Bye Kelowna

We just pulled out of Doug's yard in Kelowna. It's been a pretty warm stay. Yesterday it hit the 34C mark! Good thing it is still cooling off at nights! So Ron & I 'amused' ourselves during the day while the family was working/going to school. Went for a couple of bike rides in Mission Creek Park - an 18km. one yesterday. I like those 'no uphill' bicycle paths!

On Monday we got to see Remy play ball and last night we watched Ryley. I did a little movie clip of them with all the pics I had taken and burned them on a DVD. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Even though they were 'rush jobs' and I didn't have much time.
(I was up until midnight last night!!)

So the plan is to camp in one of the provincial parks around Revelstoke tonight but we are not sure how long we will stay -- It depends on the campground and how busy the weekend is. Amazing!  It's another weekend already!

Sunny Kelowna

I am sitting in the yard at Doug & Rina's. Both Doug & Rina are at work and the kids in school, so we will only get to visit with them in the evenings.

Last night we went to Remy's ball game. She's on an all girls team playing in a boys league. It was fun to watch them. Remy pitched, played 3rd base, was back catcher and did very well at all positions. The game ended up a tie, but they decided to play an extra inning and the boys won. They brought in their best pitcher for that inning :-) I'm sure it would be very difficult to lose to a girls team so the gals will have a 'tough fight' to get their wins in!! We'll get to see Ryley play tomorrow night.

Ron is busy trimming trees in the back yard at the moment. I think his next project is to fix a dripping tap on the outdoor hose. I'm sure he'll be able to find lots to keep himself busy. In between projects, we'll go for a ride along the bike path! Kelowna weather is looking great..27-32C the rest of the week.

That's pretty much all the news from here. We'll be leaving here Thurs. a.m., but haven't really planned where or which way we'll be going. We'll probably arrive home around June 7 as we pick up Greg, Kim & Connor in Calgary on June 9. Looking forward to their visit!!

Last Day in Vernon

Jeff came for lunch yesterday and spent the day with us. Went for a bike ride, picked up a few groceries, went to see his apartment, out for another bike ride and then back to the campsite.

We arrived home just before a big wind blew up followed by rain.  We got the canopy rolled up just in time. It was pretty nasty out there coming across the lake. Anyway, it all ended in less than an hour and after dinner, we were able to sit around the fire again. Jeff headed home about 11. I actually think us old folks played him out!

We just finished cleaning up after our Sun. a.m. bacon & eggs. I guess Jeff chose to sleep in rather than join us! He'll be by later however, I just chatted with him on MSN and he was heading for the shower. Ron is on the beach with his medal detector. I hope he finds some good treasures.

Although rain was in the forecast for today, the sun is shining brightly at the moment, so I'm hoping the forecast was wrong and we can spend the day outside.Tomorrow it's back to work for Jeff, and we'll move on to Kelowna.

checked in

Sandy Beach Campground
Site #26 - $23, p/w

Well we got our site!! We had to wait an extra 1/2 hr, but anyway, we are all settled in now.

We are on Okanagan Lake, just across the road from one of the beaches. There are lots of boats on the water, and people have been swimming. I stuck my toes in the lake and it's actually not so bad!

Jeff came for dinner last night and we sat around the campfire until almost midnight. He'll be over later this morning and I think we will go for a bike ride. It's a little cloudy today and not real warm yet. It was so nice when we arrived yesterday!

There are many young people working construction who are staying in the campground. And there are some pretty fancy boats and toys. Their pay cheques must be good! There was a pretty large group beside us that came for beers after work and we worried about how noisy it could be, but they shut down at the same time we did and we had a quiet night. Actually the fellow came over a couple of times -- introduced himself and promised us that his buddies would be leaving. Nice guy. 

Vernon, BC

3:30 p.m: It was a bit of an interesting situation. We arrived at a campground along the lake in Vernon that we saw last time we were here. It's very small, but right on beach and would work well for us well we visit Jeff. However., the groundskeeper met us at the gate and said the new management takes over and will be arriving at the site at 4 p.m. for the "switchover", so he can't really issue us a spot until they arrive and inform him of the situation... hmmm...

We've come across some 'funny ones' !!

So, I DO HOPE we have a place to stay. There are empty spots!!?? He said there is a possibility they have taken some reservations. And so we sit on the side of the road waiting for this new manager! to show up!

It does look like it will be a nice weekend. It's currently 24C and sunny! I do have wireless from somewhere in the neighborhood... (lucky how that's been working out for me!).

Leaving Vancouver...

... A very busy time there Kari's and the boys were out a couple times along with Richard. We spent time and had meals with both Kari's & Dave's and we had an afternoon coffee with Uncle Walter. Last night Richard and Janice came for dinner. Two couples from Australia were parked next door with their rental motorhomes and joined us for drinks before dinner... We had a great visit -- really enjoyed their company. We would certainly 'look them up' if we ever travel to Australia... Now we will head to Vernon area. I am looking forward to spending some time with Jeff.

Other than the one day of pouring rain, the weather was pretty decent. Not overly warm, but at least not wet !! It will be nice to do abit more camping... certainly the "RV parking lot" we stayed at in Surrey can't be classified as camping, but it is a good 'stopover' while visiting the Vancouver relatives!

 

 

That's about all the news from here... We were pretty exhausted some days trying to keep up with the grandchildren... Lots of energy there! The one day it poured rain we were all 7 (including Richard who had come for lunch) packed in to our 5th wheel. Richard & Ron really had the boys 'wound up'... They expected to see Uncle Richard next time out and were very disappointed he wasn't' there.!

Busy Times

I am taking a few quiet moments in the sun with my laptop. Kari & the boys will be coming soon. (except for jack who is in school) 

We've had some busy times here. Kari's been out to the 5th wheel a couple times.

and Richard was here. 

We spent time at both Kari's & Dave's and yesterday we had afternoon coffee with Uncle Walter. Tonight Richard and Janice are coming for dinner and then we will leave in the a.m. and head to Vernon area. I am looking forward to spending some time with Jeff.

Last night we were at Dave's for dinner. Sam (Eliz. oldest) was there from CA. He and Eliz had spent the day shopping and buying supplies as he is off to Prince George to plant trees. It will be very interesting to see how long he lasts at that. We saw a short documentary on CBC 2 nights ago about the tree planters and it's a very tough job. Lots of blisters, tendinitis and aching bones! Some kids had duck tape wrapped around all their fingers. Quite a few of the rookies drop out. And so I wonder about Sam. Can he handle it??  Anyway, he was to be on a 9 a.m. flight today and time will tell!  

Other than the one day of pouring rain, it's been pretty decent. Not overly warm, but at least not wet. I am looking forward to moving on and hopefully having another campfire or two. As mentioned, we will do the weekend with Jeff and then probably go to Doug's on Monday for a few days. He and Rina are coming to Vancouver this weekend for Rina's nephew's grad dinner.

Well, must go, I'm surprised Kari isn't here yet.... Her days starts pretty early and she's usually chomping at the bit to get going. Jack would have been off to school at 8:30 and I would have thought she'd be on the road. Ron is out buying some buns for lunch.

Surrey, BC

Tynehead RV Park

Site #68 - $31.50, p/w/s, Internet

We're HOME ~!! Well, we are back in Canada, anyway!!  We left in the pouring rain this a.m., but no rain here. It is a bit cloudy however.

We had a good border crossing. It is always a relief to not have to go through a thorough search!

We will spend a few days here. It looks like the RV park has wireless for me to connect to, so I should be able to stay in touch.

and good news -- our cell phone is available again..!

Friday from Bellingham, WA

Larrabee State Pk
Site #T26 - $31, p/w/s, Temp 17C

We are camped for two nights.  We have to leave tomorrow whether we wanted to or not! The campground is all reserved for Sat/Sun. Not sure why it's so popular, but maybe there are no others close by.  Oh, but did I mention the TRAINS??  Yes, we are right beside the track !! (and they blow their horn going by!!) Actually I didn't hear them in the night but Ron heard one.

We drove to south Bellingham yesterday for propane (and I was able to send / receive email). I enjoyed the quick 'chat' with you, Jeff. I hope your final exam went well this a.m. and now you are done your 3rd year!! Enjoy the weekend. I forgot to ask if you had plans?? And then it will be back to work on Tues already!

We have a short walk down to the beach. Certainly the surrounding beauty makes up for the cramped camping.



I guess that's what draws the people here. We sat and watched the waves rolling in. There are some beautiful homes along the bay.  Like Vancouver, I'm sure they aren't very affordable !@!.





Well, that's it for now. We'll head to town later for a few supplies and I hope to send this then. I'm not sure what our plans are after tomorrow. The Surrey campgrounds shouldn't be full (??) so we may just head there for a few days. All the resort spots will be filled up until Monday.

Ron just walked up to the walk-in campsites and group camping area checking for any 'treasures'. I'm about to check on him.

on the road again

Well, we ended up staying 3 nights at the Tumwater Forestry Cmpgrd just out of Leavenworth. Our 5th wheel battery held up good. It was a pretty quiet stay. Over 84 campsites, but never more than 2 of us staying there.... and such a beautiful place. A few units would drive through but contine on, so I assume they were looking for power.

We have just come through the Steven's Pass. Still lots of snow on the roadside at the top and it was only 6C. Also have noticed lots of campgrounds are still closed in this area. It's 13C here, and pretty cloudy so I hope it warms up!! It was 19C when we left our campsite this a.m. We had GREAT weather there!.

We did a couple of short side trips -- Drove up to Wenatchee Lake - beautiful lake, but the campgrounds weren't as nice - also wandered around Leavenworth and all their neat little shops. Rode our bikes and went on a short easy hike.

Our plan is to spend the weekend at Larrabee State Park south of Bellingham.... so not far from the border. On Monday we will see about getting a spot at Golden Ears Prov. Pk, just north of Abbotsford/Langley area.