The motorhome came out of storage on April 27 and we immediately began packing Siesta Sam for a 22 day motorhome journey to British Columbia. We hit the road on May 1. Our first destination was Edmonton. Unfortunately, the engine light came on when we were en route, but I was able to get Siesta Sam into the Mercedes dealer in Edmonton. The issue wasn't anything major; however, the repair bill was still a tidy sum. We spent two days in Edmonton visiting, Erin, Linda's daughter, and Linda's brother's family.
After Edmonton, we stopped in Red Deer for lunch with my sister, Paulette, and then proceeded on to Canmore for one night. We woke up to minus three Celsius in Canmore so after a quick blast of furnace and morning coffee we were on our way to Kelowna where we were booked into a lovely RV park in an orchard.
We had our E bikes on the carrier for this holiday as a means of getting around at our various stops. Kelowna is quite bike friendly as were most of the locations along our way. We spent a day biking Kelowna stopping for a breakfast at a bakery and at a brew pub for lunch. From Kelowna, we drove to Chilliwack Lake and plugged in our motor home at Linda's nephew's cabin for one night.
The next day we journeyed to Squamish where we enjoyed the Sea to Sky Tram. I'm usually okay with heights, but the elevation climb of the tram was at another level. I really concentrated on the horizon rather than looking down. Mind blowing.
After Squamish, we took a ferry to The Sunshine Coast where we spent a few nights at an RV park near Sechelt. The days were spent biking the area and hiking in the forests and on the beaches. In general, we didn't have much difficulty booking camping spots because the month of May isn't as busy as mid summer. We did notice that there were many people who lived in the RV parks permanently because of the shortage of affordable housing. We also noticed a large number of rented motorhomes on the road. Apparently, Europeans enjoy paying the nearly $200/day rental plus operating costs to get the BC experience.
Linda's nephew invited us to spend a weekend in Coquitlam where I had the chance to see my nephew, Justin. On Mother's Day, Linda's nephew had a barbecue so I had the opportunity to meet Linda's second oldest brother and his extended family.
From Coquitlam, we caught the ferry to Nanaimo where we spent the afternoon with Linda's niece before we continued on to Tofino. I had been to Tofino a handful of times and absolutely love the place. Linda fell in love with it too. Just like Maui, but a tad cooler and you use Canadian dollars. We were thrilled to discover there are paved bike trails everywhere. In fact, you can bike from Tofino all the way to Uclulet on a dedicated, paved bike trail. Riding our E bikes on the packed sand of the beaches was another thrill. The campground we booked was right on the beach and close to Tofino. Tofino was the highlight of the journey.
On our way back to the mainland, we spent an evening in Victoria area near Sidney before catching the ferry to Tsawassen. Sidney to Tsawassen journey is beautiful because the ferry weaves through beautiful forested islands such as Salt Spring and Gabriola. The day was spent getting to Hope where we camped for the evening before traveling to Osoyoos the following day. We were very impressed with the scenery on the Hope-Princeton highway especially near Keremeos where we enjoyed a wine tasting.
The RV park in Osoyoos was a cut above. Full hook up. Overlooking the lake. Near town. We were greeted by the manager who invited us to a hockey party in his back yard. There were lots of friendly people and great conversation. After telling everyone we were taking this trip as a last hurrah for the motorhome before selling the unit, we started thinking maybe we should keep the motorhome and use it for future spring trips before we move to Elk Ridge for the summer seasons.
Twenty-two days is a long time to spend in a 24 foot motor home, but we settled in to a comfortable pattern of making camp, preparing meals, biking, hiking, taking in local attractions, morning coffee, preparing meals, nightly games of cribbage or scrabble, and reading in the sun when it was available. We seldom ate at restaurants. Siesta Sam performed very well on the road.
The day we left Osoyoos, we stopped at Christina Lake, near Grand Forks. Judy, the girls, and I spent many happy days in Christina Lake over the years visiting Judy's aunt and uncle. Linda and I golfed at Christina Lake, then we made the short journey to Castlegar where we stayed at the Castlegar Golf and RV Resort. In the morning, we golfed the beautiful Castlegar course. I don't think either of us ever golfed a course so picturesque.
Fernie was our last stop. On our way to Fernie, we stopped at Two Scoop Steve's in Yahk, BC for ice cream. Yahk is an Alvin Kolach gag stop. I bought a T-shirt in Yahk 30 plus years ago...on the front: I've Been to Yahk and Back. I still have that famous shirt. We only spent one night in Fernie because the weather was miserable with a forecast of very miserable so we packed up and made the long journey home on May 22.
Since we have been home:
1. We just had Gunnar's 3rd birthday party on the weekend.
2. Luvisa's jazz and aero recital is coming up on June 16.
3. Haley and Dustin's house in Hampton Village is on the market. They should be moving to their new house June-July ish.
4. I spent three days up at Elk Ridge golfing to my heart's content. 60 holes in 2 days.
5. Linda and I are off to Elk Ridge tomorrow for a week.
6. My brother, Wayne, and my sister, Paulette, visited us a week ago. Always love to get together with siblings when the opportunity arises.
That's all to report for now. Keep smiling.
