West Coast Adventure

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I was up at 7 AM, no sign of the bear so took a shower and drove downtown. A clerk at the grocery store told me a little about the town, including the news the local museum had had two fires this summer. Took a few pics of it and some historic buildings etc. Back at our site I got the water hot, and Dianne made breakfast. The latter was to be ham and eggs, but we discovered yesterday our electric cooler somehow got switched to "heat" instead of "cool), so the eggs were partly cooked (so were the cucumbers) and we decided to go without. Toasted some buns over our borrowed camp stove. It was a beautiful morning after a heavy overnight dew and we got the tent dried out before packing.

After a quick stop at the town sign to take pics, and another at the local cemetery to photograph Chase gravestones, we headed west again. Went through Kamloops without stopping (had forgotten how desperately dry that country is, with dead grass and sage brush everywhere (pics later). Stopped at a viewpoint north of town, then continued on to Cache Creek. An ice cream stop at Dairy Queen turned into an hour long delay, first because the men's washroom was flooded and there was a lineup, and then because it took forever to line up for and get a coupled of hamburgers (we lined up a second time for our ice cream). By the time that was eaten, I was firmly established as one who wears a significant portion of his food!

Got to Elaine and Don's (Chase relatives) just south of 100 Mile House late afternoon, and began a wonderful visit. They have over 7 acres with a beautiful pond they've developed out back, and she does great nature photography. Elaine's mother (Vera Steffano Mooney), who in earlier years lived around Rocanville, and now has a trailed in the same yard, is 90 years old and sharp as a tack, and we enjoyed many laughs with them.

Since their neighbours offered us the use of their cabin we did not have to pitch a tent. Great roads, fantastic food, nice scenery and wonderful company made for a great day!

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