I’d had a Happy Jack die on me last weekend bow hunting and camping with Laura. I’d asked John if he’d be able to fix it short notice. So I was up at 7 am this morning but after prayer and meditation I was on the couch drinking coffee and waiting to phone John at Chilliwach RV Storage,
9 am. ‘Good news! “ he said after greeting, “Your camper is ready to go. My son and I finished up the work just yesterday.
“Thank you John! I’ll be out by this afternoon.”
I loaded the F350. Hunting license, Rifles, Ammunition Clothes, hand held winch, generator and satellite phone. I’m a little older and in the last few years I’ve taken to carrying the Iridium satellite phone I’d used blue water solo sailing. I get 6 months of limited time. I’ve never used hardly any of it yet. I phoned Laura with it last week.
“Hi Laura.”
“Hi Bill”.
‘Madigan and I are up on the mountain. Just checking out the satellite phone”
“It’s working fine. Have a great time.”
“Thanks “.
Laura like to stay at the camper and read. She does cross words too. I enjoy knowing she’s there. It’s comforting to return to company, Madigan loves her,
I take the Star Link dish as well, That’s why I need the generator in addition to charging cell phone and ipad.
I had to stop at Bosley’s for Madigan’s food. I forgot how much I had here already but he loved a visit to his favourite store. He’s been liking chews recently. He really likes the little squeaky toys too. Now it’s the little one, once it was big ones. I try to keep up.
In Langley we stopped at the MacDonalds for the quarter pounder patty for him and a quarter pounder and cheese for me.
It was noon by the time I got to John’s. His son is taller than him now. They are both what my mom would call tall strapping men. Lots of work with hands and shoulders on vehicles. Remind me of my brother and dad. Good men. Skookum work. I love people that are reliable and trustworthy. I like too that the folk he’s introduced me to like our tow truck driver and Kevin at AdventureRVCentre. Kelvin from Travco did a great job on the body work. I’d backed up with too short a neck on the trailer. It had damaged both sides severely. Kelvin made it all presentable again.
Now John had restored the Happy Jack and reinforced more damage.
“We had to take our the posts and straighten them, Both rear one were bent.’ John said.
“I thought you were strong but not that strong,” I joked,
“We had the equipment to do it and greased it up so to slides now and won’t burn out the engine,”
I love these guys and the work they do.
After they helped me load the like new Adventurer Camper onto the F350 I drove round and hooked up my trailer.
Victor had taken my ATV to Kelly at Chilliwack Motorcycle and they phoned just as I was leaving John’s at 3. I really like having my ATV serviced each year just like my Harley. I don’t want ot break down out in the woods somewhere so I’ m really thankful for the maintenance. I was thankful to Victor for introducing me to these guys some years back. Just as I was loading the ATV onto the trailer the skies opened and it began to rain buckets. I drove back to ESSO , filling up the truck , exchanging the propane tank and using the water to fill my tank. Across from the ESSO I saw the Work Wear Store. I’d forgotten rain gear so I stopped in and bought a new fall Helly Hansen jacket
An expensive day,
In Hope I loaded up on groceries and was pleased to see the refridgerator temperature was falling, Madigan and I are spoiled and like ice cream camping.
It was 7 pm when I was leaving Hope. It was still raining, I was listening to the Teacher Great Course Psychology series. I really like learning on the go I spent my life listening to rounds from Psychiatry, Neurology, Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine commuting. University of Arizona has great podcasts. Each is an hour long and my commuter was usually a half hour each way so each week I’d listen to two or three rounds. Decades of that in addition to the conventional learning. I stopped at Macdonalds for another hamburger paddy for Madigan while I had the chicken sandwich.
It was dark and rainy and I stopped a few times. I liked pulling over to let the cars pass while I looked up in the rain at the mountains either side of the road. Madigan and I liked our road side pee break. I had a train of cars behind me a couple of times in Manning Park even though they have excellent passing lanes. The pull offs are great too. I was tired and going 60 and 80 Km most of the way. I found my eyes struggling with the dark, rain and on coming lights. It was slippery too and I did a little sliding so was glad to go slow. It’s quite a load.
Passing through Princeton I’d thought to rest at the A&W but decided to head on out to here Kevin and his kids are across the valley but I realized that I’d rather go here which is high up, so cell phone coverage, and I know it well, And yes I’ve shot lots of grouse here even if it’s not the best for deer. Also lots of hunters come here now. Not like it was decades back when I was usually the only one I’d encounter. The last few years there’s been so many hunters you could get a hockey game going with a couple of teams.
There are a couple of RV’s and a couple of big tents by the lake. I’m right in the middle. I had to move the truck to get it level enough and then I used the happy jacks to make it even more level. I might improve on this in the morning. But I’m here. It was 10 pm when I arrived. As Laura always says , “A day travelling each way,”.
But we all love the camper especially Madigan. I’ll be able to unload the quad and get out first thing in the morning. Maybe not the crack of dawn or pre dawn but I’m here and I’ll get in a morning hunt and and evening hunt Saturday and Sunday.
It’s 11 pm, Today was Friday the 13th. Fortunately I’m still working so had the money to do the repairs and maintenance that my bad luck and poor driving cost me from the spring off grid hunt. I am really delighted that this little home is restored. Last year I drove it down to Arizon and had a terrific time working virtual from my camper and riding my Harley about the incredible cowboy country down there, Laura and I liked having the camper in Harrison’s . Thanks to Kelvin’s body work I’ll be able to take this camper into the Good Sam full service resorts which I like to stay at as a break from off grid. I’d actually thought I’d do more off grid than I do but I like the electricity for the Star Link and indoor hot tubs and pools. After all those years in tents and roughing it I’m apprciating how dad and mom when they got older loved their bus and also cruises in the Caribbean, My favourite place now is my couch at home but days like this with all the work and exercise sure make me appreciate home. It’s a joke but it really is true that these expeditions in the wild surely make the comforts of home and luxuries of the city so much more appealing. Laura sent me a picture of her new Roomba checking out her bedroom floor and cleaning it up. This is Madigan’s world. He got all muddy in the rain and lay on this table so I had to clean of dirt and sand before I had a place to type. At least I don’t have to share a bed with him. He sleeps down here while I sleep on the higher bed which he can’t climb up to. At home he likes to walk accross my face in the bed. He really is good company Cuddled beside me most of the way.
Well I’m glad to be here. I’ve arrived safe and no damage to human dog or equipment. Thank you Jesus!!!!Thank you God, Thank you Holy Spirit.
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