We drove from Salmo to Castlegar yesterday, as we are slowly making our way west to Osoyoos.
Not a very long drive!
Yesterday's drive, 42 kms (26 miles).
First stop entering Castlegar was the visitors info center. We always stop in to get some tips on what to see and do in the area, as well as use the free wifi.
Getting some tips from Emmalee and Erin at the Castlegar Visitors Info Center.
Oops... caught Erin with her eyes closed!
We had some lunch there, and then walked over to the nearby Canadian Tire store. I wanted to see if they had a cover for our bicycles. And another lock. Two locks are better than one! So, we managed to get a thick cable lock to go with the thinner one we already had, but a guy with a good set of bolt cutters would probably still make pretty quick work of it. But, most thieves don't want to steal my bike... they just want to steal a bike. So the more difficult you make it for them, the better.
Canadian Tire didn't have a cover that was actually made for a bicycle carrier on the back of a motorhome. But, I came across one that is made for a scooter. Problem was, I wasn't positive if it would fit. And, they had several different sizes available. So, we went back to Sherman and did some measuring.
I walked back to Canadian Tire and bought the medium sized one. But, when I tried it out, I just couldn't get it to fit well enough that I was happy with it. I got half way back to the store when I thought that maybe I should try moving the bikes to a different configuration on the rack. That didn't work either. Anyhow, back to the store to exchange it for the next size up. This time (after three and a half trips to the store!) it fit well enough that I decided it would probably work.
Hm. Guess I'll have to figure a different place for Sherman's licence plate!
And, at $37 CAD ($29 USD), it didn't exactly break the bank. At that price, if it lasts for a year I'll be happy. The new lock was about $25. So now, a thief has to get the cover off to even see what he's stealing, then work his way through two locks and the carrier itself. Hopefully that is enough deterrent that he will go after somebody else's bike that is an easier target!
We drove over to the Brilliant Suspension Bridge, built by the Doukhobors in 1913.
We had never heard of the Doukhobors before. They are a group of Russian Christian Pacifists who emigrated to Canada in the late 1800's. Many settled in this region, and they built this bridge in 1913...
It took the Doukhobors only six months to build this bridge in 1913.
The new arch bridge was built in 1966.
We then drove up to the Verigin Memorial Park, a Doukhobor Heritage Site where some of the original emigrants are buried. Not many tourists visit here, as our young guide Adam told us. We were the 10th visitors yesterday, and it was near the end of the afternoon.
The grounds are immaculately kept by descendants of the original immigrants.
Lots of beautiful flowers.
And a great view!
We asked Adam if he thought we could stay overnight in their parking lot. He said "I don't see why not", and so we did!
Sherman, at GPS 49.319561, -117.631929
Photo taken this morning!
And then in the evening, we had a visitor. Fellow blogger Ivan was in the neighborhood and I emailed him our spot so he could stop by and say hello. Ivan's blog is here...
He parked his pickup truck and camper just off the the right of us, and came over for a chat. Ivan has the same camping style as us.... just find somewhere quiet to overnight!
Today, we've been invited to visit a couple who were on the February 2016 Mexico RV Caravan! Looking forward to seeing Jim and Betty again!
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Infrared Forehead Thermometer. On sale at a great price, plus there is a $3 off coupon available!
And in Canada...
Great information and pictures again! I must slow down and check out Castlegar a little closer next time instead of just driving through quickly as I have done many times over the years. I attended a "peace rally" at a Doukhabor cultural center in Grand Forks when I was in high school. Super nice people and interesting history in that area. They feed us all bortsch (beet soup) with homemade buns and sour cream. Off the hook best I've ever had. To this day I usually stop at the Olympic Hotel and get the Russian sampler plate. A little bit of everything and so good. Happy travels.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most of these little towns have some interesting history and scenery. It is a pretty spot to explore, hopefully you will make a little time for a stop next time you are in the area.
DeleteSounds like a delicious meal! :-)
Nice bike cover. When we had our bikes on the back I mounted our license plate on the ladder. Up there for 10 years and no issues with it there with light, we don't drive at night anyway.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, that sounds like a good idea; mount license plate on ladder. Where does the light at night come from, the tail light?
DeleteWhen we installed our extension on the back of our towable camper, we had to worry about that problem. Well, we didn't worry about it until another camper at a state park told us his story of woe about being stopped. But this is SC; other states may not be as picky.
Great covers for the bikes; less temptation if a potential thief can't see the expensive merchandise you have underneath. These were not cheap bikes (compared to Walmart bikes), so maybe your insurance on Sherman may cover them, a good reason to write down their serial numbers and put away for safe keeping.
I think that is exactly where Kevin will put ours as well. It is the easiest place to put it without having to actually drill holes into Sherman's back end. We don't drive at night either so not having the light on it won't be a problem for us either.
DeleteDee, I think that you need to have a license plate light over your license when driving at night so the numbers/letters can be visual to the vehicle behind or to police/emergency vehicles if necessary.
Are you planning to come into the Fraser Valley on this trip?
ReplyDeleteSome great hiking.......check out Mt Cheam.
Yes, we will be in that area between Abbotsford and Hope. The Mt. Cheam hike looks fantastic, except that I'm reading that the trailhead might not be suitable for Sherman...
DeleteWe found by adding a Bungee Cargo Net over our Bike Cover that we are looking at its third season. Definitely need the License Plate showing.
ReplyDeleteNice meeting up with Ivan and Hailey.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Kevin is moving the license plate this afternoon. We know that it definitely needs to be showing. :-)
DeleteIt nice to meet up with Ivan and Hailey and we did in fact meet Ivan at that first bloggerfest but we never got time to chat together so, this worked out well for us both.