When last wrote I left my readers (if there still are any) in the lurch. Jeff and I had just checked in to a hotel in Golden, British Columbia after a day in the mountains and visiting Lake Louise. For three nights we had paid a little (a lot) more than we budgeted for accomodations, so we figured the Howard Johnson's would be a lower price compromise. Hmmm. We found the room was spartan, the towels were thin, the internet was nonexistent and the proprietor was nowhere to be found. We found a decent chinese restaraunt around the corner and settled in for an evening of TV and reading when shouting could be heard on the other side of the door. Seems that the Dad of the family upstairs had been kicked out of the room and he and the missus were conducting a cell phone conversation that didn't need cell phones. Obviously drugs and/or alcohol were involved and since (as I mentioned) the proprietor was nowhere to be found, we stayed behind our door and tried to ignore the ruckus. Earplugs are a blessing.
The next morning we found breakfast, and drove west across the mountains. Amazing sights greeted us on either side of the road. We went up one mountain range and down another.
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| Taking pictures on the road |
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| Dwarfed by the mountains |
We had another pleasant ride, listening to music and watching the mountains go by. Then we dipped into a valley and saw a long broad lake to our right. It seemed like the lake went on forever! I looked on the map but never could figure out what lake it was. We finally stopped and found our way to a little park on the shore and ate our sandwiches.
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| The mystery lake |
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| We found the shore |
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| Miles of docks, boats and cabins |
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| Love the red hollyhocks |
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| The little path to the beach |
We decided to make reservations at the Comfort Inn in Chilliwack, just on the Canadian side of the border. As we continued past the lake and down out of the mountains I was driving and enjoying the scenery. Jeff took over in Kamloops and soon noticed we were low on gas. We took an exit as soon as we could, but about 4 miles down the road we still didn't see a gas station. So we turned around and went back to the freeway. As soon as we got back on the freeway a sign appeared that read "No services next service 150 km (about 90 miles). The gas gauge read 1/4. Well, a little under 1/4. Our marvelous car can tell you how many miles you have left on a tank of gas before empty. The car said 75 miles. Well, we would be about 15 miles short. We both started to get worried. Jeff drove the minimum speed. We drove and drove. The miles went by. I checked how far it was to the next town (Hope--no really, the town was Hope, B.C.) Then we started down a long downhill section. We had about 40 miles to go and 23 miles worth of gas. Jeff started putting it in neutral and coasting. Down, down, down we went. Uh-oh--an uphill section. Jeff coasted as far as he could uphill, and then pushed on the gas pedal. Up we went and then, mercifully, down some more. Finally we had 15 miles to go and the gas left in the tank gauge ticked down to 0 miles left. But still the car kept going. Jeff was looking for a place to coast to a stop when the inevitable end came, but it never happened. We kept going. Unbelievably, we saw the exit for Hope. Thank goodness it was downhill to the the first gas station and for a change, Jeff didn't even question the price! Whew! Bullet dodged and another reason to love this car.
When we got into Chilliwack, we found a nice restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner and a celebratory dessert. We had made it across Canada. What a wonderful trip.
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| Victory dessert at Ville Bella. We completed our cross-Canada drive |
The next morning, we made an uneventful crossing into the good ole USA and continued down I-5. We got home and took a picture of the speedometer.
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| Back in in the USA |
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| 6615 miles and 130 hours in the car together.....WOW |
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| The green line is this trip.....6615 miles |
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And now, the best and worst list:
Worst Hotel:
Jeff - Parma Inn, Parma, Idaho
Kathy - Agreed! The worst not just of this trip, but ever in my life.
Best hotel: Jeff- Moose Jaw--the mineral spa (and casino)
Kathy- The Lakeside Suite in Kenora
Best Restaurant:
Jeff - Tie between The Tick Tock Restaurant in western Cleveland and Jack's Deli in east Cleveland - some tastes just never die.
Kathy-The Pazzo in Stratford--that delicious pizza
Worst Restaurant: Jeff--Lunch in Niagara, Ontrario.
Kathy-- Red Dog Inn--the worst fish and chips.
Best Beer:
Jeff - N/A
Kathy - The brewpub in Kenora, Ontario on my birthday.
Best Experience:
Jeff - Spending 130.5 hours in the car with Kathy and it enjoying it all.
Kathy- Watching the kids enjoy the fireworks that Jeff so carefully bought and smuggled to Canada.
Worst tourist trap:
Jeff - Banff, Alberta, so little for so much
Kathy - Banff. It was a not so pleasant surprise.
Nicest Surprise:
Jeff - Kenora, Ontario - a tiny spot on the map but very nice place to roost for the night
Kathy - The B and B at Niagara. Loved the balcony.
Best Scenery:
Kathy: Lake Louise and the Rockies.
Jeff: I agree....the Rockies are spectacular.
Warmest Moment:
Kathy: The amazing injection in the back of the head that cured Jeff's headache. Wow!
Jeff: Hanging out with my family in Michigan and Ohio.
Biggest scare:
Jeff: Coming down the west side of the Rockies on fumes
Kathy: Forgetting the passports and hoping they would get to Cleveland safely
Best Ice Cream
Kathy: The Gelato from Niagara on the Lake.
Jeff: Chagrin Falls.
Thanks everyone who reads the blog. And now on to our next adventure.......
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