Tuesday, May 21 to Tuesday, May 28, 2013 (Brae Island Regional Park, Fort Langley, BC)

Our final week here at Fort Langley sped by just as the previous ones have.  Tuesday, after the long weekend, was a very quiet day...it rained, rained...and then rained more...so we basically hunkered down inside all day.

Wednesday, May 22, was our wedding anniversary...31 years!  How about that?!  We were waiting for a package to arrive via Purolator so we had to hang around until it arrived. The package contained my new camera!  Yes, another new camera!  This one is dust proof, shock proof, crush proof...and...yes...wine proof!  After much research, Steve decided the Olympus TG-2 iHS should fit the bill! 

We had also arranged for Budget Blind Service to come out and fix two of our day/night shades...unfortunately, they had to take them back to their shop to re-string, but they were back and reinstalled the next day.

The camera arrived shortly after 3:30...as it turned out, they signed for the package at the park office and delivered it to us.  Thanks Shannon!

At 4:00 we headed out to Abbotsford...Esther and Paul had invited us out to their place for dinner.  On our way, we stopped at Fraserway RV so Steve could pop in and ask them if they could weld a bolt onto our bike rack receiver.  We will be stopping there on May 29th when we leave. 
Esther and Paul met us, showed where we could park the truck, and then walked us to their lovely townhouse.  Here is Esther preparing in the kitchen...




...and Steve and Paul chatting in the living room...

Time to sit down for dinner...

...and then dessert...yum...

After a fabulous dinner, we retreated to the comfy living room furniture to relax and chat a bit before it was time to say goodnight.  After hugs and handshakes, we thanked Esther and Paul for a lovely evening...it was really great seeing them again!

We really didn't do much Thursday and Friday...we made a trip into Langley.  Steve went into BestBuy to get a memory card and case for our new camera, while I popped into Walmart for a few things. 

Saturday we drove into Coquitlam to meet Glenna (Steve's cousin-in-law and one of my best buds) for lunch.  Chris and Angela joined us...YES...did it!  We have seen Chris all four weekends that we are here!  Driving into Coquitlam involved going over the new Port Mann Bridge...

Here we are at Cactus Club Café...

...and Steve, Angela, Chris and Glenna after a lovely 2 hour lunch.  So good catching up...poor Glenna has been very sick...for 5 weeks!  Started off with a fever, then onto bronchitis and then a super-duper head cold...poor thing!  But she is doing much better now, thank goodness.  After big hugs, we all said our goodbyes...see you in September!

Saturday night, we decided to have a "real" campfire.  Theo and Lauralee had left us some firewood when they left a couple of weeks ago and tonight was the night to burn it!

Our plan for the last few days in Fort Langley was to give the fifth-wheel a good cleaning...well, of course, the weather did not co-operate.  It absolutely poured out ALL day Sunday so first thing Monday, when we woke to cloudy but dry skies, Steve headed out to get started on washing the trailer.  I worked on the inside...giving it a good cleaning.  Unfortunately, the rain started around noon and no where being finished, Steve donned his rain gear and continued.

After I finished what I had planned to do inside, I decided to walk into Fort Langley.  While I was gone, another parcel that we had been waiting for arrived...the new satellite dish and LNB.  Thank goodness...we were getting concerned they wouldn't arrive before we left...whew! The old dish has blown over a few times and was damaged...the LNB was being held together with a zap strap and duct tape.

Today (Tuesday) was another busy day as we get ready to leave tomorrow.  I did up four loads of laundry while Steve got started on flushing the fresh water tank.  After adding some bleach, he filled it up and then let it sit for 4 hours.  While doing that, he also flushed the black water tank.  Of course, the rain started...and it really poured out late afternoon...sheesh...sure hope it's not doing this tomorrow morning when we have to pack up and head out!

Monday, May 13 to Monday, May 20, 2013 (Brae Island Regional Park, Fort Langley, BC)

Another week has gone by...again very quickly...but there's not a lot of interesting stuff to report.  As I've mentioned before, we are taking advantage of being in one spot long enough to get a bunch of "stuff" done. 

Steve finished varathaning the inside of the 'Grizzly Den'...a job that he has been meaning to do for 3 years and is very happy to finally have it done!  We also made a trip to Abbotsford to have our barbeque fixed...we found out that the problem we were having with the temperature (it was either hot or very hot) was because it had the wrong regulator on it.  The one on it was for those small screw on 1lb propane tanks, not the big 20lb tank we were using...sheesh!  It also required a new flame deflector (under warranty) as well as a new thermometer.

Wednesday morning, Steve joined me on my morning powerwalk.  He stopped on the bridge and took pictures of the swollen Fraser River...


A floating structure of some sort...is now floating debris in the river...

The water is rushing out of the pump house from the Salmon River...

Rowers on the Fraser River...

On Friday (May 17) the campground started to fill as campers arrived for the long weekend.  Unfortunately, it was a pretty lousy start...it was raining. Fortunately, although not as hot as it had been a couple of weekends ago, it didn't rain the whole time. 
The place was jammed packed!  A good time to have a "garage sale"...the fruits of our spring cleaning.  Unfortunately, the only thing we actually sold was an electric polisher Steve had been carting around since we started on our travels and a few things from the free bin went.

Lots of kids rented these peddle cars from the park and had a great time riding all around the campground...

There were also hay rides...

Sunday afternoon Chris and Angela came out from Burnaby for another visit...that's three weekends in a row...we only have one more weekend here before we leave...will he make it all four?!  We sat outside around our "campfire-in-a can"...

That evening, there was entertainment in the campground...an Elvis Impersonator...he was really good.  He sang not only Elvis songs but Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash classics.  The kids loved it...



Here, the kids are following Elvis as he sings Jonny Cash's "I hear that train a comin"...

He even had a pink Cadillac..

After dinner, we sat outside enjoying tea and cookies...before we knew it, it was 8:30...and time for Chris and Angela to head off.  It sure is great seeing them!

Monday was actually a pretty nice day, weather-wise...of course, it was also pack-up day for most campers.  The mass exodus started fairly early and before long, the campground was virtually empty again...ahhh....peace and quiet again!

Steve had one final thing he wanted to do to the Grizzly Den... apply Mono Seal to the edges of the wood panels on the doors so that they don't soak up the rain water and stain the wood...

 

After he had finished that, we decided to go for a bike ride across the bridge, along the other side of the river to Edgewater Bar Campground...our favourite bike riding trail.  As we were going over the bridge, a paddlewheel tour boat was just coming into Fort Langley...very cool...

 

The campground was virtually empty after what I'm sure was a busy time there as well.  The river is very high...a few of the campsites were actually closed...

 

As a comparison to see how much the river has risen, here is a picture Steve took about three weeks ago just after we arrived...

 

Horses playing in a pasture along side the trail...

The trail was very busy with lots of walkers and bikers enjoying the afternoon long weekend sunshine.  We had a great ride...and once home, relaxed outside for a bit of reading.

Just before 4:00, we thought we would walk across the bridge to The Fort Pub for a beer (or two)...after all, we had sold the polisher in our garage sale, so had a "spare" $20...haha!  The pub was a very busy place...as was the whole town...it's quite the destination for many to come out from "the city" to enjoy the quaint shops and restaurants.

Once home, I sent a text to Rob to see if they were home and available for a Skype call (they had gone away for the long weekend...Conner's first road trip!).  A moment later, they called...and there was our little guy smiling at us...Conner, not Rob...okay, Rob was there smiling too...as was Angie!  Conner is growing so fast!  We had a great chat with them...so good seeing them...I've said it many times...thank goodness for technology!

One piece of good news before I sign off...and one that Steve is very happy about...his ear is no longer plugged!  That only took four weeks since it plugged up on our decent into the Victoria airport on our way home from Cancun!!

I will likely do one more "weekly" blog post before we leave Fort Langley on May 29th.  After a stop at Fraserway RV in Abbotsford to have a finicky slider taken care of, we will be continuing our adventures and I will get back into the routine of daily blog posts.  Of course, we may run into some issues with internet service the further north we go...but I will continue to write and post when possible. We are really looking forward to exploring northern BC, the Yukon and Alaska!

 



Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 12, 2013 (Brae Island Regional Park, Fort Langley, BC)

Another week has gone by...wow, they sure fly by quickly!  It was another week of gorgeous record breaking temperatures as high as 30C/86F one day. Steve decided to take advantage of the good weather and embark upon a job that he has been meaning to do for the past three years...varnish the inside of the truck box (i.e. the Grizzly Den).  He thought he would do a bit everyday...so first of all, he started by off-loading the quads.  They fit quite nicely under the overhang of the fifth-wheel...we put their covers on them to help protect them from all the dust (the dry weather has lead to very dusty roads here in the park, especially when drivers don't slow down!).

Well, that was enough "work" for today...time for a bike ride down the trail here in the park...

Just never get tired of this view...

Tuesday morning, Steve started on the truck.  He decided to do the doors first, so he removed the metal protective plates from the bottom and sanded the wood.  Once that was done, his work for the day was complete...time to get ready for company.
Esther and Paul were coming out this afternoon from Abbotsford.  Esther was married to Steve's Uncle Don for a few years prior to his death.  She is a lovely lady and we are happy she has found another fellow...this was our first time meeting Paul.

Wednesday, Steve started painting...and he continued Thursday and Friday...once the doors were done, he started on the inside.  You may be wondering what the heck I was doing while he was working...well, I also had my work...inside the trailer (spring cleaning, laundry and stuff like that). I was also getting into the routine of a powerwalk every morning, between 6 and 7 kms everyday in 50 minutes...a great start to the day, especially with the awesome weather we have been having.

Wednesday evening we had a knock on our door...it was Doug and Zanna, a couple we met here in the park last year...they had arrived earlier in the day and recognized our rig.  We chatted for a bit and decided to get together later on in the week.

So Friday afternoon, Doug and Zanna joined us for happy hour.  It was great catching up with them!

Since we were in for a big weather change Sunday, we decided to enjoy the last day of sunshine and go for a walk into Langley.  We went through the Farmer's Market...not really all that much there yet, I imagine it will get bigger come summer.

The Sheriff car is a movie prop...they shoot a lot movies in Fort Langley.

As we were wandering around, we went into one of the antique shops.  We were absolutely amazed by the amount of stuff in Village Antiques Mall. 

Fort Langley has all sorts of interesting shops and the restored architecture is beautiful...a really quaint little community.

We found this old log structure on a side street...not sure if it's historical.

This is a very popular restaurant...Beatniks Bistro is always busy!

This is our favourite...The Fort Pub & Grill...

Sure enough, the rain started early in the evening Saturday...and it poured out all night and into Sunday.  Oh well, we have had one heck of a great spell of sunshine, blue sky and warm temps! 

Sunday morning we received a Skype call from Conner..."Happy Mother's Day, Gramma!"  Oh, okay, his dad was actually doing all the work but it was so good seeing him...it has been 2 weeks since we have seen our grand-baby! We had a lovely chat with Rob, Angie and Conner...a great start to Mother's Day!

Chris arrived shortly before 3:00...by himself this week.  It's Mother's Day and of course, Angela was spending time with her mom.  My hope was to see Chris "lots" during the month we are here and so far so good!  He brought a package for me...it was from Rob and Angie, I guess they had mailed it to Chris because they knew he would be seeing me on Mother's day. 
It was a photo album of pictures they'd had done professionally.  Absolutely beautiful pictures of their family...and a fabulous Mother's Day gift!

The three of us sat inside chatting and then around 5:30 we decided to walk to The Fort Pub...we had considered driving but the rain had stopped so we figured some exercise would do us good.  Chris was taking both of us out for dinner...for Mother's Day and for Father's Day, since we won't be here in June.  Steve and I both had their dinner special...which was advertised as 'steak and prawns served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables for $18'. 
Well, it turned out to be a steak sandwich with the steak barely a half inch thick!  Okay...fine...apparently there was a mis-communication between the kitchen and the waitresses.  However both our dinners were cold so we had to send them back. The food is usually really good...this is the first time we have had any issues...but it worked out well for Chris...both dinners were taken off the bill!

It was close to 7:30 by the time we were finished and walking back home...and after big hugs, we said goodbye to Chris and he was on his way back into Burnaby.  Another great visit...so good seeing him!