Sunday, July 19 to Saturday, July 25, 2015 (Monck Provincial Park, Quilchena, BC)

Well...another week has gone by and here we are heading towards the end of July already!

Sunday was the start of a whole new work schedule for everyone. The Contractor managing our park has decided to cutback employee hours...from 40 hours each per week to 32...a bit of a blow for everyone working here. So a whole new schedule had to be worked out...meaning the gatehouse hours have been cutback significantly. It also means that there will be no overlapping shifts for the outside guys...so the morning fellows have a pretty hectic time cleaning all of the campsites, as well as cleaning twelve bathrooms and emptying all the garbage and recycling bins. Unfortunately, we are finding it much more like work...and not as much fun as it used to be. Oh well...it is what it is. So far it seems most of the parks are slower than normal with the exception of weekends and we don't know why. With the Canadian dollar hovering around $0.76 U.S. you would think fewer Canadians would be heading south to the U.S. Is it the early campfire ban and all the forest fires we are experiencing keeping people away? Maybe things will pick up in August before school starts in September...

With the new schedule, Steve had an extra day off this week and it was Sunday...so he decided to finally get out in the boat and do a little fishing....




Fishing was slow with only one small trout landed...
It was a beautiful day on the water but with no breeze it was quite hot...

I opened the gatehouse at 9:00...and it wasn't a very good start to the day. There was no water in the park and I was confronted with a number of very unhappy campers. Doug L, the manager, was busy figuring out why...and discovered some critters had gnawed through the wires of the control box for the sprinkler system in the day-use area. That meant the sprinklers had been on all night draining the water tank!  He soon had the sprinklers off...and the tank filling up again but it was late morning by the time the water was flowing down to the washrooms and taps in the campground.

I had a very busy day in the gatehouse and was happy when my shift was over at 4:00. Mind you, leaving the air-conditioned gatehouse was a bit of a shock...it was a hot one out there with the temp on our thermometer showing 35C/94F. Thank goodness we managed to figure out our electrical problem awhile back so we can run our air conditioner.

We captured this picture of "Notcho" and her babies just above the compound...so cute!

Monday (like the rest of the week) was very busy for Steve...his shift was 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. He was the only outside fellow on, and as I mentioned earlier, it's a lot for one fellow to do by themselves. Thank goodness Doug L came out and helped out with the site cleaning in the mornings!

Just before 12:30, Sue and Doug came on to relieve Steve and I for a couple of hours so we could visit with Rob, Angie, Conner, Bryce and Angie's mom, Linda. After a great weekend in Kelowna attending a family wedding, they were now on their way back to Victoria and stopped in for a quick visit. We had lunch, a great visit...and then they were on their way...and Steve and I headed back to work. Thanks so much Sue and Doug! We appreciated you covering us so we could visit with the kids!

As Steve went back to work, he 'spotted' for Doug B as he went up the ladder to add chlorine to the water tank. The pump house has a water and chlorine pump system that's not working properly and the guys are fed up with having to continually babysit a system that should have been fixed months ago!


Tuesday afternoon, we had our American friends arrive at the park for a visit...Alan and Cec, the couple we originally met on our trip to Alaska (and have kept in touch with ever since) were stopping in for a few days. They had been at an FMCA rally in Cochrane, Alberta (attending the Calgary Stampede) and had made us a part of their travel plans...so glad you did! We visited them for a week last winter down in Yuma, AZ, so it was nice of them to stop in while in Canada and see us! We had them over for drinks and dinner that evening but we never brought out the camera! Sheesh!

Wednesday night after dinner, we walked down to Cec and Alan's site for drinks and dessert. Cec had made a peach cobbler with whipped cream...YUM! Thanks Cec.

We chatted for awhile and then headed home...we were both tired after the last few busy days! When we got back to the compound, Doug and Sue were back from their day trip to Keremeos...and they brought us treats! Fresh off the tree peaches from Doug's brothers orchard...as well as some cherries, apple and some pepperoni from a roadside stand that sounds like a "must stop" spot next time we go through that way. Thanks guys!

Thursday...and our last day of work before our weekend...yay! In other words, it's our "Friday night" and time for a relaxing happy hour after work...made even better since we don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to work!

Doug and Sue and Alan and Cec joined us. Here's my buddy, Tucker and his dad, Doug...

Steve grilled burgers, supplied by Alan and Cec for dinner...and Sue and Doug provided buns and the fixin's...thanks guys! Barbecued burgers...complete with all the trimmings, along with potato salad (also supplied by Cec and Alan)...YUM!

Time to refill the wine glass...









...as we sat around the Campfire-In-A-Can...Cheers! It has cooled down quite a bit the last few days, so was really nice being able to get the campfire out...

"Notcho" also came by for a visit...don't know where her kids were though...

We woke to cloudy skies Friday morning...and just before we were about to walk down to the gatehouse, it started to rain. We were going down to meet Alan and Cec and say goodbye....they are on their way today, heading through Osoyoos and crossing the border back down into the States. So very good seeing you again, Cec and Alan...looking forward to seeing you in Arizona this winter!

And they're off....

Just before we headed down to the gatehouse this morning, we had a phone call from Ray and Deb. They are at Lodgepole Lake, south of Kamloops and wanted to see if we wanted to meet for lunch in Merritt. As it turned out, we ended up meeting for a late lunch/early dinner (after our haircut appointments and shopping)...at the Grand Pub and Grill. We had a great visit catching up...see you again in September when we all end up back in Fort Langley!

Saturday morning we woke to rain...it was cloudy, cool...and raining! We really need the rain, so that's good but it just seems so odd! And being a busy weekend here at the park, it wasn't exactly what the campers were wanting. But it didn't last long...soon the wind came in and started blowing the clouds away. We ended up having a windy day with broken skies...this was good because I had lots of laundry to do and it needed to hang on the clothesline to dry!

We had a busy day doing odds and ends around here...laundry, as I mentioned, plus some cleaning and baking. Steve also did a few maintenance things around the trailer and emptied the holding tanks. It was after 1:00 when I decided to grab Tucker and get out for a walk around the park...I needed a break from writing this blog. After relaxing in the sun for a bit, Steve was inside...and after giving his dad a phone call, he settled in front of the TV to watch some of "his programs".

Shortly after 4:30, we decided to head outside with our cocktails. It was very windy out so we set our chairs up between our trailers...and called Doug out to join us. It wasn't long before Sue came wandering up from the gatehouse...her shift was over. We all sat outside enjoying our last happy hour together for a couple of weeks...that's just the way our schedules work out.

So that's it for another week...stay tuned to see what this week brings...



Sunday, July 12 to Saturday, July 18, 2015 (Monck Provincial Park, Quilchena, BC)

Our work week started with Steve, Doug and Sue heading off to Logan Lake shortly after 7:00 a.m. to attend a first-aid course. I took Sue's 8:00 to 4:00 shift in the gatehouse.

They stopped by the Logan Lake Visitor's Centre to check out the huge truck on display...can you see Doug and Sue down in the bottom left-hand corner?


 Then it was time to "get to work" at the first-aid course. They spent a lot of their time on the floor...
Sue doing chest compression's...
Their instructor Bruce had to rebuild his dummy...

All three passed the Level 1 First-Aid Course with flying colours! On their way home, they picked up pizza for dinner and we celebrated their success...way to go, guys!

That day a friend and fellow ATV'er from our club on the island (Cowichan Valley ATV Club) arrived to spend a night in the park. He is on his way to Clearwater, BC where the ATV/BC annual Poker Ride is being held his year. Unfortunately, we cannot partake in any of the ATV/BC events this year...one of the downfalls of working this summer...oh well. After dinner, we walked down to see Zan and catch up a bit.

We forgot to take pictures, so first thing Monday morning, Steve and I headed out for a walk around the campground and stopped to get a picture and say goodbye to Zan...it was great seeing you! Have fun at the Poker Ride!

After our walk, we chilled back at the trailer until it was time to each start our shift...Steve at 2:00 and me at 2:30. We had a visitor...this picture was taken from inside our trailer...


Tuesday I took a morning walk around the campground and then got ready for work. I relieved Sue at the gatehouse just after 11:30 so she could spend time with her visiting parents. Doug was also visiting and having lunch with them when I had to call him on the radio...a young lady who had been out tubing behind a boat had come up to report a bear swimming across the lake towards the beach and campground. He raced down in the golf cart, picked up the young lady and headed down to the day-use area.

The bear came on shore just beside the beach and ran up the hill through the campground...with Doug, now on foot chasing it. He was trying to keep the bear from going east, into loops 2 and 3, where it wouldn't be able to get out because of the fencing, so he did his best to keep it going up the hill west. He chased it along the edge of the compound, behind the water tank and along the fence...the bear made it out where the fence ended at the entrance to the park. We assume he crossed the road and continued up the hill. Now, that was a lot of action here at Monck Park! And Steve missed it all...he was inside the trailer, with noisy AC running and the blinds shut to keep out the sunshine. To top it all off, no pictures were taken...I guess that was the last thing on Doug's mind LOL! That poor bear must have been absolutely exhausted after swimming a couple of miles then being chased right away.

I only worked an hour for Sue and then had a few hours off before having to come back on shift at 4:30. Steve started his shift at 2:00. He and Doug had to once again put up the bear warning signs and close the hiking trails. Later that evening, he was cleaning the picnic tables at the day-use area when he saw some wildlife of his own...a little black critter...yes, a bat! They seem to hide in the picnic tables and the shade structures over the tables...yuck...
As Steve swept away this little fellow didn't even bat an eye (Pun intended ;-) )
At dusk he captured this picture of the momma deer with her two babies crossing the day-use area parking lot...

Wednesday brought more wildlife sightings...this is momma deer without her babies (we've named her "Notcho" because she has a split in her ear that looks like it is notched. She couldn't have cared less that we were so near her...Tucker was also right there with us and didn't even bark.

In mid air...guess I got too close...
More bats in the day-use area. As Steve was sweeping under the table this little fellow crawled out and very slowly made his way up the post then disappeared into the roof structure...

 Notcho in the day-use area...
There's Sue and Doug with Tucker. Notcho must have had her fawns nearby...she wouldn't let them continue along the path...
So they had to walk around...while she returned to her grazing...

Thursday morning we decided to drive into Merritt and get our grocery shopping out of the way so we wouldn't have to do it on our days off. We have plenty of time since are shifts don't start to 2:00/2:30.

I hadn't been at work long that afternoon when this big semi-tractor pulled in towing a large Toy/Hauler fifth-wheel. The rig is the same length as ours but certainly does not have the turning radius that we have in our truck. The site they were going into...#49, the one and only pull-through site...happens to have the picnic table on the wrong side if you enter it in the direction you are supposed to. So I radioed the guys and Gord came down to escort the rig in the wrong way along the one-way road. Steve stopped traffic at the edge of loop 3 and took this picture...

Friday...our day off! We had a pretty lazy start to the day. I was outside talking with Sue and Doug when we heard the big semi tractor leaving and went to the edge of the compound to watch it go...but we couldn't believe it when he turned to go down to the sani dump! The corner access into the dump is too sharp for us so we wouldn't even attempt it...couldn't believe that he didn't scope it out first!
Next thing, I get a text from Toni (who is working in the gatehouse this morning) saying that the big rig was stuck trying to get into the sani-dump! We didn't get pictures ourselves, but Toni managed to snap this picture (thanks, Toni!) Yes, looks like he almost lost the trailer onto its side...apparently he damaged his hitch.

By the time we had walked down, he had uprighted it and was back on the pavement...

Shortly after 2:00, Rob, Angie, Conner, Bryce along with Angie's Mom, Linda, visiting the kids from Winnipeg, arrived for a visit. They were on their way to a wedding in Kelowna for the weekend and stopped in to visit. Good timing...Conner is not used to long road trips and was getting rather "antsy"...saying he "needed some action!" Too cute! We sat inside visiting while our guests ate the sandwiches I had made.

Grampa with Bryce...hard to believe he is 9 weeks old, he's grown so much since we last saw him!


After lunch, it was time to check out the day-use area...the playground was first on Conner's agenda...

At about this point going down the slide, Conner decided to try to turn over onto his stomach and ended up hitting his mouth on the edge of the slide...result was a fat lip. Oh, oh...not a good start but he rebounded well and he was soon back enjoying the playground equipment...



 Then it was time to go down to the beach!


 It was quite windy out...Conner wasn't sure about those waves...




The two Grandmas...Gramma (Dianne) and Grannie (Linda)...


 Angie loves the water...soon had Conner in with her...




After a fun time at the beach, we walked back up the hill towards the compound. We stopped at the gatehouse where everyone met Sue and Grampa bought Conner a freezie. Back up in the compound, Steve took Conner (and Dad) for a ride in the golf cart...

Since Sue and Doug were working, Tucker was inside their trailer, so I brought him out to meet everyone...Conner had a great time throwing Tucker's toy for him...

Whew...what a busy afternoon! Playground, beach, playing with Tucker...Conner was tired, so time to relax with a snack....

And before we knew it, it was time for our visitors to continue onto Kelowna. So absolutely wonderful that they were able to stop for a visit!!! Bye guys, hopefully we'll see you Monday on your way back home! I think Conner would like another visit to the playground and beach...besides, he left one of his toys here...(Conner, Rob, Angie holding Bryce and Linda)

Sunday, another day off, was a pretty laid back kinda day. After our usual coffee start, we did our resistance exercises and then I put a load of laundry on. Steve had a shower while I cooked breakfast, then after doing up the dishes, I made a tray of lasagna...then jumped in the shower.

Other than a walk around the campground, we didn't really do much. Steve did his weekly tank emptying and I worked on this blog.

And that's it for another week here at Monck....