Kelowna to Prince George and it rained...a lot!

 Well we finally got the Harley out of the shop yesterday and today we could headed for home.  The weather changed pretty much province wide yesterday and the sunny weather was gone. We were up early and on the road by 7am. We had hoped to stay a few days in Kelowna but the bike repairs slowed us down. We enjoyed our time with Ian and Linda.

This was our day.  With a gas stop and lunch 9 hours.. long day with all the rain.

On the highway towards Vernon and Wood lake on the right.

Everything was dry and brown when we arrived but a little rain greens it up fast.

Coming into Vernon. 

A left turn just north of Vernon and we're heading along highway 97 through Falkland towards Kamloops.

Pretty through here with lots of farming.

Always lots of flooding of the fields here.

Coming down the long hill towards Kamloops.

Today we went north on highway 5 towards Little Fort and over to 100 mile to avoid the highway flooding in Cache Creek. One lane was open there on Highway 97  but if it closed we'd have had to back track and go this alternate route anyway.

The Thompson river is rising.

Left on Highway 24 at Little Fort.

Climbing up and the fog appears.  It got really hard to see as we climbed to McDonald summit.

The fog disappeared suddenly and we stopped for a pee break.

Pretty high at the top and there were no leaves on the trees and snow at the edge of the road.

There was still ice on Lac des Roches.

Coming into 100 mile house where we got fuel and had lunch.

Green here as we head north.

Quesnel is always green.

Quesnel has two pulp Mills.   Usually quite stinky here.

Still raining.

Drying sawdust with natural gas to make pellets.  A controversial subject from an energy efficiency point of view. 

It's spring so the creeks are raging.

Still nasty but getting closer to Prince George.

It brightened up a bit as we got closer and actually stopped raining when we got to the Carmel Inn where we are for the night.  We usually stay at the Bon Voyage at the north end of town but it was full.  This is decent motel and new to us.  Clean, decently priced, quiet and close to restaurants.  We were checked in by 4 pm after a 9 hour  day  and ready for happy  hour.  Three motels and three restaurants close together so it's convenient for food.  We ate at the Thanh Vu Vietnamese restaurant  which is close by and it was very good.  Lots of seafood and vegetables...yum!  Tomorrow morning we'll head for Terrace.  The first night with our daughter Erika and son in law Wade until we get the house up and running.  We drain the water and turn off the power when we leave in the fall so it takes a bit to get things going.  A hard day for Eric with all the rain so a good night's sleep is in order. It's been a long haul getting home and we're not there yet.

Kelowna Muppet News update!

 So what's been going on.  We'll, lots of stuff but it's all been slow! We arrived on April 26th and we'd hoped to be back in Terrace by now.  We brought good weather with us and it stayed all week.  We should be home by now but the Harley repairs have slowed us down.  The bike went into the shop a week ago today and we are still waiting. The major repairs have been done but the brake light switch that should have been ordered last Saturday has not shown up. Eric can't do it himself as it requires Harley's computers as it works in conjunction with the ABS brakes.  We suspect someone dropped the ball as it should be here by now.  While we were waiting Eric has been shopping for a new lighter bike for Mexico.  Big Red weighs 900 pounds and the cobblestones in the Mexican village are a problem, especially with me on the back.  Eric spent the winter looking at the Triumph Tiger 900 GT  on U Tube videos so this was his opportunity to try one out.  The last few days he has been test riding and riding with me on the back.  Much lighter by half, very mobile but of course not as comfortable for me as Big Red.  

The weather has been hot and warm and a few days ago I got out for a walk on the Mission Creek Trail.  Lots of areas to walk in the Mission area and there is no reason not to keep fit except for weather. 

We took Ian and Linda out for a happy hour pub dinner at Creekside Pub a few days ago.  They spent lots of time here with friends over the winter as they couldn't go to Mazatlan due to some health issues.  They are determined to get back this fall.  We missed having them there this winter.

Eric, like many men is not a shopper but as his shoe situation was getting desperate we ended up at the Orchard Park Mall looking for shoes.  Success as he got another pair of Keen's shoes (exactly like his old ones!) and also a pair of Merril leather slides which he wears inside.  It wasn't busy in the mall and as it was lunch time we ended up in the food court to eat.  Chinese which was good but a little too much for lunch.  After we were back at M&M for more test riding. 

M&M sells bikes, quads and you name it. 

Here Eric's going to try out the 1200 which is a little heavier but has better heat dispersal from the radiator.  The 900's radiators blow right on his knees so it's a design problem which the salesmen professed to never have heard about but it's all over the internet.  Good in cold weather but not in hot.  

Travis our salesman giving Eric a quick course on the 1200.  After riding he didn't like it because he said it was clunky so the 900 it is. 

A lovely evening in Ian and Linda's back yard for happy hour. 

Yesterday we were off to pay for the Triumph Tiger 2022 (new) GT pro so that's out of the way. Eric wanted to Tiger GT which doesn't have as many electronics as the Pro but they didn't have one and the only other one was in Quebec so the GT Pro it is.   Eric will have to come back for it at a later date as only one bike fits in the trailer.  

Last night the last warm evening happy hour before the bad weather rolls in.  We should be home by now and would have missed all the bad weather driving.  Mud slides around Cache Creek so we may have to head through Little Fort to 100 mile.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll be on the road. I've managed to squeeze in some shopping and also another visit with my sister Anne.  Ian and Linda have been very gracious about our extended visit but it's time to go!

Visiting with family in Kelowna.

 Well what's been going on?  We arrived in Kelowna last Wednesday and we've been busy every since.  Ian's son Gordie arrived on Friday and we had a nice visit.  We haven't seen each other in years so we had a nice catch up.  

Eric, Gordie and Ian having happy hour and a chat. 

Here's Linda cooking dinner for us.  We really like her " restaurant" and all the lovely meals she's prepared for us...yum!  We are here a little longer than usual as the Harley is in the shop having repairs done and Eric's been looking at lighter Triumph motorcycles to replace " Big Red" for our Mexico trips. The Harley weighs 900 pounds and it's great cruising down the highway but unwieldy with me aboard in Mexican towns.  Tight spaces, unexpected stops and cobblestones make it difficult to handle.  We did test ride one last Saturday and will go back to have another look at a different model tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted!

Dinner is served!

Linda's been cooking " heart healthy" meals since we arrived and they are delicious. 

Here's Gordie taking a picture of me taking a picture.

Spicy asian salad, yams, Greek rice and greek chicken.  Just delicious!

Saturday night Ian's other son Jason, wife Deb and children Ella and Cooper came for dinner.  We haven't seen them since 2019 and boy have the kids grown.  That's Jason with Cooper beside him. 

Gramps wants the phone...nope!

Ella's all grown up at 14 and was sitting quietly by herself in the living room.  A very lovely young lady. 

Dinner time.  Cooper and Ella are eating burgers.  We had beef burgers, chicken burgers and vegan burgers as well as mango salad and the spicy Asian mango salad.  All delicious. 

That's Deb getting her food. 

Ian and Eric having some sort of serious discussion. 

The NHL playoffs have started and the guys are glued to the TV.  The ladies....not so much!

Yesterday I was off to have lunch with my cousin Barbara, husband Brian, my sister Anne and niece Adrian.  Barbara is my mother's sister Doreen's daughter.  We saw a lot of each other when we were kids but it's been 55 years since we've met.  A lot changes in all those years.  She looks a lot like my Auntie Doreen and even my mother Grace.  Norwegian background on my mother's side.  Barbara is three years younger than me.  We really had a lovely lunch at a local Vietnamese restaurant and chatted for a couple of hours.  Lots to catch up on after 55 years.  Barbara and her husband live in Vernon and drove in to meet us. They are snacking on tempura prawns. 

This is my sister Anne's lunch and it's huge!  Bits and bites of everything.  In the end I'd wished that I'd ordered what she ordered.  Isn't that always the way!

Adrian sitting behind Anne is a cardiac nurse at Kelowna General and she has never met Barbara.  Anne is looking at her lunch suspiciously.  I think she's wondering how she's going to eat all of it.  In the end she took half home.  Anne used to live in West Kelowna with her husband Craig but since he passed two years ago she's sold her house and moved into a lovely older condo in Mission.  Nice and central to everything and she's really happy there.  

Adrian and Anne having lunch.  

I ordered a conglomeration of things that came in a bowl.  Pork, spring rolls, skewer of chicken, salad and noodles.  Very good but I couldn't finish all the noodles. Brian ordered the same thing and did a better job of finishing his.

We all spent some time gabbing and " getting to know each other" after 55 years.  Barbara has been living in the Okanagan area since the early 70's but we'd lost touch until we connected on Facebook over the past few years.  Adrian really enjoyed meeting some " family" as she is an only child and doesn't have any family close by.  

Barbara, Adrian, Anne and Brian.  Brian was very brave showing up for lunch with four women but the big draw was the food as he really likes Vietnamese cuisine.  In the end we all had a really good time.  

I don't know what Anne is doing here but obviously we all thought it was funny. 

Great photo of the four of us.  So nice to catch up after all these years and Anne and Adrian are close enough to stay in touch.  Usually when we pass by in the spring and fall we only stay two or three days while we buy what we need and carry on.  

Last night we had fish and the left over salads.  Just as delicious.  I'm not used to having someone cook for me and I could really get used to it!  We've been having a really good time here.  Linda and I have been busy shopping.  It's too busy here for us but we really enjoy the accessibility of everything compared to home.   

Another good day.  I really must go for a long walk today!