October 30 & 31, 2011; Val Vista Resort AZ

OCT  30, Sunday, Val Vista RV Resort

Another hot one, 90*F!  It feels so weird, a few days ago we were in long pants and sweater every morning, now it is shorts and sandals!!!  Terry took me, Moe and Cal to the wine store that specialized in all kinds of hard liquor, wine and beer.  We had filled a basket each; me with 2 cases of wine, a bottle of port wine, a case of beer and 40 oz bourbon and all that for barely $100.  When we got back, it was decided to go to a local bar for lunch in Apache Junction.  It was a really funky place in the middle of nowhere but the food and service was fantastic.  There were 16 of us, all from the park and friends of Terry and Glenda.  The bar had an outside patio but we sat inside as it was too hot.  Local folks come on horseback and some even carried guns as in cowboys but they have to check in their guns at the bar BEFORE they are served.  Once again, we had a good time with good company and afterwards we came home and we called it a day!  Val went to the pool for a while and I had a snooze then it was dinner and after, we went over to T&G for a drink as they were sitting outside watching the “Amazing Race”.  We were home by 8pm and in bed by 9!

OCT  31, Monday, another month ends

Up by 7 am, already it is 18*C (68*F).  I went to the office at 8:30 and registered for 7 nights then I called regarding the rear broken window on the truck and made reservations at Casa Grande (WHR) for two weeks starting Nov 4th.  I went to town and got one propane tank filled @ $21.
In the afternoon, we went to FRY’s for groceries and fuel for the truck then we came home and put everything away.
After dinner, we all went to a Halloween dance.  The theme was hippies from the 60’s.  Terry had a flowery shirt and a spiked hairdo with little lights flashing away.  Glenda also had a flowery over coat and these neat glasses made like a heart (see pictures). Val had a flowery dress on and she banned the bra!  We had a lot of fun, danced the night away and drank too much of course.  We were in bed by 11 pm.  A good way to end the month!

October 28 & 29, 2011; Holbrook to Mesa Arizona

OCT  28, Friday, to Mesa, Arizona via the Petrified Forest National Park

We left at 8:45 am and drove back 17 miles to enter the Petrified Forest National Park.  We stopped at the info centre where we watched a 15 minutes movie on the formation of the park.  I also bought $30 of fuel @ $4.25/gal. (talk about a rip-off) but I had to as I was down to one quarter.  Anyway, we continued into the Park and first looked at the Painted Canyon.  It was quite spectacular, full of vivid colors of grey, brown, red and silver.  We were on a ridge looking down into it.  The road makes a wide loop before returning to and crossing I-40 and continues South to the Petrified Forest.  There were points of interest along the way including the “Agate House Trail”, an old Pueblo dating back to 1250 and had 1200 people living there.  The next place was the Newspaper Rocks where we saw lots of petroglyphs.  We drove further south to the “Giant Logs Trail” where we saw a petrified log forming a bridge over a small gorge.  It is supported by cement trust so that it won’t break apart.  There were hundreds of pieces of petrified wood lying all over the field, some small, some big, some very colourful.  There are signs everywhere warning NOT to pick up any pieces.

It was time to leave so we turned south- east on Hwy 180 to hwy 60 where we headed south-west.  As we came around this curve, we had to stomp on the brakes as there was an accident; a guy on motorcycle went into the ditch and was laying face down.  The bike was quite damaged too.  We stopped to offer assistance but they had everything under control so we left.  We stopped in SHOW LOW to buy fuel at 3.74/gal and had lunch here.  We turned west on 260 and finally south on 87 at Payson.  The drive was spectacular.  On 260 we drove to the rim and saw all the mountain ranges south and west.  We went down on this beautiful 4 lane highway to Payson.  Hwy 87 was lower but as spectacular.  In all we went from 7600’ down to 1200 feet in Mesa.  We finally arrived at Val Vista RV Park around 5:30 pm and the gate security took us to our site, 106, three doors down from Glenda and Terry.  Terry had made arrangements to have them wait for us and take us to our site.

After setting up, we went to T&G where they were having Happy Hour with their neighbours.  We had a couple beers then called it quit for the night.  It has been a long but wonderful day!  We took lots of pictures and most are on PICASA folder #80.  Time to go to bed!

N   23* 25.126’
W 111* 45.127’
Alt: 1275 feet

We drove 275 miles (445km) @ an average 48 mph in almost 7.5 hours.

OCT  29, Saturday, Val Vista, Mesa, Arizona

We got up to a very nice sunshine and already, at 7:30 am, it is a balmy 20*C (70*F)!  We went out with T&G to a local flea market being held at a church then for breakfast in Apache Junction which was cheap and delicious.  Afterwards, we went to the Mesa flea market and got a “Happy Hour” flag and a couple other small items.  We came home via Wal-Mart so that I could buy a time card for my phone.  It is 88*F outside (29*C) but almost 95* F inside Bear so the A/C went on full blast...should have done that BEFORE we left!

We ended back at T&G’s place for Happy Hour after they had a swim at the pool.  Friends of theirs, Moe and Kal came over to join us and we ended up having BBQ hamburgers.  We had lots of fun and good laughs.

Oct 24 to 27, 2011 Cheyenne, Wyoming to Holbrook, Arizona via Santa Fe, New Mexico

OCT 24, 2011; Monday, onwards to Santa Fe, New Mexico
We left Cheyenne at 9:20 am, quite late actually for us. We fuelled at Flying J @ 3.74/gal and headed south on I-25. It was busy going through Denver and we stopped in Colorado Springs for fuel (3.89/gal) and lunch. We continued on and it was great seeing what we had missed when we came through previously in a snow storm heading north! Anyway, we arrived in Raton, New Mexico around 4 pm where we decided to spend the night. We have WIFI and I have uploaded some pictures in folder # 80. The forecast is still for snow by tomorrow night but right now it is a balmy 80*F (25*C) at 6500 feet! The “Beast” has been performing quite well as I’ve been pushing it to 65-70 mph (2200 RPM) most of the way. Believe it or not, I get quite good fuel mileage at that rpm level but it’s hard on my nerves and concentration levels. I prefer going at 55-60 mph!

N 36* 52.900’
W 104* 25.878
Alt: 6549 feet
We travelled 326 miles (528Km) in 5.5 hours @ an average 58 mph


OCT 25, Tuesday, Santa Fe, New Mexico
We got up to a beautiful sunrise. We left around 9:30 am after paying for the night. The drive on I-25 was quite monotonous! Scenery consisted of fields of prairie grass and low mountains in the distance. We stopped in Wagon Mound for fuel @ 3.79/gal then continued on. At Las Vegas, New Mexico (yes you are reading right) the scenery changed and we entered the mountain range. We climbed to 7600 feet and eventually arrived at our campground, Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground, near Santa Fe. As I backed in, Val informed me that we had a flat on the right side of the trailer. Can you believe it!!! Anyway, I called AAA and had them come out and put the spare on. He worked for his money; he had to use two jacks to lift the axle. He told me of a place I can get tires for a good rate so I checked it out and found one to buy. We will take the rig there when we leave here and replace two tires as the spare has a big bulge on the side wall. Hopefully it will hold until we get there (10 miles away).

N 35* 32.725
W 105* 51.813
Alt: 7229

We travelled 164 miles in 2 hrs and 55 minutes @ an average 55mph


OCT 26, Wednesday, Santa Fe
Well, the day began quite nicely considering all the warnings about freeze and snow. We did have rain last evening but right now the sky has a few clouds but also blue patchy sky (7:30 am). The forecast is for rain later today and possible freeze overnight but improving and warming trend tomorrow.
We went to visit Santa Fe central and the historic square. I took lots of pictures and have uploaded them to folder #80. It was really interesting. Our tour began walking through the Capitol building (Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico) then on to a church built in the 1700’ but the Spaniards and the Indians. From here we walked to the Square where we saw local Indians selling their wares. Val ended up buying a pair of earring for herself. They sell at a fair price and there is no tax! From here, we went to “La Fonda” Hotel which takes a whole block and is famous for its art inside and its food. At the lounge, there was a buffet for $10; all you can eat, consisting of local dishes. We filled our faces and our stomach...it was delicious! Then it was more walking and sightseeing, trying to work off all that food. We visited the San Miguel church built in the 1800’s and the Loretto church, famous for its staircase which spiral up and makes two complete 360* turn. The story goes that the nuns wanted to build stairs to go to the balcony but no one could built one unless they took up a lot of room on the church main floor. Then one day, a mysterious man came along and offered to build it and he did it with just a hammer, a saw and some basic tools in a bag then left without saying anything and asking for money! (See Pictures for more details).
From here, we drove up to Taos to visit the Indian Pueblo. This turned out to be very disappointing. We were charge $10 each plus $6 for the camera, then we had a tour guide who gave us a story on the place and what they do to preserve it then asked for money and never took us for walk around. Most of the places were closed as they are private residence except for a few where they sell wares. We did buy two little local individual pies which we promptly ate: they were good! It was raining on and off which didn’t make the walking around very pleasant especially with all the mud. The town of Taos itself is known for its art and artist and we didn’t stopped as it was raining too much and by this time we were put off by the rip-off we had just gone through.
We drove via 518, a mountain pass that climbed to over 8000 feet and was very scenic even though it was raining. We finally arrived back home by 6:30 pm. A long day!


OCT 27, Thursday, new tires and on to Holbrook, Arizona
When I got up at 6 am, there was snow on the ground and the truck; 0*C outside! We got ready and were on the road by 8 am. We went to DISCOUNT TIRE in Santa Fe and just off I-25 where I got two new tires and had them put on the trailer and made sure all the tires were at 80 psi. We were back on the road by 9 am and after purchasing fuel @ $3.79, we drove south on I-25 then in Albuquerque, we headed west on I-40. We stopped for more fuel in Mila for 3.699. The scenery was more desert and prairie grass, kind of boring after a while. It did get interesting when we crossed into Arizona where we stopped at the Info Centre where the rock was sandstone and formed some interesting shape. We had heavy clouds for most of the morning but in the afternoon it began clearing up. We continued on I-40 and finally stopped in Sun Valley near Holbrook where we camped at a Passport America campground for $16. I was tired and didn’t want to go anymore. Seven hours on the road is too much especially being up at 6 am. Tomorrow, we will definitely be in Mesa!

N 34* 58.876
W 110* 03.0358
Alt: 5253’

We drove 296 miles (479miles) in 5.5 hours at an average 54 mph

October 22 & 23, 2011; Livingston, Montana to Cheyenne, Wyoming

OCT 22, Saturday, to Cody Wyoming.
We left by 8:20 am and drove to Gardiner, Montana, gateway to Yellowstone National Park. We slowly climbed to over 5000 feet and the scenery was mainly prairie grass and rolling hills but we could see tall peaks covered in snow in the distance. At the Park’s North gate, we bought a year pass and drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs lodge at the 6500 feet level. It was a steep climb from the gate to Mammoth but we made it with no problems. The east canyon road was closed so we drove on the west side road which we had visited the last time we were here; at the intersection midway down, we turned left and headed to the east side and the highway to Cody. On this road we climbed to over 7500 feet and did see snow on the side of the highway. We turned east at the fishing bridge and headed for Cody on Highway 14. Here, we saw two grizzly bears, yes, grizzly bear: one was black and the other was silver/grey, awesome view and took lots of pictures. We gently climbed to over 8000 feet at the Sylvan Pass then it was a quick descent of over 2000 feet to the East Entrance gate. Here, we stopped for lunch in a balmy 52*F (11*C). (Kevin, if you are reading this, you would love this road, lots of switchbacks and curves.) As a foot note the speed in the Park is 40 mph and they do enforce it.
Near Cody, we drove by a dam and through two tunnels and finally, we arrived in Cody at 1:30 pm. It was a very scenic and wondrous drive! We got a spot at Parkway RV Park and Motel, paid $54 for two nights, unhooked, set up and went to tour the town. We decided to go out for dinner at a local restaurant and Country music show. The place was next door to us so we could walk over which we did. We had a good meal although Val had problems with hers and she had to order a different meal at a lower rate. Afterwards, we moved to the bar where we listen to live music and had a couple dances even though it’s not my forte. Came home and bed time!

N 44* 30.912
W 109* 05.675
Alt: 5047 feet

We drove 182 miles (294Km) in 4 hours @ 44 mph. We fuelled in Cody at $3.78/gal


OCT 23, Sunday, Cody
I checked the weather yesterday and it looks like it will snow here by Tuesday and if we dally too much we will catch it in Cheyenne so we decided to pack up and head down as quickly as possible so that we don’t get caught in the passes in Colorado. Cody is a neat town but everything of interest is closed for the season so sightseeing is limited anyway! I got a refund for one day and we were on the road by 8:45 am. We drove south east on Hwy 14 then 120. In Thermopolis, we turned south on Hwy 20 to Casper. The road was good and the scenery very boring. We alternated between 5000 and 6000 feet in rolling hills. As we got further south on I-25, the temperature climbed equally and by the time we arrived in Cheyenne, it is a balmy 78*F (24*C). The forecast is for a heavy snow storm Tuesday to Wednesday so we made the right move, we will miss it all by one day. We are camped in this funky RV Park called Terry Bison RV Park. It has a western frontage with a popular Steak House which actually delivers to your site if you so wish! WOW!!! It is a CAMP USA Club member which makes it a bonus. We didn’t try the restaurant. We have a beautiful blue sky and a warm wind.

N 41* 00.092
W 104* 54.246
Alt: 6077 feet

We travelled 407 miles ( 660Km) in 7 hrs @ an average 58 mph. We fuelled in Casper @ $3.92/gal

October 20-21, 2011; Missoula to Livingston, Montana

OCT 20, Thursday, Missoula
Another cloudy day with sunny period! Temperature got to about 58*F (14C). I went to Les Schwab and got 4 new tires on the truck; TOYOs! Afterward, I came back to the Bear and got Val and we went shopping at Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, and Staples. We found most of what we were looking for. We came home and unloaded everything then at 3 pm, I went back to Schwab to get a wheel alignment. After a great dinner, we watched the tube and/or read until bedtime


OCT 21, Friday, to Yellowstone Park
Well we didn’t quite make it!!! We left at9 am under cloudy skies. We got rained on in a few places but it did clear up by the time we arrived in Livingston. The highway was good and we went over two passes as high as 6000 feet. We stopped in Whitehall to fuel @ 3.86/gal and again in Livingston @ 3.96/gal. We stopped at the info centre in Livingston and had lunch here. We wanted to find out what was closed in the park and found out that the East side highway through the mountains is close but we still can make it around from the west side then cross over half way down then down to the lake where we will turn east to Cody. We also got info on Cody. By this time it was 2:30 pm and I decided to stop here for the night as the campground in Gardiner is closed (we called) and there is no power in any of park campground and since they are all over 6000 feet, I felt that it may be too cold to get caught up there. We are staying at Olsen’s RV Park in Livingston on Hwy 89. The sky is really threatening with black clouds towards the park but here, it is a balmy 60*F, windy and the sun is trying to shine through. The forecast looks more promising tomorrow so it is probably a wise choice.

N 45* 38.258
W 110* 34.784
Alt: 4517 feet
We travelled 241 miles (394 Km) in 4 and half hours @ an average 53mph.

Oct 18 & 19, 2011; Salmo BC to Missoula Montana

OCT 18, Tuesday, on the road to Salmo, BC.
The adventures begin once again! After saying goodbye to everyone, we left at 09:30 am. We drove on Hwy 1 to Sorrento where we stopped to pick up our 6 months supply of pills. They were short some and we would have had to wait over an hour, more or less so we made arrangement to have the missing pills ship to Arizona. We got on the highway again and just before Revelstoke, we turned south on Hwy 23. We missed the ferry by 10 minutes and had to wait an hour for the next one. Once across, we drove to Nakusp where we fuelled and turned on Hwy 6. That was a very tortuous road and hard on my attention span which isn’t that great at the best of time. My “exhaust Jake” decided to act up and stopped working!? I hope this is NOT a sign of things to come!? We managed to arrive in Castlegar without incident and drove East on Hwy 3 to Salmo where we stopped for the night. We paid $35 for electricity only; the water was turned off yet no rebate!? That’s the Canadian way, hey!
We’re inside warm and cozy and relaxing. Tomorrow, we will enter in the USA.

N 49* 11.267
W 117* 22.267
Alt: 2405 feet

We drove 268 miles (427 Km) in 5 hrs, 45 minutes. We left at 0930 am and stopped at 5 pm in Salmo, BC. Fuel was $1.299/litre


OCT 19, Wednesday, Salmo BC to Missoula, Montana
I was up at 5 am, Val at 6:30 and we were on the road by 7:30am. We stopped in Salmo to mail a birthday card then headed south on Hwy 6 to the US Border. We had a token search, lost one tomato and a bag of green onions. We were across in no time and got on Hwy 31 south. This highway was as bad as Hwy 6 in BC with lots of curves and switchback, downward, thank goodness! We stopped for fuel @ 4.199 and carried on. Eventually we arrive to Hwy 2 where we turned east to Sandpoint, Idaho. I topped up at 3.99/gal then it was east and south on Hwy 200 to Missoula. This was a very nice highway with speed limit of 70 mph. Unfortunately, the whole day was cloudy and foggy so we didn’t get to see much. In Missoula, we camped at the KOA campground and paid $28 per night. We paid for two as I am going to Schwartz tomorrow and Val wants to do some shopping. We arrived here at 4 pm our time (5 Mountain Time, here in Missoula). I topped up at $3.939/gal. We have full hook up except water so had to fill our water tank. WIFI is also available for free. By the way, the sun came out just as I finished setting up!!

N 46* 53.850
W 114* 02.598
Alt: 3182 feet
We travelled 320 miles (515Km) at an average of 50 mph in 6 hrs 20 minutes. We also got propane for $21.50 US.

October 15 to 17, 2011: final days in Lee Creek

OCT 15, Saturday
I was up early again this morning. Frost on the ground but it warmed up nicely as the sun rose. I dumped the sewer tank, lower the heat and we left for the Lower Mainland around 10 am. We stopped in Merritt for a bite to eat and finally arrived at Jeffrey’s place around 4pm; traffic was horrendous! We had a nice visit with Jeff and Debbie. She is leaving tomorrow for England as her mom has had a couple of strokes and now has dementia. We went out for dinner at a local pub and had a good time.


OCT 16, Sunday
Everyone was up early this morning. Debbie is all packed and ready to go and has to be at airport by 10 am. We said our goodbyes and drove back home. Traffic was light; we stopped in Hope for brunch then home.
At 4pm, we went over to George and Paulette for a drink and he downloaded well over a hundred books on my E-Reader so I won’t be without reading material this winter!!!! We came home around 10 pm and went straight to bed.


OCT 17, Monday
Once again I was up early! I don’t know why I wake up so early but I don’t feel tired so not complaining. Maybe it’s the excitement of our departure tomorrow!?
I washed the truck windows, put last minute stuff away, Val did a load of laundry and in the afternoon, we went to Salmon Arm for our doctor’s appointment, picked up our mail, phone Visa to advise them of our travel plans, dropped off our prescriptions at the Drug Store and last but not least came home to Happy Hour at Bob & Gail; Marcel, Ed & Judy were also there.
Tomorrow, we hit the road. YIPEEEEE!!!!!

October 12 to 14, 2011; final preparations

OCT 12, Wednesday
It was sunny and warm today although we did get rain later in the afternoon. We spent the day busying ourselves doing chores in preparation of our leaving. Flowers were pulled out, tree was pruned, took the gazebo apart and put it away including all the chairs, winterized the washing machine, put all the ornaments away that were outside, loaded the kayaks on the truck and put air in the tires and the airbags. Val did laundry and then went to Heather for a trim on her hair.
Marcel & Donna were at their new Park Model so we went over for Happy Hour and since they don’t have their propane set up yet, we invited them over to our place for dinner and afterwards, bored them with our pictures.
It poured rain for about 20 minutes in the latter part of the afternoon and I do mean “poured rain”, coming down in buckets but after, the sun came out and made things all better.


OCT 13, Thursday
It is definitely time to leave soon! We got up to frost this morning on the vehicles and grounds. I got a call from our wine maker that our lot is ready to be bottled so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Val went to Kamloops with Gail and Donna and I went to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and got an oil & lube done on the car. Once home, I went over to Marcel’s place to join both him and Bob in putting up the skirting around the Park model. The girls got home around 4:15 pm and we had H.H at Bob and Gail. Ed and Judy also joined us; they are leaving tomorrow for southern destinations.
It was a sunny and warm (16*C) all day and the forecast is for more frost tonight.
5 days to our departure!


OCT 14, Friday
A crispy morning but it did warm up in the afternoon. I loaded the rest of the food and paper materials in the rig, went to Chase and picked up our wine in bladders, had our mail forwarded to UPS in Salmon Arm, got some US $ and last but not least, bought flowers and a card for Donna & Marcel’s new home.
I helped Bob putting skirting around D&M’s Park Model but had to stop when we ran out of treated 2X4 for the base. Val had gone shopping with Donna and while she was out Joanne and Don from Logan Lake showed up for a quick visit. Don bought a new truck and was pulling their boat back to their house in Logan Lake.
Happy hour at D&M and Donna cooked a stew for everyone; there were 5 couples total and a good time was had by all. We came home around 7:30 pm, watched a bit of TV then went to bed. I called Jeffrey earlier and made arrangements about coming down. ED and Judy were supposed to leave today but he woke up with a very bad cold so they have postponed their departure.
4 days to our departure!

October 9 to 11, 2011; Thanks-Giving with the kids

OCT 9, Sunday, Thanks-Giving dinner
I was up early this morning and played with Val’s new e-reader, trying to figure it out for her. Everyone began arriving around noon and by 1 p.m everybody was here; 15 all together! The meal was a total success and Kevin gave thanks for our grand-kids for being wonderful and successful and made them his main theme on his yearly speech. Last year, it was the grand-parents. The meal consisted of a glazed ham, scallop potatoes, green vegetables and carrots, Rochelle’s famous jelly salad, another dish made with rice and other things, buns and red wine. For dessert, we had apple pie and/or pumpkin pie with ice cream. We had a marvellous family dinner filled with Love, laughter and good conversations.
Everyone went home around 4 pm and we just relaxed and digested our full day. What a wonderful family I have...I have been blessed more than I deserve!


OCT 10, Monday, to Val’s grand-kids in Coquitlam
We got a call from Joanne and made arrangements to go there by one pm. We spent the morning, reading, surfing on the net, showering and getting ready to leave. It is cloudy and raining this morning! We stopped at Staples first and return the tablet we bought two days ago and exchanged it for a KOBO E-Reader. We drove on to Coquitlam and couldn’t believe all the changes on the highway coming in...Lots of constructions and re-routing!
We had a marvellous visit with the kids and were amazed at the changes in Jenaya and how much more grown she is. McKinley was a bundle of joy for both of us and she made us laugh many times. We had dinner with them, Val played games with Jenaya and too soon, it was time to leave. Coming home, it was pouring in Vancouver making it hard to see the road and it finally subsided around Abbotsford. We got home at 11 pm and everyone was already in bed so we also hit the sack


OCT 11, Tuesday, back to Lee Creek
We got up early this morning to say goodbye to everyone, I played with my new KOBO for a while, showered and finally hit the road by 10 am. It rained all the way to the top of the Coquihalla Pass where the sun finally came out and the road dried out as we got closer to Merritt. We stopped in Kamloops at Costco to get a couple items then drove on home. In our park finally, we saw that Marcel and Donna got their new Park Model and after unpacking, we went over to help them cleaning and set up. Happy Hour was at Ed and Judith who also returned today from Saskatchewan. We came home, had dinner and relaxed from a fantastic week-end.
I have posted pictures in my latest folder!

October 4 to 8, 2011; more prep, new purchases and to Chilliwack

OCT 4, Tuesday,
More rain again today! We returned the rental movie and then went for a drive to Adams Lake as Val wanted to look at the store there and the village which consist mainly of summer cottages although a few people live there year round. We came home and had Happy Hour at B&G. They bought two single chairs for the living room and asked to store the extra couch in our storage unit so I went over after to clear an area as we will move it tomorrow. By the way, I bought an “I phone” 3G on line for real cheap and had it shipped to our friends in Boise who will mail it to us, hopefully before they leave for Mexico on the 17th of this month.


OCT 5, Wednesday
Cloudy this morning but no rain so far! I called TELUS and suspended our phone as of the 24th and reduced the plan to bare minimum as of the 10th. This is so I don’t get charge any extra while we are away as the phone will not be used and TELUS don’t have the “sleep” period anymore that they used to offer.
I helped Bob putting up the cover by the “clubhouse” for their party on Thanks-Giving. By the time we finished, it was happy hour at Ed & Judy so we went over for an hour then came home, had dinner and watched “Survivors” then a movie.


OCT 6, Thursday
A bear was around our garbage can overnight and made a mess outside which I cleaned up promptly. I guess I won’t be doing that anymore. We have blue sky this morning so hopefully it will last. We went to Salmon Arm for my final check up on the c-pap and received my own machine. Then it was a trip to Kal-Tire to get the front tire on the car fixed...it had a slow leak. Val had to go to Zellers for a couple of things then we went to Chase to return a couple movies and pick two more then home. It was cloudy in S.A but sunny in Chase and Lee Creek. We had H.H with Bob & Gail at our place and ended up sitting out in the middle of the street chasing the sunrays. It reminded me of San Carlos at Happy Hour and how we chase the sun by sitting in the lane instead of under the canopies.


OCT 7, Friday
I got a text from Rochelle that they (Rochelle & Kevin) won’t be going to Kelowna so we decided to go down to Chilliwack today.
We packed and left around 1pm. First, we had to stop in Chase for the Post Office and then return our movies. We again stopped in Kamloops to take a look at Readers at Staple where we ran into Bob. We chatted a bit then made our way across the Coquihalla pass and down into the Fraser Valley to Chilliwack. As we arrived in the driveway, Vanessa drove in right behind us. We hugged and had a very nice visit with her and R&K. Kevin cooked steaks for dinner then Vanessa had to go to work at Boston Pizza and we proceeded to drink wine. That daughter of mine can sure gulp it back!!! Anyway, we didn’t get to bed until past midnight.


OCT 8, Saturday
A nice day with the sun shining most of the day. Kevin took me to a couple of job sites his company is presently working on then we came home. Val and I drove to Abbotsford to Best Buy where we checked out some tablets and e-readers but didn’t buy anything. We came back to Chilliwack and stopped at Future Shop then Staple where we finally found a tablet Val liked and after doing some research on prices, we bought a 7” Acer e-reader with WI-FI access and e-mail and web browsing.
Hayley finally got home around 6 pm from Kelowna where her team won first place in the competition. We went out to Mr Mike restaurant to celebrate with her. We came home and watched football for the rest of the evening.

October 1 to 3, 2011; Volleyball in Kamloops & clean-up

Oct 1, Saturday
Well, got a text from Rochelle that the girls lost 2-1 this morning so they are headed back to Chilliwack. We will see them again next week at home. It is cloudy, drizzling and cool this morning. We spent the day inside reading and watching the tube. I went to Chase to the bank and stopped for a couple movies to rent.
Ed came over for a recipe and ended up staying for dinner at our invite of course. After he left, I watched the tube for a while and fell asleep on the chair then went to bed.


OCT 2, Sunday
I got ambitious today and washed the roof and sides of “Bear” then started taking the gazebo apart (bug screen) and put some chairs away for the winter. Happy hour at Bob & Gail then dinner and movie time in the evening.


OCT 3, Monday
Rain, rain and more rain! We went to Chase for some groceries and a movie then came home and watched it. This is the time one realizes how little a large 5th-wheel is small! I hate being cooped up inside. I did go out in-between showers but it didn’t last long. Anyway, enough complaining! I got our health insurance today so that’s one item out of the way for our travelling. Val cooked a marvellous pork roast in the Crockpot with miniature potatoes and vegetables...it was deliiiiicious!
15 days to go to our departure date!