Free RV Camping, New Window Visors, Paddling & Big Horn Sheep

Hi everybody! So it's a Friday, the last day of May, May 31st, and we are currently driving just past Pemberton on our way up to the canyons once again, actually. But we're taking a different route today. We took Highway 99 instead of Highway 1, so we're getting completely different scenery, which is nice, and it's a beautiful day. Very hot, 33 degrees, so it's going to be a nice weekend. We're kind of winging it. We don't know where we're going to stay, even tonight actually, and we don't know what we'll do the second night as well. We're heading up to the Fraser Canyon area. We really enjoyed it there a few weeks ago. Last week we actually took a break from van travel and did a nice hike about halfway between Whistler and Squamish, so Garibaldi Park area. We went in, hiked up for a couple hours through the forest, then got up into the snow, got up to an area called Taylor Meadows, where the snow is still a meter deep. Which sounds like a lot, but it's actually quite a bit less than normal for this time of year. And had a nice lunch in a meadow. What was really nice actually was the fact that with the warm weather, because it was probably 25 when we were there sitting in the snow, a lot of the snow is melting and the creeks are running, so we got some beautiful views of water and waterfalls. It was just really nice. It was a great hike. And now we're back here heading out to the Fraser Canyon, going through the beautiful valley here in Everton, which is just gorgeous. Along this highway there are four rec sites. The first one is Rogers Creek. The second one is God Creek. We stayed there before. The one we just saw was Cottonwood. And then the last one was Cinnamon. So I think that's it. I think there's four. So a lot to choose from. We have to say, this is a really spectacular drive between Pemberton and Lillooet. Each time we come here... Windy though. Yeah, the road's really windy. And you have to go very slowly, so if you're in a hurry, this isn't the route to take. But if you have time and you want to enjoy the views, it's really worthwhile. We found a spot. It's actually not bad. There's still quite a few available still. Had to move that branch out of the way so that Gordon could back in. Nice spot. Could have gone over there too, but it's right next to the washroom, so I think this is fine. You can hear the creek. And the great part about it is this campground is free. You do have to register, but... Since it's so hot today, even though there's a nice breeze, I didn't really want to cook anything. So we're just having a simple. Gordon with the salad and I've just got a wrap. A bunch of vegetables and tofurkey deli slices for me. Well, good morning. It's a little after 6.30 in the morning. I'm heading out for a paddle at the lake. I came up here last night. Got some nice shots of the sunset. Just heading up to the upper bench. Then you have to head down back to the lake. So it's about maybe one and a half kilometers from our campsite. So a good way to start the morning. Do a little bit of a paddle. Then I'll come back, maybe I'll have breakfast. Then we'll have to decide if we're going to stay here another day. Or if we're going to move farther up the canyon. Beautiful morning. What was really nice is that last night the temperature only got down to about maybe 21. So that's rare for us. If we were on the coast, it would be down closer to 14, 15. So a nice warm evening, which is so rare. At least where we're from. Anyway, beautiful morning. Looking forward to a paddle. Once I get up this hill. Part of the water from the electrical generation. There are a number of generating stations in the Seton Dam. I think the Seton Lake is actually a dammed lake. Then there's power generation back there. That's why the water is coming through here. Well that part was unexpected. But the lake is actually fairly warm. What a gorgeous morning. Gorgeous spot up here on the rock overlooking the lake. And a gorgeous way to start your day with an impromptu bath. Time to head back. She's probably getting a little bit worried. And I'm getting kind of hungry. Ah, the home fires are burning. Not really. I'm back. I was starting to worry just a little bit. I went quite a ways down the lake. And I got a little wet. But that's part of the thing about paddling. It was great. It was just gorgeous. After a pretty relaxing morning, we're just going to do a little walk around the trail here. Old Rush Trail just behind the nice outhouses. This is actually a great campground. Because it's free, first of all. But it also has pretty good services. There's no flush toilets or showers or anything. But the outhouses are very clean and stocked with toilet paper. And you do have water and garbage as well. So, yeah, it's really nice. And a nice water feature nearby the river. And a nice trail system. So, yeah, free camping. Campy beat. Plus we don't have to rush out to check out at a certain time. Exploring the road on the other side of the bridge. Yeah, and there's a trail actually on the other side of the river. So we'll try that. Not allowed to camp or picnic out here. I think it all belongs to BC Hydro. The kind host for our free campground. We're dressed like twins today. I don't have a pink shirt, though. Yeah, we like our bug shirts, actually. They're really good. I think they also have SPF. And they have good pockets. Good for tick areas. So we're starting to see the buildings in Lillooet. As we walk along the road. It's probably, like, what? Three, five kilometers away? Yeah, we're just saying that this might be a nice bike ride into town from the campground. But we don't know, actually, where it comes out. So we'll probably check it out on Google Earth at some point. But yeah, if we had bikes, it would be nice to just ride down here and see where it comes out. If it comes out more Lillooet, it would be a great way to get from the campground to town. We're on a trail that's on the other side of the river from our campground. We don't know where it goes. It doesn't show up on a map, but it's obviously well used. But it's just literally on the opposite side of the Gold Rush Trail. So it's kind of nice. And it's not something that's marked in the park. So you just have to sort of explore. If you're ever in this park, you can try the Gold Rush Trail. Walk to, effectively, the bridge crossing. You'll see a pathway that Hydro has. Cross over and head up this side. Every new place we go, we feel like we only scratch the surface of what's there to do and see. And so this is our second time in Lillooet. Camping here at the Seton BC Hydro campground. We didn't even know these trails existed. It's fun to explore, for sure. We always get to see new things. There seems to be a trail going up. So, of course, Gordon wants to go up and explore. Just a little ways, just to see what's up here. We've discovered, as Gordon put it, a well-used hiking trail. Very pretty in here. We're across the way from the hydroelectric facility. Gordon thinks this is private property. Yeah, there's a sign down there, an old sign. So it's too bad. This is a gorgeous... Let's go up, really, up the canyon. I have no idea, but I suspect there's a waterfall or two and some nice things up this way. But it does say private property, so we're going to stop and turn around. We're not really geared up for anything serious, anyway. We're in sandals. We're out for a walk. We're going to get a bit more of a hike. That's what happens when you explore. You don't know what you're going to end up with. Going for a walk this morning that ended up being about two hours and about nine kilometers. But we got to explore some of the trails along the river, on the other side of the river, the waterway. It was a lot of fun. And we're just having lunch now and a little bit of beer to celebrate, I guess, technically... Beyond Meat Burgers. Yeah, Beyond Meat Burgers, which look like real meat, but they're not. I like ketchup on my burgers because I grew up in Chicago. I don't like ketchup on my burgers, and I didn't grow up in Chicago. It looks pretty meaty. Almost like a salmon burger consistency. Not quite like a beef burger. A very nice craft beer. Summer Brewing of Vancouver. Somebody's hungry. Are you hungry? Yeah? I'll give you some food. Yeah. Here's some fresh stuff. Here you go. There you go. Go ahead. Some water for you. It's very hot, and we don't want you to get all dehydrated. Just put our bug screen in the back, and you can see that way we get a breeze coming through here, out the side door. All it does is keep the temperature of the van, basically the temperature outside, which is getting close to 32 degrees, but it's still cooler. Unfortunately, our spot now is in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. So on the front, we've got reflectance in the window, so it shouldn't get any warmer. And we're picking up lots of free solar. So one of the things that we added this trip was these, actually, vent inserts. And they fit in the cab windows, both to the driver and the passenger side. And you can see they actually have, like, a mosquito screen. So it's an additional way to put in your window, have your window up, still have the secure locked door, but allow air to come in either in the evening, or if you go out during the day, you don't have to worry if it starts to rain, and you've left the two front cab windows open. So you have to be really careful, though, when you insert them, to make sure that that gap actually fits directly on the window. If you're not perfect, it won't really cause a big problem, but it kind of gets jammed in. Ideally, you just want to make sure the glass sits on top. I'll show you what the passenger window one looks like when it's put in place. Okay, you can see what this one looks like installed. You can see where the glass comes up, and then it just fits right in. You can see how it sits in from the inside. This window, literally, you can see the window has slid out, and this has just stayed in place. So ideally, you just want to insert it like this, and then very carefully, normally what I will do is I will actually, it's hard to do because I'm doing this one-handed right now, just make sure that it sits right on the window perfectly. So you want to get that little gap. Here it's not hitting quite right there. Easier to do it a little lower. There you go. There. You can even feel on the other side to make sure it's inserted. Once you've got it in, lift the window up slowly. There we go. Now you've got the air that can come in, mosquito screen, and if it rains, it's not an issue. As a kid, we used to put all our meals in tinfoil and then throw them in a fire. So we're trying something similar but in our backpack grill. We'll let you know how it turns out. It smells good. Wow, perfectly done. Maybe a little overcooked on the edges, but otherwise pretty good. This is something we did when I was in Cub Scout. So that was, you can probably guess, a few years ago. Tofu and the salmon. It was a success. We finished everything. Well, except for the odd little, there's a couple pieces but not very many, like two or three, and the rest was great. Very tasty. Yeah, so I think we'll adjust to 15 minutes next time. Yeah, maybe 18, something like that. And look at our view. Pretty spectacular. Making s'mores. This is from my childhood memory from camp. S'mores. Chocolate marshmallow. Chocolate. Mickey pointed out that you want the marshmallow hot enough that it melts the chocolate. And gooey enough to get your fingers sticky. And your mouth. ♪♪♪ Good morning, everyone. So we had a great stay at the BC Hydro Seton Campground in Little Wet. We were actually only going to stay one night and then carry on to another spot that we're going to go by today. But it's just so nice there with the weather, the campsites, the places you can walk, paddling. It's just great. I could go back there and spend five days. We came up with a return route, which should be interesting. So it'll take us places where we haven't been. And first of all, we're going to head over to Cache Creek on Highway 99, which we're doing right now. And we have done this before. But from Cache Creek, we're going to take Highway 1 and then Highway 8 down to Merritt. And then we're going to take the Coquihalla Highway back, which is a lot faster for us. So enjoy the ride with us. We're at Spencer's Bridge over Thompson River. Here's our lunch spot. I think the reason why we came this way through Coquihalla is to get more vegetarian samosas, homemade at the Britton Creek Rest Stop. And Gordon wolfed down his hot dog. I was hungry. Thanks for joining us on our journey this weekend. If you enjoyed our video, please be sure to give us a thumbs up. And if you haven't subscribed, please do so. We'll see you next time. Bye.