B.C. to Alberta, Canada - Dec. 9-11, 2011

More Pictures!


Fortunately, our longest drive day yet (340 miles!) was also one of the most beautiful.  Unfortunately, Bloggie ran out of juice half-way through the trip!  But here's a quick scenic drive, Nelson, B.C. to just before Banff, Alberta:

Our lessons are coming in handy now -- as long as we remember to practice them!  But we did on this trip; calling the SpringHill RV Park in Cochrane on our way to make sure that they were open.  "Indeed we are!", replied the very helpful Bonnie, but they need 24 hours notice so they can clear a site.  


This information came to us in about hour 7 (and 300 miles), I'm sure Bonnie could hear disappointment in my voice.  But she was a doll:   She went outside in the dark, cold night to see if one of their sites might be cleared of snow thanks to the wind--and sure enough it was.  So we headed her way as fast as we could. (By the way, this was the last time we gave thanks to that Cochrane wind!)


We arrived just as she was locking up for the night, but that didn't stop her from welcoming us, showing us around and making sure we got settled into our pitch.  A warm welcome like that after so many hours on the road was delightful.  (Please visit the campground page at the top of the blog for specific information about the park, but click here for a photo of our pitch, and here for a photo of the park--remember it was December!)


Our time in Calgary was family related so we didn't do any tourist-y things, although we did enjoy a nice walk along the river in Cochrane, where everyone let their dogs run free.  Also, if you happen to be in the Marda Loop region, check out Phil and Sebastian Coffee (unbelievably good coffee in a great setting) and the wine store in Mac's shopping center (helpful staff and tons of great wines.)


What we did was spend an inordinate amount of time trying to keep Salt from freezing.  The Airstream comes with heated tanks, so they were o.k. but the lines exiting the coach (oh yes Kim, I wrote "coach!") are unprotected.  Further documentation of our freezing and de-frosting will be covered in the "Great Falls, Montana" posting.


-K

DITL - Cross Country Skiing in Nelson, B.C.

A Day in the Life movie - short but funny with lots of dogs working out how to walk in their new snow boots and just a little skiing . . . 

Nelson, B.C., Canada – Dec. 7-8, 2011

More Photos!


I love the phrase, “Happy Accidents” (a painting term used often by watercolorists when the water or paint goes a little further than anticipated but ends up looking great) and the Aventura has provided at least two so far: The first time I baked bread and ran out of flour, I turned to the most flour-like substance in our meager cabinet, Flax Seed, and thus was born my Flax Seed Bread; and now the discovery of Bibo. 


 But don’t let me get ahead of myself. 


As some of you may know, part of this trip is dedicated to looking at areas that might be Future Farmland of the Bryants. It was with this anticipation (and not the warning from a nice lady in Grand Forks that Nelson was great, “If you like dreadlocks”, which, of course, only made us want to go there more) that we entered Nelson, B.C. 


And what a lovely town it is to visit! Nestled next to Kootenay Lake and in the shadow of some of the largest mountains in the West Kootenay’s, Nelson is the epic mountain village. Full of great specialty stores like John Wards Fine Coffee (delicious!), Gerick’s Cycle and Ski (where we rented our cross-country skis and received the tip that Guiness was on tap at Mike’s Place Pub, and R.O.A.M (where The New Austerity was no match for the great salesmanship and product knowledge of Robin who decked Alan out in the latest hi-tech base layer from Arcteryx--highlighted in the product recommendation box to the left.) 


We stayed just south of town on Highway 6 at Kline’s RV Park, one of the few parks in the West Kootenay’s that are open all year. They happily provided a full hook-up pitch in a delightful spot along a creek for just $20/night. 


Only having one full day in Nelson, I was thrilled when Alan joined me for cross-country skiing (a DITL will be out soon!)  On the advice from the wonderful lady at the Visitors Center (oh yes, using all our resources yet again!) we headed up to the Nelson Nordic Ski Club on Highway 6.


Unfortunately, we did not start at the main gate but drove to a secondary parking area where there were fewer cars. We let the dogs run (first time in their Ruff Wear snow shoes--yes, another product recommendation, but they are great at keeping the snow from building up in their pads) and started out on Busk trail. This trail was described as a beginner trail, but it had way more hills (and, sadly, crashing-ly, valleys) than any beginner trail I had ever been on.  So after 90 minutes and many falls between us, we stuck The Noses in the car and headed to the main gate. 


There we were given a proper introduction to the trails and spent another hour on the truly beginner-level Apex trail. Delightful, although we both still fell at least once. (By the way, blame River for the fact that there are so few pictures of skiing – I just couldn’t carry around the large Nikon and ski at the same time, if only we had the small Nikon forever lost in the Rock Creek lakes area. Terriers!) 


We worked up a huge appetite so headed into town for dinner. First stop was to return the skis to the side door of Gerick’s at which point I looked up and saw the sign introducing “Bibo” (cue the harp music.) I walked up the stairs to the door of the most wonderful looking bistro—somehow elegant and rustic at the same time—like something you would find in the St. Sulpice area of Paris. They had me when I was simply peering in the windows, but I did pause to read the menu as well and, well, you just have to read it yourself here. Sadly, they did not open until 5 and we were in desperate need of a sun-downer (hey, don’t judge, it was dark at 4:00!) So we set out for Jackson’s Hole to quench our thirst. We were back to Bibo by 5:35 for dinner.


Bibo is a small place, maybe 10 tables, all effortlessly waited upon by Deidre whose talent at making everyone feel welcome and pampered is only matched by her talent displayed on the walls.


The food lived up to its descriptions and more: From the Speck Wrapped Scallops to the Rabbit Parpadelle and Chicken Cacciatore (with house-made gnocchi.) To top it off, the crème brulee had not the slightest taste of a hand torch (such a crime when it does.) Ahh, but if only this was a restaurant blog, I could go on and on. 


Suffice it to say that we awoke via our alarm at 5:30 a.m. with some pretty good hangovers but even better memories. 


-K


P.S.  A reader suggested that I add more pictures of the RV parks and I will, I promise!  I do wish I had some of Kline's - a very pretty spot.

Castlegar, B.C., Canada - Dec. 4-6, 2011

Our visit to Castlegar was primarily to share in the joy of opening the Melbra Estate, which was indeed delightful, evidenced by the movie which you can view from here or via our Movies! page.


However, the Melbra Estate wasn't yet open for visitors so we booked three nights at the Twin Rivers Motel & RV Park.  Except for a short fence, it was like staying in someone's backyard, although far be it for us to complain as they were the only RV Park open this time of year in Castlegar--and they had excellent WIFI.  (Of note though, they only had one full hook up site for visitors [the rest of the small area is full of full-timers] and although they said they had water at the pitch, it was frozen so we had to borrow the spigot next door.)  


But we weren't concerned with what we could or could not see outside of Salt, especially when Deborah & Mel arrived as our first Cocktail Hour visitors!  After cocktails, they treated us to dinner at the Cuisine of India restaurant which was quite good with authentic and tasty food--the garlic naan especially was a delight.


Our first full day in town Alan & I stopped in at the Visitor's Center (yes, we are finally learning to use all of our resources!), and received some (turned out to be bad) directions to start our hike up the Brilliant Overlook Trail.  Despite the poor directions, we eventually found the trail head parking and set off.  A nice hike, hilly and rocky (and this time of year it was a little snowy and icy in spots), but they warn you at the start that it is not a hike for beginners.  It felt great to work up a sweat and we logged just over three miles before heading back to Salt.


Our main goal for that day and the next was to get some heat tape installed on our exterior pipes as we had been in below-freezing weather since leaving Grand Forks.  (OK, my main goal was to get Alan to install some heat tape.) So Alan headed off to four different hardware stores while I did a thorough Salt clean-out.



I spent the following day with Deborah visiting my cousin Sarah and her two beautiful children in Trail - a movie of Sadie and Sarah's dancing lessons and class at Steps Dance Center will be coming out soon.  It was great to see my incredibly talented cousin (her impressive dancing career includes teaching at Arts Umbrella in Vancouver) sharing her talents with earnest young dancers in tow.  


That evening we enjoyed a picnic dinner in Salt with Deborah and Mel.  It was a cozy and delightful time during which Mel promised to meet Alan for the Mongolian leg of the Aventura.


Hope he remembers.  


I will not forget.


-K

Grand Forks, B.C. Canada - Update

Two important stops on the way out of town:


1)  The Shell station where we negotiated our way through a very unhelpful clerk and managed to wash Salt & Pepper in the RV-sized washing area on the far side of the car wash bays.  This actually was Rookie Mistake #2,013 as we then proceeded to drive on a wet, sandy, snow and ice-filled road to Castlegar, leaving Salt even dirtier than before!


2)  Happy Days Donuts - Wonderful service, fantastic cinnamon cake donut and Alan claims one of the best cinnamon rolls ever--get them early as they sell out fast.


-K

Grand Forks, B.C. Canada - Dec. 2-3, 2011

More Pictures!


Our delightful stay in Grand Forks began with a warm welcome provided by Lawrence and Karen Radford, the new owners of the Victorian Motel and RV Park.  A nice little spot right on the Kettle River with only a few pitches (one bathroom/shower to share among them), laundry facilities, and the best WIFI connection we have had in an RV park.   As previously reported, they offer full hook ups most of the year, but in the winter it is down to electric only at the pitch (bathroom and shower remain open and there is a dump station on site.)


The Radford's hospitality and knowledge of the area was most welcome:  When I asked about hiking to Christina Lake from the park, they offered that yes, you can but the hike would be 20 kilometers one way--too far for our limited time.  Instead, Lawrence suggested the hike you see in the pictures.  Still on the Trans Canada Trail (oh yes people, Alan had to believe it existed now!) but we started 10 miles east of town at the intersection of Highways 3 and 395.  This starting point put us in a much less populated area so the dogs had some time off leash (which they exercised by racing after a deer.)


Grand Forks might be on my list for Future Farm Land of the Bryants:  Charming little town full of happy people surrounded by hills and the winding Kettle River.  I enjoyed a mocha at Jogas Espresso Cafe while doing a little shopping downtown.  (Don't laugh, we bought a hair dryer [neither of us have much hair] as we are headed into some seriously cold weather and they are very useful for defrosting frozen pipes.)


-K

Moses Lake, WA, USA to Grand Forks, B.C., Canada – Dec. 1-2, 2011

Such amazing scenery!  We have travelled from Seattle to Canada many times before but never have we come this way—it is highly recommended!  We selected this route in anticipation of 1) enjoying the sunshine of Eastern Washington and #2) seeing the Grand (emphasis intended, as Alan keeps reminding me) Coulee Dam.  What we didn't anticipate was the beauty of the drive from Moses Lake to Grand Forks.

Starting out in Moses Lake, we hopped on the “Coulee Corridor” (Scenic Drive Movie coming soon!), Highway 17 North toward Soap Lake.  The beauty really does start at Soap Lake—driving through the coulee (which Alan learned is an ancient river bed formed by melting ice from the Ice Age) is quite impressive.  Just open, rolling hills above you as you drive near the bottom of the coulee—it’s like driving through the bottom of the Grand Canyon but on a smaller scale.  A must stop is Dry Falls, and you all know me, I am not fond of tourist-y stops, but it really is something to see.  (It is filmed as the ending of the Scenic Drive, but the light was getting low so I don’t know how much of the grandeur made it through the lens.)

After all this natural beauty, the Grand Coulee Dam, although enormous, was a bit of a let-down for me.  It is not pleasing to the eye like Hoover Dam, having at least four different sections with variable-looking concrete finishes.  Not pleasing to the eye at all.  But the Visitors Center is worth a stop to see all the photos from the 1940’s and the equipment used to build the behemoth.

After that man-made marvel (ahem), we set out along Highway 155 north to Nespelem where Simon (our GPS unit) directed us onto a questionable looking road:  The cut-through to Highway 21 (cuts through the Colville Indian Reservation.)  This stretch was sketchy—a nice road, but this time of year it held a bit of ice and snow so it was slow going.  But I love, love, loved the area leading out of Nespelem:  So gorgeous with their soft amber hills beautifully defined by the occasional copse of pine trees. 

Once we joined up with Highway 21 North, it became quite tree filled (i.e., can’t see much) until you leave the Reservation, then you are treated to some of the most gorgeous river-side farm land I have yet to come across.  There is not much in terms of services up this way, so make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave the Grand Coulee Dam area.

Our second day (Coulee City to Grand Forks, B.C., Canada—my homeland!) we drove 120 miles, arriving around 3:00 p.m. at the Victorian Motel and RV Park, whose highway-front sign promised, "The most friendly staff.”  They did not disappoint (although try finding an unfriendly Canadian!  Even the border patrol was nice.)  The water is turned off at the pitches this time of year but the electricity, showers and bathrooms, as well as the fly-fishing store, are open year-round.   

Since we left Coulee City with a full tank of water and an empty grey tank (yes, we are learning!  See Carpe Diem posting) we were good to stay with just electricity.  We pulled in (over the ice and snow berm), turned the heater on, took the dogs for a short walk (along the Trans-Canada Trial in which Alan refuses to believe--yes, despite signs--won't he be surprised by that link!), then returned to a toasty Salt for sun-downers and chips to celebrate Salt's foray into a foreign country.

I do love my homeland.  I’m just saying.

-K