Sunday ; Cloudy, windy, cool.
I spent much of the afternoon doing preventive maintenance chores on the truck and the minivan.
Monday ; home to Oroville, Washington to Fintry, BC to home
Mix of sun and clouds, a few minutes of rain while driving near Summerland in
mid-afternoon.
Long day of trailer towing. Left home at 10 AM. Arrived back home at 7:45 PM. Just about schmucked a deer in the dark just before I got back home !
Left home at 10 AM. Drove east on Hwy. 3 to and through Keremeos and Cawston and to Osoyoos. Met client at Visitor Information Centre. She got into my truck and we drove across the border to Oroville, Washington to pick up her fifth wheel trailer at a service station about half a mile from the border. It had been sitting there for eight days, since an American trailer towing service left it there when he was not permitted to enter Canada. He had towed the trailer from the seller's location in Bellingham, Washington, and was not aware that he lacked the proper credentials to cross the border into Canada with a trailer that he did not own. Amateur ! The buyer of the trailer hired me to pick it up in Oroville and deliver it to her home in Fintry, BC, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, across the lake from Kelowna and Vernon.
We crossed the border into the United States uneventfully, picked up the trailer, and returned to the border. We crossed back into Canada, and I waited while the client did the importation paperwork and paid the taxes owing. I drove her back to the Visitor Information Centre where her car was parked, and we proceeded north on Hwy. 97. We stopped in Oliver to have lunch at Tim Hortons. Thank you for buying me lunch, Shelly ! We continued north on Hwy. 97. I stopped in Okanagan Falls to walk Ozzie and feed him his lunch meal. Past Kaleden to Penticton, then Summerland, Peachland, and Westbank. We stopped at an insurance agency in Westbank for the client to do more paperwork.
At Westbank we got onto Westside Road, the difficult, narrow road following the west shore of Okanagan Lake. Her home was near Fintry, a village ( and nearby provincial park ) about 35 km / 20 miles or so from Westbank. We arrived at her home about
4 PM. An hour later the trailer was positioned and unhitched, and I was leaving for the return trip home ... with a generous tip in my pocket. Thank you ! The client appreciated how good I am at what I do, and wants to hire me again for a small trailer towing job in a few weeks when her trailer needs to be taken back to Westbank for a CSA inspection and certification. I gave her a quote, but ... I'm not sure I can make the logistics of that job work.
In Penticton I stopped at Rona to buy an item, then to Safeway to use the BMO ATM to deposit my job payment before refilling with diesel at Mobil. Arrived back home at
7:45 PM. Had leftovers for supper. Upon our return home Ozzie immediately went to sleep. HA HA HA ... trailer towing all day is tough work for an old dog !
All day long I have been suffering considerable chest pain. My sternum ... sawn apart during bypass surgery ... and / or my pectoral muscles ... cut during bypass surgery ... may not yet be sufficiently healed ... and maybe never will be ... to allow me to lift the fifth wheel hitch ( 75 pounds ? ) high enough to get it into the bed of the truck, as I did yesterday ! OW !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm, a very nice fall day. Too bad I was too sick to enjoy it !
I had an unpleasant night. In addition to suffering from considerable chest pain due to some manner of self-inflicted injury to my sternum or pectoral muscles by lifting the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck, I suffered overwhelming nausea due to
self -inflicted food poisoning ... again ! I was unable to eat much today, and spent too much time in the bathroom with cramps and diarrhea.
Note to self ; don't keep any Dolly Varden Trout caught in the future !
This afternoon I unloaded all the trailer towing equipment and supplies out of the truck, then recruited our neighbour Lyle to help me remove the fifth wheel hitch head out of the truck bed. < sigh > I must conclude that my heavy lifting days are over ! I thought that my sternum and pectoral muscles would be sufficiently healed a year after my bypass surgery to allow me to do heavy lifting, but ... apparently not !
Wednesday ; Sunny and warm, no wind, a really lovely fall day. Should go fishing for the last time this season !
So ... this afternoon that's what I did. And set a new record for catching my limit of four Rainbow Trout. Previous record was twenty-seven minutes. Broke that record today by catching four Rainbow Trout in the first twenty-four minutes of fishing ! And then they stopped biting ! Fished for a total of seventy-five minutes, caught six Rainbows in total. I returned home, cleaned the fish that I kept, gave two to my neighbour Betty.
Felt healthy today after a couple of days of illness. Prepared a real supper. Garden salad, baked Rainbow Trout, French fries, sautéed mushrooms, Key Lime pie. Watched the season premiere of Survivor.
Thursday ; Cloudy, mild.
While having lunch I watched a few minutes of the Kavanaugh / Ford spectacle.
< rolling my eyes > God Bless America ! ! !
This afternoon I did a "home improvement" project on the camper. I installed a fresh air intake vent to provide an air supply to the WAVE 6 catalytic infrared heater. I cut a hole in the wall of the camper near the heater and installed a ceiling register that can be opened ( and closed ) to allow fresh air in to feed the heater's need for oxygen.
Friday ; Cloudy and mild.
I was awakened early this morning by a telephone call. From Joanne ! Who apparently can not calculate time zone differences ! ! ! < scowl >
This afternoon I did laundry, not a chore I excel at ! I also refilled the freshwater tank in the camper, and installed the camper onto the truck. Around supper time I went to the swimming pool and did a cardiac rehab aquatic exercise session. After a late supper
I watched the Jack Reacher movie on TV. It was great ! I'm a fan of the Jack Reacher novels.
Poor Emma seems to have an upper respiratory infection / kitty cat cold. I began administering Mucotox, an upper respiratory infection medication that I purchase in Mexico, have used ever since the days of Teddy the cat, and seems to work effectively. BUT ... Emma REALLY hates it ! My poor baby Emma. It’s so difficult to intentionally cause them distress and discomfort !
Saturday ; First anniversary of coronary artery bypass surgery
Cloudy and mild.
OW OW OW OW OW ! ! ! It hurts like hell to wash dishes ... with the severe burns I got on my right hand a few hours ago !
This afternoon I prepared for departure and travel tomorrow, to go to Abbotsford to pick Joanne up at the airport early Monday morning. While making lunch ... a pot of soup
I was preparing boiled over. After lunch, when I lifted the stove top to clean underneath ... YUCK ! Does my little wifey never clean underneath the stove top ? ! ?
I cleaned and washed underneath the stove top, then ... I had some difficulty getting the burners to light, after I had removed them, washed them, and reinstalled them.
I fussed, and fiddled, and ... eventually ... burned the palm and little finger of my right hand ! They are at least second degree burns ! Hurts like hell !
I'm eager for Joanne's return. I sustain far fewer injuries when she's here. HA HA HA HA HA !
The Saturday Night Live opening skit featuring Matt Damon as Judge Brett Kavanaugh was hilarious ! And spot on !
DSK
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Sunday, September 23, 2018
September 16 to 22, 2018
Sunday ; Cool, overcast and raining early in the day, clearing and warming in the afternoon.
Trimmed Emma's claws this morning. Always fun to trim a cat's claws ... outdoors in the rain ! Trimmed my beard in the afternoon. Always fun to trim my beard ... you know the rest ! HA HA HA ! Fixed a minor problem on my bicycle. Replenished toiletries and supplies in the camper.
Went to the Keremeos Grist Mill for one of their monthly dinners, our first time. It was great. Thirty-two people seated at two long tables, food served family style. Slow cooked ( twelve hour ) beef brisket, garden salad with flowers from the Grist Mill's gardens, honey glazed local carrots, many varieties of locally grown heirloom tomatoes, dessert was baked local pears with local walnuts and spiced local honey drizzled on them. These locally sourced monthly dinners are a new pet project of the owner / operator of the Grist Mill. Well done ! The marinated heirloom tomatoes were the highlight, in my opinion. Says the guy who ate at least a pound of brisket ! HA HA HA !
After returning home we visited briefly with Jeanine, primarily to deliver to her the two Rainbow Trout that I caught and kept yesterday. They were small, what I call "widow size". HA HA HA !
Monday ; Sunny and mild, a lovely fall day. Joanne baked a plum cake in the Sun Oven today. Plums from our park's orchard !
This morning our neighbour across the street came over and asked for our help to trim her new cat's claws. So ... across the street we went to trim Darlene's cat's razor sharp claws. And I have the lacerated thumb to prove it ! HA HA HA ! Chili the cat was not co-operative.
This afternoon I took the truck into town to get an adjustment done on the gear selector display. While in town I renewed our fifth wheel trailer's license and insurance policy. And I refilled our barbecue's propane tank. Back at home I exercised our little generator, and did some online financial work. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and resumed our regular aquatic exercise program. After supper we watched the Emmy Awards show.
Tuesday ; Penticton
Sunny and warm again, another lovely fall day. We spent the day in Penticton, running errands.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, mild, heavy rain briefly around suppertime.
As we walked Ozzie around noon, our neighbour / friend Jeanine invited us to visit. She wanted to tell us that ... her little dog Charlie had died. < sigh > Farewell, Charlie. I will miss you. I'm glad that when we last visited a few days ago I took the time to give Charlie some attention and affection.
This afternoon I went fishing. I fished for an hour and three quarters, caught five Rainbow Trout, released one, kept four, the legal daily limit. I decided to return home when an ugly looking cloud appeared over the mountain behind me. The hike from home to my fishing spot takes about twenty minutes. After about five minutes of hiking from my fishing spot back to home it began to rain lightly. After about ten minutes it was raining harder. After about fifteen minutes it was a torrential downpour. < sigh > By the time I arrived home, I was drenched ! From my chest up to the top of my head ! HA HA HA ... I was wearing my new chest waders.
I cleaned the fish, then Joanne made an excellent squash and cilantro ( from our garden ) soup for supper.
Thursday ; Cloudy and mild, a bit of light rain around lunch time.
This morning I replaced the rubber propane hose from our large propane tank to our house with a copper tubing line, in order to comply with regulations. While I was doing that our friend Jeanine came over with more of Charlie's stuff. She has given all of Charlie's stuff to us, to get rid of. Isn't it bad grammar to end a sentence with a preposition ? This afternoon I cleaned and sorted all of Charlie's stuff. He had a very impressive inventory of clothing and bedding and medications, for such a little dog.
Both of us spent quite a bit of time preparing for travel. Joanne is leaving tomorrow for a ten day trip to Winnipeg, departing from Abbotsford Airport. And I am driving her to Abbotsford, then will attend an RV show in Abbotsford and boondock overnight somewhere before returning home Saturday.
I got hired today to transport a fifth wheel trailer from Oroville, Washington ( across the border from Osoyoos ) to Kelowna on Monday.
Friday ; home to Abbotsford
Cloudy and mild, heavy rain in Abbotsford in the afternoon and evening.
This morning we completed our preparations for travel and departed from home at 11:40 AM, heading west on Hwy. 3. Ozzie was with us, Emma stayed home. Through Princeton and into Manning Provincial Park, we stopped for lunch at Beaver Pond Trailhead. At Hope we refilled with diesel at Flying J then continued west on
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 through Chilliwack to Abbotsford. We arrived at the Abbotsford Airport at 4:10 PM, just in time for Joanne's 4:30 PM check-in time for her ( very cheap ) flight to Winnipeg.
After dropping Joanne off at the airport I drove next door to Tradex, a large convention centre where the Snowbird RV Show was being held. I got parked, napped briefly, then went into the RV show at 5:30 PM. By 7:30 PM I had seen all the exhibits and exhibitors and was ready to leave when I bumped into Richard and Doris, neighbours of ours at Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park in Yuma, Arizona. We chatted for about half an hour, then I returned to our camper in the parking lot at 8 PM. I contemplated just staying there overnight, but decided to drive a short distance to a rest area on the
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 eastbound at mile marker 99.
At 8:50 PM I received a text message from Joanne's sister Lorraine that Joanne had arrived safely in Winnipeg. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I arrived at the rest area and discovered that electrical pedestals for RV's had just been installed at the rest area's RV parking area. How wonderful ! I got parked and plugged in, then made and ate a late supper. I washed dishes, then ... discovered that the rest area also had free Wi-Fi ! WOO-HOO ! Life is good !
Saturday ; Abbotsford to home
Raining heavily all day. I hate this kind of fall weather ! ! !
I departed the Abbotsford rest area at 11:20 AM and headed for home, eastbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. At Hope I continued east on Crowsnest Hwy. 3. I stopped to eat lunch in the camper at Coldspring Campground in Manning Provincial Park.
I refilled with diesel at Petro-Canada in Princeton. I arrived home at 3:20 PM. Emma was very glad to see me. Ozzie immediately went for a long nap. The ongoing rain hampered my ability to unload the camper and remove it from the truck.
After the rain stopped around 6 PM I went outside and removed the camper from the truck, then installed the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck. That was the first time I have lifted the fifth wheel hitch by myself since before my triple bypass surgery almost a year ago. I loaded all the necessary trailer towing supplies and equipment into the truck for a job I have on Monday. I finished around 7:30 PM and it was already almost dark.
DSK
Trimmed Emma's claws this morning. Always fun to trim a cat's claws ... outdoors in the rain ! Trimmed my beard in the afternoon. Always fun to trim my beard ... you know the rest ! HA HA HA ! Fixed a minor problem on my bicycle. Replenished toiletries and supplies in the camper.
Went to the Keremeos Grist Mill for one of their monthly dinners, our first time. It was great. Thirty-two people seated at two long tables, food served family style. Slow cooked ( twelve hour ) beef brisket, garden salad with flowers from the Grist Mill's gardens, honey glazed local carrots, many varieties of locally grown heirloom tomatoes, dessert was baked local pears with local walnuts and spiced local honey drizzled on them. These locally sourced monthly dinners are a new pet project of the owner / operator of the Grist Mill. Well done ! The marinated heirloom tomatoes were the highlight, in my opinion. Says the guy who ate at least a pound of brisket ! HA HA HA !
After returning home we visited briefly with Jeanine, primarily to deliver to her the two Rainbow Trout that I caught and kept yesterday. They were small, what I call "widow size". HA HA HA !
Monday ; Sunny and mild, a lovely fall day. Joanne baked a plum cake in the Sun Oven today. Plums from our park's orchard !
This morning our neighbour across the street came over and asked for our help to trim her new cat's claws. So ... across the street we went to trim Darlene's cat's razor sharp claws. And I have the lacerated thumb to prove it ! HA HA HA ! Chili the cat was not co-operative.
This afternoon I took the truck into town to get an adjustment done on the gear selector display. While in town I renewed our fifth wheel trailer's license and insurance policy. And I refilled our barbecue's propane tank. Back at home I exercised our little generator, and did some online financial work. Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and resumed our regular aquatic exercise program. After supper we watched the Emmy Awards show.
Tuesday ; Penticton
Sunny and warm again, another lovely fall day. We spent the day in Penticton, running errands.
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, mild, heavy rain briefly around suppertime.
As we walked Ozzie around noon, our neighbour / friend Jeanine invited us to visit. She wanted to tell us that ... her little dog Charlie had died. < sigh > Farewell, Charlie. I will miss you. I'm glad that when we last visited a few days ago I took the time to give Charlie some attention and affection.
This afternoon I went fishing. I fished for an hour and three quarters, caught five Rainbow Trout, released one, kept four, the legal daily limit. I decided to return home when an ugly looking cloud appeared over the mountain behind me. The hike from home to my fishing spot takes about twenty minutes. After about five minutes of hiking from my fishing spot back to home it began to rain lightly. After about ten minutes it was raining harder. After about fifteen minutes it was a torrential downpour. < sigh > By the time I arrived home, I was drenched ! From my chest up to the top of my head ! HA HA HA ... I was wearing my new chest waders.
I cleaned the fish, then Joanne made an excellent squash and cilantro ( from our garden ) soup for supper.
Thursday ; Cloudy and mild, a bit of light rain around lunch time.
This morning I replaced the rubber propane hose from our large propane tank to our house with a copper tubing line, in order to comply with regulations. While I was doing that our friend Jeanine came over with more of Charlie's stuff. She has given all of Charlie's stuff to us, to get rid of. Isn't it bad grammar to end a sentence with a preposition ? This afternoon I cleaned and sorted all of Charlie's stuff. He had a very impressive inventory of clothing and bedding and medications, for such a little dog.
Both of us spent quite a bit of time preparing for travel. Joanne is leaving tomorrow for a ten day trip to Winnipeg, departing from Abbotsford Airport. And I am driving her to Abbotsford, then will attend an RV show in Abbotsford and boondock overnight somewhere before returning home Saturday.
I got hired today to transport a fifth wheel trailer from Oroville, Washington ( across the border from Osoyoos ) to Kelowna on Monday.
Friday ; home to Abbotsford
Cloudy and mild, heavy rain in Abbotsford in the afternoon and evening.
This morning we completed our preparations for travel and departed from home at 11:40 AM, heading west on Hwy. 3. Ozzie was with us, Emma stayed home. Through Princeton and into Manning Provincial Park, we stopped for lunch at Beaver Pond Trailhead. At Hope we refilled with diesel at Flying J then continued west on
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 through Chilliwack to Abbotsford. We arrived at the Abbotsford Airport at 4:10 PM, just in time for Joanne's 4:30 PM check-in time for her ( very cheap ) flight to Winnipeg.
After dropping Joanne off at the airport I drove next door to Tradex, a large convention centre where the Snowbird RV Show was being held. I got parked, napped briefly, then went into the RV show at 5:30 PM. By 7:30 PM I had seen all the exhibits and exhibitors and was ready to leave when I bumped into Richard and Doris, neighbours of ours at Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park in Yuma, Arizona. We chatted for about half an hour, then I returned to our camper in the parking lot at 8 PM. I contemplated just staying there overnight, but decided to drive a short distance to a rest area on the
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 eastbound at mile marker 99.
At 8:50 PM I received a text message from Joanne's sister Lorraine that Joanne had arrived safely in Winnipeg. Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I arrived at the rest area and discovered that electrical pedestals for RV's had just been installed at the rest area's RV parking area. How wonderful ! I got parked and plugged in, then made and ate a late supper. I washed dishes, then ... discovered that the rest area also had free Wi-Fi ! WOO-HOO ! Life is good !
Saturday ; Abbotsford to home
Raining heavily all day. I hate this kind of fall weather ! ! !
I departed the Abbotsford rest area at 11:20 AM and headed for home, eastbound on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. At Hope I continued east on Crowsnest Hwy. 3. I stopped to eat lunch in the camper at Coldspring Campground in Manning Provincial Park.
I refilled with diesel at Petro-Canada in Princeton. I arrived home at 3:20 PM. Emma was very glad to see me. Ozzie immediately went for a long nap. The ongoing rain hampered my ability to unload the camper and remove it from the truck.
After the rain stopped around 6 PM I went outside and removed the camper from the truck, then installed the fifth wheel hitch into the bed of the truck. That was the first time I have lifted the fifth wheel hitch by myself since before my triple bypass surgery almost a year ago. I loaded all the necessary trailer towing supplies and equipment into the truck for a job I have on Monday. I finished around 7:30 PM and it was already almost dark.
DSK
Sunday, September 16, 2018
September 9 to 15, 2018 ; return from Bella Coola trip ; Pyper Lake BCFSRS to home
Sunday ; Pyper Lake BCFSRS to Farwell Canyon to Till Lake BCFSRS
This morning we departed the remote wilderness campground at Pyper Lake, drove back to Chilcotin Hwy. 20 and resumed heading east towards Williams Lake. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre in Alexis Creek to use their sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We stopped to have lunch at a roadside rest area. Just before Riske Creek we turned south on Farwell Canyon Road and drove 24 km. to the bridge over the Chilcotin River in Farwell Canyon to watch the Natives dip netting for Sockeye Salmon in the roaring rapids. We had done this before, about four years ago, on our previous trip to Bella Coola. Today the Natives were unsuccessful at catching any Sockeye Salmon. Apparently the Sockeye Salmon run on the Chilcotin River has just ended.
We returned to Chilcotin Hwy. 20 and continued eastward towards Williams Lake. Less than an hour from Williams Lake I decided, on impulse, to go and see the BC Forest Service Recreation Site remote wilderness campground at Till Lake. It was about
16 km. / 10 km. of gravel road off the highway. When we got here, we liked it and decided to stay.
We selected a site and I spent what little was left of the afternoon fishing. Didn't catch anything. Lost lots of fishing tackle ! Good thing I'm planning a trip to Surplus Herby's in Williams Lake tomorrow. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Till Lake BCFCRS to Williams Lake
Cloudy and mild.
I was very sick overnight, with cramps and overwhelming nausea from 3 AM until 7:30 AM. Not colitis, more likely food poisoning. I remained ill all day long, but not as severe as during the night.
This morning we left the Till Lake remote wilderness campground, drove about
16 km. / 10 miles back to Chilcotin Hwy. 20, then east to Williams Lake. We spent the day running errands in Williams Lake. First stop was the Fairgrounds where we dumped our waste holing tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. Then to Wal-Mart for shopping. When the shopping was finished we had lunch in the camper. I was feeling quite ill, and very tired, so I took a long nap after lunch.
Next stop was Real Canadian Wholesale Club where I refilled Lanoire with diesel at their fuel bar, then we did more grocery shopping. We went to Surplus Herby's where
I bought quite a bit of fishing tackle and a pair of chest waders, sort of an early birthday present to myself. I enjoy shopping at Surplus Herby's, it's a great sporting goods store. Last shopping stop was Safeway's for even more grocery shopping. We returned to Wal-Mart where I parked close enough to the store to enable their free Wi-Fi signal to reach us, and I did a couple of hours of online "catch-up" work, including posting my weekly journal to my blog, always a time consuming task when we're travelling, because I usually have many photos to upload. When I was finished using the Wi-Fi I moved the truck and camper to the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot, where RV's are expected to park if boondocking overnight.
While Joanne was inside Wal-Mart doing the shopping this morning, I retrieved phone messages and returned phone calls. We have not had cell phone service since last Thursday morning. I prepared a trailer towing quote for an RV dealer that is a repeat customer. The sales rep declined my quote because a competitor had quoted about 15% less than me for the job. I agonized for the rest of day, second guessing myself, wondering if I should price match to keep myself "desirable" to the dealership. I'm still uncertain, but likely will not price match. I don't want to get into "bidding wars", and
I don't really want to get business by being the cheapest trailer towing service provider.
My prices are fair and reasonable. Most importantly ... I'm exceptionally good at what
I do. Take it or leave it ! There we go ... I've made my decision.
Tuesday ; Williams Lake to Kamloops
Mostly cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain as we drove in the afternoon.
We took care of some errands in Williams Lake this morning before departing. First stop after leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot was the Fairgrounds where we once again dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater at the Fairground's
sani-dump station. Then we refilled an empty propane tank at Best Buy Propane. Last stop in Williams Lake was to wash the truck and camper at Speedy Petey's. Travelling to BCFSRS remote wilderness campgrounds, always down muddy roads, left a lot of sticky mud glued all over and under the truck and camper.
South on Cariboo Hwy. 97 to 100 Mile House where we stopped for Joanne to buy some needed items at Dollar Tree ... ( J ; "hell of a lot better than Dollarama in Williams Lake" ) ... and we had lunch in the camper. Still needing to recuperate a bit from yesterday's bout of food poisoning, I napped after lunch even though we still had a lot of driving to do. After I napped with Ozzie for an hour we continued south out of 100 Mile House a short distance on Hwy. 97, then turned east on Hwy. 24, heading to Little Fort, where we turned south again on Hwy. 5 heading to Kamloops. We arrived in Kamloops about 5:30 PM.
We went shopping for some advertised items at Princess Auto, and then Liquidation Supercentre. After shopping we found our way to the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre to boondock overnight, arriving there at 8 PM, just as it got dark.
Wednesday ; Kamloops to home
Overcast, cool, intermittent light rain.
We left the parking lot of the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre this morning and drove west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 a short distance out of the city, then turned south on Coquihalla Hwy. 5 to Merritt. At Merritt I refilled the truck with diesel at Extra Foods Fuel Bar while Joanne went into the store to buy a jug of milk. From Merritt we headed east on the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector to Hwy. 5A where we turned south towards Princeton. At Princeton we turned east on Hwy. 3 for the final leg to home. We arrived home at 4:30 PM.
The house next door ... Ozzie's old home ... has been removed. We thought Ozzie might be concerned about the absence of his old home, but ... he either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
Emma is very happy to be home !
Thursday ; Cloudy and cool, a bit of rain in the afternoon.
Today was mostly a day of "return home" chores. Joanne did a lot of laundry. We unloaded stuff from the camper and put it away. I made some phone calls. I put away all the stuff we had purchased over the last couple of weeks while we travelled. I got caught up on Internet work.
Friday ; Mostly cloudy, cool.
Joanne went to Penticton by herself this morning for a day of running errands, including her first meeting with my new, now our new, family doctor. I remained home, continuing with "return home from vacation" chores. I continued to unload stuff from the camper and put it away, including all my fishing tackle, both fly fishing and traditional fishing gear. I spent quite awhile online, registering and updating our recently purchased GPS unit.
Saturday ; Overcast and cool.
This morning I sold our minivan's snow tires. Very embarrassing ! As the buyer was looking at them, she discovered a screw embedded in one of the tires, puncturing right through it. Nevertheless ... she bought the tires.
Early in the afternoon I worked on camper replenishment, cleaning, and maintenance. Late in the afternoon I went fishing, using my recently purchased chest waders for the first time. Fished for an hour and three quarters, caught three Rainbow Trout, kept two of them.
In the evening we watched a repeat broadcast of the Amazing Race Canada finale which we missed last Tuesday. We watched the show while eating our supper of barbecued Coho Salmon, which I caught in the Atnarko River. Oh, my goodness, that's good fish ! Emma loooooves it ! HA HA HA !
DSK
This morning we departed the remote wilderness campground at Pyper Lake, drove back to Chilcotin Hwy. 20 and resumed heading east towards Williams Lake. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre in Alexis Creek to use their sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We stopped to have lunch at a roadside rest area. Just before Riske Creek we turned south on Farwell Canyon Road and drove 24 km. to the bridge over the Chilcotin River in Farwell Canyon to watch the Natives dip netting for Sockeye Salmon in the roaring rapids. We had done this before, about four years ago, on our previous trip to Bella Coola. Today the Natives were unsuccessful at catching any Sockeye Salmon. Apparently the Sockeye Salmon run on the Chilcotin River has just ended.
We returned to Chilcotin Hwy. 20 and continued eastward towards Williams Lake. Less than an hour from Williams Lake I decided, on impulse, to go and see the BC Forest Service Recreation Site remote wilderness campground at Till Lake. It was about
16 km. / 10 km. of gravel road off the highway. When we got here, we liked it and decided to stay.
We selected a site and I spent what little was left of the afternoon fishing. Didn't catch anything. Lost lots of fishing tackle ! Good thing I'm planning a trip to Surplus Herby's in Williams Lake tomorrow. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Till Lake BCFCRS to Williams Lake
Cloudy and mild.
I was very sick overnight, with cramps and overwhelming nausea from 3 AM until 7:30 AM. Not colitis, more likely food poisoning. I remained ill all day long, but not as severe as during the night.
This morning we left the Till Lake remote wilderness campground, drove about
16 km. / 10 miles back to Chilcotin Hwy. 20, then east to Williams Lake. We spent the day running errands in Williams Lake. First stop was the Fairgrounds where we dumped our waste holing tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. Then to Wal-Mart for shopping. When the shopping was finished we had lunch in the camper. I was feeling quite ill, and very tired, so I took a long nap after lunch.
Next stop was Real Canadian Wholesale Club where I refilled Lanoire with diesel at their fuel bar, then we did more grocery shopping. We went to Surplus Herby's where
I bought quite a bit of fishing tackle and a pair of chest waders, sort of an early birthday present to myself. I enjoy shopping at Surplus Herby's, it's a great sporting goods store. Last shopping stop was Safeway's for even more grocery shopping. We returned to Wal-Mart where I parked close enough to the store to enable their free Wi-Fi signal to reach us, and I did a couple of hours of online "catch-up" work, including posting my weekly journal to my blog, always a time consuming task when we're travelling, because I usually have many photos to upload. When I was finished using the Wi-Fi I moved the truck and camper to the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot, where RV's are expected to park if boondocking overnight.
While Joanne was inside Wal-Mart doing the shopping this morning, I retrieved phone messages and returned phone calls. We have not had cell phone service since last Thursday morning. I prepared a trailer towing quote for an RV dealer that is a repeat customer. The sales rep declined my quote because a competitor had quoted about 15% less than me for the job. I agonized for the rest of day, second guessing myself, wondering if I should price match to keep myself "desirable" to the dealership. I'm still uncertain, but likely will not price match. I don't want to get into "bidding wars", and
I don't really want to get business by being the cheapest trailer towing service provider.
My prices are fair and reasonable. Most importantly ... I'm exceptionally good at what
I do. Take it or leave it ! There we go ... I've made my decision.
Tuesday ; Williams Lake to Kamloops
Mostly cloudy, mild, intermittent light rain as we drove in the afternoon.
We took care of some errands in Williams Lake this morning before departing. First stop after leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot was the Fairgrounds where we once again dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater at the Fairground's
sani-dump station. Then we refilled an empty propane tank at Best Buy Propane. Last stop in Williams Lake was to wash the truck and camper at Speedy Petey's. Travelling to BCFSRS remote wilderness campgrounds, always down muddy roads, left a lot of sticky mud glued all over and under the truck and camper.
South on Cariboo Hwy. 97 to 100 Mile House where we stopped for Joanne to buy some needed items at Dollar Tree ... ( J ; "hell of a lot better than Dollarama in Williams Lake" ) ... and we had lunch in the camper. Still needing to recuperate a bit from yesterday's bout of food poisoning, I napped after lunch even though we still had a lot of driving to do. After I napped with Ozzie for an hour we continued south out of 100 Mile House a short distance on Hwy. 97, then turned east on Hwy. 24, heading to Little Fort, where we turned south again on Hwy. 5 heading to Kamloops. We arrived in Kamloops about 5:30 PM.
We went shopping for some advertised items at Princess Auto, and then Liquidation Supercentre. After shopping we found our way to the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre to boondock overnight, arriving there at 8 PM, just as it got dark.
Wednesday ; Kamloops to home
Overcast, cool, intermittent light rain.
We left the parking lot of the Kamloops Visitor Information Centre this morning and drove west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 a short distance out of the city, then turned south on Coquihalla Hwy. 5 to Merritt. At Merritt I refilled the truck with diesel at Extra Foods Fuel Bar while Joanne went into the store to buy a jug of milk. From Merritt we headed east on the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector to Hwy. 5A where we turned south towards Princeton. At Princeton we turned east on Hwy. 3 for the final leg to home. We arrived home at 4:30 PM.
The house next door ... Ozzie's old home ... has been removed. We thought Ozzie might be concerned about the absence of his old home, but ... he either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
Emma is very happy to be home !
Thursday ; Cloudy and cool, a bit of rain in the afternoon.
Today was mostly a day of "return home" chores. Joanne did a lot of laundry. We unloaded stuff from the camper and put it away. I made some phone calls. I put away all the stuff we had purchased over the last couple of weeks while we travelled. I got caught up on Internet work.
Friday ; Mostly cloudy, cool.
Joanne went to Penticton by herself this morning for a day of running errands, including her first meeting with my new, now our new, family doctor. I remained home, continuing with "return home from vacation" chores. I continued to unload stuff from the camper and put it away, including all my fishing tackle, both fly fishing and traditional fishing gear. I spent quite awhile online, registering and updating our recently purchased GPS unit.
Saturday ; Overcast and cool.
This morning I sold our minivan's snow tires. Very embarrassing ! As the buyer was looking at them, she discovered a screw embedded in one of the tires, puncturing right through it. Nevertheless ... she bought the tires.
Early in the afternoon I worked on camper replenishment, cleaning, and maintenance. Late in the afternoon I went fishing, using my recently purchased chest waders for the first time. Fished for an hour and three quarters, caught three Rainbow Trout, kept two of them.
In the evening we watched a repeat broadcast of the Amazing Race Canada finale which we missed last Tuesday. We watched the show while eating our supper of barbecued Coho Salmon, which I caught in the Atnarko River. Oh, my goodness, that's good fish ! Emma loooooves it ! HA HA HA !
DSK
Monday, September 10, 2018
September 2 to 8, 2018 ; Bella Coola trip
Sunday ; Dean River Fish Trap BCFSRS to Fisheries Pool Campground, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
Mix of sun and clouds, cool, rain around suppertime.
We left the Dean River Fish Trap British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site campground this morning and continued west on Chilcotin Hwy. 20. We stopped in Anahim Lake to refill with diesel. Shortly after Anahim Lake was "The Big Hill", the 18% grade hill that goes on and on and on ... ! At the bottom of "The Big Hill" we entered Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. We stopped at the sani-dump station near the ( already closed for the season ) Atnarko Campground to refill our freshwater tank.
We arrived at our destination for today, Fisheries Pool Campground, in time for a late lunch. After lunch we walked over to the Atnarko River so that I could fish. The campground is named for the very deep pool at this location on the Atnarko River, where the salmon return to spawn. The water is crystal clear, and you can see the many salmon in the deep water / Fisheries Pool.
The problem is ... for fishermen ... the salmon are much more interested in laying or fertilizing their eggs, than in eating. Nevertheless, after about half an hour of fishing
I caught a lovely large ( 3½ pound ) Dolly Varden Trout, only the second Dolly Varden
I have ever caught. WOO-HOO ! Supper for tonight ! The Dolly Varden were biting / eating because ... they’re here to eat the freshly laid salmon eggs. After about another half hour of fishing I caught ... < insert drum roll here > ... a large ... ( 11 pound ) ... and "fresh" Coho Salmon. WOW ! ! ! Other species of salmon ( Sockeyes, Pinks, Chums ) have been here already for awhile, and are near ( or already beyond ) the end of their "spawn and die" cycle. But the Cohos have just recently started coming in from the ocean, so ... they are still “fresh” and not yet "near death".
This was the first Coho that I have ever caught. And it was thrilling ! I "cleaned" the two fish at the water's edge, and not at our campsite, as per the instructions posted in the campground, due to the Grizzly Bears feeding, then we filleted the fish on the picnic table at our campsite. The Dolly Varden produced two meals for us, and the Coho produced seven meals ! Cleaning the fish, filleting the fish, then cleaning everything up afterwards took a lot more time and was a lot more work than catching the fish. HA HA HA !
While Joanne prepared supper I went back to the river for another hour of fishing. This time I caught a Chum Salmon, about six to eight pounds. HMPH ! "Dogfish" !
I released it. HA HA HA HA HA ... I have turned into a salmon snob !
I left a piece of fishing tackle at the water's edge. When I went back to retrieve it ... there was a Grizzly Bear fishing for salmon. I rushed back to our campsite to get Joanne. By the time we got back to the river, the Grizzly was almost finished eating the salmon it had caught. After eating the salmon it ambled away.
So ... we have been here for half a day. I've caught salmon ! We've viewed a Grizzly ! Objectives accomplished. Might as well go home. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Fisheries Pool Campground to Bella Coola / Hagensborg
Mostly sunny, mild.
After morning chores I wanted to fish for an hour before we departed Fisheries Pool Campground. I did not catch anything, but ... twice I had to stop fishing, put my rod and reel down, and move away from the river's edge to allow a fishing Grizzly Bear to pass by. And I learned, that ... like me ... the Grizzlies don't want the dieing Chum Salmon, they want the arriving, "fresh" Coho Salmon. HA HA HA ! The Coho that I caught yesterday must have been an "early bird" because the Cohos are just now coming out of the ocean at Bella Coola, and finding their way into the river systems.
After my unproductive hour of fishing we had lunch then departed Fisheries Pool Campground and continued heading west on Hwy. 20 to Bella Coola and its nearby "neighbour" village of Hagensborg. Initially our plan for today was to visit the Belarko Bear Viewing Station , but ... there seemed to be no point after our morning of up close and personal viewing of Grizzly Bears fishing in the Atnarko River.
As we approached Hagensborg we went to an RV park on the Bella Coola River and checked it out, deciding we did not want to stay there. Once in the village of Hagensborg we refilled our freshwater tank at a water spigot near a museum. We knew of its location from our previous trip here a few years ago. Then we checked out another RV park. We liked it and will likely return there tomorrow.
We drove to the Bella Coola Airport, near Hagensborg, and found our way to Nooklikonnic Creek behind the airport, where I caught my very first salmon a few years ago, and on a fly rod at that ! But today ... I caught nothing after an hour of fishing there. And it stunk ! Lots of dead Chums lining the shore already.
We drove into, and through Bella Coola, and out to the government wharf / waterfront. Nothing much of interest in or near town, so we went exploring down Saroompt River Road east and north of Hagensborg. Near a bridge over the Saroompt River I stopped to fish for awhile. Caught a salmon ... likely a Chum ... on my fly rod, and before getting it to shore, my line broke. And the salmon swam away with my colourful pink salmon fly attached ! HMPH ! It's probably going to finish spawning and die in a day or two and wash up on shore somewhere nearby with my expensive salmon fly dangling out of its mouth !
So ... I switched to my traditional casting rod, and ... caught another huge Chum Salmon ! As I pulled it up onto shore, the line snapped, and the Buzz Bomb hook and little rubber bumper ring went flying out into the river. < sigh > I was left with the body of the Buzz Bomb, but without the hook and the little rubber bumper ring ... the body of the Buzz Bomb is just a teensy little boat anchor. HA HA HA ! That's two of my four expensive Buzz Bomb salmon lures destroyed in two days !
We returned to Hagensborg and checked into Gnome's Home RV Park, where we stayed for a few nights a few years ago. While I worked on fishing tackle repairs, Joanne prepared our supper of fresh Coho Salmon in creamy pasta. MMMMM ... very nice Coho Salmon. Emma loved it ! HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild early in the day, becoming very smoky in the afternoon.
I was sick today with a flare up of colitis. No fishing today.
This morning we took care of routine chores including pet ear and dental care. We took Ozzie for a long walk, exploring this RV park's large rainforest property. Lots of land, but not much of it developed. We had lunch, then dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station before leaving for a day of errands and exploring.
We shopped at the Shop Easy in Hagensborg. Joanne bought some groceries,
I bought some salmon fishing tackle. We drove to "downtown" Bella Coola searching for someplace with Wi-Fi so that I could upload my weekly journal to my blog. The library was closed. I found Wi-Fi at the Nuxalk ( the local Indigenous Nation, pronounced "Noo Halk" ) Tourism and Development Office. While Joanne wandered around town I worked online for about an hour and a half. Turned down even more trailer towing opportunities ! SHEESH ... where are they all coming from ? I met Joanne at the local sporting goods and fishing tackle store. We were finished in town and decided to go exploring.
We drove to Walker Island Park, a local park with picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, etc. We romped around with Ozzie for awhile. Unlike Bo, Ozzie is NOT a fan of children's playground slides. HA HA HA ! Sorry, Ozzie, had to try ! As we drove from Bella Coola back to Hagensborg, about 16 km. / 10 miles, we stopped at every bridge over every creek to check out the salmon spawning below. At Nooklikonnic Creek we were watching the Chum Salmon spawning, and chatting with a couple of tourists from Germany when a Grizzly Bear showed up and began fishing. We watched it for a long time, perhaps close to an hour. It wasn't really fishing because it was hungry, it seemed. It was amusing itself by catching fish, shaking them, taking one bite out of them, tossing them aside and moving on. Apparently it was well fed enough to not really want to eat the dieing Chum Salmon. Hang on, sweetheart, the Coho Salmon will be here very soon.
We left when the RCMP showed up and rousted us off the bridge when the Grizzly Bear was getting too close for comfort. The female RCMP officer was probably thinking ... "stupid tourists" ! However ... after rousting us off the bridge, she pulled out her phone and began taking photos of the Grizzly. HA HA HA ! We returned to Gnome's Home RV park, had an early ( for us ) supper, and went to bed early.
Wednesday ; Smoky, mild.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank again before leaving Gnome's Home RV Park. We drove about one km. to Shop Easy in Hagensborg to refill our five gallon water jug and buy some hamburger buns, then drove about another one km. to our destination for today, Rip Rap Campsite, a private campground / RV park on the Bella Coola River. Gaining access to the river for fishing is difficult because of the "rip rap" shoreline, but Rip Rap Campsite has access to the river's edge for fishing about a five minute hike away.
We checked in, got settled into our assigned site, then went for a walk to check out the fishing access point on the river. Rather difficult access, but ... ! We returned to the camper, had lunch, then I went fishing for about an hour. HMPH ! Nothing ! I returned to the camper, napped with Ozzie for about an hour, then went fishing for about another hour. HMPH ! Nothing again ! I was tired from the difficult access, climbing up and over and down the rip rap ridge, and more than two hours of casting and reeling against the Bella Coola River's very fast, strong flow.
I returned to the camper, set up our little barbecue, and grilled hamburgers for supper.
Thursday ; Bella Coola / Hagensborg to Fisheries Pool Campground, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
Smoky, mild. Salmon and Grizzly Bears out the wazoo ! HA HA HA !
This morning before leaving Rip Rap Campsite we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank, and I used their Wi-Fi to check e-mail. I returned a phone call regarding a previous trailer towing quote, and will probably be hired to transport a trailer from Osoyoos to Victoria in two weeks. < sigh > In violation of my recent commitment to Joanne to not accept any more jobs to Vancouver Island. I'm hoping to dodge this "violation" by doing the job in conjunction with taking her to Abbotsford Airport to catch a flight to Winnipeg. I'll drop her off at the airport then continue on to Vancouver Island without her. Wish me luck !
We drove from Hagensborg to Bella Coola to check out the alleged Bella Coola River fishing access from Grant Road. HMPH ! Not that we could find ! We returned to Hagensborg and Joanne bought some groceries at Shop Easy. We also bought some potatoes from a roadside farm produce stand. We drove east on Chilcotin Hwy. 20 for about an hour or so back to Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. We had lunch, then I napped with Ozzie. I'm still feeling quite ill with a colitis flare up, for the third day.
Around 3:30 PM I went fishing, for about three hours. Caught six salmon, three of them in a fifteen minute period when the fish all seemed to be hungry and feeding. Released all six fish. Five Pink Salmon ( a.k.a. "Humpies" ), and one Chum Salmon
( a.k.a. "Dogfish" ). And I had to put my fishing rod down and move away from the river's edge frequently, to allow feeding Grizzly Bears to go by ! I don't know how much success they're having at the nearby Belarko Bear Viewing Station, but if people want to see Grizzly Bears catching salmon ... come here !
Joanne came to the river with me to watch out for bears for me, and to take pictures of me catching fish, but ... she had to return to the camper when the bitchy old woman in the motorhome parked next to us came stomping down to the river to nastily complain that Ozzie was barking in the camper. Bad dog, Ozzie ! We had left him in the camper because when we were here on Sunday and Monday, and we took him with us to the river while I fished ... every time a Grizzly Bear was nearby, he began to bark. He can’t see them ... his vision is too impaired due to old age ... but he can certainly smell
them ! And barking little dogs aggravate the bears ! And bitchy old women,
apparently !
Friday ; Cool, windy, light rain all day.
Spent the day fishing for salmon at Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River. Caught two Pink Salmon ( Humpies ). Viewed lots of Grizzly Bears, including a sow teaching her two cubs how to fish.
Saturday ; Fisheries Pool Campground in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park to Pyper Lake BCFSRS near Chilanko Forks
Overcast and mild, raining lightly in the morning at Fisheries Pool Campground.
This morning we departed Fisheries Pool Campground and began our return trip home, travelling east on Chilcotin Hwy. 20. We stopped at the sani-dump station at the already closed for the season Atnarko Campground to refill our freshwater tank. We stopped at Anahim Lake to refill with diesel and eat lunch. Our planned destination for today was Bull Canyon Provincial Park, but as we neared the hamlet of Chilanko Forks, about halfway between Bella Coola and Williams Lake, we decided to check out a nearby BC Forest Service Recreation Site / remote wilderness campground at Pyper Lake. We liked it and decided to stay overnight. We had the three site campground all to ourselves.
I fished lazily in Pyper Lake. Caught nothing. We went for a leisurely long walk with Ozzie down the Forest Service road. I set up our little barbecue and cooked foil packets of potatoes and onions, and grilled a marinated steak for supper. We went to bed early again. Life is good !
DSK
Mix of sun and clouds, cool, rain around suppertime.
We left the Dean River Fish Trap British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site campground this morning and continued west on Chilcotin Hwy. 20. We stopped in Anahim Lake to refill with diesel. Shortly after Anahim Lake was "The Big Hill", the 18% grade hill that goes on and on and on ... ! At the bottom of "The Big Hill" we entered Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. We stopped at the sani-dump station near the ( already closed for the season ) Atnarko Campground to refill our freshwater tank.
We arrived at our destination for today, Fisheries Pool Campground, in time for a late lunch. After lunch we walked over to the Atnarko River so that I could fish. The campground is named for the very deep pool at this location on the Atnarko River, where the salmon return to spawn. The water is crystal clear, and you can see the many salmon in the deep water / Fisheries Pool.
The problem is ... for fishermen ... the salmon are much more interested in laying or fertilizing their eggs, than in eating. Nevertheless, after about half an hour of fishing
I caught a lovely large ( 3½ pound ) Dolly Varden Trout, only the second Dolly Varden
I have ever caught. WOO-HOO ! Supper for tonight ! The Dolly Varden were biting / eating because ... they’re here to eat the freshly laid salmon eggs. After about another half hour of fishing I caught ... < insert drum roll here > ... a large ... ( 11 pound ) ... and "fresh" Coho Salmon. WOW ! ! ! Other species of salmon ( Sockeyes, Pinks, Chums ) have been here already for awhile, and are near ( or already beyond ) the end of their "spawn and die" cycle. But the Cohos have just recently started coming in from the ocean, so ... they are still “fresh” and not yet "near death".
This was the first Coho that I have ever caught. And it was thrilling ! I "cleaned" the two fish at the water's edge, and not at our campsite, as per the instructions posted in the campground, due to the Grizzly Bears feeding, then we filleted the fish on the picnic table at our campsite. The Dolly Varden produced two meals for us, and the Coho produced seven meals ! Cleaning the fish, filleting the fish, then cleaning everything up afterwards took a lot more time and was a lot more work than catching the fish. HA HA HA !
While Joanne prepared supper I went back to the river for another hour of fishing. This time I caught a Chum Salmon, about six to eight pounds. HMPH ! "Dogfish" !
I released it. HA HA HA HA HA ... I have turned into a salmon snob !
I left a piece of fishing tackle at the water's edge. When I went back to retrieve it ... there was a Grizzly Bear fishing for salmon. I rushed back to our campsite to get Joanne. By the time we got back to the river, the Grizzly was almost finished eating the salmon it had caught. After eating the salmon it ambled away.
So ... we have been here for half a day. I've caught salmon ! We've viewed a Grizzly ! Objectives accomplished. Might as well go home. HA HA HA !
Monday ; Fisheries Pool Campground to Bella Coola / Hagensborg
Mostly sunny, mild.
After morning chores I wanted to fish for an hour before we departed Fisheries Pool Campground. I did not catch anything, but ... twice I had to stop fishing, put my rod and reel down, and move away from the river's edge to allow a fishing Grizzly Bear to pass by. And I learned, that ... like me ... the Grizzlies don't want the dieing Chum Salmon, they want the arriving, "fresh" Coho Salmon. HA HA HA ! The Coho that I caught yesterday must have been an "early bird" because the Cohos are just now coming out of the ocean at Bella Coola, and finding their way into the river systems.
After my unproductive hour of fishing we had lunch then departed Fisheries Pool Campground and continued heading west on Hwy. 20 to Bella Coola and its nearby "neighbour" village of Hagensborg. Initially our plan for today was to visit the Belarko Bear Viewing Station , but ... there seemed to be no point after our morning of up close and personal viewing of Grizzly Bears fishing in the Atnarko River.
As we approached Hagensborg we went to an RV park on the Bella Coola River and checked it out, deciding we did not want to stay there. Once in the village of Hagensborg we refilled our freshwater tank at a water spigot near a museum. We knew of its location from our previous trip here a few years ago. Then we checked out another RV park. We liked it and will likely return there tomorrow.
We drove to the Bella Coola Airport, near Hagensborg, and found our way to Nooklikonnic Creek behind the airport, where I caught my very first salmon a few years ago, and on a fly rod at that ! But today ... I caught nothing after an hour of fishing there. And it stunk ! Lots of dead Chums lining the shore already.
We drove into, and through Bella Coola, and out to the government wharf / waterfront. Nothing much of interest in or near town, so we went exploring down Saroompt River Road east and north of Hagensborg. Near a bridge over the Saroompt River I stopped to fish for awhile. Caught a salmon ... likely a Chum ... on my fly rod, and before getting it to shore, my line broke. And the salmon swam away with my colourful pink salmon fly attached ! HMPH ! It's probably going to finish spawning and die in a day or two and wash up on shore somewhere nearby with my expensive salmon fly dangling out of its mouth !
So ... I switched to my traditional casting rod, and ... caught another huge Chum Salmon ! As I pulled it up onto shore, the line snapped, and the Buzz Bomb hook and little rubber bumper ring went flying out into the river. < sigh > I was left with the body of the Buzz Bomb, but without the hook and the little rubber bumper ring ... the body of the Buzz Bomb is just a teensy little boat anchor. HA HA HA ! That's two of my four expensive Buzz Bomb salmon lures destroyed in two days !
We returned to Hagensborg and checked into Gnome's Home RV Park, where we stayed for a few nights a few years ago. While I worked on fishing tackle repairs, Joanne prepared our supper of fresh Coho Salmon in creamy pasta. MMMMM ... very nice Coho Salmon. Emma loved it ! HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Sunny and mild early in the day, becoming very smoky in the afternoon.
I was sick today with a flare up of colitis. No fishing today.
This morning we took care of routine chores including pet ear and dental care. We took Ozzie for a long walk, exploring this RV park's large rainforest property. Lots of land, but not much of it developed. We had lunch, then dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station before leaving for a day of errands and exploring.
We shopped at the Shop Easy in Hagensborg. Joanne bought some groceries,
I bought some salmon fishing tackle. We drove to "downtown" Bella Coola searching for someplace with Wi-Fi so that I could upload my weekly journal to my blog. The library was closed. I found Wi-Fi at the Nuxalk ( the local Indigenous Nation, pronounced "Noo Halk" ) Tourism and Development Office. While Joanne wandered around town I worked online for about an hour and a half. Turned down even more trailer towing opportunities ! SHEESH ... where are they all coming from ? I met Joanne at the local sporting goods and fishing tackle store. We were finished in town and decided to go exploring.
We drove to Walker Island Park, a local park with picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, etc. We romped around with Ozzie for awhile. Unlike Bo, Ozzie is NOT a fan of children's playground slides. HA HA HA ! Sorry, Ozzie, had to try ! As we drove from Bella Coola back to Hagensborg, about 16 km. / 10 miles, we stopped at every bridge over every creek to check out the salmon spawning below. At Nooklikonnic Creek we were watching the Chum Salmon spawning, and chatting with a couple of tourists from Germany when a Grizzly Bear showed up and began fishing. We watched it for a long time, perhaps close to an hour. It wasn't really fishing because it was hungry, it seemed. It was amusing itself by catching fish, shaking them, taking one bite out of them, tossing them aside and moving on. Apparently it was well fed enough to not really want to eat the dieing Chum Salmon. Hang on, sweetheart, the Coho Salmon will be here very soon.
We left when the RCMP showed up and rousted us off the bridge when the Grizzly Bear was getting too close for comfort. The female RCMP officer was probably thinking ... "stupid tourists" ! However ... after rousting us off the bridge, she pulled out her phone and began taking photos of the Grizzly. HA HA HA ! We returned to Gnome's Home RV park, had an early ( for us ) supper, and went to bed early.
Wednesday ; Smoky, mild.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank again before leaving Gnome's Home RV Park. We drove about one km. to Shop Easy in Hagensborg to refill our five gallon water jug and buy some hamburger buns, then drove about another one km. to our destination for today, Rip Rap Campsite, a private campground / RV park on the Bella Coola River. Gaining access to the river for fishing is difficult because of the "rip rap" shoreline, but Rip Rap Campsite has access to the river's edge for fishing about a five minute hike away.
We checked in, got settled into our assigned site, then went for a walk to check out the fishing access point on the river. Rather difficult access, but ... ! We returned to the camper, had lunch, then I went fishing for about an hour. HMPH ! Nothing ! I returned to the camper, napped with Ozzie for about an hour, then went fishing for about another hour. HMPH ! Nothing again ! I was tired from the difficult access, climbing up and over and down the rip rap ridge, and more than two hours of casting and reeling against the Bella Coola River's very fast, strong flow.
I returned to the camper, set up our little barbecue, and grilled hamburgers for supper.
Thursday ; Bella Coola / Hagensborg to Fisheries Pool Campground, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park
Smoky, mild. Salmon and Grizzly Bears out the wazoo ! HA HA HA !
This morning before leaving Rip Rap Campsite we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank, and I used their Wi-Fi to check e-mail. I returned a phone call regarding a previous trailer towing quote, and will probably be hired to transport a trailer from Osoyoos to Victoria in two weeks. < sigh > In violation of my recent commitment to Joanne to not accept any more jobs to Vancouver Island. I'm hoping to dodge this "violation" by doing the job in conjunction with taking her to Abbotsford Airport to catch a flight to Winnipeg. I'll drop her off at the airport then continue on to Vancouver Island without her. Wish me luck !
We drove from Hagensborg to Bella Coola to check out the alleged Bella Coola River fishing access from Grant Road. HMPH ! Not that we could find ! We returned to Hagensborg and Joanne bought some groceries at Shop Easy. We also bought some potatoes from a roadside farm produce stand. We drove east on Chilcotin Hwy. 20 for about an hour or so back to Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. We had lunch, then I napped with Ozzie. I'm still feeling quite ill with a colitis flare up, for the third day.
Around 3:30 PM I went fishing, for about three hours. Caught six salmon, three of them in a fifteen minute period when the fish all seemed to be hungry and feeding. Released all six fish. Five Pink Salmon ( a.k.a. "Humpies" ), and one Chum Salmon
( a.k.a. "Dogfish" ). And I had to put my fishing rod down and move away from the river's edge frequently, to allow feeding Grizzly Bears to go by ! I don't know how much success they're having at the nearby Belarko Bear Viewing Station, but if people want to see Grizzly Bears catching salmon ... come here !
Joanne came to the river with me to watch out for bears for me, and to take pictures of me catching fish, but ... she had to return to the camper when the bitchy old woman in the motorhome parked next to us came stomping down to the river to nastily complain that Ozzie was barking in the camper. Bad dog, Ozzie ! We had left him in the camper because when we were here on Sunday and Monday, and we took him with us to the river while I fished ... every time a Grizzly Bear was nearby, he began to bark. He can’t see them ... his vision is too impaired due to old age ... but he can certainly smell
them ! And barking little dogs aggravate the bears ! And bitchy old women,
apparently !
Friday ; Cool, windy, light rain all day.
Spent the day fishing for salmon at Fisheries Pool Campground on the Atnarko River. Caught two Pink Salmon ( Humpies ). Viewed lots of Grizzly Bears, including a sow teaching her two cubs how to fish.
Saturday ; Fisheries Pool Campground in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park to Pyper Lake BCFSRS near Chilanko Forks
Overcast and mild, raining lightly in the morning at Fisheries Pool Campground.
This morning we departed Fisheries Pool Campground and began our return trip home, travelling east on Chilcotin Hwy. 20. We stopped at the sani-dump station at the already closed for the season Atnarko Campground to refill our freshwater tank. We stopped at Anahim Lake to refill with diesel and eat lunch. Our planned destination for today was Bull Canyon Provincial Park, but as we neared the hamlet of Chilanko Forks, about halfway between Bella Coola and Williams Lake, we decided to check out a nearby BC Forest Service Recreation Site / remote wilderness campground at Pyper Lake. We liked it and decided to stay overnight. We had the three site campground all to ourselves.
I fished lazily in Pyper Lake. Caught nothing. We went for a leisurely long walk with Ozzie down the Forest Service road. I set up our little barbecue and cooked foil packets of potatoes and onions, and grilled a marinated steak for supper. We went to bed early again. Life is good !
DSK
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
August 26 to September 1, 2018 ; home to Nimpo Lake
Sunday ; Cloudy and cool.
Slept late. Napped in the afternoon. Busy day ! HA HA HA HA HA !
Monday ; Penticton
SUNSHINE ! BLUE SKY ! NO SMOKE ! WOO-HOO ! ! !
We spent the day in Penticton running shopping errands.
In the evening I reviewed and discarded Bo's medical file. < sigh > How sad !
Tuesday ; Thin smoke haze, warm.
This morning I took care of routine household chores. After lunch and a nap, it was time to go into town to refill our five gallon water jug, buy some produce, and ... < insert drum roll here > ... pick up the truck at Total Performance Auto Repair. WHEW ... almost $2300 for two repairs. Nothing cheap about fixing a big diesel ! Both repairs replaced "factory original" components with aftermarket improved design components, the more significant one being the replacement of the one piece exhaust manifold with a two piece exhaust manifold. Back at home we installed the camper onto the truck before having supper.
After supper of Rainbow Trout that I caught in the Similkameen River recently, and Swiss Chard grown in our garden, we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; home to Enderby, back to Vernon
Cloudy, cool, raining in the evening ... hampering our ability to watch the double feature at the drive-in !
We finished our departure preparations this morning and left home at 11 AM for a two week trip to Bella Coola for grizzly bear viewing and fly fishing for salmon. East on hwy. 3 to Keremeos, north on Hwy. 3A to Kaleden, north on Hwy. 97 through Penticton, Summerland, Peachland to Westbank where we stopped at Superstore to meet a very nice lady who was selling a GPS unit. We bought it.
She received it as a gift six years ago, she never used it, it was still in its box. I think its retail value is about $150. We bought it for $25. We played it with it for the rest of the day, and by the end of the day we both had mastered the basics of its operation. It's our first GPS unit, and it certainly seems as if it will be worth its price. It flawlessly guided us in the dark from Starlight Drive-in in Enderby back to our boondock spot at Superstore in Vernon.
From Westbank we continued north on Hwy. 97 to Kelowna where we stopped to have a late lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory, then bought an advertised item at Princess Auto. Continuing north we stopped at Superstore in Vernon to refill with diesel at their fuel bar, then to Armstrong to buy cheese curds ( made fresh today, not refrigerated yet, so they still squeak ), and check out the location of the Interior Provincial Exhibition which we plan to attend tomorrow. Lastly, on to Enderby and Starlight Drive-In. We watched two movies at the drive-in ; Transylvania 3, an animation, and The Meg, a science fiction horror adventure. Ozzie thought the drive-in was GREAT ! HA HA HA ... probably Ozzie's first drive-in. Certainly the first drive-in where he got to cuddle in bed. We watched the movies while lying in bed, watching through the camper's bedroom's front window.
When the movie ended at midnight we drove back to Vernon and boondocked overnight in the Superstore parking lot.
Thursday ; Vernon to Armstrong
Mix of sun and clouds, intermittent light rain in the afternoon, mild when sunny, cool when cloudy.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station in the Superstore parking lot ... thank you very much, Superstore ... then headed north on Hwy. 97 a fairly short distance to the little town of Armstrong. We found our way to the site of the Interior Provincial Exhibition, parked in their overnight dry camping area ... ( KA-CHING ... twenty-five bucks ! ) ... then spent the rest of the day exploring the exhibition.
We miss attending the Navan Fair, from our Ottawa days. We don't have many opportunities to attend small town country fairs any more. It was a long, tiring, but enjoyable day of exploring this "country fair". And despite Armstrong being a small town, there is nothing small about the Interior Provincial Exhibition. It was a pretty "big deal" !
Early in the day, as we were viewing all manner of farm animals in the animal exhibition buildings, I approached a friendly looking young goat in its pen. It stood up on the gate of the pen, and stuck its head over. I thought it looked sociable, so I stepped close and petted its head. ZOOOOOP !
HEY ! The damn crafty little goat snatched the program guide sticking up out of my pants pocket and ran to the back of its pen with the thirty page booklet, then leisurely ate it, page by page ! HA HA HA HA HA ! Goat 1, Dan 0 !
Friday ; Armstrong to Williams Lake
Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
In the three days that we have been "on vacation", I have declined three trailer towing job opportunities. Why are there suddenly so many people needing trailers moved ? ! ?
We left the Interior Provincial Exhibition overnight parking area late this morning and drove back into "downtown" Armstrong to buy more cheese curds at Village Cheese before heading out of town on "back roads", taking a "scenic route / short cut" to Hwy. 97 North. We followed Hwy. 97 North, then Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 West to Kamloops where we stopped at the Visitor Information Centre to dump our waste holding tanks, refill our freshwater tank, and have a late lunch.
We continued west on TCH 1 to Cache Creek, then turned north on Hwy. 97 again. At 100 Mile House we stopped to withdraw some cash from an ATM at the Bank of Montreal. The damn ATM "ate" my bank card. I pounded on the door of the bank ... there were still some employees inside shortly after their 5 PM closing ... and it took about fifteen minutes for them to prepare a new bank card for me. They were unable to explain why the ATM "ate" my card, and they were unable to retrieve it from inside the ATM. HMPH !
Joanne shopped for a few items at Dollarama, then we continued north on Hwy. 97, arriving in Williams Lake around 7 PM. We parked in the Visitor Information Centre parking lot, took Ozzie for a walk, had supper, and boondocked overnight.
Saturday ; Williams Lake to Dean River Fish Trap BCFSRS
Mostly sunny and mild, smoky in and west of Williams Lake.
This morning I went into the Williams Lake Visitor Information Centre to retrieve e-mail before we left. Then we drove a very short distance to the Williams Lake Fairgrounds to dump our waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the municipal sani-dump station at the fairgrounds. Last stop in Williams Lake was Real Canadian Wholesale Club to buy some orange juice.
We left Williams Lake heading west on Chilcotin Hwy. 20, the only road heading west from central British Columbia. It starts at Williams Lake and ends at Bella Coola. Because we have travelled to Bella Coola before, and our trip departure was delayed by truck repairs, we are not planning to explore much between Williams Lake and Bella Coola. Today was mostly a day of steady driving, covering as many miles as reasonably possible. We stopped for lunch at Bull Canyon Provincial Park on the Chilcotin River. Very nice place ! We stopped for the night at the Dean River Fish Trap British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site, about five km. west of the hamlet of Nimpo Lake.
There was only one other rig at this small, unserviced, remote wilderness campground, and they were parked far from where we parked, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Once we selected a site and got parked we took Ozzie for a long walk. Long days of driving make my right knee stiff and very sore, so I need to exercise the knee. I set up our little barbecue and cooked a superb supper of thick juicy marinated steak, roasted small potatoes, and grilled baby beets. MMMMM !
We went to sleep early tonight. Everybody was tired early, including Ozzie and Emma.
DSK
Slept late. Napped in the afternoon. Busy day ! HA HA HA HA HA !
Monday ; Penticton
SUNSHINE ! BLUE SKY ! NO SMOKE ! WOO-HOO ! ! !
We spent the day in Penticton running shopping errands.
In the evening I reviewed and discarded Bo's medical file. < sigh > How sad !
Tuesday ; Thin smoke haze, warm.
This morning I took care of routine household chores. After lunch and a nap, it was time to go into town to refill our five gallon water jug, buy some produce, and ... < insert drum roll here > ... pick up the truck at Total Performance Auto Repair. WHEW ... almost $2300 for two repairs. Nothing cheap about fixing a big diesel ! Both repairs replaced "factory original" components with aftermarket improved design components, the more significant one being the replacement of the one piece exhaust manifold with a two piece exhaust manifold. Back at home we installed the camper onto the truck before having supper.
After supper of Rainbow Trout that I caught in the Similkameen River recently, and Swiss Chard grown in our garden, we watched Amazing Race Canada.
Wednesday ; home to Enderby, back to Vernon
Cloudy, cool, raining in the evening ... hampering our ability to watch the double feature at the drive-in !
We finished our departure preparations this morning and left home at 11 AM for a two week trip to Bella Coola for grizzly bear viewing and fly fishing for salmon. East on hwy. 3 to Keremeos, north on Hwy. 3A to Kaleden, north on Hwy. 97 through Penticton, Summerland, Peachland to Westbank where we stopped at Superstore to meet a very nice lady who was selling a GPS unit. We bought it.
She received it as a gift six years ago, she never used it, it was still in its box. I think its retail value is about $150. We bought it for $25. We played it with it for the rest of the day, and by the end of the day we both had mastered the basics of its operation. It's our first GPS unit, and it certainly seems as if it will be worth its price. It flawlessly guided us in the dark from Starlight Drive-in in Enderby back to our boondock spot at Superstore in Vernon.
From Westbank we continued north on Hwy. 97 to Kelowna where we stopped to have a late lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory, then bought an advertised item at Princess Auto. Continuing north we stopped at Superstore in Vernon to refill with diesel at their fuel bar, then to Armstrong to buy cheese curds ( made fresh today, not refrigerated yet, so they still squeak ), and check out the location of the Interior Provincial Exhibition which we plan to attend tomorrow. Lastly, on to Enderby and Starlight Drive-In. We watched two movies at the drive-in ; Transylvania 3, an animation, and The Meg, a science fiction horror adventure. Ozzie thought the drive-in was GREAT ! HA HA HA ... probably Ozzie's first drive-in. Certainly the first drive-in where he got to cuddle in bed. We watched the movies while lying in bed, watching through the camper's bedroom's front window.
When the movie ended at midnight we drove back to Vernon and boondocked overnight in the Superstore parking lot.
Thursday ; Vernon to Armstrong
Mix of sun and clouds, intermittent light rain in the afternoon, mild when sunny, cool when cloudy.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station in the Superstore parking lot ... thank you very much, Superstore ... then headed north on Hwy. 97 a fairly short distance to the little town of Armstrong. We found our way to the site of the Interior Provincial Exhibition, parked in their overnight dry camping area ... ( KA-CHING ... twenty-five bucks ! ) ... then spent the rest of the day exploring the exhibition.
We miss attending the Navan Fair, from our Ottawa days. We don't have many opportunities to attend small town country fairs any more. It was a long, tiring, but enjoyable day of exploring this "country fair". And despite Armstrong being a small town, there is nothing small about the Interior Provincial Exhibition. It was a pretty "big deal" !
Early in the day, as we were viewing all manner of farm animals in the animal exhibition buildings, I approached a friendly looking young goat in its pen. It stood up on the gate of the pen, and stuck its head over. I thought it looked sociable, so I stepped close and petted its head. ZOOOOOP !
HEY ! The damn crafty little goat snatched the program guide sticking up out of my pants pocket and ran to the back of its pen with the thirty page booklet, then leisurely ate it, page by page ! HA HA HA HA HA ! Goat 1, Dan 0 !
Friday ; Armstrong to Williams Lake
Mix of sun and clouds, warm.
In the three days that we have been "on vacation", I have declined three trailer towing job opportunities. Why are there suddenly so many people needing trailers moved ? ! ?
We left the Interior Provincial Exhibition overnight parking area late this morning and drove back into "downtown" Armstrong to buy more cheese curds at Village Cheese before heading out of town on "back roads", taking a "scenic route / short cut" to Hwy. 97 North. We followed Hwy. 97 North, then Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 West to Kamloops where we stopped at the Visitor Information Centre to dump our waste holding tanks, refill our freshwater tank, and have a late lunch.
We continued west on TCH 1 to Cache Creek, then turned north on Hwy. 97 again. At 100 Mile House we stopped to withdraw some cash from an ATM at the Bank of Montreal. The damn ATM "ate" my bank card. I pounded on the door of the bank ... there were still some employees inside shortly after their 5 PM closing ... and it took about fifteen minutes for them to prepare a new bank card for me. They were unable to explain why the ATM "ate" my card, and they were unable to retrieve it from inside the ATM. HMPH !
Joanne shopped for a few items at Dollarama, then we continued north on Hwy. 97, arriving in Williams Lake around 7 PM. We parked in the Visitor Information Centre parking lot, took Ozzie for a walk, had supper, and boondocked overnight.
Saturday ; Williams Lake to Dean River Fish Trap BCFSRS
Mostly sunny and mild, smoky in and west of Williams Lake.
This morning I went into the Williams Lake Visitor Information Centre to retrieve e-mail before we left. Then we drove a very short distance to the Williams Lake Fairgrounds to dump our waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the municipal sani-dump station at the fairgrounds. Last stop in Williams Lake was Real Canadian Wholesale Club to buy some orange juice.
We left Williams Lake heading west on Chilcotin Hwy. 20, the only road heading west from central British Columbia. It starts at Williams Lake and ends at Bella Coola. Because we have travelled to Bella Coola before, and our trip departure was delayed by truck repairs, we are not planning to explore much between Williams Lake and Bella Coola. Today was mostly a day of steady driving, covering as many miles as reasonably possible. We stopped for lunch at Bull Canyon Provincial Park on the Chilcotin River. Very nice place ! We stopped for the night at the Dean River Fish Trap British Columbia Forest Service Recreation Site, about five km. west of the hamlet of Nimpo Lake.
There was only one other rig at this small, unserviced, remote wilderness campground, and they were parked far from where we parked, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Once we selected a site and got parked we took Ozzie for a long walk. Long days of driving make my right knee stiff and very sore, so I need to exercise the knee. I set up our little barbecue and cooked a superb supper of thick juicy marinated steak, roasted small potatoes, and grilled baby beets. MMMMM !
We went to sleep early tonight. Everybody was tired early, including Ozzie and Emma.
DSK
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