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 |
