Hinton to Kamloops

The jerk with the running semi stayed parked right in front of us pretty much all night. If the drone of his diesel had of stayed constant all night I could have managed to sleep but it kept changing frequency as his reefer cut in and out. I thought of moving a couple of times but the thought of putting the slide back in made me hesitate and by then the diesel changed frequency allowing me to drift off again. This went on until three or so when he finally decided he had ticked me off enough and he moved on to the next Wal Mart.

Don’t get me wrong. I have great sympathy for truck drivers and I also know they have to keep their reefers running while they sleep. What make me mad is when they see someone in an RV is parked and sleeping and they pull right up beside them to park, knowing they are making it impossible for anyone to sleep. This is what ticks me off!

The resulting quiet made for a great sleep for the rest of the night and it was almost ten when I awoke. We headed into the Rockies, stopping once to take some shots of a Big Horn Sheep that was wandering across the highway for a drink from the lake. We made only one other stop for a very expensive sandwich from the Mt. Robson Cafe and Visitors Center before turning South on Highway 5 for Kamloops. We found a Wal Mart that we stayed in before and had dinner at Montana’s Steak House. We get two channels on the TV so we are set for the night. NO IDILING TRUCKS so Life is Good!

A Prized Document Found

My niece, Robin and her cousin Elizabeth from Ottawa were going through papers and photos (there are a ton of them) when they came across something they handed to me to deal with. It is a speech written for T.C. “ Tommy” Douglas, then Premier of Saskatchewan and former leader of the CCF / NDP Political Parties in Canada and who is generally acknowledged as the “Father” of Canada’s Socialized Medicare. Douglas also the grandfather of actor Keifer Sutherland, star of the TV series “24”. The document is dated August 2nd, 1961 and is a typed original, complete with hand written corrections and annotations in red ink, perhaps in the great man’s own handwriting. It is Tommy Douglas’ speech for the Founding Convention when he was running for (and won) the leadership of the newly formed New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP).

My brother’s late wife, Willow, was the granddaughter of Arthur Moran Boutillier (1869 – 1955) who served as Member of Parliament for the Progressive Party of Canada, aka. “United Farmers”, representing the rural Alberta Riding of Vegreville. In 1961 the United Farmers and Labour’s Party, the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) amalgamated to form the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) of which I have been a member since the early 1970’s. His son, Heubert Ried Boutillier, Willows father, was active in the CCF and the NDP as well so that is probably where the document came from.

I have a friend in Nanaimo, Dale Lovic, who is a Tommy Douglas historian. I will call and ask Dale what I should do with the document. It is too important to just file away for another fifty years.

Catching Up

Well, that was a whirlwind of a few days! We arrived at my brother’s house in Edmonton at about 5:00 and visited with some neighbours and a couple of relatives who popped in. The neighbours talked about how they should have caught on that something was wrong when he turned down a couple of dinner invitations in the week before he died. My brother knew a good thing when he saw it and NEVER said no to a free home cooked meal! He also excused himself from the traditional Saturday morning breakfast at the local casino with friends and neighbours. That was also very out of character for him but when questioned, he told people he was just a little “out of sorts” and would be fine.

As I said, it was very strange not having him come barging around the corner giving me a hard time about plugging into his electric.

I picked up my sister and her daughter from Toronto area on Thursday. It was nice seeing her again, it had been a while. She was married and moved east soon after I got around to being born so we have always had a long distance relationship except for the one time we took an RV trip to California together for a couple of weeks.

Things started getting hectic soon after she arrived. We went out to the family cemetery Saturday morning. We all went in the motorhome so we would have a chance to escape for a few minutes if we wanted and it also provided a nice rest room for the women. It was a double funeral as a member of the other family that shares the cemetery passed away over the winter as well. The “younger” family members had started working early in the day and the grass was mowed, trees were limbed and stones were scrubbed by the time we got there and got settled. The holes were dug and the local Preacher arrived to do his thing at 1:00. His daughter Robin tossed a small bottle of single malt into the grave before his youngest son Darcy placed the urn in the hole. Two of my brothers’ granddaughters did an eulogy for him and made a fantastic job of it! Thanks Crystal and Karen, we are all very proud of you! Even your grandpa would not have had any complaints!

After the service we all headed over to a cousin’s nearby farm for a huge potluck dinner and a get-together over a couple of cold beer. We left there after dinner and got back to the house around 8:00, totally drained, emotionally and physically!

The next couple of days we visited with close relatives and friends of Gordon’s. Norma and I took Gloria and Dianne over to the see the tiny house that our dad built in the late Thirties and that we lived in until moving to Vancouver in 1955 when I was ten. The house is still standing and looks like it might be a rental. The painstaking construction is still evident. The house is only 24’ X 25’ = 600 square feet on the main floor with a full basement and small attic. The garage/workshop out back is larger than the house. It all seemed bigger when I lived there.

I dropped Gloria and Dianne off at the airport at around noon today. It was hard to let go of her. She is 82 but looks and certainly acts much younger.

We are parked in a Wal Mart in Hinton, Alberta and will make our way through the Rockies tomorrow on our way home. It has been a tough week!

The Rocky Mountains to Edmonton

We arrived in Edmonton last night and parked in front of my brother's house. It is very strange being here without him. The reality of his death is beginning to hit home. We chatted with a couple of his neighbours and called my nephew, Darcy. Darcy soon came over to visit and then Jason, my brothers' grandson and neighbour dropped in as well.  We had a nice visit and then settled down for the night. I pick up my sister at the  airport tomorrow.

Here are a couple of National Park residents who came down to the road to watch the strange creatures in the metal boxes drive by.

Back To Oliver

The old 89 Honda ran perfectly once again and got us to Oliver by 8:00 pm. I am feeling bad about how I have neglected the dependable old beast. It has 250,000 Kilometres on it but you would never know it. It revs up to the red line when I accelerate and shifts through the gears with a snap. There is nothing wrong with it and it will probably be around for at least another 100,000 if not more! There is a slight leak in one of the gaskets under the hood, allowing a tiny bit of oil to leak out onto the exhaust manifold, producing a little smoke and smell when I start it up after it has sat for a couple of days. It is a very tiny leak and I have never had to add oil between oil changes which I try to do every 5000 or 6000 KM. It has never been in an accident but there are a couple of parking lot dings and one bit of rust near one of the rear wheel wells. The paint is showing signs of too much Arizona and Mexico sun so maybe I will give it a treat in Mexico next winter and buy her a two or three thousand peso paint job.

We called Rick and Sandra at their Maple Leaf Motel & RV Park to ask them to save a room for us for the night. When we arrived, Sandra gave us our key and told us to drop off our bags and to come to the patio for a glass of wine. One turned into several and the conversation went on until we had polished off two bottles of Sandra’s “good stuff”. She has very good taste so I am sure what we paid for the room would not even replace the wine. Thanks Sandra, the wine will be on us next time!

I was awake at seven this morning, got Norma out of bed, thanked Rick and Sandra and were soon on the road. We picked the motorhome up with it’s new convection oven and headed towards Kamloops. From Kamloops we took Highway 5 North towards The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16). This is a favourite of the truckers because it is the least mountainous route across the Rockies to Edmonton. We have not been on this stretch of road for a few years and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. We stopped for gas at a Husky Station in Blue River and got permission to park in their lot for the night. The mosquitoes are vicious here so I hope I can kill all of them that snuck in the door before I go to bed. Tomorrow night we will be parked in front of my brother’s house in Edmonton.

On The Road Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning we will hit the road in the Honda. We are about two and a half hours from the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, an hour and a half on the ferry and then about four and a half or five hours to Oliver. It would be nice to get there by five so we can pick up the motorhome but that is not likely so we will rent a room from our friend Rick at the Maple Leaf Motel and RV Park. Rick is a retired RCMP officer who was stationed in the Queen Charlotte Islands while we were in Terrace back in the late Seventies and early Eighties. He is now semi-retired in Oliver where he plays at Real Estate and running his motel and RV park. He is a great guy and although we disagree on Politics, we have a love of single malt scotch in common. His RV park is unique in that there are no rules except one: use common sense. Rick says he spent his whole career enforcing rules and is not about to ruin his retirement by continuing to do the same thing.

The microwave convection oven was delivered to the repair shop in Okanagan Falls on Friday afternoon and Al at Advance RV Repair says he will get it installed Monday. On Tuesday we will head across the Rocky Mountains, spending one night somewhere along the way and arrive in Edmonton on Wednesday. We will park in front of my brothers house and then pick up my sister at the Edmonton airport on Thursday. It will be a pretty hectic few days and I don't know when I will be able to post next but I will take photos and report when I can!

Eye Of The Storm and Dead Cat Bounces

I hate to admit it but I am "in the market". Not directly so much but I am in Funds and have about 33% in Bonds, 33% in Precious Metals and 33% in Equities which is the market. They say I am "well diversified" but even my Precious Metals are in gold mine stocks and such and this not at all like having a couple of bars of the yellow stuff hidden under the floor boards. I did not get out when I should have and by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. My money has been on a roller coaster since 9-11 and I am a white knuckled passenger along for the ride!

I went to see my Financial Adviser the other day and he did his best to reassure me. He tells me the market will rebound as it always does and that patience is a virtue here as in other things. He described what is happening now as "the eye of the storm" and that, in his opinion, the graph of the market will eventually come out shaped like a "W" and we are approaching the half way point (or the eye of the storm) now. He believes things will take one more fall before starting the final climb out of the abyss. The USA's credit rating will likely be reduced because of their massive debt, more banks could fail and the American auto industry will experience bankruptcies. He suggested I could take some profits out before that happens but the "profits" he refers to are not really profits at all but merely the partial recovery of what I had in there to start with. I am still a long way below my high point and I am not about to start selling dollar bills for eighty cents if I don't have to.

In his opinion what we are seeing now is a "Dead Cat Bounce", a market term derived from the notion that "even a dead cat will bounce if it falls from a great enough height".

I am actually in a pretty good position to ride out this storm as I do not need the money that is in there for daily living. I have a very good Union pension which will become even better by another four hundred and some a month when I turn 65 next year and Canada's Old Age Pension kicks in. Meanwhile there are a few things we have to delay, like a trip to Europe, but things could be worse and for many, they are. Right now I have a good excuse to not go out for expensive dinners....

Ramblings

It has been a quiet few days around here, just the way I like it. Tonight our friend Les is parking his "Ramona" in our driveway for a couple of days. Les lives in Nanaimo and is a soccer referee when he is not in Mexico. This weekend is a big soccer tournament here in Campbell River so we get to visit with Les. We have not seen Les for quite a few months as our Mexican adventures took us to different parts of the country last winter. It will be fun to catch up.

The microwave we ordered from the USA should be delivered to the repair place in OK Falls today or tomorrow and it will be installed by Monday. On Monday we will head across the water and drive the car up to the Okanagan to pick up the motorhome and carry on to Edmonton.

On one hand I am looking forward to this trip as I will get to see my sister and one of my nieces from the Toronto area and all my other relatives from Alberta. We always have a good time when we get together. On the other hand I am not looking forward to the graveyard scene when we bury my brother's ashes. Some folks that will be there are religious in the worst "preaching at you" kind of way. I always have to hold my tongue when they are around and I know this time will be worse. When they are around the dinner is always cold by the time all the "Graces" and prayers are finished and I am fidgiting in my seat, not having the nerve to walk out. "It would be rude", my dear wife says. "Well, it's rude for them to make me go through this", I counter. "I don't keep them from eating for a half hour while I tell them all about my Atheism. That would be just plain rude". Anyway, I will get through it all one more time. Pray for me. (Just kidding!)

Arco Norte

In Mexico these two things are true:
1) All roads lead to Mexico City.
2) Nobody wants to drive through Mexico City.

This leaves travelers in a bit of a delima. Mexico City is a traffic nightmare of twenty million people, almost the population of all of Canada! There are rules in place that allow certain license plates on the road on certain days. The question arises that when your motorhome is towing a car, which plate must conform? The towing vehicle, the car or both? It is hard to get an answer. This is known as the Hoy No Circula ("today it does not circulate") rules. Also, a vehicle testing procedure has been put in place to keep emissions under control. Every vehicle driving in Mexico City must have one of these stickers.

Our Mexican friend tells these rules do not apply to visitors, only to vehicles with DF plates. He says the best time to drive through the city is in the middle of the night (3 or 4 am) on a weekday. Our friend says he would be willing to go with us and even drive the rig for us and then take a bus back home, "Esto no es problema" (This is no problem) he says. I truly believe our friend would have no problem as he is a former Federale and Government Prosecutor. If he got stopped I KNOW he would have no problem. But what would my excuse be when a Trafico asks me what I think I am doing driving a vehicle with no pollution sticker on the wrong day of the week? I don't think "My friend said it would be OK" would get me very far.

Fortunately, a new highway called the Arco Norte (Northern Arch) is being built that will bypass Mexico City to the North and East. It will leave Highway 57 just South of Queretaro and will meet Highway 150D just East of Puebla (it will also continue to the West to provide a very nice bypass of the city). This will be a great relief to us because trying to find a way around Mexico City consumed a lot of our time last year.

The problem is finding out anything about the progress of this construction. It was suposed to be finished by April, 2009 but no one seems to be able to confirm this. There are some sections open and there are some nice photos of these sections on the internet. The problem is, these isolated sections end in the middle of nowhere with no easy way to get from one to another. I hope this highway will be completed by the time we need it this winter!

Glen from the Blog Palapa Life has provided a Link to a map of the new Arco Norte on Google Maps.

Passing Meetings II

One other chance meetings stands out in my mind. It was in Leon after we had spent the day wandering the Centro. We usually scout out all the restaurants during our walk and then decide which one we want to return to later. We found an interesting looking restored mansion with nice tables inside large open windows. We could eat inside but still be able to watch the action on the street.

We returned to this restaurant at around six and ordered dinner. As we were eating a distinguished looking gentleman sat in a booth across from us. He was soon joined by a couple more men and they drank coffee while enjoying a friendly conversation. After a while he ordered an interesting ice cream dish. We had finished our meal as well and had ordered coffee. I said to Norma that I would like to order the same dish if only I knew what it was called. The gentleman overheard me and asked in perfect English if he could order one for me. I thanked him and told him I would appreciate it very much.

When we finished and got up to leave we went over to his table to thank him again. His name was Salvador and it turned out that he was from Leon and had gone to the local university and got his Mechanical Engineering Degree. He then moved to Michigan where he worked in the auto industry for over thirty years. After he was "downsized" he returned to his beloved Mexico. The two friends with him (both named Juan) were childhood friends.

Salvador is able to live quite well in Leon on his pension and keeps occupied by playing in a small local jazz band. He is very friendly and reminded us very much of our old friend and colleague, Jim Fulton who was the NDP Member of Parliament and Norma's boss for many years in Terrace, BC where she worked as his Constituency Assistant.

We had a great conversation over a cup of coffee and we went away with a better understanding of the Mexican people. It was one of those chance encounters that stays with you.