This
story starts with our camping trip. We
ended up leaving Calgary very late Thursday night. We made it to Golden with relative ease, and
the RV was doing great. We parked/slept
at the Husky there in Golden. In the
morning we got up and had breakfast in the restaurant. At the table next to us was a very “chatty
Cathy” and invited us to join her and her husband for breakfast. So we did.
It was a talkative and fun breakfast.
The remaining portion of the drive was relatively uneventful. We were very please on how the RV did in
getting there. We got to the campground
a little ahead of our camping counterparts L&D, so we got parked in the
back of the spot and unloaded but not set up as we weren’t sure if we needed to
move once L&D got there.
The
weekend was a great one. There was lots
of great food (some healthy, some, not so much). L&D have a boat that has a motor, so
being on the lake was great, as they towed us around the lake. Me being me, I was a bit chilly and didn’t
partake in the swimming aspect of the lake, but still had fun while out
there. Now that Deb has experiences the
easy and pleasure of just letting a motor do the work, we are going do look for
a “trolling” motor to attach to our blow up raft. I don’t know what that is, but I’m up for it,
for when we go down the river, so Deb gets to be as relaxed as I am.
We
played some board games and sat around the propane campfire, provided by
L&D, and had a relaxing weekend; lots of fun. I’m still on the debate of propane versus
wood fire and which is better, but it was nice to have instant on and instant
off, without reeking of smoke.
Monday
morning L&D left a little before we did.
But we also got a quick depart for about 7:30. We wanted to make sure we didn’t have a long
wait for the Ferry, which was about 40 minutes away, we had to catch. We decided even to empty our grey/black water
tanks in Revelstoke, after the Ferry, instead of Nakusp. We were in a good place in the line up for
the Ferry to get on the next one, excellent timing. BC is idle free so we turned off the RV
while waiting for the next one. The
Ferry arrives; Deb goes to start the RV; nothing. This was a nightmare. The battery had plenty of juice (through a
bit of tinkering) the starter technically worked, but the ignition wouldn’t
start it up. We had a few people offer
to help and tinkered a bit, but after no movement forward in getting it started
we decided we need to call a tow truck.
Luckily we have the AMA RV package, which got us a tow for up to 320
KM. Deb had to walk down to the Ferry
and up to the captain’s peak to be able to use a satellite phone (no cell
service). While on the phone she
organized that she would get towed to Lake Louise. The furthest we could go without paying,
$3/km. The wait began. Deb mostly directed traffic around the RV,
even with cones behind us and our hazard lights on people would honk for us to
move forward.
Deb
called the tow around 9:00 am. We waited
and waited. Around 1:30 we got word that
the tow was on its way over. When he got
there, he informed us he would not be taking us to Lake Louise. He would get us to Revelstoke. We were a little miffed, but had no other
option. He tried to repair the RV first
(Most of which we had tried all ready) again to no avail. So he loaded us up. The Ferry workers said we would be on the
next Ferry, but once it arrived some more people nipped ahead of us and we
couldn’t fit on. So we needed to wait
another hour for the next ferry.
Once
on the other side we stopped a moment at the food truck for a quick bite to eat
(we were supposed to have breakfast in Revelstoke around 9:00 AM, it was now
3:30. On the way to Revelstoke he
informed us that there wasn’t a car rental place in Revelstoke, nor a garage
open (Holiday Monday). He also informed
us that there weren’t really those things in Lake Louise either. We get to the towing company’s yard and he
unloads us, saying the big boss would be there shortly to sort us out, and to
be leery of the guard dog, while no one was there. Needless to say we stayed in the RV until Jon
the big boss showed up. At that point he
was yelling at someone on the phone, so we didn’t approach him. We waited for him to come to us.
In
the mean while we had called Deb’s mum, as we had hoped to at least be able to
get to Golden, in which we needed a ride from there. She was our saviour, and immediately left
from Calgary and headed to Golden.
In
the end he called in his mechanic to try and get us going again. He also gave us a jerry can of gas, in hopes
that once we got going we would have enough gas to get to Calgary without
stopping for gas, as this “fix” at best would be a patch. While they were piddling fixing the RV I laid
mostly on the bench to elevate my feet, but it was hot in the RV.
They
got it started, and we were trying to settle the bill, which was a great deal
considering, and it stalled again. So
they continued to try to fix it. At one
point the electrical started to smoke, this is when Deb said to call it
quits.
After
some kerfuffle, the mechanic started taking off pieces of our RV in order for
it to be towed. Something about the
differential and U joints, is what came off.
They then hooked up to the tow truck and Jon said to hop in. Deb and I looked at each other and did just
that. As we were heading off, Deb asked
where we were going, thinking we were being towed to a shop in Revelstoke. He didn’t answer. In my head, “We are being kidnapped, RV and
all.” A little ways down the road Deb
asked again, in which he said, “Where did you want to go?” Deb said “In the
long run we would like to get to Golden.”
To which he replied, “That’s where we are going, I just hope we don’t
run out of gas.” We were hovering between
an 1/8 and a ¼. Along the journey he had
been in contact with another driver.
About a quarter of the way there he pulls over on the side of the road
and we wait. A few moments later another
tow truck going in the opposite direction pulls off on his side of the
road. Jon gets out and we get the next
driver. He was also not a very chatty
driver.
As we
arrived in Golden we went directly for gas.
He then dropped us in front of a shop (right by a no parking sign),
which was closed of course. By this time
it was about 10:30 pm. Mum was waiting
there for us and we transferred the required stuff to her van and went to Tim
Horton’s for dinner to go. From there we
were homeward bound.
By
the time we arrived at home it was about 1:30 am. My feet/ankles /calves had become one from
swelling. While sleeping I elevated my
feet on a lot of pillows, but this morning they were still swollen. Normally in an evening my feet, when really
bad, have enough time to recover, this was not the case. So today I was sans la socks and wore crocks
to work. They have been getting
progressively worse. I was able to put
them on a stool for part of the work day, but it wasn’t enough. My feet tried to outgrow crocks.
Update:
September 4, my feet are doing a bit better today. But still needed to wear the crocks, as I
didn’t feel my shoes would be comfortable, still a bit too restrictive with
swelling. After tonight my feet should
be back to a more average pace of swelling/releasing in a day/evening.
