Spoffords Travel

Day 9 July 10, 2024 Smithers British Columbia to Stewart British Columbia 210 miles

The coffee machine in the breakfast room was the fanciest Keurig ever. There were eight options to choose from with including hot chocolate, tea, latte, cappuccino, espresso and regular coffee. The beans are ground after you make your choice. The used grounds container filled up while we were there so Connie figured out how to empty it. The other unique item was all wooden utensils.

We finished and loaded the car. Several crows were at the back door. One was working very hard to get into a discarded pizza box. Amazing what they can do.

We stopped briefly for gas and finally took off about 9:00 am. The skies are partly cloudy and much cooler.

Came to our first construction site of the day. They used a traffic light mounted on the back of a pickup with a drop down gate like those used by railroads. The other end was a regular flagger. Later we saw these used on both ends of a construction site.

Just before our turn off a portable sign indicated an active wildfire was ahead. Be aware of low visibility. Sure glad we aren’t going that way.

The landscape is predominantly dense forest. It is a combination of evergreen and birch. Occasionally we could see a lake or river through the trees. Large mountains are in the distance. Some snow is still on them.

The skies are getting cloudier and the temperature is dropping. We came to a couple of short patches where a lot of rain had fallen recently. This was a warning of things to come. Very shortly after filling with gas a continuous rain started falling. It last nearly until we arrived in Stewart. Rob got out and put the windows down. He also opened up the manifold heater and got a blanket for Connie.

The mountain on the opposite side of the river still has snow at about our level. The river has a fine mist above for a long distance. The top of the mountains are hidden in clouds so the view isn’t as good as it could be. Luckily there is significantly less traffic.

The GPS took us to the wrong location for our lodging. While we were stopped trying to figure it out a couple stopped to admire the car. They own an RV park in town and were hoping we planned to stay. We agreed to follow them back for pictures. On the way the car ran out of gas! No wonder we were smelling gas. The RV hosts returned and the two guys got things restored but we lost at least three quarters of a tank of gas. They put in some gas from our gas cans to get us to the camp ground and on to the gas station. The hose from one end of the inline gas filter came loose.

The hotel for tonight is definitely an old one. It was built in 1924. The room is small but if you look over the building next door the view is gorgeous. We went to the highly recommended Mexican restaurant across the street for dinner. Expensive and only fair in our opinion. Connie does much better Mexican food.

Day 8 July 9, 2024 Prince George British Columbia to Smithers British Columbia 234 miles

This room has a very unique bathroom wall. Normally it is clear glass so you can see in the bathroom from the rest of the space. When you close the bathroom door the wall clouds up so you can’t see through. Wonder what that cost them.

The hotel doesn’t provide breakfast because the restaurant is undergoing renovations. So after loading the car we headed for Connaught Hill Park which is very close by. We wind our way up the hill to the top. The views are terrific in all directions. Several types of trees provide lots of nice shade. We lulled into the parking lot and used the microwave to heat water for tea, coffee and instant oatmeal. John Taylor walked up and talked with us for quite awhile. Then the landscape crew drove up for a short visit. It was a very well maintained park.

Back down the hill and a quick stop for gas and ice. Then we are on our way. Late start for sure. It was about 9:30. Next to the road is a wide section of land where the trees have been removed. Most likely so you can see a deer, moose or bear in time to stop. Well we did see a black bear close to the trees. Unfortunately not in time for a photo Or a quick bite.

The landscape is mostly forest and grass hay fields. The pine forest has more birch trees mixed in. Sometimes the grass is being mowed, sometimes drying, sometimes baled and waiting for pickup. Big round bales, big rectangular bales and small rectangular bales. Some fields have multiple shapes. At the corner of a farm road a flat bed semi is stopped. On the ground to its right is a full load of grass hay. Other than one bale it is still perfectly stacked. We think the driver cut the corner and the load slid off.

We are still encountering lots of loaded logging trucks. In the town of Vanderhoof was a huge sawmill. There were stacks and stacks of what looked like 2x4s. Some have been there a long time and are looking a little warped. Now we know where Home Depot gets their lumber. At the end of the mill grounds are thousands of logs ready for processing.

Down the road we pulled into the small town of Fort Frazer. We parked on a back street in the shade and ate our picnic lunch. In order to get back on the road we went back near the only gas station so we filled again.

At the end of town construction crews are working on a bridge. Thankfully that didn’t slow us down much. Then came a slow vehicle sign. That means they are mowing the grass near the road.

A lake comes into view. Turns out this was the first of several. This is the Lake District. RV camping spots are along the way. We have observed that far more Canadians have campers on their pickups than do Americans.

A Mennonite Church sits beside the road. We haven’t seen any that we know of. I know there are some in Alberta where my cousins live.

Break time so we stopped at the A & W in Houston for a root beer. You will be glad to know that the Whistle Dog is back for a limited time. I think this applies only to Canada so if you want to try one you must go north. In case you don’t know what they are they are on a toasted bun with bacon, cheddar cheese and condiments. All this for $5.64 US. We did not try any. That would spoil our supper plans.

The grocery store was close by so we walked over to get cream cheese for our picnics and a salad kit for dinner. Plenty of choices except ice cream. The hot weather has had an effect On ice cream consumption.

One more bridge construction project before reaching our destination of Smithers. We got here about 5:00 pm. A little cooler here. Only mid 80s. We had no problem with the car overheating today. Oh, and Rob saw a big bear cut out of a big tree.

Day 7 July 8, 2024 100 Mile House British Columbia to Prince George British Columba 207 miles

Today is supposed to be another hot one and unfortunately the hotel doesn’t have an ice machine. They did include a breakfast but unlike most places they had no juice and they used real plates and silverware.

We left the hotel at about 9:00 am but stopped for gas and ice before leaving town. The GPS says not many road changes today. Of course there are not many roads. The few roads that go off the highway typically go to campsites, resorts or ranches. They are well marked in advance which is really nice. Signs also tell you how far to the next passing lane. Passing lanes don’t always mean a hill. We have seen lots of signs indicating from October 1 through April 30 passenger vehicles must use winter tires. Another different sign occurs when driving in an avalanche zone. That sign says no stopping if there is a rain event.

The drive today has more lakes and rivers. The land seems mostly ranches or forest. Wildflowers are in great abundance. They come in white, yellow, orange, red and purple. Several different flowers exist for each color.

We stopped for gas in the small town of Lake Mcleese. The clerk at the convenience store came out to look at the car and give us travel advice. He also blessed our journey and called upon the Jedi forces to protect us. Well something like that anyway.

There are still up and down hills today but not as high and not the really long grades. Therefore the car didn’t overheat. Since we were moving more we didn’t get overheated either.

This road is very busy with semis and big RV rigs. Some of the worst though are the logging trucks. If the logs are big around they are going south. If they are small around they are going north. Regardless of the direction they are going fast and they are long. We saw a few very large sawmills with thousands of logs ready to process.

My oh my we actually passed a vehicle. Nevermind that it was a medium sized tractor. Luckily we were on the flat.

We ate our lunch in a very nice park right along the main road. We were able to sit on a bench in the shade. The temperature had not gotten too high yet and a gentle breeze was blowing. A nap would have been nice. The park had an electric vehicle charging station. Don’t know the cost.

Our hotel is right downtown. We arrived about 3:00 pm which is good. While Rob was checking us in a nice gentle man stopped on his bike and asked about the car. We need to do laundry and refill the pill packets tonight. The hotel has a guest laundry so very convenient. You have to use an app to pay for the machine use.

We walked about a block to an Irish Pub for dinner rather than the Indian restaurants. We have learned the Canadians seem to use Brisk for all their iced tea. We have now had that twice and don’t care for it.

Somehow we neglected to mention we saw a minor wreck yesterday. Looked as though the driver fell asleep at the wheel or just went off the pavement. No one seemed hurt but the car was going on a tow truck.

Day 6 July 7, 2024 Bellingham Washington to 100 Mile House British Columbia 278 miles

David got us delicious scones for breakfast. He gets them at the Farmer’s Market in Bellingham. They were flavorful and soft. The best kind. A doe and one fawn were on the front lawn this morning. David said there are two fawns so the other one must have been hiding. We left soon after breakfast.

We decided to fill the car at Costco. For some reason the route this morning seemed much longer. We twisted and turned all through town. We did finally get there. Then off to the back roads again.

More beautiful farms and mountains. They have a somewhat Scandinavian look. Numerous big dairies again. Looks like the cows never get out of the sheds. Hay and corn are the main crops. The bales are a mixture of medium round ones and the older style rectangular ones.

We were thinking we should be about to the border when suddenly there it was right in front of us. There were two short lines so the crossing didn’t take long at all. Not many questions either. Before long we began the day’s journey through the mountains. We went through seven tunnels, followed several different rivers, and wound up and down the mountains. The road has lots of passing lanes and pull outs which is great since we are slower. At first we are in evergreen forest but then it turns to dry sagebrush covered mountains. The temperature is getting much warmer. Some of the electronic road signs warn of excessive heat. Then at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere we saw two electric car charging stations. We never saw any others the remainder of the day.

Near the convenience store where we fueled was a mountain with a large question mark in the landscape. Not sure what caused that. A couple of long freight trains were across the river from us. We rarely got down to river level. Eventually we stopped at one of the rest stops that actually had shade and ate lunch. The shade definitely felt better than the sun.

The temperature was getting so hot and the hills were so steep that the car started over heating. We stopped five times all together to let it cool down. It was 103 F at one of the stops. Rob opened the hood and occasionally a hot breeze would blow through. On the fifth stop he added more water to the radiator. That combined with somewhat cooler temperatures we were able to make it to the hotel in 100 Mile House by 8:00 pm. People checked on us at three of the stops. We were offered a camping site as well.

That is when a couple on a bike from Wisconsin saw the car. They could not believe we were going to drive that to Deadhorse. They did give us some good information about the trip. They have gone there before. He gave so much information and so quickly we may not remember it. What was the name of that dead horse?

Day 5 July 6, 2024 Renton Washington to Bellingham Washington 112 miles

We are going to meet Teresa Thomas at 11:00 for brunch so we didn’t leave Ed’s place until about 10:00. We took the freeway because the distance and time were much shorter. We arrived early so we took time to get gas. Then we found the restaurant and as we parked Teresa drove up beside us.

The restaurant was the Indigo. They have a brunch menu on the weekends. Teresa and Rob had two eggs, meat, toast and potatoes. Connie had Crème Brûlée French toast topped with fresh strawberries. That was so good! We talked for nearly two hours. So good to catch up on things.

Then it was off to Bellingham by the back roads. We had had enough freeway driving for the day. The trip took us through lots of farm land. Raspberries and dairy cows seemed to be the majority of sights and smells. Lots of fruit stands selling strawberries, raspberries and cherries. We didn’t stop for any however. The temperature was warm but not bad. The skies were blue and the mountains impressive. Well the summers here are certainly wonderful.

We followed along different rivers and lakes. Lots of people were out enjoying the water. We also saw lots of RVs. All sizes and kinds. There are numerous RV parks along the way. Towns were all along the way as well. One that we went through was Arlington where Shelley had lived near at one time.

Finally we arrived in Bellingham. The town is much bigger than I remember. However we usually arrived via the freeway. We arrived at David and Barbara Ann’s about 4 pm. We sat out on their deck and visited while watching the various watercraft on the lake below.

Daughter Amy and granddaughter Meagan arrived about 6:00 pm. We had wonderful appetizers and then choices of three different pizzas. They had to leave about 9:15. Everyone enjoyed the evening. Back in the house someone across the lake was shooting off fireworks. Quite a few actually. Then off to bed. Tomorrow’s drive will be a long one.

Day 4 July 5, 2024 Vancouver Washington to Renton Washington 183 miles

Coming down three flights of stairs this morning was no fun. Then the breakfast options were running low. Also the hot dishes require you to raise the lid very high letting all the heat out or you have to set the plate down either before or after the hot dishes. The hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator are also difficult to get. Whoever designed the breakfast room has not tried to use it. The whole thing is poorly designed. Our room didn’t have adequate electrical outlets either. The lamp on the desk only has two usb plugs. The table beside the bed has more plugs but the space is very small. We must have too many things to charge.

The fireworks didn’t slow down until about midnight. They didn’t stop until after 1 am. The parking lot was much fuller last night.

We stopped for gas on our way to Tim’s house. Then we met Ed on the road to Tim’s. He was headed back to Renton. Since he is driving his modern pickup truck and plans to take the freeway he will get there much before us.

After a very short visit we hooked up the trailer and headed out. We opted to stay off the freeway which shows a couple of hours at least longer. The scenery is beautiful but the section of the road to Kalama Washington was narrow windy with lots of hills. We were both glad to get off that section. In fact now that we have done it there is no need to do it again. The river at the end is quite beautiful. The majority of the trip was windy roads and hills until we got to Puyallup Washington. Then it became multiple lanes and lots of traffic. There are very few places to pull off to let cars pass. Cars build up quickly. I guess the speed limit is just a suggestion.

The sky is bright blue and eventually we were able to see Mount St Helen’s and Mount Rainier. Unfortunately picture taking was not easy because either trees or vehicles got in the way.

We saw a couple of large Christmas tree farms. Most of the trees were still small but they most likely grow quickly. Also saw a few wineries with fields of grape vines. Other farming was very limited.

A bicyclist was in front of us for a short distance. Nothing unusual except he had a small dog on the back. He didn’t have a basket or anything. The dog just sat there. He looked very comfortable.

Rob saw a deer with two fawns on one of the side roads. We pulled off in a wide spot and ate lunch in the car. We had a car pull up to check if we needed help. The nearby trees are covered in moss. We even got some shade. The wild flowers through one stretch were beautiful. Lots of tall foxglove in various shades of pink and purple. The spears were at least 12 inches tall. Then there were small white flowers that served as ground cover. Sometimes there were large patches and sometimes only a few.

Some of the roads and intersections are rather interesting. The traffic lights are not synchronized well either. So you drive, stop and wait. Then start over.

We arrived at Ed’s house about 5 pm. Longer day since we left about 10:30 am. Rob and Ed spent a little bit of time working on the car. Nothing serious, just a couple of loose screws. That doesn’t count Rob and Ed.

Day 3 July 4, 2024 Vancouver Washington 20.2 miles

Today family and friends arrive for the Fourth of July activities. We ate breakfast at the hotel but the others had breakfast at Tim and Deb’s house. They had a delicious spread of fruit, yoghurt, granola and cinnamon rolls.

Several of us ladies went on a garden tour in the back yard. Debbie has planted lots of flowers and vegetables. The sweet peas smelled wonderful and the regular peas tasted incredible right off the plant. The other flowers were varied and beautiful.

Then it was time to decorate the cars for the Spofford neighborhood parade. Granddaughter Madeleine and her boyfriend Jake arrived just in time to ride in the car. Connie stayed behind because she rides in the car often enough. At the house everything except the water fountain was quiet. It was so peaceful. The gang returned and a few more showed up. All of a sudden it was lunch time. We had terrific sandwich materials, chips, peas and watermelon.

Time for visiting and relaxing before more friends arrived and dinner got underway. We had wonderful salads and a low country boil which consists of shrimp, kielsaba, potatoes, corn on the cob and onions boiled and then covered in seasoned butter. Dessert is Hagen Das ice cream bars or drumsticks. No one went away hungry.

More conversation and eventually a fire and s’mores if you wanted. Firecrackers and fireworks started shortly after dusk and were going off all around.

Rob and Connie returned to the hotel to find the elevator broken and we are on the third floor. That means bringing the bags down three flights of stairs in the morning. Combine that with lots of noise from the fireworks and you have the ingredients for a potentially bad dream.