Hope, B. C.

Last night we had a bit of rain as we fell asleep but awoke this morning to bright blue skies. We are hoping this is an omen of good weather to come. After a ferry crossing from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island we took a quiet ride into Oak Harbor and our first coffee stop. Charlie has settled into a calm rider again but only after Karen showed him her alpha side. A little barking and growling from Karen and he figured out the deal.

We made a quick stop at Camping World for a few spare parts and then headed up I-5 to cross into Canada at the Sumas border crossing. The Canadian customs people are always so friendly. I had to explain to the customs guy why we had no bear protection with us. I told him Charlie and I could both out run Karen so we didn’t need bear spray. Ha Ha Charlie brought his Frisbee to the window thinking a stranger might want to play some catch. After a good laugh we are once again in Canada and headed to Abbotsford. Karen had a plan for a Costco stop (fun Canadian stuff) but in the last 18 years they had either moved the Costco store, moved the border crossing or moved the whole Canadian – US border as we could not find the store anywhere. The area didn’t look the same but again it had been 18 years – memory loss. ;) After a few minutes of complete confusion, we stumbled onto the road sign showing us the way to Hope. We joked that without that sign there was no hope. 

We arrived in Hope BC a couple hours’ sooner than I had expected and we were greeted with spectacular views of the Coast Mountain Range and the Fraser River.  We found a very nice, friendly campground (Coquihalla Campground) on the edge of Hope. It’s a Passport America park so we are already staying cheaply. Gotta love that. We realized today the one important thing we forgot to do before leaving home. They say not to leave home without your Visa Card but also don’t forget to let them know you are leaving the country. Their security department likes to know the card is being used by the owner. Fortunately, we were able to find an internet connection and do the notification on line. Things are now running smoothly. In all of our travels, this is the first time we forgot to notify the credit card company.

This area has a lot to see and do so we will spend tomorrow in this area and do some touristy stuff. First stop for me tomorrow will be a store that sells gold pans. This area had a gold rush in 1858 and hoping they missed a couple nuggets. Maybe strike it rich so I can afford the life style Karen has become accustomed to.;)

 

We managed to get Charlie to sit still for a selfie of the herd. See picture below.  Check the headlines tomorrow for news of a huge gold strike on the Fraser River.

Herd Selfie

View from our campsite

Coquihalla River

Coquihalla Campground