We like to take advantage of the perfect hiking weather, so that's exactly what we did!
We had been parked overnight at the trailhead of the "Balancing Rock" trail, so as soon as we were done morning computing, we set off to find the balancing rock.
It didn't take long to get a bit of a view...
The Creston Valley sure is beautiful.
Ruth, enjoying the view.
Looking down on the Creston Valley.
It was supposed to be only a 3 km (1.9 mile) round trip to the balancing rock, and back. But we had done almost half of that when we bumped into another couple coming the opposite way. They asked if we knew where the balancing rock was because they weren't able to find it.
Nope, we did some searching and we weren't able to find it either.
Lots of lush greenery.
On the way back, we remembered that we had walked by a huge boulder. We went for a closer inspection, and it turns out that this big boulder is in fact the balancing rock! You'd never know it without getting right up close to it though.
Ruth at the balancing rock.
You have to get down on your hands and knees to notice the "balancing" part of it!
Once you realize that you have to get on your hands and knees to get the correct perspective, it is kind of neat. One entire side of the boulder is not touching the ground, and it really looks like it should topple over that way.
Another beautiful view.
When we made it back to Sherman, we decided to carry on to the town of Salmo (pop 1,150). To do that, we had to drive through a mountain pass where the elevation brought us up to about 5,500 ft, and then back down to 2,200 ft on the other side.
Heading up the mountain pass we saw some small forest fires.
This one is a little bigger!
Right by the side of the road!
Still heading up hill.
And now, we get to go down the other side.
We went 16 kms (10 miles) down the other side of the hill without ever touching the gas pedal! There were quite a few steep sections, and several times I had Sherman in first gear with the four way flashers on. A big semi truck with a full load was right in front of me, and he was letting the engine do the braking as well. That is the proper way to do mountain driving in an RV.
Yesterday's drive, 84 kms (52 miles).
Salmo is a neat little town to wander around.
We stopped in a small bicycle shop where I bought some new pedals for my bike. Not bad, for $19 CAD plus tax. I'll get them changed today before we do any more riding. The guy in the shop said there are some mountain bike trails at the ski hill, and I had actually thought about heading up there to park for the night. Ski hills often have large parking lots that are generally empty at this time of year.
We walked over to the municipal campground here at Salmo. It's a nice enough spot, and priced not too badly at $15 CAD ($12 USD) per night with no services.
However, there were two rigs already there, and one with it's generator already generating noise. One of the rigs looked like it had been there for a while.
We decided to head up to the ski hill.
Salmo has several rock wall murals.
This one is of a couple of lumberjacks sawing a tree.
The Salmo Hotel.
We went up to the Salmo Ski Hill, and knew right away it would be a perfect spot for overnighting. A few mountain bikers came and went in the evening, and a couple of dog walkers, but once it got dark it was totally quiet.
Sherman, parked at the Salmo Ski Hill
GPS 49.186394, -117.30037
Today, we're heading west to Castlegar.
Oh, I meant to mention... on Wednesday around noon, I had ordered the new control arms for Sherman. They were delivered to the mechanic shop in Oroville, Washington just after lunch on Thursday! Amazon U.S. is so efficient it's amazing! I wish we could get the same service and pricing here in Canada! (They were going to take three to four weeks in Canada, and almost double the price!)
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Great price on the Cosco 4ft Folding Camp Table. Orange color only at this price...
And in Canada...
The beautiful Creston Valley is where I learned that duck hunting was not my thing! Stood there in my waders up to my butt in loon crap catching a pnumonia trying to retrieve a Mallard… Awesome pictures as usual!
ReplyDeleteIt is a beautiful area and I think I would give up hunting ducks too if I had to put up with what you did, it just doesn't sound like fun.
DeleteWe get pretty good service with amazon prime, even on the island we always get it within the timeframe they promise unless it is shipped from somewhere other than an amazon warehouse. Glad they showed up!
ReplyDeleteI think if you are in more major area the service will be quicker but I bet the prices still aren't as good at they get in the States?! ;-)
DeleteWow! That's quick shipping. I get stuff sent to Oroville (Beta's services) all the time for 4 dollars receiving fee as do many other Canadians around here. Much cheaper , quicker and better selection. Welcome (almost) to the South Okanagan! I just would recommend possibly on your way, Greenwood. A nice little town for a visit and RVFT with free camping by the river right in Town. Lots of history too! Have fun in Oroville getting Sherman fixed up. Make sure you visit the Taco truck! Actually 2 or 3 in Oroville now and Rancho Grande Mexican restaurant if you really want to go for it. Nice kayaking as well in Veterans memorial park day use area in the oxbows at the south end of Osoyoos lake. Don't forget to bring back your maximum of duty free or cheap beer and wine as well. Also you can check Aikens market and Frontier foods online flyer to see the weekly specials. How's the propane tank? Is it on E yet? Please stop by and say Hi and fill it up anytime at OK Car Wash in Oliver BC about 15 minutes north of Osoyoos. Not sure when you are in the area and I will be closed Sunday and holiday Monday. So tomorrow or Tues/Wed 8:30-5:30 I'm here. Sorry I golf Thursdays. Don't I ever work? HAha. Stop by one of those days and you will really save some money on a tank fill! Cheers.
ReplyDeleteKevin was very impressed with the fast delivery time!
DeleteThat is one of the nice benefits of living so close to the US border. I bet a lot of people in this area take advantage of the close proximity of the border for their shopping.
Thanks for the tips on things to do in Oroville, it will keep us busy while Sherman is being worked on.
Don't worry we haven't forgotten your kind offer to fill up our propane tank. We will be by there sometime soon. We will keep in mind that you are closed Sunday and Monday and off on Thursday. :-)
Came down the Espinazo de Diablo en Durango en first gear most of the way. Sure saves your brakes from burning up.
ReplyDeleteThat is the right way to do it! :-)
DeleteNice that you found the balancing rock and got a picture of too. Good luck with Shermans repair.
ReplyDeleteWe had a nice hike, not quite what we were expecting to see with the balancing rock, though.
DeleteGreat scenery and in the end, a balanced rock:)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful scenery indeed!
DeleteThat was part of the problem, the "balanced rock" wasn't at the end of the trail. It was only after looking all around at the end of the trail for this rock that we decided to turn around and go back. As we headed back on the trail we came up to the big rock and had a closer look it was only then that we realized this is the rock they were talking about. It wasn't at the end of the trail at all. I think they should maybe put a sign up at the rock so that you know otherwise most people would just walk right by it, like we did on our way there.
So pretty. Hope to see it one day. We start travelling next year.
ReplyDeleteWe hope that you can see it one day too! I bet you are getting pretty excited for next year. :-)
DeleteGreat hike and glad you found the balancing rock. We love Salmo great town. Drive safe
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a great hike but it was a good one. We are glad that we finally figured out that the big rock was indeed the balancing rock, it certainly isn't what we were expecting though.
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