The Road South: Smoke, Heat, a New Jeep and the Rockies

August 23 – Back to Alberta

After leaving Lady Evelyn Falls Territorial Park, we made one more stop in the Northwest Territories at Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park.

We had visited Louise Falls and Alexandra Falls the previous day, but this was our final chance to take in the area before officially leaving the NWT behind. Both waterfalls were impressive and made for a fitting conclusion to our northern adventure.

From there, we crossed back into Alberta and drove another hour and a half to Aspen Ridge Campground—the same campground where we had stayed just a week earlier.

This time we settled into Site 21.

It had been another smoky day, and as evening arrived, the haze created a beautiful smoky sunset. There was something strangely beautiful about the colours in the sky, even though we knew the smoke was not ideal for travelling or enjoying the outdoors.

That evening, we streamed the recording of Steve’s funeral.

It was a quiet and reflective end to the day.

August 24 – South to Grimshaw

We had a relaxed morning before pulling out around 11:00.

From Aspen Ridge, we drove about three hours south to Grimshaw and checked into Northern Timber RV Park.

The temperatures were back in the high 20s, and with the heat, we decided to skip cycling for the day.

Instead, June spent some time reading while I continued my ongoing battle with the dirt accumulated on the motorhome. I washed more of the exterior before eventually retreating inside to enjoy the air conditioning.

After all the heat, smoke and kilometres on the road, a quiet evening in the A/C was just fine.

August 25 – Back into British Columbia

We left Alberta this morning after filling up with what now seemed like incredibly cheap gas—$1.32 a litre!

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Crossing into British Columbia, we made a few practical stops at Walmart, Save-On and the Butcher Block before arriving at Northern Lights RV Park and setting up in Site 30.

June spent some time reading and later Skyped with Shelley.

I finally finished washing the motorhome and then joined June in relaxing with a good book.

It was another hot one, reaching 33 degrees in the afternoon.

Definitely an air-conditioning night!

August 26 – A Possible New Vehicle

The morning began on a more sombre note as we watched Grant’s funeral on Zoom.

Later, we got on the bikes and headed downtown.

Our first stop was the Ford dealership to look at the new Bronco. We had been interested in seeing one, but unfortunately, we found out the two-door version wouldn’t be available until next year.

So, we continued on to the Chrysler Jeep dealership.

That’s where things got interesting.

They had just received a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sport.

Orange and black.

Only 75,000 kilometres.

We took it out for a test drive and also drove a new black Jeep for comparison.

Later in the day, we made an offer of $18,500 for the used Wrangler.

They came back at $19,000.

We accepted.

The deal was pending one final inspection on Monday morning.

Our cycling for the day totalled about 15 kilometres, and as evening arrived, we were treated to a beautiful sunset and slightly cooler temperatures.

Maybe we were about to have a new addition to the family.

August 27 – Wind, Wind and More Wind

The forecast called for overcast skies and a chance of rain.

Fortunately, the rain never arrived.

The wind, however, certainly did.

We cycled down to No Frills and Home Hardware before heading back to the motorhome. It was only a seven-kilometre ride, but with gusts reaching around 40 km/h, it was enough!

Back home, we did a workout and spent the rest of the day taking it easy.

August 28 – Waiting and Windy

It was a nice day, but somehow even windier than the day before.

We worked out and spent a quiet day around the motorhome.

June also fixed Darlene’s necklace.

Meanwhile, we were waiting.

The Jeep still had to pass its inspection before the deal was final.

August 29 – Meet Harley!

The morning was spent waiting to hear whether the Jeep Wrangler had passed its inspection.

By 11:00, we had our answer.

It had passed.

The Jeep was ours!

We headed to the bank, made a quick stop at the butcher shop and then drove over to Inland Auto Centre to pick up our newest vehicle.

By around 2:00 in the afternoon, we were officially on the road.

June drove Juergen, our motorhome, while I took the wheel of the Jeep for the first 35 kilometres.

Then we switched.

It was definitely a different kind of travel day with two vehicles heading down the highway!

The drive over the Rockies wasn’t as windy as the previous few days, although the weather became overcast and drizzly as we got closer to Mackenzie.

Then, just as we were driving into town, I spotted a big black bear.

Not a bad welcome to Mackenzie!

And so our newest travelling companion officially joined the adventure.

Harley had arrived.

August 30 – From Mackenzie to Prince George

We woke up to sunshine in Mackenzie.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the town because we were back on the road by 11:00.

June drove Juergen while I drove Harley as we headed south toward Prince George.

After about two hours, we arrived at Hartway RV Park on the north end of Prince George and settled into Site 12.

Once we were set up, we got on the bikes for a nice 35-kilometre ride, including a stop at Save-On.

June did a workout afterward while I washed the motorhome windows and gave Harley a good cleaning as well.

The new Jeep was starting to look right at home.

August 31 – Cycling Down to the Fraser

We were back on the bikes by 10:30, hoping to get our ride in before the heat became too intense.

We cycled down toward the Fraser River—a fun seven-kilometre descent with about 200 metres of elevation loss.

Of course, what goes down must eventually come back up!

After returning from the river, we continued out along the same road we had ridden the previous day.

By the time we were finished, we’d covered 32 kilometres.

We squeezed in a mini workout before taking Harley on a shopping run to Costco, Canadian Tire and Home Hardware.

Later, we heard that a mother bear and her three cubs had been in the campground the night before.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t seen them.

That would have been quite the campground sighting!

September 1 – A Fast Ride and a Little Competition

The day started early with an 8:00 a.m. phone call with Gary Alexandra to discuss our finances.

We made a few small changes and set up a draw.

Later, while June had her telehealth appointment for her treatment program, I went grocery shopping.

Then it was time to ride.

We headed out for a 32-kilometre cycle, riding out the road and back.

We averaged an impressive 28.5 km/h.

June was apparently mad at me about something and took the lead!

Sometimes a little motivation—or irritation—can make for a very fast bike ride.

Afterward, we worked out and called it a day.

September 2 – Into the Mountains

We were out of the Prince George campground by 11:00.

After stopping for gas and visiting the insurance agent to add collision and comprehensive coverage to Harley, we headed east toward McBride.

We checked into Beaverview RV Park, beautifully located along the Fraser River between the Rocky Mountains and the Cariboo Mountains.

It was a stunning location.

The temperature reached 30 degrees, although thankfully we were able to find some shade.

We spent part of the afternoon working out and reading before enjoying a beautiful sunset.

After weeks of northern highways, wide-open country and long travel days, it was wonderful to be surrounded by mountains again.

September 3 – Hiking Paradise Trail

Another hot and very smoky day.

We decided to go for a short hike on the Paradise Trail, located on the other side of McBride.

The trail kept us mostly in the forest as we climbed approximately 350 metres over nearly three kilometres. We made it almost halfway along the trail before deciding to turn around.

The heat and smoke were simply too much.

Normally, we would have had views across the valley toward the Cariboo Mountains, but the smoke made that impossible. We could only see the faint outline of the mountains and the general shape of a glacier across the valley.

Still, we covered 5.75 kilometres in total.

But the best part of the outing happened before we even reached the trailhead.

A black bear ran across the road right in front of us!

Definitely the highlight of the day.

September 4 – Storms in McBride

The morning began overcast and drizzly.

Thankfully, the heat had finally broken, and temperatures were a much more comfortable low 20s.

We took things easy, walking around the campground before going for a drive along the valley.

There was less smoke than the previous day, but unfortunately, there were also more clouds. We caught occasional glimpses of the mountains but not the clear views we had hoped for.

June spent some time working on her beading, and we Skyped with Peter and Dianne for a while.

Then the weather changed dramatically.

A windstorm came through the area, bringing down trees and knocking out the power.

Thunder and lightning followed.

After the heat and smoke of the previous days, Mother Nature had certainly decided to change things up!

September 5 – East Toward Mount Robson

We woke up to a very windy campground after the previous night’s storm.

Around 10:00, we packed up and left.

After stopping for gas, we pointed Juergen and Harley east toward the Rockies.

Our next destination was Mount Robson.

The road was calling once again.