Sunday ; Princeton
< cough cough > Extremely thick smoke all the way to ground level, zero visibility, cool and windy in the morning, warm in the afternoon.
This morning we wondered if the second and last day of the Princeton Traditional Music Festival was going to be cancelled due to the thick smoke. There was really no way to check, so ... off to Princeton we went. We left home around 11 AM and arrived at the music festival at noon. It was not cancelled, and ... we were glad that we went. We had an enjoyable day.
We left Princeton about 5:30 PM and were home by 6:30 PM. We walked Ozzie, then made supper. I barbecued very thick, juicy, marinated steaks for supper. Take that, you coronary artery bypass grafts. HA HA HA !
My wasp stung lower lip was still swollen and sore this morning, but the swelling and pain were gone by late afternoon, about twenty-four hours after being stung.
Monday ; Penticton
Wildfire smoke diminishing a bit, warm.
We left home around 11 AM this morning headed to Penticton in the minivan. Just before noon I picked up the truck at Westech Automotive. The owner / mechanic there identified the cause of the truck's exhaust growl under the hood. We drove both our vehicles to Mobil and refilled the minivan with fuel, then I took the truck for a wash while Joanne headed to Cherry Lane Shopping Mall. I met her there and we had lunch together in the food court.
After lunch Joanne went her own way to run some shopping errands. I drove to the Cardiac Rehabilitation fitness centre to consult with one of the physiotherapists. My new family doctor recommended that I seek the advice of a physiotherapist to get some knee strengthening exercises. So ... that I did.
Once back at home I napped with the animals until Joanne returned home, then she and I went to the swimming pool for a cardiac exercise session. While I was
checking / tightening the last piece of the truck's valve extender components that
I recently installed ... I broke it ! Yes, yes ... I am my father's son ! Keep tightening it until you break it. Yup ... a little less than that was the correct tightness ! ! ! < sigh >
Tuesday ; Smoky, warm.
This morning I had a lengthy discussion with a doctor at my travel medical insurer. The discussion is not over, and will resume after I clarify an issue with my cardiologist.
This afternoon I did a plumbing modification underneath our house. I had been dreading doing this job, but it went well.
In the evening I ordered more valve adaptor / extender hardware from Amazon. And we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; Thick smoke, becoming extremely thick with heavy ash falling by suppertime, warm.
I had planned to go fishing today. But ... the air quality was so poor, I decided it would be unhealthy to go hiking upstream to my fishing spot. And we missed doing cardiac exercises today because ... well ... I guess I was just too lazy.
Joanne went into town today to run some errands. I napped. HA HA HA ! We visited our neighbour / friend Jeanine, to return a book of hers, and to trim her little dog Charlie's nails.
Thursday ; Smoky, warm, windy.
This morning our priority was loading the camper onto the truck, in anticipation of leaving on an adventure trip to Bella Coola in a couple of days. As we were backing the truck underneath the camper ... the gear shift cable broke. Crippled truck ! I called our emergency roadside service provider and they dispatched a tow truck. When the tow truck arrived, the driver knew exactly where the gear shift cable was likely broken. And he was correct. He crawled underneath the truck and was able to temporarily reattach the cable, allowing me to drive the truck into town, instead of having it towed. He followed me in the tow truck, just in case. I left the truck at Performance Automotive to be repaired / have the gear shift cable replaced. Joanne came into town with the minivan a few minutes later and drove me back home.
As we were driving back home my cardiologist phoned for our 2:30 PM telephone appointment. I asked him about the medication that our travel medical insurer is concerned about, and he advised me that it is no longer necessary, I should discontinue it. That will satisfy the travel medical insurer. He also advised me that my recent echocardiogram indicated "extremely good" heart function. I really appreciate his flexibility / willingness to have a simple medication consultation by telephone, saving me time and a trip to Penticton. Thank you, Dr. Kincade.
After an extremely late lunch we gave Ozzie a short haircut. And discovered a second ruptured cyst / abscess on him. I have already made a veterinarian appointment for the first large ruptured cyst / abscess that refuses to heal. It scabs over, the scab falls off in ten days or two weeks, the abscess underneath the scab oozes more blood and pus, a scab forms, and the two week cycle starts over. That first cyst / abscess has persisted for a couple of months already. Poor Ozzie. But ... he seems to appreciate the short haircut. I'm of the opinion that dogs with allergies ( like Ozzie ) benefit from short haircuts, allowing their skin to be exposed to sunlight and fresh air.
With the truck needing repairs it seems likely that our Saturday departure on vacation will be delayed.
Friday ; Smoky, warm.
I phoned our travel medical insurer this morning, and resolved issues with their doctor. I trimmed my beard outside at our picnic table. And while I did that, I was stung again by a wasp. It crawled up my pant leg and stung me in the shin.
Joanne did laundry. And took an inordinately long time to compose an e-mail to her sister. And needed my help repeatedly to bail her out of the difficulties she
encountered / created for herself by dragging her fingers as she typed, an ongoing and extremely irritating ( to me ) problem when she uses the computer ... < gritting my
teeth >.
In the afternoon we went to our RV park's orchard and picked plums. Late in the afternoon we drove into town to pick up the repaired truck. But ... after a discussion with the mechanic I decided to leave it for a few more days to repair two other problems that I was going to have repaired in a few weeks after we return from vacation. So ... instead of leaving for vacation tomorrow we will probably leave next Wednesday.
In the evening ... < sigh > ... I downloaded, reconciled, and paid our monthly MasterCard statement. And watched five rerun episodes of Schitt's Creek. HA HA HA !
Congratulations to Ozzie who reached his goal weight of twenty-two pounds today, down eleven pounds in the eleven months that we have had him. Well done, Joanne !
Saturday ; Cloudy, chilly, smoky.
The chilly temperature today signals that summer's heat is over, for sure ! We had a few drops of rain in the afternoon, but ... we need a lot of rain to help the wildfire situation. I did some loading of stuff into the camper for our upcoming trip to Bella Coola. We gave Ozzie a bath. Well ... Joanne gave Ozzie a bath, and I provided a bit of assistance. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises. And soaked in the hut tub !
DSK
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Sunday, August 19, 2018
August 12 to 18, 2018
Sunday ; Princeton
Cloudy and cool. Very smoky !
This morning at 9 AM we picked up our neighbour / friend Jeanine and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton to attend a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride. The RCMP Musical Ride is quintessential Canadiana corny kitsch, but ... it was great ! ! ! And so different from the baseball cap / hand over the heart jingoism we have experienced
( endured ? ) so often in the last fourteen years ... < ahem > ... "elsewhere".
After the Musical Ride performance, which was preceded by an RCMP K9 demonstration, we went to "downtown" Princeton to have lunch at Thomasina's, a bakery / café that we have been to before. We took the scenic route home, on Old Hedley Road, on the north side of the Similkameen River. It was an idyllic "Sunday afternoon drive in the country" that put Jeanine to sleep. HA HA HA !
This afternoon, after months of incorrect parts shipped and missing shipments,
I finished installing the new valve adaptors / valve extenders on the truck. The final piece of the puzzle arrived in the mail on Friday. I unloaded all the trailer towing equipment and supplies, including removing the fifth wheel hitch out of the bed of the truck so that I could park the truck underneath the camper again.
Monday ; Sunny and warm. Very smoky.
This morning I did outdoor chores, watered our composters, cleaned the barbecue.
I inspected the truck's exhaust system, to identify where the "growling" sound is coming from. HMPH ... seems to be the turbocharger. I wonder how many thousands of dollars that will cost ? ! ?
This afternoon I resealed the bedroom front window of the camper, removing all the old, cracked caulking, and applying new silicone sealant. Then we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session. Afterwards we took Ozzie to the dog park, and I returned some books to our RV park's library. In the mail today I received some valve extender parts that were due to arrive in June. I demanded and received a refund at the beginning of July for those parts. At that time I ordered the same parts from another supplier, and received them by mid-July.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot. Very smoky. Unable to use Sun Oven because of smoke obliterating sun.
I spent too much time this afternoon on multiple phone calls with our travel medical insurer, who phoned repeatedly to question ( hassle ) me about our travel medical insurance application. Late this afternoon I went fishing. And to my surprise ... I caught nothing. I gave up after an hour of fishing !
Shortly before I gave up, I felt tired, so I sat down beside the river to rest. After a few moments I felt what I thought was a bug on my leg. I looked down, and ... slithering on the rocks underneath my leg was a teensy little baby rattlesnake. YIKES ! I yanked my leg up into the air, and squirmed away.
That's the second fishing trip in a row that I've had a close encounter with a small rattlesnake ! I wonder if a female rattlesnake gave birth nearby ? Or is that spot just a popular drinking location ? Could they be heading instinctively to the river's edge because of the thick wildfire smoke ?
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Extremely smoky, near zero visibility at ground level, IFR flying conditions.
This afternoon I repaired the kitchen sink faucets. They were leaking. I removed the faucet assembly, completely disassembled it, drove into town and obtained new faucet cartridges ... free because the faucet is by Moen ... drove home, installed the new cartridges, cleaned and reassembled and reinstalled everything. Well done, Daniel !
< whispering > I don't particularly like doing plumbing work !
Thursday ; Penticton
Thick smoke, heavy ash falling from the sky, very warm.
I left home this morning at 10 AM, heading for Penticton in the truck. Joanne left home at 11:15 AM, heading for Penticton in the minivan. We met at 1:15 PM at Burger King. My first stop was Penticton Hospital to get my knees x-rayed. Then I refilled the truck with diesel fuel, deposited a couple of cheques, and took the truck to a transmission shop to have the transmission fluid flushed and refilled, and the transmission filter replaced.
We had lunch at Burger King, then ran errands together until it was time for me to go to my 3 PM doctor's appointment. I discussed my knee x-rays with my new family doctor, then asked him to accept Joanne as a new patient. With a teensy bit of reluctance due to his patient load, he agreed. PHEW ! Now we both have a new family doctor. I'm relieved, and VERY glad to be rid of the Keremeos Clinic for both of us ! EAT SHIT AND DIE, GLORIA !
Did I just say that out loud ? ! ?
I picked up the truck from the transmission shop, and took it to another auto repair facility for a diagnosis of a new problem. That shop likely cannot fix the ( diesel ) problem, but they are excellent at problem diagnosis. We finished our errands around 5:30 PM and were home about an hour later. When we arrived back home around
6:30 PM, the sky was dark, with red glow behind the mountains across the river, and heavy ash was falling on everything. HMPH ! Seems as if there is a new wildfire across the river from us !
Friday ; Sky obliterated by thick, black wildfire smoke from fire behind the mountain across the river. Heavy ash falling on everything ! Picnic table plastic cover looks like ... war zone. Looks like the apocalypse is coming ! All day long two helicopters with buckets hanging on long lines were refilling their buckets in the Similkameen River, disappearing behind the mountain, and returning within a few minutes. They were refilling their buckets in the deep water of the Similkameen River a short distance upstream from our RV park's burn pile area. HMPH ... my "secret fishing hole" ! They better not have been scooping up all the Rainbow Trout in their buckets !
Received a phone call this morning with a diagnosis of my truck’s exhaust “growl” problem. Phoned the diesel specialty shop and made an appointment for a month from now for replacement of the exhaust manifold. KA-CHING ... couple of thousand
bucks ! Set up an appointment with a physiotherapist next week regarding my sore knee. Did preventive maintenance on the minivan. Fluid top-ups, battery terminal cleaning, that sort of thing.
Napped after lunch. Went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises. Went to the dog park with Ozzie. He’s so funny ! “I piss, I shit ... I want to go home and eat NOW !”
This evening wrote a lengthy letter to travel medical insurer !
Saturday ; Princeton
Warm and humid. Grey smoke so thick all the way to ground level we couldn't see the mountain across the highway or the mountain across the river. Difficult to breathe. Imagine having to sing at a music festival in these conditions !
We left home this morning at 11 AM and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton for the first day of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We spent the day wandering back and forth between the two outdoor and one indoor stages, enjoying the variety of musicians. We arrived at the music festival around noon and left at 6 PM, arriving back home around 7 PM.
This afternoon, while I was drinking from a can of iced tea, a wasp crawled into the can. I did not notice that ! On my next sip, the wasp was in my mouth. Before I could spit it out, it stung me on the inside of my lower lip.
OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
J***S F*****G H C****T ! ! !
WOW ! Did that ever hurt for a couple of minutes. Then I had a swollen, sore lower lip for the rest of the day.
DSK
Cloudy and cool. Very smoky !
This morning at 9 AM we picked up our neighbour / friend Jeanine and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton to attend a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride. The RCMP Musical Ride is quintessential Canadiana corny kitsch, but ... it was great ! ! ! And so different from the baseball cap / hand over the heart jingoism we have experienced
( endured ? ) so often in the last fourteen years ... < ahem > ... "elsewhere".
After the Musical Ride performance, which was preceded by an RCMP K9 demonstration, we went to "downtown" Princeton to have lunch at Thomasina's, a bakery / café that we have been to before. We took the scenic route home, on Old Hedley Road, on the north side of the Similkameen River. It was an idyllic "Sunday afternoon drive in the country" that put Jeanine to sleep. HA HA HA !
This afternoon, after months of incorrect parts shipped and missing shipments,
I finished installing the new valve adaptors / valve extenders on the truck. The final piece of the puzzle arrived in the mail on Friday. I unloaded all the trailer towing equipment and supplies, including removing the fifth wheel hitch out of the bed of the truck so that I could park the truck underneath the camper again.
Monday ; Sunny and warm. Very smoky.
This morning I did outdoor chores, watered our composters, cleaned the barbecue.
I inspected the truck's exhaust system, to identify where the "growling" sound is coming from. HMPH ... seems to be the turbocharger. I wonder how many thousands of dollars that will cost ? ! ?
This afternoon I resealed the bedroom front window of the camper, removing all the old, cracked caulking, and applying new silicone sealant. Then we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session. Afterwards we took Ozzie to the dog park, and I returned some books to our RV park's library. In the mail today I received some valve extender parts that were due to arrive in June. I demanded and received a refund at the beginning of July for those parts. At that time I ordered the same parts from another supplier, and received them by mid-July.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot. Very smoky. Unable to use Sun Oven because of smoke obliterating sun.
I spent too much time this afternoon on multiple phone calls with our travel medical insurer, who phoned repeatedly to question ( hassle ) me about our travel medical insurance application. Late this afternoon I went fishing. And to my surprise ... I caught nothing. I gave up after an hour of fishing !
Shortly before I gave up, I felt tired, so I sat down beside the river to rest. After a few moments I felt what I thought was a bug on my leg. I looked down, and ... slithering on the rocks underneath my leg was a teensy little baby rattlesnake. YIKES ! I yanked my leg up into the air, and squirmed away.
That's the second fishing trip in a row that I've had a close encounter with a small rattlesnake ! I wonder if a female rattlesnake gave birth nearby ? Or is that spot just a popular drinking location ? Could they be heading instinctively to the river's edge because of the thick wildfire smoke ?
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Extremely smoky, near zero visibility at ground level, IFR flying conditions.
This afternoon I repaired the kitchen sink faucets. They were leaking. I removed the faucet assembly, completely disassembled it, drove into town and obtained new faucet cartridges ... free because the faucet is by Moen ... drove home, installed the new cartridges, cleaned and reassembled and reinstalled everything. Well done, Daniel !
< whispering > I don't particularly like doing plumbing work !
Thursday ; Penticton
Thick smoke, heavy ash falling from the sky, very warm.
I left home this morning at 10 AM, heading for Penticton in the truck. Joanne left home at 11:15 AM, heading for Penticton in the minivan. We met at 1:15 PM at Burger King. My first stop was Penticton Hospital to get my knees x-rayed. Then I refilled the truck with diesel fuel, deposited a couple of cheques, and took the truck to a transmission shop to have the transmission fluid flushed and refilled, and the transmission filter replaced.
We had lunch at Burger King, then ran errands together until it was time for me to go to my 3 PM doctor's appointment. I discussed my knee x-rays with my new family doctor, then asked him to accept Joanne as a new patient. With a teensy bit of reluctance due to his patient load, he agreed. PHEW ! Now we both have a new family doctor. I'm relieved, and VERY glad to be rid of the Keremeos Clinic for both of us ! EAT SHIT AND DIE, GLORIA !
Did I just say that out loud ? ! ?
I picked up the truck from the transmission shop, and took it to another auto repair facility for a diagnosis of a new problem. That shop likely cannot fix the ( diesel ) problem, but they are excellent at problem diagnosis. We finished our errands around 5:30 PM and were home about an hour later. When we arrived back home around
6:30 PM, the sky was dark, with red glow behind the mountains across the river, and heavy ash was falling on everything. HMPH ! Seems as if there is a new wildfire across the river from us !
Friday ; Sky obliterated by thick, black wildfire smoke from fire behind the mountain across the river. Heavy ash falling on everything ! Picnic table plastic cover looks like ... war zone. Looks like the apocalypse is coming ! All day long two helicopters with buckets hanging on long lines were refilling their buckets in the Similkameen River, disappearing behind the mountain, and returning within a few minutes. They were refilling their buckets in the deep water of the Similkameen River a short distance upstream from our RV park's burn pile area. HMPH ... my "secret fishing hole" ! They better not have been scooping up all the Rainbow Trout in their buckets !
Received a phone call this morning with a diagnosis of my truck’s exhaust “growl” problem. Phoned the diesel specialty shop and made an appointment for a month from now for replacement of the exhaust manifold. KA-CHING ... couple of thousand
bucks ! Set up an appointment with a physiotherapist next week regarding my sore knee. Did preventive maintenance on the minivan. Fluid top-ups, battery terminal cleaning, that sort of thing.
Napped after lunch. Went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises. Went to the dog park with Ozzie. He’s so funny ! “I piss, I shit ... I want to go home and eat NOW !”
This evening wrote a lengthy letter to travel medical insurer !
Saturday ; Princeton
Warm and humid. Grey smoke so thick all the way to ground level we couldn't see the mountain across the highway or the mountain across the river. Difficult to breathe. Imagine having to sing at a music festival in these conditions !
We left home this morning at 11 AM and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton for the first day of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival. We spent the day wandering back and forth between the two outdoor and one indoor stages, enjoying the variety of musicians. We arrived at the music festival around noon and left at 6 PM, arriving back home around 7 PM.
This afternoon, while I was drinking from a can of iced tea, a wasp crawled into the can. I did not notice that ! On my next sip, the wasp was in my mouth. Before I could spit it out, it stung me on the inside of my lower lip.
OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
J***S F*****G H C****T ! ! !
WOW ! Did that ever hurt for a couple of minutes. Then I had a swollen, sore lower lip for the rest of the day.
DSK
Sunday, August 12, 2018
August 5 to 11, 2018
Sunday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning I did some budget planning. After lunch and a nap, I went fishing in the Similkameen River. First fishing outing to my "secret fishing hole" on the Similkameen River this summer season. I hiked upstream to my "secret fishing hole". < blink blink > It's not there anymore ! The entire river has changed as a result of this spring's flooding and extremely fast flow. I fished in a "new" set of rapids. The first Rainbow Trout that
I caught, I attempted to handle without a net. I pulled it up onto the rocks, unhooked it, picked it up to put it into my pail, and ... dropped the ****ing thing back into the river ...
< gritting my teeth >. Why carry a net if you're not going to use it, Dan ? ! ?
Including the one that I dropped back into the river, I caught five Rainbow Trout today. My daily limit of four ... into the freezer !
I shared my fishing space with a large family of ducks ... who seemed to be much more successful at catching fish than I was ! And an oriole. And a Bald Eagle. And a small rattlesnake ! The snake and I scared the bejesus out of one another ! ! ! HA HA HA !
I just about stepped on it ! It was very interesting to watch it drinking out of the river.
Monday ; Mostly sunny and hot, lots of wildfire smoke. Joanne baked a couple of apricot loaves in the Sun Oven today, somewhat hampered by the smoke The apricots came from the tree we planted about ten years ago on our previous home in this park, lot #89.
This morning I bought a checked baggage allowance on Joanne's flights to Winnipeg and back in a couple of months. Since when does a checked bag on an airline flight cost extra ? ! ? This afternoon we attempted ( unsuccessfully ) to clean the charcoal air filter on the back of our new ( to us ) evaporative ( swamp ) cooler. Evidently the previous owner was a smoker ! And the cool air emitted by the room air cooler smells of cigarette smoke ! Eventually we gave up trying different methods to clean the filter, and I figured out how to remove the old filter and how to replace it with a cat litter box air filter that I will cut to the correct size.
This afternoon after a cardiac exercise session in the swimming pool I adjusted the air pressure in my bicycle's tires, then inspected the caulking / sealant around the front upper bedroom window of the camper. Yes ... it needs to be replaced. It's old, and cracked, and falling off, creating risk of leaks around the window.
In the evening I did some preparing for our upcoming trailer delivery job to Vancouver Island, including preparing an invoice / receipt for the client. And doing online research to determine the exact length and weight of that model of trailer. < sigh > Thirty-nine feet, two inches in length, twelve feet, eight inches in height, twelve thousand four hundred pounds "dry" ( no water, propane, or anything else inside ). < sigh > And temperatures during our delivery trip well in excess of a hundred degrees F / reaching forty degrees C ! ! !
Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot.
This morning Joanne went to Penticton by herself for a day of running errands. I did pet ear and dental care, then made some appointments by phone. I did preventive maintenance on the truck, then loaded trailer towing equipment and supplies into the truck for the trailer towing job that starts tomorrow. I did some monthly investment statement reconciliations, and I went bicycling just before supper. We had an interesting new Mexican recipe for supper while watching Amazing Race Canada.
While in Penticton today Joanne bought a cat litter box charcoal filter, and tonight I cut it down to size to make it fit the evaporative / swamp cooler's filter panel. Well done !
Wednesday ; home to Winfield and return
Sunny and extremely hot.
We drove 150 km., THROUGH WESTBANK AND KELOWNA GRIDLOCK, to pick up a trailer for delivery. It wasn't ready ! Won't be ready until tomorrow ! Our return trip home was six hours / 434 km. of driving, due to a 284 km. detour caused by a
semi-trailer accident and fire very near to our home. Total driving today of 584 km. ... to accomplish NOTHING ! Will write more tomorrow while on ferry to Vancouver Island.
Left home at 11 AM. Drove to Penticton Hospital to have knee X-rayed. X-ray department short staffed, so wait time longer than one hour. UH-UH ... goodbye ! Drove to Westbank, refilled with diesel fuel. Drove into Kelowna, had lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory. Bought guy stuff at Princess Auto. Drove to Winfield, advised by RV dealership salesperson / client that trailer would not be ready until tomorrow morning. < sigh > Advised client that I would be billing $1 per km. for unproductive drive.
Drove back through Kelowna and Westbank rush hour gridlock. Decided to take "scenic route" home to buy RCMP Musical Ride tickets in Princeton. Had planned to buy them tomorrow, on way from home with trailer through Princeton on way to Lower Mainland ferry terminal, but ... trailer pick up tomorrow will result in changed route, not through Princeton. Bought tickets in Princeton, was not allowed to turn east on Hwy. 3 due to fiery semi-trailer crash between Hedley and Riverside RV Park Resort. Had to drive 65 km. north back to Okanagan Coquihalla Connector, 85 km. east to Peachland, south through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Keremeos, west to home. As we drove through the village of Keremeos in the dark we could see a lot of flames at the top of K Mountain, the mountain "backdrop" to the town.
Semi-trailer fire that caused our detour ignited new wildfire on each side of the
highway ! Good thing there were many nearby firefighting crews and bucket equipped helicopters that immediately responded, and had the brush fires on each side of the highway extinguished even before the semi-trailer was finished burning.
Thursday ; home to Winfield to Vancouver Island
Sunny and extremely hot, temperature in excess of 100º F / between 38º and 40º C.
Today, and ten days ago, were the two hottest days in BC recorded history. And on both of those days ... I was towing large and extremely heavy fifth wheel trailers on two of the most difficult roads in BC ... probably in all of Canada ; the Coquihalla Highway from Merritt to Hope, and the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector from Peachland to Merritt.
We left home this morning at 9 AM and drove 150 km. north ... ( again ! ) ... to Voyager RV in Winfield. On the way we refilled with diesel at Superstore in Westbank. We made good time and arrived at Voyager RV at 11:45 AM for our rescheduled noon pick up time. I bought something I needed in their parts department, then the salesperson guided us on a short drive to the dealership's storage yard. HOLY MACKEREL ... what a lot of inventory ! We were hitched up to the large fifth wheel trailer and on our way about 12:30 PM.
Back all the way through Kelowna, then Westbank / West Kelowna , and onto the "Connector" headed west. About 85 km. uphill from Peachland, then about 40 km. downhill to Merritt. I "managed" the ascent better than I did last week, and did not overheat the truck's engine and transmission ... as much ! Merritt to Hope, south on the Coquihalla for 115 km, about 65 km. uphill then 50 km. downhill. Also managed better than last week.
We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Hope, then continued west on Trans-Canada Highway 1 to the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area. Rush hour traffic was gridlocked through Abbotsford and Aldergrove ! We needed to be at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal by 7:30 PM for our 7:45 PM boarding time / 8:15 PM departure time. We arrived at 7 PM, giving us enough time to walk Ozzie and eat our picnic supper in the truck.
I am typing this on the ferry, at 9:15 PM. It arrived in Nanaimo about fifteen minutes late, at 10:30 PM. We were at our motel by 11 PM. BUT ... < sputter > ... despite addressing my need for a sixty foot long parking spot in my reservation, and again by phone ,,, there was nowhere for me to park the truck and trailer ! I advised the night clerk that I expected a no charge cancellation, and we left ... tired and frustrated. We spent about another frustrating hour searching for another motel to stay at. All we found ... with the assistance of a taxi driver ... was one motel whose rate was $175 per night, and Ozzie was not allowed ! We spent the night parked in the Nanaimo Visitor Information Centre parking lot.
I slept poorly. Joanne slept very poorly. Ozzie slept just fine ! And I agreed to Joanne's demand ; no more Vancouver Island trailer deliveries !
Friday ; Vancouver Island to home
Sunny and hot.
We washed up this morning in the Visitor Information Centre's bathrooms ... like the rest of the homeless people living in their cars in the parking lot ! We drove the short distance north from Nanaimo on Island Highway 19 to Parksville, arriving about 9:30 AM for our scheduled 11 AM trailer delivery. The clients were very eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new home, having spent the last two nights in a motel after selling their previous trailer. Positioning the large fifth wheel trailer in their RV park lot was extremely challenging, but ... that's why I get paid the big bucks ! HA HA HA !
We got the trailer positioned, levelled, set up, and did an orientation with the customers ... as pre-arranged ... and were finished and leaving at 11:30 AM. We rushed back to the Nanaimo ferry terminal in an attempt to catch the 12:45 PM ferry. When we arrived at the Duke Point ferry terminal about 12:30 PM, the 12:45 PM ferry was already full. As were the 3:15 PM and 5:45 PM ferries ! ! ! Good thing I had reservations on both of those !
We drove back into Nanaimo to have lunch. We refilled with diesel at a Co-op Fuel Bar, then had a very nice lunch at Smitty's. Don't think we've ever been to a Smitty's before. Good food, good service, how pleasant ! We finished lunch at 2 PM, and were back at the ferry terminal at 2:30 PM to check in for the 3:15 PM ferry. It was so hot and humid on the lowest level vehicle deck of the ferry we were reluctant to leave Ozzie in the very hot, stuffy cab of the truck. I attached a short tie-out to the fifth wheel hitch in the bed of the truck, and left Ozzie and his bed in the bed of the truck. Just like some kind of a miniature pit bull. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA.
The ferry arrived in Tsawwassen ( Vancouver ) on time at 5:15 PM. I told Joanne that if we didn't stop for supper or fuel, I could get us home in five hours. I did it in four hours and fifty minutes, arriving home at 10:05 PM. Of course, I had to drive like everyone else in the Lower Mainland, 30 km. / hr. over the speed limit !
As we drove through Abbotsford around 6:30 PM, 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper congestion ... WHOA ! SNOWBIRDS ! ! ! Nine red and white, little Tutor 33 jets, Canada's military precision aerobatics team. It's difficult to drive 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper, and watch an air show performance at the same time. HA HA HA ! Must be the famous Abbotsford International Air Show tonight / this weekend.
As we approached Hope, there was much wildfire. And many helicopters with buckets on long lines, all flying around like dragonflies, in the smoke ! SHEESH ! Methinks it's just a matter of time until two of these helicopter cowboys collide in mid-air.
Saturday ; Cloudy, warm, intermittent thunderstorms with huge drops of rain, on the verge of forming hailstones.
We slept very late. We deserved it ! I puttered around with job accounting. And I did some housecleaning. It's the time of year when little bugs come in at night, through the screens, and then die around my desk lamp and bedside lamp. I processed some photos from my camera to my computer. I lazed around and read a book. Too bad it's a crappy book !
DSK
This morning I did some budget planning. After lunch and a nap, I went fishing in the Similkameen River. First fishing outing to my "secret fishing hole" on the Similkameen River this summer season. I hiked upstream to my "secret fishing hole". < blink blink > It's not there anymore ! The entire river has changed as a result of this spring's flooding and extremely fast flow. I fished in a "new" set of rapids. The first Rainbow Trout that
I caught, I attempted to handle without a net. I pulled it up onto the rocks, unhooked it, picked it up to put it into my pail, and ... dropped the ****ing thing back into the river ...
< gritting my teeth >. Why carry a net if you're not going to use it, Dan ? ! ?
Including the one that I dropped back into the river, I caught five Rainbow Trout today. My daily limit of four ... into the freezer !
I shared my fishing space with a large family of ducks ... who seemed to be much more successful at catching fish than I was ! And an oriole. And a Bald Eagle. And a small rattlesnake ! The snake and I scared the bejesus out of one another ! ! ! HA HA HA !
I just about stepped on it ! It was very interesting to watch it drinking out of the river.
Monday ; Mostly sunny and hot, lots of wildfire smoke. Joanne baked a couple of apricot loaves in the Sun Oven today, somewhat hampered by the smoke The apricots came from the tree we planted about ten years ago on our previous home in this park, lot #89.
This morning I bought a checked baggage allowance on Joanne's flights to Winnipeg and back in a couple of months. Since when does a checked bag on an airline flight cost extra ? ! ? This afternoon we attempted ( unsuccessfully ) to clean the charcoal air filter on the back of our new ( to us ) evaporative ( swamp ) cooler. Evidently the previous owner was a smoker ! And the cool air emitted by the room air cooler smells of cigarette smoke ! Eventually we gave up trying different methods to clean the filter, and I figured out how to remove the old filter and how to replace it with a cat litter box air filter that I will cut to the correct size.
This afternoon after a cardiac exercise session in the swimming pool I adjusted the air pressure in my bicycle's tires, then inspected the caulking / sealant around the front upper bedroom window of the camper. Yes ... it needs to be replaced. It's old, and cracked, and falling off, creating risk of leaks around the window.
In the evening I did some preparing for our upcoming trailer delivery job to Vancouver Island, including preparing an invoice / receipt for the client. And doing online research to determine the exact length and weight of that model of trailer. < sigh > Thirty-nine feet, two inches in length, twelve feet, eight inches in height, twelve thousand four hundred pounds "dry" ( no water, propane, or anything else inside ). < sigh > And temperatures during our delivery trip well in excess of a hundred degrees F / reaching forty degrees C ! ! !
Tuesday ; Sunny and very hot.
This morning Joanne went to Penticton by herself for a day of running errands. I did pet ear and dental care, then made some appointments by phone. I did preventive maintenance on the truck, then loaded trailer towing equipment and supplies into the truck for the trailer towing job that starts tomorrow. I did some monthly investment statement reconciliations, and I went bicycling just before supper. We had an interesting new Mexican recipe for supper while watching Amazing Race Canada.
While in Penticton today Joanne bought a cat litter box charcoal filter, and tonight I cut it down to size to make it fit the evaporative / swamp cooler's filter panel. Well done !
Wednesday ; home to Winfield and return
Sunny and extremely hot.
We drove 150 km., THROUGH WESTBANK AND KELOWNA GRIDLOCK, to pick up a trailer for delivery. It wasn't ready ! Won't be ready until tomorrow ! Our return trip home was six hours / 434 km. of driving, due to a 284 km. detour caused by a
semi-trailer accident and fire very near to our home. Total driving today of 584 km. ... to accomplish NOTHING ! Will write more tomorrow while on ferry to Vancouver Island.
Left home at 11 AM. Drove to Penticton Hospital to have knee X-rayed. X-ray department short staffed, so wait time longer than one hour. UH-UH ... goodbye ! Drove to Westbank, refilled with diesel fuel. Drove into Kelowna, had lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory. Bought guy stuff at Princess Auto. Drove to Winfield, advised by RV dealership salesperson / client that trailer would not be ready until tomorrow morning. < sigh > Advised client that I would be billing $1 per km. for unproductive drive.
Drove back through Kelowna and Westbank rush hour gridlock. Decided to take "scenic route" home to buy RCMP Musical Ride tickets in Princeton. Had planned to buy them tomorrow, on way from home with trailer through Princeton on way to Lower Mainland ferry terminal, but ... trailer pick up tomorrow will result in changed route, not through Princeton. Bought tickets in Princeton, was not allowed to turn east on Hwy. 3 due to fiery semi-trailer crash between Hedley and Riverside RV Park Resort. Had to drive 65 km. north back to Okanagan Coquihalla Connector, 85 km. east to Peachland, south through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Keremeos, west to home. As we drove through the village of Keremeos in the dark we could see a lot of flames at the top of K Mountain, the mountain "backdrop" to the town.
Semi-trailer fire that caused our detour ignited new wildfire on each side of the
highway ! Good thing there were many nearby firefighting crews and bucket equipped helicopters that immediately responded, and had the brush fires on each side of the highway extinguished even before the semi-trailer was finished burning.
Thursday ; home to Winfield to Vancouver Island
Sunny and extremely hot, temperature in excess of 100º F / between 38º and 40º C.
Today, and ten days ago, were the two hottest days in BC recorded history. And on both of those days ... I was towing large and extremely heavy fifth wheel trailers on two of the most difficult roads in BC ... probably in all of Canada ; the Coquihalla Highway from Merritt to Hope, and the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector from Peachland to Merritt.
We left home this morning at 9 AM and drove 150 km. north ... ( again ! ) ... to Voyager RV in Winfield. On the way we refilled with diesel at Superstore in Westbank. We made good time and arrived at Voyager RV at 11:45 AM for our rescheduled noon pick up time. I bought something I needed in their parts department, then the salesperson guided us on a short drive to the dealership's storage yard. HOLY MACKEREL ... what a lot of inventory ! We were hitched up to the large fifth wheel trailer and on our way about 12:30 PM.
Back all the way through Kelowna, then Westbank / West Kelowna , and onto the "Connector" headed west. About 85 km. uphill from Peachland, then about 40 km. downhill to Merritt. I "managed" the ascent better than I did last week, and did not overheat the truck's engine and transmission ... as much ! Merritt to Hope, south on the Coquihalla for 115 km, about 65 km. uphill then 50 km. downhill. Also managed better than last week.
We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Hope, then continued west on Trans-Canada Highway 1 to the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area. Rush hour traffic was gridlocked through Abbotsford and Aldergrove ! We needed to be at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal by 7:30 PM for our 7:45 PM boarding time / 8:15 PM departure time. We arrived at 7 PM, giving us enough time to walk Ozzie and eat our picnic supper in the truck.
I am typing this on the ferry, at 9:15 PM. It arrived in Nanaimo about fifteen minutes late, at 10:30 PM. We were at our motel by 11 PM. BUT ... < sputter > ... despite addressing my need for a sixty foot long parking spot in my reservation, and again by phone ,,, there was nowhere for me to park the truck and trailer ! I advised the night clerk that I expected a no charge cancellation, and we left ... tired and frustrated. We spent about another frustrating hour searching for another motel to stay at. All we found ... with the assistance of a taxi driver ... was one motel whose rate was $175 per night, and Ozzie was not allowed ! We spent the night parked in the Nanaimo Visitor Information Centre parking lot.
I slept poorly. Joanne slept very poorly. Ozzie slept just fine ! And I agreed to Joanne's demand ; no more Vancouver Island trailer deliveries !
Friday ; Vancouver Island to home
Sunny and hot.
We washed up this morning in the Visitor Information Centre's bathrooms ... like the rest of the homeless people living in their cars in the parking lot ! We drove the short distance north from Nanaimo on Island Highway 19 to Parksville, arriving about 9:30 AM for our scheduled 11 AM trailer delivery. The clients were very eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new home, having spent the last two nights in a motel after selling their previous trailer. Positioning the large fifth wheel trailer in their RV park lot was extremely challenging, but ... that's why I get paid the big bucks ! HA HA HA !
We got the trailer positioned, levelled, set up, and did an orientation with the customers ... as pre-arranged ... and were finished and leaving at 11:30 AM. We rushed back to the Nanaimo ferry terminal in an attempt to catch the 12:45 PM ferry. When we arrived at the Duke Point ferry terminal about 12:30 PM, the 12:45 PM ferry was already full. As were the 3:15 PM and 5:45 PM ferries ! ! ! Good thing I had reservations on both of those !
We drove back into Nanaimo to have lunch. We refilled with diesel at a Co-op Fuel Bar, then had a very nice lunch at Smitty's. Don't think we've ever been to a Smitty's before. Good food, good service, how pleasant ! We finished lunch at 2 PM, and were back at the ferry terminal at 2:30 PM to check in for the 3:15 PM ferry. It was so hot and humid on the lowest level vehicle deck of the ferry we were reluctant to leave Ozzie in the very hot, stuffy cab of the truck. I attached a short tie-out to the fifth wheel hitch in the bed of the truck, and left Ozzie and his bed in the bed of the truck. Just like some kind of a miniature pit bull. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA.
The ferry arrived in Tsawwassen ( Vancouver ) on time at 5:15 PM. I told Joanne that if we didn't stop for supper or fuel, I could get us home in five hours. I did it in four hours and fifty minutes, arriving home at 10:05 PM. Of course, I had to drive like everyone else in the Lower Mainland, 30 km. / hr. over the speed limit !
As we drove through Abbotsford around 6:30 PM, 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper congestion ... WHOA ! SNOWBIRDS ! ! ! Nine red and white, little Tutor 33 jets, Canada's military precision aerobatics team. It's difficult to drive 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper, and watch an air show performance at the same time. HA HA HA ! Must be the famous Abbotsford International Air Show tonight / this weekend.
As we approached Hope, there was much wildfire. And many helicopters with buckets on long lines, all flying around like dragonflies, in the smoke ! SHEESH ! Methinks it's just a matter of time until two of these helicopter cowboys collide in mid-air.
Saturday ; Cloudy, warm, intermittent thunderstorms with huge drops of rain, on the verge of forming hailstones.
We slept very late. We deserved it ! I puttered around with job accounting. And I did some housecleaning. It's the time of year when little bugs come in at night, through the screens, and then die around my desk lamp and bedside lamp. I processed some photos from my camera to my computer. I lazed around and read a book. Too bad it's a crappy book !
DSK
Sunday, August 5, 2018
July 29 to August 4, 2018
Sunday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F ... or perhaps a bit more.
A fine day for our bedroom evaporative / "swamp" cooler to die ! Joanne cooked "fried" chicken in the Sun Oven today, as tomorrow's picnic supper after delivery of a trailer. Then she cooked stromboli in the Sun Oven for tonight's supper.
A couple of weeks ago I stubbed a toe on my left foot so badly that the toe turned purple and the nail turned black. Well ... today I did the same thing to the same toe on the other foot ! < sigh >
I finished my trip planning and motel reservations for the "maybe" trailer towing job in a couple of weeks. I updated my investments summary, which I do as a weekly monitoring / analysis of how our investments are doing. I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. We went to the swimming pool this afternoon but I didn't feel well today, so our time in the pool was just to cool down, not to exercise.
Monday ; home to Winfield to Surrey to home
Sunny and very hot, temperature 101º F / 38º C while we were driving on the Coquihalla in the afternoon.
It was a long, hot, tiring day of trailer towing, with death and destruction all around us, it seemed at times. We stopped around 9:15 PM in Hope to refill with diesel fuel for the second time today, and while we were getting refilled, a fiery, fatal crash took place on the Coquihalla Highway nearby. Then we continued eastbound towards home, on the Crowsnest Highway 3 which had just been reopened after being closed for part of the evening because a wildfire had jumped over the highway and was burning on both sides of the road. As we approached Princeton around 11 PM a double trailer semi had jackknifed, completely blocking the highway. We were able to go around it by driving onto a gravel area adjacent to the highway.
Yes, yes ... there's no doubt ... the most dangerous thing we do is highway driving ! ! !
We left home at 7:40 AM heading for Voyager RV in Winfield, about 10 km. north of the Kelowna airport. We made very good time, arriving just after 10 AM for our 10:30 AM trailer pick up. However ... Voyager RV was running late, so by the time the trailer was finished being washed, then an orientation with the new owners took about an hour, it was 11:30 AM before we could hitch up and go. Back through the traffic gridlock of Kelowna and Westbank / West Kelowna, then we turned west on the Okanagan Coquihalla Connector at Peachland headed for Merritt.
The Okanagan Coquihalla Connector is about 115 km. from Peachland to Merritt, half of it uphill, and half downhill ! With a filled freshwater tank, and two filled propane tanks, the 41 foot long fifth wheel trailer weighed about 15,000 pounds ! I set the truck's cruise control to 90 km. / hr. and up the big hill we went ! By the time we reached the Pennask Summit, the truck's engine ( coolant ) and transmission ( fluid ) were severely overheated. I had to park at the summit for awhile and allow everything to cool down.
Downhill to Merritt helped cool the truck down, then when we went to the Extra Foods Fuel Bar in Merritt to refill with diesel ... UH-OH ... no diesel ! Next available diesel would be 115 km. away in Hope. Wish me luck ! The Coquihalla from Merritt to Hope is half uphill, half downhill, like the Connector. Learning from the overheating lesson of the Connector, I set the truck's cruise control to 60 km. / hr., and limped slowly up the 50 to 60 km. long hill with flashers on, joining the big semi-trailer trucks doing the same. Lanoire handled it without overheating. Another life lesson learned ! The shoulder of the Coquihalla was littered with overheated vehicles !
We made it to Hope without running out of fuel. We refilled at Flying J ... their fuel pump electronics malfunctioning due to the heat ( over 100 degrees ), and an hour later we reached Chilliwack ... and Lower Mainland rush hour ! < sigh > It took another hour and a half of fighting rush hour traffic to get to the trailer delivery location, an RV park adjacent to the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey.
We arrived at the RV park at 6:15 PM, got the trailer positioned and unhitched, chatted with the new trailer's new owners about full time RV'ing / travelling ... ( not particularly feasible with a 41 foot trailer weighing 15,000 pounds, pal ! ) and left at 7 PM. About an hour later we were having a late picnic supper at a rest area near Abbotsford. We refilled with diesel again at Hope around 9:15 PM, and were back home at five minutes after midnight.
Tuesday ; Happy 57th Birthday to my brother Russell
Hot, thick smoke, ash falling from sky. A nearby wildfire flared up and grew large overnight. Keremeos and Cawston are on evacuation alert.
Joanne and Ozzie, both tired from yesterday's trailer delivery job, slept late. I don't understand, I did about 98 % of the work, Joanne did about 2 %, Ozzie did none. HA HA HA ! I got caught up on work not done yesterday, like writing yesterday's journal entry and doing yesterday's credit card accounting. I unloaded trailer towing equipment and supplies from the truck. I phoned a client to confirm whether or not they will require me to transport one of their trailers from Saskatoon to Vancouver in two weeks. She was unable to provide me with an answer ... yet. I did trailer towing job accounting. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises.
Joanne did online shopping for a room evaporative ( swamp ) cooler. Our current swamp cooler in the bedroom has given up the ghost. She found one in Penticton that looks promising. We'll see it tomorrow.
Wednesday ; Penticton
Sunny, very hot, some smoke haze.
We spent the day in Penticton running errands. That included me having an appointment with my new family doctor, and ... purchasing a near new evaporative
( swamp ) cooler for our bedroom. Time to "retire" the old swamp cooler that we bought five years ago for twenty bucks at a yard sale. The one we bought today is a 2017 or 2016 model with all the electronic bells and whistles. The old one is sort of the Model T version of swamp coolers. I'm tired of the endless quest to find replacement drive belts for it, which it consumes at the rate of about two per summer season. The only place
I have succeeded in finding replacement drive belts for it is at an industrial supply business in Yuma, Arizona. And since we were not there last winter ... I have run out of spare drive belts.
We left home at 11 AM and were back home at 7 PM.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot, windy.
A somewhat lazy day of puttering around with routine household chores.
I contemplated going fishing but ... too windy.
Friday ; Cloudy, windy, very warm.
This morning the RV dealership that hired me to deliver a trailer earlier this week hired me again to do another delivery next week, this time to Vancouver Island. And so the "maybe" long distance trailer delivery job next week for another client becomes the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job. And so ends the short lived relationship with that client who has "ghosted" me regarding that job.
After an early ( for us ) lunch we headed into Keremeos. While I went for a haircut and beard trim Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and shopped for produce. After she picked me up at the hair stylist place I went to the pharmacy and she went to the credit union to get coinage. After we returned home I napped briefly then we went to the swimming pool and did aquatic cardiac exercises.
In the evening I cancelled the five motel reservations I had made for the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job, and made a motel reservation and multiple ferry reservations to and from Vancouver Island.
Saturday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, smoky in the evening.
This morning I used my multi-meter to test the 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC converters for our two vehicle fridges, one in the truck and one in the minivan. HA HA HA ... our third vehicle fridge is in OB, our SUV in Yuma. One of the converters seemed to malfunction recently, and today I proved that. One converter was producing fourteen volts DC ... correct ... and the other was producing two volts DC. PHHHHT ... into the garbage that one went !
We did some gardening. Joanne harvested lettuce, then culled out old, overgrown lettuce. I culled out all the peas, no longer producing. I replanted a variety of lettuce, and some cilantro. We gave Ozzie a bath. Joanne did laundry. I contemplated going fishing in the afternoon, but it was windy at that time, and some ugly clouds were rolling in.
In the evening I purchased our winter travel medical insurance, a more complicated
( and expensive ! ) process each year, it seems.
DSK
A fine day for our bedroom evaporative / "swamp" cooler to die ! Joanne cooked "fried" chicken in the Sun Oven today, as tomorrow's picnic supper after delivery of a trailer. Then she cooked stromboli in the Sun Oven for tonight's supper.
A couple of weeks ago I stubbed a toe on my left foot so badly that the toe turned purple and the nail turned black. Well ... today I did the same thing to the same toe on the other foot ! < sigh >
I finished my trip planning and motel reservations for the "maybe" trailer towing job in a couple of weeks. I updated my investments summary, which I do as a weekly monitoring / analysis of how our investments are doing. I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. We went to the swimming pool this afternoon but I didn't feel well today, so our time in the pool was just to cool down, not to exercise.
Monday ; home to Winfield to Surrey to home
Sunny and very hot, temperature 101º F / 38º C while we were driving on the Coquihalla in the afternoon.
It was a long, hot, tiring day of trailer towing, with death and destruction all around us, it seemed at times. We stopped around 9:15 PM in Hope to refill with diesel fuel for the second time today, and while we were getting refilled, a fiery, fatal crash took place on the Coquihalla Highway nearby. Then we continued eastbound towards home, on the Crowsnest Highway 3 which had just been reopened after being closed for part of the evening because a wildfire had jumped over the highway and was burning on both sides of the road. As we approached Princeton around 11 PM a double trailer semi had jackknifed, completely blocking the highway. We were able to go around it by driving onto a gravel area adjacent to the highway.
Yes, yes ... there's no doubt ... the most dangerous thing we do is highway driving ! ! !
We left home at 7:40 AM heading for Voyager RV in Winfield, about 10 km. north of the Kelowna airport. We made very good time, arriving just after 10 AM for our 10:30 AM trailer pick up. However ... Voyager RV was running late, so by the time the trailer was finished being washed, then an orientation with the new owners took about an hour, it was 11:30 AM before we could hitch up and go. Back through the traffic gridlock of Kelowna and Westbank / West Kelowna, then we turned west on the Okanagan Coquihalla Connector at Peachland headed for Merritt.
The Okanagan Coquihalla Connector is about 115 km. from Peachland to Merritt, half of it uphill, and half downhill ! With a filled freshwater tank, and two filled propane tanks, the 41 foot long fifth wheel trailer weighed about 15,000 pounds ! I set the truck's cruise control to 90 km. / hr. and up the big hill we went ! By the time we reached the Pennask Summit, the truck's engine ( coolant ) and transmission ( fluid ) were severely overheated. I had to park at the summit for awhile and allow everything to cool down.
Downhill to Merritt helped cool the truck down, then when we went to the Extra Foods Fuel Bar in Merritt to refill with diesel ... UH-OH ... no diesel ! Next available diesel would be 115 km. away in Hope. Wish me luck ! The Coquihalla from Merritt to Hope is half uphill, half downhill, like the Connector. Learning from the overheating lesson of the Connector, I set the truck's cruise control to 60 km. / hr., and limped slowly up the 50 to 60 km. long hill with flashers on, joining the big semi-trailer trucks doing the same. Lanoire handled it without overheating. Another life lesson learned ! The shoulder of the Coquihalla was littered with overheated vehicles !
We made it to Hope without running out of fuel. We refilled at Flying J ... their fuel pump electronics malfunctioning due to the heat ( over 100 degrees ), and an hour later we reached Chilliwack ... and Lower Mainland rush hour ! < sigh > It took another hour and a half of fighting rush hour traffic to get to the trailer delivery location, an RV park adjacent to the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey.
We arrived at the RV park at 6:15 PM, got the trailer positioned and unhitched, chatted with the new trailer's new owners about full time RV'ing / travelling ... ( not particularly feasible with a 41 foot trailer weighing 15,000 pounds, pal ! ) and left at 7 PM. About an hour later we were having a late picnic supper at a rest area near Abbotsford. We refilled with diesel again at Hope around 9:15 PM, and were back home at five minutes after midnight.
Tuesday ; Happy 57th Birthday to my brother Russell
Hot, thick smoke, ash falling from sky. A nearby wildfire flared up and grew large overnight. Keremeos and Cawston are on evacuation alert.
Joanne and Ozzie, both tired from yesterday's trailer delivery job, slept late. I don't understand, I did about 98 % of the work, Joanne did about 2 %, Ozzie did none. HA HA HA ! I got caught up on work not done yesterday, like writing yesterday's journal entry and doing yesterday's credit card accounting. I unloaded trailer towing equipment and supplies from the truck. I phoned a client to confirm whether or not they will require me to transport one of their trailers from Saskatoon to Vancouver in two weeks. She was unable to provide me with an answer ... yet. I did trailer towing job accounting. We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises.
Joanne did online shopping for a room evaporative ( swamp ) cooler. Our current swamp cooler in the bedroom has given up the ghost. She found one in Penticton that looks promising. We'll see it tomorrow.
Wednesday ; Penticton
Sunny, very hot, some smoke haze.
We spent the day in Penticton running errands. That included me having an appointment with my new family doctor, and ... purchasing a near new evaporative
( swamp ) cooler for our bedroom. Time to "retire" the old swamp cooler that we bought five years ago for twenty bucks at a yard sale. The one we bought today is a 2017 or 2016 model with all the electronic bells and whistles. The old one is sort of the Model T version of swamp coolers. I'm tired of the endless quest to find replacement drive belts for it, which it consumes at the rate of about two per summer season. The only place
I have succeeded in finding replacement drive belts for it is at an industrial supply business in Yuma, Arizona. And since we were not there last winter ... I have run out of spare drive belts.
We left home at 11 AM and were back home at 7 PM.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot, windy.
A somewhat lazy day of puttering around with routine household chores.
I contemplated going fishing but ... too windy.
Friday ; Cloudy, windy, very warm.
This morning the RV dealership that hired me to deliver a trailer earlier this week hired me again to do another delivery next week, this time to Vancouver Island. And so the "maybe" long distance trailer delivery job next week for another client becomes the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job. And so ends the short lived relationship with that client who has "ghosted" me regarding that job.
After an early ( for us ) lunch we headed into Keremeos. While I went for a haircut and beard trim Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and shopped for produce. After she picked me up at the hair stylist place I went to the pharmacy and she went to the credit union to get coinage. After we returned home I napped briefly then we went to the swimming pool and did aquatic cardiac exercises.
In the evening I cancelled the five motel reservations I had made for the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job, and made a motel reservation and multiple ferry reservations to and from Vancouver Island.
Saturday ; Mostly sunny, very warm, smoky in the evening.
This morning I used my multi-meter to test the 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC converters for our two vehicle fridges, one in the truck and one in the minivan. HA HA HA ... our third vehicle fridge is in OB, our SUV in Yuma. One of the converters seemed to malfunction recently, and today I proved that. One converter was producing fourteen volts DC ... correct ... and the other was producing two volts DC. PHHHHT ... into the garbage that one went !
We did some gardening. Joanne harvested lettuce, then culled out old, overgrown lettuce. I culled out all the peas, no longer producing. I replanted a variety of lettuce, and some cilantro. We gave Ozzie a bath. Joanne did laundry. I contemplated going fishing in the afternoon, but it was windy at that time, and some ugly clouds were rolling in.
In the evening I purchased our winter travel medical insurance, a more complicated
( and expensive ! ) process each year, it seems.
DSK
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