Sunday, August 31, 2014
August 24 to 30, 2014 ; Kamloops to Hagensborg / Bella Coola
Sunday ; Kamloops to B.C. Forest Service Recreation Site at Goose Lake
Sunny and warm, a really lovely day. A couple of minutes of rain in the afternoon as we were driving.
This morning I went into the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre and used their free Wi-Fi to retrieve and send e-mail, and post my weekly journal update to my blog. Joanne took Bo to romp in the Visitor Centre's fenced dog park. Before leaving the Visitor Centre we dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater holding tank. Thank you, Kamloops.
We headed north on Hwy. 5 to Little Fort, then turned west on Hwy. 24. Over a stretch of about 30 km. / 20 miles of Hwy. 24 we went to explore five different remote wilderness, small, unserviced campgrounds called B.C. Forest Service Recreation Sites. We had a late lunch at the first one, then after viewing the fifth and last one we backtracked to the second one, the one we liked the most, at Goose Lake.
We had the small campground and lake all to ourselves. I fished unsuccessfully for an hour. We wandered around, hiking and exploring. I started a campfire. Joanne wrapped two Rainbow Trout in foil with potatoes, onions, and carrots. I cooked them on the campfire. MMMMM ... EXCELLENT ! ! !
At dusk the small lake came alive. Countless trout jumping out of the water as they darted up to feed on whatever was hatching on the surface of the lake at dusk. It was fascinating and amusing to watch.
Monday ; Goose Lake Rec. Site to Williams Lake
We left Goose Lake this morning and continued west on Hwy. 24. We turned onto Watch Lake / Green Lake Road to go explore the three campgrounds in Green Lake Provincial Park. Then we took back roads until reaching Hwy. 97 at 83 Mile House. We headed north on Hwy. 97 until reaching 100 Mile House where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the municipal Sani-Dump station. We continued north on Hwy. 97 until 108 Mile Ranch where we stopped to have a very late lunch in the parking lot of a heritage museum.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 until turning onto Chimney Lake Forest Service Road. Over a distance of about 30 km. / 20 miles or so we explored another five remote wilderness, small, unserviced campgrounds. None of them inspired us enough to stop for the night. We continued on back roads until reaching Williams Lake.
First stop was the magnificent log structure of Williams Lake Visitor Information Centre. Inside I used free Wi-Fi ( and an electrical outlet ) to retrieve and send e-mail ( and recharge my laptop's battery ). Next stop was Surplus Herby's ( love that place ! ) to buy a new axe. Sorry, Dad, that old axe you handed down to me about forty years ago is now in a dumpster behind Williams Lake Dollarama. We went to find a local Native restaurant that Joanne is interested in. It was closing, but we'll return there tomorrow for lunch. We refilled with diesel at Real Canadian Warehouse Fuel Bar on our way to find the Wal-Mart mall. We did some shopping at Wal-Mart and also at Dollarama. By then it was 8:30 PM, almost dark, and time for a very late supper.
OH ... our wildlife spottings so far ; an otter last night fishing in Goose Lake, two deer and a bear cub today. Just about hit the damn bear cub when it decided to run across the road in front of us ! Last night at Goose Lake we watched the otter swim around slowly then disappear briefly under the surface of the lake. A few seconds later its head would poke out above the surface and it would be munching on a fish.
Tuesday ; Williams Lake to Bull Canyon Provincial Park
Sunny and hot, temperature way up high in the 80's F / about 30ยบ C, somewhat unusual for this late in the summer this far north. What a beautiful day !
And ... so ... leaving Williams Lake, the real adventure begins ! And day 1 of the
Hwy. 20 / Williams Lake to Bella Coola adventure was outstanding ! And I didn't know when the day started that one of my bucket list items would be crossed off ! ! !
HINT ; at 8 PM we were eating barbecued Sockeye Salmon that had been swimming in the Chilcotin River at 3 PM.
This morning we left the Williams Lake Wal-Mart and drove to Canadian Tire where
I bought a couple of maintenance items. We drove to the municipal Sani-Dump and took care of dumping and refilling. Next stop was Surplus Herby's for about an hour of browsing and impulse shopping. When I was there yesterday to buy an axe, it was just a minute or two before closing time, so Joanne suggested a return trip today. Great idea ... thank you, my dear. I have a lot to thank her for today. All of this trip's planning was done by her. After Surplus Herby's we went to Hearth Restaurant for lunch, a Native restaurant operated by the Cariboo Friendship Society. Their buffet lunch was reasonably priced, but a bit of a disappointment. Mediocre food, nothing much "Native" about it. Very nice Native art on the walls, though.
After lunch we departed Williams Lake, heading west on Hwy. 20. WOO-HOO ... big adventure begins ! The highway rose quickly and soon we were crossing the mighty Fraser River. Joanne thought there was a possibility we might see Natives dip netting for Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, but ... no ! The highway finally levelled out and we were driving across the Chilcotin Plateau, high elevation rolling grasslands, good for ranching.
At Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park we took a diversion off Hwy. 20. The wilderness park area name comes from the Bighorn Sheep living here near the junction / confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers. We drove about 30 km. /
20 miles of gravel logging road with steep, tight switchback turns to reach the Farwell Canyon bridge over the Chilcotin River.
OMIGAWD ... Chilcotin Indians dip netting for Sockeye Salmon ! ! !
We parked and walked over the bridge. Far below there were Natives with very long handled dip nets catching eight to ten pound Sockeye Salmon as they struggled upstream through the rapids of the very fast flowing Chilcotin River as it rushed through Farwell Canyon. We spoke with Simon, one of the men on the bridge. Some of the fishermen had partners up on the bridge who were helping out by using ropes to haul sacks of fish up to the bridge. He explained the fishing process to us and invited me to hike down to watch the fishing from up close. I did ! Joanne stayed on the bridge with Bo. Tough hike down, tough hike up, but worth every step. Even tougher for the Native fishermen who get their catch up to the bridge by hiking back up the steep canyon with large buckets filled with more than fifty pounds of fish strapped onto their backs like a backpack.
Thank you, my dear, for planning this trip to fulfill my desire to see salmon being caught by dip netting this way.
The Sockeye Salmon are migrating upstream about 250 km. from here to spawn in Chilko Lake, having come all the way from the Pacific Ocean ( near Vancouver ) up the Fraser River and now the Chilcotin River. The spawning migration here has been going on for about a week, and will last about three more weeks. The mature salmon being caught today were all in the eight to ten pound range.
We witnessed something very interesting about the Native culture. The fishermen are catching a LOT of salmon, not only to provide for their families, but to be sold commercially ... a way to earn a living. However, whenever an "elder" of the tribe shows up on the bridge, and requests fish ... anywhere from five to twenty ... the fishermen gladly and generously give them sacks of fish. Despite the fact that I am a white man "outsider", perhaps in consideration of my "elder" status, my request to ( illegally ) purchase a fish was honoured. WOW ... NICE FISH ! THANK YOU !
When I was down on the cliffs underneath the bridge watching the fishermen up close, Joanne and Bo watched from the bridge above. When she stood at one spot and peered over the edge of the bridge to see me, Bo would eagerly stick his head through the bridge railings to look at me far below. BUT ... when she walked along the bridge, he was afraid of falling off, and would only walk with his body pasted up against the concrete barriers separating the walkway from the roadway, to keep as far away from the edge of the bridge as he could. Funny little dog !
We drove back to Hwy. 20 and continued west through a number of small villages until reaching Bull Canyon Provincial Park just a few miles past the tiny village of Alexis Creek. We chose a campsite and I got busy filleting my fish. WOW ... NICE FISH !
And it tasted even better than it looked !
Late at night Joanne invited me outdoors to do some star gazing. In our much younger days, romantic star gazing sessions in the wilderness would have likely led to ... you know ! Tonight it led to ... a glass of milk and a bowl of Cheezies. HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Bull Canyon Provincial Park & Village of Alexis Creek
Today was cool and cloudy with intermittent light rain, occasional heavy rain, but only briefly.
I decided last night that I would like a day off from driving, and would like to stay another day at Bull Canyon Provincial Park. We slept late. I did two minor repairs on the camper. After lunch we drove about 8 km. / 5 miles east on Hwy. 20 back to the tiny village of Alexis Creek. Their little Visitor Centre ... cleanest washrooms in the Cariboo / Chilcotin region ... I promised them I would write that ... has Wi-Fi and a Sani-Dump. I plugged in my laptop to recharge the battery and we visited with the volunteer staff while it rained. When the rain ended we dumped our grey tank and refilled our freshwater tank, I checked e-mail, and we visited some more. The Visitor Centre was staffed by a local volunteer and a young woman from Germany who was briefly visiting / living / and working with the local woman, sort of a foreign exchange WorkCamper.
We returned to Bull Canyon Provincial Park and selected a different campsite from the one we occupied last night. Tonight we selected a site right on the bank of the Chilcotin River. Lovely view from our campsite, although it was a bit cooler right beside the river. We read for awhile, waiting for the light rain to end. Impatiently, I persuaded Joanne to join me in hiking along the campground's 2 km. hiking trail along the river. I assured her that the rain was over. Of course, I was wrong !
The trail led along the river all the way to where the Alexis Creek wildfire of about four years ago had been halted close to the campground. As we were hiking ( in the rain ! ) Joanne spotted a black bear coming out of the forest on the opposite side of the river. After yesterday's astounding experience of viewing dip netting of salmon, I was hopeful that today the next item on my bucket list would get crossed off ; witness a bear fishing for salmon. The bear walked to the water's edge, then walked out over the water on a fallen tree. It stared into the water for a few moments, then walked back to shore and along the shoreline for a few hundred feet before ambling back into the forest. It seems as if the migrating salmon have not reached this far upstream on the Chilcotin River yet. Although ... it seems as if the local bears are anticipating the salmon's arrival any time now.
Thursday ; Bull Canyon Provincial Park / Alexis Creek to B.C. Forest Service Recreation Site at Dean River ( near the village of Nimpo Lake )
Today was sunny and warm. This morning we departed the campground at Bull Canyon Provincial Park and backtracked east again to Alexis Lake. Once again we used the Sani-Dump at the Visitor Centre. Joanne walked across the street to the town's general store to buy bread, but they had none. We continued heading west on Hwy. 20 towards Bella Coola.
At Redstone we stopped to refill with diesel. The price was not as bad as I had expected. Shortly after Redstone we diverted off the highway about 5 km. / 3 miles to a B.C. Forest Service Recreation Site at Puntzi Lake to have lunch. After lunch we drove a bit further to see the Puntzi Lake Tanker Base, a wildfire fighting base camp and training centre at Puntzi Lake "Airport", which was originally a military air base built by the Americans during the Korean War over sixty years ago. Why did we allow the Americans to build military air bases in our country ? ! ?
Near Tatla Lake we left the highway once again to find another BCFS Rec. Site that Joanne had selected as our overnight stop. However, once we found it, it did not appeal to us enough to inspire us to stay, so we returned to Hwy. 20 and continued west. We reached the village of Nimpo Lake, billed as the "float plane capital of BC", and drove about 5 km. / 3 miles beyond to a BCFS Rec. Site on the Dean River. HMPH ... should be called Dean Swamp.
It was a nice little campsite in the forest, a few hundred yards off the highway. Quiet, secluded, with a picnic table, we had it all to ourselves. Had a nice supper with an artichoke as an appetizer followed by barbecued steak and baked potatoes.
Friday ; Nimpo Lake to McCall Flats BCFS Rec. Site
This morning we backtracked a few miles to the village of Nimpo Lake to buy bread at the only bakery between Williams Lake and Bella Coola. The lady who owns and operates the bakery kindly allowed us to top up our freshwater tank at her back yard garden hose. Thank you. And ... you make good bread ! While still in Nimpo Lake
I decided to refill with diesel, as we had been advised that it's cheaper in Nimpo Lake than in Bella Coola.
We continued west on Hwy. 20. We took a lengthy and convoluted side trip to view Hotnarko Falls, about 30 km. / 20 miles or so off the highway down a succession of remote back roads. We had difficulty finding it and had to ask directions twice. We would have asked for directions more than twice, but we were so far off the beaten path that we only saw other people twice. And ... HA HA HA ... it was the same person both times. We finally found Hotnarko Falls. HA HA HA ... they were dry ! ! ! Guess they only flow in the spring. Most of the lakes we have seen on this trip have had very low water levels and many of the small rivers and streams are dry or close to it. Must be a drought in this area this year.
We returned to Hwy. 20 and stopped on the side of the road for a late lunch before tackling "The Big Hill" into Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, a 60 km. / 40 mile stretch of gravel road which descends from an elevation of 5000 feet and has very tight switchbacks and steep descents of up to 18 % grade ! Once we were at the bottom of The Big Hill and in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park we stopped to look at the Belarko Bear Viewing Station. DARN ! It's only open in the month of September. We'll have to come back to it in a few days. A few miles later we stopped to check out Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River. We took a look at the campground then parked in the day use area to view the river. Joanne returned to the truck while I made a stop at the outhouse, and as I returned to the truck ... OMIGAWD ... THERE WAS A GRIZZLY BEAR WALKING ACROSS THE RIVER ! ! ! Halfway across the narrow river it shook itself like a wet dog. WOW ! I returned to the truck to tell Joanne to come down to the river, but by the time we walked back to the river's edge the Grizzly was gone.
Before deciding whether or not to stay at the Fisheries Pool Campground Joanne wanted to see another BCFS Recreation Site remote campground called McCall Flats on the Bella Coola River, just a few more miles down the highway, so ... off we went. Getting to the tiny, remote wilderness campground ( down a dirt trail for about 3 km. /
2 miles from the highway ) was difficult, but once there we decided to spend the night. We had the place all to ourselves again. We wandered around for awhile, admiring the tree stump chairs that we surmised were made by bored lumberjacks many, many decades ago. We were not able to walk right to the edge of the Bella Coola River due to soft mud along its banks. I lit a campfire and cooked foil packets of chicken, potatoes, carrots and garlic scapes for supper. Used my Surplus Herby's new axe for the first time. GEEEZZZ ... should have thrown away my father's old axe ten years ago !
In addition to me seeing a Grizzly, today we saw Ptarmigans. Five times ! And ... not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, those Ptarmigans.
Saturday ; McCall Flats BCFS Rec. Site to Hagensborg / Bella Coola
This morning we "backtracked" on Hwy. 20 east to Fisheries Pool Campground. We were hoping Joanne would get to see a Grizzly ( as I did yesterday ). When we parked at the day use area and walked down to the edge of the Atnarko River, there were no Grizzlies, but ... the river was filled with salmon ! WOO-HOO ... fly fishing for salmon !
I actually have a few flies that are specifically for fishing for salmon. I was able to cast my flies right over top of where the salmon were congregating in a deep pool ( Fisheries Pool, I suppose ) at the base of a set of rapids. Fly after fly after fly after fly ... ! None of what I was offering was of interest to them. About every five minutes or so I would change to a different fly. And cast it right over top of them. Nothing ! And they were feeding. Every few moments a large salmon would leap out of the water as it charged at the surface to devour whatever was hatching on the surface. Dragonfly nymphs, I think.
< sigh > I finally gave up on flies and switched to my traditional / spinning rod and reel, casting lures beyond the salmon and retrieving the lures directly through the salmon. They would actually move slightly out of the way to allow my lures to pass through them. "Go ahead, swim on through, whatever you are". SHEESH ! So ... no salmon caught. No bears viewed. Oh, well ... it was a pleasant weather day and it was very interesting to watch the salmon congregate in the deep, placid pool, and see them leap out of the water as they fed.
From Fisheries Pool Campground we backtracked a bit more to Belarko Bear Viewing Station and adjacent public boat launch. The viewing station is closed for a few more days but we parked and had lunch by the boat launch. After lunch we spent some time at the river's edge, again hoping to see a Grizzly, but ... none.
We headed west on Hwy. 20, arriving in Hagensborg ( about ten miles before Bella Coola ) in mid-afternoon. On impulse we turned off the highway and followed signage for a few miles to Bella Coola Valley Seafoods. Their offerings were disappointing, but ... on the way back to the highway we stopped as we crossed the bridge over the Saloompt River to see if there were any salmon visible in the river. And there were !
We spent quite awhile standing on the bridge looking down just a few feet, watching the Pink Salmon spawning. Quite amazing to watch !
As we continued towards Bella Coola we stopped again at another bridge, this one over Thorsen Creek ( really a river ) and again watched salmon spawning. This time it was Coho Salmon. And watching up to six males lined up behind each female, waiting for her to finish depositing her roe in the gravel, was like watching some kind of TV soap opera. The males posture, and squabble, and act horny and impatient. HA HA HA !
And the females look tired and haggard. It's been a tough journey to get back home,
I guess. Lay your eggs and die, sweetheart !
After spending too much time watching salmon spawning drama we arrived at Bella Coola late in the afternoon. I was disappointed in Bella Coola. It was not really what
I expected. And ... we made the mistake of failing to recognize when we were doing our trip planning that this is a long weekend. As we were arriving in Bella Coola, everything was closing ... until Tuesday. Including the travel agency that operates as the B.C. Ferries ticket office. We drove through town and out to the ferry dock. No information ... or much of anything else out there.
We returned to ( the smaller than we had expected ) town of Bella Coola and drove around, seeking information on the availability and sale of ferry tickets, and not finding any. We drove back to the town of Hagensborg and found that their grocery store was still open. We refilled our water jug and bought some groceries, then checked into Gnome's Home RV Park.
Saw a couple more of those less than brilliant Ptarmigan today.
DSK
Sunny and warm, a really lovely day. A couple of minutes of rain in the afternoon as we were driving.
This morning I went into the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre and used their free Wi-Fi to retrieve and send e-mail, and post my weekly journal update to my blog. Joanne took Bo to romp in the Visitor Centre's fenced dog park. Before leaving the Visitor Centre we dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater holding tank. Thank you, Kamloops.
We headed north on Hwy. 5 to Little Fort, then turned west on Hwy. 24. Over a stretch of about 30 km. / 20 miles of Hwy. 24 we went to explore five different remote wilderness, small, unserviced campgrounds called B.C. Forest Service Recreation Sites. We had a late lunch at the first one, then after viewing the fifth and last one we backtracked to the second one, the one we liked the most, at Goose Lake.
We had the small campground and lake all to ourselves. I fished unsuccessfully for an hour. We wandered around, hiking and exploring. I started a campfire. Joanne wrapped two Rainbow Trout in foil with potatoes, onions, and carrots. I cooked them on the campfire. MMMMM ... EXCELLENT ! ! !
At dusk the small lake came alive. Countless trout jumping out of the water as they darted up to feed on whatever was hatching on the surface of the lake at dusk. It was fascinating and amusing to watch.
Monday ; Goose Lake Rec. Site to Williams Lake
We left Goose Lake this morning and continued west on Hwy. 24. We turned onto Watch Lake / Green Lake Road to go explore the three campgrounds in Green Lake Provincial Park. Then we took back roads until reaching Hwy. 97 at 83 Mile House. We headed north on Hwy. 97 until reaching 100 Mile House where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the municipal Sani-Dump station. We continued north on Hwy. 97 until 108 Mile Ranch where we stopped to have a very late lunch in the parking lot of a heritage museum.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 until turning onto Chimney Lake Forest Service Road. Over a distance of about 30 km. / 20 miles or so we explored another five remote wilderness, small, unserviced campgrounds. None of them inspired us enough to stop for the night. We continued on back roads until reaching Williams Lake.
First stop was the magnificent log structure of Williams Lake Visitor Information Centre. Inside I used free Wi-Fi ( and an electrical outlet ) to retrieve and send e-mail ( and recharge my laptop's battery ). Next stop was Surplus Herby's ( love that place ! ) to buy a new axe. Sorry, Dad, that old axe you handed down to me about forty years ago is now in a dumpster behind Williams Lake Dollarama. We went to find a local Native restaurant that Joanne is interested in. It was closing, but we'll return there tomorrow for lunch. We refilled with diesel at Real Canadian Warehouse Fuel Bar on our way to find the Wal-Mart mall. We did some shopping at Wal-Mart and also at Dollarama. By then it was 8:30 PM, almost dark, and time for a very late supper.
OH ... our wildlife spottings so far ; an otter last night fishing in Goose Lake, two deer and a bear cub today. Just about hit the damn bear cub when it decided to run across the road in front of us ! Last night at Goose Lake we watched the otter swim around slowly then disappear briefly under the surface of the lake. A few seconds later its head would poke out above the surface and it would be munching on a fish.
Tuesday ; Williams Lake to Bull Canyon Provincial Park
Sunny and hot, temperature way up high in the 80's F / about 30ยบ C, somewhat unusual for this late in the summer this far north. What a beautiful day !
And ... so ... leaving Williams Lake, the real adventure begins ! And day 1 of the
Hwy. 20 / Williams Lake to Bella Coola adventure was outstanding ! And I didn't know when the day started that one of my bucket list items would be crossed off ! ! !
HINT ; at 8 PM we were eating barbecued Sockeye Salmon that had been swimming in the Chilcotin River at 3 PM.
This morning we left the Williams Lake Wal-Mart and drove to Canadian Tire where
I bought a couple of maintenance items. We drove to the municipal Sani-Dump and took care of dumping and refilling. Next stop was Surplus Herby's for about an hour of browsing and impulse shopping. When I was there yesterday to buy an axe, it was just a minute or two before closing time, so Joanne suggested a return trip today. Great idea ... thank you, my dear. I have a lot to thank her for today. All of this trip's planning was done by her. After Surplus Herby's we went to Hearth Restaurant for lunch, a Native restaurant operated by the Cariboo Friendship Society. Their buffet lunch was reasonably priced, but a bit of a disappointment. Mediocre food, nothing much "Native" about it. Very nice Native art on the walls, though.
After lunch we departed Williams Lake, heading west on Hwy. 20. WOO-HOO ... big adventure begins ! The highway rose quickly and soon we were crossing the mighty Fraser River. Joanne thought there was a possibility we might see Natives dip netting for Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River, but ... no ! The highway finally levelled out and we were driving across the Chilcotin Plateau, high elevation rolling grasslands, good for ranching.
At Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park we took a diversion off Hwy. 20. The wilderness park area name comes from the Bighorn Sheep living here near the junction / confluence of the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers. We drove about 30 km. /
20 miles of gravel logging road with steep, tight switchback turns to reach the Farwell Canyon bridge over the Chilcotin River.
OMIGAWD ... Chilcotin Indians dip netting for Sockeye Salmon ! ! !
We parked and walked over the bridge. Far below there were Natives with very long handled dip nets catching eight to ten pound Sockeye Salmon as they struggled upstream through the rapids of the very fast flowing Chilcotin River as it rushed through Farwell Canyon. We spoke with Simon, one of the men on the bridge. Some of the fishermen had partners up on the bridge who were helping out by using ropes to haul sacks of fish up to the bridge. He explained the fishing process to us and invited me to hike down to watch the fishing from up close. I did ! Joanne stayed on the bridge with Bo. Tough hike down, tough hike up, but worth every step. Even tougher for the Native fishermen who get their catch up to the bridge by hiking back up the steep canyon with large buckets filled with more than fifty pounds of fish strapped onto their backs like a backpack.
Thank you, my dear, for planning this trip to fulfill my desire to see salmon being caught by dip netting this way.
The Sockeye Salmon are migrating upstream about 250 km. from here to spawn in Chilko Lake, having come all the way from the Pacific Ocean ( near Vancouver ) up the Fraser River and now the Chilcotin River. The spawning migration here has been going on for about a week, and will last about three more weeks. The mature salmon being caught today were all in the eight to ten pound range.
We witnessed something very interesting about the Native culture. The fishermen are catching a LOT of salmon, not only to provide for their families, but to be sold commercially ... a way to earn a living. However, whenever an "elder" of the tribe shows up on the bridge, and requests fish ... anywhere from five to twenty ... the fishermen gladly and generously give them sacks of fish. Despite the fact that I am a white man "outsider", perhaps in consideration of my "elder" status, my request to ( illegally ) purchase a fish was honoured. WOW ... NICE FISH ! THANK YOU !
When I was down on the cliffs underneath the bridge watching the fishermen up close, Joanne and Bo watched from the bridge above. When she stood at one spot and peered over the edge of the bridge to see me, Bo would eagerly stick his head through the bridge railings to look at me far below. BUT ... when she walked along the bridge, he was afraid of falling off, and would only walk with his body pasted up against the concrete barriers separating the walkway from the roadway, to keep as far away from the edge of the bridge as he could. Funny little dog !
We drove back to Hwy. 20 and continued west through a number of small villages until reaching Bull Canyon Provincial Park just a few miles past the tiny village of Alexis Creek. We chose a campsite and I got busy filleting my fish. WOW ... NICE FISH !
And it tasted even better than it looked !
Late at night Joanne invited me outdoors to do some star gazing. In our much younger days, romantic star gazing sessions in the wilderness would have likely led to ... you know ! Tonight it led to ... a glass of milk and a bowl of Cheezies. HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Bull Canyon Provincial Park & Village of Alexis Creek
Today was cool and cloudy with intermittent light rain, occasional heavy rain, but only briefly.
I decided last night that I would like a day off from driving, and would like to stay another day at Bull Canyon Provincial Park. We slept late. I did two minor repairs on the camper. After lunch we drove about 8 km. / 5 miles east on Hwy. 20 back to the tiny village of Alexis Creek. Their little Visitor Centre ... cleanest washrooms in the Cariboo / Chilcotin region ... I promised them I would write that ... has Wi-Fi and a Sani-Dump. I plugged in my laptop to recharge the battery and we visited with the volunteer staff while it rained. When the rain ended we dumped our grey tank and refilled our freshwater tank, I checked e-mail, and we visited some more. The Visitor Centre was staffed by a local volunteer and a young woman from Germany who was briefly visiting / living / and working with the local woman, sort of a foreign exchange WorkCamper.
We returned to Bull Canyon Provincial Park and selected a different campsite from the one we occupied last night. Tonight we selected a site right on the bank of the Chilcotin River. Lovely view from our campsite, although it was a bit cooler right beside the river. We read for awhile, waiting for the light rain to end. Impatiently, I persuaded Joanne to join me in hiking along the campground's 2 km. hiking trail along the river. I assured her that the rain was over. Of course, I was wrong !
The trail led along the river all the way to where the Alexis Creek wildfire of about four years ago had been halted close to the campground. As we were hiking ( in the rain ! ) Joanne spotted a black bear coming out of the forest on the opposite side of the river. After yesterday's astounding experience of viewing dip netting of salmon, I was hopeful that today the next item on my bucket list would get crossed off ; witness a bear fishing for salmon. The bear walked to the water's edge, then walked out over the water on a fallen tree. It stared into the water for a few moments, then walked back to shore and along the shoreline for a few hundred feet before ambling back into the forest. It seems as if the migrating salmon have not reached this far upstream on the Chilcotin River yet. Although ... it seems as if the local bears are anticipating the salmon's arrival any time now.
Thursday ; Bull Canyon Provincial Park / Alexis Creek to B.C. Forest Service Recreation Site at Dean River ( near the village of Nimpo Lake )
Today was sunny and warm. This morning we departed the campground at Bull Canyon Provincial Park and backtracked east again to Alexis Lake. Once again we used the Sani-Dump at the Visitor Centre. Joanne walked across the street to the town's general store to buy bread, but they had none. We continued heading west on Hwy. 20 towards Bella Coola.
At Redstone we stopped to refill with diesel. The price was not as bad as I had expected. Shortly after Redstone we diverted off the highway about 5 km. / 3 miles to a B.C. Forest Service Recreation Site at Puntzi Lake to have lunch. After lunch we drove a bit further to see the Puntzi Lake Tanker Base, a wildfire fighting base camp and training centre at Puntzi Lake "Airport", which was originally a military air base built by the Americans during the Korean War over sixty years ago. Why did we allow the Americans to build military air bases in our country ? ! ?
Near Tatla Lake we left the highway once again to find another BCFS Rec. Site that Joanne had selected as our overnight stop. However, once we found it, it did not appeal to us enough to inspire us to stay, so we returned to Hwy. 20 and continued west. We reached the village of Nimpo Lake, billed as the "float plane capital of BC", and drove about 5 km. / 3 miles beyond to a BCFS Rec. Site on the Dean River. HMPH ... should be called Dean Swamp.
It was a nice little campsite in the forest, a few hundred yards off the highway. Quiet, secluded, with a picnic table, we had it all to ourselves. Had a nice supper with an artichoke as an appetizer followed by barbecued steak and baked potatoes.
Friday ; Nimpo Lake to McCall Flats BCFS Rec. Site
This morning we backtracked a few miles to the village of Nimpo Lake to buy bread at the only bakery between Williams Lake and Bella Coola. The lady who owns and operates the bakery kindly allowed us to top up our freshwater tank at her back yard garden hose. Thank you. And ... you make good bread ! While still in Nimpo Lake
I decided to refill with diesel, as we had been advised that it's cheaper in Nimpo Lake than in Bella Coola.
We continued west on Hwy. 20. We took a lengthy and convoluted side trip to view Hotnarko Falls, about 30 km. / 20 miles or so off the highway down a succession of remote back roads. We had difficulty finding it and had to ask directions twice. We would have asked for directions more than twice, but we were so far off the beaten path that we only saw other people twice. And ... HA HA HA ... it was the same person both times. We finally found Hotnarko Falls. HA HA HA ... they were dry ! ! ! Guess they only flow in the spring. Most of the lakes we have seen on this trip have had very low water levels and many of the small rivers and streams are dry or close to it. Must be a drought in this area this year.
We returned to Hwy. 20 and stopped on the side of the road for a late lunch before tackling "The Big Hill" into Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, a 60 km. / 40 mile stretch of gravel road which descends from an elevation of 5000 feet and has very tight switchbacks and steep descents of up to 18 % grade ! Once we were at the bottom of The Big Hill and in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park we stopped to look at the Belarko Bear Viewing Station. DARN ! It's only open in the month of September. We'll have to come back to it in a few days. A few miles later we stopped to check out Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River. We took a look at the campground then parked in the day use area to view the river. Joanne returned to the truck while I made a stop at the outhouse, and as I returned to the truck ... OMIGAWD ... THERE WAS A GRIZZLY BEAR WALKING ACROSS THE RIVER ! ! ! Halfway across the narrow river it shook itself like a wet dog. WOW ! I returned to the truck to tell Joanne to come down to the river, but by the time we walked back to the river's edge the Grizzly was gone.
Before deciding whether or not to stay at the Fisheries Pool Campground Joanne wanted to see another BCFS Recreation Site remote campground called McCall Flats on the Bella Coola River, just a few more miles down the highway, so ... off we went. Getting to the tiny, remote wilderness campground ( down a dirt trail for about 3 km. /
2 miles from the highway ) was difficult, but once there we decided to spend the night. We had the place all to ourselves again. We wandered around for awhile, admiring the tree stump chairs that we surmised were made by bored lumberjacks many, many decades ago. We were not able to walk right to the edge of the Bella Coola River due to soft mud along its banks. I lit a campfire and cooked foil packets of chicken, potatoes, carrots and garlic scapes for supper. Used my Surplus Herby's new axe for the first time. GEEEZZZ ... should have thrown away my father's old axe ten years ago !
In addition to me seeing a Grizzly, today we saw Ptarmigans. Five times ! And ... not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, those Ptarmigans.
Saturday ; McCall Flats BCFS Rec. Site to Hagensborg / Bella Coola
This morning we "backtracked" on Hwy. 20 east to Fisheries Pool Campground. We were hoping Joanne would get to see a Grizzly ( as I did yesterday ). When we parked at the day use area and walked down to the edge of the Atnarko River, there were no Grizzlies, but ... the river was filled with salmon ! WOO-HOO ... fly fishing for salmon !
I actually have a few flies that are specifically for fishing for salmon. I was able to cast my flies right over top of where the salmon were congregating in a deep pool ( Fisheries Pool, I suppose ) at the base of a set of rapids. Fly after fly after fly after fly ... ! None of what I was offering was of interest to them. About every five minutes or so I would change to a different fly. And cast it right over top of them. Nothing ! And they were feeding. Every few moments a large salmon would leap out of the water as it charged at the surface to devour whatever was hatching on the surface. Dragonfly nymphs, I think.
< sigh > I finally gave up on flies and switched to my traditional / spinning rod and reel, casting lures beyond the salmon and retrieving the lures directly through the salmon. They would actually move slightly out of the way to allow my lures to pass through them. "Go ahead, swim on through, whatever you are". SHEESH ! So ... no salmon caught. No bears viewed. Oh, well ... it was a pleasant weather day and it was very interesting to watch the salmon congregate in the deep, placid pool, and see them leap out of the water as they fed.
From Fisheries Pool Campground we backtracked a bit more to Belarko Bear Viewing Station and adjacent public boat launch. The viewing station is closed for a few more days but we parked and had lunch by the boat launch. After lunch we spent some time at the river's edge, again hoping to see a Grizzly, but ... none.
We headed west on Hwy. 20, arriving in Hagensborg ( about ten miles before Bella Coola ) in mid-afternoon. On impulse we turned off the highway and followed signage for a few miles to Bella Coola Valley Seafoods. Their offerings were disappointing, but ... on the way back to the highway we stopped as we crossed the bridge over the Saloompt River to see if there were any salmon visible in the river. And there were !
We spent quite awhile standing on the bridge looking down just a few feet, watching the Pink Salmon spawning. Quite amazing to watch !
As we continued towards Bella Coola we stopped again at another bridge, this one over Thorsen Creek ( really a river ) and again watched salmon spawning. This time it was Coho Salmon. And watching up to six males lined up behind each female, waiting for her to finish depositing her roe in the gravel, was like watching some kind of TV soap opera. The males posture, and squabble, and act horny and impatient. HA HA HA !
And the females look tired and haggard. It's been a tough journey to get back home,
I guess. Lay your eggs and die, sweetheart !
After spending too much time watching salmon spawning drama we arrived at Bella Coola late in the afternoon. I was disappointed in Bella Coola. It was not really what
I expected. And ... we made the mistake of failing to recognize when we were doing our trip planning that this is a long weekend. As we were arriving in Bella Coola, everything was closing ... until Tuesday. Including the travel agency that operates as the B.C. Ferries ticket office. We drove through town and out to the ferry dock. No information ... or much of anything else out there.
We returned to ( the smaller than we had expected ) town of Bella Coola and drove around, seeking information on the availability and sale of ferry tickets, and not finding any. We drove back to the town of Hagensborg and found that their grocery store was still open. We refilled our water jug and bought some groceries, then checked into Gnome's Home RV Park.
Saw a couple more of those less than brilliant Ptarmigan today.
DSK
Sunday, August 24, 2014
August 17 to 23, 2014 ; Keremeos to Kamloops
Sunday ; Sunny and very warm.
Spent the day ( again ) in Princeton at second day of annual two day Princeton Traditional Music Festival. T'was pretty darn good ! This year was Joanne's first time attending this festival, my second. When I first attended two years ago, she was in Winnipeg. Missed it last year due to Edmonton to Penticton trailer delivery job.
Monday ; Partially sunny, often cloudy, very warm, humid / muggy. Joanne tried to cook Ratatouille in the Sun Oven today, but the sun disappeared behind clouds so much that she finally had to give up and cook it in the oven indoors.
I harvested tomatoes. I did Bo-gility with the dog. Well done, Bo, good dog ! I repaired the folding chair that broke Saturday at the music festival in Princeton. It broke in exactly the same place as our other folding chair, so perhaps a design flaw ? I did a small repair on the Sun Oven. I replaced a window screen for our neighbour / friend Jeannine. I made some Similkameen Trailer Towing business phone calls. I did some financial / investment work.
In the evening we watched Batchelor In Paradise. HA HA HA ... what great drama !
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, humid, a bit windy.
Spent the day running errands in Penticton. Around supper time ( for most people )
I went flying while Joanne went grocery shopping. The objective of DanAir flight 418 was to fly to Keremeos, then up into the Ashnola Valley and find Cathedral Lakes, a wilderness provincial park near our home, defined by three lakes in close proximity to one another, very high up in the mountains to the southwest of us.
I climbed steadily upon departure from Penticton. By the time I reached Keremeos
I was above 7000 feet. By the time I turned into the Ashnola Valley I was above 8000 feet, climbing to 9000. The mountains that contain Cathedral Lakes top out at 8600 feet. Therefore ... Minimum Safe Altitude ... 500 feet above that ... is 9100 feet. I climbed into the Ashnola Valley until reaching 9400 feet. And I was "bumping the bottoms" of the cumulonimbus thunderclouds that had built up in the mountains because it was a hot day. So ... "ground" at 8600 feet, need to be 500 feet above that to be safe ( and legal ). Cloud bases at 9400 feet, need to be 500 feet below that to be legal ( and safe ). You do the math ! I chose safety over legality. BUT ... flying into the setting sun ... sun right in my face ... turbulence right underneath the clouds ... haze beneath me from the heat of the day ... I COULDN'T SEE A ****ING THING ! ! ! I failed to find the three little lakes that comprise Cathedral Lakes. Oh, well ... maybe next summer !
I did a slow arcing turn from southwest to northeast and came out over the Similkameen Valley at Hedley. Following the Similkameen River from Hedley I descended down to about 600 feet AGL by the time I reached Riverside RV Park Resort, then began the long climb back up as I flew through the narrow Similkameen Valley, over the river, sides of the mountains close in beside me on each side. I was at about 3500 feet by the time I reached the village of Keremeos, and continued to climb back up to 8000 feet on my way back to Penticton.
Strong crosswind on take-off, strong crosswind on landing, and everything in between made for a pretty challenging flight, which is a good thing. I think it's a good idea to have a difficult, challenging flight at least once per year to maintain my flying skills. Good thing I didn't have anybody sitting beside me ... puking !
When we arrived home we had a late supper while watching Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, humid / muggy, a bit windy ... same as yesterday.
Started the day with a fun "hide and seek" obedience session with Bo. He loves playing hide and seek, and doesn't even see it as an obedience training exercise. "Bo sit, Bo down, Bo stay ... < hide > ... BO COME". Good dog, Bo, well done !
Did some financial / investment work this afternoon. Went fishing this evening. Since
I am now ( temporarily ) practicing "catch & release" I tried out some flies that I had not used before, to see if they "produce". I caught two Rainbow Trout today, both on the same fly. Guess that one works !
On my way back home, walking in the river, head down, lost in thought, I was extremely startled by a loud bang and splash beside me. Scared the shit out of me ! I looked around, puzzled about what banged and splashed like that, when it happened again. OH ... my friendly neighbourhood beaver ! Guess it thought I was dangerously close and had to send a warning with a loud tail slap on the water. Relax, pal, I'm not a threat.
For supper tonight I poached Rainbow Trout in coconut milk. It was okay ... not as good as the Rainbow Trout poached in orange juice recipe.
Thursday ; Cloudy, cool, thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Joanne did laundry. We put the camper onto the truck in preparation for departure on Saturday. I repainted the camper's range top. AGAIN ! Used high heat paint this time !
Received an invoice for Joanne's ambulance trip from her sister's home to St. Boniface Hospital when she ( Joanne ) was visiting Winnipeg in June. Absolutely outrageous ! ! ! That works out to ... like ... A DOLLAR PER SECOND ! ! !
Friday ; Cloudy, cool, thunderstorms in the afternoon ... same as yesterday.
This morning Joanne phoned B.C. Medical Health Services Plan seeking assistance with the Winnipeg ambulance bill. Sorry ... no ! Same thing with B.C. Pharmacare. She called the Winnipeg ambulance service for an explanation of the outrageous charge. "Non-resident fee" ! ! ! Nothing to do but swallow hard, and very unhappily pay the $800 bill, which I did this afternoon.
While doing some preventive maintenance work on the truck this afternoon I broke a small plastic piece, the housing for the air intake temperature sensor. DARN !
I removed the broken piece and when we went into town this afternoon to run some errands I went to Napa Auto to buy a replacement. A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE BUCKS ? ! ? I don't think so ! ! ! Back at home I repaired the broken plastic housing with glue. Now the only problem remaining is ... when I removed the sensor and drove into town without it installed, it triggered the "check engine light". Now I will have to have a code reader attached to the truck's computer to "read" the malfunction code and clear the check engine light < sigh >. Hope I can get that done in Princeton tomorrow. Hope I can get it done for free !
We spent much of the day preparing for our three week trip starting tomorrow. One of the things I had to do was test the used DVD player I bought at Value Village on Tuesday for the truck camper. < fume > Deader than a doorknob ! ! ! That's the second time this summer we have purchased a "deader than a doorknob" electronics item at Value Village. And I regret that I allowed myself to be persuaded by Joanne to just throw it away and forget about it the first time. This time I phoned the store and strongly expressed my displeasure. "No exchange / no refund after seven days". BULLSHIT ! I'm leaving tomorrow for three weeks, and when I return ... I want my ****ing money back ! ! !
And why would people even bother to donate to charity electronic items that don't work ? Moral of this story ? Don't buy electronics at thrift stores ! ! ! < taking deep breath to calm myself down >.
Saturday ; Keremeos to Kamloops
Sunny and very warm, a lovely day !
We left home about noon, and drove west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton to have a picnic lunch while watching the regular Saturday 1 PM "Music In The Park" performance. WHAT ? The homeless guy again ? ! ? We ate our picnic lunch in about twenty minutes, listening to "sound checks" for ten minutes, and bad jazz for another ten minutes. We left Princeton heading north on Hwy. 5A towards Merritt. We stopped at Gulliford Lake Rest Area and I fished very briefly while Joanne and Bo enjoyed the lovely weather and surroundings. We continued on towards Merritt, checking out some B.C. Forest Service Campgrounds on the way. We stopped briefly in Merritt to check something out at Extra Foods then continued north on Hwy 5 to Kamloops.
Upon arrival in Kamloops we went searching for Real Canadian Superstore who had a tax free sale day today. Before finding Superstore we stumbled across ... < insert drum roll here > ... Kamloop's dog park. "WOO-HOO" said Bo ! We stopped at the dog park and Bo romped around for awhile. Eventually we found our way to Superstore and did some groceries and supplies shopping, as well as refilling with diesel. We drove over to a nearby mall and had supper at Swiss Chalet. "WOO-HOO" said Daniel ! By the time we were finished supper it was getting dark. We drove to the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre where we boondocked for the night.
Bella Coola here we come ! "WOO-HOO" says Joanne !
DSK
Spent the day ( again ) in Princeton at second day of annual two day Princeton Traditional Music Festival. T'was pretty darn good ! This year was Joanne's first time attending this festival, my second. When I first attended two years ago, she was in Winnipeg. Missed it last year due to Edmonton to Penticton trailer delivery job.
Monday ; Partially sunny, often cloudy, very warm, humid / muggy. Joanne tried to cook Ratatouille in the Sun Oven today, but the sun disappeared behind clouds so much that she finally had to give up and cook it in the oven indoors.
I harvested tomatoes. I did Bo-gility with the dog. Well done, Bo, good dog ! I repaired the folding chair that broke Saturday at the music festival in Princeton. It broke in exactly the same place as our other folding chair, so perhaps a design flaw ? I did a small repair on the Sun Oven. I replaced a window screen for our neighbour / friend Jeannine. I made some Similkameen Trailer Towing business phone calls. I did some financial / investment work.
In the evening we watched Batchelor In Paradise. HA HA HA ... what great drama !
Tuesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, humid, a bit windy.
Spent the day running errands in Penticton. Around supper time ( for most people )
I went flying while Joanne went grocery shopping. The objective of DanAir flight 418 was to fly to Keremeos, then up into the Ashnola Valley and find Cathedral Lakes, a wilderness provincial park near our home, defined by three lakes in close proximity to one another, very high up in the mountains to the southwest of us.
I climbed steadily upon departure from Penticton. By the time I reached Keremeos
I was above 7000 feet. By the time I turned into the Ashnola Valley I was above 8000 feet, climbing to 9000. The mountains that contain Cathedral Lakes top out at 8600 feet. Therefore ... Minimum Safe Altitude ... 500 feet above that ... is 9100 feet. I climbed into the Ashnola Valley until reaching 9400 feet. And I was "bumping the bottoms" of the cumulonimbus thunderclouds that had built up in the mountains because it was a hot day. So ... "ground" at 8600 feet, need to be 500 feet above that to be safe ( and legal ). Cloud bases at 9400 feet, need to be 500 feet below that to be legal ( and safe ). You do the math ! I chose safety over legality. BUT ... flying into the setting sun ... sun right in my face ... turbulence right underneath the clouds ... haze beneath me from the heat of the day ... I COULDN'T SEE A ****ING THING ! ! ! I failed to find the three little lakes that comprise Cathedral Lakes. Oh, well ... maybe next summer !
I did a slow arcing turn from southwest to northeast and came out over the Similkameen Valley at Hedley. Following the Similkameen River from Hedley I descended down to about 600 feet AGL by the time I reached Riverside RV Park Resort, then began the long climb back up as I flew through the narrow Similkameen Valley, over the river, sides of the mountains close in beside me on each side. I was at about 3500 feet by the time I reached the village of Keremeos, and continued to climb back up to 8000 feet on my way back to Penticton.
Strong crosswind on take-off, strong crosswind on landing, and everything in between made for a pretty challenging flight, which is a good thing. I think it's a good idea to have a difficult, challenging flight at least once per year to maintain my flying skills. Good thing I didn't have anybody sitting beside me ... puking !
When we arrived home we had a late supper while watching Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, humid / muggy, a bit windy ... same as yesterday.
Started the day with a fun "hide and seek" obedience session with Bo. He loves playing hide and seek, and doesn't even see it as an obedience training exercise. "Bo sit, Bo down, Bo stay ... < hide > ... BO COME". Good dog, Bo, well done !
Did some financial / investment work this afternoon. Went fishing this evening. Since
I am now ( temporarily ) practicing "catch & release" I tried out some flies that I had not used before, to see if they "produce". I caught two Rainbow Trout today, both on the same fly. Guess that one works !
On my way back home, walking in the river, head down, lost in thought, I was extremely startled by a loud bang and splash beside me. Scared the shit out of me ! I looked around, puzzled about what banged and splashed like that, when it happened again. OH ... my friendly neighbourhood beaver ! Guess it thought I was dangerously close and had to send a warning with a loud tail slap on the water. Relax, pal, I'm not a threat.
For supper tonight I poached Rainbow Trout in coconut milk. It was okay ... not as good as the Rainbow Trout poached in orange juice recipe.
Thursday ; Cloudy, cool, thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Joanne did laundry. We put the camper onto the truck in preparation for departure on Saturday. I repainted the camper's range top. AGAIN ! Used high heat paint this time !
Received an invoice for Joanne's ambulance trip from her sister's home to St. Boniface Hospital when she ( Joanne ) was visiting Winnipeg in June. Absolutely outrageous ! ! ! That works out to ... like ... A DOLLAR PER SECOND ! ! !
Friday ; Cloudy, cool, thunderstorms in the afternoon ... same as yesterday.
This morning Joanne phoned B.C. Medical Health Services Plan seeking assistance with the Winnipeg ambulance bill. Sorry ... no ! Same thing with B.C. Pharmacare. She called the Winnipeg ambulance service for an explanation of the outrageous charge. "Non-resident fee" ! ! ! Nothing to do but swallow hard, and very unhappily pay the $800 bill, which I did this afternoon.
While doing some preventive maintenance work on the truck this afternoon I broke a small plastic piece, the housing for the air intake temperature sensor. DARN !
I removed the broken piece and when we went into town this afternoon to run some errands I went to Napa Auto to buy a replacement. A HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE BUCKS ? ! ? I don't think so ! ! ! Back at home I repaired the broken plastic housing with glue. Now the only problem remaining is ... when I removed the sensor and drove into town without it installed, it triggered the "check engine light". Now I will have to have a code reader attached to the truck's computer to "read" the malfunction code and clear the check engine light < sigh >. Hope I can get that done in Princeton tomorrow. Hope I can get it done for free !
We spent much of the day preparing for our three week trip starting tomorrow. One of the things I had to do was test the used DVD player I bought at Value Village on Tuesday for the truck camper. < fume > Deader than a doorknob ! ! ! That's the second time this summer we have purchased a "deader than a doorknob" electronics item at Value Village. And I regret that I allowed myself to be persuaded by Joanne to just throw it away and forget about it the first time. This time I phoned the store and strongly expressed my displeasure. "No exchange / no refund after seven days". BULLSHIT ! I'm leaving tomorrow for three weeks, and when I return ... I want my ****ing money back ! ! !
And why would people even bother to donate to charity electronic items that don't work ? Moral of this story ? Don't buy electronics at thrift stores ! ! ! < taking deep breath to calm myself down >.
Saturday ; Keremeos to Kamloops
Sunny and very warm, a lovely day !
We left home about noon, and drove west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton to have a picnic lunch while watching the regular Saturday 1 PM "Music In The Park" performance. WHAT ? The homeless guy again ? ! ? We ate our picnic lunch in about twenty minutes, listening to "sound checks" for ten minutes, and bad jazz for another ten minutes. We left Princeton heading north on Hwy. 5A towards Merritt. We stopped at Gulliford Lake Rest Area and I fished very briefly while Joanne and Bo enjoyed the lovely weather and surroundings. We continued on towards Merritt, checking out some B.C. Forest Service Campgrounds on the way. We stopped briefly in Merritt to check something out at Extra Foods then continued north on Hwy 5 to Kamloops.
Upon arrival in Kamloops we went searching for Real Canadian Superstore who had a tax free sale day today. Before finding Superstore we stumbled across ... < insert drum roll here > ... Kamloop's dog park. "WOO-HOO" said Bo ! We stopped at the dog park and Bo romped around for awhile. Eventually we found our way to Superstore and did some groceries and supplies shopping, as well as refilling with diesel. We drove over to a nearby mall and had supper at Swiss Chalet. "WOO-HOO" said Daniel ! By the time we were finished supper it was getting dark. We drove to the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre where we boondocked for the night.
Bella Coola here we come ! "WOO-HOO" says Joanne !
DSK
Sunday, August 17, 2014
August 10 to 16, 2014
Sunday ; Sunny and hot. This afternoon Joanne cooked supper in the Sun Oven again, but ... as the afternoon progressed, the temperature in the Sun Oven kept declining slowly. The sun was increasingly obscured by haze, probably forest fire smoke. At night, the haze / smoke descended so that it was hazy / foggy / smoky right at ground level.
Some bugs or something are eating my heirloom tomatoes on the vine !
This afternoon I did an inspection on the truck, and prepared for our two trailer delivery and winterization jobs tomorrow. Joanne did laundry. We gave Bo a bath.
Around supper time I went fishing for about an hour and a half, on a section of the Similkameen River I had not fished before. HMPH ... no fish again. Even the Bald Eagle fishing over the river right in front of me was having no luck ! Where have all the Rainbow Trout gone ? ! ? I caught fish pretty regularly in July, but have been unsuccessful for the past couple of weeks or so. I started fishing at our RV park's "beach" just outside the gate that leads from our RV park into Crown Land. The river has slowed and the level has dropped, so I wandered and roamed as I fished, eventually walking completely across the river at an area where the maximum depth was between three and four feet. HMPH ... should have taken the dog biscuits out of my pocket before I walked across the river ! HA HA HA ... doofus !
Monday ; Still sunny and hot. Today was a LOOOOONG, hot, hard day of work.
We left home at 9 AM heading for Penticton. In Penticton we winterized a client's trailer, and drove it, and the client's mini-van to a storage yard in Osoyoos. We drove back to Oliver for a late picnic lunch, then returned to Penticton to repeat the process. We winterized a second trailer and drove it to the same storage yard in Osoyoos, finishing about 7 PM. We were too tired to drive home and make supper, so we took Bo for a walk in his ( inexplicably ) favourite park, then had a fast food dinner in Osoyoos before driving home. We arrived home at 9 PM. WHEW ... a twelve hour day ! But ... a lucrative one !
Tuesday ; Smoky / hazy, very warm, humid / muggy.
Early this afternoon we headed into Keremeos to run some errands and have lunch at Samosa Garden, the Indian buffet restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms fruit stand. MMMMM ... good lunch !
This afternoon we trimmed Bo's and Sully's claws. What a lot of overreaction ! "AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... he's killing us ! ! !" In the evening we watched Amazing Race Canada and I worked at my desk on Similkameen Trailer Towing accounting and planning.
Wednesday ; Rain during the night, mostly overcast today, warm ... heat wave finally over ?
Slept very late ! Removed the ball hitch and the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, put away all the trailer towing and winterization supplies. Did an obedience session with the dog. Well done, Bo, good dog !
Around supper time I went fishing ... again. Hiked about fifteen minutes upstream ... walking in the river ... to the next door neighbour's favourite fishing spot, where he taught me to fly fish last year. Fished for an hour and a half.
Hooked eight fish ! < blink blink >
Lost two of them. < scowl >
Released one that was too small.
BROUGHT HOME MY LEGAL DAILY LIMIT OF FIVE RAINBOW TROUT ! ! !
The largest one, the largest Rainbow Trout I've ever seen, I had to "play" for fifteen minutes until it was tired enough to be brought to the net.
WOOOOOOOOOO - HOOOOOOOOOO ! ! ! ! ! Maybe I have finally learned how to fly fish "finesse" Rainbow Trout ! ? !
The last time I succeeded in catching my legal daily limit of fish was ... < thinking > ... about thirty years ago ! So ... tonight was pretty exciting for me !
This morning I repaired the truck's muffler. This afternoon Joanne packed three pieces of freshly made peach pie and we went over to visit our neighbour / friend Jeannine. MMMMM ... good pie !
I did some online research to find recipes for cooking trout by poaching. I found an interesting recipe from Mexico using orange juice to poach trout. Tonight we cooked that way two of the Rainbow Trout I caught yesterday. EXCELLENT trout recipe !
Friday ; Mostly cloudy, warm.
A couple of days ago, when I caught my limit of five Rainbow Trout, Joanne suggested that I check the B.C. fishing regulations to see if the daily catch limit and the possession limit are the same, as they are in some provinces. So ... I checked the nineteen pages of B.C. fishing regulations, and six pages of Okanagan area additional fishing regulations < rolling eyes > to find that ... the possession limit is twice the daily limit. So ... one can catch their daily limit, clean and freeze the fish, and still be entitled to catch another daily limit. Great ! However ... I also discovered that while the daily limit for Rainbow Trout is five in lakes ... it's only four in streams ... defined as "flowing waters" ... as in ... Similkameen River ! Mea Culpa ! I apologize for my ignorant transgression !
So ... this afternoon when I went fishing again, it was with a clear understanding that my limit was four fish. Well ... that didn't take long ! HA HA HA ... I'm getting pretty good at this ! Now that the heat wave has ended, the fish are biting ! In about an hour and a half I hooked six, lost one, released a small one, and brought home four. We now have seven fish / four meals of Rainbow Trout in the freezer. Joanne says I now have to practice "catch & release". Okay !
Saturday ; Partially sunny and very warm. We spent the entire day in Princeton enjoying folk music and ethnic music at the Princeton Traditional Music Festival. Tomorrow we'll be doing the same.
DSK
Some bugs or something are eating my heirloom tomatoes on the vine !
This afternoon I did an inspection on the truck, and prepared for our two trailer delivery and winterization jobs tomorrow. Joanne did laundry. We gave Bo a bath.
Around supper time I went fishing for about an hour and a half, on a section of the Similkameen River I had not fished before. HMPH ... no fish again. Even the Bald Eagle fishing over the river right in front of me was having no luck ! Where have all the Rainbow Trout gone ? ! ? I caught fish pretty regularly in July, but have been unsuccessful for the past couple of weeks or so. I started fishing at our RV park's "beach" just outside the gate that leads from our RV park into Crown Land. The river has slowed and the level has dropped, so I wandered and roamed as I fished, eventually walking completely across the river at an area where the maximum depth was between three and four feet. HMPH ... should have taken the dog biscuits out of my pocket before I walked across the river ! HA HA HA ... doofus !
Monday ; Still sunny and hot. Today was a LOOOOONG, hot, hard day of work.
We left home at 9 AM heading for Penticton. In Penticton we winterized a client's trailer, and drove it, and the client's mini-van to a storage yard in Osoyoos. We drove back to Oliver for a late picnic lunch, then returned to Penticton to repeat the process. We winterized a second trailer and drove it to the same storage yard in Osoyoos, finishing about 7 PM. We were too tired to drive home and make supper, so we took Bo for a walk in his ( inexplicably ) favourite park, then had a fast food dinner in Osoyoos before driving home. We arrived home at 9 PM. WHEW ... a twelve hour day ! But ... a lucrative one !
Tuesday ; Smoky / hazy, very warm, humid / muggy.
Early this afternoon we headed into Keremeos to run some errands and have lunch at Samosa Garden, the Indian buffet restaurant attached to Sanderson Farms fruit stand. MMMMM ... good lunch !
This afternoon we trimmed Bo's and Sully's claws. What a lot of overreaction ! "AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... he's killing us ! ! !" In the evening we watched Amazing Race Canada and I worked at my desk on Similkameen Trailer Towing accounting and planning.
Wednesday ; Rain during the night, mostly overcast today, warm ... heat wave finally over ?
Slept very late ! Removed the ball hitch and the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, put away all the trailer towing and winterization supplies. Did an obedience session with the dog. Well done, Bo, good dog !
Around supper time I went fishing ... again. Hiked about fifteen minutes upstream ... walking in the river ... to the next door neighbour's favourite fishing spot, where he taught me to fly fish last year. Fished for an hour and a half.
Hooked eight fish ! < blink blink >
Lost two of them. < scowl >
Released one that was too small.
BROUGHT HOME MY LEGAL DAILY LIMIT OF FIVE RAINBOW TROUT ! ! !
The largest one, the largest Rainbow Trout I've ever seen, I had to "play" for fifteen minutes until it was tired enough to be brought to the net.
WOOOOOOOOOO - HOOOOOOOOOO ! ! ! ! ! Maybe I have finally learned how to fly fish "finesse" Rainbow Trout ! ? !
The last time I succeeded in catching my legal daily limit of fish was ... < thinking > ... about thirty years ago ! So ... tonight was pretty exciting for me !
Thursday ; Yeah ... heat wave is over ! Today was cloudy and warm with a bit of light rain in the afternoon.
This morning I repaired the truck's muffler. This afternoon Joanne packed three pieces of freshly made peach pie and we went over to visit our neighbour / friend Jeannine. MMMMM ... good pie !
I did some online research to find recipes for cooking trout by poaching. I found an interesting recipe from Mexico using orange juice to poach trout. Tonight we cooked that way two of the Rainbow Trout I caught yesterday. EXCELLENT trout recipe !
Friday ; Mostly cloudy, warm.
A couple of days ago, when I caught my limit of five Rainbow Trout, Joanne suggested that I check the B.C. fishing regulations to see if the daily catch limit and the possession limit are the same, as they are in some provinces. So ... I checked the nineteen pages of B.C. fishing regulations, and six pages of Okanagan area additional fishing regulations < rolling eyes > to find that ... the possession limit is twice the daily limit. So ... one can catch their daily limit, clean and freeze the fish, and still be entitled to catch another daily limit. Great ! However ... I also discovered that while the daily limit for Rainbow Trout is five in lakes ... it's only four in streams ... defined as "flowing waters" ... as in ... Similkameen River ! Mea Culpa ! I apologize for my ignorant transgression !
So ... this afternoon when I went fishing again, it was with a clear understanding that my limit was four fish. Well ... that didn't take long ! HA HA HA ... I'm getting pretty good at this ! Now that the heat wave has ended, the fish are biting ! In about an hour and a half I hooked six, lost one, released a small one, and brought home four. We now have seven fish / four meals of Rainbow Trout in the freezer. Joanne says I now have to practice "catch & release". Okay !
Saturday ; Partially sunny and very warm. We spent the entire day in Princeton enjoying folk music and ethnic music at the Princeton Traditional Music Festival. Tomorrow we'll be doing the same.
DSK
Sunday, August 10, 2014
August 3 to 9, 2014
Sunday ; Mostly sunny, very warm. We lost how much money in the stock market a couple of days ago ? ! ?
This afternoon I made Sun Oven dried "smoked" Rainbow Trout. I left it in a bit too long, and "over dried" it a bit, resulting in a bit less good meat than I would have liked. After
I was finished making "smoked" Rainbow Trout I made two small cake pans of bannock in the Sun Oven.
I repaired a folding chair that broke yesterday. I started work on a truck camper project to replace the flexible hose ducting from the furnace to the bathroom.
Our neighbour / friend Jeannine came over for barbecued Sockeye Salmon on bannock for dinner tonight.
Monday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne baked a pie in the Sun Oven.
I helped the next door neighbour ( the one who still speaks to me ! ) with some fifth wheel maintenance chores before he and his family returned to their regular home in the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area. I did some maintenance work inside our manufactured home and in our yard and in the truck camper up in the storage area.
I watered our plants and gardens and composters.
Early this evening I went fishing. I hiked a fair distance upstream, much of it difficult hiking in the river, to the spot where my next door neighbour took me a year ago to teach me how to fly fish. I was standing in thigh deep water, a fishing net tied to my belt loop when ... I hooked a decent sized Rainbow Trout ! I brought it all the way to me, and then while I was fumbling around with the net with my left hand ... the fish leaped up out of the water, twisting and turning and ... SPIT THE HOOK ! ! ! AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ! ! ! ! !
I have to learn to stop "playing" Rainbow Trout like they're Northern Pike !
Tuesday ; Still sunny and very hot. This area's summer heat wave, usually about two weeks long, has been going on for about five weeks so far this year.
We spent the day in Penticton running errands.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. I made Candied Chinook Salmon in the Sun Oven today. When I was done, Joanne cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven for potato salad for tomorrow.
We harvested tomatoes and rhubarb from our gardens today. I finished repairing the truck camper's furnace ducting to the bathroom. When we bought the truck camper in December I prepared a lengthy list of repairs and improvements required. Today ... about nine months later ... I completed that list. WOO-HOO ! The truck camper is now in better shape than when it left the factory ... seventeen years ago ! This evening we planned our upcoming Bella Coola to Port Hardy trip.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot during the day, with a bit of a chilly wind coming off Lake Okanagan in the evening.
This afternoon we headed to Penticton to attend PeachFest. We ran a few errands then headed downtown to find a parking spot as near as possible to Lake Okanagan Beach Park. Since we were arriving fairly early ( 5:30 PM ) ... we found a spot only about two blocks away.
We walked to the park and set up our folding chairs at the back of the crowd in front of the main stage, to reserve our seating for the late night finale concert that was our primary motivation for being there. We watched a classic rock group ( WOO-HOO ) then a teenage boy dance group ( YUCK ) perform, followed by an acrobatic trampoline group from Quebec, sort of a Cirque du Soleil type act. As a matter of fact, the group is an affiliate of Cirque du Soleil. The last act we watched before going for supper was an eleven piece "show band".
At 8 PM we walked back to where the truck was parked, got our picnic basket, and walked across the street to have our picnic supper in Gyro Park. As we were eating the wonderful ( as always ) picnic dinner Joanne had prepared we realized that ALL components of the meal had been cooked in the Sun Oven over the previous couple of days ; "smoked" candied Chinook Salmon, "fried" chicken, eggs and potatoes for the potato salad, and Buttermilk Pie. Totally a Sun Oven picnic. Thank you, my dear, wonderfully done picnic dinner !
After eating we walked back to Lake Okanagan Beach Park and settled in for the evening's finale act, the Canadian rock icons from the 1970's, TROOPER ! Holy shit ... somebody should tell these geezers that everybody should retire eventually ! HA HA HA ! They looked like a bunch of guys that you would find in any Escapees RV Park. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! I was never a fan of Trooper's, but ... Joanne wanted to go, so ... < shrug > ... whatever my Princess wants, she gets !
< singing > We're here for a good time ... not a long time ! So have a good time ... the sun can't shine every day.
< singing > Raise a little hell, raise a little hell, raise a little hell < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >.
Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Heat wave over ?
I rewrote one of Trooper's signature songs this "morning" when I woke up.
< singing > Raise a little hell. raise a little hell, sleep until noon < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >. HA HA HA ... they probably did, as well.
I had a bit of a slow day. I did some minor maintenance chores. I reinstalled the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck, in preparation for a trailer delivery job on Monday.
I went fishing, but only briefly. It was too windy to enjoy fly fishing.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm.
This afternoon I installed a shelf in our hallway closet. That task had been on my "HONEY DO" list for about a year. In the evening we once again went to Penticton to attend PeachFest.
Tonight's motivation was the evening's finale performance on the main stage in Okanagan Lake Beach Park by another iconic 1970's Canadian rock band, The Stampeders. My interest in The Stampeders goes back to 1982 / 83 when I was briefly acquainted with the ex-wife of one of the band members.
DSK
This afternoon I made Sun Oven dried "smoked" Rainbow Trout. I left it in a bit too long, and "over dried" it a bit, resulting in a bit less good meat than I would have liked. After
I was finished making "smoked" Rainbow Trout I made two small cake pans of bannock in the Sun Oven.
I repaired a folding chair that broke yesterday. I started work on a truck camper project to replace the flexible hose ducting from the furnace to the bathroom.
Our neighbour / friend Jeannine came over for barbecued Sockeye Salmon on bannock for dinner tonight.
Monday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne baked a pie in the Sun Oven.
I helped the next door neighbour ( the one who still speaks to me ! ) with some fifth wheel maintenance chores before he and his family returned to their regular home in the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area. I did some maintenance work inside our manufactured home and in our yard and in the truck camper up in the storage area.
I watered our plants and gardens and composters.
Early this evening I went fishing. I hiked a fair distance upstream, much of it difficult hiking in the river, to the spot where my next door neighbour took me a year ago to teach me how to fly fish. I was standing in thigh deep water, a fishing net tied to my belt loop when ... I hooked a decent sized Rainbow Trout ! I brought it all the way to me, and then while I was fumbling around with the net with my left hand ... the fish leaped up out of the water, twisting and turning and ... SPIT THE HOOK ! ! ! AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ! ! ! ! !
I have to learn to stop "playing" Rainbow Trout like they're Northern Pike !
Tuesday ; Still sunny and very hot. This area's summer heat wave, usually about two weeks long, has been going on for about five weeks so far this year.
We spent the day in Penticton running errands.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. I made Candied Chinook Salmon in the Sun Oven today. When I was done, Joanne cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven for potato salad for tomorrow.
We harvested tomatoes and rhubarb from our gardens today. I finished repairing the truck camper's furnace ducting to the bathroom. When we bought the truck camper in December I prepared a lengthy list of repairs and improvements required. Today ... about nine months later ... I completed that list. WOO-HOO ! The truck camper is now in better shape than when it left the factory ... seventeen years ago ! This evening we planned our upcoming Bella Coola to Port Hardy trip.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot during the day, with a bit of a chilly wind coming off Lake Okanagan in the evening.
This afternoon we headed to Penticton to attend PeachFest. We ran a few errands then headed downtown to find a parking spot as near as possible to Lake Okanagan Beach Park. Since we were arriving fairly early ( 5:30 PM ) ... we found a spot only about two blocks away.
We walked to the park and set up our folding chairs at the back of the crowd in front of the main stage, to reserve our seating for the late night finale concert that was our primary motivation for being there. We watched a classic rock group ( WOO-HOO ) then a teenage boy dance group ( YUCK ) perform, followed by an acrobatic trampoline group from Quebec, sort of a Cirque du Soleil type act. As a matter of fact, the group is an affiliate of Cirque du Soleil. The last act we watched before going for supper was an eleven piece "show band".
At 8 PM we walked back to where the truck was parked, got our picnic basket, and walked across the street to have our picnic supper in Gyro Park. As we were eating the wonderful ( as always ) picnic dinner Joanne had prepared we realized that ALL components of the meal had been cooked in the Sun Oven over the previous couple of days ; "smoked" candied Chinook Salmon, "fried" chicken, eggs and potatoes for the potato salad, and Buttermilk Pie. Totally a Sun Oven picnic. Thank you, my dear, wonderfully done picnic dinner !
After eating we walked back to Lake Okanagan Beach Park and settled in for the evening's finale act, the Canadian rock icons from the 1970's, TROOPER ! Holy shit ... somebody should tell these geezers that everybody should retire eventually ! HA HA HA ! They looked like a bunch of guys that you would find in any Escapees RV Park. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! I was never a fan of Trooper's, but ... Joanne wanted to go, so ... < shrug > ... whatever my Princess wants, she gets !
< singing > We're here for a good time ... not a long time ! So have a good time ... the sun can't shine every day.
< singing > Raise a little hell, raise a little hell, raise a little hell < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >.
Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Heat wave over ?
I rewrote one of Trooper's signature songs this "morning" when I woke up.
< singing > Raise a little hell. raise a little hell, sleep until noon < BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP BOOMP >. HA HA HA ... they probably did, as well.
I had a bit of a slow day. I did some minor maintenance chores. I reinstalled the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck, in preparation for a trailer delivery job on Monday.
I went fishing, but only briefly. It was too windy to enjoy fly fishing.
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm.
This afternoon I installed a shelf in our hallway closet. That task had been on my "HONEY DO" list for about a year. In the evening we once again went to Penticton to attend PeachFest.
Tonight's motivation was the evening's finale performance on the main stage in Okanagan Lake Beach Park by another iconic 1970's Canadian rock band, The Stampeders. My interest in The Stampeders goes back to 1982 / 83 when I was briefly acquainted with the ex-wife of one of the band members.
DSK
Sunday, August 3, 2014
July 27 to August 2, 2014
Sunday ; Sunny and very hot. We're glad to be back home here in the South Okanagan / Similkameen ... where the weather is nicer ! We baked a couple of zucchini chocolate cakes in the Sun Oven today.
Joanne spent the day cleaning and replenishing the truck camper after our six day trip last week. I participated in a bit of that, as well as doing other routine chores.
Had barbecued steak and home made poutine for supper. MMMMM ! I can feel my arteries occlude as I type this. HA HA HA !
Our finances / investments are looking good !
Monday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature over 100 degrees again.
We washed the truck camper and the truck, then drove up to our park's storage area and unloaded the camper off the truck. Late in the afternoon I went fishing for about an hour while Joanne napped, which she rarely does. I did not catch any little fishies today.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot. Too hot to be comfortable inside a Cessna 172.
Late this morning we headed to Penticton for a day of running errands, meeting with our investment advisor, and flying. Things took longer than expected, and we did not get home until shortly after 11 PM. Poor Bo ! He was left alone for about twelve hours.
A long time for a little dog to hold his bladder. Good dog, Bo, well done ! Sorry we left you for so long.
When we arrived in Penticton we ran some errands, then had a meeting with our investment advisor. We're having a relatively good year in the stock market, second year in a row, and overall we're dong well, after having completed / survived ten years of what was / is about a thirty-five year financial plan.
We went to Skaha Lake Beach to have a picnic lunch. Rather esoteric lunch, and much of it "self-sufficient". Sun Oven candied salmon made by me, heirloom tomatoes grown by me, cheese curds bought at the cheese factory in Armstrong last week, fresh bread baked by Joanne, zucchini chocolate cake prepared by Joanne, cooked by me in our Sun Oven.
After lunch we ran more errands and at 6 PM headed to the airport for a flight. First time Joanne has flown with DanAir in over eleven years ! First time she's flown in the mountains since I took us flying in the Vancouver area while visiting Expo '86. GEEEEZZZZZ ... that was twenty-eight years ago ! My plan was to fly from Penticton to Keremeos, then fly up the Ashnola River Valley and find Cathedral Lakes from the air. BUT ... as we were preparing to depart, there was a huge and very ugly Cumulonimbus thunder cell developing over Kaleden, with dry lightning to the south ( towards Keremeos ) reported by Air Traffic Control. DARN ! Okay ... Plan B ! I had never flown north to Kelowna. I've always flown south from Penticton, over Skaha Lake to Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos, etc. So today we flew north over Okanagan Lake from Penticton past Summerland, Naramata, Peachland, WestBank, and "around the bend" in the lake to Kelowna. I flew over and around Kelowna, then did a "touch and go" at Kelowna airport before flying back to Penticton. It was quite interesting to fly along the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake from Kelowna to Naramata, a rugged area of mountain wilderness within spitting distance of cities and vineyards. I think that's the area that burned ferociously during the infamous Kelowna / Okanagan Mountain wildfire of 2003.
Joanne complained that the plane was uncomfortable. She's eleven years older than the last time she had to squeeze herself into a Cessna 172, and it was very hot in that old plane today ! No, no ... there's no air conditioning in Cessna 172 Charlie Golf Hotel Bravo Mike.
After landing back at Penticton we resumed shopping errands for awhile then went for a very late supper to Dairy Queen. After supper we bought " fridge and freezer" items at Wal-Mart ( milk, ice cream treats, etc. ) then headed home.
Long, hot, tiring day. But ... nice flight, from my perspective. I love flying !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very hot. This morning Joanne walked down to our park's orchard and picked some Transparent Apples, then prepared an apple pie and baked it in the Sun Oven. This afternoon I prepared a batch of bannock and baked it in the Sun Oven. It accompanied the salmon I barbecued for supper tonight.
This afternoon I drove Joanne to the laundromat on the other side of our RV park, and while Joanne did laundry and cooled off in the swimming pool I walked down to the river and went fishing for an hour and a quarter. No fish caught today. HMPH ! But ... standing thigh deep in the cool, clear river, in the bright sunshine, practicing my fly fishing technique was very pleasant.
Thursday ; Happy 53rd Birthday to my brother, Russell
Sunny and very hot.
Got a slow start to the day. Worked on month end banking and investment reconciliations. Went fly fishing for about an hour before supper. Again ... no fish !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, a bit of clouds late in the day, hot.
I felt ill for much of the day. Tired, weak, and lethargic, I spent much of the day snoozing. Around suppertime ( for most people ) I went fishing. Fly fishing is relaxing, at the same time as being challenging, and ... I was hoping that getting outside and getting some fresh air would help me to feel better. It did. When I returned home our friend / neighbour Jeannine was visiting with Joanne. It's been almost two weeks since her husband died and ... she's doing okay as she enters a new phase of life.
Saturday ; Partially sunny, very warm.
This morning Joanne prepared a picnic lunch and at noon we headed out to Princeton to have a picnic lunch while listening to an outdoor performance by a blues band, scheduled to begin at 1 PM. When we arrived in Princeton at 12:55 PM the band was already playing. GREAT, I thought ... a band that's playing five minutes before its scheduled start time, as opposed to the myriad of amateur / garage level bands that think they should keep their audience waiting while they screw around endlessly doing "sound checks".
Great blues music ... for fifteen minutes. HUH ? ? ? The blues band got off the stage and a duo ... one of whom I had mistakenly thought a few minutes earlier was a homeless guy in the audience ... came on stage. Well ... what time did the blues band start ? ! ? Must have started at noon, since they were finished by 1:10 PM. HMPH !
The homeless looking guy and his musical partner screwed around doing sound checks for twenty minutes. Of course ! ! ! Then they played the most awful elevator music versions of jazz music imaginable. With lots of "sound checks" between each piece ! We ate our picnic lunch, and endured their awful music for over an hour until I couldn't stand any more, then we left, driving home down the "scenic route" on Old Hedley Road.
Late in the afternoon I went fishing with my next door neighbour. HMPH ... no fish AGAIN !
DSK
Joanne spent the day cleaning and replenishing the truck camper after our six day trip last week. I participated in a bit of that, as well as doing other routine chores.
Had barbecued steak and home made poutine for supper. MMMMM ! I can feel my arteries occlude as I type this. HA HA HA !
Our finances / investments are looking good !
Monday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature over 100 degrees again.
We washed the truck camper and the truck, then drove up to our park's storage area and unloaded the camper off the truck. Late in the afternoon I went fishing for about an hour while Joanne napped, which she rarely does. I did not catch any little fishies today.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot. Too hot to be comfortable inside a Cessna 172.
Late this morning we headed to Penticton for a day of running errands, meeting with our investment advisor, and flying. Things took longer than expected, and we did not get home until shortly after 11 PM. Poor Bo ! He was left alone for about twelve hours.
A long time for a little dog to hold his bladder. Good dog, Bo, well done ! Sorry we left you for so long.
When we arrived in Penticton we ran some errands, then had a meeting with our investment advisor. We're having a relatively good year in the stock market, second year in a row, and overall we're dong well, after having completed / survived ten years of what was / is about a thirty-five year financial plan.
We went to Skaha Lake Beach to have a picnic lunch. Rather esoteric lunch, and much of it "self-sufficient". Sun Oven candied salmon made by me, heirloom tomatoes grown by me, cheese curds bought at the cheese factory in Armstrong last week, fresh bread baked by Joanne, zucchini chocolate cake prepared by Joanne, cooked by me in our Sun Oven.
After lunch we ran more errands and at 6 PM headed to the airport for a flight. First time Joanne has flown with DanAir in over eleven years ! First time she's flown in the mountains since I took us flying in the Vancouver area while visiting Expo '86. GEEEEZZZZZ ... that was twenty-eight years ago ! My plan was to fly from Penticton to Keremeos, then fly up the Ashnola River Valley and find Cathedral Lakes from the air. BUT ... as we were preparing to depart, there was a huge and very ugly Cumulonimbus thunder cell developing over Kaleden, with dry lightning to the south ( towards Keremeos ) reported by Air Traffic Control. DARN ! Okay ... Plan B ! I had never flown north to Kelowna. I've always flown south from Penticton, over Skaha Lake to Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos, etc. So today we flew north over Okanagan Lake from Penticton past Summerland, Naramata, Peachland, WestBank, and "around the bend" in the lake to Kelowna. I flew over and around Kelowna, then did a "touch and go" at Kelowna airport before flying back to Penticton. It was quite interesting to fly along the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake from Kelowna to Naramata, a rugged area of mountain wilderness within spitting distance of cities and vineyards. I think that's the area that burned ferociously during the infamous Kelowna / Okanagan Mountain wildfire of 2003.
Joanne complained that the plane was uncomfortable. She's eleven years older than the last time she had to squeeze herself into a Cessna 172, and it was very hot in that old plane today ! No, no ... there's no air conditioning in Cessna 172 Charlie Golf Hotel Bravo Mike.
After landing back at Penticton we resumed shopping errands for awhile then went for a very late supper to Dairy Queen. After supper we bought " fridge and freezer" items at Wal-Mart ( milk, ice cream treats, etc. ) then headed home.
Long, hot, tiring day. But ... nice flight, from my perspective. I love flying !
Wednesday ; Sunny and very hot. This morning Joanne walked down to our park's orchard and picked some Transparent Apples, then prepared an apple pie and baked it in the Sun Oven. This afternoon I prepared a batch of bannock and baked it in the Sun Oven. It accompanied the salmon I barbecued for supper tonight.
This afternoon I drove Joanne to the laundromat on the other side of our RV park, and while Joanne did laundry and cooled off in the swimming pool I walked down to the river and went fishing for an hour and a quarter. No fish caught today. HMPH ! But ... standing thigh deep in the cool, clear river, in the bright sunshine, practicing my fly fishing technique was very pleasant.
Thursday ; Happy 53rd Birthday to my brother, Russell
Sunny and very hot.
Got a slow start to the day. Worked on month end banking and investment reconciliations. Went fly fishing for about an hour before supper. Again ... no fish !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, a bit of clouds late in the day, hot.
I felt ill for much of the day. Tired, weak, and lethargic, I spent much of the day snoozing. Around suppertime ( for most people ) I went fishing. Fly fishing is relaxing, at the same time as being challenging, and ... I was hoping that getting outside and getting some fresh air would help me to feel better. It did. When I returned home our friend / neighbour Jeannine was visiting with Joanne. It's been almost two weeks since her husband died and ... she's doing okay as she enters a new phase of life.
Saturday ; Partially sunny, very warm.
This morning Joanne prepared a picnic lunch and at noon we headed out to Princeton to have a picnic lunch while listening to an outdoor performance by a blues band, scheduled to begin at 1 PM. When we arrived in Princeton at 12:55 PM the band was already playing. GREAT, I thought ... a band that's playing five minutes before its scheduled start time, as opposed to the myriad of amateur / garage level bands that think they should keep their audience waiting while they screw around endlessly doing "sound checks".
Great blues music ... for fifteen minutes. HUH ? ? ? The blues band got off the stage and a duo ... one of whom I had mistakenly thought a few minutes earlier was a homeless guy in the audience ... came on stage. Well ... what time did the blues band start ? ! ? Must have started at noon, since they were finished by 1:10 PM. HMPH !
The homeless looking guy and his musical partner screwed around doing sound checks for twenty minutes. Of course ! ! ! Then they played the most awful elevator music versions of jazz music imaginable. With lots of "sound checks" between each piece ! We ate our picnic lunch, and endured their awful music for over an hour until I couldn't stand any more, then we left, driving home down the "scenic route" on Old Hedley Road.
Late in the afternoon I went fishing with my next door neighbour. HMPH ... no fish AGAIN !
DSK
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