Sunday, July 5 to Saturday, July 11, 2015 (Monck Provincial Park, Quilchena, BC)

Here we are into July...and another week of work. We're both working days this week...Steve starts at 7:00 a.m. and I open the gatehouse at 8:00 a.m.

There was a mass exodus of campers leaving the park Sunday...approximately 91, which meant an awful lot of sites to be cleaned in preparation for some reservations coming in today. The outside staff had a very busy day and the temps this week are reaching 34C/94F! I was fairly steady in the gatehouse and when Sue relieved me, I went and did a couple of hours of recycling.
Doug L with a pickup truck load of garbage out of a few campsites...some people are such pigs!


Monday, was a quiet day for me in the gatehouse. Not so for Steve, though...he was the only one working the early shift (7:00 - 3:00). After cleaning bathrooms, emptying all garbage, recycling bins...and taking care of the septic truck fellow, he finally got to cleaning sites. Good thing there were only about 20 or so to do!

It was a little cooler and quite hazy today with all of the wildfires burning throughout the province. By the time I got off shift at 4:00, it was really smokey...I guess the wind brought more smoke in. It's going to be a very bad wildfire season...and it's only the beginning of July.

Steve had a visitor while cleaning the day use area...

It was another very smokey day. There are around 197 forest fires in BC...that's the sun up there...

After dinner we decided to take a short walk down to the lake to take more pictures...

This shapely rock seems out of place...

We were up extra early Tuesday morning...Steve was awake so decided to get up at 5:00 so he could have a more relaxing start with his coffee. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep so I got up as well.

It was another hazy day with lots of smoke still in the air...a little blue sky and sunshine was trying to make it through as Steve cleaned the day use area...

Wednesday was another hot, hazy day. We both had our usual day and then joined Sue and Doug for cocktails after our shift. Their daughter Carlie is visiting again from the coast for a few days...good to see her!  They were grilling burgers for dinner and invited us to join them...never say no to someone else cooking dinner! Thanks, guys!

Shortly after 10:00 Thursday morning, I heard the squeal of brakes coming down the hill and then a vintage car stopped at the gatehouse...the first of about eight vintage cars from a club that came through. They all went down to the day use parking lot...

Steve's timing was perfect...he was just completing his garbage pickup in the parking lot so managed to get lots of photos.

After a short stay they were on their way back up the hill...some of them barely had enough power to make it up...

As usual, we were off work Friday and Saturday. Instead of going into Merritt for groceries, we decided to have a change of scenery and drive to Kamloops.

We took the old highway (5A) that goes along the other side of Nicola Lake. It's still pretty smokey out there!

We actually ran into a little rain...just enough to get Buster (the truck) dirty...

Steve has been along this route as far as the turnoff to Peter Hope Lake...beyond that was all new territory for him. He really enjoyed the beautiful scenery dotted with lakes, even though it wasn't sunny.
Stump Lake...

Napier Lake...

Trapp Lake...

Shumway Lake

Separation Lake...

 Once in Kamloops...

...we had lunch at Montana's (Steve had Rib Bites with fries and corn bread and I had Cobb Salad...both were very good)...and then commenced our shopping.


With stops at Walmart, BC Liquor Store, and finally Costco...we were finally on our way home. We took the Coquihalla (highway 5) back. It's good for making time but not nearly as scenic as highway 5A.

 And Nicola Lake!

After getting all the groceries put away, we just chilled inside. It was another hot day and it didn't help that the air conditioner had blown a breaker so had been off for a bit. It was 27C/80F but started to cool down once Steve figured out what the problem was. It seems that last winter in Quartzsite when we had the sub panel installed that required some rewiring to the breaker box the technician wired the air conditioner to the hot water tank 15 amp breaker and the H/W to the A/C 20 amp breaker.

We had an easy (and delicious) dinner of roast chicken (from Costco) and coleslaw...and then I headed out for a walk around the campground with Sue and Tucker. It was a busy start to the weekend...the campground was full.

Saturday started with a power outage shortly after 6:00 a.m., so Steve turned on our solar system. Apparently it was caused by a minor accident over on highway 5A. It was back on at 8:10...in the meantime, we had a very relaxing start. After coffee, we decided we had better do our resistance exercises...then showers and breakfast. I got started on a few loads of laundry while Steve emptied and flushed our holding tanks.

It was a very fast morning...next thing I knew it was afternoon! And time for a walk around the campground...so we put our runners on and I went and got Tucker. It was very windy out and it started to spit out a bit as we headed down the road out of the compound. It really didn't amount to anything...but waited until we got home. I had just put the last load of laundry on the line and then the skies opened up and it just poured! Oh well...the clothes are getting an extra rinsing I guess LOL!

With the clouds and rain came a major cool down...we went from 34C/94F down to 20C/69F this afternoon! It was very refreshing, We enjoyed a cocktail outside with Sue and Doug before they went down to visit and have dinner with friends visiting. After they left, we headed inside...it was actually getting chilly, with a light rain falling. Wow, what a difference a few hours can make!

Tomorrow is the start to another work week...Steve, Doug and Sue are all going to the town of Logan Lake to take a first-aid course...I will be taking Sue's shift in the gatehouse and working 8:00 to 4:00.

Sunday, June 28 to Saturday, July 4, 2015 (Monck Provincial Park, Quilchena, BC)

Sunday...the start of another work week for us. This week we are on the afternoon/evening shift. It was a very, very hot day! Temperatures were up into the high 90's F/mid-high 30's C.  I got out for a morning walk with my buddy, Tucker and then I sorted the recycling for an hour. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday are short days for me so I make up extra hours up to the max 40 hours/week by doing some recycling.

When we work the late shift, we have started having our main meal at noon...which is probably better for us but seems weird! Then we have sandwiches (or something light) for dinner. By the time I walked down to the gatehouse, the clouds had come in...at least there wasn't the hot, penetrating sun beating down but it was still very hot and humid. Thank goodness for the air-conditioned gatehouse!

It was a very busy day at the campground. Sue had been busy and it was pretty much the same for me. We were down to very few sites available. There will be a turnover tomorrow, though, as a number are leaving along with new reservations coming in. That will likely be the norm now that school is out.

With the gatehouse closing at 9:00 p.m. on Sundays, I was finished and was back up at the rig shortly after 9:30. I had just taken out my contacts and gotten comfy in my pj's when Steve came in to tell me that I would have to help him. His golf cart had run out of "juice" and I needed to tow him with the other golf cart...so I threw on some clothes and headed out. After a quick ride past a site that has been given us some grief for the last few nights, we pulled in front of the lifeless golf cart and Steve got the tow rope hooked up.  We got it back up into the compound, Steve plugged it in and then headed off for one final security check of the campground while I went back in to get ready for bed.

Monday morning we woke to rain! A wind storm had also blown through overnight. I went out and put an hour in recycling...it was raining, but it was still warm. By late morning, the clouds had moved on and blue sky was back. It was also very humid!
Steve joined Tucker and I on a walk around the campground (and a little swim for Tucker).


Steve grilled pork chops for lunch and before we knew it, it was time for him to get ready to start his shift...and me to get showered and ready for mine.

We had quite a nasty rain storm, complete with thunder and lightning, come through just as Steve started his shift. But within an hour, the sun was back out...silly weather!
Later on that evening, the dark thunder and lightning clouds reappeared but with only one big gust of wind, the rest of the storm seemed to skirt around us. It was also much cooler...a welcome relief for the night. Steve took these shots while doing his rounds.

A deer in loop one entertaining the campers...

Sunshine in the distance...

Around 8;30 pm Steve usually spends an hour or more in the day use area cleaning the change rooms, bathrooms, picking up garbage, washing and sweeping under the tables. The mess that's left is amazing at times...and what's with the sunflower and pistachio shells people!

The wind was so strong it kept blowing Steve's hat off...

Tuesday we had a mix of sunshine and black thunder and lightning clouds...there is another severe thunderstorm warning for the area. I put in another hour (+) recycling and then we just chilled for the rest of the morning/early afternoon until it was time to go to work.

Steve took this picture shortly after starting his shift...the deer are very tame here...

Wednesday, July 1...Happy Canada Day to all of our family and friends in Canada!
There was a parade in the park this afternoon...and Santa was here for the celebration as well!





Fellow work camper Gord played Santa and his granddaughter was an Elf. Don't know what happened with this photo...I think the camera was trying to make snow for Santa LOL..

It was another hot day...and I was kept busy during my shift in the gatehouse selling ice and ice cream bars. Supplies were getting very low!

Steve had a helper later on that evening while out cleaning the day use area...one of many Marmots here...

It was an absolutely beautiful evening!

Thursday was a repeat of the previous day...basically chilling out in the morning, getting a few things done around the trailer, cooking dinner at lunch time...and then getting ready for work. Steve started his shift at 2:00 and a half hour later for me.
Although Steve's shift ends at 10:00, he gets bored waiting for me to cash out so he basically works until close to 10:30, doing a last security ride around the campground before returning to the gatehouse to pick me up when I'm done.

Another cool picture of the moon as it comes up at 10:02 p.m....


When we got back up to the compound, Doug and Sue had lit a campfire...the last night for a fire before the campfire ban goes into effect tomorrow. The firewood sales had also been brisk this evening in the gatehouse as all the campers have one final one.

It was our "Friday night", so we grabbed a couple of beer and sat outside at the campfire for over an hour...it was going on midnight by the time Doug doused the fire with water and we all said goodnight and headed inside.

We had a slow start to the day Friday...it was 11:00 by the time we had had breakfast, showered and were ready to head into Merritt for our weekly shopping trip. The fields are certainly not a lush green as they had been...it's getting very dry...

We made our usual stops at Walmart and Coopers and then a couple of other stores looking for a new pair of flip flops for Steve (his Crocs are all of a sudden too small for him! My brother, Dennis, has the exact same ones so Steve thinks that perhaps they accidentally switched them when we were all in Victoria last May. Dennis, are your Crocs a little bigger than they used to be? LOL)

After we had completed all shopping, we stopped at DQ and shared an order of chicken strips and chips...and then treated ourselves to a Blizzard. Wow...it has been a long time since we've had one of those!

It was after 3:00 by the time got home. We relaxed inside with the air conditioner blasting away...it was another hot day out there! We had a wonderful chat via Skype with Chris and Angela...Happy Birthday, Chris...30 years old! How is that possible!! They leave for a month in Europe in a week...how exciting for them!

After dinner, we visited Sue in the gatehouse and then took Tucker for a walk around the campground...basically all sites were taken, a very busy weekend happening!

Saturday, July 4th...
We want to wish our many American friends a very Happy Independence Day!

It was after 7:00 when we woke this morning...oh dear, I think it's going to be very hard to get out of bed when that alarms goes off at 5:30 tomorrow morning!

We had our morning coffee, I put on the first of a number of loads of laundry, we did our exercises, showered, had breakfast...and then headed out for a boat ride on the lake.

It was a gorgeous day! The campground and day use area...

Lots of people enjoying the beach and the day use area...

There is a spot on the drive along Monck Park Road where we have seen people jumping off of the cliffs into the lake. So, we thought we'd take the boat down there to see if we could get some pictures ...unfortunately, no one was there yet today...

We turned around and headed back...

 The day use area again...

View of Loop 2 of the campground from the water...

Beautiful log homes next to the park...

Steve shut off the motor and we bobbed around for a bit and let the wind blow us back for awhile...

Starting to get a little choppy...

It's very hazy with a lot of smoke from many wildfires burning in the province...

No, it's not very comfy...need more cushions...

The wind was really starting to come up so we decided to head back in...a really nice little outing in the boat!

Once home, it was time for a little work...these 2 days off are just not enough! Haha...brings back memories! Steve emptied the holding tanks and then worked on the Campfire In A Can installing a new burner. Our fire pit is 4 years old and our fires were getting quite smokey and sooty and the burner holes were continually plugging so Steve called them and spoke directly to the inventor...cool. He said it sounded like the burner was shot and sometimes this is caused by contaminates and oils in propane.

They kindly sent a "free" replacement burner...sweet!

Steve drilled out the 3 rivets and mounted the new burner with machine screws. Now we're good to go during the fire ban...

Meanwhile, I gathered laundry off the line, put another load in the washer....and then did a little cleaning inside.

Once all the work was done, I downloaded all of the pictures from the cameras, Steve edited them...and then I sat down and got started on this blog.

Another week has gone by...we have pretty well gotten into the routine around here and quite enjoy it, but it's a busy park and we're tired by the end of our shifts!