May 13th, 2024 - Skihist Provincial Park in British Columbia

We woke to cloudy skies - Bummer..   I did a trip into Chilliwack to break down some money and for fuel.  Before we left, I ordered Canadian money from Wells Fargo and I received mostly $100 bills.  So I needed to get much smaller bills plus coins for laundry and filtered water.

The fuel prices are..well..shocking!  I paid $1.79 per liter which equals $6.81 per gallon.  With the current exchange rate, that brings it to $4.95 per gallon - US.  (Deep breath as I filled the tank!)

Back home, Andy had everything packed up so we hooked up the truck and away we went.

Along the Fraser River Canyon:

The first of the seven tunnels of Fraser Canyon:

Information on all the tunnels can be found here: https://explorenorthblog.com/the-highway-tunnels-of-bcs-fraser-canyon/

The lower Fraser Canyon is very narrow.  It supports a road, the river, and two rail lines - Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway.  

We are following the train - or maybe they are following us:

Many trees destroyed by the mountain pine beetle:

And many areas destroyed by fire:

The view from our window in the truck:

Going to the other side of the Canyon:

This area was devastated by fire in 2021:

We made our way to Skihist Provincial Park north of Lytton.  This park just opened after those fires in 2021.  We found a spot that overlooks the canyon and settled in. 

Our view - WOW!:

The fire did not go thru the entire park.  It was stopped about half way up the mountain (the campsites weave their way thru the mountain).

Life is returning:

The campground host stopped by and we chatted for a while.  He hosts here in the summer and winters in Arizona.  He is from the area so told us a lot about the history and about the fires.  So sad.

The sun came out, we put out chairs and enjoyed the rest of the day. 

We closed out the day, enjoying a campfire and cooking steak and potatoes over the fire!

What a great day.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 96 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Canada - British Columbia: Bridal Falls Road; CA-1

Since this is such a nice place, we decided to stay for another day and explore so stay tuned and enjoy today.

May 12th, 2024 - Travel to Canada

 Another beautiful morning to travel.  After packing up, we headed north.  Past farms:

Past the pines:

More farms - I just love farm houses and barns:

Into the mountains we shall go:

Isn't he just the cutest?!

To the border crossing:

We were in line for about 45 minutes.  When we got to the crossing, we were asked the usual questions:

• Where are we going?
• How long will we be in Canada?
• Do we have any alcohol or tobacco products?
• Do we have any guns?
• Do we have any ammunition?
• Do we have any pepper spray or tasers?
• Do we have pets?
• Are they fully vaccinated?
• Have a great time!

And away we went...

We continued our journey:

We made a stop at the Chilliwack Walmart for essentials and food.

When crossing into Canada, there is a list of items that could not be taken so we did not take!  But we were not even asked about them - You never know!  

We arrived at Camperland RV Resorts and Cabins - Passport America Park (which means we get a site for 50%) in Rosedale and set up.  Since it was early, we decided to take a road trip around the area.

Harrison Lake:

Love the next two pictures - they almost look painted:

Harrison Lake area is beautiful but it reminded me of a beach town.  Since today is Sunday, it was crazy busy so we moved on to Deer Lake area:

Look who we found - or maybe he found us:

We picked up some firewood and made our way back home.  Here is our spot:

This is really a nice park.  Sites are spacious and private.  I would definitely stay here again.

Our view:

What a great day!  Tomorrow we continue our journey north so stay tuned and enjoy today.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 87 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Washington: Riverside Drive; College Way; I-5; WA-542; WA-9

Canada - British Columbia: BC-11; CA-1; Bridal Falls Road