Sept 23 - 30 Travel to Vernon and Penticton, BC

Sep 23 
It's normal when we attend a race with Barry & Ailsa that we do post race burgers and beer. We had decided to meet at a place called Taps in downtown Golden. We had been there before and it was great. It didn't disappoint this time. Different bartender this time which is unfortunate because the fella that worked there in 2015 was hilarious. We drove out of our site, a great spot just west of downtown. Golden Municipal Campground.

Beautiful fall colours!

Our site #23

We got a big table up front with enough room for Ailsa's family and the 3 of us. Burgers and beers were so good! We only got one picture and it's Ailsa and her sisters. They were seeing who was taller. Mhairi wins and I think Donna is taller than Ailsa by a bit but there was debate lol.

The MacDonald sisters (there's one more not here)

We said good bye to everybody with hugs and handshakes and drove back to the rig to relax for the evening. John is leaving early tomorrow so it's our last chance to visit. I had to pack it in early because I was just tired after a big day. So great having John there for the weekend! How awesome that he drove all that way and stayed in a hotel just to be there for my birthday and the race. Thanks bro!

Sept 24

My legs are so sore!! Leslie was so great. She made coffee and massaged my calves with tiger balm before I got up. We both got a chuckle as I did the "tin man" walk to get down the 3 steps to the living room. Leslie booked a massage for me before we got here and it's at 3 pm. I'm actually looking forward to it. I don't usually do massage but it should really help and man am I stiff today. We didn't do a lot until the trip to Kinbasket Massage. The therapist and Leslie both told me that it would hurt later tonight but would be better tomorrow. Man they weren't kidding. Another early to bed night with Tiger balm on my legs. Thanks Leslie for looking after me today. She is so awesome.

Sept 25

We're moving to Vernon today to see if we can hook up with an old friend of Leslie's from her childhood. Leslie found this lady on Facebook last year. They were friends when Leslie was in Prince George BC before she was 9 years old. How cool that they found each other so many years later!

My legs are still stiff but much better than last night as promised. We got packed up and dumped tanks by the park office before saying good by to Golden and the epic adventure we had here. My brother had warned us about lots of road construction between Golden and Revelstoke. Wow he wasn't kidding. As soon as you got back to speed from one project there was another. The good side is that it made for a relaxing slow drive through Rogers Pass which is a high mountain road with lots of twists and turns. Great views around every turn.

Lots of construction happening.

The cute Margaret picture.

What a beauty travel day! There was a little bit of rain but nothing to worry about. We love mountains almost as much as the ocean.

Leslie and her tunnels lol. There are 7 of them.

It took longer than usual but we arrived in Revelstoke.We decided to stop for lunch at a Dennys we saw. There was a big empty lot next door with tons of parking so I took advantage of that. We both laughed when I got out of the truck for the first time. My legs were so stiff! I held on to the truck a little to get going towards the restaurant. Leslie helped me again. It had to look weird walking in with both of us laughing and me hobbling like a stick man.

Leslie got some cool pics of the CN train beside the highway going in and out of the tunnels.

Train in Three Valley Gap.

We arrived in Vernon BC by about 3:30 and checked out an RV park on the north side of town. It was nice but expensive and we're not here long so we decided to check out Kekuli Provincial Park just south of Vernon instead.

8k (5 mi) south of Vernon, water available, no dump station

Kalamalka Lake below our site, so nice.

Our site, tough back in but beauty view.

I think $32 is a little steep for no services but it is a provincial park and the washrooms/ showers are spotless clean. We had a set of flush toilets not far from our site and I filled the water before we parked so it was okay. Leslie contacted her childhood friend through messenger but there is a problem. She has the flu and her husband is working super early in the morning so our timing couldn't be worse. We are visiting my sister next in Penticton and I'm not going anywhere near the flu bug before that. Unfortunately we had to try another time. Too bad really. How cool to see somebody after 40 years? I'm sure we'll be back through again before too long, maybe then. So now we have a couple days to get some projects done and a little relaxing. We have a cell signal for the blog and 1 OTA TV channel. We get Survivor so Leslie is a happy girl. Just have to stretch that genny run time rule. We are on this row alone almost so I don't think that will matter much. 

Sept 26

First on our chore list is groceries and a trip to Home hardware in Vernon. There are some nice murals on the buildings downtown. Vernon has grown lots over the years. I haven't stopped here since the mid 80's so it's not unexpected??! The trim pieces on the front of the trailer are loose and screws are stripped so that's our job today. Removing the old caulking is a tough task but with a little patience and a new blade on the exacto knife it will happen.

Need my glasses to see up close.

A choice of scrapers and screw drivers.

That whole piece needs to come off.

We managed to get one side done and underneath the front on that side. What a pain working from our knees looking up for a couple hours. Good thing we brought knee pads. Once done we decided on a little walk in the park. Margaret has been sitting in the truck all afternoon and she's ready for a stretch.

Beautiful park and the lake is so green.

Converted rail trail along the lake.

After our walk we just had a nice supper and watched a little TV before bed. Moving again tomorrow.

Sept 27

We're moving to Penticton this afternoon. It's only a couple hours drive but through Kelowna. Usually lots of traffic through the valley so we are just taking our time and enjoying the drive along the lake. 

Nice tables at Kekuli park and a lovely table model!

Getting close to Penticton.

The view from our site at Wright's Beach Camp on Skaha Lake

We texted my niece, Terryn, to let her know we're in town but it's too late to go anywhere tonight so we'll get a fresh start in the morning.

Sept 28

We had originally planned to go east from Golden after the race but thanks to this new lifestyle we changed on the fly to come here to Penticton. I grew up here from 1975 - 85 and my sisters have moved and come back again.

Unfortunately we learned at Shannon's wedding that my sister Margi's cancer has returned with a vengeance so she is fighting that battle right now. Leslie and I are so grateful that we can change our plans and be here to help in a small way. We'll head across the border around Oct 15 but for now we can visit and help if needed.

We drove up to where my sister is being cared for right next to the hospital. Terryn is basically living there too and helping her Mom deal with all the stuff. Terryn is an LPN so she knows all too well how to help. So glad she's doing what she is doing for her Mom. So with some big hugs and a couple tears we said hello and were able to take Margi outside in the sun for a nice visit. Anyone who has had to deal with this horrible illness knows that the treatment can be as hard as anything so Margie is a little weak but in great spirits and we laughed and talked for a good while. Around 1 o'clock we decided to have lunch with Terryn at a pub called the Copper Mug. It's been here forever and always had good food. Still does fortunately. We chatted with Terryn and met some of her friends that happened to be there too. After lunch I need to find my sister Donna's house so we called her to see if we could come over. Of course! Off we go to Donna and her husband Dennis's place for coffee.

Donna and me, my brother and I got the height :)

We sat and visited for long enough that it was supper time. Yeah the youngest kid knows how to time his visits. Dennis was already planning their supper and asked if we wanted to join. Sure! He felt it was nothing special with potatoes, vegetables and some really good sausages from a local butcher but it was great! Margaret put on her cutest face beside the table and she enjoyed some of the delicious sausage too. Thanks guys for supper and Margaret says thanks too. We said good night soon after and went back to the rig.

Sept 29

It's been almost a week since my run but we both want to get out for some exercise. We like to call it Funday Runday! 

Ready to go!

We took advantage of the KVR(Kettle Valley Rail) trail that runs right along Skaha Lake below our rig. It is a fantastic trail that was a rail line many many years ago. It's sand and gravel and is perfect for running, cycling or walking your dog. Super bonus so close to our rig. We both did about 4k out and back. My legs are still a little sore but it felt great to get out.

Fall colours beside the lake

Leslie on the trail. Super bonus to have this close.

By the time we got cleaned up it was mid afternoon so we drove up to see Margi for a bit. We stayed for as long as we felt we could and then just came back to the trailer. Cooking our own dinner tonight, tough times lol.

Sept 30

Real quiet start to our day today. It's raining a little and not that warm so we're just taking it easy. We get free cable with our site so we're watching a little TV and relaxing. In the afternoon we drove up to see Margi for a while and then stopped at Donna's to see what they were up to. Leslie made a big pot of Taco soup so we invited them over to see the rig and have a bowl of soup. My niece Shannon and her new husband Dan are due in tonight so we are all going to meet up with them when they arrive. Shannon texted around 6 pm that they had made it to the Sandman Inn on the other end of town so we'll drive over there. They hit rain and a little snow coming through the pass from Merritt to Peachland. Lots of fog too but they are here safe and sound. Time for a beer, yay.

Me, Shannon, Dan, Dennis & Donna

We enjoyed a beer and got caught up on newlywed life, not much different from pre-wed life lol. We said good night and made some plans for tomorrow. Donna is flying to Edmonton for the week and then driving back with her kids for Thanksgiving. Shannon and Dan are staying all week and working remotely from their hotel. We will all get in some visits with Margi this week and my nephew Bryon (Margie's son) is driving up from Vancouver. Going to be a busy week but should be a fabulous Thanksgiving. More on that later, stay tuned.