June 26th - Thurs - Devon/Edmonton
Had a nice breakfast, headed to the West Edmonton Mall and walked and walked and walked! I cannot imagine going there to shop very often unless you know the store that you want and which entrance is closest. We watched a sea lion show that was very good. There were lots of people in the waterpark/wave pool but not what I would consider a lot of shoppers for the number of stores.
From there we went to a casino that was on the way back - unfortunately! Oh well, we had fun. A stop for some groceries and a quiet evening including some more walking around the park. The park has over 200 sites with many permanent looking rigs.
June 27th - Fri - Devon
We had a “stay home and get things done” day today. Terry cleaned the truck while I cleaned inside the rig. We went for a bike ride on a trail that goes along the river and a golf course. We got to the end where the trail makes a turn to come back down the other side of the golf course. It also goes up a hill. Terry wanted to come back the same way we went but I wanted to continue on, so we did. Mistake! Seemed there were way more ups than downs. And the downs were very steep and rutted with tree roots. At a Y in the trail, Terry took the downhill side and we ended up having to ride a little ways on the side of the golf course before ending up on the road back to the RV park. On the way back to our site, we stopped and talked to a couple (Bill & Darlene) who stay here for most of the summer. They invited us to come back later when they would have a fire going.
We went to see Bill & Darlene about 8:30. Another couple (Arden & Pat) joined us and the next thing we knew it was midnight.
June 28th - Sat - Devon
This morning we went to Fort Edmonton which has 4 areas depicting different years in the history of Edmonton. There is a fort and 3 different streets that have houses and businesses of the period. It is nicely done but I think we have seen too many similar recreated buildings to be as impressed as we should.
We came back to change into shorts and pick up Dolly before going to Les & Wendy’s for dinner. Les & Wendy were neighbors in San Carlos. They live in Beaumont which is a suburb of Edmonton and only about 15 miles from here. We sat & talked and had a nice dinner.
Les had just bought an electric bicycle so he can ride around town. Terry was quite taken with it and figures we need to get a couple.
We were about 8 minutes from Devon at 10:55 when we remembered that gates at the campground are locked at 11. But we lucked out - the gates weren’t locked yet at 11:03 when we drove up.
June 29th - Sun - Devon
Took a short drive to the Leduc #1 Discovery Well today. It is billed as “the Canadian Petroleum Interpretive Centre”. In 1947, Leduc #1 was one of the first successful oil wells in Alberta. There is a great film created in 1957 about the well and others in Alberta and how they changed the economy of the province. Many incredible models of different oil rigs are very interesting.
We continued on to Leduc just to see the town and pick up a few things. Browsed through a Canadian Tire store and found that the electric bicycles were not on sale any more so Terry can quit trying to figure out how to get them and get rid of our current bikes.
After dinner we took a bike ride on the trail beside the golf course and went looking for golf balls. Terry was a little reluctant at first but got the fever and found more than I did. We ended up with 33 balls, scratches and fluff from trees all over us. I was just getting out of the shower when a couple that we met here in the park - Bill & Darlene - came to visit. We had our fire pit all set to light but it was just too hot.
June 30th - Mon - Devon
We went into Edmonton this morning to the Telus World of Science facility to see the Body Worlds anatomical exhibit. People will their bodies to a group that uses a process called Plastination to preserve the bodies. Then they “cut & slice” to show skeletons, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, etc. Kind of gruesome sounding and I had to try to forget they were actually live people at one time in order not to be queasy. I think it would be really interesting to someone in the medical field. We took a different route back to see more of Edmonton and stopped for diesel & groceries.
We had invited Les & Wendy over for dinner and they arrived about 2:30 just as I was finishing some dinner prep. We sat outside and followed the shade around as it was hot. We had the air conditioner on in the 5th wheel so it was cool enough to eat inside and then we (probably) bored them with pictures.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
June 23rd to 25th - Alberta
June 23rd - Mon - Grande Prairie
Terry left early this morning to find an RV service place to do some work on the suspension of our 5th wheel. One tire has been wearing badly on the inside and he figured an axle (or something?) needed attention. After 4 places, he found someone that would have a look at it so we packed up and took it in. The guy was great and took us right in after finishing a truck and picking up some parts. We went to an ATM, had lunch and picked up some baby backs while we were waiting. In 3 hours we were on our way with some worn parts replaced, a bearing repacked as the protective cover had fallen off and the worn tire swapped with the spare.
Did a couple loads of laundry at the RV park and visited with the owners while we waited first for someone else’s laundry and then ours.
The wind blew all day including when Terry was cooking the baby backs. The sun went down at 10:30 and when we went to bed at 11 it was still light enough to be playing golf.
June 24th - Tues - to Morinville AB
We were planning on going to Lesser Slave Lake today but changed our plans when the front jacks gave us a problem. We barely got the rig lifted enough to hook up the truck and figured we wouldn’t get it in anywhere in town as we knew from yesterday that they were all booked up. So we headed for Edmonton. We stopped at a place in Whitecourt but same thing - too busy. We called a place in Edmonton and they were booked until the end of July. They gave us a phone number of a guy in Morinville, just north of Edmonton, and he said he could take a look at it. After seeing what it was doing, he took it apart and found the part that was worn. Didn’t do us much good though as he could not find the part at any Keystone dealer in the area.
We found an RV park in town and phoned the RV dealer in Pasco where we bought the 5th wheel. The service manager was able to tell us that the jack and parts are no longer available - but another company makes a compatible part. Not the little part of course, but the whole leg. We called the guy who worked on the jack and he will call around tomorrow to see if someone has the part for us.
We visited for a while with some neighbors who are also full-timers. The lady had just returned from attending a funeral in Newfoundland and brought lobsters back with her. Some relatives joined them for dinner so we left when their dinner was ready even though they said we should stay. Next thing we knew, they delivered 2 lobsters to our door for our dinner! Yes, they were cooked.
June 25th - Thurs - to Devon AB
We went to the repair shop this morning and the guy couldn’t find the part we needed. So we headed for south of Edmonton thinking we might find something in a different part of the city. When we saw that Wanda was sending us right through town, I decided to take us around the east side and we drove through Fort Saskatchewan to check for another RV service place. Same story - very busy and no part. They sent us to a huge place further south and they were booked up through September but directed us to a place that buys wrecked RVs and stocks used parts - very close to Fort Saskatchewan! The lady there had one used jack leg but it was not the right one. She had ordered a nut for someone else and it was being delivered later in the day so Terry decided to take apart our leg to see if the nut was the same. The nut was not the same but while Terry was with the lady in the used part area, he spotted a jack leg exactly like ours! We bought it, phoned the guy who had taken ours apart and headed right back to where we started to get him to put it back together.
It was 3:30 by the time we were done so we tried the RV park where we stayed last night but they were full. We started driving and phoning but could not find a spot to stay for more than one night as the coming weekend is the long weekend in Canada and parks are full. So we set Wanda for Leduc which is not too far south of Edmonton. Then I saw that we were going through Devon, checked a brochure and found the Lions RV park here. To continue our trying day, when we were driving through the small town of Devon to get to the park, we turned down a road as directed by Wanda and the street a block down where we were to turn was under construction and blocked. Terry had to back out and take another route.
This park is also full for the weekend but the guy said he could give us 2 nights. We said that would be great and if there was any way that he could get us a site for the weekend we would be very willing to move. Even before I had a chance to make dinner, he came to our site and said he had a site for us until Tues or Wed so we will move tomorrow. This is a lovely park right by the North Saskatchewan River - the nicest place we have stayed in for a long time. Devon is at the south-west corner of Edmonton and only 20 minutes from the West Edmonton Mall and no more than 30 minutes from many other Edmonton attractions that the RV manager identified on a big, detailed map.
Terry left early this morning to find an RV service place to do some work on the suspension of our 5th wheel. One tire has been wearing badly on the inside and he figured an axle (or something?) needed attention. After 4 places, he found someone that would have a look at it so we packed up and took it in. The guy was great and took us right in after finishing a truck and picking up some parts. We went to an ATM, had lunch and picked up some baby backs while we were waiting. In 3 hours we were on our way with some worn parts replaced, a bearing repacked as the protective cover had fallen off and the worn tire swapped with the spare.
Did a couple loads of laundry at the RV park and visited with the owners while we waited first for someone else’s laundry and then ours.
The wind blew all day including when Terry was cooking the baby backs. The sun went down at 10:30 and when we went to bed at 11 it was still light enough to be playing golf.
June 24th - Tues - to Morinville AB
We were planning on going to Lesser Slave Lake today but changed our plans when the front jacks gave us a problem. We barely got the rig lifted enough to hook up the truck and figured we wouldn’t get it in anywhere in town as we knew from yesterday that they were all booked up. So we headed for Edmonton. We stopped at a place in Whitecourt but same thing - too busy. We called a place in Edmonton and they were booked until the end of July. They gave us a phone number of a guy in Morinville, just north of Edmonton, and he said he could take a look at it. After seeing what it was doing, he took it apart and found the part that was worn. Didn’t do us much good though as he could not find the part at any Keystone dealer in the area.
We found an RV park in town and phoned the RV dealer in Pasco where we bought the 5th wheel. The service manager was able to tell us that the jack and parts are no longer available - but another company makes a compatible part. Not the little part of course, but the whole leg. We called the guy who worked on the jack and he will call around tomorrow to see if someone has the part for us.
We visited for a while with some neighbors who are also full-timers. The lady had just returned from attending a funeral in Newfoundland and brought lobsters back with her. Some relatives joined them for dinner so we left when their dinner was ready even though they said we should stay. Next thing we knew, they delivered 2 lobsters to our door for our dinner! Yes, they were cooked.
June 25th - Thurs - to Devon AB
We went to the repair shop this morning and the guy couldn’t find the part we needed. So we headed for south of Edmonton thinking we might find something in a different part of the city. When we saw that Wanda was sending us right through town, I decided to take us around the east side and we drove through Fort Saskatchewan to check for another RV service place. Same story - very busy and no part. They sent us to a huge place further south and they were booked up through September but directed us to a place that buys wrecked RVs and stocks used parts - very close to Fort Saskatchewan! The lady there had one used jack leg but it was not the right one. She had ordered a nut for someone else and it was being delivered later in the day so Terry decided to take apart our leg to see if the nut was the same. The nut was not the same but while Terry was with the lady in the used part area, he spotted a jack leg exactly like ours! We bought it, phoned the guy who had taken ours apart and headed right back to where we started to get him to put it back together.
It was 3:30 by the time we were done so we tried the RV park where we stayed last night but they were full. We started driving and phoning but could not find a spot to stay for more than one night as the coming weekend is the long weekend in Canada and parks are full. So we set Wanda for Leduc which is not too far south of Edmonton. Then I saw that we were going through Devon, checked a brochure and found the Lions RV park here. To continue our trying day, when we were driving through the small town of Devon to get to the park, we turned down a road as directed by Wanda and the street a block down where we were to turn was under construction and blocked. Terry had to back out and take another route.
This park is also full for the weekend but the guy said he could give us 2 nights. We said that would be great and if there was any way that he could get us a site for the weekend we would be very willing to move. Even before I had a chance to make dinner, he came to our site and said he had a site for us until Tues or Wed so we will move tomorrow. This is a lovely park right by the North Saskatchewan River - the nicest place we have stayed in for a long time. Devon is at the south-west corner of Edmonton and only 20 minutes from the West Edmonton Mall and no more than 30 minutes from many other Edmonton attractions that the RV manager identified on a big, detailed map.
Monday, June 23, 2008
June 19th to 2nd - NWT to Alberta
June 19th - Thurs - Yellowknife
Beautiful, sunny day today. We made another trip to the library to post the blog and check email since we are leaving tomorrow and don’t know when we will have internet access again. A quick stop at the grocery & liquor stores and back to the park to enjoy the sunshine. We took a long walk around the park, Terry build a better inukshuk and we enjoyed a fire even though it was warm. After dinner, we rode our bicycles around the park and discovered just how many of the roads were uphill!
June 20th - Fri - to Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park
Got a fairly early start this morning, dumped the holding tanks at the RV park and then drove into town to get some water so we were actually on the road at 7:45. Nice sunny day again for an uneventful drive. Saw lots of bison along the road - about 50 miles is a bison park. There was a “one sailing wait” at the ferry across the McKenzie River and the ferry was loading on the other side when we got there so it took nearly an hour to get across. We thought the employee who was directing the loading was crazy when he motioned a small car to pull in between us and a large tanker truck as it did not appear to leave enough room for us. It was calculated to leave the end of our 5th wheel hanging over the loading platform and then they raised it up just until it touched the bike rack. Managed to exit without dragging and bending anything this time.
We planned on stopping to view Lady Evelyn Falls and decided to stay overnight when Terry talked to a guy in the ferry line who was also pulling a Challenger 5th wheel and was going to be staying here. We (and he) thought there were no powered sites here so we were pleased to see that power has been added to half of the campground.
We set up and then walked to the river to view the falls - very impressive. We approached from upstream (Kakisa River) and it was weird to see the river kind of disappear. Before the falls the river is absolutely smooth except for one spot in the middle. The falls are across the entire river and the volume of water is amazing.
Visiting, dinner, a fire and then - why should it be different here? - rain!
June 21st - Sat - to Grande Prairie, Alberta
The rain was gone this morning and we had a lovely sunny day to begin driving. We stopped at Louise Falls on the Hay River (the road is called the Waterfall Highway!) and walked a nice trail to the falls. A bit further along the trail is a spiral staircase that goes down to river level where the falls start. It is 139 steps and Terry, who has been so good about all the little walks that I have wanted to take, balked at this one and we didn’t go down.
As I noted on the trip up, the drive is a little boring - straight roads for miles. We stopped at High Level AB for diesel and I went to an information center where we finally got a map of Alberta that goes north of Peace River. Not that we really need it now but it could come in handy sometime. We decided to continue on to Grande Prairie so we stopped at a pullout and I cooked hamburgers for a late lunch.
We arrived at the RV park at 6:45 which meant we were on the road for 10 hours today - unusual for us. And we drove through our required daily rainstorm on the way! The rain had stopped by the time we were setting up and it was just windy.
June 22nd - Sun - Grande Prairie
One of the reasons that we decided to stay here was to get an oil change for the truck. Canadian Tire in Yellowknife wanted $180 for an oil change so we figured we could go past the recommended miles for once. We got the oil changed, visited a casino, got the truck washed, went to Costco for lunch and did a bit of shopping before heading back.
Terry finished cleaning up the truck, washed the 5th wheel and scrubbed the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel. The wind was blowing so hard that it knocked the ladder over against Terry & the 5th wheel. No permanent damage to either.
I enjoyed the use of our phone today and caught up with Aunt Jessie, Marg and cousin Pat. I talked to Dad last night as Marg was out. Marg finally got her new tractor so Dad filled me in on their adventures with it.
Beautiful, sunny day today. We made another trip to the library to post the blog and check email since we are leaving tomorrow and don’t know when we will have internet access again. A quick stop at the grocery & liquor stores and back to the park to enjoy the sunshine. We took a long walk around the park, Terry build a better inukshuk and we enjoyed a fire even though it was warm. After dinner, we rode our bicycles around the park and discovered just how many of the roads were uphill!
June 20th - Fri - to Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park
Got a fairly early start this morning, dumped the holding tanks at the RV park and then drove into town to get some water so we were actually on the road at 7:45. Nice sunny day again for an uneventful drive. Saw lots of bison along the road - about 50 miles is a bison park. There was a “one sailing wait” at the ferry across the McKenzie River and the ferry was loading on the other side when we got there so it took nearly an hour to get across. We thought the employee who was directing the loading was crazy when he motioned a small car to pull in between us and a large tanker truck as it did not appear to leave enough room for us. It was calculated to leave the end of our 5th wheel hanging over the loading platform and then they raised it up just until it touched the bike rack. Managed to exit without dragging and bending anything this time.
We planned on stopping to view Lady Evelyn Falls and decided to stay overnight when Terry talked to a guy in the ferry line who was also pulling a Challenger 5th wheel and was going to be staying here. We (and he) thought there were no powered sites here so we were pleased to see that power has been added to half of the campground.
We set up and then walked to the river to view the falls - very impressive. We approached from upstream (Kakisa River) and it was weird to see the river kind of disappear. Before the falls the river is absolutely smooth except for one spot in the middle. The falls are across the entire river and the volume of water is amazing.
Visiting, dinner, a fire and then - why should it be different here? - rain!
June 21st - Sat - to Grande Prairie, Alberta
The rain was gone this morning and we had a lovely sunny day to begin driving. We stopped at Louise Falls on the Hay River (the road is called the Waterfall Highway!) and walked a nice trail to the falls. A bit further along the trail is a spiral staircase that goes down to river level where the falls start. It is 139 steps and Terry, who has been so good about all the little walks that I have wanted to take, balked at this one and we didn’t go down.
As I noted on the trip up, the drive is a little boring - straight roads for miles. We stopped at High Level AB for diesel and I went to an information center where we finally got a map of Alberta that goes north of Peace River. Not that we really need it now but it could come in handy sometime. We decided to continue on to Grande Prairie so we stopped at a pullout and I cooked hamburgers for a late lunch.
We arrived at the RV park at 6:45 which meant we were on the road for 10 hours today - unusual for us. And we drove through our required daily rainstorm on the way! The rain had stopped by the time we were setting up and it was just windy.
June 22nd - Sun - Grande Prairie
One of the reasons that we decided to stay here was to get an oil change for the truck. Canadian Tire in Yellowknife wanted $180 for an oil change so we figured we could go past the recommended miles for once. We got the oil changed, visited a casino, got the truck washed, went to Costco for lunch and did a bit of shopping before heading back.
Terry finished cleaning up the truck, washed the 5th wheel and scrubbed the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel. The wind was blowing so hard that it knocked the ladder over against Terry & the 5th wheel. No permanent damage to either.
I enjoyed the use of our phone today and caught up with Aunt Jessie, Marg and cousin Pat. I talked to Dad last night as Marg was out. Marg finally got her new tractor so Dad filled me in on their adventures with it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
June 16th to 18th - Yellowknife
June 16th - Mon - Yellowknife
We woke to pouring rain this morning so didn’t get up very early and then relaxed with coffee and a late breakfast. I entered my blog so we could make a trip to the library to post it and to check email. The RV park is very close to town so it only takes a few minutes to get anywhere.
The rain had stopped by the time we returned so it was time to fix the bent rear stabilizer. We removed the whole thing and started pounding and prying. We had bought a replacement bolt a couple days ago which turned out to be the wrong size. And then Terry underestimated his strength and broke a bolt so - another trip to the hardware store. While Terry was putting the stabilizer back together, I got a nice fire going so we sat and enjoyed it and a well-earned drink before dinner.
June 17th - Tues - Yellowknife
A quick breakfast and we were off to the Laundromat. Terry went for diesel and propane after we got the loads going. When he got back he started talking to a couple - Fraser & Judy - from Ontario who were also doing laundry. Since there is only one RV park in the area with electric hookups, they are staying in the same park as us. They had a lot of recommendations for us in eastern Canada so I hope we can get together with them again when I have pen & paper to write things down.
We came back to unload laundry & propane and had some lunch. Then we went on a little tour of Old Town - the original location of Yellowknife. We were expecting a stretch of shops but there were very few and widely spaced. We climbed some flights of stairs to a wonderful viewpoint of the city and surrounding area.
Next was a stop to find a hair salon for a haircut for me. We tried the shopping mall under the library but no luck. A security guard directed us to the other shopping mall just a block away and the lone stylist had a cancellation so I was able to get a haircut. Not sure if that was a good thing as it cost $33 for just a cut. Picked up a few groceries on the way back. We were going to light a fire until I decided it was just too cold.
June 18th - Wed - Yellowknife
After breakfast, I made some sandwiches for a picnic lunch and we went to explore the Ingraham Trail. This is a 45 mile long highway heading NE from Yellowknife to Tibbitt Lake where the ice roads start in the winter. There are many lakes along the way and quite a few cabins. We walked into Cameron River Falls. The literature says it is a .6 mile trail but I think they converted wrong from metric as it sure seemed further. Some of the trail is over solid rock with the path marked by rebar posts in the rock since years of people walking leave no mark. There is a section of stairs and a few stretches of boardwalk. Somewhat strenuous but a nice walk.
We continued down the highway and had lunch beside the river. From the picnic site we walked to Cameron River Ramparts which is a series of smaller falls without a very good vantage point for pictures.
As we were driving back, the temperature was 67. When we got to Yellowknife, it had dropped to 63. We drove to check out the golf course and it was 61. I figure it has to be the influence of the lake. The golf course has artificial grass tee boxes and greens with sand fairways. We decided that we didn’t want to try it out.
We relaxed by a fire for a while before dinner. Just as we were putting on jackets to go for a walk after dinner, it started raining so we cancelled our walk. It actually almost got dark with the heavy clouds.
We woke to pouring rain this morning so didn’t get up very early and then relaxed with coffee and a late breakfast. I entered my blog so we could make a trip to the library to post it and to check email. The RV park is very close to town so it only takes a few minutes to get anywhere.
The rain had stopped by the time we returned so it was time to fix the bent rear stabilizer. We removed the whole thing and started pounding and prying. We had bought a replacement bolt a couple days ago which turned out to be the wrong size. And then Terry underestimated his strength and broke a bolt so - another trip to the hardware store. While Terry was putting the stabilizer back together, I got a nice fire going so we sat and enjoyed it and a well-earned drink before dinner.
June 17th - Tues - Yellowknife
A quick breakfast and we were off to the Laundromat. Terry went for diesel and propane after we got the loads going. When he got back he started talking to a couple - Fraser & Judy - from Ontario who were also doing laundry. Since there is only one RV park in the area with electric hookups, they are staying in the same park as us. They had a lot of recommendations for us in eastern Canada so I hope we can get together with them again when I have pen & paper to write things down.
We came back to unload laundry & propane and had some lunch. Then we went on a little tour of Old Town - the original location of Yellowknife. We were expecting a stretch of shops but there were very few and widely spaced. We climbed some flights of stairs to a wonderful viewpoint of the city and surrounding area.
Next was a stop to find a hair salon for a haircut for me. We tried the shopping mall under the library but no luck. A security guard directed us to the other shopping mall just a block away and the lone stylist had a cancellation so I was able to get a haircut. Not sure if that was a good thing as it cost $33 for just a cut. Picked up a few groceries on the way back. We were going to light a fire until I decided it was just too cold.
June 18th - Wed - Yellowknife
After breakfast, I made some sandwiches for a picnic lunch and we went to explore the Ingraham Trail. This is a 45 mile long highway heading NE from Yellowknife to Tibbitt Lake where the ice roads start in the winter. There are many lakes along the way and quite a few cabins. We walked into Cameron River Falls. The literature says it is a .6 mile trail but I think they converted wrong from metric as it sure seemed further. Some of the trail is over solid rock with the path marked by rebar posts in the rock since years of people walking leave no mark. There is a section of stairs and a few stretches of boardwalk. Somewhat strenuous but a nice walk.
We continued down the highway and had lunch beside the river. From the picnic site we walked to Cameron River Ramparts which is a series of smaller falls without a very good vantage point for pictures.
As we were driving back, the temperature was 67. When we got to Yellowknife, it had dropped to 63. We drove to check out the golf course and it was 61. I figure it has to be the influence of the lake. The golf course has artificial grass tee boxes and greens with sand fairways. We decided that we didn’t want to try it out.
We relaxed by a fire for a while before dinner. Just as we were putting on jackets to go for a walk after dinner, it started raining so we cancelled our walk. It actually almost got dark with the heavy clouds.
Monday, June 16, 2008
June 14th & 15th - Yellowknife
June 14th - Sat - Yellowknife
I typed some emails offline this morning before we had breakfast and headed out to explore and find a library for internet access. First we stopped at the main information center which is very nice with interesting displays. Next we went to the library which did have wifi. No charge for wifi but all the parking downtown is metered or a parkade so you have to pay for parking. There are a couple of shopping malls on the lower floor of high rise buildings downtown. The library is on the second floor of one of them. I imagine they are totally enclosed because of the long, cold winters here.
We stopped at a grocery store and found the prices in line with other Canadian stores - some items which blow me away as they are so much higher than US stores. On the way back to the park to get some frozen items in the freezer, we passed other shopping areas that were outside but were mainly large stores such as WalMart and Canadian Tire.
After some more exploring & shopping in town, we walked around the RV park looking for a nice spot to move to tomorrow. It was sunny but the breeze required a light jacket.
June 15th - Sun - Yellowknife
The move to a new site process took up most of the day. We wandered around looking at vacant sites again and then went to the office to get a site map of spots that should be available for the next 5 days. The park is pretty spread out so we got the truck, selected a spot and paid for it. It was not vacant yet so we had some lunch & packed up. We were plugged into a locked shed in the maintenance yard and it turned out that no one on site had a key for the shed. They said they would deliver our extension cord to our new site as soon as someone showed up with a key.
There is no water or sewer hookups at this park (Fred Henne Territorial Park) but they have a dump station and you can buy water. So we dumped before setting up at the new site and tried to get water. Apparently, their tank was empty so we had to drive to a site in town that has free water for RVers. Missed the turn into it the first time by and made a turn into a residential area to “go around the block”. It is always nerve-wracking when a street turns to gravel in such an area and you cannot see if the road goes through. But it did go through, we got water and got set up in our new, very nice spot. We were able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine.
Another camper stopped by when he saw our WA license plates. He was from Yellowknife and just wanted to welcome us to the NWT and invite us to drop by his site for a visit. We walked over and admired his inukshuk - a stacked stone figure - and chatted for awhile. He is a truck driver and drives on the ice roads that we have seen on TV.
When we got back, we hunted for stones to build our own inukshuk. It is way harder than it looks! And, yes, our extension cord was waiting for us when we returned.
I typed some emails offline this morning before we had breakfast and headed out to explore and find a library for internet access. First we stopped at the main information center which is very nice with interesting displays. Next we went to the library which did have wifi. No charge for wifi but all the parking downtown is metered or a parkade so you have to pay for parking. There are a couple of shopping malls on the lower floor of high rise buildings downtown. The library is on the second floor of one of them. I imagine they are totally enclosed because of the long, cold winters here.
We stopped at a grocery store and found the prices in line with other Canadian stores - some items which blow me away as they are so much higher than US stores. On the way back to the park to get some frozen items in the freezer, we passed other shopping areas that were outside but were mainly large stores such as WalMart and Canadian Tire.
After some more exploring & shopping in town, we walked around the RV park looking for a nice spot to move to tomorrow. It was sunny but the breeze required a light jacket.
June 15th - Sun - Yellowknife
The move to a new site process took up most of the day. We wandered around looking at vacant sites again and then went to the office to get a site map of spots that should be available for the next 5 days. The park is pretty spread out so we got the truck, selected a spot and paid for it. It was not vacant yet so we had some lunch & packed up. We were plugged into a locked shed in the maintenance yard and it turned out that no one on site had a key for the shed. They said they would deliver our extension cord to our new site as soon as someone showed up with a key.
There is no water or sewer hookups at this park (Fred Henne Territorial Park) but they have a dump station and you can buy water. So we dumped before setting up at the new site and tried to get water. Apparently, their tank was empty so we had to drive to a site in town that has free water for RVers. Missed the turn into it the first time by and made a turn into a residential area to “go around the block”. It is always nerve-wracking when a street turns to gravel in such an area and you cannot see if the road goes through. But it did go through, we got water and got set up in our new, very nice spot. We were able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine.
Another camper stopped by when he saw our WA license plates. He was from Yellowknife and just wanted to welcome us to the NWT and invite us to drop by his site for a visit. We walked over and admired his inukshuk - a stacked stone figure - and chatted for awhile. He is a truck driver and drives on the ice roads that we have seen on TV.
When we got back, we hunted for stones to build our own inukshuk. It is way harder than it looks! And, yes, our extension cord was waiting for us when we returned.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
June 8th to 13th - Alberta & NWT
June 8th - Sun - 100 Mile House
After breakfast & chores which included more injured lamb doctoring (while Marg had an assistant), Marg, Terry & I went to town to get groceries. We had depleted our fridge and used some other staples so had to restock before hitting the road.
After lunch, we put dinner in the crock pot, made dessert and then went to help Dad make turtle legs, head & tail for the planter. Francis & Nicole (good friends) came for dinner.
June 9th - Mon - On the road again!
We left Marg’s about 9 and dumped our holding tanks in town before heading for Little Fort and the Yellowhead highway. Terry had thought to go to Prince George & Dawson Creek but I did some checking and that route was 200 miles longer than going through Alberta so we changed our minds. We went into Jasper National Park and thought we might stay there a couple of nights and do some sightseeing. That plan was changed when we discovered there were no sites with power in the only open campground with electrical services. (We do like our comforts!) We continued on to Hinton where we didn’t find anything we liked. Then to Edson where the first park did not have a site large enough for us so we ended up at a large, sparsely occupied campground on the other side of town. It rained on & off all day today but cleared enough that we could take a walk around the park. Then we got to watch the single TV channel which had the Simpsons and a couple episodes of “Coronation Street” - a British sit-com.
I had a nice long chat with sister-in-law Kathy. She told me that Terry’s Mom is in an assisted living facility. Don was exhausted trying to look after her and she was not getting enough therapy.
June 10th - Tues - in Alberta
Shortly after leaving Edson, we turned north. We could have taken a shorter route but I did not know what the road was like and it appeared as if we would have been driving longer than we wanted yesterday. We saw a billboard advertising $4.99 breakfasts at a casino so decided to stop when we saw the casino down the road. We gambled a bit and then decided the breakfast offering wasn’t appealing so carried on.
North of Peace River the rain really came down. We saw a section of the road ahead of us that was white and could not figure out what it was until we hit the rain. It was bouncing up and just flooding the road. Luckily it did not last too many miles.
We stopped at an info center and I cooked breakfast/lunch. We stayed at a campground that is part of the golf course in Manning with the thought that we will stay tomorrow and golf if the weather is nice. Lots of mosquitoes.
We had tried to call Terry’s mom several times today to wish her Happy Birthday and kept getting a busy signal. Just as we were arriving at the RV park, Skip (brother) called so Terry could talk to his Mom. He said she sounded good and her voice was stronger than previously.
June 11th - Wed - to Hay River, NWT
To all non-Canadians and non-travelers, the NWT above stands for Northwest Territory. The weather did not look nice enough to stay for golf in Manning.
Part of the drive today was slightly boring. Straight highway through miles of small trees with some farming. I made the mistake of saying that it would almost be nice to get a downpour like yesterday just for a break - and sure enough we got one!
We stopped at an info center as we crossed into the NWT and talked to a very knowledgeable, nice staffer. I made lunch while we were there. We stopped to view a large waterfall - Alexandra Falls. There was a second falls that was about a mile walk away but rain was threatening so we skipped it.
We are in a large campground on the shore of Great Slave Lake - again with few campers. It is treed with large, drive-through, widely spaced spots. We bought an armload of firewood and augmented it with scavenged wood so we could enjoy the fire for a long time.
Terry was tired from driving so after we took a walk around the park, we went to bed at 10 with the sun still well up in the sky.
June 12th - Thurs - Hay River
Today is a housekeeping day. We went into town to get some Canadian money and washed the truck. But there was just a pressure washer (no brush), so Terry got out the waterless wash to complete the truck while I washed the 5th wheel. There is no water hookup here - just a tap down the road- so I did the whole thing with a bucket, cloth and extension pole. Another trip to town for some tire cleaner for Terry.
I caught up our expenses in the computer, vacuumed and we went to a beach for firewood instead of paying for another armload. The beach out from the RV park has been obviously cleared. We found out on a walk that there was a large flood this year so the beach was covered with logs and smaller driftwood which the city is cleaning up.
Rain yet again today after we washed the rigs but then it cleared and I actually had to move into the shade for a while as we were sitting outside.
June 13th - Fri - to Yellowknife NWT
We got hit with a bit of the “Friday the 13th” luck today. There is a small ferry to cross the McKenzie River about halfway between Hay River & Yellowknife. As we were driving off the ferry on the “ramp onto the riverbank” method of access, one of our rear stabilizers dragged and bent. The highway got a lot bouncier (frost heaves) past the ferry for the last 150 miles into Yellowknife. And we continued with the intermittent rain.
When we arrived at the only campsite in Yellowknife with electric service, we were asked if we had a reservation (no) and told there were no sites with power that we could fit into. We pulled into an overflow site near the shower house and then went back to the office to see what else could be done. The employees were wonderful. One park officer drove us around looking for unoccupied sites and then made phone calls to see if the people who reserved them were actually still coming. No luck so they moved us to another overflow area in the maintenance yard and hooked us up to 110 power inside a shed. Most people are only here for the weekend so we will move to another site on Sunday.
Our phones do not work here. Apparently Verizon does not work here even though they worked in Hay River which is 100 miles away across the lake (BIG lake!) but 335 miles by road.
After breakfast & chores which included more injured lamb doctoring (while Marg had an assistant), Marg, Terry & I went to town to get groceries. We had depleted our fridge and used some other staples so had to restock before hitting the road.
After lunch, we put dinner in the crock pot, made dessert and then went to help Dad make turtle legs, head & tail for the planter. Francis & Nicole (good friends) came for dinner.
June 9th - Mon - On the road again!
We left Marg’s about 9 and dumped our holding tanks in town before heading for Little Fort and the Yellowhead highway. Terry had thought to go to Prince George & Dawson Creek but I did some checking and that route was 200 miles longer than going through Alberta so we changed our minds. We went into Jasper National Park and thought we might stay there a couple of nights and do some sightseeing. That plan was changed when we discovered there were no sites with power in the only open campground with electrical services. (We do like our comforts!) We continued on to Hinton where we didn’t find anything we liked. Then to Edson where the first park did not have a site large enough for us so we ended up at a large, sparsely occupied campground on the other side of town. It rained on & off all day today but cleared enough that we could take a walk around the park. Then we got to watch the single TV channel which had the Simpsons and a couple episodes of “Coronation Street” - a British sit-com.
I had a nice long chat with sister-in-law Kathy. She told me that Terry’s Mom is in an assisted living facility. Don was exhausted trying to look after her and she was not getting enough therapy.
June 10th - Tues - in Alberta
Shortly after leaving Edson, we turned north. We could have taken a shorter route but I did not know what the road was like and it appeared as if we would have been driving longer than we wanted yesterday. We saw a billboard advertising $4.99 breakfasts at a casino so decided to stop when we saw the casino down the road. We gambled a bit and then decided the breakfast offering wasn’t appealing so carried on.
North of Peace River the rain really came down. We saw a section of the road ahead of us that was white and could not figure out what it was until we hit the rain. It was bouncing up and just flooding the road. Luckily it did not last too many miles.
We stopped at an info center and I cooked breakfast/lunch. We stayed at a campground that is part of the golf course in Manning with the thought that we will stay tomorrow and golf if the weather is nice. Lots of mosquitoes.
We had tried to call Terry’s mom several times today to wish her Happy Birthday and kept getting a busy signal. Just as we were arriving at the RV park, Skip (brother) called so Terry could talk to his Mom. He said she sounded good and her voice was stronger than previously.
June 11th - Wed - to Hay River, NWT
To all non-Canadians and non-travelers, the NWT above stands for Northwest Territory. The weather did not look nice enough to stay for golf in Manning.
Part of the drive today was slightly boring. Straight highway through miles of small trees with some farming. I made the mistake of saying that it would almost be nice to get a downpour like yesterday just for a break - and sure enough we got one!
We stopped at an info center as we crossed into the NWT and talked to a very knowledgeable, nice staffer. I made lunch while we were there. We stopped to view a large waterfall - Alexandra Falls. There was a second falls that was about a mile walk away but rain was threatening so we skipped it.
We are in a large campground on the shore of Great Slave Lake - again with few campers. It is treed with large, drive-through, widely spaced spots. We bought an armload of firewood and augmented it with scavenged wood so we could enjoy the fire for a long time.
Terry was tired from driving so after we took a walk around the park, we went to bed at 10 with the sun still well up in the sky.
June 12th - Thurs - Hay River
Today is a housekeeping day. We went into town to get some Canadian money and washed the truck. But there was just a pressure washer (no brush), so Terry got out the waterless wash to complete the truck while I washed the 5th wheel. There is no water hookup here - just a tap down the road- so I did the whole thing with a bucket, cloth and extension pole. Another trip to town for some tire cleaner for Terry.
I caught up our expenses in the computer, vacuumed and we went to a beach for firewood instead of paying for another armload. The beach out from the RV park has been obviously cleared. We found out on a walk that there was a large flood this year so the beach was covered with logs and smaller driftwood which the city is cleaning up.
Rain yet again today after we washed the rigs but then it cleared and I actually had to move into the shade for a while as we were sitting outside.
June 13th - Fri - to Yellowknife NWT
We got hit with a bit of the “Friday the 13th” luck today. There is a small ferry to cross the McKenzie River about halfway between Hay River & Yellowknife. As we were driving off the ferry on the “ramp onto the riverbank” method of access, one of our rear stabilizers dragged and bent. The highway got a lot bouncier (frost heaves) past the ferry for the last 150 miles into Yellowknife. And we continued with the intermittent rain.
When we arrived at the only campsite in Yellowknife with electric service, we were asked if we had a reservation (no) and told there were no sites with power that we could fit into. We pulled into an overflow site near the shower house and then went back to the office to see what else could be done. The employees were wonderful. One park officer drove us around looking for unoccupied sites and then made phone calls to see if the people who reserved them were actually still coming. No luck so they moved us to another overflow area in the maintenance yard and hooked us up to 110 power inside a shed. Most people are only here for the weekend so we will move to another site on Sunday.
Our phones do not work here. Apparently Verizon does not work here even though they worked in Hay River which is 100 miles away across the lake (BIG lake!) but 335 miles by road.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
June 3rd to 7th - 100 Mile House
June 3rd - Tues - 100 Mile House
Marg went to the neighbor’s this morning to pound some fence posts for them. Terry went to help for a while and I worked on birdhouses with Dad in the shop. When Terry returned, he took apart a section of board fence by the barn. A post was in crooked which meant the gate did not close properly. Also, the next post was rotting. So while Marg had the post pounder on the tractor (and had some help), she wanted to replace the 2 posts. After lunch, they finished the repair and removed the post pounder.
While Terry was working in the barnyard, he spotted another lamb with an injured side. The ewe was with this lamb so we put them both in the barn. Later in the afternoon, Marg got her doctoring supplies together and we set up an “operating room” with a piece of plywood on a feeder in the barn so she could stitch up the lamb a bit. The patient did fine but the assistant had to take a break and go out for a breath of fresh air!
June 4th - Wed - 100 Mile House
Marg & I worked in the garden & greenhouse this morning. At lunch time we spent way too much time trying to figure out how to cut the corners off a square piece of wood to make a “perfect” octagon for a turtle planter like one we saw at the Farmer‘s market. We even checked the internet. We ended up going to the shop to help Dad cut the octagon and then figured out the size for him to cut the pieces for the sides.
All this meant we had to hurry to get changed and leave for ladies’ night golf. We had some errands to do before our 4:40 tee time so Marg dropped me at the grocery store while she went to the hospital to pick up some supplies for the lambs and to sign up for a potluck dinner that she will be attending.
The rain held off for our golf game. We had dinner at the golf course restaurant but did not stick around for the prize drawings. I had put a casserole together for Terry & Dad’s dinner.
June 5th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
We had a birthday party for Dad this evening. His birthday is actually tomorrow but Bob (brother) has to take a load of cattle to slaughter on Sunday so he did not want to drive home from here on Saturday and then drive 7 ½ hours Sunday.
I did some cleaning and dinner prep while Terry & Dad repaired the ramp in the chute used for loading sheep and removed a falling apart ramp in a larger chute. Bob arrived about 2. He brought one of his bulls to breed Marg’s cattle so they took him to the field and introduced him to the cows who promptly all ran away.
We got to chat a while before our company arrived for dinner. There were 13 of us and we all had a great time.
June 6th - Fri - 100 Mile House
Bob left mid-morning after helping us doctor the lambs. About 11:30 we decided that we needed to go the farmer’s market again to look at the turtle planter and fix some measurements and shapes in our minds. The weather was cool & drizzly so there weren’t many vendors at the market. After getting some diesel and picking up the mail, we went to a garden nursery for some more bedding plants. On the way back to town, we stopped at a little café in Lone Butte for lunch. The servings were large and we all ate too much. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were headed home.
Marg went with her friend Jane to Williams Lake to a horse sale. I shortened Dad’s 2 new pairs of pants and a pair of mine. Then Terry started the lawnmower for me and I took advantage of a break in the rain to mow the garden area and around the greenhouse. I did the few evening chores and then had a break before making a late, light dinner as we were all full from lunch.
June 7th - Sat - 100 Mile House
Marg & I took a walk to check the sheep after doing chores. The weather was lovely and it was very pleasant sitting on a log watching the dogs and the sheep. We went back to the house and I fixed some sandwiches to take with us for lunch while Marg got everything organized for all of us to go out and light a fire and clean up a couple of fallen trees. It was 11:30 by the time we got going and we got a lot done by 2:30. We quit then as we had arranged with Al & Cecile (nearby friends) to visit for a while today. They have a friend staying with them - Doreen - who we stopped to see in the Yukon last year and we wanted to say hi and Marg wanted to meet her.
I started dinner when we got back and helped Marg make some asparagus roll-ups for her potluck dinner. Chores, dinner and blogging to finish another busy day.
Marg went to the neighbor’s this morning to pound some fence posts for them. Terry went to help for a while and I worked on birdhouses with Dad in the shop. When Terry returned, he took apart a section of board fence by the barn. A post was in crooked which meant the gate did not close properly. Also, the next post was rotting. So while Marg had the post pounder on the tractor (and had some help), she wanted to replace the 2 posts. After lunch, they finished the repair and removed the post pounder.
While Terry was working in the barnyard, he spotted another lamb with an injured side. The ewe was with this lamb so we put them both in the barn. Later in the afternoon, Marg got her doctoring supplies together and we set up an “operating room” with a piece of plywood on a feeder in the barn so she could stitch up the lamb a bit. The patient did fine but the assistant had to take a break and go out for a breath of fresh air!
June 4th - Wed - 100 Mile House
Marg & I worked in the garden & greenhouse this morning. At lunch time we spent way too much time trying to figure out how to cut the corners off a square piece of wood to make a “perfect” octagon for a turtle planter like one we saw at the Farmer‘s market. We even checked the internet. We ended up going to the shop to help Dad cut the octagon and then figured out the size for him to cut the pieces for the sides.
All this meant we had to hurry to get changed and leave for ladies’ night golf. We had some errands to do before our 4:40 tee time so Marg dropped me at the grocery store while she went to the hospital to pick up some supplies for the lambs and to sign up for a potluck dinner that she will be attending.
The rain held off for our golf game. We had dinner at the golf course restaurant but did not stick around for the prize drawings. I had put a casserole together for Terry & Dad’s dinner.
June 5th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
We had a birthday party for Dad this evening. His birthday is actually tomorrow but Bob (brother) has to take a load of cattle to slaughter on Sunday so he did not want to drive home from here on Saturday and then drive 7 ½ hours Sunday.
I did some cleaning and dinner prep while Terry & Dad repaired the ramp in the chute used for loading sheep and removed a falling apart ramp in a larger chute. Bob arrived about 2. He brought one of his bulls to breed Marg’s cattle so they took him to the field and introduced him to the cows who promptly all ran away.
We got to chat a while before our company arrived for dinner. There were 13 of us and we all had a great time.
June 6th - Fri - 100 Mile House
Bob left mid-morning after helping us doctor the lambs. About 11:30 we decided that we needed to go the farmer’s market again to look at the turtle planter and fix some measurements and shapes in our minds. The weather was cool & drizzly so there weren’t many vendors at the market. After getting some diesel and picking up the mail, we went to a garden nursery for some more bedding plants. On the way back to town, we stopped at a little café in Lone Butte for lunch. The servings were large and we all ate too much. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were headed home.
Marg went with her friend Jane to Williams Lake to a horse sale. I shortened Dad’s 2 new pairs of pants and a pair of mine. Then Terry started the lawnmower for me and I took advantage of a break in the rain to mow the garden area and around the greenhouse. I did the few evening chores and then had a break before making a late, light dinner as we were all full from lunch.
June 7th - Sat - 100 Mile House
Marg & I took a walk to check the sheep after doing chores. The weather was lovely and it was very pleasant sitting on a log watching the dogs and the sheep. We went back to the house and I fixed some sandwiches to take with us for lunch while Marg got everything organized for all of us to go out and light a fire and clean up a couple of fallen trees. It was 11:30 by the time we got going and we got a lot done by 2:30. We quit then as we had arranged with Al & Cecile (nearby friends) to visit for a while today. They have a friend staying with them - Doreen - who we stopped to see in the Yukon last year and we wanted to say hi and Marg wanted to meet her.
I started dinner when we got back and helped Marg make some asparagus roll-ups for her potluck dinner. Chores, dinner and blogging to finish another busy day.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
May 30th to June 2nd -100 Mile House
May 30th - Fri - 100 Mile House
After chores we all took a break and went to the Farmer’s Market in town where Marg bought some bedding plants. They often have an old time band that Dad enjoys but not today. Did some grocery shopping and made a stop at the hardware store so Marg could buy a swimming pool for the goose, Ziggy. We were going to pick up fence posts but decided they would not fit easily in the truck, so after lunch Terry & Marg hooked up the trailer to Marg’s truck and went back for the posts. While they were gone, I started giving Dolly a haircut.
So then it was back out with the tractor & ATVs to the fence to finish pounding in posts. We unhooked all the wires at the end of the section we were working on so we could get the tractor through the fence and we had to repair the corner anyhow. By the time we got it back together enough to keep Marg’s cows in and the neighbor’s cows out, it was nearly 7 o’clock.
Ordered pizza for dinner tonight. We were surprised that anyone would deliver here. It only took 40 minutes and the pizza was good.
May 31st - Sat - 100 Mile House
There are 3 injured lambs in the barn and Marg figured she better do some doctoring on their wounds. One lamb was injured on it’s flank and it kept getting dirty when she laid down on it. So Marg put a dressing on it and held it in place with a stretchy tube which ended up looking like a diaper. Another lamb has a deep puncture wound on the inside of a back leg which needed cleaning out. I just held the lambs for Marg.
Had to work on the fence again so we took lunch out with us - hot dogs to cook over a fire. We lit a big pile of wood when we arrived and then worked on the fence. Dad joined us by the time the fire had burned down to nice coals and we had our lunch. Spent a few more hours on the fence and didn’t quite finish.
June 1st - Sun - 100 Mile House/Kamloops
Marg was supposed to spend the day with a friend but that didn’t work out so we decided to go to Kamloops so Marg could order some new eye glasses at Costco. She does not have a Costco card but glasses are so much cheaper there that it was worthwhile to drive to Kamloops so she could use our card.
We made a stop at Canadian Tire (a “general” type store unlike the name would suggest) where Marg bought a set of pots & pans because I complained about her current pots. Next we went to the casino downtown - Terry’s request for R&R. Dad is not a gambler but we talked him into spending $20. I played beside him to help him figure out the machines and he ended up winning $14! Terry won enough to cover my $20 loss and pay for dinner.
June 2nd - Mon - 100 Mile House
I helped Marg doctor the 2 injured lambs again this morning before Marg, Terry & I loaded up some stakes and went to finish the fence that we had rebuilt. We just had to staple up the page-wire section and then weave the stakes to strengthen everything. On the way back we decided to light a pile of sticks and small trees. Everything was pretty wet from rain last night so Terry went and got a can of diesel so we could get it going. We piled it up pretty good and went in for lunch.
After lunch, Marg & I took the chain saw back to the fire. Marg cut up downed trees and I picked up the pieces and built up the fire again. Next we all headed to town for some errands including new jeans for Dad - and he hates to try on clothes!
Got back from town about 4:15, changed clothes again and Marg & I headed back to the fire with the intention of just pushing unburned ends into the pile. But we finished cleaning up the area around the fire instead. We quickly planted the bedding plants that Marg bought on Friday and then made dinner. Before we let ourselves sit down and get lazy, we made one last trip to the fire and this time just pushed in the ends.
After chores we all took a break and went to the Farmer’s Market in town where Marg bought some bedding plants. They often have an old time band that Dad enjoys but not today. Did some grocery shopping and made a stop at the hardware store so Marg could buy a swimming pool for the goose, Ziggy. We were going to pick up fence posts but decided they would not fit easily in the truck, so after lunch Terry & Marg hooked up the trailer to Marg’s truck and went back for the posts. While they were gone, I started giving Dolly a haircut.
So then it was back out with the tractor & ATVs to the fence to finish pounding in posts. We unhooked all the wires at the end of the section we were working on so we could get the tractor through the fence and we had to repair the corner anyhow. By the time we got it back together enough to keep Marg’s cows in and the neighbor’s cows out, it was nearly 7 o’clock.
Ordered pizza for dinner tonight. We were surprised that anyone would deliver here. It only took 40 minutes and the pizza was good.
May 31st - Sat - 100 Mile House
There are 3 injured lambs in the barn and Marg figured she better do some doctoring on their wounds. One lamb was injured on it’s flank and it kept getting dirty when she laid down on it. So Marg put a dressing on it and held it in place with a stretchy tube which ended up looking like a diaper. Another lamb has a deep puncture wound on the inside of a back leg which needed cleaning out. I just held the lambs for Marg.
Had to work on the fence again so we took lunch out with us - hot dogs to cook over a fire. We lit a big pile of wood when we arrived and then worked on the fence. Dad joined us by the time the fire had burned down to nice coals and we had our lunch. Spent a few more hours on the fence and didn’t quite finish.
June 1st - Sun - 100 Mile House/Kamloops
Marg was supposed to spend the day with a friend but that didn’t work out so we decided to go to Kamloops so Marg could order some new eye glasses at Costco. She does not have a Costco card but glasses are so much cheaper there that it was worthwhile to drive to Kamloops so she could use our card.
We made a stop at Canadian Tire (a “general” type store unlike the name would suggest) where Marg bought a set of pots & pans because I complained about her current pots. Next we went to the casino downtown - Terry’s request for R&R. Dad is not a gambler but we talked him into spending $20. I played beside him to help him figure out the machines and he ended up winning $14! Terry won enough to cover my $20 loss and pay for dinner.
June 2nd - Mon - 100 Mile House
I helped Marg doctor the 2 injured lambs again this morning before Marg, Terry & I loaded up some stakes and went to finish the fence that we had rebuilt. We just had to staple up the page-wire section and then weave the stakes to strengthen everything. On the way back we decided to light a pile of sticks and small trees. Everything was pretty wet from rain last night so Terry went and got a can of diesel so we could get it going. We piled it up pretty good and went in for lunch.
After lunch, Marg & I took the chain saw back to the fire. Marg cut up downed trees and I picked up the pieces and built up the fire again. Next we all headed to town for some errands including new jeans for Dad - and he hates to try on clothes!
Got back from town about 4:15, changed clothes again and Marg & I headed back to the fire with the intention of just pushing unburned ends into the pile. But we finished cleaning up the area around the fire instead. We quickly planted the bedding plants that Marg bought on Friday and then made dinner. Before we let ourselves sit down and get lazy, we made one last trip to the fire and this time just pushed in the ends.
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