The Military Vehicles are arriving in Dawson Creek

Since arriving in Dawson Creek on Saturday, many of the Convoy Military Vehicles have been arriving in small groups.  For a rough guess I would say that there are probably 40 MVs that are camping in this RV Park and there are probably more in another RV Park down the road.  Here are a few pictures of some of the MV's.

Quesnel - Prince George - Dawson Creek

Yesterday we left Quesnel at 9:30 and took our time as we had decided to only drive for a short day and stop just past Prince George.  On our travels we saw one black bear but it was dead on the side of the highway.  A little farther on we saw a deer running along side the highway.

We arrived at Northlands Campground just before lunch so after a quick set up we drove back a few miles to get gas, some groceries and had MacDonald’s for lunch.

We spent the afternoon just kicking back and reading.  The WiFi was very weak and only 2 TV channels so it was an early night.

This is us.

This morning we were up early and on the road by 8:30.  Travel today was mostly an easy flat drive with a few climbs now and then.  We did discover a few effects of the frost heaves on the road so when it says “SLOW” with a bumpy road sign – make sure you slow down.  We went over Pine Pass which has some beautiful scenery. 

Pine Pass

Beautiful Lake

We made a short stop in Chetwynd for lunch at A&W and then back on the road. 

Welcome Sign

Weird Clouds

We only saw one animal today, it was a deer that had been hit by a car - so sad.  I sure hope we get to see more wild life when we head up to Alaska and that they are alive.

We pulled into the Truck & RV Wash in Dawson Creek at 1:10.  After waiting for our turn we then cleaned off all the bugs and dirt and arrived at Mile 0 RV Park at 2pm.  It looks like there are 3 other Convoy Vehicles here in the park.

Truck & Trailer Wash

Mile 0 RV Park

After we were set up, we headed down to the Ford dealership because we have a warning light for our brakes.  We booked an appointment for Tuesday morning to have them take a look at it.

Adding some photos...

The Thompson River in the Fraser Canyon.

This was along the roadside in Spences Bridge.

A building in Clinton.

 Hard Rain !!!  Just outside of 100 Mile House.

We are staying 2 nights at Robert's Roost RV Park in Quesnel.  It is located on Dragon Lake which is on the south side of Quesnel.  We have full hook-ups including elect./water/sewer/cable/and WiFi.  I went for a walk around the park to take a few pictures.

The Welcome Sign.

Looking toward the dock.

Some of the gardens.

Says "Grandchildren Playing"

This is us.

This is a very lovely RV park and very popular.  We would definitly stay here again if we came through Quesnel.  Tomorrow we are heading to an RV Park just north of Prince George, should be a short driving day.

Change of Plans - We are in Quesnel!

We left Sunshine Valley at 9:10 am and headed north through the Fraser Canyon.  We stopped in Cache Creek for lunch and a brief stop for fuel in 100 Mile House and then pulled into the Lac La Hache Provincial Campground at 2:30.  Well guess what?  We drove through the Campground and couldn’t find one site that would fit our RV. 

We encountered some lightning and many downpours on our travels today and at times we couldn’t even see with the windshield wipers on high.  We were amazed at how many motorcycles were on the highway in the rain.  We saw black bear run across the highway in front of us but no picture as he was too quick.

We checked out a few more campgrounds along the road until we finally got to Quesnel and pulled into Robert’s Roost.  This is a very nice campground situated on Dragon Lake.  It was raining when we pulled in at 5pm so it was a quick set up and then a bowl of soup with biscuits.

Will post more with photos tomorrow.

Sunshine Valley to Lac La Hache

Tomorrow morning we will unplug and hit the road heading north.  Today we are packing up all the outside items and will get a load of laundry done so it will be an easy packup in the morning.  We have had a great week here at Sunshine Valley and for the next 5 nights we will be dry camping at a couple of Provincial Campgrounds along the road. 

Sunshine Valley RV Resort  - See the Orange arrow!

We will backtrack to Hope and then take Hwy 1 up through the Fraser Canyon.  We plan to stop for a few groceries in 100 Mile House as well as add some fresh water to the tank and have a picnic lunch.  We estimate our arrival at Lac La Hache Provincial Park to be around 2:30pm.

On the back window of our RV is a poster about the Convoy including the route map.  During our stay we have had many folks stop by to read about it and take note of the facebook page so they can follow along with the journey.

Poster on the back of the RV.

Many of the Convoy Vehicles coming up from the US have already crossed the border into Canada so we will be watching for them along the road as we head north.

The Kids have gone home.

We woke up to rain showers on Friday.   Each morning hubby goes outside to put the percolator on the camp stove and get breakfast started.  Thursday he made French Toast for everyone and Friday he announced that it would be Pancakes and Sausage.  Why is it that food always tastes better when cooked outside?  Before noon we had RAIN and THUNDER – holy moly. Poor cat ran into the cupboard and buried himself under a quilt.  LOL  Was not a very nice day so we mostly stayed inside and played games or did some reading.

Saturday was a nice day again.  Jade got to take her Quad for a ride following her Dad.  Later all the kids went for a ride while hubby and I sat outside an enjoyed reading quietly.  The kids went swimming and Jade was learning to swim without her floaties. 

Jade - on her quad.

Jade - swimming without floaties.

This morning after breakfast the kids packed up and were on the road by 11:30.  It was a nice Family Campout and for the most part the weather was good.  The mosquitos are a nuisance but we weren’t bothered too much as the steady breeze seemed to keep them away during the day.  We won't see any of the kids for about 7 weeks so it was nice to share some camping time with them.

We now have 3 days to relax, do laundry and some shopping before heading north again.  It is supposed to rain later today and tomorrow so hopefully we will be back to warm sunny weather again on Tuesday.

Sunshine Valley RV Resort and Cabins

Pulled out of The Cedars RV Resort in Ferndale, WA at 9am yesterday, crossed the border at the Pacific Hwy. crossing, a quick stop at home and then on the road again at 10:45.   It took 1.5 hours from home to Sunshine Valley RV Resort and Campground which is located about 14 miles east of Hope, BC.

We are in site 49 which is a gravel pull through site with 50amp electric, sewer, water and they have cable but we set up the satellite dish.  We also have Wifi through a 6 month subscription with TengoInternet. The sites are about 50ft long and maybe 30ft wide with a picnic table and fire pit.

The Welcome Sign

My daughter Kari and her hubby Brandon came in about an hour after us in their little class C motorhome and then a couple hours later my son Jason and grand-daughter Jade pulled in with their travel trailer.  We will camp together until Sunday and then the kids will leave and we will stay here until next Wednesday. The kids bring their Quads with them as there are hundreds of miles of great trails that are accessible from the campground.

Jason & Jade - ready to ride!

Kari & Brandon - ready to ride!

Early this morning while sitting outside enjoying the peace ‘n quiet before all the kids got up, the man in the RV next door came walking by and sure enough – he and hubby used to work together.  For all the people from Summit following our blog - his name is Gordie Weldon and he and his wife were getting ready to leave today so we only had time for a little chat.  Hopefully we will meet up with them again someday 'down the road'.         ~ ~ ~ more to come soon.

On the road today.

Today we leave Ferndale, WA and head across the border into Canada.   After a short stop at home to grab some extra "stuff" for the Convoy, we will hit the highway heading East out past Hope to Sunshine Valley. The weather is quite cloudy this morning but at least it's not raining.

Summer Storms

The last few days have been very strange in the weather department.  We don’t get many summer storms but we’ve had 2 in the last few days and possibly another one tonight.   I enjoyed sitting outside under the awning watching the storm but then within a couple of minutes the rain was coming at us sideways and we had to go inside to stay dry.

Stormy Sky

Inside - looking out!

We like to spend most of the time outside but when it gets ugly like this - we love to read.  We both loaded up our e-readers with books before leaving home so we are good.

Ferndale, Washington

We left home yesterday morning at 9:45 for the 28 mile drive across the border to the RV Resort where we keep our 5th wheel stored.  We made a quick stop at the duty free and jumped into the Nexus lane but sure enough – a computer generated random check sent us inside for a secondary check.  When the border guard went out to check the car I had to go with her and remove the cat because he doesn’t travel in a crate.  I took him back inside to wait and he entertained everyone by being cute and cuddly.  After a short wait, we were back in the jeep and on our way.  *Time delay of only 20 minutes.

We rolled into The Cedars RV Resort just after 11:00am and were assigned to site 125.  It is a wide, long, pull through site with full hook-ups.  I dropped Lou off at the truck and trailer and met him at our site.  After hooking up the electric, water and sewer we turned on the fridge, hot water, air conditioner and unloaded the car. 

The Entrance to the RV Resort.

The office, store, laundry and clubhouse.



A quick run to Fred Meyer’s for groceries and gas and then Jack in the Box drive through.  Gas was down from 2 weeks ago and cost $3.32 a gallon. Back at the RV we unloaded the groceries and set up the satellite dish.  By 1:30pm we were done, relaxed and living the goodlife once again.  Life is good!

Set up on our site.

We will be here for a week of R&R before crossing the border back into Canada.  The sun is shining, the outdoor recliner is comfy and the drinks are cold.  Aaaaaaa.............

Are we ready to go?

Tomorrow we will leave home and begin the longest RV journey so far.  It is the longest in miles/km and also the longest in time.  The first few weeks will probably be boring reading but very relaxing for us as we will only have 5 stops.

We have been busy packing clothes, food, and making sure that all the little things are taken care of.   We are helping to transport some products up to Dawson Creek for the start of the convoy so we have been planning where we can put everything in the RV.  It’s amazing how the more cupboards you have, the more ‘stuff’ you find to put in them.  I jokingly told hubby I was going to make a sign for the RV calling it the “Cram-a-lot Inn”.   His typical reply is that if we are over weight it will be because of that “Lard-Ass Cat”.  He is only 19 lbs!!!

Speaking about the cat – let me share a little story about our cat “Puddy”.  The first time we took him away with us on an RV adventure was a bit of a rough start.  We went out and bought a dog crate to keep him in while traveling – big mistake!  We loaded him in the crate with a nice soft towel in the bottom and put the crate in the back seat of the truck.  Away we went down the highway heading for northern BC.  After about 45 minutes we pulled into a parking lot in Chilliwack and hubby said “Either find a way to shut that cat up or he’s got to go”.   Puddy didn’t like the crate.  For a cat who hardly ever meows – he never shut up!!!   I took him out of the crate, stuck the crate in the RV and  we continued on again with him in the back seat of the truck.  After a few minutes he jumped up on the center console between the front seats, layed down and we never heard another sound from him.   Needless to say, we got rid of the crate and Puddy has become the ‘console cat’. 

Here's Puddy in the Rockwood RV in 2006.

Since we live in BC, Canada and we store the RV in Washington State, the first leg of our journey will be just a short trip to cross the border and move into the rig.  Once that is done, I will share the info. on our first stop.

Military Vehicles arriving from overseas.

Participants in the Military Vehicle Convoy are coming from all over.  Since we are the closest participant to Vancouver, we are trying to assist with the arrival of 2 vehicles that were ocean shipped to Vancouver.   The owner's will arrive soon to pick them up and head for Dawson Creek.

          This truck from Australia belongs to Jim & Sandy.

                                      
          This truck from Belgium belongs to Peter & Gea.

These trucks and their owners have quite a trip just getting to Vancouver before they even start the journey up to Dawson Creek.  Since we live in BC our journey north seems like an easy one compared to most of the participants.
The final coutdown is on ... we will leave home one week from today!