Which Way To Go?

The weather Gods are not painting a nice picture for the next few days.  Neither are the Internet references and reviews for RV Parks around Penticton.   Most say; Overpriced and Overregulated. The WiFi at our Vernon location was so poor we could not do much planning so the new plan was to use Penticton to figure out where we are headed and find somewhere to stay.

The overpriced part we quickly confirmed during a lunch break at a wonderful ‘Organic’ grocery store with a sit down deli in Penticton (Wheatgrass).  Grilled salmon wrap, curried corn salad, chunky vegetable soup, stacked turkey and cranberry sandwich and delicious coffee.

After an hour of Internet searches and reviews our conclusion is; you should book well in advance and stay at the Provincial Campsites just North of town.  You won’t get WiFi or laundry but you will get lake side access, a true feeling of camping, a reasonable price and none of the crap I am listing below.

Here are some excerpts from our searches:

• Only two parks in all of Penticton accepted dogs;
• But those two did not accept dogs during Jul or Aug;
• And, your dog has to be less than 17in tall or long to be allowed in;
• Full service (power, water, sewer) $50 per night, charge for showers, charge for WiFi, charge for more than 2 persons (Best Western, $90, Free breakfast, free Internet, pool and hot tub);
• No refunds, must be booked in advance, no drive ups (so what if you don’t like what you see when you arrive?);
• Lasting impression; Leave Penticton off your Bucket List if you are a camper

Not far South of Penticton on Hwy 97 is Oliver and then Osoyoos.  Both of these locations had RV resorts that sounded wonderful and had good reviews.  We however, needed to make a decision.  It was getting late in the day, the rain was spotting and if we headed South we would be adding over 100klms to our journey.  A little more checking and we decided to head over Hwy 3A to meet up with #3 at Keremeos.  Our destination was a toss up between Gold Mountain RV and Riverside RV in Hedley BC. We chose Gold Mountain, about 100 klms.

The climb out of Penticton was straight up.  Ears popped over and over.  White beast wanted to go fast but I wouldn’t let her.  Once we crested that climb I swear it was downhill all the way to Keremeos.

It turns out the two RV parks are exactly side by side, in a beautiful river valley, 5 klms South of the little town of Hedley BC.  We are going to stay another day (rain or shine) and visit the town as the owners of the park have convinced us that the local museum and antique shops should not be missed and if the weather holds we can hike to one of the old gold mines.

The river is flowing too violently for Kyle to swim so we hiked up into the fields above the RV park.  He chased imaginary rabbits till he was ready to drop.  How do we know, really big pink tongue hanging out during the walk back down.

This is definitely a 5 Star place to stop.  $34 for full hook-ups.  WiFi, fire pits, four TV stations, grass and shade plus river access.  We will stay here again.

Warm and Green in the Okanogan

Our drive from Banff felt like it was downhill for 300 klms.  The rain shifted from intense to ‘piss me off’ every few klms.  We were delayed by road construction many times but none of them for long periods.  The ‘Twin Hyw #1’ project is alive and well in the National Parks.  That will be a 20 year project for sure.  Incredible engineering feats every few klms to overcome.

Political Statement: Send an email to someone you know in BC Government.  How can diesel/gas cost $1.08 in Banff, a National Park, in a tourist trap, but 50 klms away, a few klms across the BC border on the same National Hwy, the price jumped to $1.39?  Even in Wpg I only paid $1.15 with 7.5cents off at Superstore.  BC, you are being raped.

We had lunch in Revelstoke.  The sun came out just as we parked.  It stayed out for our complete rest stop.  We thought about stopping at Shuswap but it was still very early in the day and the weather forecast for the Okanogan convinced us to press on for a couple more hours.

Bitchin Betty (Our GPS) took us on a route march through back woods farm land as ‘it’ thought it was saving us a klm or two.  Great scenery of beautiful farms but really crap roads.  Bounced us out of our seats for 15 klms till we got back to the 97.

 

We settled into a really nice RV Park right beside Hwy 97 and a lovely lake.  Our plan is to stay for at least another full day.  Kyle deserves a swim and we have heard that there is lots to see in Vernon.

Our sister in law, Marie, posted that her husband (Kaye’s brother Dan) was in Vernon on business.  It turns out it was also their anniversary.  We met for breakfast and Dan heads home in the late afternoon.

Kyle met many friends today.  A short hike, though very steep, brought us to a smooth rock beach at Kalamalka Provincial Park. Lots of other dogs.   Photo Album.  We spent over an hour there, tossing sticks for any pooch who wanted them.  Kyle would have stayed forever. 

We headed downtown to walk the old section of Vernon and view the outdoor wall murals.  This is another must see.  Link to photo album.  We cut our walk short to head home and watch the Stanley Cup finals.  Well done Kings.  Tomorrow we are headed to the South end of the valley.  Not sure exactly where yet.

The Park Host Told a Fib

Kaye wanted to pretend we were camping and not RVing.  She made Kraft dinner along with beans and toast for herself.  You should have seen the grin on her face.  She made me egg drop soup with noodles and veggies. Guess what was on the breakfast menu?

We set ourselves a two hour goal and headed out on the Tunnel Mountain trails to see the Hoodoos carved into the side of the Bow River valley.  The last time I did this hike it was with Jay Currah, Pete Hansen and our children.  Over 20 years ago.  On that adventure we climbed down the trails to the base of the Hoodoos and back up the side.  Not this time!  We did hike a good 8 klms or more on the more traveled route and Kyle got to meet his first horse and rider up close.  He was very curious but well behaved.  Half way back, Kyle headed into the shadows to lay down in the cool grass.  He was bagged.  He is just like Courtenay when not on a leash.  He ventures ahead then returns to check on us and then off again.  For every klm we walk forward he does three!

The twenty years has seen the small fir trees grow to the point of blocking the view of the Hoodoos from all but two vantage points.  If I remember right, there had been a forest fire a view years earlier and the hillside was quite barren.

When we returned to camp in the afternoon, rain clouds had moved overhead and a small shower caught us so we changed our dinner plans.  We went to ‘The Old Spaghetti Factory’ last fall when we traveled through here with Brian and Jen.  The food was great so we decided to give it a second chance. Did not disappoint.  Great food and great prices.

Filled up with diesel for $1.08 ltr, same price as Edmonton.  Amazing.  Heading for warmth in the Okanogan tomorrow.

Link to photo album

Someone Stole the Clouds

Just a little nippy this morning.  Tough girl Kaye gave me the gears for turning on the heater.  My tender tootsies were frozen.  We flipped a coin on whether to stay one more day or press on.  I have never driven between Jasper and Banff on 93 so we chose to start a new adventure.  Hyw 93 is two lanes all the way, a few tight corners still left but wide shoulders, lots of pull offs and incredible scenery the complete distance.

Someone stole all the clouds today.  The sky was South Pacific Ocean Blue and not a whisper of wind.  Our plan was to stop at the Columbia Ice Fields (1/3^rd way to Banff) and spend the afternoon hiking.

There were hwy warning signs for Elk and Caribou constantly but sadly we did not see any today.  A small brown bear eating dandelions and a large brazen raven eating pistachios were the sum total of wildlife.  That was all made up for by the mountain scenery.  As the hwy winds up to nearly 7000 feet at the ice fields, every corner we rounded gave us a different perspective of the mountains.  Dave, the ‘Japanese Tourist’ clicked way too many photos.

 

When we arrived at the ice fields we noticed that several trailers and 5^th wheel units were disconnected in the parking lot.  This led me to believe that we must be able to drive up to the top level parking lot of the ice fields.  Why else would you disconnect?  We followed suit and then headed for the park entrance.  The drive was actually about half a klm down to a gravel parking lot at the site where the toe of the glacier was in 1982.  The upper road is closed to public traffic but the tour busses were bumper to bumper.  We discovered later that you have to buy a $50.75 bus pass each to hitch a ride there!  Our National Park!  I was pissed and still am.

We parked at the very bottom and took on the challenge, along with a steady stream of other hardy folks.  Most of the young hikers were outfitted with toques, gloves and sturdy hiking boots.  Kaye was decked out in Birkenstock sandals and definitely no socks with sandals!  We had our canes and our three legged wonder dog.  It was a tough climb and would have felt chilly if not for the glorious sun.  Kyle was the talk of every climber and Kaye’s sandals drew comments from far too many of the female hikers.

After we descended and knocked the ice pellets out of Kaye’s sandals she did admit her toes were a bit chilly.  We made lunch in the parking lot, witnessed the tail end of a small avalanche and then hiked up to the main lodge, restaurant and gift shop. 

It was pretty obvious that this is still off season.  The walking trails were still blocked with snow, the outhouses had ice blocks on the floor and I took a picture of a phone booth that would be hard to use.

The lodge was absolutely jam packed with oriental tourists.  Turns out there is an upper parking lot on the Banff side of the building that was full of tour busses.  Note to self; if it is like this on an off season Sunday, don’t come here in July or August!  The lodge has an interpretive centre that was well laid out and very interesting.  We learned a lot.

Link to complete photo album.

Banff was a full two hours further and the scenery continued to awe us the whole way.  We are settled into Tunnel Mountain campground.  We, along with my Mom and her friends have all stayed here before.  This will be a two night for sure stay, maybe even an extra day.  The park staff said we are in for at least two more days of spectacular weather and the campground is deserted!

Stage Two: Adventures in Canada

The desert was nice but this is wonderland

It has felt strange not gathering my thoughts and memories each day and transcribing them into some order of entertaining ramble.  Keeping a journal is time consuming but also fun.

We have been back in Canada for just over two weeks and thousands of miles.  We have done a loop from the border South of Lethbridge, AB. to Moose Jaw, SK, Winnipeg, MB, back to Moose Jaw, North to Lloydminster via Saskatoon, SK, then Cold Lake, AB, Edmonton and now Jasper National Park.

Don’t like the price of fuel, price of camping, price of admission to anything, or the horrid condition of our roads. However, there is just something calming and majestic about our land that makes the added costs fade away and the bumps and jars tolerable.

On day one we dropped the trailer in front of Grant and Dani’s house in Moose Jaw and on the morning of day two raced to Winnipeg.  Met with Mo and Brenda at the #4 Legion for the Sat afternoon meat draw and discussed next winter’s travel plans. We are extending an open invitation to you all to come and see us during July thru Sept (fishing and camping season), we will entertain anyone.

Mother’s Day was spent with our daughter and her beau Justin.  Enjoyed a family dinner with his parents and siblings plus caught up on the local gossip.  En route back to Moose Jaw we stopped into the farm at Elie and visited with Leonie and John (Dani’s Mom and Dad).  We did our best to convince them to come and visit us.  They need to stroke some items off their Bucket List.  We also stuffed a very large Martin Bird House into the back of the truck.  Dave and Kaye’s Dodge Mega Cab Hauling Service is alive and well.

During a restful two days in Moose Jaw we acted like tourists and let Dani escort us to the No#1 tourist trap in town; the Moose Jaw Tunnels.  It truly is worth seeing.  There are two tours; first is the underground businesses that were really slave labour for the Chinese immigrants that worked and lived underground, then the second was the prohibition years and the stories of Al Capone.  The tours are guided by young actors who transition in and out of character.  It was fun. 

Next stop was Lloydminster.  We just camped overnight and did lots of shopping in the tax free haven of AB.  A short drive the next day and we were at our son’s home in Cold Lake.  Brian and Jen had the chores list planned out and the weather cooperated for the first two days as well.  We rebuilt one side of their back yard fence, did a brake job on their new/used Durango, plus an oil change on our White Beast, and then prepped our old boat for its first new season on Cold Lake.  I wanted to have a spin on the lake myself but the weather turned poor so we skipped that and decided to head to Edmonton.

Two nights in Edmonton found us at Barney and Darlene’s.  We were their matchmakers 35 years ago.  Wow, how time flies.  They have cats.   One mustered up the courage to come and check out Kyle from afar but when he lifted his head; disappear.  During a walk at the park, Kyle chased a Jack Rabbit for ‘we don’t know how far’ because once he left the park, crossed a busy street and headed into a residential district we gave up on him.  He always comes back, just exhausted and sheepish, knowing how much trouble he was in.  The good news is; we think we have them convinced to come and visit. 

The Sun God said it would come out on Fri afternoon, so we packed and headed out for Jasper.  Sun God was right on.  Frost overnight, had to use the heater in the morning but today has been spectacular.  Kaye and I stopped in Jasper for one night when we were first married in 1976.  We were travelling to Victoria for our ‘Honeymoon’.   We could only afford to rent a spare room in a lady’s house.  We arrived late in the evening and she told us that she locks the door at 10pm and does not give out keys.  We still wanted to find somewhere we could eat and relax as we had worked all that day and then driven the four hours to Jasper.  Kaye remembers me muttering; “if the door is locked it won’t have any hinges”.  It was open when we got back.

Jasper is not like Banff at all, except for the prices of crap made in China.  It is so much smaller and seems to attract the true campers and outdoor explorers.  Hundreds of klms of groomed hiking trails.  We chose to drive to the farthest lake on the NW side of Jasper heading towards Pyramid Mountain.   Kyle swam everywhere we stopped and we hiked a lovely trail between Pyramid and Patricia lakes.  Being still ‘Off Season’ there were no parking issues and we felt at times like we had the whole park to ourselves.  Jot this down, visit Jasper before school gets out!

 

Kyle found his voice today.   We stopped to watch a lone female Elk (I think) grazing at the side of the road.  She did not care that we were there.  I rolled the window down in the back of the truck and Kyle started to sniff loudly and then out of nowhere he started to bark.  And he barked loud and consistently.  The Elk lifted its head, tweaked its ears to listen for a second and then continued eating.  I rolled up the window.

Link to complete photo album.

Next stop will be the Columbia Ice Fields on Hyw 93 and a stay in Lake Louise or Banff. 

Welcome to the Capital of Montana and Say Goodbye USA

We can smell Canada!  Helena, as a state capital, is not as big as we expected but it is quite sprawling.  We ended up in a small RV park just North of the city, called Lincoln RV Park.  Nothing fancy but very clean and friendly.  We are going to stay an extra day so that we can go and see the state museum.  It has been recommended by many.  The weather is just perfect for us (75F).


The signs in the city are not very friendly towards dogs.  Short leash only, no expanding leashes, keep off the grass, etc.  We stopped into the local Chamber of Commerce which does double duty as the information bureau.  I inquired about the 'dog' issue and one of the ladies gave us direction to a mountain trail, very close by, that was leash less.  Kyle was in heaven, Dave and Kaye were tuckered out after an hour of up hill hoofing.


Of note, there are casinos everywhere.  Not the Vegas style, just "Old Bucks Bar and Casino" repeated over and over, street after street.  We did not bother.  The museum was really worth it. Allow two hours min, four if you like to read the fine print.


We treated ourselves to homemade stuffed Portabella Mushrooms using Corizzo sausage,  hamburger and other stuff.  Yummmmm.  We have cleaned out the fridge of fresh food as we are not sure how sticky they will be at the border and we have enough left overs for our last night in Canada tomorrow.


We only travelled from Helena to Selby on Wed.   Very, very windy, right on the nose/left.  Pain in the ass driving and hard on the gas mileage.  The wind had been generated by the flash heat.  Temp went up to over 80F.  We stayed in the Lewis and Clark RV Park, the last RV park before the border (32 miles South). A really cute old husband and wife team run it.  A great way to finish our camping, staying in a place that reminded us of our first two nights with the trailer in Barstow.  We used the afternoon and evening to get all our paperwork and receipts ready for the border.  No WiFi at the trailer but a usable signal at the office.


On Thurs we headed for the border and arrived at 0810.  We were out by 0840, the only ones in line.  A lovely gun totting young lady border guard quickly filled out our 'Form 1'  and we spent the most time waiting for the cashier to count her till and officially open up so we could pay our GST.  No one even bothered to walk out and inspect either the trailer or the truck.  I guess we just don't look like crooks.


So ends this chapter of our Southern Adventure.  This sign says it all !


We are planning on visiting our family and friends over the next three weeks while travelling from MB back to BC via SK and AB.  I may post some photo albums but I expect the blog will be put to rest for awhile.


Thanks for reading.

All the best; Dave and Kaye

Hwy 287 - Idaho Falls to Helena, Montana

West Yellowstone was a lovely short two hour drive on Hwy 287.  It was a joy to not be on an Interstate, however, they do not slow down the speed limit.  70 Mph on a two lane with no shoulders and no guard rails.  Tough on Kaye.


We were recommended to stop at a Ranger Station and inquire about passes into the National Parks for military personnel.  The lady I spoke with had heard something of the program but her understanding was that it was for currently serving members.  The station we stopped at was a State Park Ranger and we never did get to the National Park so if anyone knows the answer please advise.  I could not find anything on the CF Appreciation Site about National Parks.


We arrived at Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone and they were closed for lunch.  It is a massive RV park and obviously one of the most popular but this is truly "Off Season".  We drove past hundreds of motels, hotels and RV parks getting here.  Many still had; "Closed for the Season" signs.  There were also hundreds of SkiDoo rentals.  This park and resort area is obviously huge but it hides its expanse very well.


This is Fly Fisherman Country.  Lodge after Lodge after Lodge.  Disney Land for outdoor lovers.  

We made lunch in the trailer and read the notice boards at the RV Park.  No fresh water hoses are allowed to stay connected to RVs as the overnight low will be -5.  Too cold for Kaye, we will be back!


Our new plan is to race for Helena, MT, the state capital.  It is out of the mountains, in the grass lands of cattle country.  We can make it there before dark.





If you are planning a trip to Yellowstone from Canada (eg heading South) then I have to recommend you travel South on Hyw 287 from Helena vice the faster route on the Interstate.  The road is very good, the traffic is light and the scenery is breathtaking.  The road winds its way along the Missouri River and then climbs into the mountains following the Madison River.  You will cross grass lands, then cattle country, then high foothills and finally an Earthquake Lake formation on the Madison River before reaching heavy trees and tons of wildlife.  We did not see Bears, but Bison were being guarded at the side of the road by Rangers and Big Horn Sheep and Deer were everywhere.  Photo Album.


We are in the Lincoln RV Park, about 8 miles out of Helena, North off the I15.  Clean and well kept.  Nothing fancy, VG WiFi but as it is the only park available for another 100 miles to the North so we will be staying.  Tomorrow we will see if the State Capital Museum is open on a Tuesday in May...The military museum is not.