This morning we weeded lot 79 for the fourth time in as many weeks. WHEW ... those weeds grow like ... well ... weeds ! HA HA HA ! Joanne did laundry. I picked a batch of Saskatoon berries at our RV park's front gate. A couple of weeks ago it seemed unlikely that there would be much of a Saskatoon berry crop this year, but today I was able to harvest a small amount of fairly nice Saskatoon berries. I'm hopeful we might find more as we travel north this week.
This afternoon I prepared the truck for a trailer towing job tomorrow. I pulled the truck out from underneath the camper, and installed the fifth wheel hitch, then loaded the necessary trailer towing supplies into the truck. We harvested lettuce and green onions from our vegetable gardens. I fertilized the vegetable and tomato gardens, then watered the gardens and composters.
In the evening I did some investment analysis and posted my weekly blog entry, then continued preparing for travel.
Monday ; home to Penticton to Okanagan Falls to home to N'Kwala BCFSRS
Sunny and hot.
We left home at 10 AM headed for Penticton, and a 10:45 AM trailer towing job. We picked up the trailer at Barefoot Beach Resort and drove it about half an hour south on Hwy. 97 to a storage facility in Okanagan Falls. This is the fourth time we have moved this trailer for this client, and very probably the last time. The client has moved into an apartment and the trailer is for sale. We finished in Okanagan Falls at noon.
We returned to Keremeos, refilled our five gallon water jug in town, and bought some fresh fruit at Sanderson Farms. WOO-HOO ... freshly picked cherries, apricots and peaches to take with us as we travel north. We were back home about 1:30 PM. After lunch we removed the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, mounted Elsie the camper onto Lanoire the truck, finished preparing for departure, and pulled out of Riverside RV Park Resort at 4 PM, exactly as planned.
We drove west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton, then north on Hwy. 5 to Hwy. 97C / the Coquihalla Connector, then west to Merritt. We refilled Lanoire with diesel and bought a jug of milk at Extra Foods in Merritt. My plan for today was to reach Logan Lake, but at Merritt Joanne suggested that we head for the N'Kwala BC Forest Service Recreation Site unserviced campground, giving me an opportunity to fish for the first time this summer. Great idea !
We arrived at the N'Kwala campground around 7 PM. I went fly fishing for an hour, catching two Rainbow Trout that were much too small to keep. Then while Joanne prepared supper I picked Saskatoon berries. Huge, juicy, and sweet, but a bit "seedy". Around 9:30 PM ... still daylight ... we went for a long, slow walk around the campground with Bo.
AHHHHH ... we're on the road again ... and life is good !
Tuesday ; N'Kwala BCFSRS to Williams Lake, BC
Sunny and hot.
This morning I was sitting at the picnic table in the lovely, warm sunshine giving Bo his weekly teeth brushing. As I brushed his teeth, I discovered that one of his teeth was loose, wiggling in its socket as I brushed. I wrapped my fingers in a wet towelette, grasped the loose tooth, gave a gentle tug and ... POP ! Well ... I guess that solves that problem, doesn't it, Bo ? ! ? Apparently ... < whispering > ... in this part of Canada's "back country" wilderness, the doggy tooth fairy leaves Saskatoon berries under the pillow. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! Bo has now lost a total of seven teeth.
< sigh > What an old dog he is !
Before departing N'Kwala campground we decided to take advantage of the very short harvesting season for Saskatoons. We each took a large plastic beer cup and harvested Saskatoon berries throughout the campground, picking only the plump, juicy, sweet ones. We had to sample a lot as we picked to ensure that our quality control targets were being met. HA HA HA !
As Joanne was rinsing the two large beer cups full of Saskatoons, I was preparing for departure, checking that the camper tie downs were still tight, and thumping the truck tires with my tire and fish bonker to ensure that they were properly inflated. THONK ... THONK ... PLOOP ... HUH ? I hit that tire again. PLOOP ! HUH ? It's low on air ? ! ? SHIT ! A flat tire ! < sigh >
Changing a flat tire on a dually pickup truck is difficult enough. BUT ... add 4500 pounds of camper onto the truck, and it becomes that much more difficult to jack up high enough to change a tire. AND ... < sputter > ... the real extreme difficulty comes from wrestling the spare tire out from underneath the truck ... with the camper hanging over the rear of the truck by more than three feet ! And with the camper blocking access to the hole in the truck bumper where the spare tire lowering tool goes ! ! !
< sigh >
By the time we got the tire changed it was 1 PM. We contemplated having lunch before hitting the road, but I was more tired from changing the tire than hungry, and really wanted to get going. We left the campground and headed west on Hwy. 8 to Spences Bridge where the Nicola River spills into the Thompson River. At Spences Bridge we got onto Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 heading north. We had a late lunch at 2:30 PM at a rest area between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek. At Cache Creek when TCH1 turned east we got onto Hwy. 97 heading north.
Around 4:30 PM we arrived in 100 Mile House. As we entered the small city Joanne saw a tire shop. We dropped off the flat tire to be repaired at Integra Tire then continued into the city to refill our freshwater tank at the municipal sani-dump station. As I refilled the freshwater tank Joanne cleaned up the thousands of little moisture absorbent "beads" that had spilled all over the camper floor when the Damp Rid container came loose from its location on the counter where it was stuck down with Velcro, fell on the floor, and the lid popped off ! < sigh > One of those days, I guess !
We returned to Integra Tire, picked up the repaired tire and were back on our way by about 5:30 PM. We continued north on Hwy. 97 to Williams Lake, arriving at the Tourist Information Centre ... our boondocking spot for tonight ... around 7:30 PM. We walked Bo then Joanne assisted me in the extremely difficult job of remounting the repaired tire as the spare underneath the truck. < sigh > By the time that was finished and Joanne began to prepare supper it was 8:30 PM.
The weather was very pleasant. Supper was simple but good. It was a tough day but ended well. Even Emma was happy. Which is not really a "sure thing" when we're travelling. She was very unhappy yesterday for about the first couple of hours of travelling, then settled into contentment, where she has thankfully remained.
Just before 10 PM ... still very much daylight ... we took Bo and Emma for a leisurely walk around the Tourist Information Centre grounds. It seems as if Emma the Arizona desert cat has little or no experience walking on grass. She walks just fine on pavement or asphalt, but grass ... she "high steps" like some kind of a little Nazi cat. HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Williams Lake to Crooked River bridge campground on Davie Lake Forest Service Road
Sunny and hot. As I begin to type this at 10:45 PM it is still daylight.
This morning before leaving the Williams Lake Tourist Information Centre we both went inside. Joanne collected travel planning information and I checked e-mail. From there we drove a short distance to the Williams Lake Fairgrounds and used the municipal sani-dump station there to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. Another short distance down the road to ... WOO-HOO ... Surplus Herby's ! More fun than Harbor Freight in Yuma. HA HA HA ! And unlike Harbor Freight which she hates, Joanne really likes shopping at Surplus Herby's. While I selected a dozen fishing flies, and a package of dew worms for fishing, Joanne browsed and found something to buy. A one kilogram / 2.2 pound package of smoked chicken breast sliced luncheon meat. Frozen ! Five bucks ! < shrug > Whatever ! As long as I got my worms, I don't care ! HA HA HA !
We continued northbound on Hwy. 97. At Quesnel we pulled into the Extra Foods parking lot and had lunch in the camper before refilling Lanoire with diesel at the Extra Foods Fuel Bar. We drove through Quesnel and continued northbound on Hwy. 97. At Prince George we went to Superstore where we stocked up on groceries and refilled Lanoire with diesel again. Last large grocery store. Last cheap fuel bar. Prince George is somewhat the end of civilization when northbound through British Columbia.
North of Prince George is "virgin territory" for all four of us. We've never been down this road before ! We continued northbound on Hwy. 97 for about another hour, and using our "Camp Free In BC" guidebook to BC Forest Service campgrounds, Joanne guided us to Davie Lake Forest Service Road. A few miles down the gravel road, as it crossed the Crooked River, there was a single, solitary campsite beside the bridge. We chose that as our boondocking spot for tonight.
We arrived around 6 PM. By 6:30 PM I was ready to try fly fishing in the Crooked River. WOO-HOO ! In about an hour and a half I had caught four Rocky Mountain Whitefish, two Cutthroat Trout, and one Rainbow Trout. YIPPPEEE ! ! ! Bo "helped" by jumping in the river and chasing each fish the last few feet to shore as I landed them. HA HA HA HA HA ! Good dog, Bo, well done ! I kept the Cutthroats and released the Whitefish and Rainbow.
I cleaned the two Cutthroats. Joanne stuffed them with onions and garlic scapes, wrapped them in foil, and I barbecued them for supper. WOW ! They were great ! AND ... HA HA HA ... Emma LOOOOOVES fresh caught, barbecued Cutthroat Trout. Who knew ? HA HA HA HA HA !
Thursday ; Crooked River campground to Hudson's Hope, BC
Sunny and hot.
This morning before doing anything else I went outside and fished for an hour. Caught two Rainbow Trout and one Cutthroat Trout. Initially I kept the Cutthroat ( alive ) but when I failed to catch another one, I released it. Joanne thought it did not make sense to keep only one fish that was too small to feed both of us.
We continued northbound on Hwy. 97. We stopped at some provincial parks on the way just to check them out. At Crooked River / Bear Lake Provincial Park we refilled our freshwater tank. At Bijoux Falls Provincial Park we stopped to view the falls. At Tudyah Provincial Park we had lunch. Shortly after having lunch we stopped at a roadside rest area and I napped for an hour. HMPH ! Shouldn't have gotten up that early to go fly fishing ! HA HA HA !
At Chetwynd we stopped to walk around and view the amazing chainsaw carvings around the town. Every year Chetwynd hosts a chainsaw carving competition, and the winners are displayed around the town. At Chetwynd we turned north on Hwy. 29. We will rejoin Hwy. 97 tomorrow near Fort St. John.
We stopped for the night at King Gething Park, the municipal campground of the town of Hudson's Hope. We had the small campground entirely to ourselves. I lit a campfire and cooked supper over the open fire. Joanne prepared foil wrapped packets of chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips, and garlic scapes. MMMMM ! ! ! Very good ! While I was preparing a campfire and cooking supper, Bo was outside with me, of course. But surprisingly ... so was Emma. She wanted to come out of the camper. I attached her to a tie out, and she happily explored around our campsite, including lying down contentedly in the grass for awhile. HEY ... Emma's learning to enjoy camping !
Friday ; Hudson’s Hope to Bucking Horse River Wayside Park
Sunny and very warm, becoming cloudy in the evening.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank before leaving King Gething Park campground in Hudson's Hope. We continued north and east on Hwy. 29 until reaching Hwy. 97 again, at this point now named the Alaska Highway. We turned the wrong way / south on the Alaska Hwy. and drove about
13 km. / 8 miles to Fort St. John.
We were looking for a place to refill Lanoire with diesel fuel in Fort St. John. We found the Safeway store and it had a fuel bar with diesel. We refilled with diesel, then Joanne went into the store to buy a loaf of bread and I went in to use their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail. We ate lunch in the camper in the Safeway parking lot, then departed Fort St. John around 2 PM.
North on the Alaska Highway. Kind of boring ! Miles and miles and miles of nothing but ... trees ! And many southbound logging trucks loaded with ... trees ! Around 6 PM we arrived at the Bucking Horse River Wayside Park, our destination for tonight. As soon as we were set up in a site, I went fly fishing in the Bucking Horse River for an hour. Caught the first two Brook Trout of my life. Kept the larger one, released the smaller one. Now I regret releasing that lovely Cutthroat Trout yesterday morning. Once again I have a half a meal worth of fresh fish !
I barbecued supper, then after we ate supper I went fly fishing for another hour. Caught nothing this time. HMPH ! When I walked the dog at 11:05 PM ... it was still daylight. When we awoke about 1:30 AM to ... < ahem > ... clean the litter box, it was still daylight. It seems that we are so far north that at this time of the year it doesn't get dark at night.
When I retrieved e-mail in Fort St. John there was a request for a trailer towing quote for a job to be done next week. Sorry ... no can do ! At 3:30 PM we received a phone call requesting a trailer towing job to be done in Okanagan Falls ... HA HA HA HA HA ... TODAY ! Sorry, pal ... no can do ! BUT ... keep up the excellent advance planning !
< ROFLMAO >
Saturday ; Bucking Horse River Wayside Park to NWT border
Today started out cloudy and warm. As the day progressed the clouds became "ugly", the temperature dropped a lot, and it rained for about an hour in late afternoon.
We continued northbound on the Alaska Highway. Around 1 PM we stopped to have lunch beside the bridge over Bougie Creek. While Joanne prepared lunch I went fly fishing for half an hour. WOO-HOO ... another first ! Caught two Arctic Grayling, first ones of my life ! They seemed just a bit too small to eat, so I released both of them.
< sigh > Driving the Alaska Highway is boring ! Eventually we reached the town of Fort Nelson. Where the price of diesel was ... $1.289 per litre ! For my American friends, that's about five bucks per gallon ! And we're still in British Columbia ! In Fort Nelson we bought diesel and refilled our freshwater tank at Petro-Canada. I bought some Super Glue at Home Hardware. And we refilled our five gallon drinking water jug and bought some groceries at Overwaitea.
About 30 km. / 19 miles west of Fort Nelson we turned north off the Alaska Highway and onto Hwy. 77 / Liard Highway heading to the Northwest Territories. We stopped a couple of times at bridges to check their suitability for overnight boondocking ... and fishing ... but continued driving until we reached the 60th parallel ... the Northwest Territories border ... about 7 PM. We stopped to have supper and boondock overnight parked beside the "Welcome To Spectacular Northwest Territories" road sign.
For supper tonight I baked the small Brook Trout I caught last night. It was pretty good, a bit bony, not as tasty as Cutthroat Trout, flesh about as tasty as Rainbow Trout, skin more tasty. I just walked Bo at 10:40 PM. He had difficulty deciding whether to "have a dump" in British Columbia or Northwest Territories. HA HA HA !
DSK
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