Hi ho, hi ho, It's off to Kelowna we go.

Coquihalla Highway to Kelowna

April 29th, 2017

From Cultus Lake we took the Coquihalla Highway to Kelowna, passing through some beautiful  mountain scenery.

Leaving Cultus Lake

In Kelowna we stayed at Holiday Park for a few days. This was a Coast to Coast resort and pretty much like a parking lot. However, it was only $10 a night and served us well to explore that area. We had come to the decision that we needed to upgrade out travel trailer and started to look in earnest for something a bit sturdier and roomier. We looked at several used Arctic Fox trailers but nothing caught our eye.

The Okanagan Valley is gorgeous, rivers, lakes and lots of fruit orchards and vineyards. Of course it was not the right season for fruit so we just enjoyed looking at the lovely scenery.

I think was Lake Okanagan

Short stop along the way

Our trusty little Ford V6 did very well with the mountains. Just take it easy and let the Ford engine do it's job.

Well manicured gardens at Holiday Park Resort

Our little spot. Timmy did not like those stones!

Holiday Park

Still lusting after the big busses.

Holiday Park on Ellison Lake

Ellison Lake

It was a great 4 days in which we drove down to Penticton, Summerland and Peachland. Such a beautiful area.

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Thousand Trails Cultus Lake, Chilliwack, BC

Thousand Trails in B.C? You betcha! The only TT park in Canada.

April 25 - 29th 2017

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Cultus Lake Thousand Trails Resort. We were there for just a few days but it was nice rest on our way to Kelowna. The resort is nestled in among the mountains and the forest. Just beautiful and it was free to us with our membership.

Here are my photos of our stay.

Cultus Lake

Thanks for following along. 

Riding the Sky Train into Vancouver and meeting up with kin.

Vancouver, BC

April 23rd, 2017

Today we took the Sky Train into Vancouver city and spent a few hours wandering around BC Place and few waterfront streets before making our way to Granville Island by bus.

Michael looking a bit sleepy. It was an early start!

Vancouver has some pretty awesome architecture, mixing the old and the new. 

Canada Place from the Sea Wall

Canada Place

The Drop.

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Vancouver Convention Centre behind me.

Float plane docks

Getting ready to take off

Bye bye!

Walking to the bus stop to get the bus to Granville Island

A sculpture along the way

Gas Lamp district

Michael next to a Gas Lamp

Blue building

Michael, Jason, Finn and Zuzana

Finn not to sure who these strangers are.

Jason and Finn

Finn, ZuZana and Michael deep in conversation.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. They are just a few of the many we took in and around Vancouver. It was cool and damp but still a wonderful day. 

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

We were all ears!!

Golden Ears Provincial Park

April 21st 2017

Saturday saw us going out to Maple Ridge to visit friends from our days back in Yellowwood Park in Durban, South Africa. We met Dave and Liz van Rooyen when we were all bringing up our kids in the '70s and Michael knew Dave though work. We met up with them again after we moved to Canada and they arrived here as well, a few years later. They lived in Ontario for while and then relocated to British Columbia. 

We had a wonderful day with them walking around Golden Ears Provincial Park. Some info about Golden Ears:

Nature and Culture

• History: The park was named after the twin peaks of Mount Blanshard near the peak’s western boundary. Originally part of Garibaldi Provincial Park, the establishment of Golden Ears Park in 1927 recognized the almost impenetrable mountain barrier between the two areas.
• Cultural Heritage: Human activity in Golden Ears, both past and present, has been confined to the accessible Alouette Valley in the south of the park. In the 1920s, the forested slopes of the valley became the site of BC’s greatest railroad logging operation until a disastrous fire swept through the valley in 1931. The lake and its forested surroundings were also the traditional hunting and fishing grounds for the Douglas-Lillooet (Interior Salish) and Katzie (Coast Salish) First Nations peoples.
• Conservation: The park represents the Coastal Western Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone and is characterized by a second-growth forest of western hemlock, western red cedar and Douglas fir. There are a series of sphagnum bogs at the south end of Alouette Lake.
• Wildlife: The park’s lush plant growth, numerous waterways, and mountainous terrain provide habitat to a variety of animals including beaver, deer, black bear, and mountain goat. 

Then we walked around the local area where the van Rooyen's live. Very nice residential area with views of fields and mountains. Sorry, did not take photos.

Michael and Dave on the trail

Rapids above the lake

Amazing colour of the water in the river.

A tiny waterfall.

Moss covered trees

Alouette lake. The mountains in the distance are covered cloud.

Michael and Dave fixing the problems of the world.

Liz and Dee. It was a chilly day.

There is that beautiful green river again

Moss on the old logs. 

Driftwood bench

Time to head back to the van Rooyen's house

Just gorgeous

The water is crystal clear emerald.

Enjoying time with old friends

Two gorgeous Yellowwood Park girls.

Thanks for following along on our epic journey.