Alaska Bound Days 17 & 18

Day 17 Miles 354 Hope Idaho to Pendicton BC An early start, I was up at 6:30 and on the road at 7:30. Drove to Sandpoint where lots of activity and street closures heralded their “Lost in the Fifties” celebration. Cars from my teenage years (aged better than I have) were all around town. Amazingly I found a parking spot and then by foot was able to find Bank of America to deposit my checks. In addition to the Fifties folks. the Farmers market was busy setting up shop. I found the van again, plugged my days destination into Greta Garmin and off we went. It was a different route than I’d planned. Mine took me by a Shell station. I found another brand and filled up. Driving away I noticed I was headed southeast. I was supposed to be going north to cross into Canada. I turned around and headed back to Sandpoint. By now there were even more cars and people and a detour. Finally I found the sign pointing to Canada. I crossed the border at 10 a.m. and the only inquiry was whether I had weapons (I don’t). She didn’t even ask to see my passport!
The day’s ride was through some spectacular countryside and up and down mountain passes. A couple of times I had a shimmy while braking on the descent. I am not sure if I have a problem or if it was the road condition. It shook me up though. There are lakes all around and a number of resort type communities. I also saw bicycle riders everywhere. I haven’t seen so many in an area since I was in the Netherlands and Belgium. The area where Pendiction is located is known for its wineries and fruit production. Vineyards line the hillsides and fruit stands are everywhere though most were not open. The area reminds me of parts of Germany and even Switzerland. I missed one turn on the way the Shirley and Sid’s but Greta redeemed herself and put me on their street. They have the same model and year Roadtrek as I do but with some differences. We bounced between the two vehicles comparing them. They had formerly driven a Prevost Coach, a much larger RV. However they spent 3 months this winter in the RT in California and Arizona.
My first request was for a shower. How’s that for introducing yourself? Every campground either had no heat in shower or no water. Sponge baths were just not doing it. I felt like a new person and then I was feted to a wonderful dinner capped off by delicious rhubarb pie. We talked well into the evening. I also talked by phone to Judy who is now in Oregon. We are going to try to connect on Vancouver Island.

Day 18 Miles 244 Pendicton BC to Vancouver BC I was treated to waffles topped with a wonderful rhubarb sauce for breakfast. We toured their incredible garden with raised beds which Sid had constructed. I took photos to send along to the gardeners in my life. I was on my way by 9:45. It was difficult to say goodbye since I don’t know if we’ll meet again. They were so kind and generous and we had fun comparing adventures.
I had difficulty yesterday getting my first gas fill up in Canada. My credit card wouldn’t work at the pump and I had difficulty figuring out the liters I needed for a fill up. Consequently I was already down to a half tank so stopped on my way out of town. The card wouldn’t work again but this time the woman was nice enough to let me fill and then charge another card. The problem card is one I use in foreign countries because they do not charge a conversion fee. I had notified them of my travel plans so I’m not sure what is wrong.
Sid and Shirley had advised me on the route to Vancouver which was #3. It was again a most scenic trip full of mountain streams and up and down the passes. I shifted down on the downhill grades of 6-8% and never experienced that shimmy. I did see an accident which I suspect was a motorcycle that went over the barricade at the edge of the road and down onto the rocks below. This is what I surmised based on all who had stopped and were looking down. I continued on my way but was passed by 4 emergency vehicles heading from Hope BC up the mountain. I can’t imagine how they will reach the victim.
I stopped at a rest area near Hope and had a light lunch and reviewed maps and plans. I called Ian, a second cousin, who lives in Vancouver and suggested that Monday might be a better day to get together. It is a holiday in Canada celebrating the birthday of Queen Victoria! I wanted to stop at Minter Gardens on my way into Vancouver and knew I would be pushing myself to stop by his house as well. The gardens are in a landslide area and were begun in the 70’s. I really enjoyed stretching my legs and seeing all the wonderful spring flowers. A garden wedding was in progress and a singer was entertaining in another area.
Greta found the campground without a problem though traffic coming into town was quite steady and building. The Burnaby Cariboo RV Park has a lot of nice features but the spaces are really tight. I had a challenge backing into my site. My neighbors are a Dutch family from near The Hague who rented an RV in Calgary. They are half way through their 3 week tour of the area and said they had snow in the Jasper Banff area.
There are lots of families here celebrating the 3 day weekend. I imagine tomorrow night will be much quieter. There is internet service in the “lounge”. They also have a fitness center and indoor pool and a vehicle washing facility which I hope I can use before leaving on Tuesday. Big Mama needs a shower as much as Sandy did! I guess that stands to reason after 4044 miles since leaving Stuart. In a way arriving here ends a phase of the trip. The next miles will partly be by ferry so it will be difficult to determine and of course will save both the driver and the vehicle some stress and strain.