I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.
Well, the little xTerra has pulled our home all the way to Valemount. I left my beautiful oceanside view of the world on Wednesday. While I will miss my family of friends on the island, my only worry now is about my stuff, left in a storage locker, and to be transported out here by Arrowsmith movers. After a few bad past experiences with movers, choosing a moving company is a lot like choosing a pirate. I left the key to my storage locker with the trustworthy old timer who runs Midway storage in Oyster River. He judiciously pointed out that without someone to supervise the move, I will probably get robbed. I sure hope not. Anyway, the irony here is pretty clear: I have a storage locker 3/4 full of stuff I don’t currently need, that I might not need ever again, and that is the source of my biggest worry right now.
The trip started late, and got later when we missed a ferry. BC Ferries has cut back on sailings as part of their pandemic response, so it was a few more hours before we could get on a sailing. Luckily, I always have a dog who appreciates some distraction training or jaunts around the causeway to smell all the unfamiliar scents. And Helen very kindly supplied us with a whole bunch of tasty fruit for road snacks, so there was that. Anyway, off we went from the ferry to try to make it up the Coquihalla Hwy to Merritt, where we were to stay at Moon Shadow campground as a self isolated guest. The xTerra was pretty valiant, but we only made it to the first of the two rest areas on that highway before I decided to park for the night.
Apparently that is a busy rest stop. It seemed to be a stop for all kinds of people through the night. Lots of haggard road warriors in muscle cars. And hoodies going in and out of bathroom. It was all pretty sketchy, actually. So I packed up in the first light of day, and off we went.
The Coquihalla is now my least favourite route in BC. It has massively steep sections, and there are only 2 rest areas headed North on it. We stopped in Little Fort, which has a nice little rest stop where we could all get out and stretch our legs with a walk and make lunch and coffee for the road.. We made it to Valemount the next day and spent the night at a really great little RV resort called Irwin’s RV Park.
This park only had a few campers, so it was pretty quiet other than the big trucks going by on the highway, which was within half a km away. The sites are open, so there isn’t much privacy, but for any traveller looking for a great spot to plug in and get some rest and wifi, it’s a great spot. Plus a bonus for dog owners: This pet friendly resort was considerate enough to have made lovely paths through their pine forest for walking dogs.
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