dozen artisan shops including a blacksmith, a fabric hand weaver, a glass blower, and most interesting, a hand crafted broom maker. I bought a teensy little broom for cleaning computer keyboards, and another little broom for cleaning mushrooms. The brooms are quite expensive, although I realize that all hand crafted items seem expensive. When the cost of specialized and usually "natural" materials, and artisans' time and effort and skills are taken into account I realize that the prices are justified however. I enjoyed watching ... and receiving an explanation of ... hand weaving on a traditional wooden handloom.
We stopped at a local nursery and produce stand to buy some fresh produce. Gee ... living in the "Fruit Stand Capital Of Canada" we're a little spoiled when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables. Back at the community of Gray Creek we stopped at the old fashioned General Store to look around. And ... I found something I've been looking for. A leather sheath for my axe head.
After lunch in the trailer I napped briefly with Sully then we set off on Hwy. 3A to the south for more exploring. We drove around the campground at Lockhart Beach Provincial Park, then parked the truck and walked down to the beach on Kootenay Lake. There was a lot of driftwood washed up on the beach. We found a few pieces of interesting driftwood that we picked up to take home and use for yard landscaping. Just a day after getting bathed, Bo waded into Kootenay Lake. Seems he and I are both in the dog house for that ! HA HA HA ! We continued south on Hwy. 3A until we reached the community of Boswell before turning around and heading back to Cedar Grove Campground at Gray Creek.
This morning we prepared for departure and left Cedar Grove Campground at Gray Creek and headed north on Hwy. 3A back to Kootenay Bay where we caught the ferry across Kootenay Lake to Balfour. Once off the ferry we headed south on Hwy. 3A to Nelson where we found our way to Nelson City Campground. We set up in our site, had lunch, unhitched, and headed downtown.
First stop was ... a French Canadian bakery. Well ... what did you expect ? HA HA HA ! Next was Kootenay Co-op, an eclectic "foodie" store filled with anything and everything organic / natural and mostly local. I felt indulgent and spent a lot. Shitake mushrooms, fiddleheads, exotic teas, locally made artisan cheeses, another beeswax candle ... ! We wandered around the downtown area browsing for a couple of hours. We drove around for awhile exploring. I stopped at an auto supply store and bought a part I needed to do a minor repair on the truck. I refilled Lanoire with diesel. We shopped at
Wal-Mart. While Joanne started the shopping at Wal-Mart, I did the truck repair in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The full time RVer's version of
multi-tasking. HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Nelson to Boundary Creek Provincial Park
7 years of full time RV'ing
WOW ... we are now 7 years into our 2 year plan. HA HA HA HA HA ! And while most people don’t “get it” ... what a privileged lifestyle it’s been !
This morning we departed the Nelson City Campground and headed southwest on Hwy. 3A to Castlegar, then west on Hwy. 3 to Grand Forks. We stopped at Cecil's Perogies in Grand Forks ( that doesn't surprise you, does it ? HA HA HA ! ) to buy some frozen home made perogies. AND ... some wonderful dill cream sauce to go with them after the owner gave us a sample perogy with her secret recipe dill cream sauce poured over it. MMMMM ... I want to try to replicate that sauce. And I think I've got a pretty good idea how to do that, even though the woman wouldn't give me her secret recipe. Like ... DUH ... ya think fresh dill might be involved ? And cream ?
We continued west on Hwy. 3 to Boundary Creek Provincial Park. After getting set up in a site I napped with Sully. We made a special "anniversary" gourmet dinner. Dandelion greens salad, baked salmon, new small potatoes, fiddleheads, Shitake mushrooms, all covered in Cecil's Perogies dill cream sauce. MMMMM ! ! ! After supper we spent the evening sitting outside by a campfire.
There certainly is a population explosion of deer in the BC Interior this year !
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 5 to 11, 2011
Monday ; Keremeos to Grand Forks
This morning we prepared for departure and headed off for a couple of weeks of camping and exploring in the BC Interior. We left Riverside RV Park Resort and headed east on Hwy. 3 through Keremeos and Osoyoos and beyond to Grand Forks. In Grand Forks we found our way to the centrally located municipal campground. I napped briefly with Sully then we set off to explore downtown Grand Forks by foot.
As we were wandering around looking for the three or four interesting Russian restaurants Joanne’s earlier research had found … BAM BAM ! Two lovely little songbirds simultaneously smacked into a window of the building we were passing. Aw, shit ! One was dead, with a broken neck. One was stunned and injured, but alive, lying on its back on the sidewalk.
I picked it up and cradled it in my hands for a few minutes hoping it would soon revive. It recovered a little, very slowly, so I placed it down in a safe place, and we walked away, hoping for the best. Good luck, little bird. I hope you didn’t die !
We found the restaurants we were looking for, deciding to return to one for lunch tomorrow. We continued walking around exploring until we were hungry enough to return to the trailer for supper. After supper we walked with Bo around the lovely municipal park on the banks of the fast and overflowing Kettle River.
Tuesday ; Grand Forks to Christina Lake
This morning we walked over to Gyro Park in downtown Grand Forks for the Tuesday morning Farmer’s Market. We bought some vegetables and …
I bought a fresh, home made German Chocolate Cake from an old grandmotherly type woman. And some of her freshly made strawberry & rhubarb jam. And some of her freshly made apple butter. What can I say ?
We crossed the street to the old Court House building which now houses the Visitor Information Centre and some art galleries. We picked up some travel information, viewed some art, and admired the lovely architecture of the old building. We walked over to a local grocery store to buy some advertised specials, then returned to the trailer at the municipal campground. We put away the groceries then headed back downtown for lunch. On the way to the restaurant we had chosen we passed a thrift shop. Or … to be more precise … we did not pass a thrift shop ! We went inside the thrift shop and bought stuff ! Story of my life ! I really shouldn’t complain. The only thing we bought was a really nice hooded nylon rain jacket for me … for three bucks ! I wore it for most of the rest of the day !
Lunch was at The Borscht Bowl. Great borscht. Well … with a name like that, what did you expect ? The borscht was Russian style, not Ukrainian. While eating lunch I asked the proprietor if she had a local phone book. I wanted to see if my “long lost” cousins still lived in Grand Forks. My mother’s older brother moved to Grand Forks when she was just a little child. So perhaps … something like 80 to 85 years ago ? He started a furniture business, then a trucking business. I think my cousins still operate the trucking business. The restaurant woman asked me who in town I was looking for. When I told her the family’s name, my mother’s maiden name, she said the “pretty long haired blonde” who worked in the hairstylist shop two doors down had that family name. So, after lunch, we walked two doors down to the hairstylist shop looking for the “pretty long haired blonde”. WOW … what a beautiful young woman. How could she possibly be a descendant of the same "thick, no neck" gene pool as me ? HA HA HA ! Allison is my cousin’s daughter, making her my “second cousin”, I guess it’s called. She was quite surprised to have an unknown relative walk in and introduce himself. I can’t even recall for sure whether or not I’ve even met her father, my cousin. I think maybe … 40 years ago ?
We left the Grand Forks municipal campground and drove a fairly short distance to Christina Lake. We checked into Christina Pines RV Park … with considerable reluctance on my part. Their rates are higher than posted in the current Passport America directory. They wanted $2.50 extra for each pet. I refused, telling them to waive the additional fee for pets or I would take my money elsewhere. The Wi-Fi is another additional fee. And their rates are … pretty “healthy”, especially for this “shoulder season” time of the year. They bill themselves as “three blocks from the lake”. So as soon as we were set up in our site we went for a walk towards the lake. About six blocks from the campground, with the lake still not in sight, we turned around and headed back because of the ominous looking clouds rolling in.
We made it back to the trailer before the big storm hit. Loud thunder, bright lightening, heavy rain, big hailstones. Both animals were scared. We had to reassure Bo that no, this wasn’t a repeat of Hurricane Ivan and he wasn’t going to end up a lost and homeless stray as a result of this big storm. I lay on the bed, cuddling Sully on my chest and Bo against my hip. After an hour or so of violent storm, things calmed down to a steady light rain for the rest of the day.
Wednesday ; Christina Lake to Castlegar
This morning we thought we would go to the campground’s washroom building to use the showers and perhaps avoid having to empty the trailer’s waste holding tanks ... in the rain ... only to discover that ... < sputter > ... the campground that we were in had pay showers. Forty-eight bucks a night ... extra fee for pets ... extra fee for Wi-Fi ... and extra fee for showers. GOODBYE !
We showered in the trailer, and prepared for departure … in the rain ; you know how much I hate that … and continued heading east on Hwy. 3 to Castlegar. In Castlegar we stopped at Canadian Tire to buy an advertised special, then found our way to the Doukhobor Discovery Centre, a museum and adjacent small restaurant. By the time we arrived it was time for lunch, so after manoeuvering the truck and trailer around in a too small parking lot, we had a wonderful Russian lunch. Borscht again ! And vereneki, the Russian version of perogies. And nalesniki, like blintzes filled with cottage cheese. Fortuitously for me, Joanne's head was turned when I poured the little serving container of melted butter all over my vereniki / perogies. HA HA HA ! No, dear, I don't know why my vereniki / perogies seem greasy < blink blink >. Gee, I haven't had an opportunity to use melted butter as a "condiment" since my days of working on my Aunt Lena's farm as a teenager.
After lunch we walked over to the museum, a series of old Doukhobor farm buildings. They are a re-creation of an early 1900's Doukhobor communal farm. We spent the afternoon wandering around, learning about the Doukhobor culture, religion, and lifestyle. With what I learned today, I admit, with a bit of trepidation, that the Doukhobor religion is the first religion ... in my entire life ... that makes sense to me !
One of the buildings housed an audio-visual centre. We entered it a few moments after a group of three. It was a man about five to ten years older than us showing the museum to a couple who were friends of his. He had brought them in to show them a particular documentary which was just beginning to play. It was a documentary produced by the CBC about ten years ago. It was about the B.C. government's "kidnapping" of Doukhobor children and their "incarceration" in residential schools from 1953 to 1959. Another appalling moment in Canadian history. But ... what made the watching of this documentary so moving and disturbing for us was ... the man who was showing this documentary to his friends was ... a Doukhobor ... and one of the kidnapped, incarcerated children. It was obviously not the first time he had seen this documentary, and yet ... he still could not watch it without crying.
We left the museum at 5 PM, its closing time. We drove a short distance to Pass Creek Regional Park which has a small campground of unserviced sites.
Thursday ; Castlegar to Sandon
This morning we departed Pass Creek Regional Park on the outskirts of Castlegar and headed north on Hwy. 3A then Hwy. 6 to New Denver. We refilled with diesel ( YIKES ... a hundred and forty bucks ! ) then went to check out Centennial Park, the municipal campground. Since the weather was nice today Joanne decided that she would rather explore outdoors at the ghost mining town of Sandon, which was tomorrow's agenda, than explore indoors at the Nikkei Interment Centre in New Denver, which was today's agenda. So ... we left New Denver and drove to Sandon. We will return to New Denver tomorrow.
The short drive from New Denver to Sandon was half on a paved road and half on a dirt road. As we drove along the dirt road portion, there was a bear on the side of the road. We stopped to look at it. It stopped to look at us. We looked at it. It looked at us. And so it went for a few minutes. We eventually decided to move on ... and so did the bear. HA HA HA ! When we arrived at the mining ghost town of Sandon we parked beside the Prospector's Pick, the only business in the town, and we had lunch in the trailer. After lunch we went inside to look around the Prospector's Pick, a sort of combination of museum and small convenience store.
Sandon is a mostly abandoned silver mining town. One of the very few families in town has owned the 1900 City Hall building since 1988 and for the last 23 years ( I guess Rome wasn't built in a day ! ) has been restoring the building and turning it into a museum of sorts. That's the Prospector's Pick. They also operate a trucking business. And have stockpiled a fairly large collection of old trolley buses which they hope to sell to transportation museums for restoration < shrugging >. And an old CPR steam engine which awaits restoration < shrugging again >. And an awful lot of old mining equipment < shrugging again >. And they offer unserviced "camping" on their land beside lovely Carpenter Creek. We decided to stay overnight. Power is available to their "campers" if they have a 100 foot extension cord.
I do !
We explored one of the old trolley buses that is somewhat set up as a museum piece. We wandered around from one end of the tiny town to the other. There was a lot of old and rusted mining equipment. There was a very old but still functional hydro-electric plant. It still operates and provides power to the town.
Back at the trailer I decided it was time for Bo's weekly obedience session. Joanne joined us and we did some obedience work around some old mining equipment, putting him into "sit, stay" then hiding behind pieces of equipment before commanding "come". There was a stockpile of old fifty foot lengths of pipe. I had an idea ! I positioned Bo and myself at one end of a pile of pipes, Joanne at the other end, I gave the "tunnel" agility course command, Joanne called his name at the other end of the pipes, and ... ZOOOOOM ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA ... through 50 feet of pipe in the blink of an eye. HA HA HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done ! What a fearless little cur ! We sent him back and forth through fifty foot pipes a number of times, us laughing, him wagging all the way. Good dog, Bo !
We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside in folding chairs, in the sunlight, beside the small but extremely fast flowing Carpenter Creek, enjoying the natural wilderness beauty of quintessential BC.
Friday ; Sandon to New Denver
Today I am ashamed to be a Canadian !
This morning we departed Sandon and drove back to New Denver. On the way we saw a bear on the side of the road. Maybe the same one as yesterday ? We stopped and watched it eating dandelions on the side of the road. I got out of the truck and took pictures. It seemed unconcerned. A couple of women on bicycles came by. They stopped to chat with me and watch the bear. Still the bear seemed unconcerned. It was preoccupied with stuffing its face after a long winter of hibernation.
At New Denver we wanted to buy some groceries before going to the municipal campground in town. We found the grocery store and I parked nearby. As we walked back to the grocery store we noticed a farmer's market in a little town park. We wandered around the farmer's market ... and spent an amazingly lot of money ! Bought a quart of home made borscht. And a loaf of home made bread. And a jar of a homeopathic / herbal wound salve. I've just about finished a small jar of a similar salve that I bought from a Navajo medicine man at an Apache PowWow in Silver City, New Mexico about five years ago. And we bought a can of Quebec maple syrup being sold by a French Canadian woman for a lower price than we used to pay for maple syrup back when we lived just outside Ottawa surrounded by maple syrup farms. Finally we made it to the grocery store.
We got set up in the municipal campground, had lunch, then walked over to the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, the only remaining Japanese Canadian internment camp from the Second World War era when the BC government "evacuated" 22,000 Japanese Canadians, most of them actually born in Canada, away from the West Coast to internment camps in the BC Interior. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941 all Japanese Canadians were required to surrender all their possessions ... land, homes, vehicles, etc. ... to the BC government and submit to forced "evacuation" to a minimum of 100 miles inland from the coast. They were considered to be, and treated as, "enemy aliens". Another disgusting and shameful period in Canadian history !
After spending the afternoon at the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre we wandered back towards Centennial Park, the municipal park that includes the campground we were at. It also includes the Kohan Reflection Garden, a Japanese garden along the park's shoreline of Slocan Lake. It was a lovely place of solitude and peace in which to reflect on the past. We returned to the trailer just as it began raining ... again. It rained on and off all day today.
After supper we walked around the park and hiked down to the lake shore beside the nearby marina. The rain had stopped and the setting sun made for a very pleasant evening stroll. Back at Centennial Park we did some
Bo-gility on the bicycle obstacle / agility course. Isn't a bicycle obstacle / agility course an invitation for broken bones for every boy in town ? GAWD ... I've turned into my father !
Saturday ; New Denver to Box Lake
AHHHHH ... we spent much of today sitting in front of a campfire, beside a lovely little lake.
This morning we departed the municipal campground in New Denver and continued heading north on Hwy. 6. About 10 km. before Nakusp we found the turn off we were looking for, to a remote wilderness campground at Box Lake. It was folly to tow a huge 30 foot fifth wheel trailer down a dirt trail for 2 km., but what's done is done ! A few hundred yards before reaching the wilderness campground we met an outbound / oncoming truck camper on the single lane dirt trail. He had to back up all the way back to the campground.
At Box Lake is a BC Forest Service unserviced campground with a few picnic tables. And just enough room to turn Lanoire and Harvey around. There was one other rig at the campground, a small Class C motorhome far enough away from us that we could neither see nor hear it. Joanne's plan for today was to detach Lanoire from Harvey and drive into Nakusp for a day of exploring. I vetoed that idea. I wasn't feeling very healthy, with a flare up of colitis, and I wanted to spend a day just relaxing by the beautiful lake. It was raining when we arrived, so we had lunch then I went to nap for awhile. When I awoke the rain had stopped, so we went outside and I made a campfire. The fire starters that I recently made from paraffin wax and dryer lint worked excellently ! We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting beside the campfire beside the lake, watching eagles soar overhead, and watching and listening to a loon on the lake. It has been at least ... < thinking > ... 24 years since we've heard the haunting cry of a loon across a quiet lake, and closer to ... < thinking > ... 35 years since we've witnessed a loon's spring time "water walking" mating dance. As the sky cleared and the sun warmed the air the loon cried and preened and bathed and danced on the water.
What a great day !
I felt so ... outdoorsy ... that I decided to test my old campfire cooking skills. Yup ... I still got it ! I think those of us who can still cook an entire meal over an open fire ... especially without a grill / grate ... have become somewhat of a rare breed. I placed two flat rocks in the fire as my cooking surface. I cooked potatoes and onions in foil packets on the fire, then cooked marinated beef ribs on the fire. To top it off ... a can of baked beans heated on the fire ... in the can ! We ate outside at the picnic table beside the campfire beside the lake ... yup ... what a great day !
DSK
This morning we prepared for departure and headed off for a couple of weeks of camping and exploring in the BC Interior. We left Riverside RV Park Resort and headed east on Hwy. 3 through Keremeos and Osoyoos and beyond to Grand Forks. In Grand Forks we found our way to the centrally located municipal campground. I napped briefly with Sully then we set off to explore downtown Grand Forks by foot.
As we were wandering around looking for the three or four interesting Russian restaurants Joanne’s earlier research had found … BAM BAM ! Two lovely little songbirds simultaneously smacked into a window of the building we were passing. Aw, shit ! One was dead, with a broken neck. One was stunned and injured, but alive, lying on its back on the sidewalk.
I picked it up and cradled it in my hands for a few minutes hoping it would soon revive. It recovered a little, very slowly, so I placed it down in a safe place, and we walked away, hoping for the best. Good luck, little bird. I hope you didn’t die !
We found the restaurants we were looking for, deciding to return to one for lunch tomorrow. We continued walking around exploring until we were hungry enough to return to the trailer for supper. After supper we walked with Bo around the lovely municipal park on the banks of the fast and overflowing Kettle River.
Tuesday ; Grand Forks to Christina Lake
This morning we walked over to Gyro Park in downtown Grand Forks for the Tuesday morning Farmer’s Market. We bought some vegetables and …
I bought a fresh, home made German Chocolate Cake from an old grandmotherly type woman. And some of her freshly made strawberry & rhubarb jam. And some of her freshly made apple butter. What can I say ?
We crossed the street to the old Court House building which now houses the Visitor Information Centre and some art galleries. We picked up some travel information, viewed some art, and admired the lovely architecture of the old building. We walked over to a local grocery store to buy some advertised specials, then returned to the trailer at the municipal campground. We put away the groceries then headed back downtown for lunch. On the way to the restaurant we had chosen we passed a thrift shop. Or … to be more precise … we did not pass a thrift shop ! We went inside the thrift shop and bought stuff ! Story of my life ! I really shouldn’t complain. The only thing we bought was a really nice hooded nylon rain jacket for me … for three bucks ! I wore it for most of the rest of the day !
Lunch was at The Borscht Bowl. Great borscht. Well … with a name like that, what did you expect ? The borscht was Russian style, not Ukrainian. While eating lunch I asked the proprietor if she had a local phone book. I wanted to see if my “long lost” cousins still lived in Grand Forks. My mother’s older brother moved to Grand Forks when she was just a little child. So perhaps … something like 80 to 85 years ago ? He started a furniture business, then a trucking business. I think my cousins still operate the trucking business. The restaurant woman asked me who in town I was looking for. When I told her the family’s name, my mother’s maiden name, she said the “pretty long haired blonde” who worked in the hairstylist shop two doors down had that family name. So, after lunch, we walked two doors down to the hairstylist shop looking for the “pretty long haired blonde”. WOW … what a beautiful young woman. How could she possibly be a descendant of the same "thick, no neck" gene pool as me ? HA HA HA ! Allison is my cousin’s daughter, making her my “second cousin”, I guess it’s called. She was quite surprised to have an unknown relative walk in and introduce himself. I can’t even recall for sure whether or not I’ve even met her father, my cousin. I think maybe … 40 years ago ?
We left the Grand Forks municipal campground and drove a fairly short distance to Christina Lake. We checked into Christina Pines RV Park … with considerable reluctance on my part. Their rates are higher than posted in the current Passport America directory. They wanted $2.50 extra for each pet. I refused, telling them to waive the additional fee for pets or I would take my money elsewhere. The Wi-Fi is another additional fee. And their rates are … pretty “healthy”, especially for this “shoulder season” time of the year. They bill themselves as “three blocks from the lake”. So as soon as we were set up in our site we went for a walk towards the lake. About six blocks from the campground, with the lake still not in sight, we turned around and headed back because of the ominous looking clouds rolling in.
We made it back to the trailer before the big storm hit. Loud thunder, bright lightening, heavy rain, big hailstones. Both animals were scared. We had to reassure Bo that no, this wasn’t a repeat of Hurricane Ivan and he wasn’t going to end up a lost and homeless stray as a result of this big storm. I lay on the bed, cuddling Sully on my chest and Bo against my hip. After an hour or so of violent storm, things calmed down to a steady light rain for the rest of the day.
Wednesday ; Christina Lake to Castlegar
This morning we thought we would go to the campground’s washroom building to use the showers and perhaps avoid having to empty the trailer’s waste holding tanks ... in the rain ... only to discover that ... < sputter > ... the campground that we were in had pay showers. Forty-eight bucks a night ... extra fee for pets ... extra fee for Wi-Fi ... and extra fee for showers. GOODBYE !
We showered in the trailer, and prepared for departure … in the rain ; you know how much I hate that … and continued heading east on Hwy. 3 to Castlegar. In Castlegar we stopped at Canadian Tire to buy an advertised special, then found our way to the Doukhobor Discovery Centre, a museum and adjacent small restaurant. By the time we arrived it was time for lunch, so after manoeuvering the truck and trailer around in a too small parking lot, we had a wonderful Russian lunch. Borscht again ! And vereneki, the Russian version of perogies. And nalesniki, like blintzes filled with cottage cheese. Fortuitously for me, Joanne's head was turned when I poured the little serving container of melted butter all over my vereniki / perogies. HA HA HA ! No, dear, I don't know why my vereniki / perogies seem greasy < blink blink >. Gee, I haven't had an opportunity to use melted butter as a "condiment" since my days of working on my Aunt Lena's farm as a teenager.
After lunch we walked over to the museum, a series of old Doukhobor farm buildings. They are a re-creation of an early 1900's Doukhobor communal farm. We spent the afternoon wandering around, learning about the Doukhobor culture, religion, and lifestyle. With what I learned today, I admit, with a bit of trepidation, that the Doukhobor religion is the first religion ... in my entire life ... that makes sense to me !
One of the buildings housed an audio-visual centre. We entered it a few moments after a group of three. It was a man about five to ten years older than us showing the museum to a couple who were friends of his. He had brought them in to show them a particular documentary which was just beginning to play. It was a documentary produced by the CBC about ten years ago. It was about the B.C. government's "kidnapping" of Doukhobor children and their "incarceration" in residential schools from 1953 to 1959. Another appalling moment in Canadian history. But ... what made the watching of this documentary so moving and disturbing for us was ... the man who was showing this documentary to his friends was ... a Doukhobor ... and one of the kidnapped, incarcerated children. It was obviously not the first time he had seen this documentary, and yet ... he still could not watch it without crying.
We left the museum at 5 PM, its closing time. We drove a short distance to Pass Creek Regional Park which has a small campground of unserviced sites.
Thursday ; Castlegar to Sandon
This morning we departed Pass Creek Regional Park on the outskirts of Castlegar and headed north on Hwy. 3A then Hwy. 6 to New Denver. We refilled with diesel ( YIKES ... a hundred and forty bucks ! ) then went to check out Centennial Park, the municipal campground. Since the weather was nice today Joanne decided that she would rather explore outdoors at the ghost mining town of Sandon, which was tomorrow's agenda, than explore indoors at the Nikkei Interment Centre in New Denver, which was today's agenda. So ... we left New Denver and drove to Sandon. We will return to New Denver tomorrow.
The short drive from New Denver to Sandon was half on a paved road and half on a dirt road. As we drove along the dirt road portion, there was a bear on the side of the road. We stopped to look at it. It stopped to look at us. We looked at it. It looked at us. And so it went for a few minutes. We eventually decided to move on ... and so did the bear. HA HA HA ! When we arrived at the mining ghost town of Sandon we parked beside the Prospector's Pick, the only business in the town, and we had lunch in the trailer. After lunch we went inside to look around the Prospector's Pick, a sort of combination of museum and small convenience store.
Sandon is a mostly abandoned silver mining town. One of the very few families in town has owned the 1900 City Hall building since 1988 and for the last 23 years ( I guess Rome wasn't built in a day ! ) has been restoring the building and turning it into a museum of sorts. That's the Prospector's Pick. They also operate a trucking business. And have stockpiled a fairly large collection of old trolley buses which they hope to sell to transportation museums for restoration < shrugging >. And an old CPR steam engine which awaits restoration < shrugging again >. And an awful lot of old mining equipment < shrugging again >. And they offer unserviced "camping" on their land beside lovely Carpenter Creek. We decided to stay overnight. Power is available to their "campers" if they have a 100 foot extension cord.
I do !
We explored one of the old trolley buses that is somewhat set up as a museum piece. We wandered around from one end of the tiny town to the other. There was a lot of old and rusted mining equipment. There was a very old but still functional hydro-electric plant. It still operates and provides power to the town.
Back at the trailer I decided it was time for Bo's weekly obedience session. Joanne joined us and we did some obedience work around some old mining equipment, putting him into "sit, stay" then hiding behind pieces of equipment before commanding "come". There was a stockpile of old fifty foot lengths of pipe. I had an idea ! I positioned Bo and myself at one end of a pile of pipes, Joanne at the other end, I gave the "tunnel" agility course command, Joanne called his name at the other end of the pipes, and ... ZOOOOOM ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA ... through 50 feet of pipe in the blink of an eye. HA HA HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done ! What a fearless little cur ! We sent him back and forth through fifty foot pipes a number of times, us laughing, him wagging all the way. Good dog, Bo !
We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside in folding chairs, in the sunlight, beside the small but extremely fast flowing Carpenter Creek, enjoying the natural wilderness beauty of quintessential BC.
Today I am ashamed to be a Canadian !
This morning we departed Sandon and drove back to New Denver. On the way we saw a bear on the side of the road. Maybe the same one as yesterday ? We stopped and watched it eating dandelions on the side of the road. I got out of the truck and took pictures. It seemed unconcerned. A couple of women on bicycles came by. They stopped to chat with me and watch the bear. Still the bear seemed unconcerned. It was preoccupied with stuffing its face after a long winter of hibernation.
At New Denver we wanted to buy some groceries before going to the municipal campground in town. We found the grocery store and I parked nearby. As we walked back to the grocery store we noticed a farmer's market in a little town park. We wandered around the farmer's market ... and spent an amazingly lot of money ! Bought a quart of home made borscht. And a loaf of home made bread. And a jar of a homeopathic / herbal wound salve. I've just about finished a small jar of a similar salve that I bought from a Navajo medicine man at an Apache PowWow in Silver City, New Mexico about five years ago. And we bought a can of Quebec maple syrup being sold by a French Canadian woman for a lower price than we used to pay for maple syrup back when we lived just outside Ottawa surrounded by maple syrup farms. Finally we made it to the grocery store.
We got set up in the municipal campground, had lunch, then walked over to the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, the only remaining Japanese Canadian internment camp from the Second World War era when the BC government "evacuated" 22,000 Japanese Canadians, most of them actually born in Canada, away from the West Coast to internment camps in the BC Interior. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941 all Japanese Canadians were required to surrender all their possessions ... land, homes, vehicles, etc. ... to the BC government and submit to forced "evacuation" to a minimum of 100 miles inland from the coast. They were considered to be, and treated as, "enemy aliens". Another disgusting and shameful period in Canadian history !
After spending the afternoon at the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre we wandered back towards Centennial Park, the municipal park that includes the campground we were at. It also includes the Kohan Reflection Garden, a Japanese garden along the park's shoreline of Slocan Lake. It was a lovely place of solitude and peace in which to reflect on the past. We returned to the trailer just as it began raining ... again. It rained on and off all day today.
After supper we walked around the park and hiked down to the lake shore beside the nearby marina. The rain had stopped and the setting sun made for a very pleasant evening stroll. Back at Centennial Park we did some
Bo-gility on the bicycle obstacle / agility course. Isn't a bicycle obstacle / agility course an invitation for broken bones for every boy in town ? GAWD ... I've turned into my father !
AHHHHH ... we spent much of today sitting in front of a campfire, beside a lovely little lake.
This morning we departed the municipal campground in New Denver and continued heading north on Hwy. 6. About 10 km. before Nakusp we found the turn off we were looking for, to a remote wilderness campground at Box Lake. It was folly to tow a huge 30 foot fifth wheel trailer down a dirt trail for 2 km., but what's done is done ! A few hundred yards before reaching the wilderness campground we met an outbound / oncoming truck camper on the single lane dirt trail. He had to back up all the way back to the campground.
At Box Lake is a BC Forest Service unserviced campground with a few picnic tables. And just enough room to turn Lanoire and Harvey around. There was one other rig at the campground, a small Class C motorhome far enough away from us that we could neither see nor hear it. Joanne's plan for today was to detach Lanoire from Harvey and drive into Nakusp for a day of exploring. I vetoed that idea. I wasn't feeling very healthy, with a flare up of colitis, and I wanted to spend a day just relaxing by the beautiful lake. It was raining when we arrived, so we had lunch then I went to nap for awhile. When I awoke the rain had stopped, so we went outside and I made a campfire. The fire starters that I recently made from paraffin wax and dryer lint worked excellently ! We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting beside the campfire beside the lake, watching eagles soar overhead, and watching and listening to a loon on the lake. It has been at least ... < thinking > ... 24 years since we've heard the haunting cry of a loon across a quiet lake, and closer to ... < thinking > ... 35 years since we've witnessed a loon's spring time "water walking" mating dance. As the sky cleared and the sun warmed the air the loon cried and preened and bathed and danced on the water.
What a great day !
I felt so ... outdoorsy ... that I decided to test my old campfire cooking skills. Yup ... I still got it ! I think those of us who can still cook an entire meal over an open fire ... especially without a grill / grate ... have become somewhat of a rare breed. I placed two flat rocks in the fire as my cooking surface. I cooked potatoes and onions in foil packets on the fire, then cooked marinated beef ribs on the fire. To top it off ... a can of baked beans heated on the fire ... in the can ! We ate outside at the picnic table beside the campfire beside the lake ... yup ... what a great day !
Sunday, June 5, 2011
May 29 to June 4, 2011
Sunday : Another mostly crappy weather day. Although there was sunshine just long enough for me to get a photo of Joanne and I beside the truck. I posted the photo to the ABOUT US page of our Similkameen Day Tours website. And … that finally completes my building of the website. I’m very proud of myself. A few weeks ago I knew absolutely nothing about building a website, and now I have completed building one all by myself. With some constructive criticism from family members … thank you. Take another look ; http://www.similkameendaytours.webs.com/
Today Joanne gave me a haircut. Yes, yes … at my request. And it turned out okay for a first attempt. It’s the first time in 42 years that anyone other than a hairstyling professional has cut my hair. Since that butcher job my dad did when I was 14 years old, and I vowed no amateur was ever going to cut my hair again.
HUH ? ? ? I have just finished posting my journal for last week to my blog. And I discovered a function on blogspot.com that I never noticed before. It gives statistics regarding my blog. And I am stunned to discover … that apparently I have a regular following / audience in … wait for it … Slovenia ! ! ! WOW … I’m fascinated by that !
Hey ! All you people in Slovenia that are following my blog … click on “comments” and tell me who you are and why you’re following my blog. Want to come to Canada for a free day tour of the Similkameen ? HA HA HA HA HA !
Monday ; Congratulations to me for being a non-smoker for one year today !
Wednesday ; Another long day of running errands in Penticton. “Hired” a new insurance broker. Bought the “extension” insurance policy wanted / needed for the trailer. Quick, efficient, painless. Went back to the “fired” insurance broker to cancel a policy ( before it even starts ) and get a refund. Goodbye !
Friday ; This morning we went on a tour of Herder Winery & Vineyards wine making operations, arranged about a week ago when we were doing research on the Similkameen wineries for a wineries day tour.
This afternoon I visited Similkameen Insurance in Keremeos to amend our ICBC truck insurance policy. Similkameen Insurance will be our new ICBC insurance broker / agency. And I spent more time than I would have liked on the phone and by e-mail with Johnston Meier Insurance in Penticton getting our trailer insurance policy amended. Johnston Meier will be our new Aviva Elite ( trailer insurance ) broker / agency. I certainly am frustrated and angry at our previous insurance agency ! ! ! Insurance is worthless if filled with “errors & omissions” !
Well … there goes a four year old dream of mine ! Ever since moving here four summers ago I have dreamed of taking aerobatic flight training at Southern Skies Aviation in Penticton. I was hoping to begin this summer. Today Southern Skies Aviation announced that they were shutting down their operations effective immediately due to economic decline. < big sigh >
DSK
Today Joanne gave me a haircut. Yes, yes … at my request. And it turned out okay for a first attempt. It’s the first time in 42 years that anyone other than a hairstyling professional has cut my hair. Since that butcher job my dad did when I was 14 years old, and I vowed no amateur was ever going to cut my hair again.
HUH ? ? ? I have just finished posting my journal for last week to my blog. And I discovered a function on blogspot.com that I never noticed before. It gives statistics regarding my blog. And I am stunned to discover … that apparently I have a regular following / audience in … wait for it … Slovenia ! ! ! WOW … I’m fascinated by that !
Hey ! All you people in Slovenia that are following my blog … click on “comments” and tell me who you are and why you’re following my blog. Want to come to Canada for a free day tour of the Similkameen ? HA HA HA HA HA !
Monday ; Congratulations to me for being a non-smoker for one year today !
Wednesday ; Another long day of running errands in Penticton. “Hired” a new insurance broker. Bought the “extension” insurance policy wanted / needed for the trailer. Quick, efficient, painless. Went back to the “fired” insurance broker to cancel a policy ( before it even starts ) and get a refund. Goodbye !
Friday ; This morning we went on a tour of Herder Winery & Vineyards wine making operations, arranged about a week ago when we were doing research on the Similkameen wineries for a wineries day tour.
This afternoon I visited Similkameen Insurance in Keremeos to amend our ICBC truck insurance policy. Similkameen Insurance will be our new ICBC insurance broker / agency. And I spent more time than I would have liked on the phone and by e-mail with Johnston Meier Insurance in Penticton getting our trailer insurance policy amended. Johnston Meier will be our new Aviva Elite ( trailer insurance ) broker / agency. I certainly am frustrated and angry at our previous insurance agency ! ! ! Insurance is worthless if filled with “errors & omissions” !
Well … there goes a four year old dream of mine ! Ever since moving here four summers ago I have dreamed of taking aerobatic flight training at Southern Skies Aviation in Penticton. I was hoping to begin this summer. Today Southern Skies Aviation announced that they were shutting down their operations effective immediately due to economic decline. < big sigh >
DSK
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