We spent a fair bit of time around home after the return from our latest visit to Revelstoke Lake.
One of the slide actuator motors on the 5th wheel packed it in years ago - while I was in Quartzsite. But, in tearing it apart prior to disposal, I found that I could fix it myself, and so I did, and gained a few more years service from it! Same deal later on, with another repair. But finally, it reached the point where it could be repaired no more. While in Quartzsite again, I ordered a replacement from Florida. It arrived in Quartzsite all right, but the US postal service decided to send it back rather than give it to me! I ordered another one online - from home, but nothing was ever shipped. The part is now rather old, and they don't make them anymore, so supply is limited. I found one or two more online, but none would let you enter a Canadian address. But eventually, and much to my surprise, a local RV dealer managed to track one down! It wasn't identical to the original, but close enough, and when installed, it works just fine. While checking the 5th wheel, I also found one tail light that was 1/2 full of water! The lens covers are not waterproof, but I thought that anything that leaked in would leak out just as fast. Not so - half full of slimy, dirty water! Maybe that's why it was blowing fuses last spring ...
I found the flashing on the roof to be a bit deficient, so spent a bit of time cleaning and replacing that.
During all this time, I have been checking the weather reports in all directions, hoping for a decent spell of camping weather - anywhere. None to be found ;-(
Another big change here! Till just recently, Amazon has been passing on all their deliveries to a variety of local couriers - ALL of which are too lazy to actually 'deliver' what they are paid to deliver! They just drop it off at a place in town, forcing me to go on a 60km round trip to pick something up. But, lo and behold, for the first time ever, I met an Amazon van when on my way to town - he was headed my direction. Thinking he was lost, I pulled over on the side of the road, awaiting his return and to give directions! But, while sitting there waiting, a photo of a package on my porch showed up on my phone! Since then, I've had a couple more successful Amazon deliveries here, but also some in town. Seems like - if it comes from Amazon locally, they may deliver it themselves, but if it comes from a third party, then it's a crap shoot. Mail isn't much better. My mailbox is about 8 miles away, on the side of the road. One day - it was gone! Seems like after about 20 years, Canada Post decided the boxes were on the wrong side of the road for the safety of the delivery driver. So they moved the boxes from a quiet country road, across the highway, to a busy industrial corner! Sounds like they could be on the move again soon?
Finally, the weather reports looked inviting - to the west again.
We dodged a big thunderstorm with lightning just north of Cochrane as we turned to the west. Grabbed a coffee and bagel at Tim's, passing through Golden, then got some last minute groceries in Revelstoke, before heading south, for a change. We caught the free ferry across the north end of the Arrow Lake.
By the time we started to head down the side of Trout lake to our camp spot, it was getting pretty late in the day, and starting to get dark. That's when we unknowingly drove through the scene of what would be soon spreading like wildfire through the off-road online community.
The first thing we saw, was a group of off-roaders in a wide spot in the road, attempting to set up a Starlink dish, despite the very tall trees and narrow road in the area. Mine was working fine, set up on the bed in the back of the camper ... The area is a very cell-phone free area. Though the road is designated as a provincial highway, the section along the side of Trout lake is basically a logging road, carved into the steep hillside, with many one-lane sections.
A bit further on, was another group of off-roaders, and an RCMP vehicle parked in the gathering darkness. I did notice that none of them looked happy at all, but I had no idea what had just transpired. I wondered if one of them had just been busted for impaired driving or something? Just another minute down the road, I pulled over to let two vehicles from Kaslo Search & Rescue go by, heading to where I had just been. So, now I knew that it was some sort of search or rescue that was underway.
Luckily, I found my preferred spot along the lake to be vacant, so we set up camp, and began to put together the bits and pieces of what we had just seen.
Apparently, a very well known, and very popular couple in the off-road community had been driving along a steep trail in the mountains above the lake, when their vehicle went off the road, tumbling several hundred feet down the mountainside. Tragically, the male was found deceased at the scene, and the female, while found barely conscious, died shortly afterward. They were a famous off-road couple from Nanaimo, BC, but had driven their home-built rig all the way to the tip of south America and back, with hundreds of thousands of social media followers.
Check the various links below:
https://www.instagram.com/toyotaworldrunners/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-xptffm4b5k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7WHg_Ufh7E
https://www.eonline.com/news/1421054/...
Bailey, as always, was enjoying himself, keeping the squirrels in line. They were busy harvesting cones for the winter, tossing them to the ground, from 100' up in the tree tops. Sufficed to say, we were both getting used to hearing random noises in the bush around us. Always on leash (in this area) he was heading into a bunch of bushes to check for squirrels. That's when I noticed - two black ears sticking up in the shrubbery! And only about 20 feet away! I picked up Bailey so fast that I almost spilled my beer, as I hustled us both back inside the camper. I gave the bear my best 'Hey Bears' ,which he ignored as he strolled closer. I set off my truck's alarm, and eventually that convinced the bruin to start moving on.
A few minutes later, I spotted him having a cool dip in the lake about 50 yards away, before wandering off in search of more berries.
A beach across the lake, accessible only by water attracts a few campers when the weather is nice!
One day, a gal and a dog showed up on a paddle board. The dog sure was keeping an eye on Bailey, who couldn't care less!
Decided to depart the area - but, just up the lake we spotted a vacant spot that we'd never had the chance to check out before. On the way, there was another bear roadside.
This spot was pretty decent as well, so after a couple hours of checking it out and having another dip - well, might as well spend the night; so we did.
Next day, it was back on to the ferry, and the long drive home - to plan the next trip ...
