Day 34 – Going Dark

It was a quasi early morning in anticipation of delays and hassles at the boarder crossing. In preparation passports, dog vaccination, and insurance documentation were all placed on the dash for easy access. Only 5 miles down the road from the evenings stay was the crossing inspection station and entry into Canada's providence of BC (British Columbia).

There was only one other vehicle with a trailer ahead of the Smitanic. That vehicle was guided to the rear of the building as 2 officers donned gloves, and began removing items from the back of that truck and its trailer. Kevin waited until instructed to approach the window. Engine was turned off per request. Then Kevin handed the official the 2 required passports. The Holy Grail questioning began. “What is your destination?” “How long will you be in Canada? “ “Do you have any Weapons, handguns or ammo.” Kevin's responses caused no alarm and the passports were returned along with permission to enter the country! Whew that was easy! May be they had there hands full with the guy in front of the Smitanic or maybe it was Kevin's harmless smile that softened the inquisition.

The roads became smoother, wider, with nice shoulders that would easily enable cyclist to share the trail. “Think metric” signs reminded travelers of conversions required on any measurement sign-age. 100 kph(Kilometers per hour) is 60 Miles per hour. 80 = 45, Distance to locations needed the same conversion. Height for clearance also was critical. 4.5 M or more would be an OK clearance for the Smitanic. Theresa normally kept herself busy with blog updates or crocheting during each days drive. With this uncharted territory, she instead helped Kevin read and interpret every sign to help with the navigation.

At first the scenery was very healthy dense forests intermixed with pastures for cows, horses and sheep. The signs for deer, elk, bear, big horn sheep, and moose crossing dotted the Kilometers. The Canadian signs were much more precise in the depiction of a deer, unlike US signs that have dear antlers backwards (in Theresa's humble opinion.) Only one bear cub was spotted laying motionless on the side of the road, an obvious victim of a passing vehicle. Awe.

The highway rest stops did not always allow for large vehicles to make an easy entry and exit, however the Littler Barrel stops served well for a quick bio break without too much maneuvering into or out of the traffic.

Uphill and downhill inclines of up to 8% had Kevin working the gears manually as well as the engine break. Luckily the GPS had the exact address and announced every turn, visual signs were not always helpful nor timely.

Entry into the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort was unexpectedly busy! But this was Sunday and the Hot Springs was open to the public.

The deluxe site with full hook up (30 amp) was quite roomy, level, paved and had views of the mountains. The site also had easy access to the golf course, hiking trails, hot springs , and lots of family activities. The campground wifi was adequate to make posts and upload some pic/videos. Cell phone service was still iffy.

Heavy winds made a drone fly over more challenging, but Kevin prevailed to make a short low altitude fly over that managed to attract a few intrigued on lookers, and initiated conversations.

After a run to the store for essential supplies the team sat down for some of Theresa's Tacos for dinner. Just as the evening was winding down the sun (an unfamiliar object) appeared in the western sky. A drone fly over redo was required. This time the sky was beautiful and so were the mountain views.

Definitely have to return to this area again!

The fires are still a threat as indicated by the maps (see link) but the forecast is calling for rain and cooler temps so hopefully that will aid the fire fighters.

Tomorrow's destination will reach Theresa's major bucket list item of Lake Louise!