Sunday, May 19, 2013

May 16th to 18th - BC

May 16th – Thurs – to Vernon BC
It was snowing lightly when we got up so we hit the road in a hurry.  The snow did not last long but it remained cold.  Before we left Lake Louise we filled up with diesel at $1.41/liter – a little high but guess we better get used to these prices as BC will likely be higher than Alberta.
After miles of bumpy roads, we stopped for a late breakfast at Sicamous.  We gained an hour when we crossed another time zone.
We thought the Silver Star RV park in Vernon would be busy because Monday is Victoria Day which is a long weekend in Canada.  There were lots of sites available but we could fit into only about a third of them.
I did some cleaning while Terry checked our bank accounts on the slow but free internet connection.  Then I finished & posted my blog which was a little behind.  Now it was time to head to the nearby casino where we didn’t do as well as the last couple of times that we visited.  We got a coupon and had a “seafood buffet” for dinner for $10 each.  Now I see why Canadian visitors rave about American buffets!!  After dinner, we each got a scratch ticket for free play – Terry got $5 and I got $10 which went even faster than our original money.  We stopped at The Superstore on the way back and then watched TV since our satellite was not blocked by trees. 

May 17th – Fri
I contacted our friends Terry & Judy who have a house here (strangely enough Judy sent an email Wed which I read yesterday saying she had not checked our blog for a while and wondered if we would be coming their way) and we made plans to have them over for dinner today.  After coffee and putting dinner in the crock pot, Terry found that the 3 washers in the laundry room were being used so we went back to the casino and left some money to keep yesterday’s donation company.  We went to WalMart for a few more groceries, put everything away and then did the laundry.  It was very nice out so we sat on a bench in the sun – in our shorts – while we waited for the laundry.
Terry & Judy came over about 4 and we sat outside to chat but very soon it started to sprinkle so we moved inside.  We had a great time catching up with news on both sides and looking at pictures of our trip through Newfoundland in 2008 which is when we first met.  We may have talked them into coming to VVV this fall to check out a bigger park.  The last couple of years they have stayed in a small park in Buckeye which is quite a ways from most anything.
 
May 18th – Sat – to the Shuswap
We left at 8 for the short drive to Scotch Creek which is on Shuswap Lake.  This is where Claude & Val have a lot and we HAD to check out their new motor home.  Claude was helping put up a big tent and flagged us down when we drove into their development.  He directed us to an unoccupied lot so we backed in, opened the slides and went to see Val.  Their motor home is lovely.  It is a used Beaver in beautiful shape and they are delighted with it.
Claude came back shortly after and we chatted over coffee while Val made sandwiches for lunch.  At 1:30 they had to go to a home owner meeting so we came back to our rig & relaxed.
A large group had planned to go to Salmon Arm for a special themed dinner at a golf course and we were invited to join them.  After a drink outside, we went with Claude & Val for the 30-40 minute drive.  We had been told that dinner was at 7 but it turned out that the second sitting wasn’t until 7:30 so we sat outside on a covered patio for a drink and soon the rest of the group (10 more) arrived.  The golf course was amazingly green & lush and also quite hilly.
The theme for dinner was “fishing” so it was a seafood buffet.  The servers got into the spirit with things such as lures for necklaces and bobbers as earrings.  Appetizers were served to the tables and then there was a typical rush to the serving tables for the rest of dinner.  We were near the end of the line and as a result we got 2 little lobster tails instead of one as there were leftovers.  We sat across from a couple visiting from Calgary (George & Rhonda) who are originally from Newfoundland and enjoyed chatting with them.
Val graciously agreed to be the DD and got us home about 10.  We sat with them for a short time until Terry just could not keep his eyes open.

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