A Day in the Life of a Gypsy: 8/15/10

To Hell and Back

August 21, 2010

My friend, Helen, my dog, TaZzi, and I had visited with friends at Boston Bar the day before we went to Hell. We journeyed along the Mighty Fraser River and crossed the gorge in the gondola you see in the pictures below. Hell's Gate is rumored to be nature at it's most magnificent. It is not just rumor. I found out this day and the next. You will find out why in my next blog.

It was TaZzi's 5th birthday and I was happy she was allowed to go. She was a bit skeptical of the gondola. It was very crowded. So was the other side. She didn't lighten up until she got her birthday present. A cone of vanilla ice cream. All the kids and some of the adults wanted to hold it for her to lick. I guess because it was so cute. She was so mannerly

After a refreshingly fabulous day of beauty, great food, and incredible memories, we headed for Hope River RV Park.

Parked by our RV was also this BC Railway Car...a nice touch.

Our yard....and no one was there so we had it all to ourselves; but for another couple. We shared wine and appetizer's with them.

TaZzi loved the swing...it really was her special day!

The Fraser Valley~Bridal Veil Falls

August 21, 2010

You never know what you'll run into on the way to a destination. We ran into Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park. It was a very scenic area in the Fraser Valley where visitors can enjoy picnicking, hiking, and viewing the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls, the sixth-highest waterfall in Canada.

Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park is located at the site of the ancient village of Popkum, which has settlement records dating back to the 1700s. Popkum is a First Nations word meaning puff ball, a plant which grows abundantly in the area. We didn't picnic but we certainly had a spectacular hike and view.

I didn't hike to Bridal Veil Falls; Helen did but I don't have her pictures. She said it was beautiful.

Helen, posing with a very friendly family we kept running in to.

Boston Bar & Baja Friends

August 21. 2010

From the Baja, I had known that friends, John and Georgie, lived in Boston Bar but I didn't know we were close to BB on our way to raft...So I gave them a call and they said "Come on Up". We did. We just stayed for a tour, to meet their daughter, have a cup of tea, for a look at their "museum-type" home, to hear some of his jokes (Helen hadn't heard them) and the best part....for the Salmon he had caught and said ... gee I'd give you this Salmon but the refrigerator in your RV probably isn't big enough. It was a big frozen salmon and of course my refrigerator couldn't have kept it frozen, but I said oh yes it is. A frozen salmon has to thaw, right. So we wrapped it in newspapers and towels and stuffed it in the bottom of the refrigerator. It took several days to thaw...wish I had pictures of all we did with that salmon. Best I'd ever had and I'm a connoisseur of salmon.

Every year John and Georgie have a Baja Reunion for their friends from Canada who also go to the Baja in the winter. We missed it but the signs were still up. People just come up in their RV's and camp on their huge property.

They said we were welcome to stay and camp at their place but we already had reservations for an RV Park a bit closer to the Frazer River. We stopped at The Charles Hotel. It is a popular rest stop for travelers headed to the Fraser Canyon...we stopped, we ate, we used their free wi-fi ... on our way to the Mighty Fraser to raft the next morning.

I took this picture because John was listed here as an employee of the Aerial Ferry. He had done that job for a very long time before retirement. I had never thought about what he'd done his entire life. No wonder he has so many stories in so many different dialects and such a sense of humor.

From Powell River to Vancouver

August 18, 2010

After visiting good friends. Althea and Brian in Powell River, B.C., I said 'so long' and headed to Vancouver airport to pick up my good friend, Helen, from Santa Cruz. Since I had to go through Gibsons, to catch the ferry to Vancouver, I decided to find Monty (Althea's son) and his wife, Stacy. Had a good 2-3 days with them and .... he loves to cook as much as his Mama....so he did. Had some fabulous meals and he gave me a first rate tour of the area.