June 27

The new spark plugs and gas filter installed last night have done the trick. The motor home is running better than ever before, both much smoother and with more power. We traveled to Cache Creek along the Thompson River. It was another scenic canyon but still more like the area along the Salmon River out of Challis than the wet areas to the South. At Cache Creek we saw a large slice of a solid jade rock that weighs over a ton in front of a gift shop where Bonnie got some jade jewelry. We also found a wi-fi hot spot at a hamburger joint and got to check up on finances and email but time was too limited to post as we had to try to get to near Williams Lake to camp for the night. We camped in the Lac la Hache Provincial Park just South of Williams Lake and there met a couple from the Midwest that had just returned from Alaska that gave us some suggestions and showed us a lot of their pictures.

June 26

We drove back to Hope to find a car parts store. On the way we made a few stops, one was at Hells Gate. We rode the tram down 500 ft. across the Fraser River. It was quite muddy in color, one of the widest rivers that we have seen so far. The water moved fast and swift along it. It narrows to 110 ft. wide. The river was 170 feet deep in the gorge at the present time. The scenery was beautiful there. There is a visitor center at the bottom of the tram ride across the river. While I was at the gift shop picking some post cards a man turned around and grabbed me at the waist. He was hanging on for dear life. Then he realized that I wasn’t a display falling. He was sufficiently embarrassed and he, his wife and I all had a very good laugh. When Leo came in the lady said she had never seen her husband turn so red. Of course he thought it was me that caused the ruckus. We learned about the gold rush that happened here in 1857. We stopped to see the Alexander Bridge again so Gene and Lynn could see it. When we returned to camp Gene and Leo worked on the motor home. All new spark plugs and a fuel filter were installed. They were installed in time to have a game of Tripoli before a shower and bed.

June 25

We have more rain. We would like to go to see the gardens but the weather is troubling. We made it to the Minter Gardens. It had 32 acres of nature with flowers and trees of all kinds and shrubs, all intertwined with waterfalls and bridges draped with vines. There were streams with waterfalls, ponds and walls of water like ancient pillars that water raining from them. (Speaking of rain, wherever we went it rained as soon as we got out of the car. I looked like a drowned rat all day.) We then stopped at the town of Hope. There we looked at a museum of old logger and mining things, It also had some household pieces. It was small but it was nice to see. The town of Hope had chain saw art. There were quite a lot of real neat pieces. We stopped to look at an old singing bridge. It was a 10 minute walk to get to it but well worth the walk. Alexander suspension bridge was what it was called. We drove forever to get to a camping place in a nice forest camp ground (Skihist Provincial Park). On the way the motor home started running rough, so Leo and Gene are under trying to fix it. Tomorrow will be a day to run back to a town for some parts, maybe a long way back to find them. It will be another late night for us as it’s all most 10 PM and no end in sight.

June 24

After licking our wounds from yesterday and raining all morning we drove to Chilliwack and camped in a Sears parking lot. The drive back out of Indian Arm Park was much nicer in the daylight. We walked to a Boston Pizza place for dinner. We have six other motor homes parked here also. We took a walk and found a place that had the clip that we lost or one a little smaller. It will work which was lucky for me. But it wasn’t me that put the owie on the motor home. That I was really happy about.

June 23

Today we don’t wish to remember. The border crossing agent was rude and the gate was extremely tight at Suma, Washington but otherwise entry into Canada went OK. No campground at Mount Seymour Provincial Park in Vancouver, BC led us on a day-long waste of time and gas along with several wrong turns that required unhooking the Elantra to recover, losing a locking pin for the tow bar and looking for a place to camp late at night after dark. (Like after midnight) On the way to Indian Arm Provincial Park we damaged the right rear corner of the motor home on a steel post on a sidewalk corner of a very tight and small intersection in a small town that had barriers set up in the middle of the intersection for some construction. Turning around the barriers led to swinging the rear end into the post. Finally after another long drive in the dark up a very narrow tree-lined road we found a camp site in Indian Arm and got to bed after midnight. Then it rained all night. We seem to have a magnet for the rain it has followed us. They hadn’t had rain for weeks till we get here then it rained every day.

June 22

First thing in the morning Gene and Leo drove to Bellingham to check out a state park and look for gas stations. Not finding anything convenient or suitable nearby we camped one more night at the Bow Hill rest area. For the remainder of the day we took a drive East through the North Cascade National Park for a round trip of about 230 miles. On the way we stopped at the Rockport State Park. It was raining and/or drizzling fairly constantly but the beauty and uniqueness was amazing. It was like a primeval Jurassic era setting with huge, tall pine trees along with many other trees and kinds of vegetation. Everything was covered with moss and lace-like growth. Everything is sooo green and damp. From there we drove on into the park. There were some amazing gorges, water falls, lakes and streams. The highlights were the Gorge creek, Diablo Lake Overlook and the Ladder Gardens at the Gorge Dam Powerhouse. The thing that amazed me was the thickness of the moss. It draped on every thing. If you can imagine a velvet draped over a body with all the folds and creases. Only the points protruding above the velvet, a knee, shoulder. The pictures just won’t do the justice that the eye can see.

June 21

We found an LDS congregation in Marysville and went to the block meetings. We met some very friendly people including some Browers that were originally from around Pocatello. Later Gene and Lynn returned from Seattle and we traveled about 40 miles north to a very nice but usually noisy rest area called Bow Hill Rest Area just South of Bellingham, Washington where we spent the night. The weather continues to be quite cool and rainy.