KOA Kamping!!

Hola Kampers!!!

Well I see a theme lately and it KOA camping!! Yes I used to laugh at such things as not really camping but now in my old age a HOT shower, Wifi, and hook-ups to keep the fridge cold are really nice. Honestly we have not gone to the dark side completely we will still free camp when possible, as the fishing is better and no rules other than our own!!

We are in the KOA campground in Sturgeon Falls Ontario tonight. We have stayed at the KOA in Thunder Bay and Wawa (land of the mighty goose) that didn’t seem that mighty up close personally.

Apparently in Thunder Bay on August 30^th it was Halloween!! See the pictures to prove it. A little noisy with hyped up kids but the pool was empty!! 

The weather is finally cooler and of course wetter. Last nights monsoon pelted us hard. Hard enough that just before bed (thank god) Karen realized the back window was open and the bedding was wet. Laundry time!!!!!!

 

Ryanne was having a mopey day I think cause she was leaning on our shoulders whilst we drove- even Kevan’s!!!!

Wonderful views seen today of Lake Superior and Huron, not just homework in grade school they do exist!!

                  

Well off to plan Ottawa accommodations and activities. Kevan has promised only on museum per day (we will see)!!

 http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/11854270665-1378169477-12777/

 On the road reporting

Karen

Ryanne’s point of view.

They said “lets go for a car ride” and we have been going for car rides everyday. For lots of days. And they take me for walks where there are all these new smells I have to stop and smell. And I meet new people who rub my head and say I am pretty for my age. Fuckers.

In the mornings after Kevan takes me for a walk so that I can relive myself. Every morning I stop, take a crap, look up at Kevan with my soft Labrador eyes and think “ok fat man, go and pick it up in that little plastic bag, and lets get going as I want breakfast”.

I sneak into the front of the motorhome and sleep on Karen’s seat. This way I can keep an eye on what is going on and I can shed my hair so that she gets it all on her clothes. I sleep there at nights sometimes as well, but not if I am snoring: my snoring keeps me awake. So when I snore I sleep in the hallway of the motorhome where they put my mat and blanket that way it keeps Kevan awake.

My walking buddy bought us a Tim Horton's card before we left to make sure that Kevan gets his caffeine and I get my Timbits. It seems pretty much everyday we get Timbits. Kevan is happier when he has coffee. Thanks Mark!

Gotta go. Dinner is ready and I have to eat it quickly so that I can mooch some people food from Karen. Then Kevan has to take me for a walk and pickup my crap.

Woof Woof

Ryanne.

 

 

Sask to Souris

Kevan’s version:

 

Saskatchewan sucks. The weather is fucking 35c and the campground we found at Estevan was shit. No showers, flies and mosquitoes the size of small birds and $40 a night. It was that or the Wal-Mart parking lot; if they had one. There is a big oil and gas boom on and the campgrounds are full of workers along with most of the motel/hotels.

But we suffered through, got up at daylight and got the hell out of there.

And the roads sucked. I have driven/ridden better roads in Mexico than I did is Sask. Now granted they did warn us with a sign that said the road was not well maintained but holly fuck some of the potholes would swallow the tire off of a semi!

Luckily I should not have to return ever again to southern Sask and if I do it will be with a rental car.

The offset is that all the people we met were very pleasant and all said yes it was unseasonably hot. Yes low to mid 30c is hot. And even hotter in an old Toyota with no air conditioning. Note to anyone looking to come to the prairies: make sure your air conditioning works !

Karen’s addendum: It’s all true and yet I got to go back to my families home town of yes: Big Beaver Sask!! Have you finished laughing yet? Stopped for lunch at the general store with 10 min to spare, as it is only open from 9-12 on Wed. Through the Badlands and onward to Manitoba towards another hot day!!     

Pictures to share:            http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/11854293768-1377826886-93489/

 

Still on the road and seeking below 30C!!!

Kevan and Karen

Nakusp 2013

Nakusp 2013

Sorry for the tardiness lack of Wifi!!

Well what a time!! Met interesting people from all over the world that were on their own adventures.  Across Canada you say- we are going across Mongolia on motorbikes!! Great times and many more ideas for future travel, I wonder how many leaves of absence I can get!!??

Finally toured the mighty Moye (sternwheeler) in Kaslo, BC after a night of epic wind/thunder/lightening storms!! The nasty weather is still following us; wish it were warmer-careful what you wish for!!

We landed in Gull Lake Alberta via Sparwood, BC and the mighty truck!!

Kevan’s version:

I got to spend the weekend end with 270 of my best riding friends. This was a record year for attendance at HU Nakusp!

The highlights were seeing Grant and Susan Johnston and having dinner with them on Wednesday night (actually Karen cooked in Rattletrap) along with Mark and Nevil. Actually Nevil was still working off the hang over from the night before was we killed of the last of my Tequila.

The night afterward we initiated a new Horizons Unlimited ritual: HUritas. That is Horizons Unlimited margaritas made and served in the campsite. Thank you Miles!

Although the weekend is stressful making sure the presentations all come off on time and I don’t put my big foot in my mouth while acting as MC I really enjoy the event.

Pictures http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/11854289301-1377826308-40220/

 

Til next time K&K  and Ryanne

Barkerville and Sheridan Lake

Gold Mines and Great Theatre!!

Yes we made it to Barkerville! A full day of activities including a wonderful live theatre shows in the evening. Light show was included later that night with torrential thunderstorms!! Rattletrap didn’t appreciate the 9% grades on the hills though!

Stayed in Sheridan Lake for a night to visit Kevan’s family (uncles, aunts and cousins) a family reunion of sorts!! No fishing due to the 40-50km/hr winds and 2-3 foot waves alas Margaritas were had instead!!

Onward ho to Nakusp with a short stop for new muffler piece in Vernon and overnight stay in Lumby.

Photos to date: http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/11854288872-1377206631-88915

Til next entry

Karen, Kevan, and Ryanne

Still on the road!!

Holly cob chucking Batman !!

So after a couple of blistering days of traveling up country through the heartland of BC, better known as the Fraser Canyon and the Caribou district we ended up at our good friends Ian and Heather’s place in Burns Lake.

 
Ian on a recent trip down to Chilliwack returned with 150 pound of fresh corn. He asked for a “little help” with preparing it for the freezer. Karen and I being the volunteering type thought sure, how bad can it be to shuck 150 pounds of corn. What we didn’t think to ask was how he was preparing it for the freezer.

In the end we ended up shucking, blanching, ice chilling, de-kernelling (if that is really a word) and then packaging into freezer bags. 30 bags worth. About 3 hours of hot, steamy work over a hot stove. Lots of fun with good friends.

Photos to date are here: http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/11854284208-1376449701-40971

For those motorhead friends a little update on Rattle Trap. Only thing to break so far is the entrance step; Karen did that J. We got 19 MPG coming up the Caribou. Not bad for a 15 year old motorhome !

We are off to Barkerville later this week then off to Nakusp for the Horizons Unlimited meeting.

Till next time.

Kevan and Karen

On the road to Newfoundland.

The Adventure of “Rattletrap”

As of August 2013 we are off on our next adventure. This time though instead of taking motorcycles to some strange place – does the Arctic Circle and Central America seem strange because it used to for us – we are taking a motor home and driving across Canada. And we are bringing the dog !

We decided that instead of heading off to a foreign country or continent that we should really get a chance to see our country first. So Karen spoke to her superiors at VIHA and ended up with nearly 3 months off work this fall. I think they felt guilty for her not getting her holidays in 2012 and wanted to make it up to her.

But instead of doing the normal thing and buying a new or late model RV we purchased a 1988 Toyota motor home. It is small enough to park in a regular parking stall, narrow enough to navigate city streets and just big enough for the 3 of us. It is not what we started off looking to purchase for the trip but in the end we are really pleased with it.

She has been christened, if that is the appropriate term, “Rattletrap”. As any of you who have owned motor homes know they make all kinds of noise from the appliances, wind, personal items stored on board and try as you might you just never seem to get all of them quite at the same time. Therefore we call it “Rattletrap” due to the din she makes when we drive her.

So we leave on August 12 to see friends in Burns Lake, then off to Nakusp for the annual Horizons Unlimited event, then east to Edmonton to see Karen’s brother. After that we will head east to Newfoundland and home again by mid November. There are really no time lines, no reservations other than we have to be at the Miramichi River New Brunswick prior to October 15 because that is when the Atlantic salmon fishing season ends. We have been reviewing the various provincial travel sites, maps etc and have a rough idea of where we are going but as I believe that too much planning ruins a trip we are letting things work themselves out as we go.

We are looking forward to seeing Quebec and the Maritimes in their fall colours and spending time in Ottawa and Quebec City. We are trying to avoid the larger cities like Toronto and Montreal as much as possible just due to their size, complexities and the fact that we are not big city people.

Also we are trying to fish in each province. So if you know a favourite fishing place or someone along the route who might be able to show us a good spot, please let us know.

Keep an eye here on the blog for stories and photos.

Cheers

Kevan, Karen and Ryanne