The Great Alaskan Adventure

We got up and got the trailer ready to hook up and then headed into town to get groceries. A major stock up as we are about 50 KM’s to get back to town from Rick and Bonnie’s. After loading up the truck with shopping we went back, hooked the trailer and headed for the lake.

We arrived around 3:30 to find that Bonnie had gone back to Creston with Brad and Chantal to help them unpack some stuff as they had just moved the day before.

Rick had ut the grass on his friends vacant lot and there was more than enough space for both the trailers.

When Bonnie got back, we had a great BBQ of Steak baked potatoes, salad, and garlic bread. Shannon was here too so after we ate we called Shelly for her birthday. She was at the neighbours celebrating so we all left her a message and said Happy Birthday!

Colin and Rick got into some bad Gin and Colin fell asleep kneeling in front of the sofa. It was tricky leading him back to the trailer but I managed.

We left early from the parking lot and headed to the Ferry to cross Kootenay Lake and then down to Creston. We found a neat little camp ground right in town called “Pair-a-Dice” The owner had two little poodles called Sugar and Spice. Sugar was apricot coloured and Spice was black. Upon seeing Splash Sugar decided she was not going to be friends and scared poor Splash half to death.

We drove into town and decided to get some lunch and then Frances and I decided to check out haircuts. We, on the recommendation of the waitress found a hairdresser that could do us both right away. Feeling somewhat lighter and having nice hairdos we headed for the Laundromat.

Frances and I striped the trailers and drove to town to commandeer the entire Laundromat. We used all but 3 washers and all but 2 dryers. It’s been 10 days since last we washed so there was a lot.

While we did that Ed and Colin toured the town and checked things out. I worked putting things back together, making the bed and making dinner and crashed at midnight. A full day!

We left the Halcyon Hot Springs and headed back towards Nakusp. We stopped there for lunch and to find internet. We were lucky to get internet in the restaurant where we had lunch. When we were done we carried on to Ainsworth Hot Springs. We were a little apprehensive as everyone had told us there was no place to park the trailers there. As luck would have it they had just completed a new parking area and they allowed us for $5.00 to stay overnight in the parking area. These Hot Springs were interesting as they had caves that you could walk through. It was a little Clausterfobic but I did manage to make it all the way through and back out the other side. Since we were in the parking lot we decided to head to our next stop a day early.

It was important to start the day with a nice dip in the hot pools and then have a big breakfast. We went to the Hot Pools once more before dinner and again after dinner, before bed. It was a totally relaxing day, just floating around the pool.

Back Through Nakusp and to Ainsworth Hot Springs and Caves (September 28)

We left the Halcyon Hot Springs and headed back towards Nakusp. We stopped there for lunch and to find internet. We were lucky to get internet in the restaurant where we had lunch. When we were done we carried on to Ainsworth Hot Springs. We were a little apprehensive as everyone had told us there was no place to park the trailers there. As luck would have it they had just completed a new parking area and they allowed us for $5.00 to stay overnight in the parking area. These Hot Springs were interesting as they had caves that you could walk through. It was a little Clausterfobic but I did manage to make it all the way through and back out the other side. Since we were in the parking lot we decided to head to our next stop a day early.

It was hard to say goodbye after having such a good time, but we had to leave and Ernie and Wendy were heading off for a 1 week holiday in their motor home. We got them 6 bottles of wine and a card to thank them for having us.....it certainly did not seem like enough but hopefully they will let us reciprocate in the future. We took some pictures together and shared some hugs and then headed off.






We stopped to get some groceries and have lunch in Nakusp and then carried on to our Halcyon Hot destination. It was a beautiful drive from Wendy and Ernie’s to the Hot Springs which even included a small ferry ride from Needles to Farquier across Lower Arrow Lake. There were not a lot of spots left but we managed to get into the hot springs park. It was a bit on the pricy side but we used the hot pools once before dinner and once after so that made it worthwhile. We decided right away that we would spend another night here before moving on.

Their place was so nice. Their one neighbour had Highland Cows and the other neighbour had horses so there was lots to see. They also have almost an acres lot with gardens and a nice fire pit. We played Bocci Ball Ernie Style and had a hoot! Then just before dinner we had a heated match of Lawn Croquette. We had to stop part way to have our dinner of homemade burgers, roasted potatoes and vegies and dip. By the time we were done it starting to get dark but we played on anyway. It was quite funny. Wendy decided she was just going to get in everyone’s way and had a good time trying to keep Ed and Colin from winning.





It was cold out so we lit a campfire and I got out the Nose aerobics game. We laughed so hard we all had tears streaming down our faces. We finally called it a day and headed for the trailers.

We got up and took the dog for a walk and found our Host and Hostess at the picnic table. They had breakfast made for everyone......how nice was that! We had all eaten cereal but what she had made smelled so good we had to try some....we pretty much finished it all off and walked away with the recipe to boot.

Ernie took Ed and Frances on a hike and Wendy came with Colin and I to the Far West Outlet Store where Colin picked out his Christmas Present.... a new Gortex raincoat with liner. Very Nice!

We wanted to take Wendy and Ernie out for dinner but they would not hear of it. They had a roast out and insisted we would BBQ that. Since we felt we had to contribute, Frances made some fancy potatoes and I made a Blackberry Crisp. An excellent meal!

We turned in a little earlier as everyone seemed tired.

We left Penticton with a bad taste in our mouths and headed towards Kelowna. We stopped there and had a big lunch and then decided to do some shopping. Colin and Ed headed for the Princess Auto and Frances and I headed for the other shops. We stopped at the their truck to give the dog his treat from lunch and discovered this character rooting through the back of Ed’s Truck. I ran around the corner of the truck and yelled “What the heck are you doing?” the guy jumped about 10 feet in the air and then explained that he had dropped his lighter in the truck box........ya .....right! Frances jumped in the back of the truck and started looking for it but guess what........it was not there....surprise. We finally told him he better be on his way. He and his bike and bags decided he better leave. By this time we had radioed Ed and Colin and they arrived on the scene to make sure everything was okay. After we made sure there were no more bums loitering around we again set off to do our shopping.

About an hour and a half later we got back in the trucks and started on our way to Vernon. We were planning to stay in my girlfriend, Wendy’s driveway but had no idea if there was enough room or what we would have to deal with. I had been there about 15 years ago but could not remember the area at all. We had plugged the address into the “GPS but nothing was looking Familiar at all. As we got closer I did recognise the house.....and there was Wendy and Ernie in the front yard waiting for us. They had their motor home parked in the driveway but there was still plenty of room for both of us to back in. They supplied us with electrical power and a water hose. It was perfect!!

After the customary greeting hugs we went inside and Ernie went out and got Chinese food for everyone. It was really good. We sat around and yakked till almost midnight and then decided to turn in for the night.

We left The Hot Springs and headed towards Penticton. We decided the Walmart parking lot would work for one night so that’s where we landed. Coming into the town there had to be a fruit stand about every 500 feet. Penticton sits right between Skaha Lake and Okanagan Lake. There is a very pretty park on the water with a huge restored Stern wheeler. It was closed when we got there but Colin still managed to get some good pictures.

The truck needed washing so Colin dropped me back at the trailer and he went to get it washed. When he came back there was a lovely foot long scratch on the front Fender. There was a bent piece of metal in the wash and it left a nice scratch! When Colin got out of the truck to check it out, he took some pictures of the equipment and the truck as well as some measurements. The kids in charge told him they were going to call the police on him. Colin managed to talk to the manager who said he would meet him in the morning. That was totally pointless! He told Colin that he must have done it himself and that he was taking no responsibility. Be forewarned.....don’t use the Esso Car Wash in Penticton!

We had to wait for the Ferry from Victoria to the Mainland for about an hour. We loaded on and Frances and I stayed on the car deck with the dogs. It was kind of cold near the front of the boat so we moved to the Doggy Lounge, which was back and between the cars and much warmer. We were still able to see the scenery from where we sat so it was not so bad. Frances stayed with both dogs while Colin and I made the mistake of going to the little on board restaurant for a really bad hamburger and fries.....lets put it this way.....the dogs did real well!

The Ferry trip was about 1 ½ hours and when we arrived we continued on to Abbotsford where Ed had to pick up a part for his breaking system. Once that was done we carried on to Harrison Hot Springs and the Sasquatch RV Park. A very neat little town but the Hot Springs were definitely disappointing. It was just hot water piped from 2 miles away into a public indoor pool that you had to pay $8.00 to get into. We decided to pass. There was however a Sand Sculpture contest going on and there were probably 30 or more Sand Sculptures on the beach. We checked most of it out through the fence as the admission into the large castle was $5.00 and the rest of the Sculptures cost $7.00 to go through. I’m thinking their admission was a little rich. After that we decided it was a pizza night and had some really good pizza in this little pizza place right in town.

Today we stayed at the campsite and cleaned everything in the trailer even the dog. Laundry, ironing and washing floors. When we were all done we drove out to pick up a few groceries

Didn’t get much sleep last night so the energy level was not really at maximum. I did however make a huge pot of seafood chowder. After tidying up the trailer I crash on the couch and Colin went to do some shopping. When he returned we went to China Town with Ed and Frances for some Chinese Food.

We started our day with an excellent brunch at the “Six Mile Pub” the oldest pub on Vancouver Island. There is not much remaining of the original structure but it was a nice place.

We carried on to the “Witty Lagoon and Sitting Lady Waterfalls” We hiked in to the falls which was a bit disappointing. There was very little water flow so it was not very spectacular. Further along the trail we found a King Fisher but he was not very cooperative in letting us take his picture. We fallowed the trail down towards beach and then back towards the truck.






We continued on up the coast line past Metchosin, Sooke and Jordan River. We found a neat little spot know to locals as the “Blue Berry Flats” ....... and yes there were tons of Blue Berries, not on low bushes but on tall bushes, just loaded with berries. They are slightly different than what we know as blueberries in Ontario but very good and plentiful. We stopped and picked a bag full and a large take out cup full.






We finally reached Port Renfrew..... not much to see but worth the drive. We found a supposed circle route which would take us back to Lake Cowichan and back to the trailer park. We somehow got onto the wrong road which was a logging road, a little rough but it did get us to the same place. It was a little unnerving that the whole way across we never saw one other vehicle in either direction

Day one was of course laundry and getting some groceries including some nice fresh Dungeness Crab for dinner.

We have discovered that driving around at rush hour in this area is not unlike driving in downtown Toronto at rush hour. It is a very busy city.

Day two we took a scenic tour along the coast and into Victoria where we saw the Parliament Buildings. We drove through some truly spectacular residential areas with beautiful homes and landscaped yards.

We have decided to forgo the renowned Butchart Gardens as the fee to get in is $22.00 per person.....in my opinion a lot of money to go look at flowers. Victoria has so many beautiful gardens that can be viewed at no cost that we did not feel it would be worthwhile.

Saturday found us exploring the coast line around the southern tip of Vancouver Island. We sat and watched cruise ships entering and departing from the harbour. One very large one actually was backed into the dock.....Wow I was impressed. It was very difficult to follow the shore line by truck here as a lot of the coast line is occupied by the Esquimalt Naval Base. Next we arrived at the Fort Rodd Hill and the Fisgard Light House Historical site and military installation. It served as a costal defence from 1878 to 1956. It is now decommissioned and serves as a very interesting museum and wildlife preserve. As it was late in the day the caretaker let us in at no charge but we did not have enough time to make our way down to the light house on the point. It is the oldest working lighthouse on the West Coast.

Time to leave and head to Victoria. There is a plentiful supply of huge Black Berries here and we have already picked some for the freezer but Colin thought we should have more.....so off he went with his bowl. We were pretty much ready to leave but the trailer wasn’t hooked to the truck yet. I had finished inside and started to get antsy so I decided to turn the truck around and get it into position. Well to make a long story short by the time Colin got back I had the trailer hooked up and everything put away, all we had to do was check the lights and drive off the boards. Hey....I even did everything right!

We decided to stop in a little town called LadySmith as it was reported to be one of the 10 pretties town.....not sure where, but we decided to pull off the highway to check it out. Well first off there was no RV parking and after driving up the main street I just wasn’t seeing it’s charm..... Back onto the highway.

We made another stop in Chemainus which proved to be much neater. Many of the buildings in this town have interesting murals on their walls depicting it’s history, 36 Murals in all and 12 sculptures. There are many quaint homes with beautiful gardens and of course a Main street filled with shops. There was live musical entertainment in the park as well and best of all there was RV parking designated on the edge of town overlooking the bay. .....Someone was thinking.

We had planned to stay in Duncan for the night at a Walmart but instead we stopped there and had dinner and since we were so close to Victoria we carried on.

This was a first on our trip, we arrived at the trailer park in the dark.....spent a little more time having dinner than we should have. There was a full moon and enough lighting in the park that parking was not an issue.

We set out this morning for a little place on the map called Port Albany. We found a lot of other things but nothing called Port Albany. Colin figured out from a map that there was a loop road that took us to Salmon beach and then back down to Ucluelet. We found the road and the little general store at the end where we bought lunch which consisted of Chips and ice cream.......there were not a lot of choices. We continued on to Salmon Beach, a little development on the ocean with tiny little cottages.....lots and lots of them.

The road leaving Salmon Beach and going to Ucluelet was marked with a cardboard sign, and huge pot hole marked the start and there was grass growing up the middle......not a good sign. The road was about ½ a truck width wide and in many places little streams went right over the road rather than running through a culvert. Interesting! After about 10 Kms. It did start to get better but by this point in time my innards were so jumbled I felt ill. It did however go where it said it was suppose to go. Despite the shape of the road it was a very scenic road through an amazing section of forest.

We picked up a few groceries in town and then headed back to the trailer for dinner.

We left the campground and headed for the Wild Pacific Trail a 2.5 KM walk along the shore of the island. We had spectacular views of the ocean and the shore line. We saw several hump back whales from the shore. From there we went and had a small lunch and then did a 2.8 KM walk on the Willowbrea trail which took us to a beach where the dogs had a lot of fun playing in the surf and the sand. When we got back to the trailer we had to give Splash a bath to clean the salt water out of her fur. After all that walking we went and had a hot tub to sooth our bodies from all that walking.

We didn’t have a long way to go today so again leaving early was not a priority. Our first stop was at a lake. Parked in the centre and moored were two “Mars Water Bombers” used to help in fighting forest fires. They were huge even from a distance. It would have been neat to see one in operation, but there were no fire on the go.










We stopped at the information centre to check if there were any other campgrounds that we didn’t know about. We found one with a hot tub and full hook ups for only $20.00. SOLD! After parking the trailers we headed into Tofino. If you are into surfing or Kayaking this is definitely the place to be. Lots of little gift shops and art galleries and some very nice views of the water.












On the way back we stopped at Radar Hill but it wasn’t real clear so the view was not that great. We also checked out the Restaurant at the Wikanninish Interpretive Centre. We discovered it was a very high priced place. Neat beach though. On the way out we saw a black bear on the road.

We arrived at the docks at 7:30, paid our fare of $50.00 per person return, and boarded the “Lady Rose” . The ship was built in Glasgow Scotland in 1937 and was the first single propellor, diesel engine ship to make a transatlantic crossing. She measures 105 feet in length, 22 foot beam, and 7 foot draft. She is capable of carrying 100 passengers and 25 tons of cargo. There was inside seating and a canopy over the back outside with benches. Since we had the dogs with us we had to sit outside. Today the ship was carrying, some shingles, some metal roofing, mail, a skid of hamburger buns and some other stuff that was unidentifiable. There was a small galley on the lower deck which served breakfast and lunch.

On the way out we saw some black bears and seals. We were allow to get out and walk around at the final destination of Bamfield. We had an hour and a half to tour the board walk and then return to the ship. O n the way back we followed a hump back whale for a short time.

We pulled back into port around 5:00. We decided that after such a fun day the last thing we wanted to do was cook, so we stoped at the “Clam Bucket”for dinner. I had a mixed seafood platter which was probably the best meal I have had on the whole trip.

We didn’t have far to go so we were in no rush to leave in the morning. We pulled out just shortly after 11:00 and headed down the road to Port Alberni. We arrived at the campground and set up. We then took off to check out the town and find out where the boat was leaving from the next morning. We were booked on the “Lady Rose” delivery ship which runs up Barkley Sound dropping such items as mail and other supplies to the towns along the sound that have no road access.

Back at the campsite Colin found a great patch of blackberries. I made a pie and tarts.....yummy! We also had enough for breakfast on our cereal.

We drove into Nanaimo to do some shopping and get the laundry done. We took a short drive along the water front and through the downtown.

The eighth was set aside for cleaning the trailer and packing up to leave. We also went down to the little vegetable sand at the end of the driveway to buy some fresh vegies. They grow most of their own stuff and everything was really nice and fresh!

First thing today we sat down and figured out our trip back home in November. We then booked our flights and let the kids know when we would be coming. That seemed to take a very long time. We will be leaving November 1st from LasVegas and returning on November 7th.

We were going to go to the Milner Gardens but on arrival there discovered it was closed and only open on Thursday-Sunday. Going to have to miss that one. We drove on further up to Qualicum Beach and into the town. Very pretty spot and a great beach!

When we got back I decided to make Spaghetti dinner for everyone as we wanted to go Mini golfing and Ed and Frances were late getting back. When they arrived we ate and then headed to Paradise Mini Golf. Colin won as he managed to get 4 or 5 holes in one. I think he must have been cheating. When we were done we had a round on the Bumper boats........now that was fun..... a bunch of 50+ characters trying to drown each other with the squirt guns mounted on the fronts. You know what they say, your as young as you feel. We left after cramming all four of us into a photo booth for a goofy picture. The kids running the place must have thought we were nuts!! But we had fun!







Back at the trailer we put on a fire to dry out and warm up.

At about 11:30 we notice our new spot was vacant so we packed up the trailer and mover over. It took us about an hour and then we headed off for a drive to the Butterfly Farm. The butterflies were all from tropical areas as were the birds and insects........including one very large, hairy, bird eating Tarantula. He was not my favourite but he was in a sealed cage or I’d have been out of there!!

















There was a beautiful garden at the back with ponds for giant goldfish and frogs. I was also suppose to attract humming birds, but we never saw any.

Next we drove to Cathedral Grove, an old growth, redwood and cedar forest. There were trees here 800 years old, the largest being 9 metres in circumference. These trees make you feel very humble, they are just so big and old. You kind of feel like dinosaurs will come out at any time. As the trees die and fall down they are left as hey fall and only cut to allow pathways to go through. Very neat place!













The biggest tree!

On the way back we stopped at the small town of Coombs. There claim to fame is the General Store which sports a grass roof complete with goats on it to keep it trimmed down......very cute goats!






The store itself has a huge selection of produce, deli items, baked goods, chocolate, some clothing, crafts, dishes and souvenirs. I’m sure there’s more but I’d never get done writing this. The store is surrounded by a lot of other little specialty shops selling almost anything you would ever want..

We continued on to the Englishman River Waterfalls park to check out the Falls there.

Back to the trailer for B-B-Q Steak!













Seems a little out of place



Tour Bus Graveyard?

We haven’t had internet in the trailer for a long time so Colin is updating things and checking bank stuff and doing all the things he needs to do on the computer.

I did some baking and ironing and later on we went for a little drive. After dinner we had a really nice campfire at Ed and Frances’ trailer.

It has been 10 days since I have done laundry and pickings for getting dressed are getting a little spars. We drove downtown and while I dealt with the washing Colin took off and did some errands. We had breakfast for lunch at a little restaurant right beside the laundry place. We ran around to a few of the stores, picked up a few groceries and a huge container of fresh oysters.

We came back and had a feast of oysters. They were delicious!!

We have really enjoyed the hot tub but it’s time to leave and head to Parksville where we have a reservation for a week at River Bend RV Park. We were quite impressed at how built up this area was. River Bend Park is a really nice park situated on the bank of the Englishman River. Because of the Long Week-end we parked in temporary spots, until the week-end traffic clears out.

Frances and I took the dogs for a swim in the river which is shallow and not too fast moving. Splash was having a problem with her stick floating downstream before she could get it, but eventually she figured it out. By the time we got back to the trailer it was time to start dinner.

Wow it’s September 1st, we have been on the road for over 3 months now....we have seen and done so many things and there is more to come.

Today we drove into Campbell River to retrieve some Email and do some touring around. We had lunch and then Colin found a place to rent a Segway .....½ An hour for $15.00......he was thrilled! I stayed in the park with the dog and he had a ½ hour tour along the ocean. He has wanted to ride on one of these since they first brought them out and he finally got his chance. We checked out the price of crabs down on the docks and decided they were too expensive here.






























On the way back to the trailer we pulled into a timber company road. There was a sign that said not to proceed till you checked in at the office so we turned left instead as Colin was trying to get a picture of the barges filled with wood chips lined up in the bay. He got out and I stayed in the truck. Just as he was coming back a guy in a big fork lift came ripping up the road, did a U-Turn behind the truck and started heading for the truck. Meanwhile Colin had got in and was in a hurry to get out of the guys way. I think that if we had not hurried he would have fork lifted the back of the truck right up! He followed us all the way to the highway......I don’t think he wanted us in there.

















When we got back we had a hot tub and then cooked dinner.