63!

It was a lazy cat kind of a day.  

We were supposed to be camping but since that hadn’t worked out, there was a truck and a boat to pick up.  Thankfully, the truck was a quick and easy fix.  The turbo clamp had broke…or something like that??   The weather had warmed up and we enjoyed a lot of deck time.

Kylie made Ron a birthday cake.  This girl knows how to cook and bake.  Stephen pitched in and iced the cake.  

It was delicious!  We all enjoyed a piece for an afternoon treat.  Can you imagine 63 years old…born in 1963, turning 63!  That sounds like a special birthday.

The Sjoelen board came out in the evening and Stephen won.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a fishing day.  We have been given our orders…leaving at six, don’t forget the food and make sure the coffee is ready.  That last one was my order!

Camping or Maybe Not

This morning Ron biked to the pool and went for a swim.  Kylie had a virtual meeting for work.  Stephen and I dropped the boat off to be looked at and picked up some groceries.  

We then all worked to pack for a few days of camping.  We had two trucks loaded.

Stephen drove the truck with the camper.  Kylie and the dogs rode with him.  Ron and I followed with the other truck with paddle boards, an inflatable kayak and sails and wings.

If you have followed my blog before, you will remember that to leave Bella Coola there are three ways…fly, ferry or “the hill.”

“   The actual hill drops 4,020 feet in 19.4 km, on grades of up to 15% according to the information sign at the truckers' brake check area at the top of the hill, but driving both uphill and downhill, there are sections of descent and ascent respectively. There are some short one-lane sections, and there are many pull-offs. There are some huge unprotected drops off the side of the roads (that is, there are no guardrails).”  From: ExploreNorth

As we headed up the hill, we remembered how beautiful it was. I tried not to think what would happen if that tire got too close to the side of the road.  

As the elevation increased, there was a big puff of dark smoke from the truck that Stephen was driving.  He radioed to us and said “I think that might be the end of our camping trip.”  He drove slowly to the next pullout.  

We were thankful for phones that connect to the satellite.  A tow truck was called.  Next problem…they will only take the truck and not the camper.  Ron and I loaded the working truck with as much as we could and drove slowly down the hill and back to the house.  After we unloaded everything, Ron went back up the hill.  By this time the tow truck was there and another guy with a truck.  

Kylie had sent a message to some of her friend’s about the camper and one of the husbands accepted the challenge.  That was incredibly nice of him.

Four hours from the black puff of smoke, we were all home, enjoying leftovers. The Sjoelen board came out for our evening entertainment.  Stephen won.  

The camping trip was not to be but we did sit out in the backyard to watch the night skies.

Perseids peak this week

The peak is predicted** for 14:53 UTC on August 13, 2026. So the mornings of August 12 and 13 are probably your best bets. But August 11 and August 14 might be good as well. From earthsky

We saw a few shooting stars and lots of satellites.  We may try it again tonight if the sky is clear and we can stay up that late.  We have a guy turning 63 today!

Happy birthday Ron!  Your watch thinks you are still in your 40’s so keep fooling it! 

Hike and Pizza

Our plans changed this morning.  We were going to go out on the boat and fish and go to the hot springs but a wise lady (Kylie) decided that the winds were a little too strong.  I’m thankful for cautious people.

So what now?  It became a hike day.  We set off to do the School House Trail.  

We haven’t hiked in the mountains in a few years.  We got to the trail head and I thought this shouldn’t be too bad.  The path led us around the school…I’m guessing that's how the trail got its name!  The first part was pretty level and the trail was surrounded by wild ferns.  

As we turned into a deeper forest, the elevation caused me to go slower.  Each time we turned I looked up to see the path lead us to steeper slope. My pace slowed to a crawl.  I stopped a number of times and wondered if I could do this.  I felt very frustrated with my breathing.  I was encouraged to just go slower and that is certainly what I did…real slow!  

Finally, we made it!  It was beautiful!  

As I recovered at the top of the trail, my mind was already anticipating the way down.  Going up is a cardiovascular work out but descending puts pressure on the knees and a concentration on not slipping.  Thankfully I made it up and down without giving up, falling or yelling.  It was a humbling experience.

When we got home the animals seemed concerned that I wouldn’t be able to make it up the stairs.

It was good to sit down and put my feet up.   Kylie and Stephen began working on pizza for supper.  Homemade dough and sauce, lots of choice of toppings and cooked on a Kamado.  

They were really good.  One of Stephen’s partners came over to enjoy the pizza creations.

Another day, another adventure…

Waking, Walking and Water Sports

Ron did his usual thing and got up way too early. The time change isn’t helping him to sleep in.  I joined him much later on the deck for my coffee and we were entertained by the Steller’s Jay.  This bird is a bigger version of the Blue Jay with a punk rock kind of hairdo.

They love peanuts and watched as we placed them around the deck.  Eventually they took one off my knee and even my hand.

Kylie made a German pancake for breakfast with maple syrup we brought from Ontario, made by one of Stephen’s long time friends.

We then decided a walk was in order.  Four adults and two dogs left the house.  

Right outside the door, Koda, a neighbour’s dog, joined us.  

When we reached the end of the driveway, Princess, another dog from the area, joined in.  

We walked the path through the woods.   Stephen and Kylie had bear spray, knives and. Bear banger.  Thankfully, none had to be used.  We stopped along the stream and watched the salmon.  The dogs were very interested in the fish scooting along in the shallow water.  

As we continued our walk, another dog joined us.  We were now up to 5 dogs!  Apparently, Stephen and Kylie must be the favourite dog people in the area.

After lunch, we went to the water.  Ron tried the wing again and Stephen did really well with the kite.  We were there for a few hours.

Supper was another delicious meal enjoyed on the deck. Great weather, delicious food and an active day…this vacation is going pretty well.

Picture of the day…

Vacation Time

Life has been busy and, at times, stressful.  We have had a lot going on and the anticipation of spending a couple of weeks with Stephen and Kylie has been something that has kept us going.  Sarah decided that she was going to skip this trip so it felt strange not having her with us.

We drove to Toronto on Friday morning.  The traffic was pretty heavy and Ron took the toll road to keep us moving.  I will never understand why people would like the city life but then some people can’t understand why we love the quiet life of village living. We parked the truck in the park and fly and waited for our shuttle.  We waited for a little longer than usual and the bus filled up quickly with anxious travellers.  There was a couple and a family that wanted to be rushed to terminal one due to their flight leaving shortly.  As they exited with all of their luggage, car seats and two little ones, a whisper was heard, “they aren’t going to make it.”  Travelling is about hurrying up and waiting and when you miss the waiting for the next step, it could mean that you might just miss that step.

We had arrived in decent time to our terminal and checked our 4 pieces of luggage!  We had extra things to take…jam, maple syrup, an antique lamp, products from the Soap Shack, a wing and a boom…just to name a few.  We got through security and waited for our flight.  It was about this time that I got a text from Denise to tell us that they were headed to the Black Cat for coffee.  I responded with this picture.

We flew to Vancouver and arrived with clear skies and no smell of smoke but the fires are raging around British Columbia.  Many people have been evacuated with homes lost and the uncertainty of their future.  Life can definitely be hard and full of hurt.

We took the shuttle to the hotel and went for a little walk to get something to eat.  We settled in for some sleep anxious for the next day.

Saturday morning arrived and we packed up and headed down to wait for another shuttle. The driver seemed to be doing circles, looking all around him and then he mumbled, “I can’t find my keys.”  Finally after about five minutes he was back out with keys in hand.  We headed to the main terminal.  We arrived five minutes late to catch the bus to the south terminal.  We had lots of time and we caught the next bus 40 minutes later.

When we checked in to our next flight, we had time to walk for a bit.  The weather was perfect.  Finally, it was time to fly.  The plane is small and it takes just over one hour.

The views were spectacular.  Ther is nothing like the mountains to make you just breathe a little deeper and make you smile a little more.

The plane landed and we were in Bella Coola. It was so good to see Stephen and Kylie.  

Stephen and Kylie made fish and chips.  It was delicious!

In the afternoon, we went down to the ocean and Ron tried the wing that we brought and Stephen did some kite surfing.

It was beautiful along the channel and the colours were vibrant from the green water to the blue skies and all the shades in between.

For supper, we had pork chops, rice and air fried cauliflower.  This resort has great food and the views are spectacular.

More adventures and views to come….