Roger’s Creek, Duffy Lake Road, Truck Camper

The river is high and raging. I woke at 5 am near dawn.  When I couldn’t sleep in I climbed out of bed.  Madigan was overjoyed to see me. He’ s not welcome up on the Camper bed and can ‘t get up himself. Wagging squirming cockapoo body greeting his long departed master.  The dog begins.

We walked along the trail by the river. I was a little concerned reading of dogs who fell in and got washed down stream.  The river is so wild I feared for Madigan but he’s not a fan of water in general and stayed well clear. He even pointed back to the camper to let me know this wild world was a bit frightening to him. Couldn’t we go back to civilization and safety.

All the other camper in tents, rv’s, truck camper and that new on the roof tent with ladder up, were quiet and presumably sleeping.  I only had my cell phone though there is no service and Madigan’s leash.  It’s definitely black bear and grizzly beard country.  I’ve a rifle in the camper.  Wouldn’t do much good out here. No wonder Madigan thought it was a bad idea.  I put the leash on him and we walked back along the road.  He’s happy to be inside for a while. I’m waiting for the stove top expresso to be ready.  

I’d like to continue on to Lillouette, maybe glamping in a full service site.  

Kelvin brought the camper back Thursday night having fixed the happy jacks and installed a new AC.  He also did some maintenance and soldered the short that had the back up camera dead. It was a god send camping last night backing into a narrow spot between the picnic table and spruce tree.

Laura and I are going to Glencoe for the long weekend coming up,  That will be full service glamping.  Take out restaurant meals in town. 

This has been off grid. No electricity.  I’ve noticed the lights browning out too which concerns me. Is my inverter charging the batteries while I’m driving. The lights are bright but dim when I turn on the water pump. With only 1 light on it seems to cycles a bit too.  As one who catastrophising I was concerned in the wee hours that my truck battery would be depleted.  Normally I carry a generator when back woods camping but I’d not intended going off the grid and I am here where it would just be embarrassing at most to ask for a jump. I have the cables.  

I’ve no cellular or internet.  I’ve lots of propane and water and holding tanks. Normally I’m good for several days in the camper.  

Yesterday I left at 11 am  and drove up the sea to sky highway . The views of mountain and ocean were inspiring.  We’d just driven this way when we stayed the weekend at Whistler RV.  I’d see the Mountain Woman still was running. They’d tried to shut her down with the new construction but the town rallied and she carried on. While I waited for Madigan and my burger I looked at her scrap book of pictures going back to the 80’s when she opened. I first stopped her in the late 80’s.   She was such a gorgeous young girl back then.  Now is still beautiful, aging like Helen Mirren. We’re all aging.  She chopped up Madigan’s burger and added a little cheese to it.  Just that little touch of love that made her cafe famous followed by the ‘we’re all in this together smile.”.  What a wonderful stop!  

Madigan and I ate look back on the Britannia Beach mine and the ocean pier, I anchored my sailboat out there once.  Another time Producer/Director Bill Corcoran was making a movie series in the town about a minister and priest and the small town carrying ons.  I took my mom and dad to see  as I was taking on this same circle route I’m taking this weekend, the Pemberton, Duffy Lake Road, Lillouete. Mom loved that the whole town was a movie set.  Dad, always the mechanical engineer was most impressed with the cranes used for elevating the camera for shooting the film.  It was a good time with Bill being his truly gracious self . That whole trip with Mom and Dad was one of the best times we were together as a adults.  

Passing through Whistler was a bit of memory lane too. I used to drive up here every other weekend in the winter for almost a decade downhill skiing Blackhomb and Whistler.  Now for 25 years I’ve only been a couple of times. I just lost interested in down hill though I continued cross country skiing with Dr. Lam at Cypress where I continued to snow shoe a bit till now it’s been decades since I was up in the mountains in winter. I continued to hike and hunt of course but even that was stopped by Covid.  Driving the truck and camper up this way is a bit like reclaiming lost skills.  I most remember the times I motorcycled this route .

Passing Pemberton I remember my first time up hunting here and staying in a bare room about the loud bar before heading out in the early morning to the back country.  Now the town is a yuppie play ground with lots of places catering to the young and healthy adventurous college crowds. I was tempted to drive into town and get some of the world famous potatoes.  It would have been nice to stop in at the western store or say hello to the great guys in the family run hunting fishing store. I was on a mission though and continued to Mount Currie passing all the great memories of horse back riding with Wayne Andrew’s, the world champion native bronchi rider.  

At Duffy Lake I really did try to swim. Swimming is good for the back and I’ve been encouraged by those who insist swimming in cold water helped their back pain. My lumbar spine has been aggravated since the latest trauma, slipping on the rainy Arthur’s Seat hike in Edinburgh last year.  Chiropracter and exercises recommended by Dr. Antonio us, Dr. Waterson and Dr. Horvath. They’re my amazing colleagues and working with them I’ve asked their advise.  Minos was the first who did an X-ray and thought it was okay which Dr. Waterson said was ‘pretty good’ for a guy my age.  The old fracture and the traumatic arthritis.  Months later I asked Dr. Horvath despite continuous improvement. He gave me the Foundation exercises which have really helped along with my change in the seating positioning on my new motorcycle.  Of course I hoped for a magic cure in the freezing cold waters of glacier Duffy Lake.  But ‘swim’ isn’t quite the word for walking into knee depth doing a shallow dive and a few strokes only long enough for the full catastrophic impact  experience of the ice bath to hit. I did an amazingly speedy turn and took off back to shore with speed that almost had me lifting off the water like a duck.  Enough.  I didn’t feel by body till I was back in the truck towelling off.  

After that I drove on to here, Roger’s Creek. I’m thankful there was a wilderness campsite managed by the local native tribe,  Great place. $15 for the night.  I was up from the river which was raging so I didn’t mind losing some idyllic wonder for safety.  I really enjoyed having the Happy Jacks working and once the camper was settled I could boil some potatoes and barbecue steaks for Madigan and I.  

Before bed I took him for a walk through the camp ground letting him roam off leash as no one was about , a few sitting by campfires but most having gone to bed early. Madigan doesn’t get a lot of off leash time in the city. He’s like me that way. This weekend is a god send after the stress of work . I finished the day with a cup of Lemon Ginger tea and McCall Smith’s Expresso book in the Scotland series.  Just a delight! Finishing the book I fell asleep and didn’t have nightmares. It was just peace and fine dreams. I’m truly blessed and grateful.  

Thank you Jesus.!