Sunday ; Rest area east of Edson to Edmonton, Alberta and return to same rest area
Had extremely difficult night. All of us did ! Nobody slept well in truck ! Left rest area in the morning felling tired, cranky, grubby ! Arrived in Edmonton about 2 PM. Had lunch at Swiss Chalet. MMMMM ... first visit to Swiss Chalet in over 9 years. Refilled with diesel. Arrived at client's about 3 PM. Hooked up trailer and left about 4 PM.
YIKES ! LONG TRAILER ! Travel trailer, not fifth wheel. Large / long travel trailer handles very differently than large fifth wheel trailer. Lots of "tail swing" ! Before leaving Edmonton stopped at Rona to buy bolt and nuts to lock trailer hitch coupler. Customer probably wouldn't appreciate me "losing" $50,000 trailer on highway ! Stopped at Subway restaurant in the middle of nowhere and bought supper.
Drove back to rest area. Filled freshwater tank. Ate supper. Fell asleep ! Nice to sleep in a bed !
Monday ; Rest area east of Edson, Alberta to to Merritt, British Columbia
Wonderful to have a shower this morning ! Drained shower grey waste holding tank, refilled freshwater holding tank again and hit the road for third very long day of driving. Bought supplies at Wal-Mart and food at Sobey's in Edson. Strong headwind, light rain, had to refill with diesel again in Hinton. Fuel prices much lower in Alberta than British Columbia.
Through Jasper National Park, back into BC, Tete Jaune Cache to Valemount to Kamloops. Refilled with diesel again in Kamloops at dusk. Drove in dark to Merritt. Found Wal-Mart ... perfect place to spend night. Ate supper with eyelids drooping. Slept extremely well !
Tuesday ; Merritt to Penticton to Keremeos / Riverside RV Park Resort
Got reasonably early start to day. Merritt to Peachland to Penticton. Arrived earlier than expected, around 11:30 AM. Was scheduled to meet client at campground at 3 PM. Had time to take trailer to campground, "shoehorn" it into campsite and get it partially set up before appointment at 2 PM with gastroenterologist to discuss recent colonoscopy. Went to Dr.'s appointment, still had time before meeting client to buy required RV supplies at Leisureland RV and Wal-Mart.
Met client at campground, finished setting up trailer, drove client to storage yard in Okanagan Falls to pick up her van. Returned to Penticton, had very quick supper at Subway, walked across street to Oasis United Church for much anticipated performance of Penticton resident, retired professional theatre actress Nicola Cavendish reprising her role as Shirley Valentine, a "one woman play" she has performed over 800 times in the past 24 years.
As we approached church we were extremely puzzled as to why the parking lot was empty a few minutes before curtain time. Pulled out our tickets. Performance date was ... WHAT ? ? ? ? ? Three days ago ? ? ? ! ! ! What the **** ? ? ? How did I make that screw-up ? ! ? Very pissed off at myself ! Forty bucks down the tubes !
Refilled with diesel ( yet again ) before leaving Penticton. Arrived home after 9 PM with almost 2300 km. / over 1400 miles driven and $1045 fee in my pocket !
Hope my sister's hip replacement surgery went well today.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Nice to be home ! Everybody slept well in our own bed last night.
My lengthy "to do" list for today was slowed down by a request from my neighbour to do some work underneath his park model. With two artificial hips he is unable to crawl underneath the home. Having used his wife's car for almost two weeks while Lanoire got a new transmission
I was pleased to be able to repay a favour.
Thursday ; Mostly sunny and very warm. Another long day of running errands in Penticton.
Friday ; For the second week in a row, Joanne left at 6 AM to accompany a neighbour / friend to her chemotherapy session in Kelowna. I slept in, and had a slow day working on chores. I caulked the shower stall in the park model. I washed the Edmonton road trip grime off the truck.
I harvested the rest of our lettuce. I downloaded and processed the photos I took on the Edmonton trip.
Saturday : After an extremely miserable Saturday night to Sunday morning trying to sleep in the truck at the rest area near Edson, Alberta I promised us a Bogner's of Penticton dinner as a reward for sleeping in the truck, using the money we should have spent on a motel room. Every Friday and Saturday evening during July and August Bogner's of Penticton, a very upscale restaurant with exceptionally good food, and a less pretentious atmosphere and attitude than most upscale restaurants, has a gourmet five course barbecue dinner, menu changing every week.
It was great ! ! !
DSK
Sunday ; Still sunny and very hot, as it should be here at this time of year.
My sister phoned this morning to chat, and announce the engagement of her daughter. Congratulations to Andrea on her engagement to Drew.
It rained heavily here this afternoon and evening, briefly but repeatedly. Including hail ... twice !
This evening we treated our next door neighbours to a barbecued salmon dinner, as a gesture of appreciation for lending us their ( her ) car for a week and a half while Lanoire gets a new transmission. After supper at our picnic table we spent the evening chatting in our gazebo while it rained on and off. Lots of thunder and lightning. Hope the lightning didn't start any wildfires.
Monday ; Still sunny and hot !
Washed the neighbours' borrowed car. Relocated cedar bird house from side of gazebo to side of deck roof support beam. Sanded top of cedar picnic table. Then Joanne stained it. Top of picnic table wouldn't have so many scrapes and bruises if I didn't use it as work bench ! DUH !
Tuesday ; Still sunny and hot.
On the way to Penticton for a day of errands we stopped at K Mountain Auto Repair to check on the truck's transmission replacement. Almost done ! The owner and I discussed an additional repair which I authorized ; replace the driver's side front wheel U-joint. That means the truck won't be ready until Thursday.
We ran errands in Penticton until 5 PM, then I went flying. I wanted Joanne to come along but she wasn't feeling well, so she declined. Since we were using the neighbour's stick shift car, and Joanne hasn't driven stick shift in about 30 years, and doesn't want to relearn, I left her at Value Village while I went flying.
Dan Air flight 412 ; I flew from Penticton north over Okanagan Lake to Summerland, then turned west into the Marron Valley, following the Marron Valley until it ended just west of Kaleden.
I looped out over Skaha Lake between Okanagan Falls and Kaleden, then returned to Penticton. Good weather, nice scenery, a relatively short flight. It has been six years since I last flew with no one else in the aircraft.
I picked up Joanne and we went for supper to an AYCE ( ETYS ) Chinese buffet restaurant. MMMMM ! We finished up our grocery shopping ... had to buy groceries last, no fridge in the neighbour's car like there is in our truck ... and returned home about 10 PM. Long day !
Wednesday ; Overcast, hot, and humid.
A few days ago Joanne finally laid out in the yard all the shells we collected last winter in Mexico, to "air them out" before gluing them down onto our yard "fencing". Today she discovered that the hail storm of a few days ago shattered all the fragile Sand Dollars. Aw, gee whiz ! I pick up Sand Dollars on a beach in Mexico, transport them thousands of miles to get them here, and then they get shattered by hail ? ! ?
Today I worked on refurbishing our portable / travel generator. A few months ago a part broke, and I have been unsuccessful until yesterday in obtaining a replacement part. To make a long story short ... yesterday I bought a used replacement part at a small engine repair shop in Penticton. So today I was able to install the part, replace the spark plug, clean the carburetor, and ... finally get the generator running again. Just in time for our upcoming trip to Winnipeg.
I also installed the 12 volt outlet I bought yesterday into the ceiling of the bedroom cupboard in the trailer, where previously there had been a TV antenna power booster and 12 volt outlet. So now ... the trailer roof rebuild project is officially completed. WOO-HOO !
Thursday ; Cloudy and raining intermittently.
At noon I drove Joanne into town for a doctor's appointment and I went to K Mountain Auto Repair to check on the truck. It was ready to go ; $5100 for a new transmission and $300 for a new front wheel axle U-joint !
Every day I use a particular online search engine to check the new listings for truck campers for sale. Last night I found "the one" ! Exactly what I wanted, the price I wanted to pay, in Phoenix, Arizona ! Posted just last night, around suppertime. I sent an e-mail and followed that up with an early morning phone call. I thought the seller and I had a deal ! Later in the afternoon he sold it to a local buyer. **** ! ! ! That's twice ! I'm really pissed off about this one !
I spent the evening doing research and shopping online for truck tires. The Internet certainly has changed the way we shop for things, hasn't it ?
Friday ; Sunny and hot.
Joanne left at 6 AM this morning to accompany a neighbour / friend to her first chemotherapy treatment session in Kelowna. She returned home by 5 PM. All went as well as could be expected.
I spent a slightly lazy day puttering around with minor maintenance chores, including some minor truck maintenance. Late in the afternoon I received a telephone call from our "Edmonton to Penticton" trailer delivery client. How soon could I pick up her trailer in Edmonton and deliver it to Penticton ? How does pick up Sunday in Edmonton, delivery in Penticton on Tuesday sound ?
Guess we're leaving for Edmonton tomorrow morning !
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
Left home about 9 AM. Riverside RV Park Resort to Princeton to Merritt to Kamloops. Almost hit a doe and fawn ! Refilled with diesel in Kamloops. Also bought automatic transmission fluid and topped up new transmission. Kamloops to Valemount. Refilled with diesel again. Topped up automatic transmission fluid again. Bought donairs for supper. Valemount to Tete Jaune Cache then east on Yellowhead Highway along Fraser River through Mount Robson Provincial Park and into Alberta and Jasper National Park. Saw small herd of female elk. Then saw two large male elk with huge antler racks. Ate supper at rest area beside lake.
No motel rooms available in Hinton. Almost no motel rooms available in Edson. Motels with rooms available unwilling to accept pets. Made extremely unwise decision to sleep in truck at rest area !
Stopped for the night well after dark. Drove 890 km. / over 550 miles today. I think that's the farthest I've ever driven in one day.
Why are hotels, motels, and campgrounds everywhere in Alberta always filled with "work crews"? And have been for years ? ! ? What do all these "work crews" do ? Where ? Why ? How ?
DSK
Sunday ; Mostly sunny and warm today, a bit of rain ... while I was hitching the trailer, of course.
This morning I moved the trailer from lot 89 to lot 4, with the assistance of my next door neighbour ... and his truck. Lanoire continued to sit in the alleyway behind our house with a failed transmission. Or something ! Maybe the torque converter ?
After I finished moving Harvey ( the fifth wheel trailer ) from lot 89 to lot 4, I had an idea I wanted to try in Lanoire ( the truck ). I started it up, shifted from two wheel drive to four wheel drive and ... < sigh > ... nothing ! I shifted back to two wheel drive, stepped on the accelerator pedal, revved the engine and ... the truck slowly started to move slowly forward ... < blink, blink >. OH ! I drove to the front of the park and left the truck near the mailboxes, in a location that would be convenient for a tow truck to get it.
Shortly after, our neighbours were going into town to buy some groceries. I used that as an opportunity to try to drive the truck to K Mountain Auto Repair in Keremeos, with the neighbours following me, just in case of more trouble. At slow speed, with the engine revving high, I made it to the repair shop, and left the truck in their driveway. While the neighbours went grocery shopping
I walked over to Memorial Park to see all the classic cars at Kars Under The K, the annual classic car show in town. When the neighbours were finished their grocery shopping they picked me up at the park and gave me a ride home.
So ... the trailer is on lot 4, lot 89 is empty and ready for the new owners, the truck is at the repair shop ... and life goes on !
Monday ; Today was a sunny, very warm day of household chores. With my prior permission, the new owners of lot 89 moved onto the lot this afternoon, even though they aren't the owners until tomorrow afternoon.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning we drove into Keremeos to discuss the truck's problems with K Mountain Auto Repair. They were going to be too busy today to check out the truck and diagnose the problem.
We drove to Penticton, ran some errands, and ... WOO-HOO ... picked up a large cheque at the lot 89 buyers' lawyer's office. < singing > We don't own lot 89 anymore ! We deposited the cheque at the Bank Of Montreal, had lunch, ran some more shopping errands, and drove back home.
We were driving the next door neighbour's old Chevrolet Cavalier, with standard transmission. It has been at least 27 years since I last drove a stick shift ! Did pretty good, all things considered.
As we climbed out of the car in the Canadian Tire parking lot the entire team of nine Snowbirds ( Royal Canadian Air Force precision aerobatics team ) roared overhead, having just taken off in formation from Penticton's runway 34. We watched them familiarize themselves with the Penticton area and the height of the mountains on each side of both Skaha and Okanagan lakes, as they prepared and rehearsed for their performance tomorrow as part of Peach Fest's opening ceremonies.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot again. The Sun Oven is getting a good work out. Today I made another batch of Maple Syrup Glazed Sun Oven Dried Candied Salmon. Had some of it in our "date night" picnic supper.
Finished refurbishing the free barbecue we got at a yard sale recently. Spent 30 bucks on it, and it's like a brand new $249 barbecue. Joanne cooked barbecued chicken in it this afternoon, also for tonight's "date night" picnic supper.
Many phone calls back and forth today regarding truck diagnosis. Needs a new transmission.
No surprise there. First significant repair, and first repair out of warranty, after 8 years and 223,000 km. Lanoire's earned a new transmission, n'est-ce pas ?
Also spent quite awhile this afternoon dealing with allocation / distribution / investment of lot 89 sale proceeds. Worked out a good plan, can make the money last even longer than I first anticipated. Even allowing $5000 for the new transmission and $2000 for seven new truck tires soon.
Celebrated sale of lot 89 by going to Shakespeare In The Park production of Much Ado About Nothing in waterfront Kenyon Park in Okanagan Falls. Didn't know Okanagan Falls had such a lovely municipal waterfront / beach park. Eager to return there for picnic and beach stroll. Great picnic supper tonight prepared by Joanne ... thank you, my dear ... and well done performance of Shakespeare comedy by Penticton Chamber Theatre Company. Wonderful "date night".
Thursday ; WOW ... that was kewl ! ! ! The Snowbirds just flew low overhead ( at 11 AM ), on their way from their performance last night at Peach Fest in Penticton to their performance this afternoon at the Abbotsford Air Show. Obviously, somebody in Penticton recommended that they fly low altitude VFR "valley navigation" and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Similkameen River. And / or they're practicing their "mountain performance flying". Just like the course I took a few summers ago. Although their Tudor jets likely outperform a Cessna 172 when it comes to pulling a hammerhead stall and a 180 degree spin to avoid hitting a mountain. HA HA HA !
Joanne went to Kelowna with a neighbour, to provide moral support and an extra set of ears, at the neighbour's appointment with her oncologist < sigh >. I drove into Keremeos to run a few errands in town. Late in the afternoon I finally completed the "on roof" portion of the trailer roof rebuild project. Just a small amount of trim work to finish up inside a bedroom cupboard where the TV antenna rotation handle used to be.
Friday ; Another sunny, very hot day.
This afternoon we removed all the gazebo screens and cleaned out all the "stuff" collected behind / between the screens and the wood frames, mostly Cottonwood "fluff", but also including Douglas Fir needles and ... leaves and ... spiders ... ! Hopefully, there will be less of this kind of problem at lot 4 than there was at lot 89.
Saturday ; Another sunny, very hot day.
This morning we went into Keremeos to run some errands. This afternoon we gave Bo a bath.
I harvested lettuce. After months of promising him I would do it, this afternoon I finally did an electronic / electrical wiring repair on my next door neighbour's fifth wheel trailer. It went much better than either of us expected it to. Sometimes you're good, sometimes you're lucky !
I removed our fifth wheel trailer's now redundant TV antenna power booster. I did some investment work in the evening. Been doing quite a bit of that lately.
DSK
Sunday ; Sunny and very warm, a lovely day for a "Similkameen Day Tour".
This morning we loaded up Lynn, Micha, and Gypsy, and headed out for sightseeing and a wilderness picnic at Ewart Creek. We drove to Keremeos, crossed the Similkameen River on Red Bridge and headed up the Ashnola Valley, following the Ashnola River. One doesn't need to get very far up the Ashnola to be in true Canadian wilderness.
We stopped at a home that was advertising a yard sale, and bought a few items. Well ... that's not entirely accurate. Lynn and Micha bought one item for a dollar. I got three items, all for free. We stopped at a B.C. Forest Service campground beside the Ashnola River for a bathroom break ... and for Bo to pick and eat slightly dried out Saskatoon berries. Once at Ewart Creek we explored and hiked and had a leisurely picnic lunch in the wilderness. My promise to Lynn and Micha had been to experience a picnic in true Canadian wilderness. I think I delivered on that promise.
We drove around Keremeos and area viewing orchards and vineyards. Back at home we went to the pool to cool off, then we ... mostly I ... prepared them a traditional Ukrainian perogy dinner. And you thought I was just another pretty face !
Monday ; Sunny and very warm, another lovely day for a "Similkameen Day Tour".
Took Lynn and Micha to see Spotted Lake, then Osoyoos, then drove eastbound on Hwy. 3 out of Osoyoos up Anarchist Mountain. "The hill from hell" for RV'ers !
They treated us to dinner tonight in Keremeos. Plan was to go to Branding Iron, but upon arrival found that Branding Iron is closed on Mondays. Went to Riverbed Bistro instead. How embarrassing ! Mediocre food, terrible service, despite there being only four tables of patrons in restaurant tonight. We brag a lot to our American friends about Canada, but Canadian food service standards are atrocious compared to American's.
Tuesday ; A sunny, hot day, perfect for flying.
This morning our friends Lynn and Micha and their dog Gypsy departed. Thanks for visiting ! We drove into Keremeos and Cawston to run some errands.
This afternoon I prepared Sun Oven Dried Maple Syrup Glazed Candied Salmon, my own recipe invention. I continued working on the trailer roof rebuild project. Only a couple more days of working on it until it's finished.
This evening I took our next door neighbour Marcy flightseeing, somewhat as "payment" for her husband's "leadership" of the gazebo relocation project. We flew from Penticton to Kaleden to Keremeos to Riverside RV Park, down low over the park, back to Keremeos, up and over Fairview Mountain to see the White Lake wildfire of two days ago ( fire is out now ), then a slow, leisurely descent from 7500 feet over Okanagan Falls across Skaha Lake to land at Penticton. Nice landing, Daniel !
Wednesday ; Happy 52nd Birthday to my brother Russell
Sunny and hot, becoming humid and cloudy. That inspired me to spend a lot of today working on the trailer roof repair / rebuild project, trying to beat the rain that's coming. The job is near completion. We "babysat" Jimmy ( a neighbour's dog ) today. Very well behaved. Good dog, Jimmy.
Thursday ; Mostly sunny and warm, cloudy later in the day, a bit of rain as we were driving home.
This morning we headed into Penticton to sign some documents at the buyers' lawyer's office, regarding the sale of lot 89. Then we crossed the street to have a brief meeting with our investment broker. Time to move some investments around. Time to find somewhere to invest the proceeds of the sale of lot 89.
We had a picnic lunch at Skaha Lake Beach then spent the afternoon running shopping errands. As usual, every year at the beginning of August, fresh, wild caught Pacific salmon were on sale for a very good price. We bought eight ! I filleted them this evening. MMMMM ! ! ! Nice fish !
Friday ; Mostly cloudy and rainy today.
I finished the trailer roof repair / rebuild project today ... sort of. I need to buy Goo Gone to clean off some adhesive residue. Otherwise, the job is done.
Saturday ; This afternoon we attended a memorial service at the Catholic church in Keremeos for a neighbour who died last winter. It seemed to me to be more of a funeral mass than a "Celebration Of Life", but then again ... I'm not that familiar with Catholic church rituals. On the way home, as we drove up the alleyway behind our house, just a few feet from our driveway, the truck's transmission failed ! The truck rolled to a stop, and is now sitting in the alleyway behind our house. I suppose there are worse places for a breakdown to occur.
DSK
