Thursday, August 29, 2019

After our last camping excursion we spent a bit of time at home - a record 13 days in a row.  That's almost two weeks!  
During that time some of the decks got water sealed, and the grass got mowed, and a few other things got taken care of - including rigging up the wiring for the new solar panel.  But it was time to hit the road again.  We had some westerly destinations in mind.
Made it nicely into BC the first day, and decided to find a spot along the Beaverfoot river, along the west boundary of Yoho National Park.  It was a rarely used and lightly traveled area when I worked in the park, so it was a shock to find campers set up in all of my usual selections :-( .  It was cool and raining a bit, so a featureless spot along an unused logging road had to suffice for the night.
Next day we met up with Walter, a retired BC Conservation Officer in Golden for coffee and a chat.   North of Revelstoke, along the lake of the same name, it was nice to find our favourite spot vacant and waiting for us.

We spent a couple of relaxing days there, Hailey out getting re-aquainted with the area and it's wildlife.  Loons serenaded us at night, and a merganzer family patrolled the shore.  Weather was nice and winds were calm, so it was enjoyable paddling about in the kayak and checking out the far shore.
The whole region is an active logging area, but with many cut blocks on the far shore of the lake, they need some access.  At several spots along the long lake they had these ferrys or barges for both logging trucks and the work crews to cross over.

Further south, on the return, Hailey and I stopped for the night - where we had spent her very first camping trip 9 years ago.  That time we were in the 5th wheel, but the access roads are so overgrown now, that it was tough even squeezing the truck camper in.  She was cute then too!

She was so small that the pull of the retractable leash would almost knock her over!

 
After quite a few nights down on the lakeshore, it was time to go for some 'view' spots, so on the way back towards town, we headed up Sale mtn road.  On the way up we were in the clouds, so couldn't really see much - till we found ourselves at the microwave tower at the summit.  
A bit lower down the mountain was a place where paragliders sometime launch, so we stopped there for the night, and after more rain, it finally cleared up nicely.
 
 


Here's a quick video showing my view of the lake.



Hailey enjoyed the view, as well as the hunting!

She has never shown any response to hawks or owls before, but with two hawks circling overhead, she suddenly raced back to the camper to get inside ...  Maybe she saw something else?
Back down in Revelstoke I hung around for a while, visiting friends, some of whom I hadn't seen since we all lived and played slowpitch in Lake Louise together.
After a dump and fill and taking on a few more provisions, we headed for the ferry crossing south of town. Hailey usually hides during the crossings, but she is getting braver and actually emerged mid way through the voyage for some ear scratches and purrs.  A couple of our usual spots on the lakeshore where we usually camp were occupied, including one that was conveniently marked with their departure date on the access trail!  We did have to test out a new spot, which only had a couple of drawbacks; it had some neighbours nearby, and there were virtually no solar opportunities to keep the batteries charged.

It did have a couple of very secluded little hidden beaches though.








There were only a few horse flies around, but those that tried to bite me - soon found themselves floating as fish food!


Hailey kept the dragon flies and butterflies on their toes.

Eventually, we got into our preferred spot, and spent a few days soaking up the sun and scenery.





On the next round of provisions we headed for the nearest town, but got stopped on the highway by an accident scene.  There was a logging truck on fire, and apparently it had been burning for a while, as the local fire department would not send a truck as it was outside their area.  Eventually they did send a truck and got a loader to start unloading the logs roadside, but by that time the mountainside above the road was well ablaze!  We got shuttled further back, but still got to watch a good airshow as the bombers came in with loads of retardant, and a helicopter dropped water from the nearby lake.
 It seems wherever I go, I run into fires or fire towers, or something closely related.

In the meantime, we are still on the road, checking out areas near and far.  Stay tuned.

5 comments:

  1. What a rough life you two lead LOL! ☺

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  2. Some beautiful scenery there love your pictures.

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  3. Young "Hailey"...Awwww..too cute....
    Your fav spot would be mine also, if it wasn't on a reservoir and the water could rise over night...
    Safe Travels!

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  4. Young "Hailey"...Awwww..too cute....
    Your fav spot would be mine also, if it wasn't on a reservoir and the water could rise over night...
    Safe Travels!

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  5. Your Canadian camping photos always take me back to the early 70's when I spent a few years in Vernon BC. I've been back in Ontario for 44 years now and I still remember well and miss the forests, lakes, and mountains out there. I miss my drives on the logging roads. Looks like Hailey is doing well and you guys are having your usual good times. All the best...……...

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