Where the heck is Andrew Jay...: Another great day!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Another great day!

We had another really nice day. We spent some time in the Camper this morning, had a really nice breakfast of Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns, toast and coffee. We then set out for a drive down highway 97 to Enderby and Vernon. Vernon seems like a nice town. it is clean and scenic, and Kalamalka Lake looks amazing. It must be pretty under-rated as I never hear about it in the same conversations as Shuswap and Okanagon Lakes. As we drive Andrew is either asleep or watching Toopy and Beenoo. He laughs like a maniac in certain spots and we have been trying to tell if it is the same spots each time and It seems like it is. Again, he is only about 410days old and already is understanding the good humor parts in this video.

We stopped on the way back from Vernon in Enderby for a stretch and run. There is a really nice fenced schoolyard park that was deserted so Andrew and the donks were able to run free for a nice while. We drove down a back street and ended up on Main street. It was very old and pleasant. it's amazing what you miss by staying on the main highways.

I gave Salmon Arm a hard time in the last post, however it is a really nice place. Apparently city council has been fighting any of the big box retailers and some giant developments to try and keep it a small town. I think it has worked to a point, but it may have done so at the detriment to the local economy. The downtown core is really picturesque with plenty of niche shops and restaurants, but I know that most people head to Costco and Walmart in Vernon or Kamloops for any major shopping trips at Christmas etc. Maybe if these large retailers were closer, the shops would still get some of the niche buying the big places don't offer. anyway what the heck do I know. We really enjoyed our walk downtown and left about a hundred bucks behind on a day where there was almost no one around, so there's that.

Yesterday we took a drive up the #1 to Sicamous. Even on the first weekend of fall (symbolically) there were still LOTS of houseboats heading out of the channel. We spent a little bit of time driving in town and looking at some of the huge boats in the marinas. Pretty impressive. I sure wish Calgary had more opportunities for power water sport, not on reservoirs. It looks like alot of fun.

We then took the drive down from Sicamous along Mara Lake. It really blows me away how this little narrow and windy road is the only way into the Okanagon from Calgary. It must be absolute gridlock all summer long with vehicles from Alberta. I read an article in Western Living about the influence of Alberta on this region and it had a photo of a sign in a shop window. "We take Alberta money at par" hehe, good one.

Nice scenic countryside and lakes. We will definitely return, probably when the weather has a good chance of being hot, as the beaches look super.

We are on our way home tomorrow. It'll take about 7-8 hours with the stops we need for sanity breaks for Andrew and the donks. We are looking forward to getting home, but we have obviously found the Camper to be comfortable because both of us have said we could probably stay out for a much longer trip if given the opportunity. Maybe next major trip will be mid-summer and with the wide availability of free wi-fi, we could get our work done out on the road when needed.

Where will we all go next? who knows, but if it is half as enjoyable and relaxing as this trip was, then i can't wait to get on the road again!

Christina Lake, that bridge goes to Zeller.