Monday, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013; Here we go! First stop: Logan Lake.

The end of another month and the start of our Southern winter adventure(s)!  I was up by 5 am again, just couldn’t sleep!! It is a cloudy day but warm.  Val was up at 9 and after a lazy start of the day, we slowly packed away everything that is loose, started all engines, wheeled out on the tarmac, hooked up our toad, said goodbye to the McAllister and Judy and Ed who got back yesterday then drove off into the blue wonders for more adventure.

As we got closer to Kamloops, the sky cleared and the sun shone through!  We stopped at ``Flying J`` and took on $100 worth of fuel.  We headed up Hwy 5 and arrived in Logan Lake around 3:30 pm.  We set up at site 20, sent a text to the Kirkby’s that we were at the Black Bull Pub for ribs and a beer.  We came home and I had a short snooze.  We went over to their place around 4:30 pm and proceeded to have a great time and reminisced over the good old days.  We came home by 11 pm, it is cold out there, just a little above 0*C!

 N  050* 29. 880” 
W 120* 48. 053”

Alt:  3228 Ft

We drove 82 miles at an average 40 mph in just under 2 hours

September 26 to 29; Last days at Gateway and final preparations

After a light breakfast, we went to Salmon Arm one last time for my final doctor’s appointment and to get some groceries.  I stopped at Cdn Tire to buy a cross bar for Val’s bike so that I can mount it straight on the bike rack behind the jeep; I had one but for some unknown reasons, I cannot find it!??  We stopped at the Salvation Army store and dropped off 6 more bags of clothes; we are really serious about downsizing our storage, we can now walk in the middle and see the end of the container!!!  It is sunny with cloudy period on this Thursday!  On our way back, we dropped off our prescriptions at the Pharmacy in Sorrento and will pick them up tomorrow.  Once home, Val did her laundry and after it was finished, I winterized the washer.  We took the top off the gazebo, folded it and put it away, chairs are stacked and ready to go inside the shed.  I took the portable generator (to be sold) and the car’s battery to the container.  There isn’t much left to do!! 

Friday was rain, rain and more rain!  I picked up our meds for our trip in Sorrento and that was about it for excitement!

Saturday was more of the same weather; actually we also had strong winds and heavy rain at times.  We went to Sorrento to pick up meds as they had shortened me almost 3 months, just a mistake!  The rest of the day was spent walking Tucker and reading

Sunday, our last day at Gateway in the North Shuswap!  I loaded the bikes on the back of the jeep, packed the chairs in the shed, loaded the balance of the stuff needed, turned off the fridge in the shed and made sure it stayed open and finally, locked the shed for good.  I can’t wait to hit the road!  We had some clear sky for about a couple hours and the sun shone through but it soon clouded over and the wind picked up again.  We went over to Dennis and Ruth for HH; Donna & Marcel and Donna & Jeff joined us.  We had a nice visit then said our final goodbyes.  We went to the Pub for their famous Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, D&M were joined us.  I even had a snooze this afternoon after watching some Football.  It is a mild evening.

September 20 to 25, 2013; 10 days to Departure Day!

Today, Friday, we did something we’ve been talking about for quite a while and been procrastinating on...we went to our storage “Sea Can” in the compound and cleaned up a whole bunch of it.  We got rid of a lot of stuff and filled 5 big garbage bags of clothing and stuff to give to the Salvation Army in Salmon Arm the next time we go there.  I also gave Dennis a hand as he was cutting some plywood and that is hard to do by yourself.  Val went to Chase and got some distilled water for me and a birthday card for tomorrow.

Saturday was back to rain; I went to Chase to bottle the last of our wine.  After unloading the wine, I got some of bags of clothes loaded in the back of the Jeep to take to S.A. on Monday or Tuesday.  At 3 pm, we went to the main building and had a 70^th birthday party for a neighbour, Wayne.  About 30 people were present and we had quite a spread of food.  It lasted until 9 pm and we even had a fire outside as the skies had cleared earlier and it was a very pleasant evening.

More rain on Sunday!  After dumping the tanks, we had a quiet day at home.  We went for a short walk earlier with Tucker and daughter Rochelle called to chat in the afternoon.

We went to Salmon Arm Monday and dropped off the clothes that we bagged a couple days ago.  We stopped for some groceries then came home.  HH was at our place with 3 couples attending.  I even got a fire going.

On Tuesday, I got the car winterized and the battery put away in our storage.  I also installed the bike rack I bought yesterday at “Cdn Tire”.  Friends that we met in Mexico, Rick and Judy, came out for a visit and to pick our brains about our trip to Texas and other places to stay in the USA and to look at our new home.  We went to Quaaout Lodge for lunch with them and continued the “brain picking” for another hour or so.  We got back home by 3:30 pm and stopped at our “Sea Can” and did some more packing and loaded them in the jeep to take to Salvation Army on Thursday.  It was soon HH at Bob and Gail.  We had a very late dinner, sort of; grilled cheese sandwich as a snack as we were full from our late lunch and watched the tube for the rest of the evening.

We woke up to a sunny but cold Wednesday morning, it got down to 3*C (33*F), Brrrrrrr!  Today, I continued putting things away and getting the Jeep ready for our trip south.  I cleaned our fireplace and the BBQ and put that away.  I called Shaw Satellite and put our account on “Vacations” until our return in April.  Val took some books back to the library that she had signed out.  We had a small drizzle and all of sudden it got quite cold so we came in from outside.  Val my favorite...meatballs, potatoes and sweet gravy!  We watched the tube for the rest of the evening

 

September 14 to 19, 2013; 16 days left to our departure

Saturday was a quiet day.  HH at Bob and Gail and Judy joined us.  Val made a great salad for dinner along with a BBQ steak.  Another hot day!

I washed the Motorhome on Sunday; I timed it so that I washed each side as it got into the shade, even the roof was pleasant to do in the morning.  Val went to Scotch Creek for milk and wine and HH was at our place with Bob and Gail in Attendance and Wayne joined us about half way through.  Ed and Judy left early this morning for a couple weeks; he’s going hunting in Northern Alberta and she will be staying with family. 

Monday; I knew that if I washed the MH, it would rain and did it ever!  All night long and into the morning; we did have some clearing and I was able to walk Tucker and Val got a couple loads of laundry before it began again.  We watched a movie in the afternoon and Val made a hearty meal for supper.  I called VIRGIN MOBILE again this month for over-charges!  I am really getting disappointed in these guys; it seems to be a monthly ritual.  Anyway, I did cancel Val’s phone as of the end of the next billing because we will be in the States by then; mine will be next!

We went to Salmon Arm on Tuesday as Tucker had an appointment with the Vet.  After an hour and 5 BIG ONES later we were on our way to pick up our mail, have lunch and then get some groceries.  Val had a doctor appointment at 2:30 pm so we attended that at 0 cost except if you count the cost of the prescription for meds for the next 6 months.  We came home, had dinner and watched the tube.  It was cloudy most of the day but warm enough to walk around with short sleeves and shorts

First thing I did this Wednesday morning is call Mexico to make reservations for our trip then e-mailed everyone in our group. It is a sunny but windy day.  We went to the Quaaout Lodge for lunch to meet our friends Pat and Rick and found a big surprise; Bill and Tammy were sitting there and had been invited by Pat.  They soon walked in with Joanne and Don and we proceeded to have a wonderful reunion.  Bill and Tammy are friends from San Carlos, Mexico whom we have known since our first trip there, they live in Vernon.  We spent over two hours catching up to everyone news but unfortunately it was soon time to say our goodbyes.  Tammy gave us corn and cucumber grown from her garden.  We came home after a short drive in the neighborhood.  HH was at our place with Donna and Marcel who just returned from Lacombe, Alta.  The evenings are getting cooler each day.

Thursday was sunny again so I vacuumed the Jeep and cleaned the inside, put some stuff away for the winter and organized the Beaver’s basement.  We sat out for a while but it got too cold and came inside, time for dinner anyway!  We also got an e-mail from friends we met in Mazatlan and they want to pick our brains about places to stay in the USA and our reasons for the choice of a motorhome (they may want to buy one too). Oh and I made a doctor appointment for next week for me to get my final stamp of approval and a prescription for my meds.

 

September 7 to 13, 2013; Planning for the Baja

Jeff and Donna got here about two days ago from NFLD; they are getting ready to leave for Yuma and possibly Cabo.  Dennis and Ruth got back from Calgary last evening and they are also getting ready to leave for Yuma where they bought a place last year (nice to have money!).  It’s been sunny and cloudy all day and warm and no one is complaining.   At 5 PM, we went up the hill to Brook’s place where we had dinner and a few drinks with lots of neighbours in the Park and to celebrate Elya (Book’s girlfriend and Heather and Dan’s daughter).  There were about 10 couples present and a good time was had by all!!!  The food was great too!  We came home around 9 PM and under cloudy sky but still warm outside.

Sunday; Power went out this morning so had to get the generator going to keep the coffee warm and cook breakfast: pancakes!  Afterwards, we drove to the north end of Shuswap Lake which is known as “Seymour Arm”, a 163 Km return trip.  Of course we did some “Geo-Caching” while en route!  It was a lovely day, sunny and warm and we stopped for a beer at the small village at the north end and again in Scotch Creek on our return for the usual Sunday night Special: Roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding!!!  I got a call from my brother Gaetan who announced to us that my second youngest brother, Marc, was found dead in his apartment.  It was a shock to say the least and now we all mourned his lost yet celebrate his life!  He had a good one, however short it was...Marc Pauze 1961-2013!

Val did laundry on Monday then went to Kamloops with friend Donna.  We had a contractor come in to dig and fix the water leak in front of Dennis’ place; it affects a few of us too; now we have to wait for rain to see it has resolved the problem.  Another sunny and warm day!  We had a fire in the evening; it was a comfortable evening.

Tuesday, we took a drive to Barriere on Hwy 5 via Adams Lake road and did some geo-caching on the way there (25 to be exact).  We had heard a lot about the back road to Barriere and decided to do it.  The road was paved to the Adams Mill then gravelled for about 20 Km but excellent, then paved again from the end of the lake to Barriere.  We had lunch and a beer in Barriere then we drove back via the same road, just a little over an hour and a half.  We encountered a lot of logging trucks but the road was wide enough for everyone.  The day was warm and sunny and we had a very nice time.  We got back at 5 pm, had a drink then dinner...taco and rice & beans.

Val had a mammogram appointment Wednesday in Kamloops and afterwards, we stopped at COSTCO to pick up a few items.  We came home by 4 pm and had a drink then dinner.  Val went out to water her flowers and plants and I researched taking on Bell instead of Shaw; tomorrow I have to check our dish to see what make it is.

Friday was sunny and hot again, we sure are getting wonderful weather; I hope we don’t pay for it in the fall!!!  We had HH and our big “planning meeting” for our trip to the BAJA at Ed and Judy at 4 pm.  Everyone was there that is coming down (8 Couples); we had a good meeting, planning our route, ensuring everyone is aware what to do and not do while in Mexico, we even covered the food and items not available in the Baja.  Afterwards food was served then it was time to get some serious drinking and fun.  Ed even had a fire to keep everyone warm and George brought his little electric piano and we sang along.  It was fun and a great evening.  If this is any indication, we will have a great time!

September 1 to 6, 2013; Val returns from Toronto and preparations for next month

Sunday, the first, my last day of work and Val returns home!  This is also our last month here at Gateway before our departure for the winter.  I went in to work early so that I could be home early to greet Val.  Donna went in to Kelowna to pick her up at the airport and when I got home, here she was; full of smiles and a million stories to tell!  We had a glass of wine and caught up to her news and mine then we went to the pub for roast beef dinner.  The gang joined us.

On Monday, we did laundry; the washing machine broke down but thanks to Bob, he got it working again.  It got quite hot in the afternoon so we relaxed and sat in the shade trying to avoid the heat.  I BBQ’ed seasoned pork chops for dinner and boiled sweet corn; Val made a Greek salad and it was all delicious.  We watched another episode of “Under the Dome” then a new program called “Cracked” which Val saw the making of in Toronto.

We were both supposed to go to medical appointment on Wednesday but Val’s appointment was cancelled this morning as the technician is sick so we both went to Salmon Arm and I saw a specialist about the pain I have in the lower groin.  All is well, just a minor hernia which he says is nothing to worry about!  We picked up our mail while in town, had our usual breakfast sandwich then we went to Save-on-Foods for some groceries.  On the way back, we stopped in Sorrento where I picked up the insurance and plate renewal for the Motorhome.  We had lunch at home and relaxed reading our mutual books.  At 4 PM, we had HH at Ed and Judy whom are back from Alberta and caught up to their news, Bob and Gail joined us.

I had made an appointment for the Jeep on Thursday for 10 AM at TAG in CHASE.  Val picked me up from there and we went for breakfast then she took me back.  The jeep was ready; it had an oil and lube and the brakes checked...80% good on the front and like new at the back.  At home, I changed the cover on the fantastic fan on the roof and while up there, installed two new rotating vents for the sewer and grey water venting pipes.  I tried starting the MH later in the day and found all batteries dead, I had to use the Jeep to jump start it.  I put the portable charger on the coach batteries to re-charge them and left it overnight. It rained overnight and it looks like nothing leaked on the roof!  Two more things ready for our winter trip.

I went back to Chase on Friday, the sixth, and I got my power steering pump replaced as it was leaking oil all over our driveway; I also asked them about the problem with the MH and they figure it’s either the relay or Inverter but no way of knowing without checking it with a meter...one more thing to do before leaving.  While in Chase, I went to visit friend Jack and Mim and learned that we are having a mini meeting with all those going to the Baja at Ed’s place; looking forward to that.  It was cloudy most of the day and warm but it began raining mid afternoon.