Vancouver, British Columbia

8/26/13

Joy and I departed the motorhome this morning for a day in Vancouver about 60 miles away using our Jeep.  We stopped at Stanley Park (an island between downtown and North Vancouver across the Fraser River.  Rain threatened later today but we made the best of it walking along the harbor downtown and circling Stanley Park.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch near the seaplane docks at Whistler Brewing Company.

On the way home Joy had to stop at Swiss Chalet (a rotisserie restaurant we discovered on an earlier trip thru eastern provinces) for some chicken for dinner.  The area around Chilliwack, BC where we are staying is very much like the central valley of California with abundant produce including corn, hazelnut orchards, all kinds of berries, and vegetables.  Fresh sweet corn is on the menu for tonight.

Tomorrow morning we will return to the United States via the Suma, Washington US Customs checkpoint.  We will be in Mt. Vernon, Washington for the next two nights while our coach gets some much needed lubrication and minor maintenance at the Freightliner shop before we continue our homeward journey.

Toll bridge entering Vancouver on Trans-Canada 1

We enjoy a nice day walking along the harbor in downtown Vancouver

A beautiful modern city

Lunch at Whistler Brewing Company

Joy contemplates lunch

So does Don

View north toward North Vancouver

Joy "has to have" some more roasted chicken for dinner

Success!!!!

Boston Bar to Vancouver, BC

8/25/13

Sunday dawns with a beautiful blue sky in the Canyon as we continue south now to join Trans-Canada 1 westbound toward Vancouver.  We stop at Minter Gardens in Chilliwack, BC for a tour and lunch with our friends.  The gardens are beautiful, but we learn that they will close in October after being open since 1980 due to the economy.  Following lunch our traveling companions turn south to cross the US border at Suma, WA.

Joy and I travel just a few miles stopping in Chilliwack at the Cottonwoods RV Park.  Monday we plan to tour Vancouver before returning to the US.

We park at Minter Gardens together one last time

Sharon and Joy dressed as twins

We walk the gardens on a beautiful day

As they say "stop and smell the roses" along life's way

Bob and Sharon wave goodbye for now

Off they go

Joy is left to ponder the future of our trip left with only the "same old man" she has lived with for the past 40 something years

Prince George to Boston Bar, British Columbia

8/24/13

We depart the civility of Prince George today to continue south along Highway 97 toward the Fraser River Canyon area.  Roadways are good with wider shoulders as we climb and descend a modestly rolling countryside.  As we pass Grand Cache we note this area is referred to as the Arizona of British Columbia as the area is desert-like except directly along the river valley where hay bales are in abundance is quite green irrigated pastures.

South of Grand Cache we enter deeper into Fraser River Canyon with towering majestic mountains now again surrounding us.  We stop for the evening in Boston Bar, BC at the Canyon Alpine RV Park.  We enjoy our last evening with our traveling companions Bob and Sharon Relyea celebrating our trip with a dinner at a local restaurant.

Hay bales along the highway everywhere

Approaching Cache Creek

Entering the Fraser River Valley

Fraser River overlook

Deeper into the canyon

Beauty everywhere you look

We celebrate our last night together after three months on the road in Alaska