Almost home

Thursday July 14, 2016 through Monday, July 18, 2016  Start: Vanderhoof, BC  End: Fillmore, UT

We left Vanderhoof, BC on Thursday morning for a day of driving and ended up in Cache Creek, BC.  After we got settled in he went up the hill across the street to play golfand I took the jeep and went back to check in with everyone via phone.

Cache Creek area golf course

Cache Creek is the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 1, where we head west to work our way further south toward the U.S.  On the way out of Vanderhoof we just missed a major hail storm and saw piles of frozen rain as we headed over the summit beyond Vanderhoof.  We stopped in a quaint town called Quesnel for some baked goods (I popped into the store while Mike circled the block) and halted today's journey at Brookside RV Park in Cache Creek, just across the street from the Semlin Golf course.  Mike got to play nine holes, losing several balls to the wind before the storm kicked up and he quit and we went to dinner.  We had pizza at a local spot (Ane's) and before taking it home, drove over to Horsting's Farm Market.  They had fresh cherries, corn, greens, pies, and scones.  I don't know how we'll eat all of it but we loaded up and stocked the frig.

a real evening - Cache Creek

We've moved far enough south that we're getting really dark nights -- the trade off being that we're getting warmer days and nights too. We're averaging 300 miles a It's really been great having the jeep for transportation and hauling it was well worth the added flexibility.

Friday morning we headed out of Cache Creek BC and went through the Canadian National Parks on the route, one of which is also called Glacier National Park.  We took a couple of short walks; one through the skunk cabbage wetlands and another among the giant cedar grove. Even with the drizzle, it was peaceful and awe inspiring among the ancient giant trees.

ferns

skunk cabbage plants

cedar forest

We ended up in Golden, BC for the evening at a Golf RV Park, a frequent option in this part of BC where they have miles of green rolling hills.

boardwalk through cedar forest

snow tunnel (it goes over the roof)

Saturday morning Mike was going to play in a shotgun tournament at the golf course but Mother Nature had other ideas and we took off early in pouring rain.  The extra time resulted in our second visit to the U.S. Glacier National Park.  More on that it my next post.

We ended Saturday in Polson, Montana at the Wal-Mart parking lot, a freebie, and repeated that option Sunday night in Idaho Falls, Idaho.  It's quiet and secure.  The drive after Glacier NP was long and we didn't get into Polson until almost 11:00 pm.  First time driving the rig in the dark.  Mike said it was fine except when he saw a deer cross in front of a vehicle in the opposite lane - that gets your attention!  Idaho Falls has few RV options so the Walmart was the best choice for just an overnight.

Toady, Monday, we travelled a little over 300 miles to get from Idaho Falls to Fillmore Utah, named after the president.  Mike played 9 holes on a "spongy" course and I walked to the downtown and toured the original Utah territorial capital building.

Wagons West RV Park Fillmore UT

A genealogy note: I saw a business with a family name (Dearden) and asked if anyone knew where they had come from.  I was given the phone number of a family member who keeps track of those things - her name is Bonnie Dearden.  Strange coincidences!