October 18
Our day started on a cold soggy note, with slushy wet snow falling, only solidifying my decision to avoid the high country west of Kelowna on the 97C connector and the infamous Coquihalla Highway heading south. Road reports were that 15cm of snow had fallen up in the pass and conditions were less than perfect (dangerous) for at least 130 km along the route. Another problem that was immediately evident we that we left the awning out last night (rookie move) and it was snow covered and would not retract properly. A little broom work and it was properly back in place, so off we rolled, heading south towards Osoyoos to pick up Hwy.3, Crowsnest Pass.
The weather steadily improved as we headed south, with cloudy rainy skies changing over to patchy clouds and even some blue skies and sunshine. Our first stop was in Keremeos as we couldn’t resist the gauntlet of fresh fruit and vegetable stands all the way through town………picked up some goodies for dinner. It wasn’t until after Princeton, where the road became quite steep, and before you knew it, we were in the clouds with limited visibility. That lasted for a good half hour or so, but then we were downhill for miles, and the visibility was back to normal…….that was really the only bad stretch of the day.
It wasn’t long before Vancouver was in reach, and we made our way through town, still on the Trans Canada, or “TC” for all you other road warriors and cross country travellers. Our site was in Capilano almost directly under the Lions Gate Bridge……..handy spot, because the ferry to Nanaimo is just 15 minutes away, and Sam and Vytas live close by and are making dinner for us tonight. Great to see the kids again…….had a wonderful dinner……Jutta made use of Sam’s laundry. The RV park is a mixture of folks like us just passing through, but is a permanent location for many of the residents. I guess it makes a lot of sense for people to stay here year round.
So, not a very exciting day, and only a few pictures, so perhaps a good time for a Covid comment. We found people in Kelowna and at the wineries/restaurants/stores to be fairly relaxed, although everyone who served us was wearing a mask or was behind a plexiglass screen. For safety we did wear our masks, especially in the grocery stores and busier locations. To be honest, Covid seemed like kind of a non-event out here in the mountains. I’m sure things were different in Vancouver, but we never got a chance to see it.
Up early tomorrow to catch the 8:30 ferry to Nanaimo.
HUGEBLOGSITE 