It’s rainy in Jackpot, Nevada

Yesterday was a showery day in Boise but this morning we awoke to cloudy skys and no wind.  We didn’t have far to go to Jackpot so we didn’t leave until about 8:30am (our time PDT.)   I always find the interstate around Boise nerve wracking as the traffic is heavy and aggressive.  Since we were there two years ago the interstate has been redone and so has the overpass at exit 44 where we get off for the Boise/Meridian RV park.  There has been huge construction over the last few years and it is finally done and there are now about 6 lanes so the traffic is quite thinned out.  Much better. 

The interstate was fairly quiet, no wind and just a bit of rain at the Twin Falls end.  We left I-84 at Bliss and travelled the old hwy 30 to Twin Falls.  It is very scenic and the views of the waterfalls, large rocks, Snake River and small towns are quite lovely.  We stopped in Buhl for fuel and I even picked up some farm fresh corn and a Mexican squash at a roadside stand next to the gas station.  They are like a zucchini but have a yellow flesh and we like them much better.  I asked the young lady if she knew what variety they were and she said they were called Limelight and the seed came from Burpee’s so I’ll have to check that out. 

Just north of Jackpot the rain picked up and when we arrived around noon it was raining pretty good.  It’s supposed to ease up tomorrow so it should be an okay day of travel. 

We spent the afternoon on the internet searching RV parks in the areas that we want to see in Utah and I even got on the phone to reserve some spots.  Turns out it’s hard to get a spot without a reservation in the parks near Zion and Bryce Canyon.  We’ve never booked an RV spot ever so this is all new to us.  I managed 4 nights in Kanarraville, Utah and 8 nights in Kanab, Utah so we at least have somewhere to stay.  The weather looks good so that is a bonus. 

Tomorrow night in Alamo, Nevada and then onward to Kanarraville and the Red Ledge RV park.   

Kelowa to Boise in good weather

Monday morning we left Kelowna about 8:20am.  It was a bit cloudy but warm and generally nice.  We arrived at the USA border and got the usual fridge check.  I couldn’t remember what I couldn’t bring which way over which border so I lost my tomatoes and oranges.  The border guard asked if I’d familiarized myself with the regulations and I said “ Well it’s pretty hard to figure out…” and he said “ Yeah, it’s all quite vague.”  He didn’t ask about any meat, eggs etc. so I didn’t have to leave my frozen chicken with my sister-in-law and hard boil my eggs.  Oh well.  Nice guy though. He didn’t even look in the garage. 

There was a bit of a head wind and the roads were quite bumpy on the drive through northern Washington and this slowed us down a bit.  The other thing that was odd was the traffic….everyone was doing the speed limit or less.  Very strange.

We arrived in the Wal Mart parking lot in Othello, Washington around 4pm.   I bought beer and…..tomatoes and a few other things.  The prices were outrageous but I remembered that from previous stops and didn’t buy much.  When we got back to the rig we were visited by the guy who drives the handi dart to the Wal Mart.  He wanted to know all about us and also shared his views on the USA and he was obviously a Democrat!  I’m going to call him Bob because we have an old friend who used to live in Terrace and now lives Vernon who does the same thing and his name is Bob.  Funny thing….he’s nice and personable just like this Bob.

We left Othello on Tuesday morning about 8am and it wasn’t cold, windy, frosty or foggy like it always is in November.  A real treat.  The drive was uneventful and we had a tail wind just about the whole way to Meridian, Idaho.  Our speedometer has quit, although it starts working occasionally so we are using our TomTom GPS instead.  Works fine.

We arrived at the Boise/Meridian KOA around 4:30 pm mountain daylight time which is one hour later than we are at home.  Surprizingly to us the park was almost jammed full and we almost didn’t get a spot.  We’ve never reserved before and it’s never been full in November even with all the winter travellers.  We got the last spot which was a small back in with trees and booked for two nights. 

As we were setting up the guy next door came over to chat and it turned out that he was from Parker, Arizona and has an RV park right next to the park that our friend Andy Avison and wife Carol stayed in.  Andy passed away early this summer and we will miss him.  He and Eric along with Mel and Fraser used to drink beer together on Thursday nites.  Now Fraser has moved and Andy is gone so ….no more Thursday nite beer.  Times change.  The other thing is that the guy chatting to us has a house up near Duck Creek Village in Utah.  This is in the area where we are going to see Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.  He gave Eric lots of info about the roads and suggested we could stay at the Pine Woods Inn near Duck Creek.  However the day time temps are around 50F and lows at 24F…not for us, way too cold as it is very high there.  We will stay somewhere around Hurricane or Cedar City where daytime temps are in the 70’s.  We hope to unload the motorcycle and tour the area.

It was a nice warm sunny evening and a good day. 

Today is Wednesday and it has clouded over and is showery.  This weather is supposed to hang around for a couple of days and then the sun will return. 

I shopped at my usual favorite store….WinCo and picked up most of what we’ll need for the next couple of weeks.  Tomorrow we are off to Jackpot, Nevada for the night and then on to Alamo, Nevada before we head off to Utah. 

All is well.

We made it Kelowna

We left Cache Creek on Thursday morning around 9:30 a.m.  Beautiful, sunny and warm…..bueno! 

No issues along the way except for the occasional raging pick up truck with big tires.  It was nice to see one nabbed by the RCMP in Savona.  He’d blown by us and a few more cars and was tailgating and raging.

We decided to stop and look up old friends from Terrace who had moved to Vernon a couple of years ago.  They have purchased five acres on the north end of Swan Lake and are doing some small scale farming and market gardening.  We didn’t tell them we were coming but luckily they were home. 

Fraser and Geniene have a daughter and grand daughter in Vernon and were living with her but now have their own place.  They are venturing into what we did back in the 70’s and 80’s and have their work cut out for them.  They are also restoring an old house on the property.  Good Luck!

Fraser and Eric. 

We set up in Ian and Linda’s driveway as usual and spent a nice evening drinking beer and catching up. 

Friday was another nice day and was spent shopping for all the things we’d forgotten at home. 

Today is Saturday and it is raining.  Makes us feel right at home!

In Cache Creek

We had a good travel day.  Didn't get up too early, ate breakfast and on the road by 8ish out of Prince George.  Plus 10c and not-6c. Warm and sunny, no fog , no snow, no frost on the windshield....what a joy.   When we usually leave home at the end of October it is always a crapshoot with the weather and it is always stressful. Yesterday and today were a pleasant change.    We are parked in the Brookside RV Park in Cache Creek and it is full of senior travellers.  Kids are back in school so it is less crowded in the parks. Tomorrow on to Kelowna where we will park in Ian and Linda's driveway.  Always good to visit with family ( Eric's brother and wife.).    So far, so good.

On the road again….finally!

 

Just a short post to let you all know we are back.  It’s been a crummy year but we hope to leave all that behind us.  We are presently in Prince George and will continue on to Cache Creek and then on to Kelowna (all in B.C.)

We are trying a different way of travel this year and hope that it makes it more enjoyable.  We are heading south early and plan to do some holidaying in good weather.  We usually head south in October and hit snow and cold in many places in B.C. and the USA. 

So…here’s what we are doing.  We will stay in Kelowna until Monday morning and then head south into to the USA.  We’ll travel south through, Washington, Idaho and Nevada until we arrive in Alamo, Nevada.   At that point we will head east into Utah where we plan to have a look at Zion National Park, possibly Bryce Canyon and then on to the Grand Canyon.  It should be warm at this time of the year and we will ride the bike where we can.  As these areas are at very high elevations it is always too cold when we travel south in November.    We will end up in Phoenix where we will store the rig in a friend’s RVpark and then fly home on the 11th of October for three weeks.   I’ll clean up my gardens, Eric will service machinery and then we’ll shut down the house (drain water lines etc.) before we fly back to Phoenix on the 3rd of November.  From there we will journey south to Mazatlan where we will spend the winter, sure hope it all works out! 

This way we’ll get a chance to see areas of the USA that we usually can’t because it’s too cold. 

Stay posted…..

P.S.  we are thrilled to be on the road again.

At home in Terrace for the winter


Dec. 13, 2015
Yes I know I have been missing and that I should have posted long before this.  To be honest I just didn’t have the heart for it.  Apologies to all of you who read my blog and were wondering what had happened to us. 
Sad story.  Eric’s health has been ultra crummy (how’s that for a medical term!) and we could not travel south this winter.  I will not go into anything in detail but I will say that after many, many medical tests we still don’t know anything about what has been going on.  At this point we do know that he is allergic to some ingredient in steroid nasal sprays and that he is now waiting for a sinus operation that will likely not happen until spring. 
I was just starting to recover from my four year stint with polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis and then Eric was not well.  We have now been thoroughly reminded that if you don’t have your health you don’t have anything. 
We have not been home for the winter since 2007 so this has been a rude awakening. 

Yes this is lovely but….let’s face it, it’s not the beach!
We live about 20km out of town on a rural property that requires road clearing to get to the highway so it is all a bit complicated in the winter.   We spent 30 years of our life driving the highway in the dark, snow, wind and rain as we travelled back and forth to work and it really isn’t much fun.  At least now we can pick our times to travel and stay home if the weather is too bad. We have had a couple of feet of snow over the past month so it is a winter wonderland.



I will now back up to May when we came home and were both feeling really good.  Eric started the season at home by repairing the undercarriage of the RV (an ongoing nightmare) and then giving it a thorough wash and wax.
Next he tore down the the old goat barn that was next to the house.  One of the first buildings that he put up back in the late 70’s and it was starting to lean.  In addition it had a shake roof and was a fire hazard as it was very close to the house.  I raised and milked goats for almost 30 years and I must say they are the most intelligent of farm animals except for maybe pigs! 






There was a lot more to the building but the wood shed and back lean-to are already gone.  He is using a tiger saw to cut it up and then….
burn it.



 This in the gully beside the house where he can bury the nails when he’s done.



Relaxing.

Following this big project we were off to Sorrento, B.C. (not Italy) for a family wedding.  Nephew Spencer’s wedding(Eric’s sister Kathryn/Gary’s second oldest son).  All five Tycho siblings were in attendance and a great time was had by all.

















Ian, Eric, Kathryn, Brian and David.




The spouses Chiyoko-David, Linda-Ian, Gary-Kathryn, Kathy-Eric and Fran-Brian.





Spencer and Lindsae.







































and one last photo….the cutest of them all.

This is Aubrey our great niece.

 

Following the wedding we were on our way home.  We had been Jeep shopping on the way to Sorrento and now we were shopping on our way back.  You will remember my aversion to Jeeps from my posts last spring when we were in Kelowna.  But in the end this is what we bought….




We bought this 2015 Jeep Sport in Prince George and I didn’t find it as horrifying to drive as the ones I tried in Kelowna!  Something to do with an upgraded suspension which makes it a little bit more stable.

I drove it back from Prince George and was pretty used to it hopping all over the place by the time we got home.  Looks like a little yellow Tonka toy.  A good second vehicle and Eric set up to tow after we got home in case we ever buy a motor home.  For now it is our back and forth to town vehicle. 





June was the final dance recital for grand daughter Holly as she was graduating and off to UBC in Sept.  She has been dancing since was six and has stuck with it throughout the years.  A huge amount of work and dedication.  She also has a lovely voice and took voice lessons over the years which she added to her dance routines.

Holly in the dark costume.  It was really hard to get photos as flashes were not allowed.  This was held in our local REM Lee theatre.




Second from left with all her friends





The whole troupe.  The tiny ones were just darling and a hoot to watch twirling around.





The senior dance troupe. 
Over the winter months from 2008 to present I have missed most of Holly’s big productions.  A trade off for a winter in the sun.
June was also graduation month for our grand daughter Holly.





Holly and her Mom (Erika our younger daughter).  Holly is a brunette but decided to mix it up a bit for graduation.








Holly with Eric and I at graduation prom and dinner.





Eric and I with Abby (15) Holly’s younger but taller sister!  Why am I always the shortest one?





Holly with her Dad on diploma day.  It was casual for the audience and a scorcher of a day. 
So what else happened this summer well…









I watched Abby ride her horse Friesla at a couple of horse shows.  Abby is as dedicated and hard working with her riding as Holly was with her dance.






Daughter Erika on Eddy and Abby on Friesla.




Erika and Eddy are having a dressage lesson.

I spent the summer gardening and for the first time in 40 years did not have a vegetable garden.  I am revamping and streamlining much of the garden so it was a year without home grown vegetables except for the garlic which was planted last fall.  I didn’t plant any pots or buy any plants which is a first for me. 
Last Saturday I joined daughter Erika, grand daughter Abby and Erika’s niece Lauren for a trip to the Christmas tree farm.  Since we are home for Christmas I want to be involved in as many family experiences as possible.



Lauren, Erika and Abby.





Lots of trees to chose from.  Then the search begins for the perfect tree…not for me.




Success.  Now we just need one more for Lauren. 





Abby’s selfie.




Load er up! 





Still looking for a tree for Lauren.
In the end we got two nice trees and they cost $35. each which is a real bargain in my mind. 
There was hot chocolate, apple cider and donuts on our way out to pay so it was a really nice day.






A winter wonderland.





The RV in it’s winter home with the Jeep snugged in front. 





A Christmas card picture. 


So….from our house to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year where ever you are. 







P.S.  - I will make an occasional post if there is anything that I think you would like to see.  As we are on dial-up internet (no other choice except cell internet which is deadly expensive) posting must be done at our daughters.


Sorry this took so long but when I went to post Live Writer which is where I store my drafts was no longer connected to my blog.  It will take awhile to figure that out.  So....I copied the blog and pasted it into my blogger draft account but....it didn't bring the pictures so I had to drag and drop them all in which was a real pain.  Ah.....technology!

So where the heck are we ! Well…now we’re in Cache Creek, B.C.

Sorry I lost my focus this week so here it is in a Reader’s Digest Condensed version.

We left Soap Lake, Wash last Saturday, April 25th and arrived in Kelowna around 2:30 pm.  Decent weather, no wind and no trouble at the border.  The border guard was curt and not friendly but he didn’t give us any grief so we don’t care if he was nice or not.  Saturday night we had dinner with Ian/Linda their friends Vince/Ruth/Brenda/Basil and Georgina.  Their friends all spend time in Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico over the winter and we know some of them from previous visits.  Nice evening.

Sunday was spent visiting my sister Anne who lives in West bank and it was good to see her.  We had a nice lunch and did some shopping. 

Monday and Tuesday were spent shopping for a new Jeep.  We thought it would be a good second vehicle for home and also a good towed vehicle should we buy a motor home.  Good idea but it didn’t work out very well in the end.  Problem….I hated driving them.  Rocky  (kind of like being on a boat in the four door) and unstable and hard to control on the highway in the two door and I just felt unsafe.  I’d probably get used to one in the long run but …. not now.  The problems I had with it are common complaints and add to that the poor gas mileage and high price and well….there you have it. 

Wednesday was a rest day.

Thursday we looked at used motor homes and the only one I liked was a brand new Allegro Bus that cost $400,000.00 so….we didn’t get one!  Still not sure if that is the right thing for us anyway.  More research needed. 

Friday Eric helped Ian put a new outboard motor on his little sail boat (Cal 20) which is down at the yacht club in Kelowna and Linda and I went shopping. 

Today is Saturday and we arrived in Cache Creek at the Brookside RV park around 2pm.  Tomorrow Prince George and Monday Terrace. 

We had a nice visit in Kelowna but it’s time to go home! 

7:30 pm….dinner is done,we are showered and the sun is still shining.  A good day!