A Quick Annual Trip

A few family members and I took a quick road trip to visit my niece.  We had a lovely time and took her to lunch, a movie and dinner as well as had a nice visit and delivered presents. My niece didn't let me forget any of  my promises right down to the popcorn at the movies and the hot chocolate before taking her home. She is so cute and we had a brief but loving visit with her.

We rushed back to Vancouver Saturday to try and avoid the snow that was forecast for the mountain highway. I was very pleased that we beat all the bad weather and traffic though we certainly saw a lot of traffic heading north. We made a stop at Harrison Hot Springs to try and find eagles that were resting there before making their annual migration but we didn't find any. Along the highway two passed us in flight overhead and I spotted one young one (at least 5 years old because it had a white head but it's body was small) perched on a tree as we rode over a bridge. I couldn't get a photo.

Since there were no eagles to be found we stopped at Wal-mart in Chilliwack. It was super busy with long line ups at the cashiers in all lanes including express lane check out. Even the self-service aisles were full which is saying a lot because Canadians really dislike self-service as a check out option.   My companions decided to skip shopping but I didn't know that so I wandered about buying a few groceries. Fortunately the express lane I was in was moving along quickly.

I stayed at the Thompson Hotel downtown and it was the first time I've stayed there. I enjoyed my short stay. All the staff was friendly.  My room was quiet and the bed was comfy. It was a bit cold overnight and the shower wasn't very hot but it was good enough.  I could have adjusted the heating but I was too lazy to figure it out.  I was disappointed that the pool and hot tub were not functioning but there is nothing the hotel can do about a pipe problem except to fix it. The breakfast was very satisfactory.  I would stay at the hotel again if the price was right but I do also like to check out different hotels.

Over the years I've stayed at 6  different hotels and 4 motels In Kamloops. I prefer several of the hotels (Sheraton Four Points, Holiday Inn on the North Shore, Pacific Inn & Suites and the Thompson) and have stayed at the first 3 on several occasions each. I would not recommend other hotels (unnamed) I've stayed in because of cramped rooms, dark rooms, poor breakfast set up or bit sketchy area. I also recommend the Fortune Motel on the North Shore.  It is very clean and roomy and they have a rudimentary kitchen set up if you like or need to cook or have snacks that need refrigeration. You need to specify that you want a kitchenette or you will get a standard room. They also have a swimming pool though I haven't used it.  Across the busy street you will find a small mall with a full scale grocery story, fast food,banking and so on. The only drawback is it is on a busy street though after hours the traffic is really not that bad. You can ask for a room facing toward the mountains and you should be fine. Also the motel is a cinder block motel just in case that is important information to you.

 

A nice breakfast was included in the room cost.  Sausages, scrambled eggs, waffles, cold cereals, various breads and muffins, yogurts, fresh fruit, juices, water, coffee and tea were all on offer.

I took my swimming suit but unfortunately a pipe had burst in the hotel's new pool area so it was not usable while I was there. I can't count the number of times this has happened to me while visiting various cities and towns. I wasn't too upset though as it allowed me to get more sleep before breakfast.

My view looked out over the parking lot, the shopping mall, the bus transit area and the industrial park and mountains beyond. The last several years these mountains had snow on them and there was lots of snow in the valley. This year there is none but that can change rather quickly. The first year I spent in Kamloops the snow didn't fall until December 24th on Christmas Eve.

The residential development on the mountains is located on Indian Reserve lands. There is a wonderful view of the city from up the hill.

Sorry for the blurred photos.
You can see how the weather changes dramatically.
All the snow you see is less than an hour south of Kamloops.

Linking in with

Our World Tuesday this week.

Enjoy your Christmas holidays.
 

On the Road Again

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends

And I can't wait to get on the road again

"On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson

Another whirl wind trip has been completed.
I got home very late on Wednesday and was quite tired but had some missions business to attend to in Kenya.

That done, I tried to do a number of things: call my mom to let her know I arrived safely home, partially knit a new dishcloth, view & cull  trip photos and prepare this post.
I thought it would be nice to share a lot more photos this time of the road trip especially since the weather was quite variable throughout.


I'm not sure what happened but it took several tries before the mosaics were successfully saved.

Starting out in Vancouver it was raining. I didn't start taking photos until almost in Chilliwack. Here is a map just to help situate you if you are not so familiar with the Province of British Columbia.

 A map is always nice to situate oneself. We travelled from Vancouver through Burnaby, Surrey, Chilliwack, Hope, Merritt and Kamloops (Merritt is located just south of where it says Logan Lake).
Clicking on the collages/mosaics will enlarge them a bit.

Highway & weather between Vancouver and Hope

The weather conditions in both directions was much the same each way; raining in the Lower Mainland and 

scattered cloud in the Interior. 

The gusts of wind were quite chilly. Most definitely not like the past few months.

Highway and weather between Merritt and Kamloops

A small group of 5 enjoyed a combination of Chinese cuisine topped off with sodas and white cake as per my mother's favourite cake. It was all quite the starch overload today. 

I compensated by having water and a chicken Caesar Salad for dinner as well as the requisite road beverage, coffee!

The tops, skirt and care package here were all gratefully received but the telephone has to be exchanged since the new set didn't have clips to attach to clothing.

As always I managed to tidy the dresser drawers and closet, cull the clothing and put away all food snacks.
It is always a quick journey requiring days of preparation to make sure everything is done just right.
This trip went very smoothly and enjoyably.

I hope your week is going well.

Skywatch Friday

and
Mosaic Monday

Travels in Beautiful BC and Kenya

Hi everyone,

I trust you all had a great weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. I have a little of this and that to share with you today. It has been a busy time in so many ways.

My niece was here visiting me in Vancouver, British Columbia, all last week.  We had a very nice visit together and managed to make it out to a few scenic spots in town where we enjoyed the scenery and beaches, went to the movies, visited her brother and had a small birthday party with pizza and cake. She always looks forward to the birthday cake.

Downtown in the West end of Vancouver near Davie St.& Beach Ave. People everywhere were enjoying ice cream. There was a nice breeze at the beach.

A view from the beach to the west. There are ships and sailboats everywhere!

The Honda barge being readied for the Celebration of Lights (Fireworks) competition which begins July 25/15.

 Saturday we travelled home together and I had a chance to visit with my mom for a few hours too.

On my last visit with mom I took her one full slip but she needed a few more. I finally got around to making them and two long flowing dresses last week (I didn't get any good photos).  These will take her through the Summer and into the Fall seasons though I will probably make her another dress and a few more slips before winter arrives.

 We also took her a mini CD player. It was hard to find one that was just the right size and which came with a remote control. My brother finally went across the border to Bellingham, Washington to find one.

On the map you can see Bellingham in relation to Vancouver, and also Kamloops to the north where we travelled on Saturday.

The skies were overcast and very gray when we started our journey.  Our final destination was Kamloops which takes between 4-5 hours driving one way (this includes restroom stops and lunch or dinner stops).
The temperature was about 24 degrees Celsius on departure.   By late afternoon in Kamloops the temperature had soared to 34 degrees Celsius.

I'm posting a few scenic photos taken from the moving car. We travelled on the Coquihalla Highway

Big farm and silos in Chilliwack.

 I've posted scenes of this route before in several other posts.

 I always find the scenery very beautiful and ever changing depending on light of day and the seasons of the year.

Cornfields of Chilliwack. Hot weather is playing havoc with this year's crops.

Rocky mountain and babbling brook between the City of Chilliwack and the town of Hope.

Getting close to the town of Merritt. The landscape changes to sand and desert spaces.

Leaving Merritt and a view of the lake to the east.

Getting closer to Kamloops

The descent into Kamloops

View to the north.  I brightened this photo a bit so you can see the town better.

I took a few photos of the flora and fauna along the way. I think this photo was taken between Merritt and Kamloops.

This is actually a view from the mountains on the highway travelling south to Vancouver just after dusk.

While I was travelling a few hours north to see my mom,  one of my Kenyan friends was also travelling north in Kenya.

This was Jonah's monthly missions trip to the Pokot people.

The volunteer missions team makes a quick weekend trip to these people in the very dry desert area of Kenya.
It takes about 12 hours one way travelling from Kericho to Marsabit area.

I found a map which doesn't have too many places marked on it so you can easily find the start of the route and the destination.

The drought in northern Kenya is very bad this year and the people are very hungry. 

 I am sharing these photos and a short video in hopes some of my readers will feel inspired to help with the regular missions to these dear ones in Pokot country.

This video of the women singing and dancing really touched me.
I know the harsh conditions they live in and yet they can sing and dance in the sweltering heat.

Photo & Video Credits: Pokot photos & video by Jonah, Kenya Missions of Hope

Joining in with Lady Fi and others at Our World Tuesday

Thank you for your visit.

As always I love receiving your comments or hearing from you about the missions.x

 ~~~~~~

If you can help, kindly send your donations via Pay Pal to kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com 

 You can write also write me at the same address if you have any questions,
or if you have any problems viewing the video.

Look What the Last Day of March 2015 Brings

The day was not bad as we made our way out of the city in the early morning about 7:00 a.m.  The weather forecast for Vancouver today was heavy rain and thunder.  I was glad it wasn't raining when we left.

In the photo above and below we are travelling over the new Port Mann Bridge. Every time you cross the bridge you must pay a toll fee of about $3.00 each way (more if you take longer than 7 days to pay).  Unlike New York and many other states, you do not stop and pay the fee at the bridge. Instead you pay on line or by cheque. Tourists must also pay.  There are a few exemptions such as emergency vehicles, public transport vehicles, taxis and people with proof of disabilities.

As we head in an easterly direction it looks quite cloudy.

Passing through the City of Chilliwack (photo below) you can see all the water pooling in the farm fields.

We've been getting a lot of rain for well over a week.

A nice rainbow came out as we stopped in Chilliwack for gas.

About a half hour later, the snow started flying. You can see it all over the windshield of the vehicle.

This next photo (below) is near the peak of the mountains on the Coquihalla Highway.

It was very foggy in parts and quite gray in the sky.

I snapped some photos of the trees and road banks just to show how much snow had fallen in a short space of time.

Another 45 minutes drive to the north and we are nearing the town of Merritt, BC.

The sky is spectacular but I see in the forecast that they are expecting snow tonight.

We descend the mountain into Merritt (photo below) where we will make a quick coffee stop.

On the north side of Merritt, we reach what is often referred to as the "Second Summit".  Here you will run into bad weather once again. In winter it is usually very icy, or snowy,  or both.  Today it was snowy and wet.

From this point we are about 40 minutes away from Kamloops, our ultimate destination.

You can see the road sign warning of sudden weather changes.

In this last photo we are descending another mountain into the City of Kamloops.

I made this trip to take my mom for a medical appointment.  Actually I was planning on visiting anyway but when I got the call about the medical appointment, I had to visit on this particular day.  I've been doing a spot of sewing frr mom so delivered some of the new items.  Whenever I visit I always try to make some sense and order out of her wardrobe as staff make a jumble of all her clothing. I also cleared out some of the items I don't think she has been wearing to make room for things to hang properly.

My brother joined me and was there to visit with mom and to touch bases with a few other people while I went to the medical appointment with mom.

The drive back to Vancouver was much of the same weather and we stopped for more gas and a wee bit of shopping before getting home about 10:3 p.m.

It is always good to see mom but it is also good to get home after a long day!

I hope you had a good last day of March 2015 for we won't see it again.

Thanks for visiting!