Around the campground

A few pictures from around the campground (Thousand Trails Birch Bay)...

We saw this camper in the campground -- it is really tiny, I think 16' (https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/towables/travel-trailer/hike-100-flx/2025-h1316fb). When we looked at it from the side, it almost looks like someone chopped the back part of the trailer off -- it is so square and seems so short!

On Friday, we had purchased a pork shoulder butt at Costco -- took a picture so we could remember the weight.

We seasoned the two parts (they were nearly equal in size) and got them onto the smoker by 9am.

We used the smoking technique that Steve had led us in doing at Quartzsite in January. We put the meat onto the smoker at 225F and smoked it for 3 hours. We then put both halves into a disposable aluminum pan, put apple juice all over the meat, and added about 1/4" of water into the pan. We tented the meat with foil and put it back on the smoker until the meat reached a temperature of 204F (we had a probe in the piece closest to the front of the smoker). About 6:30pm the first piece of meat was done. For some reason, even though they were similar in size, the second piece was showing about 190F, so we left it in the smoker for a little longer. We let the first piece "rest" and then started pulling it by about 7:30pm... a little late on our supper. The probe in the second piece was just not coming up in temperature, so we went back out at about 8:30pm to make sure it was well tented. We re-seated the probe and it immediately indicated that the meat was at 204F, in multiple places. We weren't sure what had gone on with this piece, but decided it could come off the smoker. We let it rest for about 45 minutes and then pulled it -- finishing up by about 10pm -- 13 hour project. Note to self: start earlier in the morning next time!

A funny video

I created this video a few months ago when we were at my brother's farm in Virginia... but never posted it. 

We have a Magne Shade that we put on the front of Gracie if the sun is too intense coming in the front window.

The advertising for the product indicates that a person can put the shade up onto the windshield with no additional help required: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeEeapZCeYo -- just watch the first minute or so to see how it is supposed to be done.

I should have watched the video to remind myself, but I had successfully put it on the front of Gracie a few days before, so I figured I knew how to do it. Carl decided to video it. Here is the humorous result: https://youtu.be/5oUf9RTVG1Y

Catching up on some tasks

On Friday, I had an appointment to have blood drawn for tests in Ferndale, Washington, so we drove there and then had breakfast at a local place on Main Street.

Ivy covered building front in downtown Ferndale -- I think this was a Mexican grocery

Beautiful hanging flower baskets (see another one on the far side of the street)

Mural in Ferndale (and the across-the-street hanging basket of flowers)

Fall colors in the parking lot of Walmart where we went to stock up on supplies that we had put off purchasing due to higher prices found in Alaska and Canada

Fueling at Costco -- this one has three pumps on each side of the island. When a pump becomes available, its icon turns green. At this point, the middle pump on our side was open, but all three pumps on the other side were occupied. Right after we took this picture, the closest pump to us also became available, so the car in front of us and we were both able to pull in... and then when we finished filling, it happened that all three of us on our side of the island finished at the same time, and we could all pull straight out. It is a bit of a challenge if the available pump is the one in the middle...

We got some shopping done -- brought home 3 rotisserie chickens from Costco, pulled all the meat off the bones and stewed the bones for bone broth. We also got a pork shoulder for pulled pork to be cooked in the smoker in the next couple of days.

Back in the US of A!

On Thursday, we continued driving south and a bit west to return to the US in western Washington state.

"Painted Hills"

We traveled along the Thompson River for a long part of our journey.

The mountains and the river were so pretty. The semi truck in the picture gives a bit of perspective.

There were places where there was irrigation being used -- just water to change the barren-looking land into crop land (the field on the other side of the river was growing hay). We were surprised at how uneven the ground was to have the irrigation equipment traveling over it.

This was at a pull off -- we stopped to wash the windshield so we could get better views!

The road was often pretty high above the river but at this point closer to river level.

We have seen so many tractor-trailers with many axles while in Canada and Alaska. Double trailers but then additional axles (I guess for carrying weight) too.

Construction with unmanned flagger...

Carl said that we could put a quarter (or a "loonie", Canadian $1) in the box to the right side to get the light to change more quickly!

Just more views...

... as we traveled along!

At this point, I think we were in Frasier Canyon -- The Milepost warned that there would be lots of curves and sharp drop offs...

... and 7 tunnels - including this one at 2300' feet, one of the longest in North America.

We stopped to look around at Hell's Gate Airtram...

A picture of the tram near the bottom of the canyon

A video of the tram:

There was this very strange device in the gift shop -- some of the labels on it indicated that it could be used to contact the power company in case of electricity failure! (My telephone company heritage husband always notices vintage phone equipment!)

Gracie in the parking lot at Hell's Gate Airtram

Another of the 7 tunnels, with yet another seen ahead

We came across the border just a little east of the Peace Arch -- turns out that this crossing is used by a lot of commercial vehicles (because Peace Arch cannot be). We saw a sign indicating that "passenger vehicles" could go over to the Peace Arch crossing, but we weren't sure that we counted as a "passenger vehicle" -- we knew we are not supposed to use the commercial lanes, but were concerned that passenger vehicles might be vehicles smaller than we are!

We followed the signs directing the appropriate lane for motorhomes/RVs to cross, and were ultimately directed to the far left lane. The border agent took our eggs (bummer!) and then we could leave -- but from the left lane, it was extremely challenging...

This is an overhead satellite view from Google Maps -- we were in the lane to the far right of the border agent gate area -- and they had Jersey barriers in front of the gate (the reddish line) -- cars could pull around the barriers just fine, and if we had been in the lane next the building, we may have been able to make it too. They sent us through the additional inspection area to the left in the picture, and from there we worked our way through the parking area and out onto the highway heading south. I'm glad Carl was driving and navigating the tight S-curves on the way!

Our first stop was for fuel -- hurrah for "cheap" American diesel. We were regularly paying over US$5/gallon in Canada and Alaska -- in Washington, it was *only* $3.73 with our TSD Open Roads fleet card.

We are near Blaine, Washington, staying at the Thousand Trails in Birch Bay.

So nice to be back in the US and to stay put for 6 nights!

Fantasy Caravan Day 61 -- The day that we all took different paths!

Wednesday ended our Fantasy Caravan and we all dispersed on our varying paths.

Our ambassadors started us off with breakfast - Ken and Jeff cooking pancakes and sausage on the grill outside...

... while Judi (and Julie, though she wasn't in this picture) cooked eggs to order inside.

We visited one last time before heading out.

Sintich RV Park, Prince George, BC

We no longer are following the Fantasy Caravan provided trip log, instead back to our old technique of putting an address into the Garmin -- but we also have The Milepost which we can use to find places to stop and interesting information about the things along the way.

A sun-shiny day for traveling!

We pulled off in a rest area to make lunch -- it was right at a construction zone, so we had to merge back in with the traffic when the automated "flagman" (stop/go light and gate) allowed our direction of traffic to proceed. We noticed an interesting vehicle behind the truck camper...

... yep, it is one of the Google Street View capture vehicles. The current street view has a camper at the south end of the pullout (see street view here) -- we're going to try to check it over the next couple of months to see if Gracie's picture shows up in the street view! They may not use this captured image though, since there is a construction area there.

Construction area - one lane of travel allowed.

A few miles later, we came to Williams Lake --

It was a pretty good sized town with a lot of businesses even though The Milepost indicates the population as a little less than 11,000.

Interesting cherry-red vehicle at the stop light...

... it was turning left as were we (but going opposite directions).

Williams Lake

It is always interesting when there is a location named "Williams" as Carl says that it is probably named for one of his relatives (Williamsburg, Williamsport, Williams Square in Irving, etc.). This one, however, is named for a Canadian First Nations man, Will-Yum. I think it may be an even more interesting town if it was spelled, Will-Yum Lake!

Soon after Will-Yum Lake (choosing my own spelling!), we came to Lac La Hache...

Information from The Milepost about Lac La Hache - the "longest town in the Cariboo"

The lake (and the town, though there wasn't much "town" about it) did continue on for a while!

Coming down from Mount Begbie -- a pretty view from up high.

We got to the first campground we've booked for ourselves (after more than two months of not booking for ourselves), got parked and settled in.

Pond with rowboat and kayak at the campground

We plan one more travel day to get back to the lower 48, and then we're hoping to stay put for at least a few days!