May 1 to 4, 2013; Gateway, Lee Creek, BC

2013 MAY  1, Wednesday, Gateway
Up early again this morning; it’s supposed to be warmer today and it is sunny!  Did some blogging and financing then I took Tucker for our morning walk.  Afterwards, O hooked up the satellite on a temporary basis in the bedroom then went outside to finish organizing the lockers below which I DID!!!  I can’t believe the amount of extra stuff we were carrying in the basement.  I got it down to a quarter of that amount.  I found our second GPS so updated that on line; also hooked up satellite TV in the bedroom on a temporary basis.  Dennis and Ruth got back today and brought our beer (9 cases) at a much cheaper rate then we can get here.  We had HH at Donna and Marcel again tonight.  After a good dinner, we watched “Survivors”!

 

May  2, Thursday,
Another productive day!  It was cloudy most of the day but a bit warmer than it’s been.  I unloaded another box that came from the truck and is now part of the Jeep.  I had a guy come over and hook our satellite to our TV; I couldn’t do it as the wiring was all about the Satellite dome on top of the MH and a meter reader was required to find the right one.  We got our finance papers on the MH and I shipped it right back after signing them.  I also cancelled the extended warranty on the trailer.  Our friend Brook, who has been away, came over to take a look at our rig and invited us over for a drink at his cabin on the hill.  After dinner, we watched the tube.

 

MAY  3, Friday,
Another busy day and it was much warmer!  I washed the MH, the car and the jeep.  I felt energetic!  I also went into Sorrento to pick up the air filter I had almost forgotten about.  I checked the batteries and found them to be still low so I think I will put the new ones on.  Val worked on the garden for a while and put up the bird feeder then Donna came over and the visited and planned a trip for next week to Salmon Arm and Kamloops for work.  I got a text from Rochelle that they will come out tomorrow for the week-end; looking forward seeing them.  I BBQ’ed pork chops for dinner then we watched the tube.

 

MAY  4, Saturday, visitors from the Coast
Another beautiful sunny day and again, much warmer too, what a bonus!  I took the old batteries out and put the ones in; those batteries are heavy!  I took the small propane tank to Scotch Creek and had it filled then came home after picking up a couple items for Val at the grocery store.  In the meantime, Rochelle and Kevin had arrived in their new car so we had a warm reunion and they were quite impressed with our purchased.  They also had some big news: not only did Hayley move out (she was the last one living home) but they leased a property in town for the business and will be moving everything over there.  WOW, Big News!  For dinner, I BBQ’ed chicken and Val made a salad.  It was nicely warm outside so we ate outside and no bugs around, how nice!  Once the sun went down, it cooled off quickly so we moved inside and continued our discussions and visits.  The kids have rented a room at the ‘QUAAOUT LODGE” near here, so they left around 11 PM with the agreement we would meet them there in the morning for the breakfast smorg.

April 28 to 30, 2013; Canadianizing our Motorhome and new batteries

APR  28, Sunday, back in Lee Creek
While Val went for a haircut by Heather, I took a few boxes to our storage then cleaned up the yard some.  After lunch I was organizing the basement when George stopped by and we worked on my electrical problem.  Well, FINALLY, we found the problem...my shore power plug was actually near extinction.  What I mean is that after checking a few things, George took the shore power outlet apart and found the plug had been short-circuited and was near burned out.  We took that apart and replace it with one he had.  That SOLVED our problem.  We now have full power without any interruption.  While we were working Paulette and Val were chatting so we joined them inside and had a couple glasses of wine.  After they left, Donna and Marcel came over and had a tour of our new home and we had a couple glasses of wine.  We had dinner after they left then watched a movie in the evening.

 

APR  29, Monday, to Salmon Arm
We went to Salmon Arm for an appointment at Cdn Tire to render our Beaver an officially and legal Canadian motorhome!  The inspection was a bit of a joke as the guy never checked anything except making sure the numbers matched.  We went to pick up our mail, had lunch, dropped off some clothes at Sally Ann then picked up the MH and drove to Tri-Crown to check on a satellite for the roof.  The price was reasonable and what I thought it would be.  We then drove to Sorrento where we got the MH licensed, insured then came home.  The process was not too painful but lengthy and we ended paying over $5,000 for BC Tax.  What a rip-off!!!!  OF course, we don’t get refund for the tax paid on the truck!!! 
We came home and had a glass of wine, dinner then watched a movie in the evening.

 

APR  30, Tuesday, Back to Kamloops
I got a call yesterday that our batteries had arrived so back to Kamloops we go and we picked up the car too with a new alternator.  On the way in, we stopped at HORTON for a light breakfast.  We picked up the batteries at “Freightways”, stopped for gas for both vehicles then came home.  I went to Chase and bottled and brought our wine home; we have another batch there already made so we won’t run out for a while.  Once home, I worked on finances and blog; Val worked in her garden.  We had HH at Donna and Marcel’s place then we came home and cooked dinner and watched a movie in the evening.

April 24 to 27, 2013: Organizing, sorting and buying new vehicle

APR  24, Wednesday, Lee Creek
It was cloudy when we got up and the sun did come out but not for long.  Last evening, I sent an e-mail to Monaco to get a “Letter of no recall confirmation” and got that this morning and it was FREE not like FORD!!!  I sent that over to RIV.CA and this evening, I got my inspection form to take to “Canadian Tire”.  We bought into RPI, a camping program and so I sent all the paperwork on that today.  I installed the new battery in the car and got it started and brought it to our lot; the brakes were stuck as I had left the handbrake on but they did come loose.   George offered his car so that we could go into town and get the insurance for it.  That’s done and we now have wheels!  For some reason I’ve been having problems with my inverter and the power going out.  Jeff and Dennis came over and I am not sure what exactly they did, but it is now working.  We sorted out more stuff inside and out in the “basement” so that slowly but surely, things are looking more and more normal.  I hope to have the TV working on the satellite soon.  Val is getting used to the “convection/microwave” and made another successful meal.

 

APR  25, Thursday,
This was a busy day!  First thing this morning, I took Tucker for his walk then started on sorting out more stuff from the motorhome.  I just can’t believe the amount of stuff we had in the trailer.  I then got Val’s car working as it wouldn’t start this morning.  I think the battery probably needs a longer charging period.  We drove to Sorrento where I surrendered the plates for the trailer and got a refund, I bought a temporary permit ($23.) for Monday as we have to take the MH to Cdn Tire for its Provincial inspection.  Once that is done, we will be able to put full insurance and plates on it.  George came over and looked at my system and we both determined that the battery needs replacing as they are not holding their charge.  I called TROJAN in Vancouver and ordered four new ones.  They should be here Monday or Tuesday.  I also called a couple in Kamloops who have a Honda CR-V for sale equipped for towing, he wasn’t home but his wife said he’ll call me tomorrow.  I also hooked up the washer and dryer and Val did a couple load of laundry.   At 4 PM we called it quit and had a quiet HH.  In the evening, Tucker got a bath.

 

APR  26, Friday,
 A cloudy day and cooler too!  I went to Sorrento first thing to pick up an air filter for the motor home and returned home only to find out it was the wrong size so back to Sorrento, they have another one on order.  I came home and washed the bugs off front of the MH then washed Val’s car.  I got a call from this guy in Kamloops who has a CR-V Honda for sale and we made arrangements to meet tomorrow between 1 an 2 PM.  George came over and tested the whole system and couldn’t find anything wrong; we will see how it is after I get my new batteries on Tuesday.  We went over to Ed and Judy for HH.  Lots of our friends were there which made it a big family reunion.  Tucker is not too happy because he can’t come; too bad kiddo, you have to learn you are a dog and not a person!!!

 

APR  27, Saturday, to Kamloops
After our morning routine, we drove to Kamloops.  As we arrived in the outskirt of town and stopped for a “Horton coffee”, the car began acting up as if the battery was dead, weak or whatever.  Long story short, we had to call BCAA and have the car taken to a young man in North Kamloops who had a 2002 Jeep Liberty for sale ( we were on our way to see him) and happened to be a mechanic.  He diagnosed the car and found it needed an alternator which was I had already suspected.  He ordered one and after road testing the jeep, we bought it.  We left the car there for him to fix at no cost to us except the alternator.  He wanted cash for the sale so we all drove to the Bank where I got cash and gave it to him in exchange for the papers.  As we were about to leave, the Jeep refused to start so back to his place where he replace the battery and the terminals and all was well once again.  (We seem to be cursed with electrical problems lately!!???)  We drove to BCAA and got our insurance and plates.  We are now owners of a 2002 Jeep Liberty, grey colour.  We went to Costco where we bought an outdoor mat for the RV and a bag of Ciabata buns.  We then went to Walmart and replaced the coffee maker which had once again quit on us; this time I bought a SUNBEAM.  Then it was down to South Thompson RV to pick up some bulbs and fluorescent light bulbs.  We came home and had dinner; Sheppard pie which Val made yesterday but we never got to eat.  I am presently listening to BLUES music, wonderbar!!!

April 22 & 23, 2013; IN BC CANADA!!!

APR  22, Monday, to Oroville, WA
We returned the car by 9 AM and were on our way by 9:15 AM.  We headed north on Hwy 17 and stopped for fuel in Omak ($3.89/gal) on Hwy 97then continued on to Oroville where we had lunch and bought a bunch of groceries.  By 1:30 PM, we were at the US border where we filled out papers for exporting our Beaver and make it legal.  A half hour later, we were on our way to the Canadian border where everything came to a slow crawl.  It took over 2 hours to get the papers filled, pay the GST on the price of the Unit and be on our way; we were NOT searched.  There was one guy looking after everyone waiting in line and he was in NO rush, believe me!!!  Anyway, 4:30 PM we were finally in Canada legally.  However this is not the end of the bureaucracy we have to deal with...more to come.  We drove to downtown Osoyoos where I got my internet stick active again with TELUS then onward to Oliver where we are presently for the night.  We paid $23 for the night then went for dinner at the local Pub.  We had a beautiful sunny day for our drive here and it is warm here.  Tomorrow, we will be home in Lee Creek.

We drove 183 miles in 3hrs and 50 minutes and it took us almost 8 hrs to get here!!!

N  49* 11.037’
W 119* 32.893’
Alt: 975 ft

 

APR  23, Tuesday, HOME!!!
Woke up to a cloudy day and it is NOT warm out there!  We were back on the road by 10 AM and after stopping at TIM HORTON for breakfast and a great coffee, we headed north on Hwy 97 through Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon.  We turned on Hwy 97C to Salmon Arm where we stopped to pick up our mail then continued on to the North Shuswap.  We arrived at GATEWAY around 2:45 PM and were greeted by our neighbours.  We parked and proceeded to unload some of the stuff plugging the hallway.  We went over to Gail and Bob for HH then came home and had dinner.  Afterwards, Val went for a walk with Donna and I called the kids to let them know we were home.  I also organized all the papers to send to RIV so that I can register this before long and license it.  It’s good to be home!!!

We travelled 165 miles in 3 hrs and 45 minutes @ an average 44 MPH

N  50* 54.328’
W 119* 33.203’
ALT: 1159 ft

April 18 to 21, 2013; Moses Lakes Washington

APR  18, Thursday, Moses Lake
Sunny with some clouds; a few neighbours have left so the place really looks empty.  After breakfast and showers, we went to town to pick up some groceries.  We stopped at Lowe and a few other stores looking for slip proof for the shower and finally found some at “ACE” Hardware store.  We also ended up buying a new printer, a wireless one so have to read on that too.  We went to a Burger and Beer pub/restaurant and had lunch then came home.  I had to go back to STAPLES to return the printer as it didn’t work so got a new one.  I finally got it working and printed some documents I needed.  We also got an e-mail form McMahon RV that our documents have been faxed to the border and we should be getting our documents sometime tomorrow.  Sure happy about that as it means we won’t have to stay as long as we anticipated!!!  We had dinner then watched the tube.

 

APR  19, Friday,
We woke up to rain this morning, how strange to see, hear and smell rain from the Northwest; it’s been a long time!  This morning, as I was in the restroom, I fell drops of water on my head and discovered that the vent above is leaking on one side.  Since I can’t find all my stuff in the lockers below, I called a Service Man to come out and fix it but I ended up fixing it myself, I borrowed caulking from someone in the Park and hopefully, it will hold until I get home.  I’ll have to make sure I re-caulked all the joints on the roof too once home as they all are dry, cracked and old.  I don’t think it’s ever been replaced.  While at it, I washed the windshield and added engine oil, what a job that was!  Val did a load of laundry, she tried the washing machine in the rig and no water is coming in (yes we checked the taps on the back).  Another item for home!
It is 6:40 PM and our documents have just been DELIVERED, at our door step no less.  This means we are legal to go home.  Now I can finally relax!

 

APR  20, Saturday
They have caught the Boston terrorists or at least one of them, the other was shot dead!  Those are good news although the National and Local media have been a little overwhelming here on the coverage.  Anyway, after breakfast and showers, we went for a drive around town, looked at SUV (NO we didn’t buy) for price comparison and found an RV repair and spare parts but no luck with the cover for the bathroom magic fan.  We had lunch at a local restaurant then we went to visit a local winery and ended buying a bottle of “cabernet sauvignon” then came home.  After a relaxing couple hours, we had dinner then watched “VEGAS”.  It was sunny with a cool wind today.

 

APR  21, Sunday,
Sunny!  Last day in Moses Lake and hopefully the USA as we hope to be in Canada by tomorrow!  We spent the day familiarizing ourselves with the rig and reading instructions and watching the tube.  We went into town to drop off some clothes then came home and cooked dinner, Val made a meat loaf cooked in the convection oven and it was very good.  We watched the “Good Wife” and “Amazing Race” in the evening.