Sunday 21 July 19
The first question our friends ask is " Where the heck is Nakusp " and why did you go there. The best answer is that we have never been there and it is "kinda " on the way home. Besides a few years ago a lady at the drug store mention that she was from Nakusp and as a well traveled traveler I decided we should visit it someday and today is "someday".
From Kelowna you travel to Vernon BC and then take Hwy #6 east which is a very winding , two lane road that goes thru several small towns/villages such as Lumby and Cherryville until you reach Needles. The trip on #6 is slow but very scenic so if you are in a hurry take the TC #1 where you will see nothing but people trying to pass and jocking for position.
When you reach Needle you will board a ferry and cross Arrow Lake ( which is a portion of the Columbia River system ) which is an enjoyable 10 to 12 minute crossing and the ferry is pulled by and endless cable. The landing on the other side is at a town called Fauquier and you then continue north on #6 for about an hour and you will reach Nakusp.
Nakusp is a village,and became a settlement in 1892 and is located on the shores of Arrow Lake in the West Kooteney region. It is surrounded by the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges and as a result they have 2 Hot Springs resorts which is a definite draw for tourist along with golf , fishing, hiking and a lovely Japanese Garden. We visited the Halcyon Hot Springs resort and it is definitely a place to visit and stay if need be. The village has several hotels at a reasonable price , several RV parks and a beach on the lake, with a good shopping area including a Save-On food store. The RV park was well run and we would have stayed longer if had more time. Cheers
Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Thursday, 15 August 2019
Toured Kelowna and dinner with our Granddaughter and family.
Saturday 20 July 19
We made arrangement to meet our Granddaughter ( Amanda ) and family for a supper date around 6 PM at a restaurant that they selected. Therefore we had the whole day to tour Kelowna and to observe the life during the summer in Kelowna. As anyone who has visited Kelowna knows the have a beautiful right in the city and as usual it was very busy with most activities on or around the late. When went to the the downtown area and it too was a bee hive of activity.
As I mentioned , we are camped outside of the city so on the way into town we passed several fruit orchards, mostly cherries and peaches. We decided to stop at a fruit and veggie market to check the prices as we did want to get some cherries, peaches and blueberries to take home. Then we went to an orchard to see what they had and if their prices were and less that the market. As it turns out the prices were the same as the market so we bought 20 lbs of Cherries and blueberries ans a small basket of peaches as the freestones were not available yet.
I'm sure you are wondering what we will do with 20 lbs of Cherries and blueberries. Well, we intend to stop at our son's cabin between Canal Flats and Fairmont BC on Columbia and we were sure that our 4 G/Kids, better known as the "human garburators " would devour most of the fruit.
After supper with Amanda and family we returned to their home to say our goodbyes' and to take some family photos. We hope to see them again sooner than the 4 years that had passed. Cheers
We made arrangement to meet our Granddaughter ( Amanda ) and family for a supper date around 6 PM at a restaurant that they selected. Therefore we had the whole day to tour Kelowna and to observe the life during the summer in Kelowna. As anyone who has visited Kelowna knows the have a beautiful right in the city and as usual it was very busy with most activities on or around the late. When went to the the downtown area and it too was a bee hive of activity.
As I mentioned , we are camped outside of the city so on the way into town we passed several fruit orchards, mostly cherries and peaches. We decided to stop at a fruit and veggie market to check the prices as we did want to get some cherries, peaches and blueberries to take home. Then we went to an orchard to see what they had and if their prices were and less that the market. As it turns out the prices were the same as the market so we bought 20 lbs of Cherries and blueberries ans a small basket of peaches as the freestones were not available yet.
I'm sure you are wondering what we will do with 20 lbs of Cherries and blueberries. Well, we intend to stop at our son's cabin between Canal Flats and Fairmont BC on Columbia and we were sure that our 4 G/Kids, better known as the "human garburators " would devour most of the fruit.
After supper with Amanda and family we returned to their home to say our goodbyes' and to take some family photos. We hope to see them again sooner than the 4 years that had passed. Cheers
Horsefly to Kelowna, BC Friday 19 July19
After saying our "Goodbyes " to Bob we left Horsefly and headed for our destination which was Kelowna where we visited our Granddaughter and her family. I turned off the GPS and decided to follow my own route as I was sure it was a better route meaning a better drive and just a fast as the GPS route. We followed hwy 97 south from Williams Lake to Cache Creek and at that point I and I alone decided to take TC1 even though the "navigator" mews that I might want to take another look at the map. Then we got to Spences Bridge where we would take # 8 thru the Nicola valley and hook up with hwy 97 C which would eventually get us to Kelowna but certainly not as quickly as I though. On the map, road #8 road look fairly straight and uncomplicated, however I later found out that the guy who drew the map never travel on the road because it had a few hundred cruves that he fail to enter on the map. However, the scenery was endless and so were the curves. There was a bit of noise coming from the "navigator " saying that we might want to listen tot the GPS in the future. It was a rhetorical question and did not require a response nor was one given.
We eventually reach hwy 97C and headed for Kelowna where we arrived about 2 hours behind my estimated arrival time. Lesson Learned: Take a second look at the GPS suggestion; the fastest route may be the fastest route.
We arrived in Kelowna in the late afternoon and the traffic was unbelievable but we were later told that Friday afternoon in the summer is always wall to wall traffic. We actually had to creep thru the city to reach our campsite on the east side. We have learned a lesson; don't go to Kelowna in the summer months.
When we reached our campsite we were shocked. There was no hookups, the site were at random wherever you could find a spot and the price was 45.00 per night. Unbelievable that they had the nerve to charge for this dump. The young guy that was the park utility man ran an extension cord so we had 15 amp services and he ran a hose so we could get water but that was it. We had to stay because we needed a place to park for the night and we had a supper date with our Granddaughter and her family in 2 hours and we did not want to be late. Most of the other 10/12 campers where ; let me just say, they did not dance in our circle but they were polite and quiet.
We have not seen our Granddaughter and family in 4 years as they had moved from Gibbons , AB (near Edmonton) to Kelowna about 2 years ago. Her children then 12 and 16 did not enjoy living in the country and her husband works near Ft Mac so he had to fly into work his shift so Kelowna wasn't much more of a deal then Ft Mac.
Her children are now; Sabian 18 and graduated and Keenan who is 15 so Kelowna provide a much better social life for the entire family. They have a beautiful home and we had a nice supper and chatted into the late evening. We made arrangement to go out for supper tomorrow evening. cheers
Sunday, 11 August 2019
Traveled around Horsefly Lake
Thursday 18 July 19
Bob and a friend go to Williams Lake every Thursday to shop and to do any necessary appointments. This a 100 KM round trip so they try to squeeze in all things on their trip. Today Bob's friend had to take his truck into town for maintenance, hence both drove their vehicles so they would have a vehicle while in town.
While they were away we drove around the area of Horsefly Lake to see what really attracted people to this area. Obvious there are people who want to get away from the " Maddening Crowd " of the city because there are many many houses/ cottages all around the lake. The idea of fishing on this wonderful lake during the summer is an attraction but it has got to be very boring during the long winter. It does appear that many people do live here all year. So each to his own.
Since we will be leaving tomorrow and since Bob would not be home until suppertime, we had planned to make supper. However, when Bob arrived home he surprised us with a large pizza so supper was on him.
After supper we talked about all things "important " until about 9 PM and then tiredness took over and sent us all to bed. Cheers
Bob and a friend go to Williams Lake every Thursday to shop and to do any necessary appointments. This a 100 KM round trip so they try to squeeze in all things on their trip. Today Bob's friend had to take his truck into town for maintenance, hence both drove their vehicles so they would have a vehicle while in town.
While they were away we drove around the area of Horsefly Lake to see what really attracted people to this area. Obvious there are people who want to get away from the " Maddening Crowd " of the city because there are many many houses/ cottages all around the lake. The idea of fishing on this wonderful lake during the summer is an attraction but it has got to be very boring during the long winter. It does appear that many people do live here all year. So each to his own.
Since we will be leaving tomorrow and since Bob would not be home until suppertime, we had planned to make supper. However, when Bob arrived home he surprised us with a large pizza so supper was on him.
After supper we talked about all things "important " until about 9 PM and then tiredness took over and sent us all to bed. Cheers
Thursday, 1 August 2019
Kamloops to Horse Fly Lake... Wed 17 Jul
Wednesday morning as we where about to hook up the car to the MH at Barker's it started to pour rain as it did most of the night. Since we were not in a hurry we just had another cup of coffee and finally the had stopped.
We left Kamloops heading for Horse fly to see another military friend ( Bob Donker ) who we had not seen in several years mainly because he lives in a place that is also in the middle of nowhere.
The trip took us about 6 hours even thought the GPS said 4 hours. The GPS doesn't take into account that we need a pit stop, a fuel stop, a lunch break and a snooze stop. It was an interesting drive as the towns/cities had odd names such a Cache Creek, 70 Mile House, 93 Mile ( they left off the House ) , 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House. Incidentally the distance between 100 and 150 Mile House is not 50 miles. But maybe it was in horse and buggy days.
After leaving hwy 93 just north of 150 Mile House we travel another 56 km to our friends house in the town of Horse Fly. The town doesn't have much, just a general store with a liquor dept, post office, school and a cafe ( call ahead to see if is open ). The area is mainly cottages and fishing but I did see a few small cattle farms.
When Bob built his house on the 7 1/2 arces of bush land he had the foresight to included an RV parking space complete with a full RV hookup ( PWS ) and satellite TV. Bob and his wife Elanor ( she passed away 3 years ago ) where avid RVers and they expected their many RV friends to visit hence the reason for the RV hookup.
We spent the rest of the afternoon swapping stories about family and friends and keeping our throats wet with Bob's beer. Carroll had 3 steaks in the MH so we offer to Bar-B-Q the steaks for supper and Bob supplied the potatoes etc. After supper we again talk about our military buddies. Bob goes to Williams Lake ( 56 KM one way on a paved road but not your normal hwy ) every Thursday with a friend to run errands such as doctor and dental appointments and to do the shopping. Since they leave at 8 AM we called it a night fairly early so Bob could be ready when his friend arrives to pick him up in the morning. Cheers
We left Kamloops heading for Horse fly to see another military friend ( Bob Donker ) who we had not seen in several years mainly because he lives in a place that is also in the middle of nowhere.
The trip took us about 6 hours even thought the GPS said 4 hours. The GPS doesn't take into account that we need a pit stop, a fuel stop, a lunch break and a snooze stop. It was an interesting drive as the towns/cities had odd names such a Cache Creek, 70 Mile House, 93 Mile ( they left off the House ) , 100 Mile House, 150 Mile House. Incidentally the distance between 100 and 150 Mile House is not 50 miles. But maybe it was in horse and buggy days.
After leaving hwy 93 just north of 150 Mile House we travel another 56 km to our friends house in the town of Horse Fly. The town doesn't have much, just a general store with a liquor dept, post office, school and a cafe ( call ahead to see if is open ). The area is mainly cottages and fishing but I did see a few small cattle farms.
When Bob built his house on the 7 1/2 arces of bush land he had the foresight to included an RV parking space complete with a full RV hookup ( PWS ) and satellite TV. Bob and his wife Elanor ( she passed away 3 years ago ) where avid RVers and they expected their many RV friends to visit hence the reason for the RV hookup.
We spent the rest of the afternoon swapping stories about family and friends and keeping our throats wet with Bob's beer. Carroll had 3 steaks in the MH so we offer to Bar-B-Q the steaks for supper and Bob supplied the potatoes etc. After supper we again talk about our military buddies. Bob goes to Williams Lake ( 56 KM one way on a paved road but not your normal hwy ) every Thursday with a friend to run errands such as doctor and dental appointments and to do the shopping. Since they leave at 8 AM we called it a night fairly early so Bob could be ready when his friend arrives to pick him up in the morning. Cheers
Sunday, 21 July 2019
Tuesday (16 Jul ) morning around 8:30 we left our overnight parking spot heading for Kamloops to meet our military friend who we served with on two base ( Holberg BC and Sioux Lookout ON ). Both bases are in the middle of nowhere. They insisted that we park in their driveway as they live on the outskirts of town where driveways are longer then a car's length so there was lots of room for us.
We have been to their home 2 or 3 times in the past 20 years but we had to uses Carroll's trustee GPS to worm our way thru the city of Kamloops. Unfortunately, Kamloops has 2 seasons; winter and construction and we drove straight thru a "war zone" in the middle of the city because our GPS said so. Luckily, a detour got us right back on the street we needed so all was not lost.
We finally reached our friends place ( Marg and Joe Barker ) and we swamp stories about our families , military friends , both alive and dead and about our travels. They spend their winters in Montserrat and have done so for 30 years and yes we did visit them many years ago. Montserrat is not our cup of tea as it is too laid back. By 11 PM we were all "talked out " and called it a night. Cheers
We have been to their home 2 or 3 times in the past 20 years but we had to uses Carroll's trustee GPS to worm our way thru the city of Kamloops. Unfortunately, Kamloops has 2 seasons; winter and construction and we drove straight thru a "war zone" in the middle of the city because our GPS said so. Luckily, a detour got us right back on the street we needed so all was not lost.
We finally reached our friends place ( Marg and Joe Barker ) and we swamp stories about our families , military friends , both alive and dead and about our travels. They spend their winters in Montserrat and have done so for 30 years and yes we did visit them many years ago. Montserrat is not our cup of tea as it is too laid back. By 11 PM we were all "talked out " and called it a night. Cheers
Summer Trip to BC to see friends and relatives
We left home on Sunday 14 July for a 10 or 12 day trip to BC in our MH. Our first stop was at our son's place for overnight which allowed us to see our G/kids once again. Our main reason for the trip ( besides using our MH ) is to see our G/daughter Amanda and her family which we have not seen in 4 years. Boy! does time fly.
Added to the trip will be a visit to a military buddy in Kamloops and another one in Horsefly Lake east of Williams Lake.
The trip from home to Okotoks is about as boring as 1942 newspaper and we have done it way too many times.
On Monday morning around 9 AM we left Todd's place and according to my trusty iPhone maps and Carroll's useless GPS, both said we could reach Reverstoke around 4 PM , BC time. Both where right but the traffic problems tried there best to make us later. When we got close to Canmore there was a traffic lineup for miles at a snail's pace. The hwy dept was doing some line painting, therefore both lanes had to merge into one and the paint truck was only traveling about 20 Kmh. I'm fairly sure I could hear the swearing and it wasn't all coming from our MH.
Then sometime in the early afternoon an 18 Wheeler decided to park his Rig on its's side in the median. That cost us another 1/2 hour but luckily the tow truck had not got around to up-righting the rig yet or we would have spend a few hours parked there. I watch the TV show "Hwy to hell " so I know how long it take to get an over-turn rig out of the ditch.
After a lunch break by a Pull-off on a lake we continued on as we deduced that we could still make Revelstoke by 4 or 5 PM.
However somewhere near Salmon Arms on a straight stretch of BC hwy another driver of an 18 wheeler fell asleep at the wrong time and parked his Rig over the embankment. The Tractor section had already been removed and the trailer was being unloaded so the tow trucks had not block the road yet so that only cost us 20 mins.
Even thought we did run into some paving crews we did get to Revelstoke by 4:30 and we found a place to park for overnight. It was a 5 acre paved lot with outdoor bathrooms and was obviously made for trucks to stop for the night. It did have a sign that said please limit your stay to 8 hours so I decide our "stay time clock " would start at Midnight.
Before parking for the evening I had to refuel and I chose the Shell stations as the price of fuel was all the same Price and I had an Air Miles card and I could use the miles. There are no truck stops in Revelstoke and our MH is 30 ft long and the tow is 20 ft. On top of that the fuel filler is at the rear of the MH and I was taking on about 200 L. With our length I will either block the traffic at the front of the MH or block the traffic at the rear of the car. I tried three times to use a pump that would not block the traffic but it did not work. Finally I went across the street to Chevron station that was practically void of customers where I could fill up without blocking anyone. I got fuel for 1.39.
We returned to the Truck stop and grab a space where we did not interfere with any Trucks. We spent a peaceful however some dork had 5 acres and he chose to park 3 feet for us. Cheers
Added to the trip will be a visit to a military buddy in Kamloops and another one in Horsefly Lake east of Williams Lake.
The trip from home to Okotoks is about as boring as 1942 newspaper and we have done it way too many times.
On Monday morning around 9 AM we left Todd's place and according to my trusty iPhone maps and Carroll's useless GPS, both said we could reach Reverstoke around 4 PM , BC time. Both where right but the traffic problems tried there best to make us later. When we got close to Canmore there was a traffic lineup for miles at a snail's pace. The hwy dept was doing some line painting, therefore both lanes had to merge into one and the paint truck was only traveling about 20 Kmh. I'm fairly sure I could hear the swearing and it wasn't all coming from our MH.
Then sometime in the early afternoon an 18 Wheeler decided to park his Rig on its's side in the median. That cost us another 1/2 hour but luckily the tow truck had not got around to up-righting the rig yet or we would have spend a few hours parked there. I watch the TV show "Hwy to hell " so I know how long it take to get an over-turn rig out of the ditch.
After a lunch break by a Pull-off on a lake we continued on as we deduced that we could still make Revelstoke by 4 or 5 PM.
However somewhere near Salmon Arms on a straight stretch of BC hwy another driver of an 18 wheeler fell asleep at the wrong time and parked his Rig over the embankment. The Tractor section had already been removed and the trailer was being unloaded so the tow trucks had not block the road yet so that only cost us 20 mins.
Even thought we did run into some paving crews we did get to Revelstoke by 4:30 and we found a place to park for overnight. It was a 5 acre paved lot with outdoor bathrooms and was obviously made for trucks to stop for the night. It did have a sign that said please limit your stay to 8 hours so I decide our "stay time clock " would start at Midnight.
Before parking for the evening I had to refuel and I chose the Shell stations as the price of fuel was all the same Price and I had an Air Miles card and I could use the miles. There are no truck stops in Revelstoke and our MH is 30 ft long and the tow is 20 ft. On top of that the fuel filler is at the rear of the MH and I was taking on about 200 L. With our length I will either block the traffic at the front of the MH or block the traffic at the rear of the car. I tried three times to use a pump that would not block the traffic but it did not work. Finally I went across the street to Chevron station that was practically void of customers where I could fill up without blocking anyone. I got fuel for 1.39.
We returned to the Truck stop and grab a space where we did not interfere with any Trucks. We spent a peaceful however some dork had 5 acres and he chose to park 3 feet for us. Cheers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)