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  • Vicki Hunter
lip – paź 2022

It Begins

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Kootenai Falls
    Kootenai FallsLake Koocanusa BridgeLake Koocanusa Bridge before the dam - compare water levels with previous photoFirst Bench on Mt Proctor LoopRest spot - Mt Proctor is the furthest pointy Mt to the right of DougSilhouette and panoramicDoesn't Mountain climbing look fun? - Summit is just out of shot to the rightThe hard slog continuesRelief and exhaustion at the summit of Mt ProctorPart of the view at the summit1The Three Sisters mountain range on the way downComing down the valleyFairy Creek Falls looking great with the Autumn colours

    Libby, USA and Fernie, Canada

    3 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    Sat 1st, Sun 2nd, Mon 3rd Oct. With full Grey tank, and no fresh water, it was time to come down from Camp Misery on Saturday. Decided to head west to Libby as one of the guide books said it was worth going to Kootenai Falls. We did and had a pleasant walk around, but it wasn't anything great. Also with most campgrounds closed now, we couldn't find a dump station unless we paid $55 to stay at a full service campground. So we called into a service station and filled up with water and carried onto the Libby dam, where we found a nice camping spot for the night. Sunday morning we drove up the western side of Lake Koocanusa and crossed over the lake on the 1972 world's most beautiful long span bridge - the tallest at 215 ft above the river and longest in Montana. And then a drive through the town of "Eureka" before crossing back into Canada and driving to the picturesque mountain town of Fernie, where we found the park campground had closed today - it is becoming quite difficult with everything closing up - so decided to park up at a trailhead parking lot nearby. Fernie is certainly a mountain biking mecca with a lot of trails and since we hadn't done much exercise in the past 2 days we decided to both go for a bit of a run to stretch the legs, and check out some of the trails (I did a slow 5.5 kms, Doug did a fast 7.5 kms). This morning, Monday, we decided to do the Mount Proctor loop trail. The morning started a fresh 3°C, but a beautiful blue sky and sunny day with a forcast high of 22°C was predicted. The trail started from the visitor centre, and the first 3 kms was weaving our way up mountain bike trails, again we must had missed a sign because we ended up doing an extra 1.7 km, by the time we got to the bench at the end of the Mt bike trail. There was a couple of women and a very excitable 7 month old dog here having morning tea, after saying hello and giving the dog a pat we carried on up the hill, only to have the dog join us about 0.5 km up. It was quite a steep track, about 27% gradient, so poor Doug had to take the dog back down and then come up again. The whole track up to the summit of Mt Proctor was quite steep and quite a climb, and coming down the other side wasn't any better - one of our hardest hikes, and the views again was hampered by haze. I think Doug's run yesterday was catching up on him also, as its the first time I've seen him struggling on the uphill on this trip. And because it was such a warm day and hard climb about 6 kms from the end we both were out of water, which didn't help, so we were both pleased to get back to the van. Hike stats: 21.44 km, active time 6 hrs 8 mins, elevation gain 1492 m, highest altitude 2381 m. Went back up to last night's camping spot. Steps V 38378. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Some nice biking through the autumn forest
    Doug photographing while he bikesCan you find me? Heading up the hill.Some nice views, when you are able to lookOne of the bridges that was wiped outThe bridge at Morrisey leading us to the easier road bike backFinally found the Cottonwood Trees1The oldest Cottonwood tree in the worldThe light green of the cottonwood stands out against the other big trees

    Biking in Fernie

    4 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    Tue 4th Oct. I thought I better not suggest another mountain hike to Doug today so instead thought we would check out part of the Trans Canada Cycle trail for my sister who is planning on doing it next year. Choose the 18.5 km route heading south from Fernie to Morrisey so we could check out the Grove of the world's oldest known black cottonwood trees. The trees were only discovered in 2003 and are thought to be upwards of 400 years old - most cottonwood only last about 150 years. Firstly we had a nice amble checking out the shops in the town centre - mainly biking/skiing shops and cafes. After lunch, and with it nicely warmed up - again a chilly start but such beautiful sunny day, we headed out on the trail which started from the Fernie Aquatic centre and was on single tracks (probably about grade 3) for a good portion - it was good fun biking most of it, but quite hard work. The track was closed in two places due to bridges being out - we did carry on and there were tracks made that did allow us to get over. We eventually got on to the forest road, but after helping a group of young male mountain bikers who had got there ute stuck in a ditch, we may have carried on the wrong road because it just went on and on, and after umming and ahhing whether we should tu.rn around we eventually came out at the Morrisey kiosk 28 kms later - only an extra 9.5 kms (and that is why I leave the navigating to Fiona when we do adventure races). We went back up the road we should had come down to find the trees but after 2 or so kms couldn't find them so decided we would go back to Morrisey to cross the bridge and bike home on the main road as we were both feeling tired and it was 5pm so a bit worried about daylight. Just before the bridge finally spotted a sign about the trees and since it was only a 1.5 km walk to go see them we did. The bike along the road was much easier, although it was surprisingly busy with a lot of trucks. Bike stats: 48.2 kms, active time 3 hrs 31, elevation loss/gain 516 m. Got back to the aquatic centre about 6, and thought a nice soak in the spa and a shower would be wonderful and it was only $5 for the Senior one of us, and $6 for me - we both managed to do a few lengths of swimming too. Thought about staying at the aquatic centre carpark for the night, then a train came along and we hightailed back to our favorite trailhead carpark. Steps: V 6020 Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Hosmer Mine Building
    The light and autumn trees made this a fun afternoon photographingI stare out a window and reflect on a time that is no longerSome graffiti are works of art - ♥ this one of the Squirrel having a cuppaThe coke ovensCoke oven or Hobbit home?48 of the original 300 or so remain"Very Wet Bear" print"Haven" print

    Hosmer Mine Ruins

    5 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Wed 5th Oct: We were unsure what to do today so headed to the visitor centre to see what hike they could suggest. We were considering Mt Fernie which sits above the town. It is 8km return with 910m elevation gain, and gives good views of the town however the one I really wanted to do, and if you goggle everybody says it's one of the best hikes they have done - is the Heiko's trail to the Three Sisters summit, only problem is the 9 km forest road to get to the trailhead really requires a 4wd. But after discussing with Doug he said he would be okay with giving the road a go. So with that decided, we went into town to get some groceries and too buy a couple of prints of bear paintings done by a local artist that we saw yesterday and really liked. We then drove 10 kms north of Fernie to Hosmer where ruins of the short lived coal mine operations (1908 to 1914) remain. The ruin buildings were just ideal for photographing, and we spent quite a bit of time here enjoying the peaceful surrounding. And just a bit further down the road was the remains of the coke ovens. It was then back halfway to Fernie we turned off to find the forest road which leads to the Heiko trail. It was a very slow and carefully driven 9km up to a clearing where we have parked for the night - apparently the next 2.5 km to the trailhead is best done on foot unless you have a good off-road 4wd. Steps V 6040 Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    The mossy "Jumping Waters"
    Heiko's cave entranceDescending into Heiko's caveHeiko's caveHeiko's canyonMountain views on the way upLooking where we have to go1Lunch spotLunch spot. The peak in the middle is where we headingHeading to the summitMt Trinity SummitSummit viewSummit view. I'm standing out to the right.Summit viewComing down from the summitHeading down from the summitBush PottyWalking down through the meadowsLove the colours in the meadows

    Heiko Trail to Three Sisters Summit

    6 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Thur 6th Oct: I am liking this weather at Fernie, a chilly -0.5°C start but a beautiful sunny day again. Lucky for us a couple arrived as we were getting ready this morning, so we learnt the correct way to go to find the Heiko Trailhead - no signs and the directions on goggle were not the clearest. So we headed up the 4wd track and got to the trailhead. It was a lovely walk through old growth forest, and soon came to the first attraction - Jumping Waters, a lovely mossy waterfall. After that, the trail climbed, and had quite a few wooden ladders (I like ladders - you gain elevation without to much effort). About 1 hr in we came to Heiko's cave - this was quite impressive and we took a bit of time exploring. At the back there was a little waterfall, it was quite dark so just blindly taking photos - in one of the photos there is a bat hanging from the ceiling - apart from a woodpecker the only animal we saw. After that the track continue to climb but at a nice gradient, and we went through Heiko's canyon, which had a series of waterfalls dropping into little pools. Went through a couple of Meadows, and then came to the intersection, where Heiko's trail continues another 10 or so kms and comes out at Island Lake Lodge, SW of Fernie town or take the track to the summit of Mt Trinity - the middle of the Three Sisters peaks. We stopped for lunch just after here, to give us energy for the steep push to the Summit. It was actually not to bad, it mainly skirted around the side, and most of the time it was larger shale so easier to walk up than the loose scree. The views from the top of the surrounding mountains was pretty good, but again Fernie town was lost in the haze. When at the top, Doug realized he had left his "tooth" down at the lunch spot, so we headed down to search for that. Trying to find a tooth in a clear mouthpiece on rock that has bits of white in, and even trying to work out exactly where we were sitting was not an easy task - normally we sit on a log or large rock but today there was nothing like that so it was straight on the rocky ground. We probably was looking for about 10 minutes, when the young german couple , who had put us in the right direction this morning came down and joined in. With the use of a photo I had taken at lunchtime we started a systematic search and probably less than 30 secs the German guy had found it much to Doug's relief. It was then just the long hike back to the van. Hike stats: 23.8 km, active 6 hrs 26, elevation gain 1525 m, highest altitude 2743 m. Overall it was a very enjoyable hike and totally agree with the excellent reviews it has. We both found it much easier than the Mt Proctor loop, probably because it wasn't straight up and down, and had some great attractions along the way. Staying at the clearing again tonight and will tackle the road out in the morning. Steps D 37858 / V 40538. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Lussier Hot Springs in Whiteswan Province ParkThe Glass House, East Kootenay LakePilot Bay Lighthouse, East Shore Kootenay LakeBoomer's Landing on the Lake Shore TrailFerry across Kootenay LakeArriving at Balfour on the ferry at sunset

    Lussier Hot Springs to Nelson

    8 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

    Fri 7th: After a 52 min drive down the 9 km road, we said goodbye to Fernie and headed south to Whiteswan Province Park where we had read about some natural hot springs next to a river. After another bumpy 17.5 km forest road we reached them about 5 pm. There were about 4 different pools made up with boulders of differing temperatures, absolutely beautiful with a swallow river running right alongside. We probably spent about 2 hrs there - great place to start chatting to people. Afterwards we headed further along the road to find a campground, however, two that we passed were all closed for the season so we ended up parking in a carpark beside Whiteswan Lake.
    Sat 8th: I suggested to Doug that we get up early- 7am, and head for a soak in the pools in the chilly morning air and before they got busy. So there was only one other person in them when we got there. Nearly 3 hrs later, after some hearty conversation about covid and governments handling of it, and housing prices etc, and other natural hot springs to visit, with a Russian couple about our age now living in Calgary and a young bloke also from Calgary - mid 20s who immigrated with his family from Zimbabwe, we emerged from the pools to carry on our way. First stopping at Kimberly - we were going to do a hike there, but it was getting a bit late to do, and because they didn't have a Laundromat which we were in desperate need off decided to carry on to Cranbrook, which was much bigger than we thought and more a city. Anyway found a Laundromat - yay for clean clothes again - and carried on south looking for somewhere to stay - about 45 mins later, we just pulled into a logging road just off the highway and that will do us tonight.
    Sun 9th: Headed north, alongside the eastern side of Kootenay Lake. Came across a glass house that was totally amazing. Designed and built in 1952, by a retired funeral director, he recycled over 600,000 square glass embalming bottles to build the cloverleaf pattern house (3 round rooms) and landscaped the grounds with bridges and lookout towers on a rocky site next to the lake. Right from the start there was a lot of interest in it so he decided to open it to the public during summer - today was the last day for the season. His son and family now own it and continue to show it. After that we continued to Kootenay Bay to catch the ferry across the lake. Stopping at a craft shop at Crawford Bay, the owner suggested we might like to do some walks in the area first. So we did a pleasant 3km around the wetlands - again no Beavers at the beaver dam. Then drove, and did a short stroll to the Pilot Bay Lakehouse. And then a 7.4 km return run along the Lakeshore Track to Boomers Landing and back. Apparently there is major forest fires in Idaho, which has caused very bad smoke haze here, which is a shame, we could only just make out the mountains on the other side of the lake. We then caught the 5.20 pm ferry which was a pleasant 35 min trip across the lake to Balfour, and then a 30 km drive to Nelson. We had trouble finding a spot to park up on the way - very residential right along the lake. So found a carpark just of the main road before the bridge - I think it might be a noisy night. Steps V 16384.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Squirrel on the way up to Pulpit Rock
    View of Nelson from Pulpit RockNelsonWalking down to Halfway SpringsHalfway SpringsOne of the pools at Halfway SpringsThe undeveloped pools of Halfway SpringsLunch spot at Burtons FlatBoarding the ferry to go across the Upper Arrow Lake

    Nelson and Halfway Hot Springs

    11 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Mon 10th: Went and checked out the old Town centre of Nelson, not very exciting, and since it was a Public Holiday (Thanksgiving) nothing was open, not even the visitor centre, so after a grocery shop, decided to do the popular Pulpit Rock walk that gives good views of the town across the lake. It is a 3 stage walk, with Pulpit Rock the first, then Flagpole which we went to and then you can carry on to top of Mt Nelson, but we didn't see the benefit of going further, views would be no better as it was still quite hazy. Hike stats: 7.08 km, 1hr 54, 666 m. We then spent the rest of the day driving to Halfway Hot Springs north of Nakusp, yay, not - another 11 km forest road to bump along. Got there about 5pm and found a spot in the campground, then did the short walk about 500m and lots of stairs down to the pools. The top 3 pools were more formed pools compared too Lussier, however there were some more littler ones a bit further along just dug out by the side of the rockface. After hour and half we made our way back, luckily Doug went back for the torch as we were heading there because it was quite dark when we were returning.
    Tue 11th: Had another couple of hours in the pools this morning before heading away. We headed towards Vernom and the Okanagan Valley by going back down to Nakusp and down along the eastern side of the Upper Arrow Lake, which was quite picturesque, especially where we stopped for lunch at Burtons Flats. At Fauquier, there was a 10 min ferry across to the other side (all the lake ferries are free, I presume in all of Canada but definitely in BC), and then it was just driving until about 5 pm when we found a forest service road to pull off into just after Lumby - about 15 kms to go before Vernom. Steps V 6870 (I'm missing my hikes)     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Mt Boucherie tree
    Overlooking West Kelowna and Okanagan Lake from Mt BoucherieLooking north coming down Mt BoucherieOur friendly sommelierView of the lake to admire during the wine tastings1Learning about the wineToo new friends - Steve and AaronMt Boucherie from the wineryInside the Crown and ThievesThe entrance to the Crown and Thieves

    Kelowna

    12 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Wed 12 Oct: Had an unexpected but very pleasant turn to the day today. Firstly, drove to Vernom, but after searching on-line it appeared they did not have a visitor centre so carried on to Kelowna. What a beautiful city nestled in between mountains and a lake running down the middle - certainly has a nice feel to it. Found the visitor centre, and got maps etc. Decided to do the 5.57 km trail up Mt Boucherie, an extinct volcano in West Kelowna. It was a pleasant trail with gentle switchbacks climbing up, offering great views over the lake and town. After admiring the views at the top, we ended up talking to a couple of guys flying a drone. The owner put the drone up and let us view with his goggles - it was quite an experience. Anyway we carry on talking and conversation turned to wines. This is the main wine region of BC. He suggested we visited the Crown and Thieves winery down the road. They were heading there themselves when they were finished. We ended getting down around the same time, so decided to follow them to the winery. We introduced ourselves, Steve, a retired fireman, is a local residence, but spends most of his time traveling and taking photos and has a website "The Wandering Fireman", and his mate Aaron, an airplane engineer, who was visiting from Ontario. Anyway since Steve was a member and we were friends, we got to do 6 wine tasting for free. The winery was only a year and half old but what a magnificent building and the location overlooking the lake was so beautiful. The young sommelier, was very knowledge and friendly. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, and all the wines we tried were delicious, I could even be tempted to become a red drinker, apart from the price of it. We ended up purchasing a bottle each of the 2 whites we tried, and will look forward to drinking those on our travels. I'm a bit worried how we are going to get past all the wineries as we head south down the valley. Decided to head to the start of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, Myra Canyon Trestles section - 11 km down a FSR, which we will bike tomorrow, to spend the night. Steps V 10070 Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    KVR Trestle Trail
    Not great photo because of the reflection, but very disheartening seeing the effects of the fireRemains of a bread oven from the KVR construction camp11Great way to finish a very enjoyable day

    Kettle Valley Rail Trail

    13 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Thur 13 Oct: It was a WOW day today, absolutely loved the KVR trail. It was a another chilly start but such a bluebird day. The rail line was open in May 1915 to link the interior, especially the mineral rich West Kootenay to the port of Vancouver. This portion of the KVR was closed in May 1973, and in 1993 the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society (MCTRS) was formed to make the 18 trestles safe for public recreation. After many hours of volunteer work and fundraising, they applied and got granted in January 2003 the trail as a National Historic Site. However in the summer 2003, disastrous wildfires destroyed or damaged 14 of the 18 trestles. The federal and provincial governments funded the reconstructions. The trail was reopened in June 2008. The trestle part of the trail is 12 km long, 18 trestles, 2 tunnels and great views looking down the valley to Kelowna and completely flat on a great surface so very easy riding - just have to watch out for the chipmunks that dart across the track right in front of you. Such a great ride, and so interesting with its information boards and its history. We started at the Myra station end and rode to Ruth Station, here there was a short walk to the remains of one of the 1913 construction camps, which was only discovered during the 2003 fires by firefighters. We biked another 9 km along the KVR to the Bellevue Trestle, while looking for the Boulderfields which I had seen mentioned on the map, however I didn't take the map with me and wasn't sure exactly where they were so we turned around here and biked back to the start. Once back at the van, I saw we only needed to go another couple of kms past the Bellevue Trestle and we would had found them. Bugger. We left this morning about 10 am, and thought it would take us 3 hrs so we didn't bother taking lunch, but we found it so interesting and taking heaps of photos we didn't get back until 3 pm, so we decided to just have some crackers and cheese and a small glass of one of our wines purchased yesterday. Somehow the small glass of wine each ended up using all the bottle 🤔. At least it's a great place to Camp for the night so we will be staying put. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    The Boulderfields
    I'm at top of wall. Climbers at the bottom.Adventure playgroundPretty autumn colours intermingle with the Grey rockLooking towards Kelowna from Bear Creek Rim trailLarge redwood in Bear Creek CanyonLooking towards Penticton on the KVR trailOkanagan Lake at PentictonVineyards on the KVR trail PentictonJogging back on the KVRPanoramic of the Penticton KVR

    Kelowna Boulderfields to Penticton

    14 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Fri 14th Oct: Decided we couldn't leave without finding out what the Boulderfields were because on the map it says "they are a well-featured and massive gneiss, offering some of Canada's best bouldering" - so sounded pretty impressive. So we retraced our ride on the KVR from yesterday going a further 3 kms and found them. And it was basically a large area of rocks and rock walls, which I suppose is a rockclimbers adventure playground. It was pretty neat to check out, but we didn't feel inclined to give a go. So by the time we got back to the van it was a fairly decent ride - stats: 45.84 kms, active time 2 hrs 25. After lunch we headed to Mission Creek Greenway - this was going to be a 12 km ride alongside the creek, then a 5.75 km hike in the Scenic Canyon Park, and then returning. However at the noticeboard at 10.5 km mark on the bike, there was a sign saying the trail was closed at 12km mark due to flood damage, and anyone caught in the closed area was liable for a large fine, so we biked to the washout and turned around and biked the 12 kms back - stats: 26.96 km, 1 hr 51. Decided to go to Bear Creek Park campground, because I so needed a hair wash, and also to use dump station, so thought it was worth paying the $35 - however the showers were barely lukewarm ☹️, and you still have to pay $5 for the dump station, so was not worth it. Oh well, it does feel good to have clean hair. Steps V 4224
    Sat 15th. After a quick walk around the Bear Creek Canyon Rim trail, which was opposite the campground (2.77km, 42 mins, elevation 164m), We headed south to Penticton. After contacting Natalie (Alex's friend) and organizing to catch up with her tomorrow, we headed out on the Penticton end of the KVR trail. Since my bottom was a bit saddle sore from the last two days we decided to just walk. It was a lovely day again, and the trail high along the east side of Okanagan Lake wove between vineyards where some were just beginning to harvest this year's crop. We turned around at 6 km and jogged back. Stats: 12.13 km, 1 hr 54, elevation 124 m. After sitting at the lake for an hour or so, we headed to the trail head of "G spot" 7 kms out of town, to see if it would be suitable to stay overnight and it was. Steps 19880     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    View towards Okanagan Lake from top of G-spot trail
    View looking towards Skaha Lake from top of G-spot trailPenticton nestled between Skaha and Okanagan LakesSpotted Lake1Spotted Lake of Osoyoos1Extremely thick smoke haze todaySmoke hazeThe sun struggling to make an impact today

    Back to Vanouver

    17 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Sun 16th Oct: Since we were meeting Natalie at 11 am, we had to get out of bed fairly smartly if we wanted to do the 9 km G-spot loop trail first. Again no signs pointing where to go, so it took a few wrong turns before we got on the right trail - eventually we came across rocks with the name on and with a bit of jogging on the Flats, manage to get to the top reasonably quickly. It had wonderful views overlooking Penticton, nestled in between Okanagan Lake in the north and Skaha Lake in the South. We got into town and had a wonderful catchup with Natalie, who has certainly been busy since leaving NZ in 2020. Sadly we said our farewells to her, and carried on south, heading to Osoyoos. Thought we better try another winery - there certainly was enough of them - and eventually stopped at Golden Hills, and had a tasting. The lady was very nice serving us, however we preferred the wines at the previous tasting we had. Just outside of Osoyoos we stopped at the "spotted lake". We could only view it from the roadside, as it is a sacred medicine lake of the local first nation people. As I understand, it has high concentration of minerals and as the water evaporates over summer it leaves mineral deposits as spots on the surface - quite unique. We then had to decide, down to USA and North Cascade National Park or Vancouver to see if we can get repairs done to the van (the back bottom panel is breaking away and needs replacing). Practicality won and we headed towards Vancouver stopping on a side road just east of Princeton.
    Mon 17th: Woke to a red sun, and hazy sky and as we traveled west, the haze got so thick at times reducing visibility to about 200 m, the worst we have ever seen it. Search on the internet told us there are currently 207 active forest fires in BC and quite a large one north of Chilliwack, which was between us and Vancouver, and the greater Vancouver area had an air quality alert out telling people to avoid outside activity - no hiking for us today, not that we could see much anyway. So probably a good day for driving. We stopped at a lookout at Hope, where a massive landslide in 1965, changed the landscape and killed 4 people. We could just make out the mountain where the slide came down. At Abbortsford, we stopped at Fraserway RV, a big RV franchise where Fiona brought the van from to ask about getting it repaired. We needed an appointment for it to be assessed and the next available was beginning of December - we carried on. We then went to the wreckers where we had got the tow hitch from in August, to see what they had. Managed to get a new microwave plate and a suggestion of another RV repair place to try. This place was helpful, and looked at what was required and later in the night we got a quote $3047 (gulp). But they can't do it in the next 2 weeks, and the storage place we had organized is 45 mins away. So we will see if we can find a repair place near north Vancouver where the van will be stored, tomorrow. Tonight we are camping out at Walmart. Absolutely no exercise today - better find something to do tomorrow. Steps V 2662     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Sunset at Bowman's Bay
    Heron at Bowman's BaySeal at Bowman's BayPort Townsend Ferry arrivingA close encounter with a container ship.On the Ediz Hook looking towards Port AngelesBiking the jetty at the end of the Ediz HookDriftwood hut on the Ediz HookBiking on the Port Angeles waterfront trailHarlequin Ducks (we think)American WigeonsRunning the Heart of the Hills Trail from our campground

    Back to the USA

    19 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Tue 18th Oct: After a morning driving around Vancouver, we got another couple of quotes for the van repairs and Doug got his new watch ordered. The smoke was still really bad, and we couldn't work out where to go to escape it - the two areas we were keen on going too, Whistler or North Cascades, were both reporting unhealthy levels of smoke particles. Because we were keen to get some USA cash for South America we decided to head to Olympic National Park, there smoke particle levels were fair. So after losing another 5 eggs and 3 apples at the border, we continued to Bellingham - the smoke was extremely bad here, and both our eyes were getting sore from it. We went to a bank to find the best way to get cash out, and basically the only way is $500 cash withdrawal a time from the atm, so we will have to do a few trips this week. Continually onwards we stopped at Bowman's Bay in Deception Pass State Park, initially with the intention to stay the night, but after doing a walk out to Lighthouse point and catching the sunset we decided it was a bit risky to stay, so carried on - it was now dark and we were struggling to find somewhere suitable to stop until we got to Oak Habour and found Walmart yay. Even better it had a Safeways with a liquor section, so we got a bottle of vodka and Kahlua and had our first proper Black Russisn in nearly 3 months with nachos. Boy am I out of practice.
    Wed 19th. Continuing towards Olympic National Park, it is a really pretty drive along the coast line, looking north to the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island, not that we could really see them due to the smoke, but it wasn't as bad as it has been. Had about a 45 minute ferry ride across Puget Sound - where we were on a direct intersection with a container ship until the ferry reduced speed - we could see the captain taking photos of the ship so we presume he wasnt happy with it, We stopped at Port Angeles, the north eastern entrance to the park. After visiting the visitor centre in town we decided to go for a bike ride, firstly out to the Edix Hook, a thin spit out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca that helps forms the habour - biking past a pulp and paper mill on the way, (they look exactly the same here as back home). Then back the other way along the water front trail for about 5 kms, spotting seals and some new birds / ducks as we went. Bike stats: 25.84 km, 1 hr 49. We then headed to the National Park visitor centre, and with maps and more of an idea what to do (although bad weather is meant to be coming on Friday so might change things), headed up the Hurricane Ridge road, stopping at the Heart of the Hills campground for the night. Noticed there was a 4 mile return easy hike in the old growth forest starting near our campsite, so quickly got our running gear on and headed out on a jog. I didn't go quite to the end, Doug did and he ended up doing less distance than me so one of our watches is not measuring correctly, but my stats are: 7.58 km, 54 mins, 196 m elevation. So good to be back in the wilderness. Steps V 12396.     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Klahhane Ridge
    Heading up Hurricane Ridge towards Klahhane RidgeHurricane RidgeLooking west on Hurricane RidgeHeading up the switchbacks to Klahhane RidgeSwitchback trail up to Klahhane RidgeKlahhane Ridge at top of switchbacksReached Klahhane Ridge after the switchbacksOn Klahhane Ridge heading to Lake AngelesKlahhane Ridge towards Lake Angeles1Dramatic mountain tops on Klahhane ridgeKlahhane Ridge towards Lake AngelesMountains of Olympic National ParkLake AngelesHeading down Hurricane RidgeMadison FallsBig tree hug at Madison Falls

    Hurricane Ridge

    20 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Thur 20th Oct: Double Yay today - hiking boots back on and no smoke. However it was cloudy and trying to rain as we drove the rest of the 12 miles to the top of the road, and set of on our 3.8 mile hike to Klahhane Ridge. Since we started high it wasn't to strenuous walk, until we hit the Switchback trail that lead to the Klahhane Ridge (800 ft climb in 1 mile). Once at the top there was a sign with two trail options - we decided to take the Ridge trail towards Lake Angeles for a little while, with maybe getting to the lake if it wasn't to far. The weather had improved by now, and we were even getting some sunshine. It was nice being on the mountain tops again, and the rock faces were quite dramatic. About 3 kms later the lake came into view, so we turned around here rather then continuing to the lake - we hadn't taken lunch with us as we were only intending it to be a 10 km walk, and I was feeling the lack of hiking fitness from having quite a few days off. Hike stats: 17.16 km, 3 hrs 58, 1037 m elevation gain - quite surprised how much elevation gain we ended up doing. Drove back to Port Angeles - third of the way down the hill went into thick cloud and rain for about 5 miles, and then back to ⛅ after that. Continued west and stopped at the road block on Elwha Road Park entrance. This road has been closed due to a flood washout, however there are quite a few trails off it. One we are quite keen to do is Olympic Hot Springs - natural hot springs remain where a resort once was between 1907 and 1966. So depending on the weather tomorrow we will get on the bikes and go 8 miles up the road to the trailhead. In the meantime we did the short walk to view Madison Falls, before settling down for the night. Steps D 28822 / V 28746. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Yip no going any further on that road
    Lovely deep blue river on our bike to the hot springsOur little bit of heaven in a wet gloomy dayBush bathing at its bestEnjoying natureTaking a break from the heat. Such beautiful bush.The trees are so big - Doug giving this one a man hugThe washout road from the south end

    Olympic Hot Springs

    21 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 8 °C

    Fri 21 Oct: Woke up to a Grey overcast day, managed to convince Doug to bike to the hot springs - so what if we get wet, that's why we invested in good rain gear. Was spitting when we left, which turned into drizzle and light rain for most of the day. Certainly see why the road was closed, a major task ahead to rebuild it. The detour route wasn't very bike friendly but got through okay with some walking. After that it was nice biking on a smooth tarseal road knowing there will be no traffic. Stopped at the Glines Canyon Overlook, where a dam once was, but was removed in 2012, and the river started flowing freely again late 2014. In November 2015 the road first got closed due to a washout. They rebuilded it, adding a bridge, however after only 3 weeks it washed out again, I think it's been closed since. After that the climbing begun probably for about 6 or 7 kms until the end of the road. Bike stats for the way there are: 13.39 km, 1 hr 25, elevation gain 563 m, loss 81 m. Once we got to the trailhead we left the bikes and carried on foot on a well formed trail for 4.24 km, 47 mins, elevation gain 142 m - we probably could had bike this but it said no bikes and after the climb to get there it was nice to have a change. There were about 6 hot pools formed on the hillside nestled in amongst the bush along about a 200 m track above the river. We choose the first pool. We thought we would have the place to ourselves but there was 6 other people there when we were, but all had our own pools. We quickly got out of our wet gear and into the very hot pool, it took me awhile to get fully in, not liking very hot water as much as Doug but soon became very enjoyable. The outside temperature was 7°C, and still drizzling, so we made the most of the pool before getting out and returning back to the van. At least the ride back down was a lot quicker although quite chilly especially on the fingers. It was nice to be able to get back and get into warm clothes and have a cup or two of hot chocolate, definitely benefits of a campervan. Decided to stay put for the night. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Old growth forest at Marymere Falls
    Another tree hug for these magnificent giantsThe trees go up, up and upMarymere FallsOld growth forest to Marymere FallsBig mossy tree on the way to Marymere FallsImpressive root systemApproaching the top of Pyramid Peak and the Spotting towerWorld War II spotting tower on Pyramid PeakFramed on Pyramid PeakSpotting Tower has lasted well since World War IILooking out from top of Pyramid PeakSun, mist and trees as we walked down Pyramid Peak

    Two Waterfalls and a Peak in Olympic NP

    22 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Sat 22Oct: The rain was short-lived, and we woke up to a fairly clear morning. First stop was at Lake Cresent, a clear glacially carved lake known for its clarity and turquoise colour, due to having very little nitrogen. Here we did a 3.2 km return walk through old growth forest (loving these forest) to the 90 ft Marymere Falls. After that we drove around the end of the lake and 3 miles down the other side of the lake, and did a hike up Pyramid Peak, where there is a World War II spotting tower with views over the lake. It was a steady climb up, and cloud was rolling in and out at the top. On the way down, the sun shining through the cloud mist and trees was pretty neat, although quite chilly also. Hike stats: 12.25 km, 2 hrs 27, elevation gain 784 m, highest altitude 997m. We then drove to the end of Sol Duc road, where there is a hot spring resort, which we might check out tomorrow, but today we just did the 2.4 km return walk to Sol Duc Falls, and sussed out a loop hike for tomorrow so we will stay here for the night. Steps D 28805 / V 27292 Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Beautiful forest down Lover's Lane
    We choose the red loop as it looked a lot shorterDeer LakeMink LakeDeer LakeBoard walk looking a bit worse for wearLots of fungi in the moist forestA four trunk treeDeer Lake1An impressive bridge made by one of the logs on Lover's Lane1Interesting tree formation3Strolling down Lover's Lane

    Sol Duc Hike

    23 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Sun 23 Oct: A chilly start today with a low of 1.8°C, so it was lots of layers on to start the hike. There is a popular hike starting from here called the Seven Lakes, however it is recommended due to the distance to do it as an overnighter, looking at the map we saw a smaller loop that went past two lakes, Deer Lake and Mink Lake, so thought we would tackle that one today. In hindsight, we should had done the Seven lakes, I found our one quite boring with nothing really exciting on it, and it was still long. When we got back I added up the miles of each - the Seven Lakes was 18.4 miles, our loop was 15 miles - so only an hour or so longer, however we won't know if it was more interesting. It also remained chilly all day - Doug didn't take his track pants or jacket off so that's how cold. At our quick lunch stop at Mink Lake my watch read 10°C. The track came out by the hot springs so we went and checked them out to see if it was worth going back too, however at $18 each for entry decided not too. So carried on down the track called Lovers Lane and finally made it back to the van. Hike stats: 26.32 km, 6 hrs 12, gain 1077 m, highest altitude 1266 m. Decided might as well stay here another night. It is now 20:15, temperature is 5.7°C and its just started raining - I think it will be a chilly night - at least there is no van next to us running it's generator until 22:30 like last night - the sound of the rain will be more pleasant to go of to sleep too. Steps V 40772. Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Jumping salmon at the Salmon Cascade
    The perfect leapWild Rialto BeachDriftwood aplently on Rialto BeachUnsure if this tree grew there or got washed up uprightLooking down Rialto Beach from the Hole-in-the-wallSplit RockHole-in-the-wall at Rialto BeachWild BeachSouth side of split rockNorth side of split rock looking through the "Hole"Lots of cool logs on Beach for photosSplit rock centre, Hole-in-the-wall to the right

    To the Pacific Ocean

    24 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Mon 24th Oct: The rain continued all night but the temperature only got down to 3.7°C, so not to bad. On the drive out of Sol Duc, we stopped and did the small Ancient Grove loop track. I was hoping they would had more information boards about the trees, but only the one at the start saying they were about 750 years old. Then just down the road there was a Salmon Cascade viewing point, the final obstacle in the 70 miles swim upriver for the Coho Salmon to return to their birthplace to spawn another generation. And we were fortunate to see some attempting the 11 ft jump. Everyone watching would be so excited if one made it, or breath a big sigh and a "oh no" if they didn't. One couple had watched for over an hour yesterday without seeing any jumping, so don't know if the rain made a difference. Hard to capture the moment, as it happens so quickly but we managed to get a few photos. After that we head to the west coast and the Pacific Ocean at Rialto Beach. What a wild beach, and there driftwood was more a forest of logs. We must have arrived right on high tide, but by the time I made scones, it was down enough - well most of the time - for us to walk the 1.5 miles down to the "split rock" and "hole-in-the-wall". About half way down I did miss seeing a wave come up and ended up wet to mid calves - at least it made it easier then because I didn't have to keep trying to avoid them. Loved the scenery and also all the log shapes etc along the beach. Would had been nice to stay there but with all the warnings about no camping thought we better not take the risk. So headed back east, this time taking the north east coastal road. Have stopped just off the road (a fairly quietest road) in front of a gated forestry road just before getting to the coast. Steps V 11944 Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    Barred Owl in the Dungeness Wildlife Refuge
    Barred OwlBlue Jay attacking the OwlDungeness SpitThe Dungeness Lighthouse, 0.5 miles from the end of the 5,5 mile spitSnow on Hurricane Ridge and surrounding mountains looking from Port AngelesHood Canal Floating BridgeLooking down at Port Gamble from the CemeteryBit of history on the forming of Port Gamble from one of its founding membersLooking down the main street of Port GamblePort Gamble post office and community centerDetails of the house in the next 2 photosLoved this house, although it's apparently hauntedFront and side viewDetails about tree in next photo, was quite interestingOne of the old houses in Port Gamble with Halloween DecorationsKingston / Edmonds Ferry

    Dungeness Spit and Port Gamble

    26 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Tue 25th Oct: Left our overnight spot and drove for 10 minutes and found a nice parking spot near the water to have breakfast, and look out to Vancouver Island. Not great weather, very drizzly and cold though. Our scenic coastal road after that wasn't very scenic with no more views of the Stait of Juan de Fuca which was disappointing. Stopped at Safeways Port Angeles, and caught up with the world, after having no internet for a few days. Then carried on east to the Dungeness Spit and Wildlife Refuge. There was a 0.5 mile walk to the start of the spit, which at 5.5 miles long is one of the world's longest natural sand spit and growing at a rate of 13 ft per year. Again we got there on high tide so we didn't venture out onto it to far, also it was starting to rain again - would had been great to walk out to the 1857 Lighthouse at the end. However as we were walking on the track to the spit, a Barred Owl flew right across the track less than 5 m in front of us and sat in a tree near the track much to the annoyance of the Blue Jay's, which were squawking and flying around him. It was fascinating watching the owl and just marveling at how they can turn their head 360°s. At one stage he flew to a nearby tree, which we think might had a blue Jay's nest in and grab something out of it. After about 30 mins watching we carried on. We then drove down to Dungeness Landing which looked out to the spit and watched for birds and sea life as the day drawed to a close. After that we weren't really sure where to go for the night, so headed back to the Walmart at Port Angeles - decided to use the evening to get some laundry done at a Laundromat 3 miles down the road, then back to the Walmart to settle for the night.
    Wed 26th: A chilly but fairly clear morning, great to see some snow now on the mountains, including Hurricane Ridge, where we were a few days earlier. Decided to take the Kingston / Edmonds ferry route, mainly so we could go over the Hood Canal Bridge, the longest floating bridge in North America, the bridge wasn't to exciting, but just after it there was a quaint little company town called Port Gamble, which was owned and builded in 1853 by a Sawmill company which sold the town and mill in 1994 to a large east coast operation. In 1995 the sawmill closed down. It had been the oldest continous sawmill in North America. We spent hours walking around the town, reading the panels outside each of the old houses, and exploring the gift shops. After the 30 minute ferry ride we are back into the hectic city heading north. Stopped at a Walmart, however with no overnight parking signs out, and memories of being moved on by a cop from a North Seattle Walmart 3 years ago (I think it might had been the same Walmart), we found a small area down a side road that is hopefully okay, although looks like home to alot of homeless people also. Steps V 6256     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik
    View from Oyster Dome overlooking San Juan Islands
    Panoramic from Oyster DomeLily LakeView looking South East from Samish LookoutTree swallowed a rock on the scenic Chuckanut roadView of Vancouver City when going up the Cypress Mt roadWalking in the cloud mist on the Yew Lake TrailAnd snow on the Yew Lake trailLovely whiteness from the Bowen Lookout3A Stellar Jay, finally captured on filmA misty Yew LakeYew Lake - you will just have to believe us!Another lake on the Yew Lake trail.

    Oyster Dome Trail and Vancouver

    29 października 2022, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Thu 27 Oct: After a noisy sleepless night for Doug (he who won't wear earplugs - one advantage I gained from doing shiftwork) we headed north. In one of the tourism magazine I picked up on the ferry, there was a 5 mile hike called the Oyster Dome (wasn't sure if this was a one way or return distance, and after doing the hike still not). It wasn't to much of a detour, so we headed for that. The description was: Trail twists and climbs through the Chuckanut Mountains and ends atop a rocky outcropping with views of the San Juan Islands. Would had been wonderful views on a sunny day, but today was very overcast, cold and windy. It was still good to do, and we could still see the islands. On the way back down we did a couple of detours, firstly to Lily Lake and then lower down to Samish Lookout. Hike stars: 14.31 km, 3 hrs 18, elevation gain 787 m. After that we continued on the very scenic road around the coast to Bellingham, where we stopped and got our last amount of US $, and went shopping at the REI outdoor shop for a few items we needed. When we came out it was raining and nearly 7 pm so it was of to a nearby Walmart, however they have a no overnight sign so we will have to find somewhere else for the night.
    Fri 28th: After getting a tap on the door and a reminder that not allowed to be in the carpark after the store closes, we finished dinner and drove about 8 miles north to a casino and parked up there. It was about 4 miles down a side road off the main highway, so nice and quiet and the back carpark where there were 6 other campers was well away from the lights and hustle and bustle of the casino, so we both got a good sleep. This morning headed to Vancouver, no issues at border crossing. Picked up Doug's new watch, sorted out storage insurance for the van, and went to the storage place to pay for that, as the repair guy will be dropping it there once he is done. Then we had a disagreement over what to do next. I suggested going to Cypress Provincial Park which was about 35 km in north west Vancouver, mainly because I didn't want to spend the next 3 days just sitting in the city. Doug thought we had no time to hike and needed the 3 days to pack. So while he started parking, I went for a 6 km run and did my core exercises around New Brighton Park (next to the storage place), it was a fairly fine day, and the park bordered the habour looking north to the mountains which had a dusting of snow on, so it felt like I wasn't in the city. I left it to Doug to decide where we were going for the night - he decided to head out to Cypress after all, so after a slow drive through the centre of the city and over Lions Gate Bridge at 5 pm, we starting weaving up above the city - what amazing views, and amazing mansions. Didn't get all the way to Cypress Provincial Park, as found a nice picnic area to spend the night. Steps V 10688.
    Sat 29th: Well we ended up getting moved on from our nice picnic spot at 10pm as they close the road to the mountain and make sure everyone is off it. So we drove about a 1 km past the road closure and found just enough side verge off the road to park up, thinking once everyone got moved from the Mt road it would be nice and quiet - WRONG. This morning we carried on back to the top of the road and the Cypress Ski area. And it was a complete white out, plus 4°C - definitely not hiking for views weather. We decided to wait up there to see if it would clear. Doug went back to bed and I packed and started cleaning the van. After lunch, there wasn't much improvement but we decided to do the easy 2 km Yew Lake loop, with the right warm gear on it was actually quite pleasant walking - no wind or wetness. We added on the Bowen Lookout Trail also, although the lookout was completely white but we did finally managed to get a photo of a Blue Jay who in the past 3 months have been to flighty for us to photograph whenever we have seen them. It was then back down the mountain, to Walmart for the night, realizing when Doug set up goggle maps to go to Cypress Mt yesterday, he must had clicked on "avoid motorways", that is why Siri sent us through the centre of Vancouver and up past all the mansion, it was much quicker and easier today. Steps V 8438     Czytaj więcej

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  • Vicki HunterIt BeginsPodróżnik

    Ending of leg 1

    31 października 2022, Kanada ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Mon 31 Oct: Yesterday was a right off. It was raining all day. We have had at least double the amount of rain the last week than we have the previous 3 months. So we sat in the van, reading and googling of Walmart wifi. In the afternoon we eventually managed to get to a car wash and Laundromat and got those final chores out of the way, then Siri sent us on a wild goose chase looking for a dump station, said there was one at a Husky petrol station which was not right, luckily there was a campground not to far away, which we could use for $14. We really needed to do it last thing in the morning and because we were to stingy to pay $76 for a site for the night, found a side road nearby to park for the night. So this morning we did final pack, made a packed lunch, emptied fridge and disposed of leftover jars - not to much, mainly peanut butter, mayonnaise, mustard, and little bit of jam. Went to campground, emptied tanks and then on too A Best Rv repairs in Surrey to drop the van off, firstly Doug dropped me and bags at bus stop, so he will have a 900 m walk back to. The bus ride was probably about 30 minutes, then two short train rides, and we were at the airport, with about 10 hours to wait for our 11.15pm flight to Mexico City.
    Tue 1 Nov: At Mexico city airport. Flight was uneventful - weren't sitting together however. Now a 13 hour wait, before our connecting flight to take us to Santiago, which we get into at 6.30 am, and then got to wait til 3 pm to get our room - am going to be so ready for a bed by then. So "It Begins" now ends but the journey continues in "Chile and Argentina"     Czytaj więcej

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    Koniec wyprawy
    31 października 2022
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