Mega-marts and More Hot Springs

We left Vancouver to head east, but that involved unsuccessful stops at 2 different Mega-marts looking for tire chains. Ugh. We also had no luck at the walk-in pharmacy for flu shots, and other various big-box store stops. This was just like being in Oakland. To top it off, it was the beginning of a holiday weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) and we were on a highway with everyone else. No views, just traffic.

So, there were lots of uninteresting stops and I was really glad when we finally made it to Harrison Hot Springs.  The hot springs were basically just a large warm indoor pool with sulfur, but the town and view were amazing. There’s also a big fancy resort next door, but we skipped the luxury for an opportunity to camp in the freezing cold.  Although it was chilly, the sky was clear so we headed over to Sasquatch Provincial Park for the night.

No Yeti to be found, but we did find other bandits. At one point, I heard Jason talking outside and figured it was another camper, but then I saw him waving his arms and stomping. I finally went out to see what he was doing, and he was trying to scare away a family of raccoons. We ate in the van while the raccoons returned to tear into our garbage. After we cleaned that up, I took the dishes to wash them. I couldn’t find a faucet and it was dark and really cold. So, I piled up the dirty dishes in our plastic camping box, put the lid on it, and put 2 boxes on top of that. The next morning we saw that it was no match for a determined coon.

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Bode stayed inside the van most of the evening. It was pretty cold out, and he just got a new movie. So much for his taste in music. This movie featured the 80’s classic Axel F, and he’s been humming it for 2 days now.

After his movie, Jason and I decided to watch one of our movies. We brought a ton of films, but I think we’ve only watched one so far. Jason made an interesting selection in The Mosquito Coast. It is about an inventor who moves his family to the jungles of Central America with disastrous results. Foreshadowing?

The cold morning got us up an out of the campsite pretty quickly. Washing dishes is always a downer, but doing it in sub-freezing conditions is worse.  We went back into Harrison and grabbed warmed drinks while Bode played on the beach  playground. The wind was carrying sand around us so thick we could barely see, but we still had to promise Bode a better playground to convince him to leave. Luckily, there was one in the next town across from a laundromat. It was still so windy that the laundromat sign kept blowing down.

Once we were on the road again we had to keep stopping for Jason to check the timing, check on weird noises, and adjust something called the dwell. I’m not sure what that all means, but we aren’t getting very far. Luckily, at this pit stop I have found a wireless connection.

We’re headed into the mountains, and it is cold (we’re in one of the blue parts of the image below!) And, now there is some sort of cricket noise coming from the back of the bus… fingers crossed!

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8 thoughts on “Mega-marts and More Hot Springs

  • October 14, 2009 at 10:48 AM
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    Nice paraglider! I love to paraglide and BC has many, many awesome flying sites.

  • October 14, 2009 at 11:52 AM
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    SO…what does one dine on for Canadian Thanksgiving??? Ay?

  • October 14, 2009 at 2:55 PM
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    i think the family of raccoons was trying to scare your family away – not the other way around.

    and when bode discovers 70’s music, call me!

  • October 14, 2009 at 3:45 PM
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    Axel F was the music to your gymnastics floor routine. Do you remember how to do it? Notice I didn’t ask if you could still do it.

    I have it on tape, but don’t have a tape player. I’ll bet Bode would love to see it.

  • October 14, 2009 at 6:32 PM
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    So after reading “Surf Canada” and humming Kinks tunes for the last 3 days, I went to Walmart to look for a best of CD in the $7 rack. No Luck. My kids used to hum “Superman” in the bathtub in the early 80’s. They were raised on Low Budget, Misfits, Celluloid Heroes and Rock & Roll Fantasy. Angela, one of my favorite things to do when winter camping is wash dishes with hot, soapy water and get my hands all warm and clean. Rock on Bode!

  • October 14, 2009 at 8:58 PM
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    Hey Guys, just found your email in my old address inbox… sounds like you are having a great adventure. You may have already passed my city (Penticton) Hope you are enjoying the area.

  • October 15, 2009 at 6:46 AM
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    Hey, Mom . . . I’d like to see that tape (and, I have a player)!

  • October 15, 2009 at 2:14 PM
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    I can’t wait for the updates of sunshine and warmth from Central America! This tweet made me think of you:

    @DanielPink: Just arrived in Bogota, where Colombia Tourism Board posters read, “The only risk is wanting to stay.”

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