Back on the road - to the Left Coast

 

After our last expedition, we spent about 3 nights at home.  Laundry done, grass mowed, - time to hit the road again!

This time, it was straight west to Revelstoke on day 1.  Noticed that Hailey's poops were getting a bit runny - not a good sign.  Next day we carried on through Kamloops, where I was lucky enough to meet up with Randy & Lorraine, friends from college days.  Randy, a retired Fisheries Officer, is also author of Poachers, Polluters and Politics, an account of his time as an officer in Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

 

The last time we met up was a few years ago, at a northern Saskatchewan fishing lodge that they were operating at the time.  Here's a link to that blog post!

From Kamloops, our route continued westward through Cache Creek, then onto Highway 99, eventually aiming for Pemberton and Whistler.  Hailey's condition was not improving when we camped in a non-descript spot that night.  Of course, we had picked a spot on a logging road where loaded gravel trucks commenced rolling right by us - around 3AM!  Great!  We were on the road early :-(

 The highway soon joined up and followed the very steep and deep canyons of the Fraser river.  At a roadside pulloff it was possible to get up for some aerial shots.

We made a call to (one of) Hailey's vets back in Calgary, and arranged to pick up a medication at a vet in Lillooet to hopefully control her diarrhea.  We got that and sprinkled some on her food.  Lillooet is on the Fraser river, so we spotted a very historic old bridge to check out.  It is no longer in use, but is maintained for pedestrian use.

I wanted to send up my helicopter for a scenic flight, but unfortunately it is too close to the local airport, therefore it is a NFZ (no fly zone) - even though the runways are hundreds of feet above the river level :-(

Leaving Lillooet, the highway west enters a very scenic and steep canyon.

 

 Highway 99 leaves the Fraser at Lillooet, but soon begins to follow another small river.  There are a number of small Forest Service campsites along this section, but we managed to find our own spot right by the water to spend the next night.

It was another hot day, so it was nice to have some cold water to cool off in!

Hailey, unfortunately decided that she no longer wanted to eat, and began to vomit up everything she had previously eaten, and still had diarrhea.  With no cell service or towns in the area, there was no choice but to continue westward - through Pemberton and Whistler, and down to the coast at Squamish.  We hung out on the waterfront for a while, watching all the kite boards and wind surfers enjoy the windy conditions.  A friend from the BC Conservation Officer service stopped by for a brief chat.  Phone calls to local vets did not get us an appointment, and they all suggested the big emergency vet clinic in North Vancouver.  So, - we headed up (down?) the Sea to Sky highway towards Vancouver, and found our secret secluded spot near Porteau Cove Provincial Park - which of course was plumb full, and at any rate, was not accepting anyone from Alberta at that time.

Next morning was a beeline to the Mountainside Vet Hospital where of course, full Covid protocols were in place.  After I sedated her enough that she wouldn't scratch their eyes out, we got her into a cage and they took her in.

I drove around that part of the city for a while, waiting to see what the Vancouver vets had to say.  I stumbled onto this view of the Lions Gate bridge - from the bottom.

 

 

Lions Gate Bridge is Vancouver's answer to the Golden Gate, though it is green instead of orange!

After a few hours the vets called and andvised that she was being held captive overnight so they could get her on IV and do the appropriate tests, etc.  Having no desire whatever to spend the night in the noise of the city, I headed back out on the Sea to Sky to the previous camp spot.  Only a very short hike provides an ocean view, so that was the happy hour view.

In the morning, the vets called with good news; she was eating again, and was ready to attack anyone who came close!  They still had more tests to do, so she was not yet ready to make her escape.  Back into West Van, I drove up the Cypress Bowl ski area to take in the scenery and kill some time.  They did not let her out till 9:30PM.  She couldn't stop purring or face-butting.  Was she ever glad to be back in the camper!  Since the plan had been to eventually head for Vancouver island, we found a noisy roadside spot, but with a great view of the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay, and all the ferries coming and going.

 

  Next post: Up the Sunshine Coast and over to Vancouver Island!

Getting the blog caught up! Still in July, but getting there.

 My last post left off when we were boondocked on the lakeshore south of Revelstoke.  Water levels were high and there was no beach exposed, but it was still a great spot to spend some time.

 

 This is another spot on the same lake where I have camped a couple of times, but it is almost completely shaded and you'd need a very long cord on your solar panels to get any power.  It has some nice beaches though, when the water level is down later in the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed south through Kaslo, BC, and it finally became clear that the sound coming from the front end of the truck was not my imagination after all!  There is only so long that you can convince yourself it is the rough pavement, or the wind, or the tires!  Turning up the music only works to delay the inevitable.

 We spent the next night up this very rough logging road above Balfour, but the trees were too thick for any decent views - and the mosquitoes were very hungry!

So, the next day we showed up at the GM dealer in Castlegar and got a shiny new wheel bearing installed.

And, back on the road, further south through Trail, BC.  But not before a stroll around Zuckerberg island in Castlegar, and picking up yet another prescription for Hailey at a local pharmacist.

Zuckerberg Island

 

 

 Near the US border I pulled into a spot I have often overnighted in.  It's just the side of an almost unused road, but it's attraction, other than being quiet, is that it is within range of an AT&T tower south of the line.  I pay for my unlimited AT&T data all year long, so it's nice to get some good use out of it once in a while!

Then, along came a friendly local, who directed me to a better spot nearby.  It's even quieter, and has a nice river view.

Iphone through binocular photo of Canadian Customs at the border

With the border closed to tourist traffic, and not much commercial traffic using this entry, this station is pretty sleepy at present.  Small trains come through about once a day, and stop to report.

One downside of this spot, and others in the area, is the presence of Poison Ivy! I think I've learned to identify it at least, and should have no problems avoiding it usually.  But Hailey has no idea about it and wanders through the bush with abandon.  Apparently, it does not bother cats, but I don't want her coming back in the camper and spreading it around.

After I got my fill of data from across the line, we headed north again, this time up through the Slocan valley, and through Silverton and New Denver.  Nearer to Nakusp we spent an uncharacteristic night in a paid campspot (I guess the $6 won't break me) to visit with a college buddy and his wife and friends who were camped there.

 

 

 

Next stop on this journey was in Lake Louise, where I connected with another recently retired Park Warden.  While we used to get paid to hike these trails, we decided it was still worth it for free!  At least we don't have to rescue anyone or write tickets or reports any more! 

We hiked up to the Litle Beehive area with a great view back down to Lake Louise, and the Chateau.

National Park campgrounds were all full due to Covid requirements, so we made a beeline for home after the good hike in the mountains.

One of the first things to do upon making an infrequent visit home between travels is to fill up the bird feeders.

While these two squabbled about who would eat first ...

The little Red Squirrel helped himself!

Next update:  We head out to Vancouver Island, and Hailey hits the hospital.  Coming soon. (?)

Even more - Summer Travels 2020!

 The grass at home needed cutting, so after visiting and hiking in Pincher Creek, Hailey and I headed home for a few days.

There's lots of wildlife around there as well.  This Killdeer decided to try and lure me away with the old 'broken wing' act!

 

My camara under the front step showed that we had some company one night.

 

 

Also, on the home surveillance front:  Not exactly wildlife, but this calf evidently escaped from one of the local ranchers.

 

 And, Hailey was out in the grass, trying to track down something to play with.

 

I guess this little feathered friend was trying to remind me to fill all the bird feeders!

 

 

 

Ms Hailey still gets around pretty well, despite being one leg short.

Five days at home was enough to get caught up, so it was time to hit the road again - this time west to BC.

 

 

My boondocking spot on the lake south of Revelstoke was vacant, but the lake water was still high from the spring melt, so there was essentially no exposed beach, and water was right up into the trees.

 

 

This provided great cover for the minnows and young fish to hide and feed.

 

 

Luckily, my inflatable kayak allowed me to get out on the water for a better perspective.

Slowly learning some work-arounds and how to avoid some of the pitfalls of the Blogger editor.  Check back again for the rest of this trip, and many more.