Well, it has been a long time since our last update so it's time to sit down and get at it! The week after our camping trip to Loveland Bay was mainly spent taking care of chores. We also decided to keep the little trailer in our site to take care of a few maintenance issues.
Unfortunately, the weather continued to be drizzly on Monday (June 8) so not much got done today. We did have some morning visitors though...
The clear plastic inner dome on the skylight above our table came off, so after removing the retractable pleated blackout shade and frame I glued it back onto the frame using JB Weld.
I don't know what Outdoors RV uses for sealant but it's extremely difficult to remove. Even the decals come off with it! I went to Courtenay RV Specialists and asked what they use. They gave me an acrylic scraper and suggested using a heat gun and an Automotive Refinishing Wax and Grease Remover that they use. As far as the decals go they said they score them so that it doesn't tear away unevenly with the sealant. Earl was kind enough to loan me his heat gun so I got back to work. Thanks Earl! The acrylic scraper worked better then my plastic one and the heat gun helped a little, but the wax and grease remover was no better than the Acetone I was using. Geez...I thought silicone sealant was nasty to remove...this stuff is a bitch! I like to use Pro Flex RV Sealant which peals off easily like rubber. Needless to say I decided that I wasn't going to reseal the entire trailer...just the bad spots. Then I touched up some of the Dicor Self Leveling Lap Sealant on the roof.
Saturday (June 13) we were back into another heat wave with temps up to 29C/84F. Now that the maintenance work had been done on the little trailer, we took it back to storage, managed to get a walk on the Millard trail (mainly in the shade) and do a little shopping.
That afternoon, we went to Blue Spruce Ice Cream, a spot we have driven by umpteen million times over the last 3 years but have never stopped. We found the homemade ice cream expensive and just "okay" but not worthy of a repeat visit. At least we have now tried it!
Sunday (June 14) was another hot day, so our walk this morning was at Nymph Falls. Even on the treed trails, it felt warm and it was only 10:00 a.m. when we started!
Tuesday morning (June 16) we walked at Seal Bay Regional Park and then took a drive down to Kye Bay. The tide was waaay out and it was very windy but it certainly didn't deter folks from enjoying the beach. There appeared to be lots of school kids here on a field trip.
Steve took a short 28 second video...
Lots of whitecaps on the water...
Wednesday (June 17) we headed out on another road trip...and we're very excited about this one! We are going to Osoyoos, BC, for a wedding, but first we are stopping to visit Chris, Angela and Isaac for a couple of nights.
Steve noticed this young buck behind our trailer relaxing in the early morning sun while his brother was munching down breakfast nearby as we were getting packed...
Thursday (June 18) was a relaxing day for us. We saw Angela and Isaac off to work/school and converted our bedroom back into Chris's office so he could get to work. We did managed to get out for a walk at nearby Mundy Park...Mundy Park is a park located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. At 176 hectares (435 acres), it is the largest park in Coquitlam. The park has many walking trails that pass the park's two lakes: Mundy Lake and Lost Lake. There are also sports fields, a lacrosse box, a recently added outdoor swimming pool, disc golf area, picnic area, and playground.
Look up....waaaay up! One of the many gigantic trees along the trail...
Friday (June 19), was travel day to Osoyoos. This is the map from Courtenay to Coquitlam to Osoyoos...
We weren't in any huge hurry because check-in at the motel isn't until 4:00 and it's about a 4 1/2 hour drive. After getting through the traffic and road construction along the TransCanada Highway (hwy. 1) we stopped at Manning Park Resort located in E.C. Manning Park Provincial Park...about half-way to Osoyoos. It was a good stop for lunch...
Thank goodness for air conditioning too...as it was hot! (36C/97F, I think). So we sat inside relaxing in the coolness until it was time to go out for a bite to eat. Luckily, the Sage Pub is just a block away...across from one of the many beaches in Osoyoos.
We shared a 14" pizza...which was way too big! We ended up taking half of it back to the motel.
We were lucky to get a table when we arrived but the folks next to the windows eventually left ...
After dinner, we walked across the street to admire the view...
Back at the motel, we sat outside in the courtyard ...
Saturday morning (June 20) we were up early and took our coffee outside to the quiet, early morning coolness...beautiful! At 9:00 we met Gord and Esther (Steve's Uncle and Aunt from Edmonton) for breakfast at Smitty's Family Restaurant. We had a great breakfast catching up with them...and also running into more family members. We are really looking forward to seeing so many family members who are also attending the wedding!
Who is getting married, you ask? The easiest way to explain is that it is Steve's cousin's son, Cam getting married. Steve's cousin is no longer with us, but Cam's mom is Glenna who we have remained close with...you may remember my blog last October where Glenna and I had a mini girls get-away in Parksville. We have always stayed in touch and try to get together at least once a year.
After breakfast, Steve and I went for a sightseeing drive around Osoyoos. This is Rattlesnake Canyon, an amusement park...it has an 18-hole mini golf course, bumper boats, go-karts, a rock climbing wall, a 1500 square foot arcade with over 30 games...
Osoyoos Marina...
Royal Canadian Legion K.Knudtson Branch 173...
Gyro Beach Park...Located at the bottom of Main Street, Gyro Beach is the largest beach in Osoyoos BC and here you’ll find plenty of shady trees, warm shallow waters and swimming areas all within walking distance to our Main Street shops, restaurants and cafes.
Watermark Beach Resort next to the beach. This is where Glenna and the bride and groom are staying.
The wedding is being held at Over the Fence Winery...not at the main public area, but rather at the private yard of the owners. Cam and Jess are are good friends of the owners and asked if they could have their wedding there...in other words, weddings are not normally held at the winery. It must have been quite the ordeal for them having to bring in catering along with all of the paraphernalia required...but it was fabulous!
Instead of everyone driving to the winery, shuttle buses were arranged for guest pick up from 2 centrally located hotels in Osoyoos. The closest to us was a short 10 minute walk to the Best Western Plus, so we were there for the 3:30 pick-up. The winery is literally next to the Canada US border crossing with the Duty Free across the street.
It was a very windy day...which may have helped a bit with the roughly 35C temperature. Osoyoos is located in high desert, so its very arid...not humid like the coast. They requested that guests wear black (with white was okay), pretty hot colour to be wearing at these temperatures!
All set up for the ceremony...
Steve combined a couple of short videos into this 21 second video of the wedding party arriving to dinner and Cam perform "the worm" (too funny!)
Time to go...
The shuttles started taking guests back to their hotels around 10:30. It was really nice because they dropped folks off right at our hotels...so we were back by about 11:00. What a fabulous wedding and night!
Steve and I decided to sit out in the courtyard for a nightcap...not really necessary because I had already consumed plenty of wine! But it was a beautiful evening...
Sunday morning (June 21) after our relaxing coffee in the courtyard, we thought we'd get out for a walk. Unfortunately, it was extremely windy and not very pleasant as we walked the block down to the beach. There are actually a lot of whitecaps out on the lake...
After a brief look at the beach, we turned around and went back to the motel...at least the courtyard was somewhat protected from the wind...
Uncle Gord had arranged for everyone to meet at noon for lunch at Gino's Coffee House. A number of folks had already left, having to get home for work tomorrow.
Gordon and Esther came by for a cold drink...
...before we walked down to The Sage Pub where we met the cousins for dinner. Left to right...Steve, me, Bev, Cheryl (yes, they are sisters), Grant, Rob, Gordon and Esther...
What a fabulous weekend we have had! But come Monday (June 22), it was time to head back to the coast. After stopping at Tim Horton's for a bite to eat and getting gas, we were on our way. We stopped at a viewpoint to take pictures...
Steve also took a 38 second video of the Osoyoos valley...
Richter Lake in the distance...
We stopped for some fresh cherries in Keremeos...
More pictures of the scenery...
We arrived in Chilliwack at Doug and Jean's (my oldest brother and sister-in-law) at about 12:30. Good timing on our part, as Jean had made lunch for us. Thanks Jean! We had a great visit and were back on the road about an hour and a half later, continuing on to Chris's.
Jean, Doug, me and Steve...
In celebration of Father's Day (and Mother's Day too), Chris ordered in Chinese food for dinner. It was delicious, thanks Chris!
Tuesday (June 23) was a pretty chill day. Our doctor is here in Vancouver, so we both had our annual check-up appointment with him in the morning. Angela's parents had invited us over for dinner, so Chris, Steve and I headed over there at about 4:30. Lucy, Angela's mom, had picked up Isaac from school so he was waiting for us when we got there. Angela is at a retirement party for a co-worker, so arrived later. Thank you Luigi and Lucy for a lovely evening and dinner! Always great to see them! Unfortunately no pictures were taken.
Wednesday morning (June 24) when I got up just before 6:00, I was surprised to find Isaac already downstairs. Chris had ordered a "starter" bow and arrow set for him and it had arrived yesterday...Isaac was so excited! Of course, as soon as Chris got up, he had to put it together and they were out in the backyard trying it out...
We're heading back to the island today, but not home. We're going over to spend a couple of nights at Rob's. We won't see Angie and the boys as they left for Winnipeg this morning.
We said goodbye to Angela and Isaac when they left for school and with the car packed up, we were on our way to the ferry terminal for the 11:00 sailing to Swartz Bay. Thanks so much for your hospitality, Chris and Angela! Love spending time with you all!
It was an uneventful ferry ride, and we arrived at Rob's just before 1:00. After unpacking the car, Steve settled into his favourite recliner while I went into Sidney to pick up a couple of things. Rob got home from work and after dinner, we settled in to watch one of our favourite shows on TV...'Alone'.
We had 2 reasons for detouring to North Saanich instead of going home to Courtenay. I have a dental appointment Thursday morning (June 25) at 11:00...and Dave and Leslie, our friends from Leduc, Alberta are flying in at 1:30.
My dental appointment was for a much needed cleaning...and I was back home by 12:30. Plenty of time to get to the airport to pick up Dave and Leslie. After big hugs, we drove into Sidney and went for a walk along the beautiful Sidney waterfront...unfortunately it was cloudy with threatening sprinkles of rain.
We made reservations at 3:45 for an early dinner at Jacks on the Water, so with a little extra time, we went to Rob's place for a bit...then back into Sidney where we met Dave's niece, Terryn at the restaurant. They are here to help Terryn move to Kelowna, so they will have a busy week packing the U-Haul truck before driving to Kelowna next Monday.
Terryn, Dave, Leslie, me, and Steve....
We enjoyed a great visit and then parted ways...Dave and Leslie going with Terryn and Steve and I heading back to Rob's. Good luck with the move and safe travels!
Friday (June 26) we said goodbye to Rob when he left for work and then got ourselves ready to leave. We are meeting our friends, Rob and Nancy in Parksville for coffee at about 11:30. They are up there camping at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park with their family. We spent a good hour and a half chatting with them over coffee and then continued home to Courtenay. Always love seeing them whenever we can!
As usual, as soon as we got home, we unloaded the car and immediately unpacked our suitcases ...then it was time to relax! It was a great 10 days away...but nice to be home!
Beautiful trails! How many hours to drive to Osoyos? It was a cute when we drove through at the end of our AK trip.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a 41/2 hour drive without stops. Osoyoos is a beautiful place to explore and a popular winter destination for RV’ers from colder climates as its dryer and not as rainy and damp as the coast which has the warmest climate in Canada.
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