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

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

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

August 19 to 25, 2018

Sunday ;  Princeton

< cough cough >  Extremely thick smoke all the way to ground level, zero visibility, cool and windy in the morning, warm in the afternoon.

This morning we wondered if the second and last day of the Princeton Traditional Music Festival was going to be cancelled due to the thick smoke.  There was really no way to check, so ... off to Princeton we went.  We left home around 11 AM and arrived at the music festival at noon.  It was not cancelled, and ... we were glad that we went.  We had an enjoyable day.

We left Princeton about 5:30 PM and were home by 6:30 PM.  We walked Ozzie, then made supper.  I barbecued very thick, juicy, marinated steaks for supper.  Take that, you coronary artery bypass grafts.  HA HA HA !

My wasp stung lower lip was still swollen and sore this morning, but the swelling and pain were gone by late afternoon, about twenty-four hours after being stung.

Monday ;  Penticton

Wildfire smoke diminishing a bit, warm.

We left home around 11 AM this morning headed to Penticton in the minivan.  Just before noon I picked up the truck at Westech Automotive.  The owner / mechanic there identified the cause of the truck's exhaust growl under the hood.  We drove both our vehicles to Mobil and refilled the minivan with fuel, then I took the truck for a wash while Joanne headed to Cherry Lane Shopping Mall.  I met her there and we had lunch together in the food court.

After lunch Joanne went her own way to run some shopping errands.  I drove to the Cardiac Rehabilitation fitness centre to consult with one of the physiotherapists.  My new family doctor recommended that I seek the advice of a physiotherapist to get some knee strengthening exercises.  So ... that I did.

Once back at home I napped with the animals until Joanne returned home, then she and I went to the swimming pool for a cardiac exercise session.  While I was
checking / tightening the last piece of the truck's valve extender components that
I recently installed ... I broke it !  Yes, yes ... I am my father's son !  Keep tightening it until you break it.  Yup ... a little less than that was the correct tightness ! ! ! < sigh >

Tuesday ;  Smoky, warm.

This morning I had a lengthy discussion with a doctor at my travel medical insurer.  The discussion is not over, and will resume after I clarify an issue with my cardiologist.

This afternoon I did a plumbing modification underneath our house.  I had been dreading doing this job, but it went well.

In the evening I ordered more valve adaptor / extender hardware from Amazon.  And we watched Amazing Race Canada.

Wednesday ;  Thick smoke, becoming extremely thick with heavy ash falling by suppertime, warm.

I had planned to go fishing today.  But ... the air quality was so poor, I decided it would be unhealthy to go hiking upstream to my fishing spot.  And we missed doing cardiac exercises today because ... well ... I guess I was just too lazy.

Joanne went into town today to run some errands.  I napped.  HA HA HA !  We visited our neighbour / friend Jeanine, to return a book of hers, and to trim her little dog Charlie's nails.

Thursday ;  Smoky, warm, windy.

This morning our priority was loading the camper onto the truck, in anticipation of leaving on an adventure trip to Bella Coola in a couple of days.  As we were backing the truck underneath the camper ... the gear shift cable broke.  Crippled truck !  I called our emergency roadside service provider and they dispatched a tow truck.  When the tow truck arrived, the driver knew exactly where the gear shift cable was likely broken.  And he was correct.  He crawled underneath the truck and was able to temporarily reattach the cable, allowing me to drive the truck into town, instead of having it towed.  He followed me in the tow truck, just in case.  I left the truck at Performance Automotive to be repaired / have the gear shift cable replaced.  Joanne came into town with the minivan a few minutes later and drove me back home.

As we were driving back home my cardiologist phoned for our 2:30 PM telephone appointment.  I asked him about the medication that our travel medical insurer is concerned about, and he advised me that it is no longer necessary, I should discontinue it.  That will satisfy the travel medical insurer.  He also advised me that my recent echocardiogram indicated "extremely good" heart function.  I really appreciate his flexibility / willingness to have a simple medication consultation by telephone, saving me time and a trip to Penticton.  Thank you, Dr. Kincade.

After an extremely late lunch we gave Ozzie a short haircut.  And discovered a second ruptured cyst / abscess on him.  I have already made a veterinarian appointment for the first large ruptured cyst / abscess that refuses to heal.  It scabs over, the scab falls off in ten days or two weeks, the abscess underneath the scab oozes more blood and pus, a scab forms, and the two week cycle starts over.  That first cyst / abscess has persisted for a couple of months already.  Poor Ozzie.  But ... he seems to appreciate the short haircut.  I'm of the opinion that dogs with allergies ( like Ozzie ) benefit from short haircuts, allowing their skin to be exposed to sunlight and fresh air.

With the truck needing repairs it seems likely that our Saturday departure on vacation will be delayed.

Friday ;  Smoky, warm.

I phoned our travel medical insurer this morning, and resolved issues with their doctor.  I trimmed my beard outside at our picnic table.  And while I did  that, I was stung again by a wasp.  It crawled up my pant leg and stung me in the shin.

Joanne did laundry.  And took an inordinately long time to compose an e-mail to her sister.  And needed my help repeatedly to bail her out of the difficulties she
encountered / created for herself by dragging her fingers as she typed, an ongoing and extremely irritating ( to me ) problem when she uses the computer ... < gritting my
teeth >.

In the afternoon we went to our RV park's orchard and picked plums.  Late in the afternoon we drove into town to pick up the repaired truck.  But ... after a discussion with the mechanic I decided to leave it for a few more days to repair two other problems that I was going to have repaired in a few weeks after we return from vacation.  So ... instead of leaving for vacation tomorrow we will probably leave next Wednesday.

In the evening ... < sigh > ... I downloaded, reconciled, and paid our monthly MasterCard statement.  And watched five rerun episodes of Schitt's Creek.  HA HA HA !

Congratulations to Ozzie who reached his goal weight of twenty-two pounds today, down eleven pounds in the eleven months that we have had him.  Well done, Joanne !

Saturday ;  Cloudy, chilly, smoky.

The chilly temperature today signals that summer's heat is over, for sure !  We had a few drops of rain in the afternoon, but ... we need a lot of rain to help the wildfire situation.  I did some loading of stuff into the camper for our upcoming trip to Bella Coola.  We gave Ozzie a bath.  Well ... Joanne gave Ozzie a bath, and I provided a bit of assistance.  Late in the afternoon we went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises.  And soaked in the hut tub !

DSK

August 12 to 18, 2018

Sunday ;  Princeton

Cloudy and cool.  Very smoky !

This morning at 9 AM we picked up our neighbour / friend Jeanine and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton to attend a performance of the RCMP Musical Ride.  The RCMP Musical Ride is quintessential Canadiana corny kitsch, but ... it was great ! ! !  And so different from the baseball cap / hand over the heart jingoism we have experienced
( endured ? ) so often in the last fourteen years ... < ahem > ... "elsewhere".

After the Musical Ride performance, which was preceded by an RCMP K9 demonstration, we went to "downtown" Princeton to have lunch at Thomasina's, a bakery / café that we have been to before.  We took the scenic route home, on Old Hedley Road, on the north side of the Similkameen River.  It was an idyllic "Sunday afternoon drive in the country" that put Jeanine to sleep.  HA HA HA !

This afternoon, after months of incorrect parts shipped and missing shipments,
I finished installing the new valve adaptors / valve extenders on the truck.  The final piece of the puzzle arrived in the mail on Friday.  I unloaded all the trailer towing equipment and supplies, including removing the fifth wheel hitch out of the bed of the truck so that I could park the truck underneath the camper again.

Monday ;  Sunny and warm.  Very smoky.

This morning I did outdoor chores, watered our composters, cleaned the barbecue. 
I inspected the truck's exhaust system, to identify where the "growling" sound is coming from.  HMPH ... seems to be the turbocharger.  I wonder how many thousands of dollars that will cost ? ! ?

This afternoon I resealed the bedroom front window of the camper, removing all the old, cracked caulking, and applying new silicone sealant.  Then we went to the swimming pool for an exercise session.  Afterwards we took Ozzie to the dog park, and I returned some books to our RV park's library.  In the mail today I received some valve extender parts that were due to arrive in June.  I demanded and received a refund at the beginning of July for those parts.  At that time I ordered the same parts from another supplier, and received them by mid-July.

Tuesday ;  Sunny and hot.  Very smoky.  Unable to use Sun Oven because of smoke obliterating sun.

I spent too much time this afternoon on multiple phone calls with our travel medical insurer, who phoned repeatedly to question ( hassle ) me about our travel medical insurance application.  Late this afternoon I went fishing.  And to my surprise ... I caught nothing.  I gave up after an hour of fishing !

Shortly before I gave up, I felt tired, so I sat down beside the river to rest.  After a few moments I felt what I thought was a bug on my leg.  I looked down, and ... slithering on the rocks underneath my leg was a teensy little baby rattlesnake.  YIKES !  I yanked my leg up into the air, and squirmed away.

That's the second fishing trip in a row that I've had a close encounter with a small rattlesnake !  I wonder if a female rattlesnake gave birth nearby ?  Or is that spot just a popular drinking location ?  Could they be heading instinctively to the river's edge because of the thick wildfire smoke ?

Wednesday ;  Sunny and hot.  Extremely smoky, near zero visibility at ground level, IFR flying conditions.

This afternoon I repaired the kitchen sink faucets.  They were leaking.  I removed the faucet assembly, completely disassembled it, drove into town and obtained new faucet cartridges ... free because the faucet is by Moen ... drove home, installed the new cartridges, cleaned and reassembled and reinstalled everything.  Well done, Daniel ! 
< whispering >  I don't particularly like doing plumbing work !

Thursday ;  Penticton

Thick smoke, heavy ash falling from the sky, very warm.

I left home this morning at 10 AM, heading for Penticton in the truck.  Joanne left home at 11:15 AM, heading for Penticton in the minivan.  We met at 1:15 PM at Burger King.  My first stop was Penticton Hospital to get my knees x-rayed.  Then I refilled the truck with diesel fuel, deposited a couple of cheques, and took the truck to a transmission shop to have the transmission fluid flushed and refilled, and the transmission filter replaced.

We had lunch at Burger King, then ran errands together until it was time for me to go to my 3 PM doctor's appointment.  I discussed my knee x-rays with my new family doctor, then asked him to accept Joanne as a new patient.  With a teensy bit of reluctance due to his patient load, he agreed.  PHEW !  Now we both have a new family doctor.  I'm relieved, and VERY glad to be rid of the Keremeos Clinic for both of us !  EAT SHIT AND DIE, GLORIA !

Did I just say that out loud ? ! ?

I picked up the truck from the transmission shop, and took it to another auto repair facility for a diagnosis of a new problem.  That shop likely cannot fix the ( diesel ) problem, but they are excellent at problem diagnosis.  We finished our errands around 5:30 PM and were home about an hour later.  When we arrived back home around
6:30 PM, the sky was dark, with red glow behind the mountains across the river, and heavy ash was falling on everything.  HMPH !  Seems as if there is a new wildfire across the river from us !

Friday ;  Sky obliterated by thick, black wildfire smoke from fire behind the mountain across the river.  Heavy ash falling on everything !  Picnic table plastic cover looks like ... war zone.  Looks like the apocalypse is coming !  All day long two helicopters with buckets hanging on long lines were refilling their buckets in the Similkameen River, disappearing behind the mountain, and returning within a few minutes.  They were refilling their buckets in the deep water of the Similkameen River a short distance upstream from our RV park's burn pile area.  HMPH ... my "secret fishing hole" !  They better not have been scooping up all the Rainbow Trout in their buckets !

Received a phone call this morning with a diagnosis of my truck’s exhaust “growl” problem.  Phoned the diesel specialty shop and made an appointment for a month from now for replacement of the exhaust manifold.  KA-CHING ... couple of thousand
bucks !  Set up an appointment with a physiotherapist next week regarding my sore knee.  Did preventive maintenance on the minivan.  Fluid top-ups, battery terminal cleaning, that sort of thing.

Napped after lunch.  Went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises.  Went to the dog park with Ozzie.  He’s so funny !  “I piss, I shit ... I want to go home and eat NOW !”

This evening wrote a lengthy letter to travel medical insurer !

Saturday ;  Princeton

Warm and humid.  Grey smoke so thick all the way to ground level we couldn't see the mountain across the highway or the mountain across the river.  Difficult to breathe.  Imagine having to sing at a music festival in these conditions !

We left home this morning at 11 AM and headed west on Hwy. 3 to Princeton for the first day of the annual Princeton Traditional Music Festival.  We spent the day wandering back and forth between the two outdoor and one indoor stages, enjoying the variety of musicians.  We arrived at the music festival around noon and left at 6 PM, arriving back home around 7 PM.

This afternoon, while I was drinking from a can of iced tea, a wasp crawled into the can.  I did not notice that !  On my next sip, the wasp was in my mouth.  Before I could spit it out, it stung me on the inside of my lower lip.

OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  OW  ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

J***S F*****G H C****T ! ! !

WOW !  Did that ever hurt for a couple of minutes.  Then I had a swollen, sore lower lip for the rest of the day.

DSK

August 5 to 11, 2018

Sunday ;  Sunny and hot.

This morning I did some budget planning.  After lunch and a nap, I went fishing in the Similkameen River.  First fishing outing to my "secret fishing hole" on the Similkameen River this summer season.  I hiked upstream to my "secret fishing hole".  < blink blink >  It's not there anymore !  The entire river has changed as a result of this spring's flooding and extremely fast flow.  I fished in a "new" set of rapids.  The first Rainbow Trout that
I caught, I attempted to handle without a net.  I pulled it up onto the rocks, unhooked it, picked it up to put it into my pail, and ... dropped the ****ing thing back into the river ...
< gritting my teeth >.  Why carry a net if you're not going to use it, Dan ? ! ?

Including the one that I dropped back into the river, I caught five Rainbow Trout today.  My daily limit of four ... into the freezer !

I shared my fishing space with a large family of ducks ... who seemed to be much more successful at catching fish than I was !  And an oriole.  And a Bald Eagle.  And a small rattlesnake !  The snake and I scared the bejesus out of one another ! ! !  HA HA HA ! 
I just about stepped on it !  It was very interesting to watch it drinking out of the river.

Monday ;  Mostly sunny and hot, lots of wildfire smoke.  Joanne baked a couple of apricot loaves in the Sun Oven today, somewhat hampered by the smoke  The apricots came from the tree we planted about ten years ago on our previous home in this park, lot #89.

This morning I bought a checked baggage allowance on Joanne's flights to Winnipeg and back in a couple of months.  Since when does a checked bag on an airline flight cost extra ? ! ?  This afternoon we attempted ( unsuccessfully ) to clean the charcoal air filter on the back of our new ( to  us ) evaporative ( swamp ) cooler.  Evidently the previous owner was a smoker !  And the cool air emitted by the room air cooler smells of cigarette smoke !  Eventually we gave up trying different methods to clean the filter, and I figured out how to remove the old filter and how to replace it with a cat litter box air filter that I will cut to the correct size.

This afternoon after a cardiac exercise session in the swimming pool I adjusted the air pressure in my bicycle's tires, then inspected the caulking / sealant around the front upper bedroom window of the camper.   Yes ... it needs to be replaced.  It's old, and cracked, and falling off, creating risk of leaks around the window.

In the evening I did some preparing for our upcoming trailer delivery job to Vancouver Island, including preparing an invoice / receipt for the client.  And doing online research to determine the exact length and weight of that model of trailer.  < sigh >  Thirty-nine feet, two inches in length, twelve feet, eight inches in height, twelve thousand four hundred pounds "dry" ( no water, propane, or anything else inside ).  < sigh >  And temperatures during our delivery trip well in excess of a hundred degrees F / reaching forty degrees C ! ! !

Tuesday ;  Sunny and very hot.

This morning Joanne went to Penticton by herself for a day of running errands.  I did pet ear and dental care, then made some appointments by phone.  I did preventive maintenance on the truck, then loaded trailer towing equipment and supplies into the truck for the trailer towing job that starts tomorrow.  I did some monthly investment statement reconciliations, and I went bicycling just before supper.  We had an interesting new Mexican recipe for supper while watching Amazing Race Canada.

While in Penticton today Joanne bought a cat litter box charcoal filter, and tonight I cut it down to size to make it fit the evaporative / swamp cooler's filter panel.  Well done !

Wednesday ;  home to Winfield and return

Sunny and extremely hot.

We drove 150 km., THROUGH WESTBANK AND KELOWNA GRIDLOCK, to pick up a trailer for delivery.  It wasn't ready !  Won't be ready until tomorrow !  Our return trip home was six hours / 434 km. of driving, due to a 284 km. detour caused by a
semi-trailer accident and fire very near to our home.  Total driving today of 584 km. ... to accomplish NOTHING !  Will write more tomorrow while on ferry to Vancouver Island.

Left home at 11 AM.  Drove to Penticton Hospital to have knee X-rayed.  X-ray department short staffed, so wait time longer than one hour.  UH-UH ... goodbye !  Drove to Westbank, refilled with diesel fuel.  Drove into Kelowna, had lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory.  Bought guy stuff at Princess Auto.  Drove to Winfield, advised by RV dealership salesperson / client that trailer would not be ready until tomorrow morning.  < sigh >  Advised client that I would be billing $1 per km. for unproductive drive.

Drove back through Kelowna and Westbank rush hour gridlock.  Decided to take "scenic route" home to buy RCMP Musical Ride tickets in Princeton.  Had planned to buy them tomorrow, on way from home with trailer through Princeton on way to Lower Mainland ferry terminal, but ... trailer pick up tomorrow will result in changed route, not through Princeton.  Bought tickets in Princeton, was not allowed to turn east on Hwy. 3 due to fiery semi-trailer crash between Hedley and Riverside RV Park Resort.  Had to drive 65 km. north back to Okanagan Coquihalla Connector, 85 km. east to Peachland, south through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Keremeos, west to home.  As we drove through the village of Keremeos in the dark we could see a lot of flames at the top of K Mountain, the mountain "backdrop" to the town.

Semi-trailer fire that caused our detour ignited new wildfire on each side of the
highway !  Good thing there were many nearby firefighting crews and bucket equipped helicopters that immediately responded, and had the brush fires on each side of the highway extinguished even before the semi-trailer was finished burning.

Thursday ;  home to Winfield to Vancouver Island

Sunny and extremely hot, temperature in excess of 100º F / between 38º and 40º C.

Today, and ten days ago, were the two hottest days in BC recorded history.  And on both of those days ... I was towing large and extremely heavy fifth wheel trailers on two of the most difficult roads in BC ... probably in all of Canada ; the Coquihalla Highway from Merritt to Hope, and the Coquihalla Okanagan Connector from Peachland to Merritt.

We left home this morning at 9 AM and drove 150 km. north ... ( again ! ) ... to Voyager RV in Winfield.  On the way we refilled with diesel at Superstore in Westbank.  We made good time and arrived at Voyager RV at 11:45 AM for our rescheduled noon pick up time.  I bought something I needed in their parts department, then the salesperson guided us on a short drive to the dealership's storage yard.  HOLY MACKEREL ... what a lot of inventory !  We were hitched up to the large fifth wheel trailer and on our way about 12:30 PM.

Back all the way through Kelowna, then Westbank / West Kelowna , and onto the "Connector" headed west.  About 85 km. uphill from Peachland, then about 40 km. downhill to Merritt.  I "managed" the ascent better than I did last week, and did not overheat the truck's engine and transmission ... as much !  Merritt to Hope, south on the Coquihalla for 115 km, about 65 km. uphill then 50 km. downhill.  Also managed better than last week.

We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Hope, then continued west on Trans-Canada Highway 1 to the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area.  Rush hour traffic was gridlocked through Abbotsford and Aldergrove !  We needed to be at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal by 7:30 PM for our 7:45 PM boarding time / 8:15 PM departure time.  We arrived at 7 PM, giving us enough time to walk Ozzie and eat our picnic supper in the truck.

I am typing this on the ferry, at 9:15 PM.  It arrived in Nanaimo about fifteen minutes late, at 10:30 PM.  We were at our motel by 11 PM.  BUT ... < sputter > ... despite addressing my need for a sixty foot long parking spot in my reservation, and again by phone ,,, there was nowhere for me to park the truck and trailer !  I advised the night clerk that I expected a no charge cancellation, and we left ... tired and frustrated.  We spent about another frustrating hour searching for another motel to stay at.  All we found ... with the assistance of a taxi driver ... was one motel whose rate was $175 per night, and Ozzie was not allowed !  We spent the night parked in the Nanaimo Visitor Information Centre parking lot.

I slept poorly.  Joanne slept very poorly.  Ozzie slept just fine !  And I agreed to Joanne's demand ; no more Vancouver Island trailer deliveries !

Friday ;  Vancouver Island to home

Sunny and hot.

We washed up this morning in the Visitor Information Centre's bathrooms ... like the rest of the homeless people living in their cars in the parking lot !  We drove the short distance north from Nanaimo on Island Highway 19 to Parksville, arriving about 9:30 AM for our scheduled 11 AM trailer delivery.  The clients were very eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new home, having spent the last two nights in a motel after selling their previous trailer.  Positioning the large fifth wheel trailer in their RV park lot was extremely challenging, but ... that's why I get paid the big bucks !  HA HA HA !

We got the trailer positioned, levelled, set up, and did an orientation with the customers ...  as pre-arranged ... and were finished and leaving at 11:30 AM.  We rushed back to the Nanaimo ferry terminal in an attempt to catch the 12:45 PM ferry.  When we arrived at the Duke Point ferry terminal about 12:30 PM, the 12:45 PM ferry was already full.  As were the 3:15 PM and 5:45 PM ferries ! ! !  Good thing I had reservations on both of those !

We drove back into Nanaimo to have lunch.  We refilled with diesel at a Co-op Fuel Bar, then had a very nice lunch at Smitty's.  Don't think we've ever been to a Smitty's before.  Good food, good service, how pleasant !  We finished lunch at 2 PM, and were back at the ferry terminal at 2:30 PM to check in for the 3:15 PM ferry.  It was so hot and humid on the lowest level vehicle deck of the ferry we were reluctant to leave Ozzie in the very hot, stuffy cab of the truck.  I attached a short tie-out to the fifth wheel hitch in the bed of the truck, and left Ozzie and his bed in the bed of the truck.  Just like some kind of a miniature pit bull.  HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA.

The ferry arrived in Tsawwassen ( Vancouver ) on time at 5:15 PM.  I told Joanne that if we didn't stop for supper or fuel, I could get us home in five hours.  I did it in four hours and fifty minutes, arriving home at 10:05 PM.  Of course, I had to drive like everyone else in the Lower Mainland, 30 km. / hr. over the speed limit !

As we drove through Abbotsford around 6:30 PM, 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper congestion ... WHOA !  SNOWBIRDS ! ! !  Nine red and white, little Tutor 33 jets, Canada's military precision aerobatics team.  It's difficult to drive 120 km. / hr., bumper to bumper, and watch an air show performance at the same time.  HA HA HA !  Must be the famous Abbotsford International Air Show tonight / this weekend.

As we approached Hope, there was much wildfire.  And many helicopters with buckets on long lines, all flying around like dragonflies, in the smoke !  SHEESH !  Methinks it's just a matter of time until two of these helicopter cowboys collide in mid-air.

Saturday ;  Cloudy, warm, intermittent thunderstorms with huge drops of rain, on the verge of forming hailstones.

We slept very late.  We deserved it !  I puttered around with job accounting.  And I did some housecleaning.  It's the time of year when little bugs come in at night, through the screens, and then die around my desk lamp and bedside lamp.  I processed some photos from my camera to my computer.  I lazed around and read a book.  Too bad it's a crappy book !

DSK

July 29 to August 4, 2018

Sunday ;  Sunny and very hot, temperature around 100º F ... or perhaps a bit more. 
A fine day for our bedroom evaporative / "swamp" cooler to die !  Joanne cooked "fried" chicken in the Sun Oven today, as tomorrow's picnic supper after delivery of a trailer.  Then she cooked stromboli in the Sun Oven for tonight's supper.

A couple of weeks ago I stubbed a toe on my left foot so badly that the toe turned purple and the nail turned black.  Well ... today I did the same thing to the same toe on the other foot !  < sigh >

I finished my trip planning and motel reservations for the "maybe" trailer towing job in a couple of weeks.  I updated my investments summary, which I do as a weekly monitoring / analysis of how our investments are doing.  I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog.  We went to the swimming pool this afternoon but I didn't feel well today, so our time in the pool was just to cool down, not to exercise.

Monday ;  home to Winfield to Surrey to home

Sunny and very hot, temperature 101º F / 38º C while we were driving on the Coquihalla in the afternoon.

It was a long, hot, tiring day of trailer towing, with death and destruction all around us, it seemed at times.  We stopped around 9:15 PM in Hope to refill with diesel fuel for the second time today, and while we were getting refilled, a fiery, fatal crash took place on the Coquihalla Highway nearby.  Then we continued eastbound towards home, on the Crowsnest Highway 3 which had just been reopened after being closed for part of the evening because a wildfire had jumped over the highway and was burning on both sides of the road.  As we approached Princeton around 11 PM a double trailer semi had jackknifed, completely blocking the highway.  We were able to go around it by driving onto a gravel area adjacent to the highway.

Yes, yes ... there's no doubt ... the most dangerous thing we do is highway driving ! ! !

We left home at 7:40 AM heading for Voyager RV in Winfield, about 10 km. north of the Kelowna airport.  We made very good time, arriving just after 10 AM for our 10:30 AM trailer pick up.  However ... Voyager RV was running late, so by the time the trailer was finished being washed, then an orientation with the new owners took about an hour, it was 11:30 AM before we could hitch up and go.  Back through the traffic gridlock of Kelowna and Westbank / West Kelowna, then we turned west on the Okanagan Coquihalla Connector at Peachland headed for Merritt.

The Okanagan Coquihalla Connector is about 115 km. from Peachland to Merritt, half of it uphill, and half downhill !  With a filled freshwater tank, and two filled propane tanks, the 41 foot long fifth wheel trailer weighed about 15,000 pounds !  I set the truck's cruise control to 90 km. / hr. and up the big hill we went !  By the time we reached the Pennask Summit, the truck's engine ( coolant ) and transmission ( fluid ) were severely overheated.  I had to park at the summit for awhile and allow everything to cool down.

Downhill to Merritt helped cool the truck down, then when we went to the Extra Foods Fuel Bar in Merritt to refill with diesel ... UH-OH ... no diesel !  Next available diesel would be 115 km. away in Hope.  Wish me luck !  The Coquihalla from Merritt to Hope is half uphill, half downhill, like the Connector.  Learning from the overheating lesson of the Connector, I set the truck's cruise control to 60 km. / hr., and limped slowly up the 50 to 60 km. long hill with flashers on, joining the big semi-trailer trucks doing the same.  Lanoire handled it without overheating.  Another life lesson learned !  The shoulder of the Coquihalla was littered with overheated vehicles !

We made it to Hope without running out of fuel.  We refilled at Flying J ... their fuel pump electronics malfunctioning due to the heat ( over 100 degrees ), and an hour later we reached Chilliwack ... and Lower Mainland rush hour !  < sigh >  It took another hour and a half of fighting rush hour traffic to get to the trailer delivery location, an RV park adjacent to the Pacific Highway border crossing in Surrey.

We arrived at the RV park at 6:15 PM, got the trailer positioned and unhitched, chatted with the new trailer's new owners about full time RV'ing / travelling ... ( not particularly feasible with a 41 foot trailer weighing 15,000 pounds, pal ! ) and left at 7 PM.  About an hour later we were having a late picnic supper at a rest area near Abbotsford.  We refilled with diesel again at Hope around 9:15 PM, and were back home at five minutes after midnight.

Tuesday ;  Happy 57th Birthday to my brother Russell

Hot, thick smoke, ash falling from sky.  A nearby wildfire flared up and grew large overnight.  Keremeos and Cawston are on evacuation alert.

Joanne and Ozzie, both tired from yesterday's trailer delivery job, slept late.  I don't understand, I did about 98 % of the work, Joanne did about 2 %, Ozzie did none.  HA HA HA !  I got caught up on work not done yesterday, like writing yesterday's journal entry and doing yesterday's credit card accounting.  I unloaded trailer towing equipment and supplies from the truck.  I phoned a client to confirm whether or not they will require me to transport one of their trailers from Saskatoon to Vancouver in two weeks.  She was unable to provide me with an answer ... yet.  I did trailer towing job accounting.  We went to the swimming pool and did cardiac exercises.

Joanne did online shopping for a room evaporative ( swamp ) cooler.  Our current swamp cooler in the bedroom has given up the ghost.  She found one in Penticton that looks promising.  We'll see it tomorrow.

Wednesday ;  Penticton

Sunny, very hot, some smoke haze.

We spent the day in Penticton running errands.  That included me having an appointment with my new family doctor, and ... purchasing a near new evaporative
( swamp ) cooler for our bedroom.  Time to "retire" the old swamp cooler that we bought five years ago for twenty bucks at a yard sale.  The one we bought today is a 2017 or 2016 model with all the electronic bells and whistles.  The old one is sort of the Model T version of swamp coolers.  I'm tired of the endless quest to find replacement drive belts for it, which it consumes at the rate of about two per summer season.  The only place
I have succeeded in finding replacement drive belts for it is at an industrial supply business in Yuma, Arizona.  And since we were not there last winter ... I have run out of spare drive belts.

We left home at 11 AM and were back home at 7 PM.

Thursday ;  Sunny and hot, windy.

A somewhat lazy day of puttering around with routine household chores. 
I contemplated going fishing but ... too windy.

Friday ;  Cloudy, windy, very warm.

This morning the RV dealership that hired me to deliver a trailer earlier this week hired me again to do another delivery next week, this time to Vancouver Island.  And so the "maybe" long distance trailer delivery job next week for another client becomes the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job.  And so ends the short lived relationship with that client who has "ghosted" me regarding that job.

After an early ( for us ) lunch we headed into Keremeos.  While I went for a haircut and beard trim Joanne refilled our five gallon water jug and shopped for produce.  After she picked me up at the hair stylist place I went to the pharmacy and she went to the credit union to get coinage.  After we returned home I napped briefly then we went to the swimming pool and did aquatic cardiac exercises.

In the evening I cancelled the five motel reservations I had made for the "definitely not" long distance trailer delivery job, and made a motel reservation and multiple ferry reservations to and from Vancouver Island.

Saturday ;  Mostly sunny, very warm, smoky in the evening.

This morning I used my multi-meter to test the 120 volt AC to 12 volt DC converters for our two vehicle fridges, one in the truck and one in the minivan.  HA HA HA ... our third vehicle fridge is in OB, our SUV in Yuma.  One of the converters seemed to malfunction recently, and today I proved that.  One converter was producing fourteen volts DC ... correct ... and the other was producing two volts DC.  PHHHHT ... into the garbage that one went !

We did some gardening.  Joanne harvested lettuce, then culled out old, overgrown lettuce.  I culled out all the peas, no longer producing.  I replanted a variety of lettuce, and some cilantro.  We gave Ozzie a bath.  Joanne did laundry.  I contemplated going fishing in the afternoon, but it was windy at that time, and some ugly clouds were rolling in.

In the evening I purchased our winter travel medical insurance, a more complicated
( and expensive ! ) process each year, it seems.

DSK