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Chilliwack to the Chasm

The Gold Rush Trail!

My discovery of the day is that I can use the coffee grinder on the inverter with my new house battery!!!!!!!!!!

I left Chilliwack fairly early, before nine and eagerly pushed on past sort-of-familiar territory back to Hope where I finally began to head north! Of course, Transport Canada removes some of the thrill by labeling the highway direction as east.

This stretch of road is called the Gold Rush Trail. I cannot begin to describe the wave of emotion I felt when I saw the first sign welcoming adventurers heading north. I am certain that had I been born a century and a half ago, I would have been the same non-conformist heading north with her 1,000 lbs of personal goods.

I drove steadily, stopping occasionally to stretch my legs and take in the view.

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My longest break was at Hell’s Gate, after which I actually started to look for a place to stop for the day even though it wasn’t even eleven yet! I’d mapped out a couple of possibilities, but they were difficult to get into, so I pushed on, stopping just shy of one at a rest area to have lunch.

The scenery was breathtaking and as desert-like as I’d been warned. There were moments I could have sworn I was somewhere in the Mojave desert en route to Las Vegas!

Drama at Cache Creek

I stopped for gas in Cache Creek, which was much smaller than expected. On the way out of the service station, I clipped a guy’s mirror with the toad’s mirror. It apparently made quite a bang, but I heard nothing, just saw a a crazy looking livid man running after me yelling “YOU HIT MY CAR!” He was beyond reasoning with even though, after inspecting his car, it was obvious that the only damage was a tiny chip of paint lost on the mirror casing, The chip could only be felt, not seen, so, really, talk about over reacting! I had no damage.

Thankfully, his wife was able to diffuse the situation by seeing the damage done, not the damage that could have been done. I offered them a 100 bucks for their trouble, but she could see that there was barely a scratch on the car, nothing worth her husband’s undue fussing and she said that all was well. I still felt horrible, of course, but, really, that guy seriously over reacted!

Why Do I Trust Majel?!

Just after that, I followed Majel’s directions to get to Chasm Provincial Park. Must. Stop. Doing. That. I drove I don’t know how far out of my way before I saw a turn around point then… I pushed on. The area was so pretty I hoped to find a turn off where I could spend the night, but the road was too narrow. At the next turn around point I came to my senses and doubled back to the 97, wasting I don’t know how much gas.

I saw a sign for another provincial park that was open and had room for RVs, but missed the turnoff. Signage is really, really poor and I wish I had a co-pilot. Sometime later, I saw the turn off for the Chasm lookout point and here I am. There is no sign saying no parking, so I’m staying. I am beyond beat; the Cache Creek thing ruined my mood. 🙁

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Chasm Provincial Park

The chasm lookout is barely a turnout, just a strip of  muddy road and not a particularly level place to stop. I picked the best spot and staked my claim. It’s very isolated out here and it feels so nice to be by myself.

The chasm is breathtaking, one of those gems you have to find on your own. It is at least as gorgeous as the Grand Canyon! It’s the most awesome backyard I have ever had and my most successful boondocking experience yet!

I arrived here around 4 and had a pleasant, homey evening that concluded with my watching a movie on the new laptop. Love the new laptop!!!

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The Opposite of a Product Recommendation

I’ve simmered down just enough to write about this conclusion I reached on Wednesday: Rack Attack sold me the correct rack parts for my vehicle, as per the information provided by Thule. However, the information provided by Thule is incorrect. I had to piece together clues gathered from a few sources, including blurry pictures in the nearly useless instructions to conclude that I’m missing some key parts to get the stupid roof rack installed.

Rack Attack closes early on weeknights (too early for me to have been able to go after work) and does not open until 10AM on Saturdays.

I’m going to try to get the boat into the rig tomorrow morning. If it fits, I will go to the Rack Attack store in Coquitlam with the rig towing the car, as that store is sort of en route and get them to make this right for me. If not, then I’m going to have to leave the rig parked on the street here and come back to get it after driving all the way out to Vancouver with the toad. Then, I still need to get the rig’s oil change done. Let’s just say that departure is being delayed. I am NOT happy.

Thule is garbage, plain and simple, and they have absolutely no business staying in business. Their products are shoddy and fit together poorly and their instructions are a joke. I am very, very disappointed that I gave five hundred dollars, which is a lot of money to waste!, to a company that does not care enough about its customers to provide them with the correct information.

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Putting the Winter Into Perspective

Well into late spring of 2008, I was still battling with choosing one of two possible futures.  For reasons that don’t need exploring at this juncture, I was sure for three years that I would be moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba in the fall of 2008 or the spring of 2009, but ‘things’ happened as ‘things’ often do, and I decided I needed a new life more than a new location. So, here I am, in Vancouver of all places and heading to the Yukon… instead of battling Manitoba’s second major flood in just over ten years.

A little cold and some RV plumbing problems suddenly seem positively insignificant.

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Winding Down

It is difficult to conceive that two weeks from now, my time at Pacific Border RV Park will be over. It has been a cushy four months, but I need to go back to a less luxurious way of life!

I’ve contacted a few RV maintenance places to get quotes for a small tune up for Miranda as well as a generator inspection. It would be brilliant if I could get all of this done in one place on May 2nd, but I’m not holding my breath. I really doubt that I’ll actually be heading north by this time in two weeks, but that’s only because I’m too lazy to take the rig out next weekend to get things done! The only problem with my having to stick around for a few days at the beginning of May is that there does not seem to be many places where I can boondock in the Vancouver area, but I’m researching my options.

I feel so differently about the GVR than I did four months ago, even four weeks ago. It’s taken a long time, but I have fallen in love some parts of Vancouver and the surrounding area, parts where it would be possible to build a life without having to stray into the parts I dislike. The end of the road, whenever, and if ever, it comes, could very well be English Bay or White Rock or Cloverdale or North Van or a number of other locations. This region is so much more than the sum of its parts; in fact I feel that it needs to be judged by the parts of its sum!

It has come to my attention in the last few months that, deep down, I am seeking a ‘forever home.’ The more I travel, the more the definition of that becomes clear to me, but I have not found the place yet and I don’t think I would even recognize it until I get many thousands more kilometres behind me.

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Giddy Anticipation

Someone very dear to me will tomorrow be arriving in the GVR for a week–my best friend from Ottawa, whom I have not seen in seven months!!! Her arrival coincides with the Easter long weekend, which means we’ll have four full days together (in addition to tomorrow afternoon and three evenings next week!).

She’s arriving here in much the same way I did, with Stanley Park being the only ‘must see’ on her itinerary. I look forward to introducing her to the park, as well as Lynn Valley Canyon and Steveston, and exploring Gastown, touristy White Rock, and Blaine Washington with her, as well as making new discoveries!

After almost a solid week of gorgeous, sunny weather, she’s arriving with rain so she’ll get the real Vancouver experience. 🙂