Note this is an older post from May long weekend 2013
Over 1500 KM logged in the Green Monster over the past week and the one thing that sticks out was the one of the first stops at the Mount Baker Pub in Cranbrook. Brian and I stopped in there for a break and to meet his buddy from law school. I park. We walk in and there are some big guys at the bar and the only thing that they could say was "heh, two dudes in a micro-bus". That phrase defined the trip.
Overall, it was a great little road trip and the bus held up for the most part without any major issues. First night we camped in Moyie, BC by the river . A great little spot. From there we hit the road in the morning and cruised through Oliver and up towards Penticton. I took some pictures, Which I'll update onthe post later when I have time.
From Penticton, we spend a grood part of the day cruising various wineries and we eventually ended up at Brian's parent's place in Vernon. Had a relaxing couple of days with Brian's parents and I even cashed in at the Legion "Meat Draw". For those of you who have never been to a Royal Canadian Legion meat draw...i have to say you are missing out on one of life's little pleasures.
We had planned to take a couple of days from Vernon coming back from Calgary but I received a phone call from a friend of mine once we were on the road telling me that my hot water tank had given up the ghost and leaked all over my basement. So Brian and I pressed on back to Calgary and made the planned two day return in one . Upon arriving home we unpacked the bus, I took off my socks and waded into my basement to survey the damage. Not that anyone cares (or sometime I wonder if anyone is reading this) but the carpet was soaked as well aas some of the drywall. Insurance handled it, but it was a bit of a pain in the ass.
A couple years ago I bought an old VW Westfalia...good Gawd!! I have no ideas how to do anything to these vehicles...
Showing posts with label British Columbia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British Columbia. Show all posts
Monday, 26 May 2014
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Arrival in Seattle / Tacoma and a side trip to Kent
Well I made it to Washington and the bus performed great. I managed to power up most of the hills but going through from Merrit, BC to Hope, BC there are some long freaking hills. So I geared down and chugged along. Cruising along the open road with a nonfunctioning radio you have a lot of time to think.
One of the things that floated through my mindas the hills and mountains whipped by was something someone asked me at the Camper-Jam this year. "What's your Bus' name?". No I had always refered to my bus as the Green Monster. Not really nice but up until now strangely appropriate. I think the old bus and I have turned a corner in our relationship. It's not quite a loving realationship yet, but it's getting there. I think I'm at the point where the bus deserves a proper name. I was thinking in honour of her original colour I'd call her "Marigold". Thoughts?
I'm not going to change the name of the blog, but that's what I'm thinking anyway.
So I rolled into Seattle on Wednesday afternoon without any issues then I hit the wall of traffic on I5 heading South. Holy cow. It took me a little over an hour to go 24 miles. This is when 2 issues cropped up. First the window crank came off in my hand, which is no big deal. One screw and it's easily replaced. The second however caused me a little concern. My oil light kept coming on. Flickering on, then off, then on again. Damn it!
I didn't panic. I figured if it came on and stayed on I'd be in trouble. I made it to my friend's place down in Tacoma, relaxed for the night and looked online for the nearest VW aircooled guy. The next morning I headed out for http://www.franklinsvwwerks.com . As it turns out one of my wires was grounding and casusing the light to flicker on and off. 5 minutes later it was secure and with a new window crank in my hand I headed out to explore.
As I headed back towards Tacoma I was thinking how lucky I was to travel all this way and the only thing that went wrong was a $5 window crank and a loose wire (now secured). If only I knew,,,
One of the things that floated through my mindas the hills and mountains whipped by was something someone asked me at the Camper-Jam this year. "What's your Bus' name?". No I had always refered to my bus as the Green Monster. Not really nice but up until now strangely appropriate. I think the old bus and I have turned a corner in our relationship. It's not quite a loving realationship yet, but it's getting there. I think I'm at the point where the bus deserves a proper name. I was thinking in honour of her original colour I'd call her "Marigold". Thoughts?
I'm not going to change the name of the blog, but that's what I'm thinking anyway.
So I rolled into Seattle on Wednesday afternoon without any issues then I hit the wall of traffic on I5 heading South. Holy cow. It took me a little over an hour to go 24 miles. This is when 2 issues cropped up. First the window crank came off in my hand, which is no big deal. One screw and it's easily replaced. The second however caused me a little concern. My oil light kept coming on. Flickering on, then off, then on again. Damn it!
I didn't panic. I figured if it came on and stayed on I'd be in trouble. I made it to my friend's place down in Tacoma, relaxed for the night and looked online for the nearest VW aircooled guy. The next morning I headed out for http://www.franklinsvwwerks.com . As it turns out one of my wires was grounding and casusing the light to flicker on and off. 5 minutes later it was secure and with a new window crank in my hand I headed out to explore.
As I headed back towards Tacoma I was thinking how lucky I was to travel all this way and the only thing that went wrong was a $5 window crank and a loose wire (now secured). If only I knew,,,
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Epic road trip - BC, Seattle and maybe Mount St.Helens
Today is the day! After work today I am packing up the bus and heading West.
The tentative plan is to make it as far west as I can today before I get too tired or it gets too dark. Maybe Vernon, maybe Kelowna, maybe Sicamous. You never know. Tomorrow I'll head South-west into Washington state and make my way to Mount St.Helens for a night or two.
Mount St.Helens has always held a wierd facination for me. It was one of the most dramatic erruptions in North American history. I still remember as a kid looking at the cover of National Geographic and reading their coverage. As much as I love going to visit the Pacific Northwest I don't think that I could live in that close to an active volcano but on the other hand, when it's your time, it's your time.
After a night or two in the shadow of Mount St.Helens I'll make my way back up North to Tacoma for a weekend hanging out with some friends of mine scuba diving and helping them celebrate their housewarming. It should be a fun weekend. I have to confess that the two things I'm looking to most is camping at Mount St.Helens and going diving. My hope is that while diving in Seattle I see a couple Pacific octopus (or two).
The oil has been changed in the bus, and it's all tuned and ready to head out on the open road. I just have to haul ass home after work today and get her all packed up.
The tentative plan is to make it as far west as I can today before I get too tired or it gets too dark. Maybe Vernon, maybe Kelowna, maybe Sicamous. You never know. Tomorrow I'll head South-west into Washington state and make my way to Mount St.Helens for a night or two.
Mount St.Helens has always held a wierd facination for me. It was one of the most dramatic erruptions in North American history. I still remember as a kid looking at the cover of National Geographic and reading their coverage. As much as I love going to visit the Pacific Northwest I don't think that I could live in that close to an active volcano but on the other hand, when it's your time, it's your time.
After a night or two in the shadow of Mount St.Helens I'll make my way back up North to Tacoma for a weekend hanging out with some friends of mine scuba diving and helping them celebrate their housewarming. It should be a fun weekend. I have to confess that the two things I'm looking to most is camping at Mount St.Helens and going diving. My hope is that while diving in Seattle I see a couple Pacific octopus (or two).
The oil has been changed in the bus, and it's all tuned and ready to head out on the open road. I just have to haul ass home after work today and get her all packed up.
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
From plus 19 C to 1 C in 24 hours - more on the planned roadie!
Yesterday was a beautiful day in Calgary and it hit +19C so I HAD to take the bus out for a spin. It was great to take it out for a bit of a spin and it made me want to hit the road and go camping that much more.
More on the planned road trip...
My buddy Brian and I planning a trip to Vernon / Kelowna over the May long weekend. The plan so far is to head South through the Crowsnest pass and stop at Creston, BC or maybe Nelson and continue on thru Ossoyos and finally Kelowna / Vernon. There might be a couple of unplanned stops since the highway from Ossoyos to Kelowna is littered with wineries. The return trip is going to be less exciting as we head back through Golden. We are looking on suggestions on where to go and what to see along the way.
If any of you readers are in that area or our route please feel free to drop me a line as I haven't been that way in years and have no idea what to see in the area other than fruit and wine.
More on the planned road trip...
My buddy Brian and I planning a trip to Vernon / Kelowna over the May long weekend. The plan so far is to head South through the Crowsnest pass and stop at Creston, BC or maybe Nelson and continue on thru Ossoyos and finally Kelowna / Vernon. There might be a couple of unplanned stops since the highway from Ossoyos to Kelowna is littered with wineries. The return trip is going to be less exciting as we head back through Golden. We are looking on suggestions on where to go and what to see along the way.
If any of you readers are in that area or our route please feel free to drop me a line as I haven't been that way in years and have no idea what to see in the area other than fruit and wine.
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