That was a full day!

Had a great sleep boondocking in the forest. It's not that easy to find decent free camping in the Columbia Gorge... it's simply too popular of a place, so there are a lot of "no overnight parking" signs around. You have to go up into the hills on Forest Service Roads, and we're just not comfortable doing that given how much rain there has been.

The rain stopped around 9:00am, and we set off looking for the first waterfall of the day. There are lots of waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area!

Gorgeous views from Beacon Rock

We slept surprisingly well at the ilani Casino overflow parking lot, so close to the I-5. We must have been tired!

We needed to do a grocery shop, so I planned a route that would avoid both the I-5 and most of the congestion of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. We first headed to the town of Battle Ground, where they have a fairly new Walmart Superstore.

We must be crazy!

It rained all day.

And we're getting pretty tired of it. But, we keep smiling because we know that it's a pretty safe bet we won't be seeing much rain during our upcoming four month trip to Mexico.

Still... it's just a little wet up here in the northwest United States...

Sherman is back to his old self, and we are back on the road!

Parked on the street outside of Atwood Engine Services in Aberdeen, Washington is not the best place we have ever spent the night in the motorhome! In fact, it's probably near the bottom of the scale. I think somebody in Aberdeen could make a killing opening a muffler shop.... there are so many vehicles with loud exhaust!

Despite that, we slept surprisingly well.

Sherman's mechanical repair saga continues...

Yesterday morning at 7:45am (when the sun comes up around here!) I tried to fire up Sherman. I had changed all the spark plugs and plug wires late Sunday afternoon, and hadn't yet tested to see if it did any good.

He fired up fine, and idled fine to warm up. After 10 minutes or so, I put him into gear... moved about five feet, and he promptly sputtered and died. Arrrggghh. Trying to re-fire him immediately didn't do any good.

More mechanic work on a rainy day

We spent the day parked at the Home Depot. Not exactly where we like to spend our free time! But, it would have to do while we try to figure out these mechanical problems.

It rained most of the morning, just like they said it would. But then, it cleared up a bit, which was not in the forecast. When it did that, I seized the opportunity to go for a walk to the auto parts store... again!

A little frustrated...

We got on the road yesterday morning to try to make it to Aberdeen, Washington... a distance of about 75 miles (120 kms). With Sherman not running properly, we honestly didn't know if we would make it. But the alternative was to call roadside assistance. We figured that if we drove, the worst case scenario would be that we have to call roadside assistance anyhow.

So off we went.

Obviously, there is more to the problem.

We spent the morning waiting for the new spark plug wires to arrive in Forks, Washington.

We walked over to get a few groceries. Pretty expensive! The prices were similar to Canada, except we had to add on 30% for the exchange rate. Yikes.

On the way back, we noticed a laundromat in the building right next door to where we had been parked the last two days. No idea why we hadn't noticed it before, but Ruth went over and got a load of laundry done while I was changing the plug wire.

A little bit of Mexico in Forks, Washington

When we arrived here in Forks, Washington Sherman was sputtering. There was a definite misfiring in the engine. We were still mobile... but you could tell something was not right.

We had to find somewhere to park for a day or two so we could get this problem sorted out.

Made it to Cape Flattery

One of the things we wanted to see here on the Olympic Peninsula was Cape Flattery... the furthest northwest point on mainland U.S.A.

And we made it! Sure glad we didn't attempt this in the middle of summer though. We can only imagine how busy this area is at that time of year. The weather may not be as nice now... but it sure is better that there's hardly any people around!

When you visit a rainforest...

...you have to expect that it's going to rain!

We were actually pretty lucky yesterday though. The forecast wasn't great, and they're calling for showers on and off for the next week or so. Of course... the Olympic Peninsula gets a lot of rain.

First stop was a hike up to Marymere Falls.

Not the smoothest day, but it did have some high points too!

Slept fine at the 7 Cedars Casino. The fog looked like it was clearing, so we decided to go for a bike ride on the Olympic Discovery Trail located on the other side of the highway from the casino.

I got the bikes down off the rack... and Ruth's front tire was totally flat!

This actually didn't surprise me. When we bought the bike used, we knew the front tire sidewalls were badly cracked and the bike shop had given us two new tires as part of the deal. And I was going to install new tubes at the same time.

Lots to see once the fog cleared up!

Lots of photos from our day yesterday!

We said goodbye to Randy and Marilyn. Might be a while before we see them again! They always go to the Baja, and we will be doing mainland Mexico and the east coast for the next while. And we have no plans to come back to this area in the foreseeable future. Too bad, because we had lots of laughs. But, we're glad we were able to get together again. Thanks for the hospitality!

Fastest border crossing ever!

Well, we are back in the U.S. of A.

It's always interesting crossing a border. You never quite know what's going to happen. Are they going to inspect your RV? Are they going to pull you in for further questioning? Will they take away any food? Will you answer all their questions properly?

We've crossed a lot of borders... this was one of the easiest ones ever!

Last day in Canada, and a European RV for sale

Well, our time here in Southwest British Columbia is up! We're back on the road as of today, and heading across the border into the state of Washington. We're going to stay with friends in Bellingham for a night. I made our ferry reservation for Sunday after lunch to get across to the Olympic Peninsula from south of Bellingham.

We will meander our way around the Olympic Peninsula, and then head south along the coast and into Oregon.

Busy day visiting

Nice day here in southwestern British Columbia. Mostly clear skies, a little hazy, no wind, and highs of about 18C (65F). Not too shabby at all for mid October.

After breakfast, blog reader Shirley stopped by with her partner Richard. Shirley has been a regular reader of this blog since around the time we won a trip to Namibia.

Happy to be back in the motorhome!

Woke up to a chilly morning yesterday in Hamilton, Ontario. Breezy, overcast, and drizzly. Calling for highs of about 8C (46F). Nice day to be heading back to the west!

First thing we had to do was return the rental car. before 8:30am We drove out to the Avis location near the airport at 8:00am, dropped it off, and covered the bill. Hassle free. Total was $549 CAD ($425 USD). Not bad for a three week rental.

If we were in the motorhome, that would have been a three day drive!

Long drive today as we made our way from Galetta (near Ottawa) to Ruth's sister's place in Hamilton, Ontario.

We decided to take the back route, which we would probably do again despite the fact the it took about two hours longer than if we had taken the main highway. Really nice scenery, and not much traffic.

Getting ready to head back to the motorhome

Well, our time here in Ontario is just about done. Our flight back to British Columbia departs Wednesday afternoon from Hamilton, and we'll be back in the motorhome for Wednesday evening.

But we're still in Ottawa area! So we'll take the day Tuesday to drive back to Ruth's sister's place in Hamilton, and then spend the night there before heading to drop off the rental car and then to the Hamilton airport for our Swoop flight to Abbotsford.

Fun weekend with the boys.

Great weekend away with the boys. Always lots of laughs. We all ate too much, and drank just enough. Sill, managed to not kill too many brain cells. We do find that we're pacing ourselves a bit better as we get older!

We're all the same age, so the conversation tends to revolve around retirement, travel, and our aging parents. And reminiscing about some of the crazy antics we got up to when we were young. In fact, I did a slide show of pictures from a ski trip we all did way back in 1985. Too funny looking back on those days.

Looking forward to the weekend!

Well, today is the start of my annual cottage weekend with the group of guy friends that I've known since I was 16 years old. We all keep in touch throughout the year via email and facebook, but it's pretty rare that any of us get together otherwise. This annual event has become pretty important for all of us as we get older and realize that we're not going to be around forever.

In fact, one of the fellows isn't going to be there because of a family health problem. Not his, fortunately, but it still reminds us to enjoy life to the fullest as we don't know when our own number is going to come up.

Dripping with sweat!

Another warm day yesterday here in the Ottawa area. But it's the humidity that kills you around here. Same thing all summer.

After having spent the last five summers in Saskatchewan where there is very low humidity, we could never live in the Ottawa area again. So much more comfortable in Saskatchewan.

But, the humidity did not stop us from going out and getting some exercise. We drove down to the Morris Island Conservation area where there are some nice walking trails.

We didn't bring any shorts!

And we didn't bring any shorts with us on this trip, because we didn't expect the temperature to get up to 27C (81F). But that's what happened here in Ottawa yesterday, and when things get warm in Ottawa, there is usually fairly high humidity... so it gets muggy too.

But, we're okay with that. Still, it would have been nice to have a pair of shorts on instead of jeans!

Thanksgiving Monday

While most of you were having a normal Monday, up here in Canada we were having Thanksgiving Monday! Yes, it was a holiday here in the great white north... and time to get together for a feast with the family.

Originally, we were just going to have our son and his girlfriend stop by for hamburgers. Then, Ruth spotted a turkey on sale for 95 cents a pound or so. And the next thing you know, we were pulling out all the stops for a big meal!

What's up for the next six months...?

Sherman the motorhome is waiting for us in British Columbia. We arrive back there on October 17th.

From there, we have about five and a half weeks to get from the Vancouver area to Mission, Texas. We could take a direct route that would be about 4,000 kms (2,500 miles), but there are some things we want to see in Washington state and Oregon, and northern California.

TransferWise

Everybody knows PayPal because it's been around for a long time now, and it's really convenient for sending or receiving money just about anywhere in the world.

But PayPal is ridiculously expensive to use. So when something is ridiculously expensive, it tends to bring out competitors.

So a few months ago, somebody told me about TransferWise.

"You're not going to die or anything, are you?"

Took a break from the blog yesterday. We're always really busy whenever we come back to Ottawa for a visit. There is always something on the go, and when there's not, we want to spend time with the grandkids. They grow up so fast!

And on Thursday evening I went out and played some pool and had a few beers with an old friend of mine. And didn't get to bed until after 1:30am! Yikes. Good thing I don't do that very often!

Out for a walk on the tracks

So we're visiting with our daughter and her family the other day, and grandson Cameron (age 7) has been taught by his dad how to play chess.  He wants to play against me. Now, I remember how to play chess, but it's probably been 40 years since I've played!

But how tough can it be...? He's 7 years old!

Back in Ottawa

Despite the fact that Saskatchewan is now officially home, we still feel like we're coming back home when we arrive in Ottawa. We lived most of our lives in Ottawa, and brought up our kids here, and still have lots of family here... so we enjoy coming back for a visit to see all of our family and friends once or twice a year.

On Monday, we drove from Toronto up to Ottawa, with a detour to Sandbanks Provincial Park. Unfortunately we did not visit the park itself!

September Expenses

Well, here's our September expense report. Grand total for the month was $2,735 CAD ($2,150 USD). Not bad, especially when you consider that we spent yet another $1,000 on motorhome repairs.

But on a year to date basis for the first nine months, we're way higher than normal because of the now $8,200 CAD ($6,500 USD) that we have spent on repairs and maintenance this year.

Into the big city of Toronto

We had a late breakfast with Ruth's family in Guelph yesterday morning. Didn't get any photos. Just a greasy spoon breakfast, but we left with our stomachs full and we didn't need any lunch.

From Guelph, we headed into downtown Toronto.

Busy couple of days!

Well, a little catching up to do today as we missed doing a blog post yesterday. That hasn't happened for a long time!

When the alarm went off yesterday morning at 6:30am, we proceeded to fall right back to sleep because the AirBnb where we are staying has a third occupant in the room beside us who was not very quiet!

Always love to get a great deal!

Went out for a 9 km (5.6 mile) walk yesterday before lunch. Took us an hour and a half, so we had a pretty decent pace going.

Not that scenic though... just went through a few neighborhoods here in Hamilton, Ontario, and then up on the escarpment that gave us some views, although the views weren't that spectacular!

Younger next year

Well, we got caught up on our sleep, and really didn't do much of anything else yesterday. I had already got my exercise for the day when I walked from the airport to the car rental place. I did exactly 4 kms (2.5 miles) in 36 minutes so I was moving at a pretty fast pace!

When we were visiting my uncle in Prince George last month, he gave me a book to read. He's 73 years old, and in pretty good shape. They do lots of hiking, biking, and kayaking.

Made it to Ontario

Another nice day yesterday in Crescent Beach, British Columbia.

Just hung around and chatted for the morning, and Ruth did a bunch of laundry and got the fridge cleaned and made some enchiladas for lunch for the four of us.

While she was doing all of that, I was cleaning Sherman's awning.

Beautiful day in Crescent Beach

Gorgeous fall day yesterday. High of about 18C (65F) and beautiful sunshine.

Went for a walk before lunch yesterday just to explore the area. Crescent Beach used to be an area where Vancouverites would have summer cottages, but as the greater city expanded, it is now full of expensive homes itself as many of the cottage properties have been removed and big pricey homes have been put in.

Fun times at the big RV Show

We said goodbye to longtime friends Cory and Elaine. We've known them 11 years and yet we've only spent time together twice! But getting together is almost like we do so on a much more regular basis. Lots of laughs, and I'm sure we'll be seeing them again sooner than 11 years from now!

We hit the road, heading towards Vancouver, and the big Abbotsford RV show.

Future travel plans

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that we did not take any photos! That's because it poured with rain pretty much the whole day. Once in the afternoon it stopped for a few minutes, and Ruth and I decided to go for a walk and get some exercise. We went into the motorhome to get our jackets on, and it started spitting again. We thought we would wait it out a few minutes, but it just got heavier, and heavier.

I went to have a nap instead!

In true "Kevin and Ruth" style, we found a cheaper way

Said goodbye to our new friends Alison and Richard at about 10:30am. Richard had actually left for work at 7:00am, so it was only Alison and the dog, Roxy left behind.

We left Savona, and had a short drive to Cache Creek where we would then head south towards Hope, British Columbia... about a 232 km (144 mile) drive.

Lots of people to visit in this area!

As we were saying goodbye to Lorraine and David, she suggested that we stop in at the O'Keefe Ranch where David was doing some work. It was along our way anyhow and we were certainly curious about what he was building there.

He had told us about the short term contract he was completing there... constructing the popular "Field of Screams" haunted corn maze in time for the Halloween season!

Finally, Sherman's repairs are complete!

We arrived at the Kal Tire store at the north end of Vernon at around 9:00am. When it was my turn at the front counter, I pointed back at the motorhome and explained that I'm trying to get a front wheel alignment. The guy took a glance over towards Sherman and said "it won't fit on our alignment rack."

I walked out of the office and past the service bays. And as I walked past the bays with the wheel alignment machines I thought to myself "why won't it fit??"

So I returned to the office to ask the question.

This is becoming a frustrating problem.

So at 8:00am yesterday, we arrived at the place in Kelowna where we had an appointment for Sherman's wheel alignment. They took one look at him and said "oh, sorry, we can't do an alignment on that... the heads don't stick out far enough from the wheels".

And I knew exactly what they meant... some laser wheel alignment machines have heads that mount onto the front wheels, and because Sherman's wheels are inset from the body, they wouldn't be able to read the laser properly.

So that was a waste of time.

Kelowna is definitely a bike friendly city

We had an early lunch and set off for a bike ride. Actually, the plan was a combination bike  and hike, but when we got to the top of the hill the burnt trees from recent forest fires didn't look that enticing for a great hiking experience, so we headed back down the hill and used some of the many bike trails in Kelowna area.

It's definitely a bicycle friendly city.

The big city...

With a population of around 130,000 people, Kelowna obviously isn't that big of a city. But it's the biggest city that we've been around since we skirted around the Edmonton area at the end of May. And it's pretty busy, and there seems to be a lot of traffic. But I guess that's the case with any city, isn't it?

I guess we've been out in the countryside for too long!