Goldsprings Campground, Milk River, AB

Site #29 - $30, p/w, poor cell, Internet, Temp 18C

We rather like this place. There is a unique horseshoe shaped lake that was created when a couple farmers dammed up the river in the 60's.  

Goldsprings Park (from their website)

This photo was taken on a much busier weekend. We are camped on the left side of the island. It was hot when we arrived. Finally! It was nice to open up windows on the RV once again. We enjoyed the warm evening and a late campfire.

view from our Campsite

hey! that's us!

Canoers and tubers make use of the fast flowing Milk River beside us. We've been told that people think they can tube between Milk River and the campground in a matter of minutes. Realistically it takes about 4 hrs because of all the twists and turns in the river. It would take about 2 days to get from here to Writing on Stone which is only about 50 km from here. A look at google maps will show you just how twisted this river is.

Even though there are quite a few young families with young children camped here, it is actually very quiet and relaxing sitting by the lake. People are fishing off shore and in their "belly boats". The lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout although most of what we've seen caught are small throwbacks.


My only complaint is the ants! Gah... It's one huge ant hill here!! Even when they aren't crawling on me, I feel like they are. I will have nightmares for sure!

                                     Hi-Ya!
We plan to stay until Monday and then we will probably make a short jaunt/tour in to the US.

close to home, Lundbreck, AB

Hiawatha Campground
Site #4 - $28, p/w, Internet, Temp 14C

So here's the thing.  You wake up and the temp is only 6C.  You head south towards Jaffray and Elko and it remains chilly, plus it is starting to rain.  In Fernie it is pouring.  Camping kind of loses its appeal so you keep driving. You think about heading home.  Then driving through the Crowsnest, the sun comes out and it warms to 11C, so you decide to give it another night.  You pull in to a campground at Lundbreck. This is camping, no-particular-place-to-go style.

 

We are now at the Hiawatha Campgrounds.  I was ready to drive back out, but after winding up the hill and landing at the office, Ron figured we would just spend the night.  (Also, it was lunch time, I think he was hungry.) 

campground view

This campground is mainly filled with permanents but hardly any of the units are currently occupied.  Thankfully..!  We are shoe-horned in.  My least favourite way to camp.  Oh well.. There is internet.

 

sign on campground washroom

I was about to say this will probably be my last update for this trip but we have decided to check out Gold Springs Park south of Milk River for the weekend.  It's a fairly new park and it looks rather cool from their website photos.  We are just hoping that the weather isn't! NEED SUNSHINE AND HEAT!!!

 

checking out Kimberley.. the town..

Riverside Campground
Site #65 - p/w/s, Internet, Temp 18C

We left Crawford Bay and decided our next stop would be Kimberley.  We have driven through town, but we have never really explored much of the area.  We are camped beside the St. Mary River south of town near Marysville, beside the Kimberley golf course.  Very pretty digs. A nice view.




Kimberley Riverside Campground view

We did the town tour.  We had no idea Kimberley was so populated.  All the Alpine Lodging located on ski hill is incredible.  It would be a very crowded ski slope if all those lodges fill up every winter.  This time of year the lifts sit empty and only a few of the buildings show signs of occupancy.


the lifts sit empty

Back near our campground, we decided to follow the road along the river to the lake.  It was further than we expected, but a most enjoyable drive.  We were surprised at some of the large new homes being built in such a remote area.  There is no cell service or other services to this area.  They appear to be relying on solar panels or wind mill.



St Mary Lake south of Kimberley

The road home on the other side of the river was pretty rough going.  One might think there isn't a lot of vehicle traffic along this road.



excuse us.. we're busy here

We had a bit of a chuckle last night while sitting around our campfire.  There is tenting on the level down below us and one young couple had this area to themselves.  Or at least I'm sure they thought they did. The young fellow stripped naked and proceeded to enjoy the solar bag shower he had hanging in the trees.  He forgot to look up! 

We are here for another night.  I am doing a couple more loads of laundry while making use of the wifi hotspot.  More decisions needed about where to next.

Another day at the Bay

And this is what we woke up to this morning...

Crap. A mouse in our camper.  A similar destructive job was done on the kleenex box. Nesting time.  So Ron was off to the store and we now have a couple traps in place.  The response to Ron's inquiry from the sales lady? -- No guarantee and no refunds if they don't work.  :)

 

Yesterday was such a pleasant day and as we sat around the fire, we decided to stay another night.  This morning Ron registered, took the bikes off the bike rack and then rain.  Sh*t!!  So no biking and most of day was spent indoors.  We did do another drive up one of the side roads. Such pretty country.  It's evident where most of the Crawford Bay residents live.  Out in the bush.  There are a lot of homes nestled in the surrounding countryside.  I'm sure some never see the light of day though.  Such thick lush growth.  Also, one has to wonder who/what lives in some of the rough looking ramshackle hidey holes.  Still some hippies from days gone by, I'm guessing.  There are plenty of the more luxurious homes, however, and there is some evidence of a few new builds.

Despite a wet dreary day with no campfire, we did enjoy a delicious shrimp dinner.  With wine!

A driving tour of Crawford Bay

After lunch yesterday, we went on a driving tour.  We discovered the local marina and the somewhat 'hidden' Fish Hawk bay.  There are a lot of sailboats and some pretty fancy motorboats housed in this little bay.

 

We have been in this Crawford Bay area many times but this is the first time we have driven north along the lake to Riondel.  This is a very cool little village of about 275 people.  At one time there was a very productive silver, lead and zinc mine there.  When the mine closed for good in 1972, the town became a popular retirement community and had more seniors per capita than any other postal code in Canada.  There is a pretty 9-hole golf course and really nice lakeside campground/beach area.  We couldn't believe that children were actually swimming in Kootenay Lake already. It had to have been damn cold! Brrrrr!!

 

We looked up a former Mazenod neighbour and friend of Ron's who lives in Riondel (Dave Kien for Ron's bros), but no one was home.

Back at the campground, we spent the evening in front of the fire.  Note: Our neighbour appears close, but hasn't been around.

 

Baking bread and prepping dinner.

 

Ron just paid for another night here and the bikes are now ready to roll.

Crawford Bay

Kokanee Chalet & RV
Site #56 - $33.50, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 18C

Well, we ended up staying 3 nights at the Kettle River.  It was just so relaxing and peaceful that we hated to leave.  We had a little bit of rain last night as we sat around the fire, but, no big deal, we just brought out our handy little umbrella.

 Our neighbors didn't eat too much or stay too long. (Cabbage trimmings)

We love riding on the KVR trails. Although this stretch has a few too many gates to open and close. Lots of dismounting.

Today we enjoyed the drive through Nelson and along the lake.  It's been awhile.  We used to make the trip frequently when Jeff lived there.  Everything is so lush and green this time of year. Such a beautiful area.  Ron enjoys the ferry ride across Kootenay Lake.

 

We are now camped at Crawford Bay, just north of Nelson.  The good news is that it is a very quiet campground and the smell in amongst the cedars is awesome.  Also we have power and internet! The bad news is that it was only 16C when we arrived and it has been mostly raining.  Yes, I know that Medicine Hat was 30C today with more hot days lined up.  One can't always be in the right place.  At any rate, there is a laundromat here and that is where I shall spend the morning.

north of Rock Creek, BC

Kettle River Prov Pk
Site #25 (good site)- $28, n/s, cell, no Internet, Temp 20C

We said our goodbyes in Vernon and as we drove off, we opted to go south.  This choice was based mainly on the weather forecasts that we have seen.  Northern BC and AB sounded like rain, cold and possibly still some ice on some of the lakes.  No thank you!

 

We headed down Highway 33 at Kelowna to avoid city traffic and 2 hours later we were setting up camp at Kettle River Provincial Park.  It is a beautiful scenic drive along 33 and this Park is one of our favourite camping spots.  Nature at its finest.  I'm sure it was very busy on the weekend, but now there are only about 10 of us spread throughout the campground.  Our site is spacious and secluded and it feels like we are the only ones here.  The only sound comes from the River and the birds.  (And Ron blowing his nose!  ALLERGIES!!)

We've already biked along the Kettle Valley Railroad trail and we've gathered enough wood for tonight's fire.  I expect we will stay two nights.  This is due to the fact that it is 'dry camping' (using battery power) and also we are running out of clean underwear!

Vernon Time

Once again our time here is best summed up in the photos I've posted.

https://goo.gl/photos/SztHTxsyL3HL9HEY6

Busy times. Plenty of squeals and giggles. And so much fun!

Evelyn LOVES her Grandpa. It didn't take long before she was running into his arms and crawling all over him.  Grandma had to work a little harder to get some attention, but we are good buddies now.  Owen's first question every morning is "Where's my Grandma and Grandpa?"  We will certainly miss their excitement each morning when we make our appearance.

Tomorrow morning Jeff heads back to work on the Kelowna hospital and we will be moving on. As I type here this evening, I'm not quite sure where my next update will be coming from.

Kelowna, BC

Orchard Valley RV
Site #8, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 19C

And it is HOT HOT in Kelowna!  The usual hot spell leading up to the May long weekend until such a time as it will turn cool and rainy. Yup, that's the forecast again!

 

Anyway, we have enjoyed our evenings with Doug, Rina, Remy and Ryley.  We were able to meet and approve of Remy's boyfriend.  It is still hard to believe that she has a year of university behind her now.  Ron got quite a kick at the fact that the two of them were playing Mario with the old Super Nintendo that he had dug from our garbage bin probably about 10 years ago.  An internet 'cheat' had allowed them to reach levels that they hadn't seen on the game before and there were many delightful squeals.  So funny.

 

We are parked in our usual Orchard campground on the hill.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of the full moon shining over the multi-lighted city last night when we drove home. It was gorgeous!  We have done some biking and a city tour-about.  Tomorrow we will set up camp in Jeff's driveway in Vernon.  Have a good safe weekend everyone!

checking obits

 

more from Osoyoos

Our week in Osoyoos has flown by.  The weather has been good, but evenings are cool and we did have one day of on-off rain.  Of course, the time we opted to bike to the local Home Hardware, it let loose!  We remained huddled under a store overhang until it let up and then darted home.  We didn't get too wet, but had that tell-tale "biking in rain streak" up our butts and back.

On Saturday we drove across the border to Oroville.  It was their "May Day Festival" and we arrived in time for the parade and the beef-on-a-bun barbecue lunch at the local school.  Oroville is a pretty tiny community so it was amazing to see the crowds that had gathered for this celebration!

 

One of the highlights of the week was meeting up with a cousin who I haven't seen for many many years.  They have a summer home in Osoyoos, but they have never been here on our many visits.  We bike by and check it out each time.  We connected on Facebook before leaving on this trip (how that came about is interesting, ask me sometime!)  and coincidentally they arrived in Osoyoos on the weekend.  It was great to see their home and 'catch-up' over beers on the beach yesterday!  I'm embarrassed to say that they actually live in Medicine Hat, but we haven't managed to 'connect' over the years.  (I knew they were in the city, but they didn't know we lived there!)

 

So, we have decided to spend an extra night here, and we will head to the Orchid Hill campground in Kelowna tomorrow.  Richard and Janice will go south to Canyon country - Bryce and Zion.

Osoyoos

NK'Mip Camp and RV Park
Site #C18 - $33 (6+1 free=$198), Internet $15

This afternoon we are having a bit of a quiet time.  Time to catch up on blogs, reading or simply sit and do nothing.  Relaxation.

It seems our days in Osoyoos have been busy.  (For me, that means not much internet time.)

The weather has been awesome, although not the 30C temps we enjoyed a year ago when we met Richard and Janice here.

There has been lots of biking, visiting, propane fires, meal prep, trips to town for supplies and evenings spent in the pool and hot tub.  Ron, Richard and Janice have logged up many walking miles.

And yes, there has been margaritas, beer-garitas and wine.  Good times, plenty of giggles.

Midway

Riverfront Park
Site #5 - $15, p only, Temp 14C

Not wanting to arrive at Osoyoos before Monday, we had trouble making the decision where to hang for a couple days.  Some campgrounds are just too close to the highway (ie: Grand Forks) and then there are those railway tracks.  We found an awesome little spot in Midway, along the Kettle River for the bargain price of $15. including power!  The only noise came from birds and the flowing river. Perfect!  We had a great visit with caretaker, Steve, who is a retired teacher from the area.  He came here 50 years ago from Australia and never left.  He is on the local museum board and we wondered how the name "Midway" came about.  He says they have never really determined that.  It is midway between Fort Langley and Fort Steele, but one can come up with numerous places that this would be considered a halfway point.

We rode our bikes along the River path and we had our first campfire of the season.  As we sat enjoying the evening, it was hard to believe that people in Calgary are shovelling snow.  It did rain through the night and it was raining when we woke up this morning, but as I type, the sun has broken through and it looks like we might have another opportunity to explore the town on bikes.  I don't have internet in the RV, but the corner pub gave us the password and I can connect a couple sites over.  Anyway, time to get out and enjoy the sunshine!

 

First Stop, Jaffray, BC

Will-o-Bend Golf & RV
Site #36 - $35, p/w/s, Internet iffy, Temp 23C

We left Medicine Hat at 9:30a.m. Rain and 8C.  It dipped to 4C through the Crowsnest Pass, but luckily we didn't see any snow.  Just beyond Blairmore, the rain stopped, the sun began to shine, the temp climbed and it was 23C at Jaffray.  We decided this was a good place to stop.

 

It felt good to be back in the RV and that first beer after we set up camp is always the best!  This is our first time staying at the Will-O-Bend Golf and RV campground. 

The nearby train track may or may not be an issue tonight??  Unfortunately, as I type, I am the rain has begun to fall and we are hearing some thunder.  This appears to be the forecast throughout this area for the next few days.

 

And now it is morning . . .  Trains that blow whistles plus the sunshine is used up so we are moving on today!

Spring Shenanigans 2014

It has been very difficult to come up with and finalize a plan for our annual spring tour this year.  Things have popped-up or popped-out.  That would be my damn tooth yesterday!!  This is the tooth that cost me mega bucks last year to have a crown installed.  It was a total waste because now the tooth has broken off and fallen out.  My regular dentist is away, but I had a couple of sharp ends filed off this morning and I guess I shall remain one tooth less for the time being.  Have I mentioned my extreme dislike of dentists?  (Sorry, Rae... I did love Dave when we had our dental plan and he was tending to my pearly whites!)

 

Anyway, the RV is home and mostly packed.  We are running away from the snow that is supposed to hit on the weekend.  At least we hope we are! What a crazy spring.  It was 28C this afternoon, but only single digits for the weekend.  Medicine Hat may not see snow, but certainly Calgary and the higher passes have forecasted some.

 

We plan to take the south route to Sparwood or Cranbrook area for a couple nights and then will head to Osoyoos on Monday.  Richard and Janice will meet us there.  Janice summed up our plans quite well.  We will "stay until the wind blows us in a different direction".  Or probably until sometime before the long weekend.  You can follow along or asked to be removed from the mailing list.

 

Now back to packing . . . (While Ron is off to find chemicals to un-plug the kitchen sink!)

 

 

An RV Lot out front! Us packing up and the neighbors with company!