April 29, 2011 by Rae

The Potato Chip Experiment

Jody and Gary needed to go to Fruitvale, BC, yesterday and insisted I come along for the ride. It was a fun little overnight trip and we obviously aren’t yet ready to kill each other since we’re road tripping again tomorrow!

The title of this post comes from something Jody likes to do when she drives this route. It takes you to the Salmo Creston Pass, which is a full mile above sea level. The change in air pressure is remarkable and well evidenced by bringing a bag of potato chips, then watching it swell as you climb up to the summit. Potato chip delivery drivers are not allowed to take this route because the bags, being crowded into boxes, often explode!

I would not want to do this route, highway 3, in an RV at any other time but a very dry summer day; not only is it a long, steep climb and descent, but there is no guard rail along a good chunk of it. There was a lot of snow at the pass yesterday.

I got up at oh-dark-thirty to do two flier routes, with the other two to be done tonight. It figured that these were extra-large batches where I would be paid a supplement but which would take longer! We took off around 9 and with a bunch of stops made it to Fruitvale at five MST, four local time.

We pushed on a little past Fruitvale so I could see the former mining town of Rossland, then we had dinner in Trail at the delicious Chinese ‘Double Happiness’ restaurant.

On the way back today we stopped in Creston so I could see the sasquatch at the Kokanee brewery. Pity there were no tours today!

We got in around, oh, nearly fiveish and Jody went out with me so we could do my fliers in record time. Thank you!

random MyCatsAreSoCute! pic

snow at the summit of the Salmo Creston pass

crossing the Columbia River into Trail (yes, the same river as that in Oregon/Washington)

welcome to Trail

daffodils in Trail

public walkways in Trail all have this red covering; you can see them going up the side of the hills

welcome to Rossland

Rossland mine

nice building in Rossland

BC has bright green grass

bag at the bottom of the pass on the Salmo side, very flexible, no problem creating the crease

air pressure is still low

air pressure is still low but changing as we climb up

air pressure keeps mounting

nearly at the top and the bag is getting very hard

white-out conditions at the summit

cresting the summit, the bag was fully inflated

on the Creston side of the pass

Creston, nice dump station

Creston

fountain at rest area in Creston

“Beer Run”, the Kokanee Sasquatch

RV park right across from the Kokanee Brewery!

Cranbrook sign, similar to the one in Sparwood

we saw lots of these goats on the highway

coming up to the short tunnel

short tunnel

election sign: Vote for Bush! (as an independent)

April 9, 2011 by Rae

A Tale of a Giant Gorilla, a Snowed-in Town, a Mountain Pass, a Vanished Community, a Giant Truck, a Waterfall, and a Dam (it was a full day)

Jody and I went on another long road trip today. We didn’t make it out of the solar system this time, but we did leave the province!

She was happy to drive again so I just sat and ogled the scenery. Since I’m a movie buff she thought our first stop, Cardston, would be of interest, which it was. This town is the birth place of Fay Wray, most famous for the iconic scene of her trapped in King Kong’s fist while he’s climbing the Empire State building! The town isn’t much, but there is a little fountain and sign in her homage.

We then pushed on to Waterton Lakes national park, which is pretty much shut down for the winter. There’s not much to do or see except for TONS of snow, but there’s also no access fee. We drove around the few streets of this winter ghost town that were plowed and also drove up to see the Prince of Wales Hotel.

Next, she took me through the Crowsnest Pass! This is one of those iconic Canadian sites that you just need to go through at least once. We stopped at the site of the Frank slide, which happened in 1903, and buried the community. The area is still unstable.

We continued into BC so she could show me the world’s largest truck in Sparwood. It’s big!

Heading home, we detoured to visit the Lundbreck Falls and the Oldman River dam.

We got back to Lethbridge pretty late and were grateful that Gary had barbecued dinner for us. That mountain air sure whetted our appetites!

welcome to Cardston, birthplace of Fay Wray

Cardston’s little homage to its most famous resident

of all the movies she did, she’ll always be remembered for the one with the problem boyfriend

Fay Wray fountain

Fay Wray

Mormon temple

I only knew about this museum because it was prominently featured in an episode of the Simpsons!

driving west

entering Waterton Lakes national park

Waterton Lakes national park

the snow was high and right up against all the boarded up buildings

Prince of Wales Hotel

Waterton Lakes national park

Prince of Wales Hotel

Waterton Lakes national park

lots o’ deer on a hill

Waterton Lakes national park

entering the Pincher Creek area

arrive in Pincher Creek (I just noticed the pinchers on either side of the sign!)

sign about the Burmis Tree

the Burmis tree, ‘a sign of endurance for the people of the [Crowsnest] pass’, died in the late 1970’s but resurrected

entering the municipality of Crowsnest Pass

a crow in a nest…

the site of the Frank slide, the deadliest in Canadian history

entering BC!

the biggest truck in the world! (Sparwood, BC)

people in front of the biggest truck, for scale

sheep on the highway

another sign about the Crowsnest Pass

I finally got a picture of the welcome to Alberta sign!

Lundbreck falls

I can’t believe I can be on a structure like that now!

Lundbreck falls

bridge near Lundbreck falls

Oldman River dam site

April 4, 2011 by Rae

All Hell For a Basement

This part of the country seems to have all hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat. And don’t you ever think of changing the name of your town. It’s all your own and the only hat of its kind on earth.

This afternoon my host, Jody, and I went on a little road trip around south-east Alberta, stopping in the town of Medicine Hat, which is ‘The Gas City’, the sunniest city in Canada, the home of the biggest teepee in Canada if not the world, and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling (The Jungle Book) to boot. Not bad for a town of about 60,000!

It is so good to be back in the flats of the prairies; I have missed them so, so much. There was much snow on the ground and with a few hills in the background it looked very much like the Montérégie landscape of my youth.

I love having a local guide and, especially, a driver. Being a passenger is pure luxury!

the giant teepee, built for Expo ’86 in Vancouver

artwork at the giant teepee

welcome to Medicine Hat “The Gas City”

windmill outside the Etzicom museum

March 29, 2011 by Rae

Wandering Around Idaho (and Montana, Sort Of)

Coeur d’Alene is a small town whose main attraction are outdoor sports. There isn’t really anything touristy to do, like museums. I decided to spend my day in the area scouting ahead with the toad and then coming back by way of the scenic route around the lake.

The drive into Montana reminded me of just why I love driving stick. It’s very technical and the toad had fun zipping me up and down the mountains. I turned around in Saltese then came back to Kellog, Idaho, for lunch at the McDonalds so I could check my emails.

Kellog is an amusing-looking town. Some of the buildings seem to have been plucked straight out of Bavaria and others out of 1950’s America! I was most impressed by the aerial gondola ferrying people up the mountain since it starts right downtown.

Shortly after Kellog there was a road sign flashing “Boat inspection ahead! All vehicles hauling boats pull in!” I had the kayak on the roof, so I pulled in. Two kids (I swear they were of high school age; or I’m getting older!) asked me a few questions, the most pertinent of which was when and where was the last time the boat was in the water (August, Dawson City, YT). The purpose of the stop is to keep invasive species like zebra mussels from entering Idaho waters. I was given an inspection report and told to hang on to it ‘because cops like to hang out after the inspection station.’

Approaching Coeur d’Alene, there is a turnoff for a scenic by-way. I decide to go home that way, not having any idea of what this road would be like or how long. It wound up being VERY twisty; even though there are RV parks and campgrounds along it I would not want to do it in an RV! It also took me about an hour out of my way. I really enjoyed the climb up above the lake and into farmland. I eventually emerged about twenty minutes south of the casino just as the sun was setting.

Idaho, at least the northern part of the state, is very scenic!

approaching Lookout Pass, exit 0, and the Montana border: MAX truck speed recommended 25MPH

first glimpses of Montana; looks like Quebec! 🙂

lots o’ snow on the Montana side!

welcome to Montana

welcome to Idaho

Kellog, Idaho, is stuck in time!

gondala taking skiers up the mountain (I’d never seen one go right through a town!)

Coeur d’Alene lake

first blue sky I’d seen in days!

Idaho’s green-rimmed yellow fields and bright blue skies

driving into an Idaho sunset

March 15, 2011 by Rae

Why Eugene and Thinking Ahead

I’m in this general area of Oregon because Thursday morning I am having a 150 watt solar panel installed by the RV solar experts AM Solar. Even before I had a rig, I knew that I wanted my solar system to be installed by them. I didn’t want to say too much about this because of the number of kerfuffles since I left Abbotsford five weeks ago, but now I really do believe this project is a go!

Once I have the solar panel, I won’t need to plug in every few nights. Even in this soggy climate, I’m confident that with proper electrical management this solar panel will mean a great deal of freedom for me. It’s a lot of money at one time, but it will pay for itself quickly.

As to why I am in Eugene specifically, it’s that I have friends who were able to put me up with a 15A connection and access to a spigot to top off my fresh water tank. I am so grateful to them!

Climate notwithstanding, I am really enjoying Eugene. It reminds a lot of Ottawa, actually, and the neighbourhood where I’m staying is not unlike the grittier half of Sandy Hill and the Byward Market where I lived and worked during my university days in the late ’90’s. I can walk to all the services I need and the variety of restaurants is staggering.

Here are a few pictures that I’ve taken during my walks about the neighbourhood:

coloured houses

close up of the coloured houses

palm tree!

crocuses

daffodil

mallards

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard out for a walk

I like how they have an observation platform jutting out over the Willamette

Willamette River

cinema across the river

the murky Willamette

various fowl on the Willamette River

My appointment with AM Solar, located in nearby Springfield, is on Thursday, first thing, and not wanting to overstay my welcome, I will be heading out of town after. I’d like to do five to seven days on the Oregon coast, then start to work my way back to Canada. I’d have two weeks to get there, so there would be no rush.

Now that I’ve experienced life in the States, I cannot view my RVing life in the same manner as before. Everything has changed. I’ve crunched the numbers and I can do six months here for the cost of four months in Canada, and that includes health and vehicle insurance and an internet set up.

So, what does this mean? Well, I need to start earning more money in Canada and spending as little of it there as I can!

And I’ve decided not to return to Yukon this summer.

Instead, I’m going to go into Alberta, even if it means facing the brutal dregs of winter. I simply cannot afford to set up residence in BC. I want to get over the border and find work as close to the Montana border as possible.

Up until a few months ago, I just didn’t see myself being able to work for someone else again, but now I would welcome a steady stream of income. I could get that in Yukon, of course, but it’ll cost $1,500 to get up there, money I’d rather spend exploring this part of the US that is new to me.

I’ve been growing increasingly bitter about Canadian rules that dictate how I can live and now I have something else to focus on: enthusiasm for learning what I can do to conform to US laws so as to be allowed the continued privilege of vacationing here.

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A Life By Design

"Sometimes in life, we reach to a right place by departing from a wrong port with a wrong ship!" ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

City Tours

The Potato Chip Experiment

A Tale of a Giant Gorilla, a Snowed-in Town, a Mountain Pass, a Vanished Community, a Giant Truck, a Waterfall, and a Dam (it was a full day)

All Hell For a Basement

Wandering Around Idaho (and Montana, Sort Of)

Why Eugene and Thinking Ahead