December 30

Well, it’s that time of year, my semi-annual blog. Why am I so bad at this? I have recently started bantering around a podcast thought but, my own lack of self control and absence of an ever-so-important filter, does give me pause on pursuing this idea. I can’t imagine how long until I was entangled in a lawsuit, I would be forced to create pseudonyms and, with my terrible memory for names, this also feels like a recipe for disaster. But on the upside - my awful grammar and spelling mistakes would no longer be relevant. I do talk to myself a lot, so if I did it with a microphone in front of me what would the difference be? Except I swear a lot. A lot. And none of the really bad ones are off limit. I would need to preference every podcast with a disclaimer, “Hi, it’s me. I apologize for my language, the content of this podcast, names I name, secrets I spill and those I offend. If that feels like it was directed to anyone listening now, then, fuck off now” Should weed out 80% of my audience. 

Anyway, I’m going to reflect on my year. Firstly, people who bitch about their year - stop. Unless you were diagnosed with cancer, had a death in the family or suffer from inflammation of your right knee (incidentally, I recently noticed my right knee has slight swelling. I can guarantee with 100% certainty that it was not a sports injury. If memory serves, I might be able to narrow it down to an unfortunate series of events at Shannon’s Nefarious 50th Birthday bash in Banff that resulted in a tripping event of the stairs…but I digress, back to a reflection of the year). All in all, I think it was a good year. But, having said that, I have to go back to my photos for quick reminder…

January - Ryan and I met Darian and Mike at Schott’s Lake for supper (quick recommendation for this little gem) 15kms west of Sundre and so worth the drive! Girls sleepover at Jen’s. Lots of cards, drinks and Jambalaya. Later in the month, there was a regrettable incident with the bobcat that required a lecture from Fuzzy and help from both Fuzz and Rory. But at this point I’m pretty much immune to Fuzzy lectures! 🙄

 


February - Even though it is a short month we managed to squeeze a lot into it. Ryan and I did a little winter get away to Fairmont. Stayed in the little Mountain View Cabins for approximately the same price as an all-inclusive to Mexico for 10 days. Had my carpal tunnel surgery and later in the month had my doctor and nurse (aka Darren and Jen) remove my stitches - spoiler alert: their bedside manner is terrible and I had to do a self-stitch removal 6 days later. Poker game, for no reason I can remember, and Shannon’s birthday. This is the beginning of my 2023 Support-the-Banff-economy-palooza. We were incredibly well behaved (apart from the “stair tripping incident” aforementioned). We had a wonderful time but also recognized that our 50’s now mean we MUST be in bed at a decent time, we all require adequate bathroom time, no longer for hair and makeup but now….💩 and Tylenol is now needed for hanovers, menopause, swollen knees, arthritis and head injuries. 

March - So Shannon’s party…..roughly $800…..on to Taneal’s Surprise Birthday Party! Where was it you ask? Banff!! Second phase of my Spring Banff Palooza. So God bless Taneal. I’ve known her since birth. Actually, earlier. I remember the weekend when Trena sat me down and said those words I knew were inevitable, “Newf and I are going to get pregnant”. I waited 18 years and 8 months for this party. Also, if you do not attend my 60th surprise birthday party (in 15 years😉) I will be personally offended. I can only imagine your surprise? Shock? Disappointment? Sadness? Uncomfortableness? Distressing? Awkwardness? When you walked into the Swamp Donkey and saw - Dan, Rachelle, Becky, Fuzz, Jen, Shannon and I! Not an 18 year old in sight for you to party with. Nope just us…your middle aged, pre geriatric friends, who celebrated our 18th at least THREE DECADES AGO. But have no fear you were in great hands, we would take care of you and not let anything get out of control….Then off to Cochrane were we met up with Darian, Mike, Colby, Suzie, Kyle and Dekker. Bringing the median age down 20 years for our medley of celebrators. On to Banff where Grandma Helen, Terry, Ginny, Grandpa Keith, Grandma Marcella, Colby, Jason, Tanya, Jill and Dallas all join us. Well, laws were broken, tears were shed, fights in hotel rooms, throwing up in alleys, drunk in restaurants, helped home by strangers, dancing until dawn, passing out in bathrooms and no memory of who paid tabs were all experienced! And none of the above were Taneal. Yep, we showed her how you do 18! I would be pretty proud but AT LEAST 2 of the above were me. Honestly, March was so hard on my liver. I forgot how hard 50 year old and 18 year old birthday parties are! 

Yukon or bust Wrap Up

June 28 - Smithers. What a pretty little town. We drove into Smithers for supper at a Greek restaurant and it was delicious! We stayed at Glacier View Campground and it did have a glacier view….behind the trees. We played crib in the motorhome- girls against boys. We are not going to talk about who won. It was best out of 5 and the boys cheated. The chicken souvlaki made up for the loss. Weather wasn’t great and we had an early night. 

June 29 - grocery day. Woke up and went for a walk and then us girls jumped in the truck and headed to Safeway and the boys went for fuel. We supported the local economy at the gas station, grocery store and the liquor store. Jen and I have decided that we are going to drink a gin and sake drink that we had in Whitehorse. Off to Prince George! Very nice drive but the highways are definitely getting busier. Got to our great campground and met Asian Eddie. He was so friendly- he asked, “Who is Ana….Ana…Anatasha?” Me! Anastacia. When I booked the campground I remember talking to him and it took us awhile to book. But he was so friendly, and stopped by in the morning to check how our night was. We think we are so early, but, every time we leave a campground it is empty. 

June 30 and July 1 - McBride. Holy shit McBride, how I love you! The best parties I’ve had south of the border is Lolo Hot Springs but in BC it is McBride. Arrived early at our campsite and we had an appie feast! Fresh oysters, cream cheese stuffed jalapeños, meat and cheese, cocktail wieners and fresh veggies. It was so good! Then played some poker and headed into town at 8-ish for supper at the Giggling Grizzly Pub. The Giggling Grizzly is still hibernating! Closed - no cook. So…we took a right went down one block and went to the McBride hotel. We walked in and there was 3 old guys in there - Matt The Bartender, Walter, the owner, who is Swiss, and Dean the biker. Well we were welcomed with open arms. Shorty, Jen and I pulled chairs up to the bar and then things start to get fuzzy. I threw my purse in the chair beside Howie and we ordered a round of beer. Matt said he was just about to close the bar until we walked in. Shorty laughed and said, “Well we are here now!” Matt said we had to drink a lot more for him to stay open. We obliged. Then a French Indian arrived-very friendly, we had a great chat. Then an Indian Lumberjack who kept ringing the bar bell and we had to do shots, then a Newfie who went to school in Cornerbrook, then things progress from fuzzy to blank. I cannot remember posing on the chairs for Howie, I can’t remember the guy with a suit and briefcase that walked in the bar, I can’t remember the 2 girls that were visiting their grandpa, I can’t remember when Matt said he had other customers to take care of because now we were regulars, I can’t remember leaving the bar, I can’t remember the ride home with my head out the window, I can’t remember jumping out of the moving vehicle when we were in the campground. I also did not take my purse home - it spent the night in the bar. Canada Day was a little quiet for us. We played poker and waited for the bar to open so I could retrieve my purse (I called Matt first thing in the morning- he had a hangover too- and he reassured me that he had my purse). Howie and I drove in to the bar to get my purse, there was a new bartender-Lawerence and Dean the Biker. They were laughing about our night. The Dean insisted on buying me a hangover drink -a Caesar. I said no, I already had one. He laughed then said he would buy me a beer and clam - I said I had already had one. He rolled his eyes and said I wasn’t hungover I was drunk again! We did have a beer with him. He took this opportunity to ask us about Shorty. Is she single? Who was she with? He really liked her, she was such a nice lady. I was dying on the inside!! Howie was sitting beside the guy that was trying to hook up with his wife! 😂😂😂 Howie finally did stake his claim. I think if I stayed in McBride for 4 more days I would be mayor. 

July 2 - Kootenay Plains. Almost home. Martinis and campfires. As beautiful as western Canada is, home is the most beautiful. 

We have travelled over 6,000 kilometres and burned roughly 1,800 litres of diesel, saw some amazing country, met some crazy people (Laura-Lee, the cinnamon bun lady at Braeburn wins the crazy award), saw over 30 black bears, 1 grizzly, buffalo, caribou, coyotes, sheep and had so many laughs and these are the 10 things I’ve learned:

1. Syphilis is the silent killer. Thanks Fuzz for sharing this with us, I have to admit that syphilis has never been on my radar for a disease I needed to concern myself with, but know that I know it is a silent killer I plan on being extra diligent in ensuring I do not contact syphilis. Thanks buddy!
2. Alice, dear sweet Alice shared with me that boxed wine is called a Goon Bag in Australia. This has now, forever, been a valuable addition to my dialog.
3. Morning Stacy hates All Nighter Stacy and vice versa.
4. Jen and I need darkness to regulate our life. Who knew that a clearly defined day and night was so important.
5. The people who live in Hyder scare me.
6. Canada is stunning. And big. And has lovely people and very friendly American visitors.
7. COVID crippled so much of our country.
8. I could never have been adventurous enough to be a Klondiker. I need my motorhome and all of its amenities.
9. Jennifer and I are NOT drinking a gin and sake drink. My god, it was like stomach acid. 🤢 
10. If I had 24 hours to clean the motorhome and restock it I would restart this entire trip. It was everything I hoped it would be. Crossed Dawson City off our bucket list but added 10 more bucket list trips. Thank you Howie and Terry, Darren and Jen and Ryan ❤️! Made some amazing memories!!
    
    

June…..whole bunch of days!

Sorry guys, very negligent. There is so much to see and so little cell service. My god this is a beautiful country. We headed down Cassiar Stewart highway and it was rough but we are so de-sensitized after Dawson that it felt like the TransCanada (okay, to clarify - TransCanada in Alberta or BC, not TransCanada in Saskatchewan or Manitoba - those roads are a loose definition of a highway - sorry Sask and Manitoba, we will still take you with us when we separate, but, we will fix your highway) but back to our road trip….

June 23 - we stayed at Baby Nugget. So far, this is a pretty nice campground. Not too busy yet, we did chat with the owners and this little gem can be your for $1.9 million, but they had a COVID horror story, as many of these sites did that are so dependent on the U.S. travellers. No business for 2 years. I’m going to do a slight political side note (I try not to do this), I hope that if we ever face this again that we have learned something. Anyway, enough dabbling in a controversial subject (probably will touch on this again when we get to the missing indigenous girls on the Yellowhead). Shorty made corn on the cob and salmon burgers. We tried as hard as we could to sit outside, huddled under the awning, trying to avoid the rain (rain is probably an exaggeration, it was more of a heavy drizzle) Ryan made dirty mothers and then we called it a night. 

June 24 - headed south with the greatest expectations of seeing so many bears. I’ll tell you what we saw so much of…..bear shit! Honestly, every 100 feet there was a steaming pile of bear poop, but no bear! And so much poop. We did see lots of squirrels. Unfortunately, most were suicidal squirrels, dead on the highway. We did stop at Jade City where I learned 2 things: 1. Jade is beautiful. 2. Jade is expensive! We did do some “light” shopping. I bought the most beautiful, soft mossicans that I think I will probably be buried in. Again, to begin with the highway was rough, with no shoulders. I would like to take this opportunity to share, as a co-pilot, I am pretty sound. I’m not usually scared but no shoulders are my Achilles Heal. Fuck it scares me when there is no room for error. I try not to gasp or reach for something because it stresses Ryan out, but Jesus fuck do sometimes. Also, the Milepost book has been our bible on this journey, but now we are reading the book backwards, sounds easy but it isn’t. I am the navigator and if I don’t say so myself, I am nailing it (do not ask any of my travel companions as they will give you specific details of the times I have messed up) but we were headed to Iskut and it was going to be a 5.5 hour day, so imagine my surprise when we were suddenly in Iskut in 4 hours! We stayed at Red Goat Campground and it was right on the lake, beautiful but in desperate of a chain saw. We are so seasoned that wiggling a motorhome is now second nature. Also…this campground is for sale too….

June 25 - going to Stewart. This is our only off-shoot from our loop (again, not counting the Haines Junction debacle) and we debated about this leg a fair bit (this was Jen and I, a martini and a bottle of wine in, with the map unfolded on my deck, with a phone in our hand, determining camping spots in late April) but this leg was so worth it. SO WORTH IT! We are not home yet, but, I think I’m calling this as the highlight of our trip. We have seen breathtaking views, amazing snow capped mountains, rushing waterfalls, massive rivers, serene lakes, but nothing as magnificent as this short 60 km drive. But still only bear shit on the road, these bears are elusive. We arrived at our campground and, it was our best campground to date. We went on to register for our 2 night stay, when we were informed by the register lady that we booked for 3 nights. Well this clarified alot for Jen and I (again, refer to our planning method which includes cocktails on the deck) our remaining days all fell into place with this discovery. We knew we were missing a day but we were not too concerned (we were completely concerned because we are both super type A) but we were pleasantly surprised that we were staying longer in Stewart. First night in Stewart - Jen and I stayed up to ensure that nighttime now included darkness (it does). Fuzz gave us 3 wishes before he went to bed. Wish 1 - can he get us the speaker? Granted. Wish 2 - can he get us phone? Granted. Third wish was differed until it was most advantageous to us. So we sat, had our drinks and sang along in perfect pitch (as we do) and contemplated our third wish - I don’t think it takes a brain surgeon to call our third wish - snacks and another drink. Unfortunately, we had waited too long for our third wish so I gave the signal - Caw, caw, caw, in melodious tone - no answer. Luckily he had supplied me a phone so I called him - no answer, so I left a message, * whispering, “Fuzz, it’s Riggs. Can you bring my mom and my Auntie Jen a beer and some snacks?” He loves Riggs so I thought this would ensure my request would be fulfilled. Nope. One more call - slightly threatening, “Darren Williams, you little fucker, I know where you sleep and I will stab you! We have decided on our third wish and we would like snacks and more beer”. Waiting, waiting, waiting. One more “caw, caw, caw” and FINALLY, “What do you ya-hoos want?” So, it was interrupted as, “Yes ladies, what can I do for you?” We shared our third wish and he happily (not happily at all, was a little grumpy to be honest) granted our final wish with a finality that I did not appreciate. I told him he shouldn’t grant three wishes if he didn’t want to follow through, he then reminded me that WE told him he was granting us 3 wishes. Semantics. At this point I cannot remember if he did bring us more drinks or not but if I was a betting woman, I would say he didn’t! 

June 26 - surprisingly, a slower morning. Took the dogs for a walk and then walked into town with Darren and Jen. While we were walking, minding our own business, 2 dogs ran out of a yard at us. Now this is the true test of a friendship. We both grabbed each others arms while we tried to push the other behind us. Not a proud moment🙄. Went in and walked the boardwalk and then Howie and Terry picked us up and we headed the 3 kms into Alaska to Hyder. Even Howie attempted the border (if you know, you know). Well who know 3 kilometres equated to 50 years?! It was like the light post at Narnia!! Hyder is lost in time - a little nostalgic and neglected. We had the most amazing seafood at The Bus and then went for a beer at The Glacier Inn. Alas, we did not get “Hyder-ized”, mostly because Jen and I were hungover and no one else was interested. Darren did have a deja vu moment when he realized that he had, in fact, been there 25 years ago and had signed a dollar bill and had it stapled to the wall (sorry, if you haven’t been in the bar, there are literally thousands of dollar, $5 dollar, $10 dollar bills stapled to the walls with names on them all). A bit of searching and we found it! Successfully made it back to Canada (after an incredulous border crossing guard acknowledged everyone in the truck!). That night a camper van pulled in across from us, and Jen and I, in true Murder She Wrote form, were trying to understand the disfunction that was on full display. We, unabashedly, watched them for 2 hours, it was extremely entertaining. Gives me faith that there is far more disfunction than us! After the reality show across from us went to bed, we too called it a night.

June 27 - Okay, get it together guys, we have a plan today. We booked a tour to the Salmon Glacier. A three hour tour, not unlike Gilligan’s Island Tour, this was a tour that Shorty quickly regretted. Shorty, being short, is opposed to any heights. Well this experience is up a mining road that is, at times, one lane with sheer drop offs. Shorty hated everyone but especially Gord, our driver. Bless him, he was a story teller and he likes to talk with his hands. And to turn and make eye contact with the passengers. All while driving. Twice I grabbed Ryan’s leg. His stories also included gems like this: “This is where there was a landslide and a bus was washed off the road” or “This is where a worker fell asleep when he drove over the bank and the Canadian and American government argued over who was responsible for the autopsy” so ya, not a super relaxing drive, but holy cow the end justified the means! It was so beautiful. Gord also shared that it take 100 feet of compressed snow to make 1 foot of glacier and, in places, this glacier was 800 feet thick. Impressive. If you are ever in Stewart I highly recommend this tour, it’s called Whitecaps to Icecaps. Made the treacherous trip down the mountain and got Shorty’s feet back on sea level. I would like to say she was happy but she was the opposite of happy. I did make her a Caesar and then Howie guaranteed her wine glass was never emptied. Fuzzy did have to help her to bed but I think, in fairness, I think she was concerned that Howie may have moved the motorhome and she didn’t want to get lost 😉. Ryan also had some difficulty getting himself to bed. I finally left him to find his own way home and at some point he was successful because when I woke up he was in bed. Good job buddy! 

June 28 - sadly our Stewart chapter is over. Stewart is under-advertised. This is a more remote, less touristy Tofino. I loved it, we all did. On our way to Smithers. Quiet drive - shoulders are getting wider and diesel is getting cheaper. Keeping with our theme - still only bear shit but no bears. Fairly uneventful day. Went out for supper in Smithers (very good Greek food) and then home to bed (losers).

June 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 AND 23?!

Wow, we have had so many adventures since my last blog. Firstly, I need to finish the trip to Dawson. Now I fully understand the fortitude, determination and commitment that the Klondiker’s had to have to make this trip from Skagway to Dawson City, fast forward 156 years and the trip to Dawson is still an odyssey. Again, we did have a 320 kilometre side trip to Haines Junction, but it was a 13 hour drive on roads that, at times, we mere suggestions of roads. By the time we parked and mixed the obligatory martini we were done. We had pulled pork sandwiches (thanks Jen) and crawled into bed to be refreshed to take on the bright lights on Dawson City. 

June 19 - now, on mornings that we have to travel we are a finely tuned machine. Up early, organized, packed and unhooked with military precision, but mornings that we do not have to be on the highway, well that’s another story. If we have eaten breakfast by noon we consider it a success. This morning we decided to forgo breakfast and head into Dawson for breakfast brunch (aka burgers and beer) and to do some touring. Stopped at the Visitor Information Centre and picked up a few brouchers and headed for the closest watering hole. The Eldorado Hotel was winning choice (only because it was the only one open) and had a great lunch, served by our waitress, Katie. She was a good waitress AND, we found out, a dancer at Diamond Gertie’s, which was our destination for that evening. She, graciously, agreed to save us a table. We left the hotel to support the local economy. There was the nicest clothing store that Jen and I supported. When I got up to pay for my stuff I discovered that they only accepted cash and my bounty cost more more than the $100 I had on me. The sales lady agreed to save my stuff until tomorrow. Well with our group, confusion is about 80% of our day and this confusion allowed me time to go to the bank and get back to pay for the clothes. Jen and I were walking back to the store congratulating each other on our ability to ditch our husbands to shop unsupervised. Just as we are nearing the clothing store who should amble out? Fucking Ryan and Darren! They tried to get her to tell them how much we were spending 😂. She quickly told them to, “ GET OUT!” Lol! Smart woman! We supported her well! Ryan and Fuzz were walking behind us and Ryan stumbled on the wooden walkway and went down. Fuzz yelled, “ I’M THE SPOTTER! I SAW HIM! HE LANDED OVER THERE!” I don’t think he is the best spotter! Jen and I also asked him to take our picture, he grumbled as his phone was almost dead and he said, “ I can’t believe I’m going to take a picture of you two that I’m only going to delete later”….he deleted the picture later without sharing it! The boys are like schoolgirls, always giggling at something, or talking about side by side tires they are buying or complaining about us girls. Jen said to me, “Remember when it was The Jen and Stacy Show? Now it is the Ryan and ……..” Darren turns to her and says with mild disgust, “Darren! My name is Darren!!” Little more exploring and then we headed back to the campground for cocktails and to get ready for Gertie’s. Keeping with our slow, confused day, we made it to Gertie’s about 15 minutes before the show. We anticipated the occupancy to be half full, imagine our surprise when we called in and it was standing room only! The bouncer asked if we were Katie’s friends and then lead us to the only available table in the place - right up front! Pays to know the right people! What a great show! We had so much fun there. In between the 3 shows that night we visited with fellow campers and gambled. Jen and I tried our hand at Blackjack. I would like to think I’m an above average poker player. We play ALOT of poker and I’ve won more money than I’ve lost, but blackjack is not my strongest game. But my initial $50 buy in lasted me the night, but, alas, I left with $5. Howie watched the Omaha table for the night but there was no openings for him. That was the big boy table. Players at that table had about $2000 in chips in front of them. Howie said one guy started with $200 and cashed out $3000. Fuzz was also recruited to dance with the ladies at Gertie’s. We stumbled out of Gertie’s at 1:30 and had to put on our sunglasses (Tanya Taylor I thought of your bar stories from Dawson!😉). I have to do a quick side story. When I was going to RDC there was a girl that was sitting in front of me ( I think it was a Statistics class) and she turned around and asked me, “Are you adopted?” I assured her I wasn’t. I was born to teenage parents and my arrival caused scandal and I was pretty sure that I was not a project my parents took on without being thrown into. Anyway, Tanya explained to me that she knew a woman from her hometown of Dawson Creek that had pit her daughter up for adoption and she was searching for her and, apparently, I looked exactly like her. So my doppelgänger lives in Dawson! Anyway, back to the campground where Jennifer and I again attempted the elusive all-nighter. Again foiled! But, the next day Howie did have to apologize to our neighbors from Medicine Hat for the noise Jennifer and I made. I was pretty sure we were quiet as church mice, Medicine Hat disagreed. 

June 20 - okay, determined to have an earlier start. Darren, Jen, Ryan and I walked the dogs into town (and found Ryan’s chapstick, but that’s another story) just as we entered town it started to rain so we took refuge on a porch at the Chinese Restaurant. We were taking temporary shelter with an elderly couple from Wimbledon, England who we had ample opportunity to visit with while we waited for Howie to come and rescue us. We each shared our routes to Dawson, and they both chuckled and, sheepishly, shared with us that they had missed the turn to go to Dawson and they drove to Haines Junction before they realized their mistake!! Our people! we laughed and shared our driving error as well. After some ferrying dogs back and Howie coming back to town (sorry, I missed a very important part of the story from Gertie’s), we decided that if we had to survive and prosper 150 years ago we would have to be working girls. Shorty immediately declared she would be our Madam and Jen and I were given instructions on what her cut would be (a lot!) and how much she expected us to work (a lot!). Well Ryan and Fuzz kept our Madam well hydrated with red wine and by the end of the night she needed assistance with balance😂. She didn’t even realize Jen and I weren’t working! So the next day Shorty took the opportunity to recover. So the 5 of us went to the Museum and then for lunch. We promised to do some shopping for Griffin (Howie and Terry’s grandson) so we hit up the souvenir shops. While we were paying Jen and I were chatting and said, “Maybe we just go back to camp”. The cashier asked us, “Is this your first time to Dawson?” We answered, “Yes”, she then asked, “Will you ever be back?” We answered, “Maybe not”. She then planned the rest of our day day - martinis at Bombay Peggy’s )an old brothel (we thought Shorty might appreciate a little reconnaissance work), the a beer at The Pit (a local dive bar) and then the Whisky Sour Toe shot. Who are we to disagree this this lovely ladies schedule? One martini at Peggy’s quickly turned into 2 martinis, then to the Pit (the waitress there was not impressed us at all!!) and then to the madness to drink a shot with a mummified toe. Jen took quite a bit of convincing but we all signed up for the opportunity (?!) to have a shot of whiskey from a glass that contains the most repulsive looking appendage I’ve ever seen. We sat beside an American couple and he took this opportunity to declare to his wife that when he dies he wants his toe donated to the bar. Apparently it is a thing! I think I can safely say she will not be supporting his decision, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. Our names are finally called, with trepidation we approach this elderly captain and took a seat. He asked where our shots were? Well, we hadn’t taken them from the bartender (did you really expect us to be organized?!) so after a few trips to the bar we were ready. So the tradition is that he picks this toe up with tongs (pre COVID he would pick the toe up with his fingers), he waves the toe under your nose and says, “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe”. You then slam the drink back. Incidentally, there is a $2500 fine of you swallow the toe. Rest assured, if I swell the toe it would take 3 seconds and that sucker would be back up! Also, there are 2 toes they rotate between drinks. Who knew toes were such a hot commodity! Finally we headed back to the motorhomes and Madam Shorty. Us girls sat up for awhile but we headed to bed by 11:00 - big day tomorrow! Back to Whitehorse for the second time. Third if you count the Haines Junction debacle! 

June 21 - woke up to rain! We were all pretty anxious about the drive. The rain didn’t help. We headed out with trepidation. We met some semi’s that were covered in mud and no motorhomes…..when we got to the construction there was a pilot truck to lead the way. Slow and steady. Those 10 kilometres felt like 50. Made it through with no issues and the rain was a blessing for the remainder of the gravel. 7 hours and we arrived at our next campground- a Nordic Spa and roughly 17,000,000 mosquitoes. We have had incredible luck with bugs until now and holy cow, they are attacking us with a vengeance. The screened in tent we bought is currently worth its weight in gold. To leave the tent it takes a will of iron. Quite a quiet night by our standards. 

June 22 - first day of summer and Whitehorse did not disappoint. 25 degrees and unbelievably humid! Ryan made breakfast, I think he has been missing his sausage/bacon and eggs. Us girls played a game of King’s Cribbage, took a walk and then went to the hot tubs. Had to be incredibly innovative to get drinks in but, worry not, we did get cool beverages in. The pools varied in temperature from 108 degrees to 98 degrees. If that wasn’t hot enough, we did the sauna for as long as we could stand it. Probably sweated out all the alcohol we have consumed to date on the holiday. Left the spa and ran the Mosquito Gauntlet back to camp. Cocktails and then to town for supper. Again a great supper. Now that we have experienced some healthy living we are embracing it! Another early night!! 

June 23 - this catches me up! We are on the road on the second half of our journey- headed back home via the Stewart Cassiar Highway. So far a successful day 4 bears, a clans a moose. I’ll update the rest of our day later….

June 17 and 18

Well, once again we tried so hard to stay up until the sun goes down, but damn it we just couldn’t do it. At 2:00 Jen snuck off to bed, “Going for a pee” my ass! Alice and I lasted until 2:30 and then admitted defeat and staggered to bed. Surprisingly, I woke up sick still. I’m not sure what is kicking my ass more - the head cold or the martinis. We have a hard rule about only having 1 martini but Jennifer has recently instituted a “topper up ‘er” Jennifer, I’m not stupid a “topper up ‘er” IS 2 MARTINIS! I will only fall for that 2 more times! Also, the further North we go the more native Riggs is getting. He realized that his ancestors are from the North and he is barking with an Inuit accent now. It wouldn’t take much convincing and he would pull the motorhome. I mean, he still sleeps on the leather couch every night, but, he is loving the Yukon life. 

I have a couple more Alice stories, because she is so bloody entertaining, the boys christened her Wonderland, as in Alice in Wonderland. So I’m the morning when we are getting ready to catch the bus to go on our tour and no one had checked on Alice yet. I stuck my head in Howie and Terry’s motorhome and asked if she was up, I heard yes. So we waited for a few minutes or so pass and Alice stumbles out of the motorhome, in her pyjamas giving a big stretch and asks how long she has to get ready. Zero. Zero minutes. God bless her, she made the bus. 

While sitting around the fire finishing our last drink it was quite quiet. Wonderland said, “Imagine if you were the first person to discover fire. How bloody surprised you would be!” I couldn’t talk I was laughing so hard. She was so serious. 

Anyway, back to our slow morning, finally ate breakfast cleaned up, got organized and walked the 5 kms into town, Howie and Terry met us in Whitehorse and we went to the museum (very cool - saw Sam McGee’s cabin) and decided we had been as educated as we could be on the Klondike Gold Rush and we headed to the ‘98 Hotel and Bar. The bar’s claim to fame is it is the second oldest bar in Canada west of Winnipeg. I have not fact checked this but after being on there I do think it is a legitimate claim. I can say with a fair bit of confidence that some of the patrons of this establishment are original minors from 1898. One old fellow, standing behind Jen and I, fell over (no judgement) and the waitress yelled, “ARE YOU OKAY WAYNE?” Wayne’s stood up, dusted himself off, put 1 hand on Jen’s shoulder and 1 hand on mine and leaned down to address us and said, “Sorry ladies, I might have had too much, I’m going home” He waved at the waitress and off he went. Much respect Wayne. Not everyone knows their limit. Anyway, we get our beers and we’re talking about how far we walked (far enough that I had blisters on 4 of my toes) so I went onto my phone to the Health App. My phone is an asshole. We walked 6 kms and my iPhones comment was, “You walked and ran further today than you did the day before. On average, you haven’t walked and run as far this year as last year” Rude! Wayne was far more gracious and kind than my phone. Had a second beer and contemplated throwing my phone across the bar. We sent the boys on a quest -  Canadian Tire and a dumpster to dispose the television we removed from the motorhome. Had a great supper but they did forget Howie’s meal, but, to be fair, Howie’s meal is usually the one that gets screwed up. Then home and early to bed because I have bad news…..

June 18 - Ryan was up and taking Alice to the airport. Yes, sad news, Alice could only handle this adventure for 9 days. She is headed back to Calgary because her friend is coming to Canada and now they are on their own adventure. No Wonderland on the second part of our journey. So big day today. Our final push to Dawson City. Long day - 530 kilometres on less than dependable roads. Off by 9:00 am. Everyone is in good spirits and ready for this day. Plan is to stop for lunch at noon. Ryan and I are on the lead, great music playing, saw wild horses, great views, we get to Haines Junction and Ryan and I look at one another….uh-oh. Our choices are Fairbanks or Haines. WE MISSED OUR TURN! WE TRAVELLED 160 KILOMETRES THE WRONG WAY! I have never said this word with more anger, frustration or disappointment- FUCK!! Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck. Our longest day yet has been 619 kilometres and that was a doozy. Today is a 850 kilometres and we are not there yet and we have been on the road for 11 hours and 30 minutes and we are still not there!! They are rebuilding this road and I cannot stress how awful it is. We are 4x4-ing in the motorhomes! Also, I was going to do double duty and make lunch while we were driving so when we did stop to eat we didn’t waste anytime. So I’m on one of the twistiest, bumpiest roads and I’m cutting up pickles, meat and cheese (basically juggling with knives) when the full jalapeño jar falls off the counter and smashes, quickly followed by the pickle jar, that does not smash because it’s fall was cushioned by my third toe on my left foot. That poor fucker has a blister from my walk yesterday and now it is going black. So I had to clean my floor, on my hands and knees, trying to not think about my possibility broken toe, while being bounced from cupboard to cupboard. When we did stop for lunch at Braeburn gas station this woman came out yelling at us that she had just made her third batch of fresh cinnamon buns. Then she came over, drank a glass of wine and didn’t stop talking for 20 minutes. Also, the campground is trying to contact me about our stalls, I keep getting cut off so I can only hope she is holding our stalls. So, Alice left us and everything has gone to shit. But we agreed that these make the best stories. But only when we are back in Whitehorse because it is supposed to rain here so we might live here now. And we killed a bird. And I broke the zipper on my new beer coozy. All in all, not the best Fathers Day, but one we won’t forget!

June 14, 15 and 16

Blogging is a full time job! So the 14th I woke up so sick. No hangover. Real sick. Head cold sick. The two jumps on the glacial cold lake may be contributing to my medical condition. I have taken every pill in my motorhome, in Jen’s motorhome, Shorty’s motorhome, Arizona’s motorhome next to us and I did ask Maine what drugs they had, but they quickly walked away from me. I would love to post the video of us jumping in the lake but honestly, me in my underwear, drunk, screaming fuck, soaking wet, is only something I would like you to only imagine. Seeing the real thing is so horrifying that you will see that nightmare every time you close your eyes. I couldn’t live with myself if I put you through that horror. 

Anyway, back to me being sick. Ryan, Jen, Fuzz and Alice took the dogs for a long walk and I slept. When I finally drug my sorry ass out of bed I, painfully, did the inside work to prepare for our departure. Our next stop was Wastson Lake, 325 kilometres away. Jesus take the wheel. Right away we saw our first herd of caribou, it did revive my will to live. The a couple big horn sheep, then a couple brown bears and then about 6 more black bears. And again amazing views. And the road got much better. I have to take a short side story to tell you about our tv in the front of our motorhome. Now remember, our palace on wheels is circa 2006. Just a quick reminder of how many years ago 2006 was - Nanny McPhee was released, Winter Olympics were in Italy, Paul Martin was our Prime Minister and dear, sweet Ralph was our Premier. That’s how old this mansion on wheels is. The television is 32 inch, tube tv that weighs approximately (rounding down) about 80 pounds. This flicker is going to fall out and kill Ryan, Turk and me and the following, horrific, car accident would kill Riggs. But until that day, this fucker makes the worst squeaking noise the entire way. Ryan is going crazy. We are driving down the road, Ryan is driving with his left hand and pushing the television back with his right hand. We stopped on the side of the road at a look out where outlaws would watch the river for the paddle boats to rob them. Ryan and I both talked about Grandma Jean - she would have loved it. She would have been the outlaw robbing the boats ❤️.I love that we have travelled with random people (all from the US) and we pass each other at different spots and everyone honks, and when we get to our destination campground, we all chat and wave. Gives you faith in humanity. Maine is still avoids us. So, we get to Watson Lake and it is the size of Eckville and you think we can find that fucking campground?! We drove around the residential area (not so easy to maneuver three 40 foot motorhome-1 of which is towing a truck - also, side, side not Cynder - your truck is still in the best condition, even though Howie drug it over a Cliff….anyway, not easy to maneuver these through a residential area when you have to whip a shitty) FINALLY found our campground (we drove past it 3 times) but this campground was a parking lot. A parking lot that you literally park 6 feet away from each other. The slide outs barely make it out without touching. But set up and went for a walk through the Sign Post Forest. Pretty impressive. You know how disappointed we were that we didn’t steal a sign in Rocky?! Motherfucker!!! If you guys notice a missing sign, please don’t comment. It was me. Then we walked over to the Northern Lights Centre. Next movie started in 30 minutes so Princess Alice of Australia and Ryan took the dogs went back to the motorhome and picked up Howie and Terry and came back to the Centre for the movie. We all paid the $15 per/person and the moved into these incredibly soft , comfortable chairs that laid way back, in a very warm room, with soothing music playing, with a narrator that had a deep voice and 5 of the 7 of us immediately fell asleep. Such a great sleep. At one point Ryan’s snoring woke us all up, and Jen (1 of the 2 that didn’t sleep) said, “Oh dear!” So Howie and Jen had to explain the entire movie to us (Spoiler alert - the movie was about northern lights) Anyway, back to motorhomes and had beef bourguignon and then to bed. 

June15 - I didn’t walk again but I heard from a reliable source (Ryan) that Jen was taking them on a 10 kilometre trek on a trail called “Wolf Trail” but they came back before they encountered any wolves. Out by 9:00 am and no one is more impressed than us. But I would like to say we were the first ones out but we were the last. I think 9:00 am is only early for us. But away we go. On this leg of the journey (480 kms) we saw 1 black bear, 1 brown and 1 grizzly. And I’m still dying. Coughing and crying, but slightly better than yesterday. Slightly. Our lunch stop was smokies and white wine. 2 of my favourite foods. All I could think the entire time we were driving was smokies and sauerkraut and jalapeños and onions and mustard. If anything would make me want to live it is a smokie. I know it is repetitive, but the drive, so great. So great. Arrived in Whitehorse and filled up with fuel and quickly found our campground - something new for us. Parked and it was was martini hour. We played a game of marbles (just as must swearing as usual it the game ended much faster) - Ryan won! We headed into Whitehorse for supper to The Dirty Northern. Delicious. We did cab it into town because we had all a few drinks! Met someone cab drivers from Somalia, India and Singapore. Supper was so good!

June 16 - we woke up so early to take the dogs for a walk because we did the White Pass rail line into Skagway. It was a 10 hour trip and, thankfully, Howie and Terry stayed back to watch our puppies. We went on the most amazing adventure. We touch a coach to Fraser and then got on the train to Skagway, it was terrifying, exhilarating and breathtaking all at the same time. We hit Skagway and bought some shirts and headed immediately to the bar. The Red Onion Saloon for a burger and beer. It as a lot of fun. The ladies are great! Jen and I were talking about what we would have done in the Klondike - open a store, open a hotel or be madams. Madams won, hands down! Also, I decided I hate the cruise ships. H.A.T.E. My lord Jesus, fucking people. I have to tell you an awful story - there was 3,000 horses that left Skagway, but only 30 made it to Whitehorse. The rest died. Dead. They said when you get out of line it could take hours OR DAYS to get back in line! Honestly this was only 1 of the many stories. I have to catch you up on the stories:

1. Syphilis is the silent killer - this was a statement from Fuzz. I would like to give you context but I can’t. That’s is it. This is your CBC National Alert - SYPHILIS IS THE SILENT KILLER! He just blurted this out randomly. Yep, we are all concerned. 
2. We were playing marbles and Princess Alice of Australia picks a piece of her hair out and says, so seriously, says, “I have so much martini in this part of my hair”. I couldn’t help her but I did pay attention to watch piece of hair because if we run out of vodka I will jump on her and find that piece of hair!
3. Alice is very concerned she is picking up our offensive accent. Fuzz is giving her dialect training - so, God forbid, she is going to be saying “lawnd”, “acrossd” and “yawning” - but this is the awning on the motorhome. He is telling her to talk with her tongue on the bottom of her mouth. Yep, he is going pro. Alice did say, “Mocha” with a100%  Canadian accent and she was horrified. 
4. When we were on the bus today we were sitting in the emergency exit and there was a braille sticker there and Fuzz said to Alice, “ This says, ‘In case of Emergency please pull this lever and exit the bus’” and Alice looked upon him in abject awe. She couldn’t believe he could read braille - he can’t. He was just rubbing his fingers over the bumps. And he is full of bullshit. 

So now we are sitting around the fire in Whitehorse, with a lady from Germany, who is now traveling with us…..stay tuned…..

June 11, 12 and 13

Well our internet connection is less than stellar so be patient with my blogs.

June 10 - had a bit of a sleep in. Those two martini nights slide into too early mornings that are accompanied with a slight headache and an extremely dry mouth….. So a late start. 9:00 became 10:00, 10:00 became 11:00 and suddenly it was noon, we hadn’t eaten and we had to get on the road. I was responsible for breakfast (again, noon and we hadn’t eaten so I can safely say I failed pretty hard) I was making a breakfast bake and the bloody thing would not cook. It is a croissant bake with ham, and onions and it was going to be delicious, eventually. I did learn that my convection oven in the motorhome cooks quite slow. And I also learned that I am pretty slow when I have a hangover. I actually did already know that but this episode served as a reminder. We only had to drive 300 kilometres but, I swear to God, it was the longest 300 kilometres in the history of life. I think we actually drove backwards for awhile! Beautiful highway, long stretches with hardly any traffic. A motorhome road trip dream. But no an animal to be seen. Not even a deer. We finally stopped at a rest stop and ate that bloody breakfast bake. Arrived at Charlie Lake at 5:30. So, 5 hours to go 300 kilometres. Charlie Lake proved to be a bit of a parking challenge. By the time we finally got unhitched and parked and levelled (or Darren and Jen, who had to park level and then do it all over again because they couldn’t get their slides out) it was well after 6:00. Had a delicious supper of burgers, potato salad, veggie tray. Obviously I was not in charge of supper! Ryan, Alice, Jen and I took an adventure trail to the lake. 3.2 kilometres round trip and so pretty. We had to mentally prepare ourselves for the 620 kilometres trek we had to take the next day…..

June 11 - okay, troops rally. Early morning, no fucking around. We did a quick walk and headed North. For 12 kilometres…… until Ryan and I had to pull over so I could drive and he could pee. So I became pilot and he was co-pilot/DJ/bartender/support person. But I swear to God all he did was look for the noises in the motorhome and complain about the speed I was driving. But what a great highway, really incredible. I was going downhill and would top out at 70 miles a hour. And in my little Dodge Dakota, 70 miles an hour there would be panels flying off. In the motorhome at 70 miles an hour there is a fear that cannot describe. My butt checks are clenched so tight that it might need to be surgically rectified. You know when you panic and you start to get tunnel vision right before you pass out….well, that was me. I was white knuckling. I was so fucking happy when we pulled over for lunch. I high-fived Ryan and switched seat’s faster that a Kim Kardashian marriage. 

I have to take a moment and share our travelling party…

1. Ryan. My loving husband. God love him, I have tried every nerve in that body. He is lovely. And he talks a lot. And he hates noises in the motorhome. And there is ALOT of noises in the motorhome. He is my rock, my North Star, my guy who makes sure I get home at night (not sure what the official title is). He is great. 
2. Jen.  My loving Jen. Jen is always up for an adventure (okay, except for this one time but I’ll talk about that later.) Jennifer and I have been friends for 1,000 years. If there is ever a film made of MacBeth and they are looking for the witches to say, “Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble” it will be Jen, Trena, Becky and me. We did review the recipe and we need a baboon and a fenny snake.
3. Fuzz. Jennifer’s first husband. I love him on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, after a full moon, on a leap year. He and I are going to fight to the death one day. But I will give him a kidney if he asked nice….on a Tuesday…..after a full moon….on a leap year….
4. Howie. The man, the myth, the legend. Howie - aka Slim - aka George - aka Tommy Lee Jones - aka Baloo The Bear. He is warmth, happiness and joy. When he pulls up a chair to talk to you it is going to be the best conversation of the night. Truly an amazing human. We have had so many parties and he is still ready to do it again. I love him. 
5. Shorty. The power behind the man. She is a magical. Shorty is 4’ 8” (honestly, I have no idea how tall she is) but every inch of her is love, kindness and compassion. So she is pretty much the polar opposite of me. I try to learn from her, I try hard, but it isn’t taking. Shorty tries every day of her life to make me a better person and, Jesus, it is a full time job. I love her. 
6. Alice. Alice? Who the fuck is Alice? Alice is our spirit animal. Where did this ethereal creature come from?  Jen and I love her. She is 19 but has the soul of a 57 year old Brooklyn housewife. She fits into our Joyce and Gladys alter-egos. She makes us spit out our drinks and laugh. Last night Jen and I talked about contacting her mom to see if we could adopt her. This little fucker is so funny that I have to listen to every word she says. Honestly, she is an old soul. Also, she is Australian- this does play onto further conversations. 

• But back to our drive (Also, there should not be a bullet point here but I can remove it) Between Charlie Lake and Muncho. We saw at least 12 black bears. There was more bears than deer. Every corner we went around there was another bear. Ryan and I were in the lead and I was radio-ing back to tell them, “Bear on the left”, “Bear on the right”. Jen radio-ed back to say, “I thought you said right!?” I said, “RIGHT AND LEFT!!!” And the drive is so spectacular that I cannot share how great it is. I have travelled through the US, Scotland, Italy and many parts of Canada, but this is the best. And hardly any traffic. But all that traffic is American. ‘Merica is heavily represented. Name a state and we have seen it. Howie is pulling a truck behind the motorhome and they came around one corner and the back wheel of the truck had nothing under it. Nothing, the closest piece of terrafirma was 800 feet down. We travelled the 620 kms in half the time that we drove the 300 kms that we drove the day before. We rolled into Muncho Lake, levelled and headed for supper. I highly recommend this place. But after supper….we went to bed. We were in bed 10:00. Our supper reservations were at 8:30. We were so middle-aged this night. 

June 12 - woke up, had a coffee and headed to Liard Hot Springs. I need to share the trigonometry that we did to get 7 of us into the truck. We loaded, unloaded, loaded, unloaded, recalculated and loaded for the final time. Jesus fuck, we were tight in the back of that truck. Shorter, Alice, Jen, Fuzz and me. We said, “You put your left leg in, you take your left leg in”. We had to drive 50 kilometres like clowns in a clown car ( side note: I wanted to say - Mexicans, Indians or Hutterites but all the above was decided to be culturally offensive so all I have left is clowns!) but we made it. We made it with mimosas. We arrived at Liard and the lady asked if there was 4 in the truck and we, foolishly corrected her and said, 7. She said, “Holy”. Holy my numb ass!! I am not sure I will feel my right leg again. We left the vehicle like a bunch of geriatrics trying to revive blood flow to our extremities. Walked to the springs…(‘Mericans didn’t move and we had to balance the rail to not fall in - and you know I said “fuck” and “c” word 12 times. I need to side note here - lots of great ‘Mericans but holy fuck! Entitled and arrogant from 40 fucking yards!) But arrived at the magical hot springs. Wow! That’s all I have. Wow! Anyway, we went for breakfast/lunch and the headed home. Now, we had to again squeeze our bodies into the back seat. But the ride home was so fast - buoyed by the fact we saw 85 wood bison grazing on the side of the road. Got back, shook life back into our bodies and started a game of marbles. (Side note -  we play road poker. Every stop everyone draws a card and the best poker hand at the end of the day wins the pot - usually $20 per person. So we start drawing cards and after the 6th card draw Alice asked, “is 4 sixes good?” I spit my drink out and said, “Jesus Fuck!” She won $70). So we played marbles for 3 hours with no winner (except Ryan and Jen who were losing their asses!) so we paused the game for a delicious steak supper and then headed to the lake to enjoy the 7 hour sunset. So we took gummies, and our legs stopped working. But to be fair, our legs were not entirely operational after our handicap trip to the hot springs. So we sat at the lake and slowly but surely everyone dropped out, read between the lines - in 15 minutes the boys had gone to bed. Pretty soon it was Jen, Alice and me - sitting at the lake in 4 degree temperature wrapped in every blanket, scarf and jacket that everyone going to bed discarded. We were only missing a shopping cart to be truly homeless. But mother-fucker Alice is funny. The worst part of blogging is that I cannot share how funny she is. We asked her what she thought of our husbands. For the life of me I cannot remember what she said about Fuzz but she said about Ryan, “He doesn’t make it more awkward but he doesn’t make it better”. Fuck sakes we cried. We have started making her martinis. She loves them. We thought. She said, “I will drink that acid to get to that olive at the end” so know we know. She is fighting every ounce of that martini to get the 5 olives that we have buried at the bottom of that Cracker Jack box. But god love that child, every night she asks for another one. She even asked how to make them. She also did gummies with us. And playing marbles with her she has begun to swear like a sailor. So. We have taught her to drink martinis, do drugs and swear like me, so success on 3 levels. So this is my moment when Jen failed me. She went to bed! We had another 4 hours in us but Jen shut it down. Back to sitting at the lake - at 1:30 Alice and I drug our chairs up (the blanket we were covered in was drenched in red wine and chip dip) and it was still so light. It is crazy that we are so far North on our planet that it is always daylight, and Alice and I chatted about it, while we slopped wine on the blanket and spilled chip dip. 

June 13 - I woke up and my first thought was, “Jesus fuck. It’s only been 4 nights”. 4 nights. Guys, this is a journey. Honestly, i need to fast forward for this day. We finished the fucking marble game. Spoiler alert - that fucking Australian won!! We were cold and Jen said, “ I’m wearing leggings”. I said, “I’m fucking wear shorts” and Alice - straight face said, “I’m fucking Australian, I’m fucking freezing”. She won. We had a great day.  Relaxing, filling out paperwork to complete our Alice adoption. Watched Vegas win the Cup. Now we are planning our adventure tomorrow. Stay tuned.

So I was all done but then… we jumped in the lake, in our underwear. We had to go get Alice out of bed to do it with us.

June 10 - Yukon or bust!

Well, we are crossing this one off our Bucket List. We have talked for years about going north for the Summer Solstice and this is the year! Forest fires be damned! Jen and I planned, changed plans, called campgrounds and booked and then had to call and rebook because there was too many “planning drinks” and not enough writing those plans down. When we get our reality television show the first thing I’m doing is hiring a personal assistant. You have no idea the brilliant things we have discussed and the problems we have solved, but alas, no documentation. Please forward resumes directly to me, I will contact the successful candidate. 

Anyway, back to our travels. As with the greatest plans it just takes one unforeseen issue to derail our departure time. Our incident was lawnmower blades. Ryan’s claim to fame is his obsession with our lawn looking like it should be on a calendar or part of Butchart Gardens. It really is impressive, and NOTHING pisses him off more than uneven blades (believe me, I am a voice of experience. In the 37 we have been together I have pissed him off A LOT). Well we are planning our epic Northern Journey and we have house sitters that have been tasked with keeping our homes running, including lawn maintenance, while we are gone and our blades shit the bed the night before we leave. So first thing in the morning Fuzz and Ryan ran to town to get last minute boy stuff - lawn mower blades water filter for the motorhome, chainsaw, battery for the key fob for the door. Installing the new blades including grinding, yelling “FUCK” 17 times and some hammering and we could leave. Only a slight 30 minute delay.

So North we go!  But first we have to go through hell! This poor province has been ravaged! There were places by Fox Creek that were still smouldering. Also, what a pretty province! Terrific drive to Valleyview. 450 kms and 107 litres of diesel burnt. Not bad considering I have 300 pounds of clothes and 600 pounds of liquor in this beast! The campground in Valleyview was awesome. Had a few drinks - apparently, in Valleyview, they have a two martini rule! We even mixed Alice a martini, I think the jury is still out on whether she enjoyed it or not. 

Great night with great friends. Lots of laughs💜