Summer Travel to Reunions! In British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

 Looking back, it appears that our last post was some time ago, and we had just returned home to leafless trees and a few small snow patches.

One of the first items on our summer agenda, was to apply for a brand new 10-year passport - Done!

 Next, was to put the truck camper on, as we had places to go - done.  Of course, whenever he was outside, Bailey would run to the door of the 5th wheel, and ask to be let inside - so he could check it out, and make sure no mices had taken up residence.  For the first time, some red squirrels apparently found the entry point into the 5th's basement, no doubt following on the trails of the California pack rats!  Took some serious deterrence to get rid of them.

 Winter was not about to give up it's grip on the area, and a few days later over 6" of fresh snow was deposited on everything.  Thank goodness for the hot tub!

 

Despite bouts of winter-like weather, more and more birds keep arriving, and passing over on their way further north.  My large flock of resident (under my eaves) Cliff Swallows began arriving about the 12th of May.  Perhaps as a result, I rarely see a mosquito here!

 

But just prior to that was our first summer excursion, starting with a celebration of life of a gal I used to work with in Jasper, back in the day.  We stopped in Lake Louise, where I also used to reside and worked for 15 years, to get some water to go.  While most of the area was clear of snow by this time, the campground, though open had huge piles of snow throughout.  The RV dump was plowed clear, but the water was not turned on yet!  Luckily, I remembered a tap on the front of the shower building to get my fill.

Not in a rush to get anywhere, the next night was spent on the west boundary of Yoho National Park, along the Beaverfoot river.

Still ahead of schedule, we went up Revelstoke lake for a couple of nights at one of our usual spots.  Water was still cold, of course, but I made it in waist deep. 

 

Still lots of snow in the high country. 

Cupboard cat.

Bailey, 'helping' with this post!

 

A good time was had in Salmon Arm, with a bunch of old retired Park Wardens! Several days of chatting reminiscing, and enhancing old stories, and a performance by our house band, The Wardens!

 

 

After that, we headed up the west side of Shuswap Lake to Seymour Arm. That involved some exploration, and the discovery of a couple of 'new to us' camp spots along the lake

 

We were a bit beyond cell phone service, but my Starlink wanted to send me a txt before it would connect...   So, I strapped my phone to the drone, sent it up a couple hundred feet, and it came down with the required txt code - and we were online!

Around that time after we got home, it was very hot, and the winds were howling from the NW.  A presumed lightning-caused fire broke out in the bush to the west.

It appears pretty close in these pics, but it was actually 23 km away at that time.  But if the wind had changed direction a few degrees it could have gotten interesting in a hurry.  As it was, there were a lot of bombers working the fire perimeter, as well as helicopters bucketing, cat lines being constructed, and night helicopters working around the clock.  After a few days of intense action, they had it under control.

Next trip was up to Abraham Lake for a week, where friend Don joined me with his 5th wheel.  We did some hiking and exploring and watched a few hockey games on TV.

Back at home again, Bailey took on this grizzly - on the TV!

Next, we were off to Saskatchewan for two more reunions!  The main one was for mostly retired Conservation Officers, and our college class had a small 50 year (must be some mistake?) get together the night before.  And the very next day I got together with a whole bunch of family who live in Saskatoon.  Twelve of us enjoyed a great meal and some good visiting.  Of course, Bailey was a hit with all the young kids involved.

Back home for a few days to mow the grass, and we're off again, this time to Vancouver Island!

Surf, Sand, and the Slow Road North Winter travels come to an end

After spending a few days 'camped' at a welding shop in Fort Bragg, Ca, getting an axle fixed, we were back on our northward migration.  Weather was still nice, so we got to spend a few days at our various waterfront overnight spots.  Some of them came with a free surf show!

 

The usual night time shots, with moonlight only ...

A bit further north, we swung through Fortuna for a few things on the grocery list, and spent another night on the beach.  Bailey got out to get some warm sand under his paws!

Two views of our location as seen on the truck's display screen.
 

Anyone traveling in the south west of the US knows how rare it is to find a roadside garbage bin, or trash bin as they call them down here.  Even more rare, are recycling bins, although national and state parks tend to be better.  I found this bin roadside on the California coast on  state park land - but it was essentially hidden a short distance down a hiking trail, so the average road user would never see it.  The recycling bin even allowed cardboard, and glass!

Bailey, making sure he knows where 'home' is parked!

Hunting seals on the coast of California!

We visited some beautiful, miles long beaches near Orick, Ca.

Overnight spot near Humbug Mountain, Oregon, with one distant neighbour.

As we get further north, the speed tends to increase, while photo taking decreases as we get closer to home.  We usually leave the coast and pass through Portland, and up the Columbia river, then up to Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, then the border.  A rest area along the way was closed for some reason, but we never stay in one overnight anyway.  Instead, we found a hilltop with a cell tower, essentially in a farm field that we have overnighted in in the past.  A quick speed test of the cell signal set a new record download speed for me!  It was apparently a Verizon tower.

 

We topped off the fuel tank in Coeur d'Alene, and set yet another record for a single diesel fill at $222.USD, and it took 3 separate transactions, as the pump timed out at $100. each time 

Border crossing was quick and easy.  There were reports of some recent snow and bad weather on the roads near home, so it was convenient to spend a couple extra days visiting friends in southern British Columbia, and southern Alberta.  As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about - roads were all bare and dry, with only a few bits of snow in the shaded ditches.

It was nice to see that our high security gate had kept things secure for another winter!  Pretty sure it was the 2-3 rusty padlocks on some rusty chain in the middle that deterred any trespassers.

Nice to find everything at home just as we'd left it in October, and by evening the hot tub was full and hot, water was on and heat turned up in the house.  Just a few minor drifts of snow, but nothing to worry about.

Bailey recognized his alternate home immediately, and was soon racing around the house, up and down the stairs, and getting reaquainted with all his favourite haunts and viewpoints.  But, he never forgets his 'winter' home, and when he is out in the yard, he always goes to the door of the trailer and asks to be let inside, so he can check it out.

Total distance put on the truck on this winter's expedition was 14,766km, and the truck tells me that it was hauling the trailer for 10,261km of that. 

In a few days we'll get the truck camper put on, and the summer exploration season will commence!  Thanks for following us for another winter.