Ready, set, go …..and we’re off to Phoenix.

Another fall and it’s time to take the 5th wheel south in preparation for our winter in Mexico.  The last two years we’ve taken the rig south in September, flown home for October and then flown back and continued into Mexico at the beginning of November.  It has worked out well for us as we don’t have to contend with the late October winter driving conditions.  Last October they had a huge snowfall in Kelowna at Halloween and that’s when we used to be passing through in previous years….no Gracias!

So the last two weeks have been spent with the final packing up for our winter in Mexico.  We have had a lovely summer in Terrace with little or no rain throughout July and August.  The interior part of the province has been burning up again and has had horrible smoke conditions as well.  We have a few smokey days here and there but nothing to complain about. 

Yesterday afternoon the sun finally came out and it was quite nice and sunny.  The truck is hooked up to the Cyclone and ready to roll. 

I’d finished all my last minute jobs and thought I’d try mowing a couple of our very wet, long lawns.  Suprizingly it went well and it all looks very nice.  You can see that the gardens are all still growing and happy. 

Looking out toward the fields.

The dry stream bed in the gully.

Kitselas mountain and the RV barn on the left.

The hostas didn’t miss a beat even with all the hot weather.  I mowed less ….and watered more!   We are on a gravity water system from a creek so we have lots of water.

I mowed the big new lawn up behind the house as well.  When we get home at the beginning of October I’ll be mowing up all the leaves from the birch trees and putting them on the flower beds. 

This is us getting ready to leave at 8am this morning and there is light mist.  There is a weather warning for the Burns Lake, Prince George, 100 mile area etc. as there is an Arctic cold front coming through that will bring freezing temperatures and possibly some snow!  You’ve got to be kidding me…how early do we have to leave to beat bad weather!  10 degrees below normal although it is just fine in Terrace.   Sigh.

We were off at around 8am. 

About 45 miles east of Terrace and you can see a small burn on the left on the other side of the Skeena River.  Supposedly started by a train and quickly put out…lucky us.

Coming into Hazelton and the weather isn’t too bad although it is a chilly 7C.

Six mile hill and still the roads are dry.

We stopped at Le Jac just past Fraser Lake for fuel and I had a chat with the fellow in the First Nations gas station.  He said they’d had a bit of snow earlier but it was gone now.  The huge Shovel Lake fire was burning from Fraser Lake east to Fort St. James and they could see it right across the lake from them.  This was the largest fire in B.C. and has only now been brought under control.  Not much of a summer for people in the interior of the province with all the smoke.

Vanderhoof and the lovely welcome sign. 

Downtown Vanderhoof and the weather is still holding. 

There was a huge amount of second cut alfalfa still standing and we wondered it they will get it off.  Maybe it will end up as silage.  Here there were an enormous amount of big round bales in the field. 

Not too many pictures today as the weather wasn’t very good.  We are parked at the Bon Voyage in Prince George and hooked up for the night.  We’ll have dinner at the restaurant and then early to bed.  Supposed to be cold tonight so we’ve added our propane Glo Warm heater to our electric heater and I’ve got an extra blanket out for the bed.  Tomorrow Cache Creek.