Summer plans, part 4: Smithers

Part 1 - The prep

Part 2 - The trip west

Part 3 - Okanagan

Part 4 - Smithers

Smithers was the goal for all this driving. My parents' 50th anniversary would be in the fall, so a summer gathering was planned, and most of the family hoped to attend. We arrived the day before the great and glorious celebration.

Most of the clan. There were 7 who couldn't make it.

Opa and Oma with just the great-grandkids

Can't very well celebrate without some bubbles.

Sister #1 (in age, not necessarily popularity...) generously offered a trailer for us to camp in, which sister #3 was kind enough to park at her place. We made sure to see sister #2 all well of course, just so everyone had their fair dose of us before we outstayed our welcome and skipped town.

One fine day, brother #1 decided a bunch of us should scale Hudson Bay Mountain the next day. (Against my better judgment, I decided this was a good idea for me. For one thing, I had a bit of what ailed Nora so I wasn't at my healthiest, and second, I had something planned fairly soon...) So a few adults and a bunch of kids made our way up to the ski hill. We parked there and started hiking for Crater Lake. It has been a while since I've been up there, and I've never tried to go for the summit beyond.

On the trek up to the lake, the meadows were amazing.

The hike is a steady climb, but with nice views and interesting flora. Much of that day, things were a little fogged in and it was quite cold. Carrie and I dressed properly for the occasion, but some others were dressed like it was summer. Ha! They likely regretted that.

Up, up, up. We've left the tree line behind.

Not the clearest of views

Behold, the lake...

Made it!

We got to Crater Lake. Nobody was dumb enough to venture in for a glacial swim. The fog wasn't far overhead, but most of us decided to forge ahead for the peak; a couple of people went back down to the vehicles.

After a steep incline that has some greenery, the rest of the climb is nothing but rocks. Sharp rocks. Slippery rocks. Windy rocks. You basically follow wet rocky ridges and try not to get blown off your feet as you climb, climb, climb. Every time we peered through the fog and though we saw the end, there would loom yet another rise to climb over. Eventually, a couple of the younger kids were too cold and miserable to continue, so we decided to turn back. The trek down wasn't too bad but it did challenge a whole different set of muscles. By the end I was wishing I hadn't done this, knowing what I'd signed up for the next day...

Never too summery for a snowball fight

Foggy view, slippery rocks, a deadly drop-off to the right.

Heading back down. Burning different leg muscles.

When the fog clears, the view is well worth it. (Click to enlarge.)

My old friend Derek and I have trekked to and explored Lower Reiseter (aka Two Bridge) Lake in the past, located in the rugged Babine Mountain Provincial Park. But we've never been able to get to Upper Reiseter Lake. This elusive smaller colder sibling has been calling our names for many years, so we decided to aim for it once again, thirteen years after our previous attempt.

This is where my mountain-climbing efforts of the previous day did me no favours at all.

We planned to stay overnight, so we'd have a bit of time to explore. We headed out early on Lily's birthday (sorry kiddo) with a couple of bikes in the back of the truck. Made it to the end of the lousy road, parked respectably, loaded up and started biking.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... it was Lily's birthday, so Carrie took her and her cousin Lauren horseback riding. Carrie also took her to get her ears pierced, something she's wanted for a while.

Clever... they do both sides at once so you can't escape with a job half done

Happy 9th!

Back to the trail. The idea behind taking the bikes is to ride a decent trail uphill until it's no longer feasible to bike. Then stash them in the bushes, so that on the way back when we're dead tired, the bikes will be a welcome way to save time and energy at the end of our trek.

I remembered our previous trek here to be very wet and very blistery. Anticipating this, I brought my old hiking shoes so I could sacrifice them and still have (somewhat) comfy feet. Well, once the bike portion was done, it wasn't long at all before the undergrowth had our pants soaked through. And the feet didn't stay dry long either. But at least I wasn't wearing borrowed ill-fitting shoes this time. Unfortunately, my earlier mountain excursion had done a number on my joints and my toes, so I was, once again, not enjoying my walk as much as I would have liked.

Hillside trails

Non-trails

Along way is the site of a former cabin at an old mining site. Our visit in 2008 had seen it as a woodpile that still somewhat resembled the shape of a cabin. This time, however, we had to bushwhack to find any sign of it; there's not much left of it at all. Derek did take an old nail from the site as a souvenir; it currently serves as his keychain or toothbrush or something.

We made it to Lower Reiseter eventually. The campsite there still has a canoe and a picnic table. This time there was also an axe; also some wood but it wasn't split. We set up camp and tried to dry off some clothing. We tried to get on each other's nerves (is that how it went?); he would throw wet noodles at me, and I would give him a welt to remember.

After some chow, Derek tried to convince me that it was a good time to go and explore. I whined and complained, but he prevailed so off we went. Straight up a hillside, no trail to follow, dense underbrush. And So. Much. Pain. It was not pleasant. I was mobile, technically, but the dude was moving waaay too fast. So I hobbled along and complained just loudly enough to keep the bears at bay.

One much-needed break among many

We conquered a lot of elevation, heading generally in the right direction, eventually getting above the tree line. It was legit windy up there.

A little over his head is the tiny patch of blue lake we failed to reach

Lower Reiseter in the background

Rewarding views

We made it to a wide open area with views almost all around, and I was finished. But he wasn't. So I sat back while Derek decided to tackle one more hill. I watched him a for a long time, him wheezing up the hill, then dropping on all fours to crawl a bit, then falling down unmoving for half a minute, then getting up and repeat the process. He made it eventually, and I was surprised he wasn't blown clear off the peak. In the meantime, I also spied some wildlife on a different slope of the hill he was climbing. So while Derek played mountain goat for yet another view, I enjoyed watching a dozen or more actual mountain goats grazing in the neighbourhood.

Quality goat photography, I know. National Geographic is going to call any minute.

In time, Derek rejoined me and we made our way back to camp. Further efforts to dry off footwear ensued as we told tales around the campfire into the night.

The following morning we took our time breaking camp before striking out for civilization. Joints and feet ached of course, but we made pretty good time. The weather was warm, and our packs somehow got heavier by the minute. It was therefore with great joy that we reached the stashed bikes and flew with wild abandon down the last leg of the trail to the truck.

Were we successful? Yes, in that we had a fulfilling overnight hike to an old haunt. But no, in that we again failed to reach the upper lake. Perhaps next time we'll get dropped in with a float plane and save ourselves some hurt.

And speaking of hurt, I've since lost two of the toenails affected by the two hikes that week. I think the rest are okay. (I will spare you the pictures.)

Our stay in Smithers was pretty relaxing, apart from the odd excursion. We spent time at the lake and hung out with family.

Local apple thieves

Fun kayaking

He's getting the hang of this barbecue thing.

Cousins

Oh, also a plane ride.

We kids bought mom & dad an aerial tour of the town. There were weather delays that caused a bit of uncertainty, but in the end four of the siblings and three spouses got to come along for the ride.

We put on life preservers and the captain says "and then just pull the tab". To which I say "mine has no tab". He did a lousy job of looking competent repackaging mine.

Takeoff occurred from Tyhee Lake in a float plane. It was a beautiful day out and the views were spectacular. We circled Hudson Bay Mountain and saw some familiar sights up close. Most of us didn't feel like we were about to lose our lunch (and fortunately nobody did... but I hear there were some close calls).

Most importantly, Mom and Dad seemed to thoroughly enjoy the flight. Plus, we didn't crash and wipe out the senior ranks of the Vanderveen clan. Yay!

O little town of Smithers...

Up close. Felt like we could reach out and touch the mountain.

The plateau we trekked on our Crater Lake hike.

Ha! Still some glacier left!

And there's Crater Lake! This was sooo much easier than walking to it.

We all look pretty chill. Must have been a 'before' photo.

Carrie and I had the opportunity to visit a cousin of mine who has been battling cancer for six years. It was a farewell visit and we treated it as such, as he was terminal and was getting increasingly weak. It was really special to be able to see him yet, and I'm thankful we had the opportunity.

Not much else to report from Smithers. Well, Dad did call around one morning for help. He had gone for a walk only to find himself stuck, with a bear between him and home, and some unfriendly dogs the other way. Someone drove out to rescue him, but he managed to get back to his house on his own without needing help or being eaten.

Summer plans, part 3: The Valleys Okanagan & Fraser

Part 1 - The prep

Part 2 - The trip west

Part 3 - Okanagan & Fraser Valley

We spent a week in Vernon. Carrie worked mornings for the first few days. We enjoyed warm weather, although conditions got smokier as time went on. Normally the extended Driegen family would join us for the August long weekend, but it was decided that the air quality was too lousy this year in the Okanagan.

The girls got their annual much-awaited tea party with Grandma.

And burials by Grandpa.

There were plenty of beach days, even when it wasn't that nice out.

And our final day included a visit to Kangaroo Creek Farm in Kelowna. We did this a few years back and everyone enjoyed it a lot.

Meeting the capybaras

The shy albino

That should hold 'em

I don't even know.

Then it was time to head to the Fraser Valley. We set off with efficient travel plans and all, but those are easily mangled. We took the usual route: down to Kelowna, then Hwy 97C to Merritt to get onto the Coquihalla... only to discover that the Coquihalla was closed... or at least the on-ramp was, even though we could see traffic on it. Evidently the smoke was causing low visibility so they were starting to shut things down. So, we had to backtrack and make our way down Highway 5A through Princeton, and then carry on through Manning Park. It all added a couple of hours to our trip, but it was relaxing enough and let us see a scenic route we normally wouldn't consider.

We stayed in the Fraser Valley for a week. We hung out with family and were happy to be largely smoke-free. We endured/enjoyed more beach time and the kids got to visit with great-grandma.

Generations one, three, and four

(Almost) everyone pitching in

Cake!

Blondies

A bounty of local blueberries

Grandpa takes his role of fisherman training seriously

We spent a day in Stanley Park as well.

Biking the seawall. It's been a long time!

Towards the end of our week, Nora got pretty sick from a cousin, and we weren't thrilled about hauling diseases up to Smithers, but it turned out not to be Covid, so yay. On our drive to Smithers, we intended to visit the gold rush town Barkerville, but Nora was too sick and miserable.

There was a head-scratching moment on the way north. We were notified that dinner was ready in Prince George at Carrie's uncle's house! What!? That was well north of where we planned to reach that day. We'd asked about his availability a few days before, and some miscommunication led him to believe we'd be there that night. We felt pretty bad for him, but he's pretty chill so all was well. Still...

Anyway, we headed north through the Fraser Canyon, hoping we wouldn't encounter road closures due to fire or smoky conditions.

Fortunately there were none, although it was pretty bad in places, and we drove past some visible fires very close to the highway. We made it to Williams Lake and stopped for the night. The next day we kept going north and made our way to the beautiful Bulkley Valley.

Stay tuned...

Summer plans, part 2: The Trip West

Part 1 - The prep

Part 2 - The trip west

During our long weekend camping trip, we discovered something about our trailer: it had water damage. Apparently it's not uncommon with hybrid trailers, especially if those end beds aren't closed properly when they're folded up. That seems have been the case with our trailer at some point long ago. The damage is old but considerable. We'll probably have to rebuild the beds since structurally they're a little iffy.

That, along with the dismal fuel mileage we got on our trip to/from the campground, made me think twice about pulling the trailer to BC this summer, which had been the original plan. So after some number crunching, it was decided the best course of action would be to drive to BC without the trailer. And after some reality crunching, it was decided that less road tripping with Nora was good for everyone. So since Carrie had some work commitments, it was decided that she'd stay behind with Nora a few days and then fly to Kelowna.

So the day arrived in mid-July that Lily and I were to leave. All packed up and... literally 10 minutes before we were gonna leave, Carrie says, "Uh, the kitchen sink won't drain."

Great. 

A bit of plunger action didn't help (don't do this, by the way). Then I removed the traps and looked for blockages. Nothing. By then, there was significant leaking under the sink because of the plunger (kitchen plumbing can't handle that kind of pressure, apparently.) I didn't have a drain snake and didn't have time to go and rent one, so I tried what little else I could before calling my local handyman buddy.

Plumber extraordinaire, complete with requisite butt crack. Who knew I had such ample butt cleavage?

Once he arrived, Lily and I hit the road since we had paid-for accommodations to reach by nightfall in Sault Ste. Marie. I felt really bad about leaving the problem to Carrie, but decided there was nothing I could do anyway.

(As it turned out, my buddy snaked down more than 25' and found nothing. A plumber came around a couple days later and for an exorbitant fee removed a massive disgusting grease blockage 40' down and made a bunch of repairs. The problem is solved, but yikes $$$!!)

Our budget motel (is there any other kind?) in Sault was basic, but at least we made it in time that night. But in my haste to unload our stuff and settle in for the night, it seems I neglected to close a car door properly, and an interior light killed the battery overnight. Fortunately, I came prepared! Pulled out my handy new charging pack, and we were on the road in a matter of minutes.

Now one of the best purchases I made for the trip was a game called Minecraft. The younger folks seem to know what this is, but I did not. It seems to be a throwback to the days of bad graphics, but it seems to be a real hit. This, paired with a cheap tablet, made Lily's day. Week. Month.

The second day we drove through hinterland, Ontario. We made it to Kakabeka Falls just past Thunder Bay, where we camped at the provincial park overnight. We enjoyed the falls and the nearby trails before turning in.

Minimalist camping

The next day we headed back to Thunder Bay to treat Lily to some fun. Unfortunately the time I'd read on a website was meant to be PM, so when we arrived to an awesome indoor climbing centre in the AM, we couldn't get in. Disappointing, but that was that. So west we drove.

That's not fog...

We were still in Ontario when we first encountered smoke (before Thunder Bay already). That was a little surprising, since I figured it would just be a BC problem. There were significant forest fires in the region, and we would see/smell smoke all the way to Saskatchewan. I hadn't booked any accommodations beyond the first two nights, so we were winging it now.

Once we got to Kenora, smoke conditions were pretty bad, and we thought it would be good to hole up in a hotel out of the dirty air. I stopped and inquired at a few hotels, but things were full or very expensive; apparently there were a lot of firefighters in town, driving up prices. One hotel manager suggested I drive a couple hours further to Winnipeg and stay there for half the price. I explained that we couldn't stay in Manitoba, only pass through, not being Manitobans or fully vaxxed and all. She was pretty sure I was wrong, so I called their counterpart in Winnipeg. Well, it turns out travellers can stop in Manitoba for gas, food, or lodging! (If I'd known lodging was permitted, my trip in June might very well have gone differently.)

So, after dinner at a pub, we set off again, arriving in Winnipeg fairly late. I checked around for hotel options and found the Clarion Hotel, which has waterslides (which were operational... important to note, since many Ontario hotels closed their water features due to COVID).

Room with a view

The Clarion was a great step up from the motel in Sault. We made the most of it, hitting up the pool in the evening and again in the morning. After a free breakfast at the adjoining restaurant, we hit the road again.

After the disappointment in Thunder Bay, I had scoped out other climbing options along the way. Turns out Regina had a decent place that was open at the right time, so we drove to Regina and killed some time at Boston Pizza waiting for the climbing centre to open. When we walked in, we were greeted by a sign saying walk-ins were accepted only at this-and-this-time-bla-bla-bla, i.e., not right at that moment. We were a little deflated, but just as we were about to leave, a staff member came up and apologized for the outdated sign. Yay! Climbing was on!

Mastering the free climb...

...and the auto-belay, which lets you down slowly

A great time was had, both free climbing and auto-belaying (Lily's favourite part was falling from great heights... safely). When we'd had enough, we hopped in the car and drove a couple hours to Moose Jaw, where we found a decent inn with a pool.

A pool pretty much to ourselves

[Oh, and I think this was the day we left the world of mandatory masks behind. Apart from an old age home, I'm pretty sure I didn't wear a mask again for an entire month.]

Lily was spoiled once again, spending time in the pool that night and then again in the morning. If you're keeping track, that's four pool times in 1.5 days!

On day 5, after a morning swim and a complimentary breakfast, we headed for Calgary. Lots of lazy straight driving these days, setting the cruise control and testing the range of the Suburban. Where the speed limit was 110 km/h, I'd set my speed at 102 and just chill like the old man I've become. Big rigs passed me aplenty. BUT... I know I can get 1000km to a tank on the highway! Pretty good for a fat SUV.

I was pretty much out of gas when I pulled into the Costco gas bar in Calgary. We sat dutifully in line for 20 minutes, being rewarded with gas for $1.22 (it was $1.37 everywhere else). Not something I normally have patience for.

We found a Days Inn for cheap. It wasn't great, but it worked and included a free breakfast. After a nice walk and some supper at Tim Hortons, we went to bed on time. We got up early for a change, and after eating we headed out for our final day of driving. Lily spent time on the tablet, but I made her put it down and endure the scenic views for a few hours. This was the Rockies, after all. Not an animal in sight, sadly.

We wanted to stop and see some things too, so the first attempt was at Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. Unfortunately it was crazy busy and there no parking available, so we could either use a shuttle or just carry on. Instead we found parking at Lake Louise and spent several hours walking the trail and exploring there.

Pretty famous background

Lots of mud flats to explore

Then it was off to Vernon! We hit a construction detour that cost us an hour, and more smoke reared its hazy head, but for the most part the drive was uneventful. We got to Vernon a couple of hours before Carrie and Nora landed at Kelowna airport.

4200 km to Vernon. She done good so far.  

More to come...