Fri 17th - back home! (end Yellowstone/Oregon Coast Trip)

Yesterday we were able to ride the newly paved bike path from the campground to the Kananaskis Village turnoff. (I love that bike path except it's all downhill to the turnoff.  Of course, it's all uphill going home!)



It felt good to soak in the whirlpool once we got back to the campsite and it made the camping costs not quite so bad!

Ron had better luck finding some firewood and we enjoyed our last campfire of the season. The wind came up in the evening and the temperature started to rise - Chinook wind. The warming temperature was nice, but the wind gusts rocked the trailer pretty good.

There was a tree down in a neighboring campsite this morning. It was tough to pack up and leave as it felt pretty warm at 12C and we knew it was our last night.

So this is the last of my travel blogs for this trip because --- WE ARE NOW HOME! And would you believe the temp is 24C !!! CAMPING weather! If the nearby campgrounds had still been open, we would have stopped (ie. Dinosaur Valley)! However I believe all places turn off their power and water after Thanksgiving weekend.  And our water tank was empty -- too bad!

A couple of changes back home. The fence around our complex has all been removed and is in the process of being replaced (rotting wood!) And that beautiful big tree in front of our condo has been removed because of blight. So sad!

Other than that, home looks good. It feels huge after 6 weeks of trailer living! We will now have to re-establish some daily no-travel/no-camp routines!!

AND SO ENDS OUR CAMPING FOR 2008!

Wed 15th - Kananakis Country, AB

Mount Kidd RV Park
Site #A26 0 $36 (-10%), p only, Internet cost, Temp 8C

Revelstoke was certainly on the chilly side. We started a big campfire about 4 p.m. and snuggled close for warmth, but by 7:30 we were inside with the heater going full blast. A neighbor was telling us a bear had visited the campground the previous night and had ripped open the big plastic garbage bin. It has now been replaced with a metal bin. Obviously bears must normally not be a problem or I would think they would have had a bear proof bin to start with!

It was -3C and there was snow in the ditches coming through the Rogers Pass and again near Field where we pulled off for lunch. It's been a long time since we had lunch on the road. We are usually set up in our campspot by lunch time! Today, however, we travelled 360 km to Kananaskis Country north of Canmore.

When we stopped in Golden for fuel this a.m. we were only able to get 1/2 a tank. Petro Canada has a 'fuel ration' and we apparently had used up our quota!!?? I couldn't believe it. We had to stop again in Canmore at a different station!

It was a late set up today with the time change, plus the road construction and the slow downs through the National Park. We went for a bike ride when we got here (actually a wood hunt!) There was a skiff of snow on some of the roads in the more treed areas of the campground -- brrrrrrr and we didn't find any wood.

We are registered for 2 nights here. This is the most expensive place we have camped at $36. for power only. Man! Ron did get the gray hair discount of 10%, but still, it's getting a bit pricey!



THURSDAY, 16TH:  I missed sending the email from the office yesterday. They closed at 5, not 6 as we thought and I didn't get the internet password.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG & JEFF !!!

Tues 14th - Revelstoke, BC

Sandy Point Campground
Site #8 - free? p/w/s

We had a good visit with Jeff, Christal, Jeff's dog - Odin and Christal's kitten's - Whiskey & Jack, on Sunday/Monday. (Their antics were most entertaining, the dog & kittens that is!)



We stayed at the campground there free of charge. The manager was met us when we arrived but was on her way to Walmart and said she'd 'settle up' later. Anyway, Ron went over numerous times and she was never there and then she pulled her trailer out yesterday and was gone -- even though the campground is open until the 15th. Ron left his card and said to send the bill, so it will be interesting to see if we get one!

There was a motorhome just down from us that's been 'abandoned' for 2 1/2 months. Two tents beside it with sleeping bags and a canopy that has fallen on top of the lawn chairs and kids toys that are laying around along with a fridge!!?? I wonder what will happen with it over the next couple days....??? It would be interesting to know the story!

There is also a van parked at it and no license plates on either vehicle. I'm surprised they haven't had the police involved. Jeff you'll have to keep us updated if you see or hear anything! (I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she didn't worry about collecting our fees!)

We were on the road by 9:30 a.m. today. Actually we are pretty lucky to be on the road. Ron woke up at 1 am last night smelling propane and here the burner on our stove was on low with no flame. Probably since supper time. I had a candle burning until bedtime and with the heater cutting in & out until he got up at 1 a.m. We were pretty lucky that nothing sparked. Anyway, we opened the vents, turned on the exhaust fans and were back sleeping in 10 minutes.
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Williamson Lake
Site #23 - $26, p/w/s - Temp 8C

We drove by beautiful Mara Lake on our way to Revelstoke. It looked so inviting with the calm lake and the sun shining on the sandy beaches. Then we looked at the temperature and see 4C and just laughed!! Looks can be very deceiving!

There was some fresh snow in the mountain tops around Revelstoke, so it's definitely getting much cooler! The leaves are turning and it's very pretty in this area. So we were true to form and were set up by lunch time! (and noone around to collect our fees again! -- I think maybe camping season is over!!)

We'll do some bike riding this afternoon and will probably head to Kananaskis area tomorrow before home.

Sunday 12th - Leaving Kelowna

Happy Turkey Day!! We had a good time in Kelowna. Doug & Rina have a great new home with so much more room then the 1/2 duplex they were previously in. They are keeping the duplex and will be looking for renters after they do some final cleaning and minor 'fix-ups'.

We actually parked at the duplex because we 'know the spot' and there is lots of room for our 5th wheel. However now that we've seen the new place, we will be able to stay there next time.

Kari & the boys drove from Vancouver on Friday, so it was good to see them also. We had a yummy turkey dinner yesterday and they are now on their way home. (Gerry had a 'working weekend" back in Vancouver in preparation for Global's upcoming election coverage.)



So now we are on our way to Vernon and will park at the campground just down the street from Jeff's place and on the Okanagan Lake. Will spend a couple of nights before heading to Revelstoke and home.

I've already checked ahead to make sure the campgrounds are still open as so many have closed for the season now. I just hope we can 'beat the snow' home, but the forcast is looking a little 'iffy' particulary through the passes!

We are enjoying the sunshine today. We will be arriving in Vernon shortly - a 47 km. drive.

Thurs 9th - Leaving Osoyoos

We are leaving Osoyoos this morning. We did some more biking yesterday and never did get up to the Interpretive Centre. Another time. We will spend a couple of days in Kelowna and then a couple days in Vernon and make our way home. Nights are getting pretty cool these days. It's about 2C when we get up, so I'm suspecting it's probably freezing at nights or very close to freezing!

We are seeing snow predictions in some areas of the prairies for Sunday -- yikes! Not looking forward to driving that direction!! It still feels pretty decent in the sun here, if the wind isn't blowing. Temps up to 20-22C last couple days.

Tues 7th - Osoyoos, BC

Today started out sunny and warm at 22C. We had a lazy morning sitting by the lake and sipping coffee while we watched one of the workers trimming trees.

After lunch we went for a bike ride and marvelled at all the new growth around the lake - condos (!!)... amazing! This place must be increasing in population in leaps and bounds -- assuming people are in fact buying all those places??!!

By mid afternoon it clouded and the wind came up -- blowing right down the lake. Instant chill!! We were reminded why we usually pick a camp spot back off the lake! (But it's so hard to pass up the view and the lake front when the weather is perfect at arrival time!)

Anyway, it was a good excuse to head to the laundromat! We also stopped at a local fruit stand and picked up a supply of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's tough to pay $$ for apples when we drive by all those orchards and see the fruit literally falling off the branches! It's so tempting to reach out and snatch a few apples, but, my conscience forbids me (and the fear / embarrassment of getting caught!!)

Tomorrow we'll check out the new Nk'Mip interpretive centre. It was in the early building stages last time we were in Osoyoos and we are curious to see the final result. We will probably make a stop at the winery also being as it's right there too :-)

That's about it from "Canada's only desert". We are not very happy with the news headlines since we arrived back in Canada. That spiralling stock market... ouch! We probably can't afford to be doing this travelling and we may find ourselves looking for work back home.

From Oroville, WA to Osoyoos, BC

Osoyoos State Park
Site #60 - $19, n/s, Temp 16C, cool and cloudy

Osoyoos Lake, US side was okay. -- It appears it is just starting to develop with a few condos now being built. It's an older poorer community and there are not the big homes on the lake as there are on the Canadian side.

Oroville, WA

The state park was nice but the sites wouldn't be very private during the busy season. Only 3 of us were there last night, so it was not an issue. We were parked on the lake and we enjoyed the bird activity as we sat around the fire.



Unfortunately there were no hookups and it got a bit chilly last night - down to 5C. We made use of our catalytic heater and our furnace cut in a couple times as the little heater couldn't keep up!
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NK'Mip RV Park
Site #133 - $28, p/w, Inernet, Temp 16C

We had quite a chuckle after today's drive. Only 13 km and 1/2 hr. on the road.  Funny! So we are back in Osoyoos, Canada. And back to having free internet in the campground!!  We stopped at the duty free and our border crossing was a breeze this morning.

I really missed not being able to check the Canadian news etc. while travelling in the US. One feels so out of touch. (Like oh yeah! an election going on here!)

We are now sitting in the sun on the lake having our 2nd morning cup of coffee. Tough day!

Back in Canada! 

We've paid for 3 nights here, but we may extend that.  The weather will determine!

Fri 3rd/Sat 4th - Chelan Lake, Washington

Chelan State Park
Site #34 - $25, p/w, Internet cost, Temp 16C

We opted not to go to the State Fair in Yakima but we did go for a great ride on the bike trail. It was dribbling rain or we may have gone further than the 13 km.

The 'ads' for visiting Yakima said you can leave your umbrellas at home, just bring the sunscreen. Unfortunately, we just happened to hit one of those wetter days!

Friday we drove to Lake Chelan State Park. Washington State Parks aren't nearly as nice as the Oregon Parks. This one doesn't really cater to RV's, but it's a great tenter's destination. Tenters can pitch their tents along the lake and there are a series of decks/piers built on the lake for them.  We can't see the lake from our campspot and have to walk through the trees and down the hill.

Once again we seemed to have hit some rainy weather. Last night became a 'reading night' inside. It rained pretty hard during the night.

We drove to town for some supplies after lunch. (We are still only traveling 2 - 3 hrs/ day!! Pretty laid back!) This area is very much like Osoyoos area and there are lots of vineyards and wine tasting places all around the lake. Tempting, but we haven't made any stops yet.

Quails are running around the campground and there are a number of walnut trees in this park. We are lucky not to be parked under one of those as we notice the squirrels are busy chucking down walnuts and a couple of the units are being 'bombed' by them! I imagine it would be a little noisy inside!

We are staying a second night here. We did some touring around the lake. And, we stopped at a Blueberry farm for some pie and coffee. Looks like their might be some boat racing taking place today and we will check out the "Falls" and other areas around the lake.

Tomorrow we will head to Osoyoos area but think we will try staying of the US side for something different.

Thurs 2nd - Yakima, Washington

Well here I am writing again after saying I probably wouldn't be emailing so much!! But I had to tell about the neat place we went to yesterday!

In the historic downtown area of town where the railroad tracks were, they have taken a row of rail cars and converted them all in to little shops - "Track 29 Mall"! They built nice fronts on the one side of the rail cars and you can walk along the authentic railway platform into the shops.



From the back side, it just looks like a train sitting at the station, complete with the caboose! What a GREAT idea!! and what better way to make use of rail cars that have become obsolete!! I thought the bed & breakfast we saw using the rail cars was pretty cool, but this was even better!!



And critters -- Last night we were sitting at our picnic table having super and heard a rustling in the trees again. "Not more raccoons" I say..... but no, out waddles a skunk, takes a look, turns and waddles back!! I remained calm, but that was a little too close for comfort. Later in the evening at the fire, we got a whiff, so something or someone had an unpleasant encounter!

It was pretty quiet around town and we find out the big "Central Washington State Fair" is on here. I don't know if we are going to make an appearance or not. We do plan to head to the information centre and see where the bike trails are. Someone informed us there are 20 miles of paved trails. At any rate, we are staying another night.

Oct 1 already!! - Yakima, Washington

Yakima Sportsmen State Park
Site #22 - $26, p/w/s, Temp 26C

Last night we made the decision to head up through Osoyoos rather than Langley, so today we are travelling east on Hwy 12, over the Cascades, to Yakima.

It was foggy and 13C when we left this morning, but the fog has since lifted and the temp jumped to 19C. It's really quite amazing that we never saw fog all that time we were driving up the coast. As we head inland, the fall colours are becoming more evident.

One area we drove through had acres of Christmas Tree farms. We had a few last glimpses of Mt. St Helens from this hwy. One thing I forgot to mention that had us shaking our heads. In the days before the big eruption, people were flocking to see the mountain blowing off steam. There was even a film crew that flew in to the crater to do a beer commercial (can you believe it!!??) In some ways, it's surprising there weren't more than 57 people killed. The explosion when it took place was equivalent to 500 atomic bombs blowing off.

1 p.m. - We arrived at Yakima. We are staying in a state park on the edge of town. It is much drier and warmer here, 26C now! We won't be needing our little electric heater tonight.

This area has lava formations, rock colmns and we are getting in to sagebrush again! We are also seeing lots of orchards and people are still out picking their apples.

I probably won't be sending as many 'travel logs' between now and home. We are pretty much through the 'sight-seeing' portion of our trip and as we head through Ellensburg tomorrow, we'll be travelling on prior travel routes.

Our ETA at home?? We'll play that one by ear (and the weather!)