BACK IN THE SHUSWAP BEFORE HEADING SOUTH FOR THE WINTER

We’ve had a busy week or so since I last had much to say.  We took the motor home to Tofino and had a great free boondocking spot with friends of my nephew Garrett.  Richard and I pruned the driveway before starting in to minimize the scratches.  We spent some time touring around and lots of time on some of the beaches.  I quite enjoyed the boat ride up to Hot Springs Cove and saw several whales, seals, sea otters and sea lions.  Our return some distance off shore was neat with the big swells we would climb over.

Our motor home did leak again just as much as the two previous times so it is back to the drawing board again trying to figure out the entry point.  It really poured on us the last night at Tofino and we were a little apprehensive about the firmness of the meadow when we drove out.  It turned out to still be nice and solid; whew!

The groom and his father (my brother Charlie).  That is Canadian whiskey not maple syrup in the bottle! 

The wedding layout

How romantic

Best man on the left and the groom's three brothers

The barefoot bride

The wedding was a lovely affair.  It took place out on the beach in front of the hotel with a driftwood arch and two rows of plastic chairs.  The bride and her attendants were all bare foot while the guys had sandals on.  There was a bright over cast at the time but the sun did peek through during the ceremony.  The supper later was excellent and the MC for the evening Zenaida, was super.  She was able to really bring things together by injecting lots of humour.  There was even a little dancing to finish things off.

On our return trip from Tofino on Monday, we spent four hours in a line up.  There had been a three car crash at Little Qualicum Falls turn off with two fatalities.  There is no easy way around that stretch of road other than rough logging roads that are usually gated off.  The bride’s mother and party were only a couple vehicles behind the crash.

We were stopped for the crash at Cathedral Grove which contains some of the largest trees in Canada.  Self portrait in HDR

The big old trees don't last forever

We received the news later that day that one of my uncle’s on my Mom’s side who was in the final stages of cancer lost his son (my cousin) Saturday in a drowning accident on the Thompson River.  So sad!  My uncle passed away last evening.

On Tuesday we took Richard and Georgia back to their home in Victoria.  We set up in Oceanview Campground at Sidney with their help then headed to their place.  After stopping for some groceries, Richard cooked up a nice supper of stir fries.  We got to visit with our daughter in law Robin at supper.  Wednesday morning saw us catch the 10 am ferry to the mainland and on up the road through the Fraser Valley.  We stopped at a rest area just beyond Abbotsford for a rest and read for me and a nap for Aileen.  We stopped again at the rest area on top of the Coquilhalla Highway for a break and decided to stay for the night. 

I had noticed a familiar motor home at the first rest stop and was surprised when it pulled in beside us at the second rest area to also stay the night.  We had met them at Ida Lake on northern Vancouver Island on the August long weekend and saw them again in Cluxewe a couple days later.  Small world!  I took Mitzy for a walk after supper and found a great boondocking site just a few hundred yards from where we were.  I briefly turned my back and when I looked around, there was that dirty little dog rolling in a really fresh cowpie!!!!  Aileen had just given her a complete bath that morning so was not happy to see what I brought home.  The couple parked next door thought it was hilarious and were quick to point out their cat who goes out on a leash would never do anything like that.  And no, I did not take a picture.

Don't mess with me!

Face off

We made our way to the Shuswap yesterday and are parked in the brand new RV site uncle Jim made for guests.  The sewer is hooked up and the electricians finished up wiring a 30 amp plug after we arrived.  However, when I plugged us in, it kept blowing the 30 amp breaker.  When we plugged in to a different 20 amp plugin, there’s no problem. The electrician said something in the motor home is drawing over 130 volts.  But why doesn’t it trip the 20 amp breaker?

I went to town later in the afternoon getting a start on some of our many errands and a few groceries.  It was much warmer than we’ve had since last fall I think so we got a little overheated.  It has really cooled off tonight though.  It was too cool to sit out after 7:45 so it should be nice and cool for sleeping.