BC Interior

July 2021
This is the first time that Laura and I have gone on a full, summer vacation without the kids! Read more
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  • 441kilometers
  • Day 3

    Squamish

    July 11, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    It’s been a fun two days in Squamish to start our trip to the interior of BC. The first day we enjoyed a long bike ride through town and along a section of the sea to sky trail on which Laura and I met more than 20 years ago! Today, we went up the Sea to Sky Gondola and did a bit of hiking and sightseeing before heading into town to watch the EuroCup soccer final at the Howe Sound Pub. After dinner we rode our bikes a short distance to the tennis courts and rallied for about 45 mins.Read more

  • Day 5

    Clinton

    July 13, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Arrived here yesterday after a 5 hour drive from Squamish via Duffy Lake Road. Windy, hilly road but scenic route. Campground is very nice. We have full hookup and an entire double site to ourselves. The owner is a fish hooker turner fish cooker. We are going to have locally caught halibut and fries delivered to our campsite for dinner tonight!
    We started today with a 45 minute trail run on the hill behind the town. Worked up a big sweat. Think I might shower before lunch and then heading into town to visit the historical museum. We’re going to have to get creative for the rest of our stay as almost every destination of interest is closed due to the wildfires!
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  • Day 6

    Clinton - Day 2

    July 14, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Woke up this morning to find the skies remarkably clear considering all the fires nearby. With not a lot of options available we decided to go on a bike ride to Kelly Lake along a lightly travelled road. It turned out to be an enjoyable ride albeit a bit hot at times. The lake has a very nice little beach area where we were able to relax and cool down a little. Technically, like so many other parks in this area, it’s closed and out of bounds, but we decided to risk arrest and spend a few minutes there before returning to Clinton. Not too much else planned for the day other than a bit of ping pong and maybe a walk into town.Read more

  • Day 8

    Ashcroft

    July 16, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Well, our trip plans have changed! Instead of heading further north from Clinton to visit my sister and husband at their cabin on Sulfurous Lake near 100 Mile House, fires and smoke forced us to go south instead. We are now in the small, historic town of Ashcroft! We are staying in the Legacy Campground which is right in town alongside the Thompson River. The town is on evacuation alert due to a wildfire nearby. We have our trailer setup but did not unhook from the truck so that we can make a speedy escape if need be!

    Unfortunately, Ashcroft has two major rail lines running through the middle of town and not far from this campground. Needless to say, it got a bit noisy through the night. Luckily, I had with me my custom fitted earplugs which I acquired during my years as a shop teacher. They just happened to be in my backpack. So, I slept quite well.

    Other than setting up camp and picking up groceries at the nearby store we didn’t plan to do much yesterday as it was very hot. I found a great little spot in the river where I could relax in a lawn chair that I placed in the water. I sat there with my book and found that very enjoyable. Every once in awhile I would dip my cap into the cold water and put in back on my head to cool down a bit more.

    After dinner we decided to walk the 2.5 km to the local pool for a cool down swim and to take in an aqua fit class at 7 pm. Turns out the first class is free and because we were there for the class we got into the pool a bit early for free as well! The class ran an hour and included a variety of exercises designed to work your legs, arms and core. We really enjoyed it. I especially liked the choice of music, everything from Duran Duran to the Beatles! The pool is situated in a part of town where you could get a pretty good view of the valley below and of the smoke coming from the nearby wild fire!

    After walking back to the campground, it was nice to just relax with a cold one before heading inside to continue watching my Netflix series, Manifest, which I had downloaded onto my iPad before leaving on this trip.
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  • Day 9

    Ashcroft - Day 3

    July 17, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Last night I rode my bike up to the mesa to check out the area and to see how far it is from our campground to a trail head we thought we might want to hike today. It turned out to be quite the grunt to get there. Before heading to bed a bus load of wild fire fighters arrived and setup tents not far from our campsite. They must have been pretty hot and tired from fighting the nearby forest fire.

    Today is going to be an easy day here in Ashcroft. Without our truck and no bus or taxi service, and a fair amount of smoke in the area of the trail we decided not to do the trail hike. Instead we decided to walk the 2.5 km to the Desert Hills Farm Market to pick up some fresh fruit and veggies. We knew the route as it was in the same area as the swimming pool we visited on our first day in Ashcroft.

    We got an early start before it got too hot. The market had lots of great food to choose from, but with just the two of us we had to forgo much of it. It was a pleasant walk, but the views would have been better had it not been so smoky.

    This afternoon will be spent relaxing by the river in our campground. We plan to go out for dinner at a restaurant we can walk to in town later.
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  • Day 11

    Logan Lake

    July 19, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Yesterday, we left Ashcroft and travelled the short, but scenic road to Logan Lake. As you climb higher and higher you soon find yourself alongside the world’s largest open pit mine. Unfortunately, due to COVID we can not tour the mine.
    On arrival in Logan Lake, we make our way to the campground that brings back many happy memories for us. When we lived in Pitt Meadows, we travelled here many times and met up with either our friends Cathy and Ed or my sister and husband.
    After setting up camp and having lunch, we drove to the local laundromat to clean our clothes. We had the whole place to ourselves and thanks to their commercial size machines we were done quite quickly. From there we did a short shop for groceries and headed back to the campground.
    After some r&r time we went for a bike ride. Our plan was to check out the designated trail area just above the campground. However, due to the extreme fire hazard we were not allowed in so instead we followed the road that runs past the golf course all the way to its end. Which was actually both a good workout and a quiet, scenic route. Along the way we met a local rancher who spoke to us about the challenges of ranching in this area and elsewhere as a result of the ongoing drought and wildfires.
    Back at camp it was time for cold beverages and a shower. Dinner tonight was salad and European wieners.
    Today, we started our day with a 9 Hole round of golf at the local golf course. We were both rusty from not having played for a very long time. It was quite warm as the day progressed and a rather hilly course so 9 holes was plenty. Back at the camp it was time for cold drink and then lunch. I made myself nachos!
    As for the rest of the day, we’ll walk into town for some groceries. Relax again for happy hour. Make dinner and then we’ll see.
    On our second day in Logan Lake, we started with a round of golf again at the local nine hole course just up the road from our campground. It was more enjoyable today because we were a bit more familiar with the course and it wasn’t as busy. Also, it was cooler outside. Unfortunately, I developed a case of golfer’s elbow towards the end of our round as a result of not warming up properly and not being conditioned. Other than a walk into town to pick up some groceries, we didn’t do too much other than relax, cook dinner and play a few games before calling it a day!
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  • Day 14

    Harrison Hot Springs

    July 22, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Yesterday morning we left Logan Lake. We had our morning coffees, ate breakfast, got the trailer packed up and road trip ready and walked along the lake into town one last time so that Laura could get her COVID19 vaccine at the local health unit.
    On arrival at our final, trip destination we met up with my sister, Netty, who was planning to spend the day and one night with us. After setting up our trailer, we had a cold drink before heading for a walk into town. On arrival I was surprised to see a large inflatable water park just offshore, impacting our view of the once beautiful view of the lake and surrounding mountains. We walked along the lakeside and up to the source of the hot springs which has made this area so popular. You can experience the natural springs if you like but in this location it is basically a muddy bog.
    Back at the campsite we relaxed for a while and then made a nice pesto pasta dinner with Caesar salad and pan fried, garlic butter shrimp for the three of us. We finished the day with a couple of games of crib.
    Today, we had a pancake breakfast with Netty before she headed back to Maple Ridge and before Laura and I went on a 24 km bike ride along country roads to Agassiz and back. We then had a lunch where I ate two mettwurst sandwiches using the mettwurst Netty had brought from a deli in Maple Ridge.
    For the afternoon, we walked into town with our beach towels, books and umbrella to enjoy a relaxing time at the lagoon on the lakeshore. I bought myself a chocolate ice cream and Laura a favorite Kampucha drink after we had been there a few hours. It was very relaxing just watching people and reading our books.
    Back at our campsite, I am enjoying a Grolsch trip and will shower up before we head back into town for dinner at the Old Settler Pub.
    Despite the challenges posed by fires and extreme weather we’ve managed to make the most of it and have had a really fun trip!
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