July 30 - day 1
This is where my journey begins. It took me a little longer to throw everything in the van that I figured I should take along (I probably won't use half of it) so I didn't actually leave until 6:30 pm and then stopped at Glenda's for a minute to say "see you later" to them as I missed her in town.
So - on the road again - I love It!
Had a bit of drizzle in Fredericton/Oromocto as I passed through but dry after that until I got to Cape Breton. Smooth sailing all the way so far - no deer or moose and very little traffic. Clear skies and an open road! Doesn't the sky look like it has a sinkhole in it! I thought it looked cool.
Since I had worked today and did not want to get too tired driving, I stopped in Pictou at an Irving that was 24 hour and had a nap for about 3 hours . Except for the transports, the roads were pretty well empty. Good thing I didn't decide to have a long sleep and then go - apparently you can get stopped at the Canso Causeway for a while (I waited there for 35 minutes) for boats or barges crossing. I heard that sometimes it can be for over an hour wait!
my windshield was wet and dirty!
The Great Bras d'or Crossing Seal Island Bridge - didn't know they had a bridge like this here!
July 31, Day 2
Ferry to Newfoundland
The ferry to Newfoundland is supposed to be 6 1/2 hours or so depending on the weather - I would say unless something happens in the next few hours - we should be right on target.
Goin' to Newfoundland
As you probably guessed, I was a little bit early at the terminal (got there at 7:30 when I had to be there at 10) so I was the first person in line 9 (which was apparently vans and trucks). I think everyone is visiting Newfoundland this year because of all the vehicles in the rows around me there were very few from Newfoundland - there was every province represented even BC and one from Massachusetts and one from Washington. After the 18 wheelers and the motorbikes, I was the first to get on the ferry and of all things, we were put in the "hold" and I had to back into my spot - I am not the best backerupper so that was stressful but I got it backed up and didn't hit anything. But being the first on meant I was on the ferry a good hour and a half before it sailed and an hour after we docked in Newfoundland so I had lots of time to walk around the ferry. I had booked a seat so that I at least had somewhere to park my stuff and my butt during the trip - my seat was next to a window seat but the person for that seat never showed up so I had window access. Not that that helped much - the trip was quite cloudy and although some people said they saw dolphins/porpoises, I saw nothing.
Terminal in Sydney
level 5 for the big trucks - I was in level 1.
First views of Newfoundland
Sunset on my first day in Newfoundland!
So my first day in Newfoundland was mostly water and hills (and roads) but I guess that is why it is called the rock but the sunset was beautiful! I went to the Captain Cook lookout to see the view of the city of Corner Brook. Meet a family there who were from Newfoundland but were showing it to their mother/grandmother - we had a great time together.
Such beauty! I love the sunsets and the lights on the water!
August 1 - day 3
Today was a beautiful day - sunny with some cloudy periods and not much wind. I started with a leisurely breakfast (realized I forgot the milk at home after I opened the cereal so I had to eat them dry - good thing they were corn pops) and blog writing session.
I started by going to Deer Lake - it quite a large lake but it has a lot of dirt in it (actually looks like the black particles after a fire but it doesn't look like there was a fire here) - did not entice me to swim. Nice beach though and they make it smooth and clean up the garbage and breakup the sticks every morning.
I then went to Grand Falls and drove around a bit - it is a typical Atlantic town and nothing really jumped out at me so I moved on to Gander. There are a bunch of war memorials here as well as the memorials from 9-11.
Gambo
Terra Nova
Birds - seagulls & puffins
Puffins are only found in a few places in the world and one of the places is in Elliston. There are a couple other places where you can go by boat and get closer to them but here they are still quite a ways from you with a big crevice between you and the birds. The guy at the store said they would land near you if you were very still and quiet but there were too many people there for that to happen. I took about a hundred picture of them but most were not very good. There were many other birds there too but again no seals, dolphins, or whales
The end of another beautiful day!
August 2 - day 4
I had a very good sleep and didn't wake up until after 7 this morning. Had milk so my cereal wasn't dry and I think my eggs will be gone before I get to Ontario. I will have to get Aunt Jennie to boil me some more when I get there.
I guess Newfoundland has their hockey heros too! This is overlooking Conception Bay - they have some weird names here,- Dildo, Placentia, Blackhead.
i started by going to Spaniard's Bay - which is in the Conception Bay - just because I wanted to get closer to the water.
I don't imagine the farmers would like these fields! And the trees all seem quite young - I am thinking that some of that would be because it's beside the highways which seem to be quite new.
Signal Hill
St John's reminds me very much of Halifax - and Signal Hill is much like the Cidadel in Halifax. This is where I got most of my walking in.
there were blueberries on the hill too
The hill I walked up
I walked down the green trail
One of the things I had always heard of about St John's was the colorful houses - I got some pictures but there wasn't anywhere to park in St John's since they was closing a bunch of streets for the celebrations this weekend
There was also a cruise ship -Holland America - in port this morning - it left later in the day.
Because I wanted to put my feet in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans this trip - I had to find some place to put my feet in the water - apparently that is not a popular thing here - when I go to the northern part of the province tomorrow I will probably find lots of places but today it was a problem. Since St John's was so busy I didn't go to the waterways where Terry Fox had dipped his foot in the water so I decided to to to Cape Spear which is the most easterly point of Newfoundland - I wasn't able to put my feet in there but near there was Blackhead Village and I was able to go in the water there.
August 3 - day 5
My plan for the day was to go to Gros Morne National Park - first because it is one of the "things to see in Newfoundland" and second because it is on the way to the ferry that I will be going on tomorrow to Labrador so my day started with a 3 hour back tracking trip - although I enjoyed re-seeing some of the sights and seeing other sights that I had either just missed before or it was too dark to see them - I did not stop and take any pictures. In Gros Morne National Park the main road goes up the west side of Newfoundland and for the most part there is water on the left side and mountainous terrain on the right side (the Long Range Mountains). There are many, many trails leading off to the right and I probably could have gotten my steps in easily but I just didn't feel like hiking today. I walked along the rocks on the beaches a few times and stopped at the lookout stops but otherwise I just enjoyed the views and the drive. Talked with a few people who were visitors to Newfoundland - some like me, first timers and others who have been here many times. I talked to a lady from Quebec and a couple from Ontario who were there for the Canada Games so would be here for a few weeks.
I again have to marvel at God's creation - it is so beautiful here! Next time I come I will definitely have to stay longer and maybe even do some hiking!
Rocky Harbor
Sally Cove
Cow Head Cove - only stopped here as I had service and could call Glen. Was really windy and the trees have a permanent bend on the tops.
ice burg off the coast of St Anthony
St Anthony where my daughter nursed for awhile
Sorry missed the sunset
August 4 - day 6
It rained last night - does it ever sound nice on the roof of the van! I was parked in the Irving service station parking lot so I was able to get up and get my hot water for my coffee this morning. I was going to go back to see if I could get a better picture of the iceburg but it was much too foggy so I gave up on that.
Labrador
It was very windy out so I decided to go straight to St Barbe where I was to catch the ferry to Labrador. I figured I could either walk around there or just veg in the van and maybe have a nap but when I got to the terminal they asked if I wanted to take the earlier ferry which had just docked and would be leaving shortly so my plans changed a bit and instead of taking the 3:30 ferry I took the noon ferry. It was a rough trip - it was very windy! It was so windy that they told everyone they had to stay inside the boat and not go on the decks.
I was told that reception in Labrador is very scratchy in Labrador so I should stop and pick up a satellite phone at different hotels across the province - so I went to L'Anse-au-Clair to get one - they had none and none of the other hotels I stopped at had any either. So I traveled with hope and many prayers to stay safe. There were many times that I didn't see any other vehicles for many kilometers. I made a point to talk to the people at the rest stops and the gas stations so that at least there would be a trail if something happened. I am listening to books as I travel and as I am doing this first stretch of Labrador, I am listing to "the Shack" - for those of you who have read this book - you can see that it would be scary as well as comforting especially when you don't see anyone for an hour or so.
Pinware National Park
I wanted to walk in the waves so I went to the Pinware park - at first the waves were only small but as I got out of the cove the waves got a bit bigger and stronger. Luckily when I fell in the water my left hand didn't get wet so my phone and shoes stayed dry
Trans-Labrador Hwy
I don't know why it surprised me but I was astonished at how much like northern Quebec, Labrador is. It's very much the same as my trip to Chisasibi was
Had a nice rain fall here - the clouds came from all directions - it would pour for a few minutes and then the sun was out again.
I tried to go to Port Hope Simpson but missed the turnoff so continued toward Happy Valley Goose Bay. About 8pm, I was too tired to continue so stopped at a rest stop (it was right across from the DOT so I figured I was safe enough there even without internet). I will drive the last 200 kms to Happy Valley tomorrow. I fell asleep before the sunset.
August 5 - day 7
Woke up before the sun this morning - but the wind is still blowing. I even had to put on a sweater this morning (I never checked the temperature but by the time I got to Happy Valley it was 16 degrees and that was only 3 hours later. I did see the sun rise this morning!
NL-500 to Churchill Falls
Churchill Falls
I parked at Churchill Falls for the night - walked in the water and enjoyed the peace and quiet. It is not a very big place.
August 6 - day 8
Started out the morning with hot coffee and porridge as I had free power overnight - yah yah! Was parked by the Civic center at Churchill Falls and they provided outlets to the campers for free. By the way - Churchill Falls does not have any falls anymore - their falls is from the overflow of the dam and apparently it has not overflowed for a few years - not enough rainfall which is also why the forests are so dry.
The final trek out of Labrador was uneventful and seemed to go by quite quickly.
NL-500 - I am thinking that there was a forest fire here but no-one who I talked with could verify it - they all seemed to be from a different part of NFLD
Long straight highways and even railway tracks - I only saw a couple trains but they were over 40 cars long! I didn't get the Labrador City sign going in so I have to get it going out.
Quebec!!!
This section of the trip has been my most thrilling to date - not that the others have not been great but....!!! Those of you who really know me know I love rollercoasters and hills. This was basically 8 hours of rollercoasters!!!! the roads were hilly and wove back and forth up and down the mountains - it was fabulous!!!! Except for the 120 kilometers of dirt roads which weren't quite as fun - I would do that trip many times. Again here there was no internet service but I was having too much fun to talk to people anyway. There is only a couple of gas stations through that whole route but the van basically goes about 700-800 km per tank so I wasn't too worried that I didn't have enough gas but at the halfway mark (more or less) I needed a pee break so figured I would top it up a bit just to be safe. I nearly gagged when I saw the price $2.45 per liter!!!! I only put 20 liters in but that was $50 - I still had more than a quarter tank by the time I got to Baie Comeau so I would have had enough but boy was I glad I had gassed up in Labrador at $1.61/lt. Because the roads were quite narrow and I was having too much fun - I didn't stop for many pictures - here they are anyway.
SOS telephone
sunset
August 7 - day 9
The trip from Forestville to Quebec City is quite hilly because it seems all the towns are either Capes or Coves or Mounts - with lots of ski hills in that area. At Tadoussac there was a ferry to join the two roads - Tadoussac & Sainte-Catherine - guess it was easier to go over the water than over the mountains. I stopped taking pictures after Quebec City because I will be spending a few days with friends and family and will probably not be doing much blogging
There were only a few farms around here and they all seemed to be old - there were only a couple with newer barns but there were lots of places with a pile of "marshmallows" in the backyard even if there were no barns.
the Sanctuaire Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre - gleams in the sun but I didn't have time to tour it this time.
August 8
Last night I stayed with a lovely lady - Pat (a friend of my aunt and uncle of many many years) in Brighton who I meet through my aunt and uncle two years ago. I slept in a real bed and had a much longed for shower (she probably smelled me coming). She feed me supper and breakfast and then she joined me on the trek to Cambridge. I will visit here with my aunt and uncle for a couple of days and she will stay with them longer.
I am having a great visit with Uncle Ike and Aunt Jennie (love visiting with them). They live in a seniors complex in Cambridge in a nice quiet area. Pat, Jennie and I went swimming in the pool in the complex - it's not a huge pool but it great for cooling off in and it is rather hot here (my understanding it that it's really hot at home too according to my family).
Later in the evening we went out to Swiss Chalet to celebrate Jennie's birthday. Had ribs and it was fabulous! The staff even sang happy birthday to Jennie!
August 9
Today has been quite a lazy day. I did some computer work and updated the blog but other than that I have not done anything. My aunt and uncle had company this morning/afternoon (Larry and Sally) and so we sat around eating, drinking and talking (in other words just enjoying the weather and the company).
After talking with Glen this morning, I checked the news and realized that many of the places that I was just at less than a week ago are now in danger of fire and some of them are evacuated - it is hard to believe! The cove where I put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean (Blackhead Cove) is one of the places that are recorded as being evacuated. So strange to think that this could all be different now - less than a week later. Please be careful everyone with the beauty of our country - everything can be so temporary.
We ended the day with another swim and then played a game of dominos (I didn't win but I wasn't the biggest loser either) and of course ate more food.
August 10
Got up relatively early (about 8), had breakfast and then Jennie packed me a lunch and we went to church. We went to the Cambridge Community Church where my cousin Steve and his family go as there was a "guest" preacher there who was known and liked by both Pat and Ike & Jennie. It was a good sermon based on Proverbs 11:30. They have coffee time before the service and before the sermon. Very friendly and it seems like a very active church in the community.
After church, I continued on to St Thomas to visit with my niece and her family. Her boyfriend Mike was there and he checked out the van and fixed the strap to the pop-up roof and pumped up a slack tire (thank you Mike - it drives better and it was much cooler with the roof up). Emmy was with her father but Galen brought her home for a few minutes just so she could see me. Sloan is recovering from a tonsillectomy this week so she was much quieter than normal. It was a lovely but short visit.
I continued on to Sudbury, where I will meet up with Gary and Ellie.
The grain has mostly all been cut /baled already here but the corn is not ready yet - I assume it will all be done before I am back this way.
August 11
Happy Birthday Jenny - you are my favorite daughter-in-law!
I joined Gary and Ellie for breakfast and then we all hit the road. They are much slower than me because they have to stop at all the antique places whereas I just take pictures. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do taking them.
The North Shore
Blind River
The tree came down - but I think it needs another storm to fall all the way!
it's hot and muggy - shortly after here it started drizzling and by the time I got the to Soo it was pouring.
neat setup and the tools are all there all the time!
Bruce mines
Sault Saint Marie - it was raining so hard that I didn't want to walk around
And then there was the traffic delays and the fog
By the time I got to Batchawana Bay, the rain had pretty well let up and except for some drizzle the weather was now good even it there were now more black flies and mosquitos. And the temperatures were lower now too.
Hardly worth getting out the rod for
I wanted to get some pictures further up but it was wet and slippery and since no one else was around I figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
Scenic High Magpie Falls - Wawa
Wawa
Even some connections with NB
There were many trees on the wires like this
August 12
Had a very good sleep - the temperatures are a bit lower here than they were in Cambridge and I can "pop the hood" now so the camper is cooler too. We had a bunch of showers today - some heavy and some just sprinkles but it was still a great day for adventuring. Saw some great landscapes as well as greater waterfalls. Meet lots of people and even had coffee with Gary and Ellie and guess what - they are staying at the hotel right across the road form me tonight and we are planning now to have breakfast together tomorrow. We could not have planned this better if we had actually planned it!
I took lots of pictures today - there was just some much to see - I left out the places where I went tow years ago for the most part (unless I really wanted to see it again) so I hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I did.
Since it was dark when I got to White River - I checked it out first!
Route 17 (TCH)
There are many lakes & ponds and some are so shallow that there is grass & reeds growing all through them.
There a many highs and lows
see the dog in the tree?
Little trains!?
Rossport
See how clear the water is
finally some "wild life"
this bird is actually about 4 inches tall these rocks are big
from Rossport to Nipigon
I was actually here two years ago but I wanted to see if I had better wind than two years ago - I don't - I had to still stop half way up
Stopped for a nap here - see the big rain cloud - Gary and Ellie got caught in it but I was through there before it was too bad. Meet Gary and Ellie for coffee here
Stopped at Terry Fox memorial
I saw 11 of the 18!
Savanne Ontario
sun at 7pm
sun at 8 pm
Stopped in Ignace for the night and Ellie says "so how far did you get to?" "Ignace" I say and she responds with "there's a Subway in Ignace" I figure they must travel this way a lot to have noted that! so I tell her I a parked right beside the Subway as a matter of fact. Two minutes later there's a knock on my door - low and behold they are just across the road from the Subway. We have a wonderful visit for a while and then make plans to have breakfast at Subway in the morning. It was a great surprise
August 13
Had breakfast with Gary and Ellie - chances are we will not meet again this trip but it has been fun kind of travelling together for a couple of days.
Kenora
Since I didn't get a picture entering Ontario - I figured I would get one leaving. I didn't see any that said "you are leaving Ontario" so this was the best I could do - There wasn't any signs saying "Welcome to Manitoba" either - weird.
Does this mean there is actually 2 km of "no man's land" since this is the other side of the "welcome to Ontario" sign?!
Almost immediately upon entering Manitoba the terrain goes from hilly and trees to flat and fields of grains and corn - it just blows my mind!
Lorette - the centre of Canada
In Winnipeg, I stopped for a few hours at my cousin Sandra's and visited with her and her daughters and dogs. We had a great visit and it is wonderful getting to know my extended family - people who I knew existed but have rarely talked to and now I can actually put a face to the name.
I then headed a little bit south to St Pierre Jolys - had supper with Debbie and her daughter Katelyn and her son Colin. After supper we went for a tour of the farm (Debbie and Colin no longer live on the farm which is being run by her oldest son Glendon but live in the town of St Pierre Jolys which is only a few kilometers away). Glen and I had visited Debbie and Matthew at the farm but that was quite a few years ago. Glendon was busy harvesting but he contracts some of it out so there were some machines there (you can't just call them tractors!)
They have smaller tractors too but its called "Colin's tractor"
Besides the cows, Glendon also decided to raise chickens and since the "normal" practice is if you want a dozen hens - you buy two dozen chicks because you are bound to lose half of them in the first week - he now has 25 hens in the pen he intended for 15 so now he has to build a bigger pen because he didn't lose any chicks - you know you are a good farmer when...
Had a great evening with Debbie by the firepit outside. Camped in Debbie's yard. It was a wonderful day!
August 14
Debbie and I had breakfast and it rained nicely for an hour or so.
Apparently Carol and Richard live very close to Debbie so we took a chance on them being home but they weren't - I now have Richard's phone # so I will try them again on the way home.
I decided to travel to Verdin on the back roads - wow - a lot of them are still dirt but since we had had that rain this morning and we had another few sprinkles - it was not too dusty.
You know those pictures you see of people in the sunflowers - I guess this is where they are taken!
Guess what - I went to Holland again!
We were here with Jennifer and Jamie two years ago but the museum was closed then so now I toured the museum too
Arrived in Virden - they were having "Downtown Daze" so I went downtown with Joy and Craig - pretty big display for such a small town! There are a lot of people in this town renovating old cars - there must have been over a hundred old cars and trucks.
I will stay here with Ben (brother) and Joy and Craig for the weekend and then continue to Alberta.
August 15
Had a lazy day!
Cleaned out the van, did a few loads of laundry (some were Ben & Joy's - I didn't have that many) and walked around Virden. Spent some time in the store with Joy hanging some clothes but for the rest didn't do much.
It's not quite as hot here (it was only a high of 21 here today) as it is at home but we are not really complaining about that either
August 16
Can't say today was a very busy day but it was entertaining.
First we had breakfast - crepes (or pannenkoeken as the Dutch say) and I love pannenkoeken although I don't eat as many as I used to when competing with Peter.
Then we went to the Downtown Daze parade in downtown Virden - for such a small town it sure was a long parade (according to the paper there were 85 registrants and I am sure there were at least that many).
I think each registrant gave out candy and some of the kids had bags full - just like halloween.
Company that Ben works for
these cars are going to be in a demolition derby tomorrow
They were throwing water balloons
In the afternoon we watched the lawn get mowed (they have a robotic lawn mower that insisted on "mowing" the driveway). Then Ben and I played with his drone until I lost the drone in the trees (we still have not found it). Then Joy said we needed lettuce for supper so we went to the farm to pick veggies. We picked lettuce and onion greens for supper today and peas and beans for supper tomorrow. I think it was more or less a productive day.
August 17
We went to church in Brandon at the First Christian Reformed Church. The service was based on Jonah 1-2 - Jonah and the Whale. Joy read the children's story from the perspective of the whale - different I had never thought of it from the whale's perspective before.
After church we went to watch the demolition derby in Virden. It's been a long time since I went to the races - let alone a demolition derby. It was great fun to watch and we soon learned that the son of people sitting in front of us was in the derby so we cheered for him with them. They had 4 "heats" with the "big" or full sized cars and then two semi-finalists - I believe it was the top two winners of the first two heats and then the top two winners of the last two heats. Then they had a derby with the "small cars" and one with the trucks; and finally one with the winners from the semi-finals - which basically was any car still running! There was supposed to be a females derby but only one person had registered and no - one else could find a car to drive even though there were girls willing to drive.
This is the derby pit - just a circle about a 100 feet across with raised sides of about 6 feet.
Sometimes the cars got pushed up the sides and they got stuck up there and ended up getting eliminated because they had moved for a length of time (probably a couple of minutes)
At the end of each heat the cars were removed by either a skid steer or a dozer if they could not get out of the pit on their own.
The cars arranged in somewhat of a circle and the buzzer went off and they started flying at each other. There was only 5 or 6 cars in the ring at the same time.
one car caught on fire!
they didn't fair much better than the bigger cars.
The #1 truck - the red one with the white driver door ground to a halt pretty well right away - just moving a bit so it didn't get eliminated but it seemed to have something wrong with its transmission or something and so the other guys were not smashing him - then the black and speckled trucks got stuck together and the speckled truck just went down to the axels in the dirt so they were not moving and the pinkish truck was pushed up the side by the green truck and the green truck was stuck in the dirt. That left the #1 red truck as the lone vehicle not stuck but in order to win he had to touch another vehicle so he started backing up to hit the green truck and he was only moving about 2 mph! It was just too funny to watch but he legit won!
the guy in back was the final winner of the big cars.
The pink car belonged to our "friend" Kris Hay
The small cars were fun to watch - they zoomed around and sounded like a bunch of bumble bees. One of the cars didn't have all the airbags removed so the first time it collided with another car the air bag went off with a loud bang!
The trucks were a hoot to watch - there were only 5 of them
With the final big cars - the poor pink car got in the ring and stalled and Kris could not get the car started again so he got eliminated right away.
Went to Ben's and looked for the drone for awhile again - still no sign of it!
Had the beans and peas we picked yesterday for supper with the leftover salad from yesterday and potatoes.
Will get up early to get on the road again in the morning. Talk to y'all tomorrow!
August 18
I was on the road again shortly after 8 this morning - it had drizzled a bit overnight so the canopy was a bit damp but I will put the roof up again tonight and hopefully dry it out.
Virden to the Saskatchewan border is only a bit over a half hour away and it is a bit foggy but not that it bothered for driving - just for sight-seeing.
you can see the poles in the distance but not the turbines
It cleared up pretty soon and we were back to the great flat(ish) fields. The small farms are becoming quite obsolete and the old barns rotting and falling apart.
The grains are ready to crop
Can you guess the name of this town? Indian Head
I went to the washroom here and a sign on the wall said this town got "famous" from the Bell Barn that was built there - so I had to stop and see it too.
They also had a pretty big garden there but I forgot to ask who benefited from it. The attendant in the upper part of the building where they now hold events and learning sessions said they took care of the garden and the grounds and that the site was now owned by the township.
Many of you who have known me my whole life will know that I had applied to the RCMP when I was younger and although I wasn't accepted I have always still been interested in policing - which may or may not have bred my son's interest in it (although he is now a detective). My sister Barb and I had visited the RCMP depot in 1977 when we had done our trip across the country so I decided to visit it again. Apparently it is quite different now even considering that there is almost 50 more years of history here and more buildings to house the information in.
Although I could have walked the pedestrian walkway all through the compound I only went to the Heritage Centre.
Back out on the highway and the flat fields where you can see for miles! It's a divided highway and sometimes the other half is just a few meters away and you can see it but other times the road is so far away, you can barely see the cars in the distance (actually the trucks because you can't see the cars).
Two years ago I stopped in here at Chaplin and the gift shop (and washrooms) were closed and guess what - they are closed today also. Chaplin Lake is Canada's second largest inland saline water body. Look at the mounds of salt all around it!
Spent the night in Swift Current SK
August 19
Back on the road today by 8 this morning. Drove by a few 'memorials" - looks like a graveyard for old equipment and and hay bales as well as a memorial for a 3-vehicle accident that took 22 lives! and the "death" of a hamlet.
The coulees start
saw many irrigation systems but none that were actually working
Leaving Saskatchewan
Entering Alberta - they were working on the sign - apparently it needed sprucing up!
must be the land of the sun though - there are lots of solar fields!
Calgary - meeting my son at work
Theo & Emmett
August 20 - Happy Birthday Glenda
Emmett has so much energy - he apparently came to wake me up twice but he wasn't allowed to knock on the van door - I finally saw him at 8 and opened the door for him. I am parked by Jon & Jenny's neighbors as they have a flat area in front of their house - they have been so kind providing me with power and access to their home. Ralph even brought me coffee this morning! Thanks so much Ralph and Rita!
Went to Canadian Tire with Jon to get oil and a filter so he can change my oil. took Emmett to the bike park to work off some energy (he is a pro at biking) since Theo is at hockey camp.
I spent most of the day relaxing with Jon and Emmett, Jon serviced the van and I updated the blog.
Miranda and Glenda finally arrive at close to 10 pm - in case anyone else wants to try it - it's not advisable to be late to the airport. If you are late they apparently will not allow your luggage to be loaded so they stuffed what would fit in their carry-ons and left the rest in the truck in Fredericton. They were proud at they both had underwear, pjs, one change of clothes and toiletries (and Glenda's computer). and they still had their seats in first class! Oh well - at least they caught the plane and we will go shopping tomorrow for more clothes.
Glenda made it back to the province of her birth just before she turned 44. It was a long night for them so after a few snacks and a couple drinks we all went to bed.
August 21 (Thursday - hate to admit it but my days are getting mixed up - another week is almost over)
It was cold last night - I was glad to have the extra sleeping bag - even if half way the night I had to through it off.
Emmett was waiting for me again this morning so he came into Ralph and Rita's house with me so I could get my coffee and an orange that they left for me - but he was real quiet so we didn't wake anyone up.
My view in the morning
my home
Jenny had taken Theo to hockey camp so we had a leisurely breakfast and then got ready to go shopping for some clothes for Miranda and Glenda and then go to Cochrane and meet with Jenny's father and his wife - Jim and Sue for lunch.
We had a boisterous lunch with lots of talking and laughter as we remembered growing up and how different things were in the past and now. I think we all had a great time and I for one ate way too much
We then watched Theo's hockey for a while after which we went shopping some more.
We returned home - Jon & Jenny's - in time to eat again - I am going to be as big as house before I get back home - I just can't seem to say now to food. We also celebrated Glenda's birthday with cake and whipping cream!
night has fallen again - taken from the van so the screen dims the lights somewhat.
August 22 (Friday)
I was not woken by the calvary this morning, I had my coffee and banana (courtesy of Ralph and Rita - btw it is their 61st anniversary today) and I was just leaving to go to Jon's, when Emmett arrived all out of breath but he still had to race me to Jon's place.
Jenny was working today and Jon had to take Theo to Cochrane for his hockey camp, so the girls and I were on our own for breakfast - Miranda got delegated for the job so we had toast and eggs for breakfast (Thanks Mandy).
When Jon and Emmett got back from delivering Theo; I played many games with Emmett of Pass the Pigs - Emmett of course won. After this, after looking through all the toy boxes and borrowing from the neighbors, we found enough dice to play a game of dice with the girls and Jon - again I didn't win!
After some relaxing and reading and talking, it was time to go to Cochrane for Theo's hockey camp game. Cochrane is about a half hour away from Jon's and is a township in the bottom of a valley.
Theo's hockey game was played on a full-sized rink so them little guys did an awful lot of skating! it was two 30 minute periods with shifts of skaters every 1.5 minutes and of course no penalties. It was so great to watch how those young kids really hustled! They were mostly boys but there were a few girls among them too and they ranged in age from probably about 6 to eight years old.
We then went to the park where we meet up with some of their friends Soon and Katey and their children Colton and Cece and had pizza and fruit. More people joined in later in the evening but by then the mosquitos were getting really bad. Jenny came with the bug spray but the girls and I left for Jon's house. By the time we decided to go back to the park, Jon and Jenny and the boys were coming back so decided to call it a night
August 23 - Happy anniversary Tim & Glenda
It was rather chilly this morning - only 6° in Calgary at 7AM. Oh well my coffee (supplied by Ralph and Rita again is hot).
Had breakfast and then relaxed for a short time before going to watch Jon play baseball - he made a perfect catch but of course I didn't have my camera ready so I didn't get a picture of it. They (Calgary police) were playing in a tournament against other police/government departments (RCs, Medics, airport, etc).
Spent time shopping again and then back to Jon's to relax and sun on the patio.
We went to Soon and Katie's for pre-football beer and burgers - there were many people there and I didn't even get the names of most of them. Just before 4 we drove to the "park and go" for the Calgary c-train
CFL - AB vs SK
We went to a CFL game between the Stampeders and the Roughriders. Now if you had asked me to go to a football game five years ago - I probably would have laughed at you but since many of my grandkids are into football - I quite looked forward to this game - and it was great. Apparently the Roughriders are the number 1 team and have only been beaten this year by Calgary and that is still the record - they were again beaten by Calgary.
Whenever Calgary had a touchdown there was fireworks and a horse and rider raced around the field.
We were very high in the endzone but we had great seats as we could see everything and we faced the screen so we got to easily see the "repeats"! It was great and I think even the kids enjoyed it although it was quite warm during the first half of the game - after the half-time the sun was low enough for the heat to not be that bad.
Halftime
went to the pub for supper - it was empty except for us on a Saturday night!! But the food was great!
August 24
Woke up to a rather cool morning - only 6° but won't complain as it will heat up very soon. Supposed to be in the high 20s today.
We had a fairly lazy morning - not Jenny though (she was making snacks and packing bathing suits and towels to take to Kananaskis). We took two vehicles as Jenny was going back home with the boys later in the day while me and my kids went to the Nordic Spa.
I so love the mountains and the water - I can't get over how beautiful they are!
this is the lake where we went paddle boarding and fishing
Miranda was the expert fisherwoman so she had to fix the fishing lines on the boys rods.
I tried to paddle board - but obviously I have no balance so I had to get down on my knees and then decided sitting down was the best way to stay on the board
Theo took Glenda out on the paddle board too but Miranda only wanted to fish (she never caught anything but she blamed the rods)
While Jenny took the boys home we went to the Kananaskis Lodge for a bit to eat (This is where the G7 summit was held in June 2025
We then went to the Nordic Spa - we were not allowed to bring our ph0nes/cameras into the spa so I can't show what they looks like so I will try to describe them. The Spa was multiple hot, cold and warm hydrotherapy circuits for rejuvenation. The hot consisted of hot tubs that were 40°, saunas and steam rooms; the cold was either a ice cold pool or an ice cold shower; and the warm was hot tubs which were between 34° and 36°, fire pits, and relaxation rooms, chairs or hammocks.
We tried most of the different hot areas - the saunas were pretty hot and I had a hard time breathing but we lasted for close to 10 minutes before we had to bail but the steam rooms were too intents - we tried the one with eucalyptus in it (the kids said it was like when they had a cold and I made them hang over the vicks steamer) and I am sure we didn't make it to 10 minutes - it was so hard to breathe and every few minutes there would be another blast of eucalyptus scented steam. The hot tubs were the best!
We tried both of the cold but I think I preferred the cold pool and you got used to the cold when you were immersed in it (Jon said it was just because everything was frozen and you couldn't feel anyway.
Although we walked by the fire pits, and relaxation rooms, chairs and hammocks - we only used the hot tubs and we preferred the one that was 36° - it was just like bath water.
The last thing to do was exfoliate (only Glenda and I tried this). You went in a hot steam room and rubbed the exfoliation salts all over yourself and then wash it all off with icy cold water.
By the time we left (after 3+hours) I was beat and was glad that Jon was the one driving home. I fell asleep as soon as I got to the van. It was a great day!
August 24
I got my coffee and banana to start my day and my escort to Jon's by Emmett (not bad - it was after 8 before he showed up almost thought he had forgotten me. We had a leisurely breakfast and Glenda and I worked on our computers for a while - then we left for High River to visit with my Aunt Martha. Her gardens are fabulous - full of color and birds and squirrels - very beautiful. And she is the typical Dutch hostess serving way more food than we can eat!
After a quick trip to the liquor store and the grocery we arrived back at Jon's to meet with Miranda's childhood friend (since grade 7) and her family (husband Ashley and daughters Fiona and Eleanor). Had a great evening with Jon BBQing and Annie suppling the salad and Jenny taking care of everything else. Surprising how many places, people and things Jon's family and Annie's family have in common. I think Jon and Jenny have a new babysitter when they go skiing also! It was great to see Annie again - it's about every two years now I think - lol!
August 26
Was rudely awakened this morning by a construction fixing a driveway right across from where I was sleeping - it was after 7:30 but no-one asked me if they could make so much noise! (lol).
I got my coffee and orange and talked for a short while with Ralph but by the time I got back to the van, Emmett was waiting for me.
I was taking the van to Jon's since I am going into town to look for a fan for my solar power invertor for the fridge (I think that is what it is) - so I loaded Emmett into the van and I brought him home.
We had a quick breakfast and then Jenny's mom, sister and niece came over - Jenny is taking her mom to the airport.
Jon went to work very early this morning, Miranda and Glenda are going shopping (10% less taxes) so we all left the house at the same time.
I didn't get the fan fixed - I would have to stay in Calgary for a couple more days for the part to come in so I will wait till I get home and hopefully it doesn't quit totally on me (then apparently I won't have a working fridge).
I got back back to Jon's close to 3 pm and it was quite hot out (about 28) so we decided to meet at the Bow river and cool off a bit. On the way we stopped at Jenny's brother Chris' house - he had a single family house which he tore down and rebuild a quad-plex - two three bedrooms and two two bedrooms - It is quite a beautiful building. It is almost done - he is starting to move into the one of the three bedroom apartments. He should have no problem filling the others too.
The Bow river is great - except that I didn't have water shoes and the ground is very rocky - it didn't seem to bother the boys though. There are lots of people canoeing or kayaking, or floating down the river - it is quite fast moving.
so hot people were playing crib in the water
Tomorrow I will be moving on - Jon is back to work and Miranda and Glenda will leave for home first thing in the morning. Jon and Jenny have been so patient and generous with their time and house - they will probably be glad for some peace and quiet before school starts. I will be back here in a couple of weeks or so on my way back through.
August 27 - back on the road
Theo had to decorate the van before I left Calgary - he makes things with beads and then his mom irons them and they become hangers for the van.
I am back on the road but I am not traveling very hard and fast. I go just an hour to Olds where I meet up with a friend who I have known for about sixty years but have not seen for about 40 years. We had a wonderful visit and will try to not let it be another 40 years before getting together again.
A lot of the fields have already been cropped but there still is a lot that needs to be done - it didn't really surprise me how many fields still had the bales lying in them as that is the same as back home
There were some long straight roads!
These are parts of the canyons of the Badlands in Alberta - I was quite fascinated with all the many layers of rock which were apparently carved by rivers, ice and winds throughout the years. Beautiful!
Heisler - the biggest baseball glove
Daysland - the biggest daisy?!
Visited with Brandon and Jena and their animals - they have only been here for a couple years but wow have they ever been busy - building and planting as well as working, showing horses (you should see all Jena's ribbons!) sewing (you need/want a quilt-Jena makes beautiful quilts) and if you have extra hot wheels - Brandon has wonderful collection. We had a great visit!
August 28
Brandon works in Camrose and Jena works from her home so I left shortly after 8 so Jena wouldn't be late for work.
I only had a short trip to Millet but apparently GPS is totally unreliable here. The only address I had was Jan's so I put that in the GPS and ended up way far from where I was supposed to be but I knew the farm could be seen from the highway so I headed toward the highway (remember most of the roads in the country at least are dirt so I am driving slowly so I don't kick up too much dust) and I see a few things that are kind of familiar but I am not sure if I am remembering from two years ago or if I am just lost. Then I see a garden and I am sure that is familiar so I turn around and yes I am at my aunt's place - not the aunt I had the address for but this one worked too!
Spent time visiting with Corrie and all the people who drop in there (busy farmyard).
Then spent the afternoon with Jan (the aunt I actually had the address to.
Went with Frank to Wetaskiwin for water - they don't trust that the wells will last with all this hot weather so they haul water for the plants and animals around their house.
Corrie digging up potatoes for supper
colorful eh!? - deadheading geraniums
Nathan spreading manure.
August 29
Spent the night behind Frank and Corrie's house - Frank said there were coyotes barking during the night but I heard nothing - I sleep like a brick in the van!
We are getting company later this morning so Corrie and I were go to Wetaskiwin this morning but we needed to empty the tank we (Frank and I) had gone for last night.
Does it ever make you appreciate the wells that we have at home - they haul water every couple for days from Wetaskiwin (about 20 kms away) and then spend a half hour unloading it into a tub an pumping it over to another tank.
I remember having to do this when we were young and needed water in the fields for the cows but we now have artesian wells on the farm - we are so spoiled!
Jan, Netty & Fred and Roselle and her children all came over for coffee/lunch - had a wonderful visit.
Esther
Jan, Corrie, Alma, Netty & Fred
Netty & Fred
Jacob
Me (Nettie), Jan, Netty, & Corrie
Netty, Roselle, Alma, Corrie
Corrie and I went to Wetaskiwin to pay bills (Corrie not me) and go shopping - or at least check out the shops. I got a few more audio books so I may have to travel a few more hours.
Went to Jan's for supper meeting John Paul's girls Evie and Isla.
Frank finished the baling so now they have to get the hay in - apparently over 500 bales
Moved to Stevan & Roselle's as the kids wanted to become my "roommates". First time I really set up "camp". Esther bunked with me tonight upstairs!
August 30
Sorry no pictures today.
Roselle took the kids to town for groceries and piano lessons for Jacob and Stevan was working so I caught up with the blog and just vegged for the morning. In the afternoon Jan and I went shopping and then picked up chinese for supper - they have chow mein noodles as an option instead of rice - wish they had that at home! And the serving are so large that there was enough that both Jan and I have an extra meal!
I went back to Stevan's house for the night so that Jacob and Alma could bunk "upstairs" in the van. Took a little more persuasion to get them to sleep but we all still had a good nights sleep.
August 31 - Sunday
I went to church with Jan this morning at the Wiesenthal Baptist Church - it is just a very short distance away from Jan's home. The sermon was on Luke 14:7-14 about not taking the seat of honor at a feast but take a lower seat that you may be honored when the host moves you to a higher position. The youth pastor and three other guys are taking a ten day trip by car to the Arctic Ocean - they are sleeping in their cars too and apparently the days are 24 hours but the bugs are terrible at this time so they still have to keep totally covered - and I thought I was on an adventure! Pastor Steve has bees and has much honey so he supplies some to the congregation so I came away with honey and bread too.
After church, Jan took me back to Stevan's and I took down my camp site. I couldn't get the hatch to close so I figured I would just get Frank to look at it and I went to Corrie and Frank's for coffee. Then I got a text from Ed (brother-in-law) asking where I was and since he is now in Red Deer - he drive up to see me (and Corrie & Frank). Had coffee and lunch and then after talking about the van I showed Ed what hatch was not working and I pulled the hatch down and lo and behold it now latches (Ed claims he fixed it!).
Alma & Esther Sunday morning
Roselle, Stevan & Jan
Corrie & Frank
Frank & Ed
When Ed came he drove between so big combines so after Ed left, Frank and Corrie and I went to see where those combines were working
see the hawk in front of the row - it's waiting for mice to run out
September 1- happy 96th birthday Dad Evert
Woke up to beautiful sunshine
I am back on the road again today -stopped at Jan's for a minute also. Since I was driving by the combines that I saw yesterday, I figured I would see if they were still there. We had figured that those three combines had taken down the section (was that a mile wide by a mile deep? - maybe someone can correct me on this) in about 2 hours. These guys chopped the straw back onto the fields but some of the farmers bale it up
as you can see some of the trees are changing color already
I am headed to the BC coast via the Jasper provincial park - I am going more and more into the Rockies again but it is very hazy here - apparently from fires in northern Alberta. and don't forget Alberta is the land of oil!
There is also much evidence of other past fires - some there is much growth already and others it looks loke it wasn't too long ago
I decided to go flying also (well ziplining - that 's almost the same - right?)
and back on the road - Hinton to Jasper
Jasper Lake sand dunes
Jasper after the fire of 2024 - according to the guy at the information place in Jasper - rebuilding is just starting this summer - a few people have put portables on their land and a lot of the clean-up has been done but there is still a lot to do and the fire jumped around a lot. There are buildings with the roof burnt and other buildings right beside it untouched or burnt to the ground.
The guy at the info desk said there was no overnight parking in Jasper so I went to a campground for a change
September 2
Had a campfire for breakfast time - I was in a campground so I had assumed there would be internet but there wasn't so I had a quiet night - didn't even get to talk to Glen. Caught the sun this morning early though. Was only a few kilometers away from the camp and then I had internet and called Glen back - apparently he was getting worried when the called kept going straight to messaging.. Thankfully all is fine!
On the road again - the plan is to get to Prince George tonight
don't know what this is? a satellite?
Jasper is not very far from the BC border
There was a small trail right at the border by Berg Lake so I went for a walk - it was not too steep going up but it was pretty steep going down
As you can see - it's quite foggy in the mountains
We all realize at some point in our lives who small this world actually is. Today I stopped at a rest stop in McBride BC. Another car pulled in right behind me and I noticed it was a single woman also. We got to talking and she introduced herself as "Western Barbie" and I told her who I was said I had a sister named Barb also. I said I was from New Brunswick and she said she had been in New Brunswick in 1976 as her brother Tom was a glass blower and was working in a place called Opus in Mactaquac and she had joined him for a while and worked in the leather shop at Opus. Blow me away - Tom was no longer working there when I worked at the glass studio in 1978-9 but he would have worked with Marty and Pat like I did. Then to top it off - about a hundred kilometers later - I was pulled to the side of the road to talk to Jon and Glenda and Barb sees me stopped and recognizes the van and stops to help and so she meets the kids too. This has been a great day!
long straight highways
Stopped for the night in Prince George - there are many campers here at Walmart - at least 10 RVs and 3 vans, some cars and about 10 transports. a busy place.
September 3
Got up rather early (for me - it was just before 7). I think all the transports had to leave at the same time! But it was okay since Walmart opened at 7 so I could go to the bathroom and go to McDonalds and get hot water for coffee.
It was very hazy out this morning . According to the radio in Prince George (PG) there had been heat lightning the day before and there had been 7 new fires started but except for one they were all under control and the one out of control was under one hectare (one hectare is equal to about 2.5 acres) and in an area just south of the Fraser River. It sure made for unclear driving.
Fraser Lake
Tintagel (Burns Lake)
Smithers - stopped to visit with Jane for a few hours - great memories relived!
can hardly see the mountains for the haze
Witset
Hazelton
Kitwanga
September 4
Last night I stayed at a rest stop that has electric chargers for electric cars - that was strange but I assume there will be more of them if they are going to have more electric cars. Sorry I forgot to take a picture!
I don't normally stop in rest stops as there is usually too much traffic but it was another hour to the next town and there were three trucks there and there was wifi so I felt quite safe stopping.
Slept in and then took my time getting on the road - its less than 4 hours to Prince Rupert and the ferry doesn't go until Saturday so I have time to kill.
I am pretty well driving in the valley mostly - I am driving by the Skeena River and the mountains are high on either side. Skeena - River of mists
Cedarvale
Kitimat
Usk
I have only seen one accident during my trip (I didn't see it happen but the cops and firetrucks were still there) where a truck with a box on it - flipped on its side. But I have seen at least half a dozen cars like this - that they have yellow tape around them. I guess that is to say "police have already been here" - this one was in Terrace but it was one of the least damaged. Yesterday I saw a car that was very squished - it must have rolled a few times.
Terrace
kitimat-Stikine
I went on a little hike - it says 2 - 2.5 hours but I took almost 3 and there were NO rapids. It was so hot and wet in the rain forest and the temperature in Prince Rupert was only 15 according to my phone. my clothes were wet, my hair was wet and my glasses kept fogging up but at least I got my steps in!
The whole place was wet and mossy - there signs and flags to identify some of the plants
every leaf had drops on it
There was a great bay around this rain forest but there was no rapids
Grass Baye
Prince Rupert - Memorial Park
Prince Rupert - sunken garden
September 5
Parked in Walmart parking lot - even though the Walmart was closed (not sure if permanently or temporarily). Tims was just across the parking lot so I was able to get hot water for both supper (for soup) and breakfast (for coffee).
Got up late as it was drizzling out so I just sat in the van reading until about 10:30. The invertor from the solar panel is not working anymore so the fridge is only working when the van is running so I decided to tour around Prince Rupert area - there are a bunch of conservation parks which are apparently not open to the public as they have barriers across the roads - not sure if they can be walked to but since the reason I was driving around was to cool off the fridge - I figured I was not going to walk down some random road that I didn't know where it went to or if I was allowed to be there.
I went to another "rapids" and again I wonder if they know what the word rapids means. I was at the Galloway Rapids Bridge - do you see any rapids? am I going blind?
Since going to the Netherlands, I have not been overly anxious to go to any museums either but i made an exception today and went to a cannery museum and it was quite interesting
on the way to the cannery in Prince Rupert
holding tanks for the reduction plant
the office
one of the cottages now used by staff
accommodation units for the workers (now rentals for guests)
the store
former mess hall - now cafe
the caretaker who stayed there year-round and the only house with insulation
the Japanese were considered the better fishermen and workers so their houses were better and bigger
there was also a train model display
Diana Lake - they are not rocks - they are stumps. Not sure if the "forest" was cut down and then the area flooded or what - seems kind of strange.
port Edward
Haysport
Skeena-Queen Charlotte
Spending the night in the ferry terminal so I will be all ready for the ferry in the morning.
September 6
The terminal started to fill up at about 4:30 am and around 5:00 someone come and knocked on the van and verified where I was going - it wasn't until later that I realized that that was because if I was only going to Bella Bella, I would have been put on the ferry last as they have to be available to get off the ferry. I didn't see or hear the ferry come in over night but it is in port now so it must have come in without disturbing my sleep!
Our story
pulling out of port
sunrise
waterfalls!
this tugboat stays to the side until we pass and then pulls in behind us in our wake - apparently that is easier on them for gas usage. who knew!
was quite cloudy and foggy until we got to here and then it started to clear up
can you spot the whales? We saw one whale who really gave us a show jumping in the air and flipping over and over but of course this was when my phone decided to die - it was fabulous!
fabulous scenes
Bella Bella
see the jumping fish
going to get the kayaks
a mini transport truck pulling a fullsize transport trailer
leaving Bella Bella
The stop at Bella Bella was supposed to take 40 minutes but we were there for about an hour and 40 minutes so although we were supposed to land at Port Hardy at 11 pm it was 1 am on Sunday morning before we pulled into port. I pulled into the first rest stop that I could find and went to sleep.
September 7 - Sunday - happy birthday Burt
I had a quick breakfast and then drove straight to Duncan. Drove through many beautiful country but it was quite hazy for the most part.
It was after 1:30 before I got to Duncan but since I did not want to crash the church picnic I went to Natasha's to wait for Ben. We then went to Tante Henny and I decided to stay there for the night. We went out for supper (Chinese buffet - my favorite) - great to visit with my aunt.
September 8
Started the day with a shower (so refreshing - one of the few things i really miss on this trip)
John and Ben stopped by for a short visit, Hennie and I had breakfast and then Ben returned to take Hennie to the doctor.
After lunch, Hennie and I went to Tante Ida for tea and later supper. Betty Barbara (sister Barb and I loved that name) came for a visit and then we (Betty and I) went for a tour around Duncan to show me some of the businesses that Peter and her run - JP Construction Supplies, Easymove containers and Easymove self storage as well there are many businesses that rent land from them.
water purifying
container self storage
mobile home renovating/setting up
beautiful views!
supper with the tantes - Ida & Hennie
September 9 - R.I.P. Dad Evert
I had a busy day today visiting and shopping. Went grocery shopping with Tante Hennie and then to the Mission store to get some new jeans (I broke the zipper on my old ones).
Had a short nap and then went to visit with my cousin Joyce and her family. We went for a walk to the Kinsol Trestle bridge which used to be a train bridge but now is part of the Trans-Canada walking trail.
Joyce and son Gabe
Trestle Bridge
See the woodpecker?
monkey Gabe
Joyce's herd - ponies, chickens, dogs and they all run free during the day but are put in pens at night to protect from raccoons and bears.
tarzan Gabe
supper prepared by Lydia (pannekoek with apples and bacon) helped by Joyce and Brianna (Levi's wife)
Joyce & Marius and sons Gabe and Levi and daughter Lydia (Jesse ate with us but escaped before the picture)
swimming at Koksiiah River
Then at the end of the day I learned of the passing of my best friend's father (I will miss you Dad Evert - I will miss puzzling with you).
September 10 - Happy 81st birthday Aunt Susan
Ben and John (and dog Chester) visit their mom very often.
Pretty bad when your 81 year old aunt is in better condition than you are. Went hiking with my aunt and cousin Debbie in Cowichan Valley in Stoney Hill Park. It was supposed to be an hour hike and okay so we took a bunch of pictures and really enjoyed the views but it still took us two hours and believe you me it was not my aunt or her daughter holding us back. Man - do I ever have to get in better shape!
me with aunt Susan and cousin Debbie
Birthday lunch with aunts Susan, Ida & Hennie and cousin Debbie.
September 11
Today I go to the most (well maybe not the most westerly but quite westerly) westerly part of Vancouver Island to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean!. We got up early to go to Long Beach and Tofino. My cousins Betty and Joyce are going with me. Apparently Joyce and her sister Hilda went with my sister Barb and I to Long Beach 48 years ago. I remember going to the beach with them but didn't remember where we went - good thing someone has a better memory than me. Joyce's daughter lives in Tofino so that gives us a place to stay also - bonus!
stopped in Nanimo for a short break by Cameron Lake
Joyce
We had a longer stop at the Cathedral Grove - wow - what big trees!
trees growing out of fallen trees
joyce
Betty
the maple tree leafs are huge!
I couldn't see the top of the tree
stopped in Alberni for lunch
and for construction
and in Ucluelet for falls - if I was more agile I would have gone rock jumping!
I would have gone swimming at Long Beach but it was too cold - it was cloudy and foggy - but I did get a bit wet
Tofino
Miriam & Sammy
Taylor & Sammy
Taylor's father's fishing boat
Sammy
Joyce (gramma) and Sammy
Joyce & Betty's home away from home at Miriam's
went out for supper and had a great get together in the trailer - it wonderful to get to know these cousins - I sometimes wish we had lived closer together when we were growing up.
September 12
We are still in Tofino. We go to Long Beach Lodge for breakfast and then went on the beach again. The waves a great and the air is warm so we decided to play in the water.
Me and Sammy - she was the only one who wanted to run in the waves with me.
I went for a "swim" and of course me being me - I forgot to take the keys out of my pocket and therefore lost them in the Pacific Ocean - they have a war amps tag on them - maybe I will get them back sometime?!! 🤣🤣
I thought it was for driftwood art but apparently it's for playing fetch with your dog!😊
After changing and getting the spare keys from the van, we said bye to Miriam and Sammy and picked up another passenger (Lea) for the ride home, got some ice cream and then returned to Chemainus and Duncan.
Ucluelet
Lea, Betty & Joyce
In Chemainus we split company and I went on to Mike & Susan for supper and then left for Hennie to say goodbye until next trip and after a short nap I left for the ferry to Vancouver.
September 13 - Vancouver
It was still dark and quite foggy when I boarded the ferry to Vancouver - although it was light by the time I landed in Vancouver, it was still quite foggy and cloudy. By the time I got to Rick's house in Langley, the sun was almost out.
fancy cars were on the ferry
Got to Rick & Sam's and vegged the rest of the day - with Lilly too (the dog) and Casey (their granddaughter)
September 14 - Sunday
Got up after 8 this morning - looked like it was going to rain but it still hadn't rained by the time it was time to leave for church so we walked - it's only about 3 blocks so not far. The service was on Luke 15:1-10 - the lost sheep and the lost coin and how God and heaven rejoice when a lost one is found/saved. Most of the songs we sang were familiar ones so I enjoyed the music too.
It started raining while we were in church but not enough to hinder the walk home. After church, we had lunch and then Rick took us for a drive to White Rock to see the new house he is building there. It is five stories high and worth more than I would ever be able to pay for a house - over 7M!!!
it rained in Langley - the van is getting a "wash" (it really didn't get any cleaner)
White Rock
the house that Rick built! sorry - is building!
another house built by Rick and his crew
Rick and I went to Shirley and Victor's for supper with them and their children - Lucas, Tyler, Caleb and Emily. Chili and veggies (very good) and leftovers from the firemen's appreciation potluck - not sure what they were but the balls were good but the orange things were very sweet. (sorry I didn't take a picture of them)
September 15
Justin made breakfast for us all and then went to bed (he was working graveyard shift) and then Sam and I went to get new spare keys for the van and then check out the Mission Thrift Store - all their clothes were 50% so I got a new pair of jeans and a pair of shorts and a coat - not bad for $10.
After lunch, I took Sam's car and went to visit with Uncle Dick, cousin Nancy and Bob and their daughter Katlyn and her daughter Lucy (her son was there too but he was sick so I didn't really meet him)
Uncle Dick
Nancy
Bob and Lucy
Went back to Rick's for supper (BBQed hamburgers, corn and potato salad) with Rick & Sam, Justin and Casey. Lilly was not allowed to share with us (poor puppy)
Back on the road tomorrow - have to be home in less than two weeks.
September 16
Got up early to say goodbye to Rick, Larissa and Casey before they went to work and school. Justin made omelettes for breakfast and Sam and I were just having a leisurely breakfast when Larissa called to say she was in a accident - she had gotten sideswiped by someone who was trying to merge and he left the scene. At least Larissa was not hurt but it was upsetting anyway. So Sam went to help Larissa and I set out for Vernon and Kamloops.
The sun is shining but it is still hazy by the mountains
In Chilliwack it is a lot clearer but the further into the mountains the hazier it gets
Rosedale
In Hope there was lots of evidence of the fires and in some places its still smoking really bad!
Coquihalla Highway
my next adventure??!!
see how brown the trees are - it is so dry here
Merritt
Quilchena and Corbett Lake
Thompson-Nicola
This side hill seemed rather strange with no trees and so obviously cultivated but nothing growing at least as of now.
Kelowna - a beautiful country but so dry and dead looking
Vernon/Coldstream/Kalamalka Slopes (Lake Country) - lots of fruit trees and grape vines
Visited with Len and Jackie
Travelled on to Kamloops to visit with Trisha and Maveric (kept calling him Majesty) and slept in a regular bed for the first time since July 30th.
Trisha's backyard
front yard
Maveric
Trisha
September 17
Had breakfast with Trisha and then continued on to Calgary.
Again the sky is quite hazy in the distance but the closer mountains are quite clear.
Kamloops
Kersley/Kamloops
Sorrento
Tappen - Trans-Canada Highway
And construction everywhere!
most of the produce is off the fields already
One of the things with the construction is the waits all over - usually it is only a few minutes but sometimes it is up to 45 minutes. There is a section of the Trans-Canada Highway between Salmon Arm and Sicamous that was totally closed off and there is a detour over route 97A. It's not a lot different for views but the road is narrower and it is mostly all two lane traffic. I was driving there just before noon so the traffic was not too terrible but there was not a lot of places to pull off the road for pictures.
Swansea Point on the Mara Lake
Columbia-Shuswap Pass - the last spike (back on the TCH again)
Revelstoke
one of the places we were stopped for 20 minutes - the line on the other side was 1.2kms long.
can't see it very well but there is a waterfall here
Blaeberry
Golden
Alberta
Banff - I saw my second accident on this trip just past Banff - it looked like a RV fell apart in the median. There was ambulance, RCMP and firetrucks there - I never saw anything on the news about it so I don't know what happened.
Arrived at Jon's in time to say good night to the boys. Again I slept in a bed since I didn't want to wake up Ralph and Rita to ask them for permission to park by them.
September 18
Emmett woke me up this morning claiming I was supposed to go to Ralph's for coffee. I instead had coffee and breakfast with Jon, Jenny and the boys. Jon had taken the day off and Jenny took Theo to school - Emmett only has preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
We went to the bike park for a while and Barb (Jenny's Mom) came to visit and we had lunch. Afterward Emmett and I went to visit Ralph and Rita for a while.
We picked up Theo from school and then had a quiet evening at Jon's.
Emmett throwing planes at me - he is better than me at throwing them.
Theo is always building something - now he is making a chain to cover the carpet!
The bike park
Emmett can pretty well keep up with Jon
Tomorrow I will go back on the road heading to Picture Butte and then to Lethbridge and then back home.
September 19
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