Amazing CANADA and their Provincial Parks, You Betcha!

Leaving Lac Le Hache, Canada going somewhere North???

May 30, 2016 - June 1, 2016

Today is the start of Ride your Bike to Work WEEK for BC, Canada.  Listening to their version of NPR, CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Channel, noted this morning that many of the buses don’t have the ability to carry more than a few bikes..so the reporter says in her very Canadian accent, “That would be a bummer, eh?”  Just love listening to their accents.  For some reason, this got Kevin and I into a laughing fit. (on the road too long??)  

Continuing on the 97 N we are winding through a valley of big trees and various rivers.  Little communities pop-up here and there along the road.  Gas/Diesel has been very easy to find along with many rest areas or historic sites to pull over.  Lots of horse ranches dotting the landscape through these beautiful river valleys.  Have passed a few big lumber areas where they are stacked high with big lodgepole pines and construction for log homes going on.  They build them on site, mark the logs, then ship them for easy assembly!!

Great way for us to find each other. Find Friends

The Fraser River is the major landscape event of the day.  It continues for miles winding through canyons.  Many fur trading posts were built around here in 1821 as Steamboats explored this valley.  Came into our first BIG city.  Prince George.  The 97 skirts the outside of the town through traffic lights,  Had to figure that out.  GREEN, then blinky green, then RED.  Saw a HUGE Curling Sports Center - definitely know you are in Canada.  

When you think you can’t see a thicker forest another one is around the corner.  Wow do they have trees here.  Lots of Firs, Sitka Spruce, wildflowers that I’ve never seen and tons of them. Land of the PERFECT Christmas tree.  

Note - sun seems to rise at 4:30 am.  Screwing us up already.  Didn’t set until almost 10 pm last night.  ugh. Getting us ready for those endless nights in Alaska? 

Have been hearing wild screaming noises???  In-between a wolf, coyote and bird sound, if possible.  Finally figured it out.  LOONS.  

Crooked Creek Provincial Park (PP)

(46 miles north of Prince George, Hwy 97)

May 30, 2016 - June 1, 2016

Words can not describe this park.  6 of the 7 of us are here, as the Polk’s wander through the Canadian Rockies freezing their rear ends off!!  They ventured further to the East on Canada Hwy 16 and have been sending us pics and texts along the way.  They, too, are having a wonderful time with the PP’s.  

Today I discovered that one must not go through a total anxiety attack when you enter a beautiful campground.  For the last 20 years, or so?, whenever we would get into a National Park, State Park, Monument etc, for camping, I would get into a complete stress mode. I would actually start feeling sick about 20 minutes before getting to the check-in kiosk. Remembering how I felt every spring when trying to find a place at Joshua Tree when our children were young.  OMG.  and then there is the whole setting your phone alert for 5:45 on that 6 month timeline to get on line to book your campsite.  NO, not here.  Thank you Canada.  You have made me believe that families can just pack it up and hit the road for a lovely outing.  We drove into Crooked Creek to find premier spots all along the lake - none of which are reserved.  Actually, the entire campground is available.  Pretty special.  All 6 of our airstreams lined up in 1/4 acre private spots along Bear Lake.  There is a nice trail system that wraps around the lake and continues with various off shoots within the forest.  Thick forest.  So many different conifers, wild flowers, water lilies and unfortunately, mosquitoes.  We are still doing well without the 100% DEET, using the nice natural good smelly stuff.  Don’t think that will last too much longer?

 Arriving at the campground, us Ladies didn’t hesitate to go for a lovely kayak ride in our own Personal Lake.Super nice.  Jeannette sported her very cool fishing outfit, trying to catch something??? This parks big attraction is that it has a sandy beach.  I’m assuming in the warmer summer months, the Prince George population heads out here for their “beach time.” They have showers on the sand, another wonderful structure with the traditional wood stove, great playgrounds with rock climbing walls.  AGAIN, this is a provincial park???  Compare to our State Parks in CALIFORNIA?  I just can’t get over it.  They even have a bulletin board with the number to call if you are unhappy with your Provincial Park experience. :)

When we were planning this trip we all agreed that we enjoyed traveling at the pace we each wanted.  Go our own ways, if they seemed to cross paths, that would be just fine.  It has been super nice traveling like this.  We did agree upon 4 or 5 meet-up spots along our adventure North.  Dawson Creek (mile 0 of the ALCAN Highway) is our first such spot.  June 1

Trains, Trains and more Trains

Lac Le Hache, Canada 

May 29, 2016

Trains along both sides of the Frazer River

Leaving Lac Le Jeune PP, three streams met up in the very exciting parking lot of the Walmart in Kaloomps.  Don’t really enjoy shopping like this, but with 25 feet of aluminum trailing behind you, there aren’t many choices.  We all bought our BC fishing licenses and stocked up on food.  Decided to all have a potluck tonight with the 3 of us staying at Lac Le Hache.  Kevin had to buy a pair of rubber boots (big necessity here, you betcha) for the wet, crazy weather we have been having.  

Followed the Jackson’s N on the 97 - The Cariboo Gold Rush Trail.  These drives have been truly amazing and I can’t imagine the scenery getting much better that this.  The skies have been extremely photogenic with funnel clouds, hail storms, torrential down pours and then blue skies with puffy clouds. 

Found a DQ in Cache Creek and all got our double-double’s :)

Officially in the big mountains along the Cariboo Highway, we now have 4 airstreams together.  Using our radio’s is nice for upcoming weather events.  The Barrett’s had a heck of an experience with a bad, bad hail storm.  Hard to remember it’s just coming up on June.  No summer here yet.  We stopped at 108 Mile House, an Historic Site that was established as a post house on the Cariboo Wagon Road to the Goldfields.  This area is know as the “Log Cabin Capital of North America.” Lots of cattle and horses abound, also a big rodeo area.  

The Clydesdale Barn at Historic 108 Mile House

Note on these Provincial Parks of Canada.  Hands down good job Canada.  $18 Canadian dollars, which is about $14 US dollars at this time.  Dump stations with great drinking water.  Sites are all very private and usually are around a body of water.  Big Trees. Many of them have “shelters” which can be used.  They have 3 or 4 walls with a big wood burning stove inside and wood stacked and ready to use.  Nice big picnic tables.  Really lovely.  Have NOT had any problem getting a campsite, many available as there are PP’s one after another.  Have had texts from the Polk’s and Murphy’s and Pall’s that there PP’s are the same.  Just beautiful.  

Kevin, Michael, John and Nancy went fishing along the lake in the evening.  Weren’t catching anything, but Kevin did spot an Osprey had a nice fish in his claws flying high, but 2 Bald Eagles chased the heck out of him and he dropped his supper.  Oh well, drop dinner or loose your life?            Tomorrow off to ??? 

Nancy looking pretty snazzy fishing

Not from here, eh?” You Betcha

May 28, 2016

Lac Le Jeune, Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park

Left Haynes Point out of Osoyoos and drove the 97 through the Okanagan Valley, the official Wine capitol of Canada.  ALSO, cherries and apples and cherries and apples and fruit stands one after another! There is a designated Wine Tour, which reminded me a bit of the Napa Wine Train. So many wineries. Went to the little Farmer’s Market in Osoyoos and a bike shop where we learned a lot about Canada…..the color of the money, the feel of the money (plastic), the loonies and the best info was that the 50 dollar bill (has the maple leaf on it) smells like maple syrup…you betcha!  

Amazing drive today.  We felt like we were already in ALASKA, scenery and weather wise. Now I understand why the timber industry is struggling in the US..my gosh, all the timber here and what has been cut is truly unbelievable. Leaving the 97 for a bit of a western turn, we traveled north on BC Hwy 5, the Coquihalla Highway.  As we began to climb 4000 ft passes the weather changed.  Rain turned to sleet turned to snow and the temperatures dropped to the low 30’s F.  Kevin began to doubt his co-pilot and her mapping skills??? 

Definitely need to rethink my outfits.  Yesterday I wore white capri pants…hah!  Didn’t know I would be climbing on an airstream to help fix an awning or that I would fall into a fire pit??? Today I left with shorts and flip flops….crazy. *Note to self….Must be prepared for anything, weather wise.  

After a few hours on the road, we pull into Lac Le Jeune Provincial Park.  Another WOW!  After dinner went for a hike around part of the lake.  Walked for 1.5 hours and almost 9pm and it’s still light!  Getting ready for the Alaska nights of endless sun.  What a campground this is.

Cleaned all the mud off our trailer and truck

Spring is just starting up here

Apples, Cherries, Stupid Awnings and CANADA!! EH??!!!

May 27, 2016

Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos, Canada

I’m sitting on our couch along the dinette writing this blog with a magnificent view of Osoyoos Lake, watching ducklings with their momma’s and listening to about 20 different bird calls.

Our drive today went through apple and cherry orchards.  Fruit stands a plenty and a beautiful drive along the Columbia River…can’t beat that for a road trip.

Left Leavenworth at a reasonable time knowing that we only had a few hours of driving until crossing the border.  Well, we thought only a few hours.  We have a “group text” of all 7 of us.  Noticed that Jeanette and Barb sent out a cry for help that their “electric” awning was not working and to manually close it would be a big hassle and according to directions and call to ZipDee, NOT EASY.  So, we were in close proximity to come in and help.  Oh my goodness, what a mess.  Would not recommend an electric awning.  NOPE.  not happening.  Was quite an afternoon, but 3 hours later and lots of Gorilla Tape, they were on the road.  

We crossed the Border with NO difficulties.  Didn’t even ask us any questions.  Bummer, I was all read up on what we could and could not cross into Canada with and we limited so many things, and nothing.  He liked Bodie.  oh well. 

 Into Canada and just about 5km (3.2m) gotta go the km route now!, we came to our first and very beautiful Provincial Park.  Haynes Point sits on the Osoyoos Lake.  Our view is stunning, really quite beautiful.  A big bird watching paradise.  We saw a bald eagle as we crossed the border. Canada has the Provincial Park system which is similar to our State Park system.  The seem to all be located on lakes and we are trying to only stay in Provincial Parks. Kevin had his shorts on in no time and took a nice swim.  Literature states it is the warmest lake in all of BC.  No hookups of any sort, nice bathrooms and we should be fine with our solar panels.  Hey, we tented it for decades.  Big step us for us.

Just really enjoying this view right now  Looking forward to a coffee log along the lake in the morning, a swim and a bike ride before we head off to the next Provincial Park about 140 miles north.  

Haynes Point Provincial Park - Osoyoos, B

Wilkommen zum Leavenworth!

May 26, 2016
Leavenworth, Washington

After one of the most spectacular (but looooong) drives yesterday, we arrived in Leavenworth.  Who knew this even existed?  Bavaria in Washington in the middle of the Cascade Mountain Range.  WOW.

Kevin knew about Leavenworth when he was researching for his PCT hike in 2013.  Apparently, this was going to be one of his "run away" towns if the Tea Fire took off and they chased him out of Santa Barbara (Durango was the other town).  Well, thank God the Tea Fire didn't get too bad and our family wasn't ousted from our home. BUT.....Leavenworth is pretty darn cool.  Hard to really talk about this place in just a few words.  I went to High School in Munich and we lived in a small Bavarian village, Bad Tolz. This place brings me right back there.
Amazing setting in a more amazing landscape.

Talk about a beautiful and interesting and very diverse landscape we covered today.  Leaving Bend, traveled through a Native American reservation, high desert type of Juniper/Pinon forest. Leaving that behind we dropped down into a very fertile valley with the most beautiful mountains and ranches and big draft horses I have ever seen since living in Bavaria.  Magnificent for sure.

Jim and Lynda in front

We stayed just outside of Leavenworth in a valley along the Wenatchee River.  Great campground with wonderful hiking trails everywhere.  But Kevin really wanted to go back to the PCT section at Steven's Pass...so that's what we did.  We started in a cold, but not too cold, drizzle.  Welcome to Washington weather!  This went on for quite some time and then after about 5 miles we hit snow.  Nothing but snow.  Tried to find the trail but we were getting lost pretty quickly, so decided to turn around.  It was super nice and a good walk down a bit of memory lane for Kevin.

Steven's Pass

and we're off

Brats and Beer

Then off to the cute little town of Leavenworth.  Had brats and beer at the Munchen Haus, strollen around the town and walked through their really great city park that runs along the Wenatchee River. I would LOVE to come back here again.  Very soon.

Kevin showing off his agile moves!

The beautiful Bavarian buildings in Leavenworth