Cache Creek, Brookside RV to Prince George, Bon Voyage

 We were up early today as it's about 272 miles to Prince George.  It was cold over night but our electric heater managed to keep us warm.  Cool, windy and sunny this morning as we got ready to leave the park.  Up ahead you can see the bridge over Brookside Creek.

 Coming through Cache Creek and we'll fuel up just ahead at the PetroCan. 

 This harmless little creek on our right is the one that caused all the problems last spring when it flooded the main highway.  That's why we took and alternate route home up through Valemont and McBride to Prince George.

 Next up Clinton.  We'd stay here but it's usually a lot colder than Cache Creek. 

 Pretty little town in the Cariboo.

 Main Street..and the main north south highway as well. 

 Straight like an arrow.  When we came through in September there was snow at the edge of the road. 

 Coming down towards 100 mile House and you can see the snow on the mountains in the distance.

 It's a long way down into 100 mile house and we overheated coming up this hill when we were heading south in September. 

 Nice here but....too darn cold in the winter!

 335 kms or just over 200 miles.

 Pretty little lake by the edge of the highway.

 We both really like the Cariboo and talked about moving here in the early years.  In the end we stayed in Terrace. 

 Coming down into Williams Lake and you can see the lake on our left.  They are working on the highway all the way through.

 Turn left for the Chilcotin and our friends Rick and Cathy's place in Alexis Creek or turn right for Prince George and then on to Terrace.

 Coming up the hill out of Williams Lake.

 We finally saw someone working instead of a bunch of pylons and signs.

 To the left the mighty Fraser River which comes all the way from Vancouver and we'll still see it when we get to Prince George. 

 Green grass and the cattle are out in some places but still no leaves anywhere.

 Pretty.

 Coming down into Quesnel and you can see the bridge over the river.

 Quesnel has a pulp mill so it doesn't smell great here but I guess you get used to it.  They also have some sort of a little micro climate which makes it warm and green here when other areas that aren't too far away are not. 

 We wind our way through the city and then turn right to head north.

 The old railroad bridge which is now only for pedestrians.

 Paving on the hill on the north side of town and we had to wait for about 20 minutes to get through.

 Big rock face here.

 It was a pretty quiet drive today and although there are bunches of traffic here and there no one is in a raging hurry which is a welcome change from down south.  The Okanagan traffic is just crazy.  It used to be a nice quiet place 40 years ago but now it's become the mecca for people from Alberta and the Vancouver area.  More and more and more people ....too bad because it has really ruined the area.

 This is a small mill that is making wood pellets for pellet stoves which are quite popular up north where people don't have access to natural gas and electricity is expensive.  A clean type of wood heat.

 It has been a lovely sunny day but it looks a little ominous up ahead.  The weather did say that there was 30% chance of showers in Prince George and it looks like this may be it.

 Yup...a little rain and a little sleet.

 Up ahead is an area that they have redone with the north bound lanes up high and the south bound ones down low.  In the middle is the weigh scales. 

 Coming down the hill into Prince George.  I seem to be saying we are coming down into or up out of every town as we travel along.  Well...we are going up and down quite a lot!

 Heading north through Prince George and it's not too busy today.  It's usually packed so this is a welcome surprise.

Up ahead on the left is the Bon Voyage Motel where we stop coming south as well as going north.  We can plug into power although the water won't be turned on yet as it's too cold.  It will likely freeze tonight and we may even get a couple of flurries.  Our electric heater is on low as there is only 15 amp power but our little propane fire place will keep us toasty and warm.  We just about never use the furnace as it's just too noisy.  Cost for the night here $25 but they give us each a $4 voucher for a continental breakfast at the restaurant next door or we can apply it to a more expensive breakfast.  A good deal for us.   Tonight we'll go over to the restaurant for dinner as well. 

Tomorrow we have over 300 mile to go and if we are supposed to have sunshine at home.  A good day's travel and life is good!

A few days in Kelowna and then on to Cache Creek, B.C.

When we arrived in Kelowna on Wednesday afternoon it was warm enough to sit out back in Ian and Linda's yard for happy hour.  Eric and I were still feeling the cold after moving north but Ian and Linda have been home for a month.

Thursday and Ian, Eric, Ian's son Jason and I all ended up at the Michaelbrook Golf club for lunch.  Linda was playing nine holes with her friends and joined us when she was done.

Friday night Jason, wife Deb and son Cooper came over for dinner.  Their daughter Ella was at a sleep over birthday party with nine other girls....poor mother!

Cooper turned six in March when Grampa Ian and Linda were away so this was a chance to celebrate being six.  I think Cooper enjoyed being the star attraction.

After he'd eaten a hamburger and two different salads he said he was too full for dessert but he changed his mind for a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  I read Cooper the following poem which I've always thought every six year old should hear.
          Now We Are Six
          When I was One
           I had just begun,
           When I was Two
            I was nearly new,
            When I was Three,
             I was hardly me,
              When I was Four,
               I was not much more,
               When I was Five,
                I was just alive,
                But now that I'm Six,
                I'm as clever as clever,
                So I think I'll be six now for ever and                     ever!
                 A.A. Milne
We had thought we'd stay until Monday morning but on Saturday when we looked at the weather going north snow and rain were in the forecast for Wednesday.  As we take three days to get home to Terrace we decided to leave on Sunday instead.  Now it was a bit of a rush for me as I'd planned to visit my sister Anne on Saturday and then visit my niece Adrian and do laundry on Sunday.   The laundry and my visit to Anne were accomplished but I didn't get to see Adrian.  She was just getting off night shift at the hospital on Saturday morning and needed to sleep.  Next time.  Saturday was bitterly cold in Kelowna and Eric and I had to break out our down vests.
Late Saturday fellow blogger Contessa who winters with her husband on Stone Island in Mazatlan dropped by.  I'd picked up some pizza dough mixes for her in the USA and she needed to pick them up before we left.  We had a nice chat.

Not far to go today as we are only going to Cache Creek and the Brookside RV park.  A distance of about 150 miles.  Heading out Gordon Drive towards Harvey where we'll turn right.

On the road just after nine and the roads were not very busy on this Sunday morning even on the usually packed Harvey which is the main route through Kelowna if you want to cross Okanagan Lake.

The highway heading north from Kelowna to Vernon used to follow along the water but now there is a bypass that goes up and over.  Much more efficient.

First you pass by Wood Lake and then Kalamalka Lake.

Coming down into Vernon and this part is not efficient at all.  All the traffic has to go right through town and there is a lot of it!  They need a bypass here.

We'll turn left up ahead and stay on highway 97 through the Falkland Valley and end up in Kamloops.

Up ahead is the historic O'keefe Ranch.  This whole area dates back to the mid to late 1800's.

We love this drive and this time it's not raining.  When we came south in September it was just pouring and when we were going north last April it was flooding everywhere.

The old cars were on the road in Falkland and I managed to get a few pictures.

Not sure where they were going.

This one's a beauty.

Last year at this time this area was under water.

This is a brand new farm fence and we've never seen one like it before.  This would be hugely expensive and we wondered what the purpose of it is.

Next up Westwold.  Just another pretty little town.  It would be lovely to live here in the summer but they get a lot of snow so we are better off in Mexico!

Really pretty through here.

Share the road!

Coming down the long hill to the east of Kamloops to end up on Hwy 1 where we'll head west.  Last spring when we were going home there was so much flooding in the Cache Creek area that we ended up taking the northerly route home through Valemont and McBride.

We've crawled all the way down into Kamloops and now we are crawling back up and out the other side.  This is not a hill we would do in the summer.

In the distance Kamloops which we bypass.

We stay on Hwy 1/97 to head to Cache Creek.

Lots of farming between Kamloops and Cache Creek.

Kamloops  Lake.

We stopped at the top of the hill to have lunch and the view was of Kamloops  Lake.  Cold wind and about 12C.

A history sign at the rest stop.

A whole group of "geezers" out on a ride.  Some were from Washington and a lot of them had long scraggly beards and most had long grey hair.  Just not a good look!

Heading down from the lookout / rest stop.

On our left the Thompson River.

Here we are coming into Cache Creek.

Brookside RV park where we have left in years past as the RV sites are on the other side of the creek and when it's flooding you could get stuck on the other side and be unable to get out.  They have now built a huge new bridge over the creek and it's not flooding so we are okay!

A pretty place to spend a night and we'll have a shower here as we can't get one tomorrow night in Prince George.

Tonight our usual, beer supper a little TV and bed.