June 16, 2010 Wednesday
11:47am PT ~ 67.4 degrees ~ Cache Creek, BC
Ay ~ We’re in Canada ~ You bet ‘cha!!
Yep, we were up & at it around 8:00 this morning. Brilliant blue sky, big fluffy white clouds & warm temps to top it off. Folks, I’ll attest to the very positive impact a few “creatures comforts” can make on how a person can feel in the morning after living in a motor coach for 1 month exactly (yesterday…. but who’s keeping record)!! Last night around 7pm, after a LONG day, Chip made the executive decision that “we were staying in a hotel”. And my response, with a sigh of despair, was “awweeee, shucks” (uh - it was more like “Thank you God”). So, we stopped in Cache Creek & pulled into Sage Inn (too adorable) then walked across the highway to have dinner at Bears Claw Lodge (great ~ you bet ‘cha). And this morning, I took a DOUBLE shower & even shaved my legs twice (so I’ll hopefully feel clean twice as long - ay). And no, I didn’t care if the motel, the town or the country ran out of hot water this morning ~ it was “my time”. Chip snored all night, another positive sign of the rewards of good, creature comforts. The motel was pet friendly so Nick stayed with us, too. He even had some other rescue doggie buddies to play with. Happy days for everyone!! Can I get an amen!!
Left Vancouver Tuesday around 9:45am. By choice, we took the scenic drive along “Cultural Journey BC Highway 99” from Vancouver, BC to Cache Creek, BC. It was only about 170 miles BUT, as with all scenic routes, they fluctuate from curvy, to hilly, to steep (13% grade 3 different times), sometimes 2 lanes, sometimes 3 lanes (& sometimes should only be 1 %#@!!* lane) so we did not click off a lot of miles yesterday. Then there’s the urge to “sightsee” which slows you down even more. BUT, what the heck, it’s not as though we had to be at work Wednesday morning, right??
The entire ride was scenic; the first half was absolutely jaw dropping & breathtaking!! Speaking for Chip, I’m sure he was to the point that if he heard me say “stop, you have GOT to see this” one more time, he was probably going to either sedate me or push me out of the motor coach. I tried to contain myself because I knew he’s driving & I didn’t want him to feel like he was “missing out on anything”; that was hard. Again, God worked overtime on His precious creation. That particular drive is called the” Sea to Mountain Highway” (now I know why ~ a must see for your future travels). You would have to understand the geography of the area to understand the beauty & grandeur. To our west, it seemed like islands & mini-mountains were randomly sprouting out of lakes but it was actually the Pacific intertwined with the land. And to our east were massive mountains that seemed to disappear into the clouds. We passed lots of quaint, picturesque villages (I’m sure they were weekend & summer retreats for the city folks), spectacular waterfalls that appeared from nowhere & were so artfully created, vistas of snow capped mountain ranges (the Appalachian’s on steroids) and yes, finally, the mack daddy of all ski resorts ~ Whistler/Blackcomb (peeps, believe what you hear about it ~ amazing!!).
We stopped in Whistler Village just to say “we did it” (but mainly because Nick had to pee-pee & partly because Chip didn’t want to hear me say “please stop” one more time). Had some lunch & took a few pix. Too funny ~ while I was taking pix, Chip was holding my Black/White "everyday" purse (thank you Miss Sandy) & this lady came over to him, was doing a survey & asked him bunches of questions (so glad I got out of that one). I got a pic of their exchange (couldn’t resist) & all he got for it was a “scenic” postcard. Seriously, the area looked great; no doubt from all the pre-Olympic prep work. The village was alive with summer tourists & the slopes had been summer-ized; it was a BMXer & zip-liner’s paradise (yes, kids, the tunes were jammin’).
After that respite we were back on the road. This next stretch was not as fabulous as the first; scenic nonetheless. At one point, on a more challenging portion of the highway, Chip asked “how did they even build this road” (because it was SO remote in that area). Then, in total bewilderment, he said “really, why did they even build this road”. And kudos to him; it takes a lot of physical & mental stamina to drive this type of terrain (I wore holes on my side of the floor just putting on brakes). I am just SO thankful he didn’t ask me to drive any of that stretch or we would have went to plan B.
And poor Nicky, when he sees me whip out the camera, he hides completely under the driver’s seat (not sure if he’s camera shy or if it’s a safety concern he has). Anyway, as with any seasoned tourist & co-pilot, you do what you gotta do ~ ay? So, all day, I was juggling between journaling, taking pictures, studying the map & learning metric conversions (mainly checking bridge height clearances for the RV). Because we are not returning via this route, I had to remember to look behind us for any potentially missed photo ops (that’s when I needed a bungie cord & I have the bruises to prove it). While most of my pix are taken out of the windshield, sometimes I have to make the creative call of whether to go to a side window, open it up, secure my camera strap (& myself) & take the pic. To me, the results are typically worth it. Just think, if I was made to “follow the rules” & buckle up, we’d never make it anywhere on time.
On the way to Prince George, BC via BC #97N right now & clicking off some overdue miles (oh brother, “some people” are overly concerned with time schedules it seems ~ like we have to be at work tomorrow or something – ay?). The roads are lots better today mainly because the terrain has leveled out somewhat (really reminiscent of Wyoming with a touch of Montana & Idaho according to Chip). Lush, breezy, clear, warm, sprawling, lots of horses, cows, bugs, lakes, rivers, log homes, motorcycles & RV’s!! The land is NOT nearly as remote as I/we had feared. Nice towns & ample supplies are frequent enough (on these main roads anyway). Too funny, we keep passing places like 100 Mile Town, 108 Mile Resort, etc. I guess they have run out of names. Should cover around 400 miles in total today. Life is good.
XOXOX to you all. Thanks for your continued prayers & support while we are on The Road 2 Yonder. Miss you bunches.
Cathy = )
11:47am PT ~ 67.4 degrees ~ Cache Creek, BC
Ay ~ We’re in Canada ~ You bet ‘cha!!
Yep, we were up & at it around 8:00 this morning. Brilliant blue sky, big fluffy white clouds & warm temps to top it off. Folks, I’ll attest to the very positive impact a few “creatures comforts” can make on how a person can feel in the morning after living in a motor coach for 1 month exactly (yesterday…. but who’s keeping record)!! Last night around 7pm, after a LONG day, Chip made the executive decision that “we were staying in a hotel”. And my response, with a sigh of despair, was “awweeee, shucks” (uh - it was more like “Thank you God”). So, we stopped in Cache Creek & pulled into Sage Inn (too adorable) then walked across the highway to have dinner at Bears Claw Lodge (great ~ you bet ‘cha). And this morning, I took a DOUBLE shower & even shaved my legs twice (so I’ll hopefully feel clean twice as long - ay). And no, I didn’t care if the motel, the town or the country ran out of hot water this morning ~ it was “my time”. Chip snored all night, another positive sign of the rewards of good, creature comforts. The motel was pet friendly so Nick stayed with us, too. He even had some other rescue doggie buddies to play with. Happy days for everyone!! Can I get an amen!!
Left Vancouver Tuesday around 9:45am. By choice, we took the scenic drive along “Cultural Journey BC Highway 99” from Vancouver, BC to Cache Creek, BC. It was only about 170 miles BUT, as with all scenic routes, they fluctuate from curvy, to hilly, to steep (13% grade 3 different times), sometimes 2 lanes, sometimes 3 lanes (& sometimes should only be 1 %#@!!* lane) so we did not click off a lot of miles yesterday. Then there’s the urge to “sightsee” which slows you down even more. BUT, what the heck, it’s not as though we had to be at work Wednesday morning, right??
The entire ride was scenic; the first half was absolutely jaw dropping & breathtaking!! Speaking for Chip, I’m sure he was to the point that if he heard me say “stop, you have GOT to see this” one more time, he was probably going to either sedate me or push me out of the motor coach. I tried to contain myself because I knew he’s driving & I didn’t want him to feel like he was “missing out on anything”; that was hard. Again, God worked overtime on His precious creation. That particular drive is called the” Sea to Mountain Highway” (now I know why ~ a must see for your future travels). You would have to understand the geography of the area to understand the beauty & grandeur. To our west, it seemed like islands & mini-mountains were randomly sprouting out of lakes but it was actually the Pacific intertwined with the land. And to our east were massive mountains that seemed to disappear into the clouds. We passed lots of quaint, picturesque villages (I’m sure they were weekend & summer retreats for the city folks), spectacular waterfalls that appeared from nowhere & were so artfully created, vistas of snow capped mountain ranges (the Appalachian’s on steroids) and yes, finally, the mack daddy of all ski resorts ~ Whistler/Blackcomb (peeps, believe what you hear about it ~ amazing!!).
We stopped in Whistler Village just to say “we did it” (but mainly because Nick had to pee-pee & partly because Chip didn’t want to hear me say “please stop” one more time). Had some lunch & took a few pix. Too funny ~ while I was taking pix, Chip was holding my Black/White "everyday" purse (thank you Miss Sandy) & this lady came over to him, was doing a survey & asked him bunches of questions (so glad I got out of that one). I got a pic of their exchange (couldn’t resist) & all he got for it was a “scenic” postcard. Seriously, the area looked great; no doubt from all the pre-Olympic prep work. The village was alive with summer tourists & the slopes had been summer-ized; it was a BMXer & zip-liner’s paradise (yes, kids, the tunes were jammin’).
After that respite we were back on the road. This next stretch was not as fabulous as the first; scenic nonetheless. At one point, on a more challenging portion of the highway, Chip asked “how did they even build this road” (because it was SO remote in that area). Then, in total bewilderment, he said “really, why did they even build this road”. And kudos to him; it takes a lot of physical & mental stamina to drive this type of terrain (I wore holes on my side of the floor just putting on brakes). I am just SO thankful he didn’t ask me to drive any of that stretch or we would have went to plan B.
And poor Nicky, when he sees me whip out the camera, he hides completely under the driver’s seat (not sure if he’s camera shy or if it’s a safety concern he has). Anyway, as with any seasoned tourist & co-pilot, you do what you gotta do ~ ay? So, all day, I was juggling between journaling, taking pictures, studying the map & learning metric conversions (mainly checking bridge height clearances for the RV). Because we are not returning via this route, I had to remember to look behind us for any potentially missed photo ops (that’s when I needed a bungie cord & I have the bruises to prove it). While most of my pix are taken out of the windshield, sometimes I have to make the creative call of whether to go to a side window, open it up, secure my camera strap (& myself) & take the pic. To me, the results are typically worth it. Just think, if I was made to “follow the rules” & buckle up, we’d never make it anywhere on time.
On the way to Prince George, BC via BC #97N right now & clicking off some overdue miles (oh brother, “some people” are overly concerned with time schedules it seems ~ like we have to be at work tomorrow or something – ay?). The roads are lots better today mainly because the terrain has leveled out somewhat (really reminiscent of Wyoming with a touch of Montana & Idaho according to Chip). Lush, breezy, clear, warm, sprawling, lots of horses, cows, bugs, lakes, rivers, log homes, motorcycles & RV’s!! The land is NOT nearly as remote as I/we had feared. Nice towns & ample supplies are frequent enough (on these main roads anyway). Too funny, we keep passing places like 100 Mile Town, 108 Mile Resort, etc. I guess they have run out of names. Should cover around 400 miles in total today. Life is good.
XOXOX to you all. Thanks for your continued prayers & support while we are on The Road 2 Yonder. Miss you bunches.
Cathy = )
SOUNDS UNBELEVABLE A ONCE IN A LIFE EXPERANCE MAKES ME SO GREEN WITH ENVY.
ReplyDeletebOY IAM ENJOYING YOUR BLOG. kEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
ReplyDeletepAPPYINLAW