Kamloops to Abbotsford

With only a short drive of approximately 3 hours, we had a casual breakfast with Cliff and Edith and then headed out on the last leg of this journey across the country. This is a view of their home in Kamloops.

This is a view of the Kamloops area as we climb the hill towards the Coquihalla Highway. 

The Coquihalla Highway from Kamloops to Hope. Legal speed limit 120kms/hr.

Descending down the hill towards Merritt, BC. 

Our first glimpse of the Cascade Mountains.

We enjoyed the many flowering plants beside the highway and at the rest area such as these Lupin. 

The Coquihalla Pass at 1244 meters, then a right turn between those two mountains followed by a long steep decent into Hope.

Our usual stop in Hope, BC, is at the Blue Moose cafe and coffee house at 322 Wallace Street. Very nice assortment of sandwiches and buns. Some are already made others are made to order. Never a disappointment. 

Having a chat with the owner, Wes Bergmann, who also happens to be my 1st cousin.

Across the street from the Blue Moose there are a number of large wooden carvings. (spot Marley?)

After a good lunch and great chat we left for the final section of our trip, non-stop Hope to Abbotsford.

The trip is done! 
9878.2 km from door to door.

Marley's first visit to 2605 Springhill Street! 

And with that the blog ends. Thanks for coming along for the adventure.

Calgary to Kamloops

We had another long driving day ahead of us so we once again were on the road by 9am from Calgary headed to Kamloops. As we left Calgary we passed by the old Olympic site on the West end of Calgary.

Heading out of Calgary it doesn't take long and you see the mountains on the horizon.

And soon you are driving along the Bow river with the mountains "growing" all around you.

Always majestic and even more so on a clear day!

Welcome to British Columbia, the 10th province we have visited on this trip.

Once we were though the passes and the national parks of Banff, Yoho and Revelstoke, we enter the Shuswap lake area and its' many towns. As we got closer to Kamloops the temperature started to climb as well. By the time we arrive in Kamloops it was 29C.

Marley 'helping' Edith and Cliff Janzen make dinner. We stay with Cliff and Edith for the night and enjoyed a wonderful dinner, breakfast and visit! They just moved here from Medicine Hat in April but it seemed like they were already settled in and enjoying this new adventure.

Lucy visiting with Cliff and Edith and watching as they prepared oatmeal, fruit and toast for breakfast.


This was only a one night stop for us because we plan to drive our final 3 hours of the trip tomorrow. There was no rush in the morning to leave but we did hope to beat the mid-day heat so we left by 10:30.

Saskatoon to Calgary

As this was going to be a long driving day we decided to leave Borden by 9am. On the way out we passed by the picturesque, abandoned Borden bridge.

When we reached the Alberta border we had lunch at the rest area in the town or Alsask. (right on the border)

The crops seemed more mature in Alberta as shown by this field of Canola.



The trip took us about 7 1/2 hours. And the closer we got to Calgary the warmer it got. We arrived with 28C temperatures.

We stayed with Norm and Dana Rempel in Calgary. (Dana is Lucy's niece) They had to go out for a bit so we had some fun with Marley around the house.

Besides Marley this shows Norm's amazing workmanship on the stove range hood.

Spending some time on the back deck. This sort of looks into the dining area. Dana designed the house and Norm built it.

The old with the new. The house is very modern but has some beautiful antique furniture as accents. (spot Marley?)

The dining room table with the view looking back outside at the deck.

Dana and Norm Rempel by the old windmill wheel.

Lucy and her niece Dana.






We spent two nights with Norm and Dana. We had dinner with them and Dana's sister Carla joined us. We slept well both nights and then headed out early in the morning for Kamloops.

Borden

We left Sasktoon early for Warman. We had arranged to meet a friend of ours at Tim Horton's in Warman at 10:30. 

 Lucy with our friend Angie Boldt. She met us to receive a parcel that Carman had sent along for her. That parcel traveled many miles and was still on one piece.

After our stop in Warman we decided to go to Osler to try and fine Lucy's grand nephew Tyler and our friend Melissa Enns; both of them teach at the Valley Christian Academy.

We asked for directions at the local service station and quickly found our way to the school. After inquiring at the reception desk we were directed to the two class rooms where Tyler and Melissa teach.
We found both of them and surprised them. It was great to see them both so happy in their place of work.

Once we had finished with our visit to the Academy we decided to have perogies and farmer sausage at the Osler Restaurant (there is only one restaurant in Osler).

We then decided to go to Borden by way of Waldheim, the Petrofka Bridge and the back grid roads past the old Borden church and cemetery.

The route also took us past this old abandoned Catholic church beside the grid road.

A peek through the Borden cemetery Caragana hedge looking out over the adjacent prairie fields.

The old Bordon Church (turned private residence) where Lucy and I were married 45 years ago.

The grid road looking south from the church towards the old homestead.

We made a quick stop at Darrel and Kathy's farm. It is across from the old Borden cemetery. (Darrel is Lucy's nephew)

We drove down this dirt, rutted driveway to the old homestead where Lucy grew up. It was a bit of a disappointment for her to see it in such disrepair. 

In Borden we stayed with Lucy's niece Charmaine and Bill. This is their daughter Chelsey and her husband Kelly. (and the dog Loki)

It was a beautiful morning to have coffee and breakfast on Bill and Charmaine's patio deck.

I always enjoy their beautiful house with its view of the prairie.

Bill and Charmaine Golding.

We made a trip out to the Saskatoon Berry Farm which is on the shores of the Saskatchewan river. Its a beautiful setting and it's great to walk around on the paths and sniff through the gift shop.

The farm is beautifully decorated with flowers and shrubs. It's a popular location for a wedding.

Looking through the grape arbour towards the river.

While in the gift shop we bumped into Tyler Golding (Lucy's grand nephew) and his friends. They were having fun with this wooden train set.

We stayed in Borden for two nights and then headed diagonally across the province to Calgary.