#177 Jun 2018 On the Road Again - Clinton and Cache Creek

June 3rd it was finally time to use this motorhome as we intended! 

Rain or not we were on the road.

We took highway #1 from Surrey to Hope and Cache Creek then #97 to Clinton. The rain stopped and we could see deep canyons and undulating mountainsides. 

 

The dark curving line through the center of this photo was a very long freight train beside the swollen Thompson River.

WOW – the suspension upgrades were worth every penny! Rough roads were smoother and corners were more level instead of the “top heavy sway”. Ralph was much less tired than previous drives on similar roads.

We setup near Clinton and started to unwind and get into retirement mode. That took over a week. This park was the perfect place.

Red wing blackbirds must have had a nest along the lake as they were constantly trying to distract us from the water’s edge.

We did finally manage to do some exploring in the area.

When the last ice age receded 10,000 years ago, this Chasm was formed by melting ice cascading over a falls and cutting into lava flows.

The horizontal layering shows the individual lava flows.

There was no way to show the size of the chasm. (Ralph is the red shirt dot on the far side)

The white line about the centre of this photo is the current river.

Lone Butte is named after a volcanic plug that juts up from low hills.

In 1919 the railway in the Cariboo reached Lone Butte but due to financial and political difficulties it stopped there and became known as the railway from nowhere to nowhere. It finally reached Prince George in 1952.

Cache Creek is home to a slice of jade weighing 2,850 pounds.

We happened to arrive on their Annual Graffiti Days, which included a Smoke Show or Burn Out. Vehicles were driven nose first into a cement block enclosure lined with hay bales. The hay was watered down to give it weight and substance. The vehicles drive tires were also watered to reduce friction against the pavement. 

The drivers put the pedal to the metal and there was smoke!

 

There were many types of vehicles from the 1930s to a 2017 Mustang. Front wheel drives, rear wheel drives and all wheel drives showed off their muscle. 

Kal Tire provided and installed used tires for those who wanted to save their own tires.

We were watching from directly behind the vehicles. After the performance our hair, faces and clothes looked and smelled like the top of this vehicle.

When we returned to the RV we had to shower and put our clothes into a garbage bag until laundry the next day. The show was worth it!

#176 May 2018 Eagles and Upgrades

Our summer plan has been to travel northern and central British Columbia. We stayed in Surrey over the winter and both worked to top up our 7 miles-to-the-gallon fund. I worked 2 or 3 days a week until late May. Ralph worked 5 days a week from January to May 10^th.

Then it was time for the EAGLES! 

As usual the tickets say no photography or recording of the show but everyone has a cell phone. Very poor pictures compared to what I could get with my camera but they show we were there!

Over more than four decades the band has changed but early members Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmidt continue to perform with the same energy and passion. 

Vince Gill was on stage all night and is a marvelous addition to the group. 

After Glen Frey died his son Deacon (on guitar) joined the band and fit in seamlessly. (In the back Don Henley is on the drums)

Cell phone flashlights highlighted requests for encores.

 

We had great seats where we could actually see the performers and the details on the big screens. Many thanks to our family! It was a fabulous show and a great start to our summer plans.

Mother’s Day was another treat as Lindsay and Rick brought supper, prepared it and cleaned up. Kari and I enjoyed that immensely.

The next day we packed up the motorhome and headed for Penticton. This spring saw lots of flooding in central and southern BC. We were not detoured or slowed down but certainly saw the evidence along the road.

Rivers were still very swollen.

Our trip to Penticton was primarily a test run for the motorhome, which had not been driven since November. We had a good visit with Gail and Al and toured some breweries. Of course, we also went to wineries and enjoyed life by the water.

We returned to Surrey via highway 97C, The Okanagan Connector, which peaks at 1,700 metres/5,700 feet at Pennask Summit. We could see how much snow was still on the mountains in mid May.

One very big benefit of retirement is our ability to time our trips away from peak driving times. We returned to the Lower Mainland on Friday of the Victoria Day Weekend but were going against the traffic. Thank goodness!

The motorhome performed beautifully with no problems. When we took it into our favourite shop for an oil change and service they suggested some upgrades were available that would improve handling on the road. Just information, not a sales pitch. 

When we returned to the RV park I was driving behind the RV and could see the instability going over speed bumps, corners, etc. Ralph has learned to compensate for the rock and roll but it is tiring. Ok, back to the shop a few days later to install two more shocks on the rear axle, and specifically engineered springs at each end of both axles. More on that in the next post.

The FIRST motorhomes were built in the 1960s and were very different. Five of these Ultra Vans parked across from us in Peace Arch RV Park. 

We thoroughly enjoy our MODERN 38 foot motorhome with all its space and conveniences.

Kari and I had to walk through the park gardens once more before Ralph and I headed out for the summer.

The wisteria was at its peak.

The swimming pool was ready for the summer and so were Ralph and I.