Today We Got Lost

The rain stopped and the sun was shining.  What a great day to check out the trails at Burnaby Lake Park.   This park is right across the street from the road to our campground.  Several  times while out and about we have said that we should check it out.  Today was the day.

So we set out expecting to be walking for about half an hour.  No money, water, id etc.  The only things we remembered were hats and the phone.  Our entrance is not a main one.  No maps, pamphlets or parking.  Every so often on the trail would be small arrows indicating loops off the main trail.  After following several of the offshoot loops, I had no concept of which way to go.  Eventually we came to one of the main entrances which has amenities such as bathrooms, maps and parking.  Of course we are no where near where we need to be.  A helpful stranger must have noticed our bewildered faces because she gave us directions to get back to our neighbourhood.  We had to leave the park and walk a couple of kilometers on city streets to get back home.  I figure we travelled over 5 kms and took over an hour for our little stroll.  Great exercise on a beautiful day.

Now we each have a copy of the park map. Next time we will be prepared with water, map and some money.

This park is a breeding area for painted turtles.  Did you know that turtles hatch their eggs in the fall?  Weird.  The whole family digs into the mud under the water and hibernates till spring.  Then the babies will leave the nest.  We also saw some very large cedar trees.  The wood is such a lovely deep red colour.

Next on the agenda - a nice long soak in the hot tub.

Field Trips

On Tuesday we headed into the big city to pick up Ian.  We went to Horseshoe  Bay to check out the ferry access.  This whale was outside the terminal.  It was beautifully painted with kayaking scenes.

 This traditional totem was also at the ferry terminal.

 Ian and Wayne checking things out.   There is a nice little townsite at Horseshoe Bay.  Restaurants, shops etc.  Will be easy to kill a couple of hours if we are early for our ferry next Friday.

Shot of ferry arriving at harbour.

This shot shows rain drops clinging  to the tree.  They looked like diamonds.  Lots of rain this week.












On Wed we went to find a Canadian Tire so Wayne could get some supplies to finish insulating the water lines.  While on this quest, we saw an IKEA.  It was the biggest one I have ever seen.  The parking lot was larger than some mall lots.  Had a great time wandering through the store and only spent $20.  That's a first.

Thurs we headed to Abbotsford and a RV show.  Spent the whole day checking out new model rvs.  All the trailers and the building were very hot.  I was sweating up a storm.  We had lots of fun.  Some of the buses were priced at about $400,000.  I'll take two.  HA HA  We picked up some info on parks in California and Arizona etc.   On the way home we took a side trip to The Old Spaghetti Factory for supper.  It was very good.

Today we are kicking back at home.  This morning we wandered over to the pool and hot tub.  It was great.  Now we both smell of chlorine.

Ian and Amy travelled into the mountains last night to go to a wedding tommorrow.  Hope they have fun and have a safe drive home.

Busy Weekend

I had some computer issues.  Got a new laptop at Costco last week.  It is a learning process.   But I'm back.

This weekend past we had lots of company.  On Saturday, Keith and Ethel came for supper.  It was great to see you guys and we look forward to lots more family time.

Sunday was Ian and Amy's turn.  Ian and Wayne made a trip to Home Depot for supplies and then they insulated some water pipes in the basement of our rig.  After that we watched movies and feasted on Chinese food and homemade pies compliments of the chefs Amy and Ian.  As you can see Punk was into cuddles.

Monday was laundry day again.   Not a moment too soon.  I thought I would be able to do this blog while waiting for the clothes but that's when I ran into problems.

Chilling Out in Vancouver

This is our site at Burnaby Cariboo RV Park. As you can see the sites aren't large but they are private. The park has great facilities including and indoor pool and hot tub.

The bus stop is at the end of the camp's lane and the sky train is 5 minutes away.

Yesterday, we took the bus and sky train to Ian and Amy's for supper. We had Greek salad. roast potatoes , pork tenderloin with tziki and brownies. Yummy.

We've bought groceries, done laundry and cleaned the trailer. We're settling in and relaxing. Life is Great!

Day 15 - Hope to Vancouver

Hooray! We're here. Short drive. Uneventful except for a steady rain.

At Burnaby Cariboo RV there are no pull through sites. Oh oh bad news. Wayne is totally stressed. The park does offer a parking service but no qualified staff were working. As we got to our assigned site, I saw the neighbour backing into his site. I asked if he could direct Wayne into our site. He agreed and between the two of them the trailer was backed into the very tight spot in one attempt. Yeah Wayne.

Ian and Amy came over and we went for supper at a White Spot. It's a BC chain that I like. It's so great to spend time with them.

We now have three weeks to spend here. Tomorrow laundry.

Day 14 - Revelstoke to Hope

Yesterday was quite the experience. We passed by Lake Shuswap. Very pretty but no pictures as the camera wasn't cooperating.

The above pictures are near Kamloops. It is very desert like.

At Kamloops the day got very interesting. A huge steep hill leads to Highway 5. We decided to take this road as it was 4 lanes. Didn't realize how mountainous it was. Going up the first hill triggered the check engine light on the truck. As it turns out there are very few access points to the road. We had to travel about about 20 kms to get off to cool off the truck. Still had the check engine light. We continued up and down hanging off the edge of mountains trying not to look. At certain points we were up 4000 feet. Finally we reached Hope and not a moment too soon.

Not having eaten all day, we did a quick set up and went for a meal. Skinny's Grill - very good.

Got back into the truck and thankfully the check engine light had gone out. Yeah. So the day ended on a positive note.

Day 13 Canmore to Revelstoke, BC

Today was all about the mountains.
We travelled through several avalanche tunnels.

I think this is a glacier.

One of the descents was called 10 mile hill or 3 changes of shorts(Wayne's version)

This is one of several animal bridges in Banff National Park. Eventually it will be covered with vegetation allowing the wildlife to cross safely.

Could this be 10 mile hill?

We saw several wet cyclers. Not my idea of a good time.

We have changed our travel plans for tomorrow. We are going to Hope instead of Boston Bar. By doing this we can travel on a 4 lane vice 2 lane highway. Almost there.

Day 12 Canmore

Today the sun came out. We are surrounded by mountains. Who knew?

I don't feel very well. While out sightseeing we stumbled on a medical clinic. They were able to squeeze me in. Apparently I have picked up a secondary bug to the one I had a couple of weeks ago. Now I am on antibiotics and asthma drugs to fight the bronchitis. Wayne and I are now even. One trip to the doctor each. That's enough.



Here are a couple of the bunnies that seem to populate this town. They are so cute but leave little turds everywhere.

These condos are being built here at Spring Creek. This style of wood and stone with lots of peaks is very popular in the mountains.



Here we are out for a walk after supper. Can there be a more beautiful place?

A couple of shots in the campground.

Tomorrow we hit the road again heading for Revelstoke, BC.

On final shot - these peaks are known as the Three Sisters.

Day 11 Medicine Hat to Canmore

We slept in this morning but still managed to be on the road by nine. We arrived in Canmore before three pm. Saw a very regal looking antelope standing in a field. No picture.

Going through Calgary was horrible. The highway goes right through town - no controlled exits - right on the street. Wayne was not a happy camper.

Spring Creek Rv Park is beautiful. It is nestled in a valley between two groups of mountains. Can't really see them because of the rain. Hopefully tomorrow will be clear. We are staying here for two nights. A break before we tackle the mountains.

Canmore is very pretty. Lots of alpine style and timber buildings. There are many bunny rabbits at the camp and downtown. I will try for pictures tomorrow.

We went out for an anniversary supper. Now back home snug for the night. The low for tonight is two degrees Celsius. Brr.

Day 10 Moose Jaw to Medicine Hat

As per Kathy's request, here is our plan:

Wed 8 Sep Medicine Hat to Canmore, AB
We will stay here for 2 nights.
Fri 10 Sep Canmore to Revelstoke, BC
Sat 11 Sep Revelstoke to Boston Bar
Sun 12 Sep Boston Bar to Vancouver
We will stay in Vancouver until 1 Oct when we will move to Living Forest Campground, Nanaimo, BC. We are staying here for the winter months.

Wayne was feeling OK this morning so we set off.

Lots of country scenes today.

This was the only time we saw crops being harvested. I think it was for a charity that was on the news today. The farmers donated time, equipment and crops to provide food to fight hunger around the world.

For about a 50 km stretch in Saskatchewan there were these small oil wells here and there. The farmers just planted around them and carried on.

Anya and Brian - This sign made me think of you.

So, I hope we can sleep tonight. The main cross Canada rail line runs right along the campground. I think at least 6 trains have already gone by.

Tomorrow - Canmore and our 31st wedding anniversary.

Moose Jaw

Sunday we did some sightseeing. Downtown has lots of murals depicting years gone past.



This is a Tudor aircraft. Moose Jaw is the Snowbirds' home base. We used to watch them practicing from our back deck. This monument is near the highway with the giant moose.

Monday, we had no time for sightseeing. Instead we spent more than 3 hours at the local hospital's emergency room. Not me this time. Wayne's shoulder blade muscle was very tight and knotted. It took quite awhile as they wanted to rule out some other stuff. But all is well. We came home and rested for the rest of the afternoon.

As of now, we are good to go tomorrow. If Wayne is still feeling poorly, we will just amend our plans. No big deal.

Day 7 - Moosimin to Moose Jaw Saskatchewan

Today we got on the road fairly early - arriving in Moose Jaw before noon. We got set up, grabbed some lunch and then Wayne took the truck for an oil and filter change.





We passed this complex. It's the modern storage equivalent of the grain elevator.




This is our old house. We lived here from 1987 - 1990. It still looks much the same except the siding was green before. We used to be the last house on the street with an empty lot across the road. Now the area is built up.






I was on the committee raising money to build this playground. It is so nice to see it still in use, with grass and mature trees. We installed sprinklers to keep it green during the dry prairie summers.










Mom, the rail yards are still here. I didn't see or smell any feedlots though.




We took a drive out to the air base. This is an old Harvard on display. The used to train pilots during the second world war using this aircraft. Most of the buildings that we worked in have been replaced. The control tower and radar building were still the same. Moose Jaw was probably my favourite posting.

Well that's it for tonight. Tomorrow we will check out some more local sites and do laundry.

Day 6 - Winnipeg to Moosimin

This isn't a lake. It's a field just outside of Winnipeg. Manitoba has had more than it's fair share of rain lately.





Today started out sunny but soon the skies turned ominous. However we only passed through a brief shower. Seemed like we had a break between two huge cloud masses.




Just a shot to prove that the prairies do have hills.




The most impressive sight seen today was the vastness of the sky. It was so immense and beautiful. There is such a sense of space.








Here is a view of one of the first farms we saw is Saskatchewan. There are no fields of waving wheat as we are passing through a little late in the season. Most crops have already been harvested.





This is the Moosimin grain elevator where we have stopped for the night.

We are going to spend the long weekend in Moose Jaw checking out our old stomping grounds. Have a great weekend.