The Journeys End...back home safe and sound!

We spent Monday and Tuesday night in Summerland. It was wonderful to see our old friends again. We helped them to celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary Tuesday. Wednesday we headed north through the Okanagan while the Nagles headed to Whistler and then the island for the celebration of the life of our friend Bruce Atkinson this Sunday.

We stopped for the night at Blue River, BC on the Yellowhead Highway. It was a very rustic spot in the trees for our last night on the road.



Thursday, May 22nd

Homeward bound! We left Blue River after a big breakfast. The sun is trying hard to shine. All the rivers and creeks (Fraser, Similkameen and the Thompson) along our route since we left the coast are swollen and close to flooding over their banks and there's still lots of snow to melt along the Hope-Princeton and in this part of the country, too. The last part of the trip from Jasper in to Edmonton seemed to take forever.

Well, we made it after exactly nine weeks on the road with the trusty workhorse, Kingsley! We rolled up to the front door in a rainstorm (what else!) at about 7:00pm. The house and the garden look great...lots to do in the yard but we're looking forward to getting our hands dirty.

Back in the Okanagan

Monday, May 19th

Left about 10:00am for Chilliwack and the Hope-Princeton highway to the Okanagan. We arrived in Summerland and our friends, George & Mary Nagle's place. The highway was not too busy going east (everyone was heading west at the end of the long weekend ) but the driving was stressful...lots of climbing and high elevation. We used lots of gasoline!

On the road again

Sunday, May 18th

Today we packed up and drove Kingsley to Daphne & Derek's place for lunch and the gifts opening.

We were sorry to leave our great spot by the water at West Bay and all the wonderful happenings in the harbour. I will really miss seeing those great cruise ships, especially my favourite, the Celebrity Infiniti, which I went to Alaska on in 2004.

We set out for Schwartz Bay and the 5:00pm ferry to the mainland and then drove to Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley and the Walmart parking lot. All the RV parks were full because of the May long weekend. It was a quiet and secure spot to stay.

Tim & Sarah are married!

Saturday, May 17th

Today is the wedding of Tim and Sarah(Alan's great-niece). The ceremony at St. Marys Anglican church in Oak Bay, was followed by wedding and family pictures at Government House grounds. The reception took place at the Officer's Mess at the Esquimalt Naval Base. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. Everyone had a great time. It truly was a day to remember!

More fun in Victoria the beautiful!

Friday, May 16th

Today we just relaxed and enjoyed the spot where we are staying. In the evening everyone gathered to celebrate some birthdays: Warwick's 75th, Alan's 76th, Harry's 85th and Michelle's 31st. Family members arrived thru the evening: Barb, Michelle, Sam & Tom from Vancouver, Karen from Calgary, Christine, Michael & the children from Ontario and Steve and Nancy from Port Angeles. The wedding party came over after the rehearsal. It was great to see everyone together.

Getting our exercise in Victoria

Thursday, May 15th

Took the little harbour ferry to the Empress Hotel dock. We did some shopping at the Bay and then started walking along the waterfront over the Johnston Street bridge and on to the Westsong Trail back toward West Bay. About half way there we stopped at Spinnakers where we sampled the beer and cheese pairings and had chocolate truffles with selected beers, too. An amazing food experience and a nice break during a long walk. The view was exceptional.

In the evening we went for Chinese food at the Sampan in Saanich. There were 17 of us ...all related! More relatives arriving tomorrow for the wedding on Saturday.

Catching up with travels on Vancouver Island

Wednesday, May 14th
We went back to the Duncan RV park last night 'cause it was a comfortable spot and convenient too. We worked our way down to Victoria and the West Bay Marina RV park. Our camping spot is fantastic! We're right on the water facing the harbour and all the action: seaplanes, little harbour ferries, big car ferries, catamarans, helicopters, sailboats, kayaks and (most impressive) cruise ships, up to three a day at the entrance to the harbour(see the pics).
Daphne & Jennifer picked me up and we went to a bridal shower for Sarah at Cheryl's(Daphne & Cheryl are our nieces; Jennifer & Sarah, great-nieces). We had a great time.

Tuesday, May 13th
Awoke to a rainy drizzle and set off for Cobble Hill and a visit with Shirley Atkinson, long time friend and VGH classmate, who lost her husband, Bruce, in March. It was great for Alan & I to spend some time with her and get caught up. Shirley is having a celebration of Bruce’s life on the 25th.
After we left Shirley’s we went to Cowichan Bay and spent an hour or so in a new gallery/espresso bar on the waterfront. I had a latte and we bought some of the artwork. We met Fran Allen, a GMC friend, who recently also lost her husband. The three of us went for steaks at a pub overlooking the pier and the bay. Fran is having a rough time dealing with the loss of Denny. It was only three months ago that he passed away and we along with all the GMC community miss him so much.

Monday, May 12th
Our GMC friend, Gordon S. (Gordon & the ‘Tin Gerbil’) came by on his way to picking up a 2nd GMC. This one has quite a history! There have been lots of mechanical upgrades and $$$s spent on it but, it has been used as a dog kennel for some time so, the interior is in ruins. He plans on salvaging everything that is usable and using some parts in the ‘Tin Gerbil’.
After Gordon left, we headed south stopping at Chemainus for several hours to see the famous murals on the buildings. It’s a great place to wander around in. Tonight we stayed at the Duncan RV Park(in Duncan, BC).

Sunday, May 11th
We woke up in the Living Forest RV Park, a lovely natural forested campsite. We explored the place and moved to another site with a fabulous view…we had our choice of spots as the camp was virtually empty…and we stayed for a second night. Alan cooked a nice Mother’s Day supper for me.