Harrison Hots Springs Town

Harrison’s Hot Spring’s is the truest little jewel of a destination. It’s so close to Vancouver. It’s tranquil and serene. A  holy place  with a healing hot springs and the most beautiful lake. I’ve been coming here for decades.  ‘Taking the waters’, is what they say. The natives did this thousands of years before we came along.

I’ve always loved hot springs.  BC is full of them. There are several in the mountains around Harrison’s which I hiked to when I was younger.  One I remember up Bear Creek way.  The water at the Resort itself is my favourite. Though it may well be the ‘decor’.  Lovely rock emplacements, beautiful folk in the latest bathing suits and bikini’s in the adult section with children happily splashing on the shallow side. There’s a spa in the centre where I’ve loved the massages and have gifted girlfriends facials.  

I used to dine and dance  a lot at the Copper Room. It always had the best fare, great chef,  and the best dance bands on the Friday nights. 

The main public swimming pool is the very same water. It’s equally healing and functional but without the ambience of lighting and decor.
This year the Harrison Arts Festival was a delight.

The lake is pristine. I’ve canoed on it and boated on it and swam in it. I love the pure chill waters.  I love the view all around of white capped mountains.  

I’ve loved the hotels and restaurant’s here. This morning I’m having ‘Suzy’s famed ‘all in one’ breakfast sandwich. The German meals are a favourite. I loved the Beach Hotel. I’ve loved dining in the main resort but last night John’s Fish and Chips (Korean fare), hit the spot.   Muddy Waters is up town coffee and pastry.  There’s a diner on the main drag I’ve loved for years. Especially favourite place when I rode the motorcycle up with the girl on the back, parked in front of the diner and enjoyed my meal looking out on the lake keeping an eye on the Harley.  I’ve never had anyone try to steal my Harley but when I can I just like to look at it. A Harley is a thing of beauty too.

For years I came up here in the fall and stayed at the Bungalow Cabins making that my basecamp for hunting.I’d bring a truck or enduro motorcycle or quad and leave each morning early to head up to the end of the lake then back into the mountains.  I never shot a deer or a bear here .Saw so many. Hunted here dozens and dozens of times. Climbed and hiked mountains. Shot ruffed grouse and blue grouse but never any big game.  The joy was in the doing of the thing. I loved climbing mountains and stalking and sitting meditating in ambush watching coyotes, lynch and bobcats. 

Hunting is a past time. I never thought in terms of ‘the kill’.  I read magazine articles by those who’ve never done anything rural, their pen reeking urban parking lot writing. They lived in their heads, closed minded, plastic, neon, ridiculing, and rediculous. They miss the experience, the depth.

I’m a hunter. My father and brother were hunters. My grandfather and ancestors were hunters. It’s a proud tradition. It’s what we are. Omnivore.  It’s a zen. It’s a predator and prey thing. It’s not masculine or feminine. The women in my ancestry hunted and fought as well.  More often they gardened and fished but we all lived to the fullest.  We ate what moved to survived. Later we farmed and ranched.

Today the hunters and fishermen of Canada are the greatest conservationists. We are the unsung heroes.  The city critics and loud mouth activists are talkers but we’ve devoted ourselves to the welfare and sustainability of the wildlife and fish and forests and streams of this great land.  It’s our work and money that are the backbone of conservation and stewardship of the wild.  Yet, we are vilified like good parents.  The teen age media mentality so kitch.

We joke among ourselves that an ounce of venison costs us thousands of dollars . The same for fish.  All the money goes back into the habitat.  We take so little.  It humbles us too like nothing else to consider the work that our forebears did just to eat.  We are blessed today.

I’ve this wonderful camper and I’m sitting here on top of my Ford F-350 truck in Glencoe RV. They have running water and electricity and sewage connected to my place. It’s very much roughing it. I’ve not watched the tv but I am using the wifi.  

I’ve already this morning taken Gilbert for his second walk around the duck pond. The artisans are setting up for the craft market.  I’ve had my Suzy sandwich and now will have another cup of Ethiopian Sidona Coffee. I get the green beans, roast them myself, grind them and then make them here on the stove top expresso machine. Slightly decadent.  I plan to read for a bit. I’ve Kindle on my Ipad.  Gilbert’s had a snack and is having his first morning nap.  

The air here is so exquisite.  I love taking big breaths. Meditating this morning was heavenly.  

I love Harrison’s!!!!

Harrison Lake, Vedder River and the Alp Adventurer Truck Camper

We’re now parked overlooking the Vedder River by Sardis. It’s 3 in the afternoon. Sunny. Hot. Lovely sound of running river.  Laura and I are sitting with Gilbert in the camper. We had driven down the road a bit and stopped in a parking lot.. That’s where Laura made up steak sandwiches from last nights barbecue.  After, I lay down on the bed with full tummy and Gilbert lay down on the floor with full tummy.. We both napped, bellies full. Now

I’m over here on the other side of the river in this picturesque spot having made myself a coffee. I love this Alp Adventurer camper. So convenient. As much fun as a my old VW Vanagon.  Yet this is not just a pod but a whole home on wheels.  I love the big refridgerator and the bright clean head.

This morning in Harrison’s I took Gilbert on a long walk around the lagoon. When we got back I headed over to the public pool and languished for a half hour in the magnificent healing waters. 

Last night I barbecued steaks at the back of the camper and boiled up some potatoes. Food always tastes best outdoors. The tenderloin steaks were awesome. Laura and I climbed into bed after that.  We let Gilbert join us and he literally took over the bed.  He then lay between us on his back letting us take turns rubbing his tummy. 

We were all watching Clint Eastwood’s son in the bizarre western Diablo.  I keep hoping for Little House of the Prairies and getting westerns cross supernatural. This one was a bout a ‘split personality’.  Actually, really very good but too much like work in the end.  I really did like Bonanza with Hoss and Little Joe.  I bought a handful of DVD’s from the half price bin and I guess you get what you pay for.  

Soon I’ll be going for re runs like we do often with radio, opting for the oldies rather than risking getting some music which makes you want to throw yourself out of the car.  Probably why I like gospel so much.  Uplifting and inspiring. Given that I saw some of my favourite movies decades ago I probably won’t remember them when I re watch them. 

Now here we are on Sunday. If we had checked out of a motel or hotel we’d have gone directly home but this way we can enjoy the sunny afternoon. Laura just got back from walk along the woods with Gilbert who is letting us know with growls whenever anyone is coming near.  He can’t see but his nose and ears are just fine. 

I love being able to make a coffee in my vehicle.  At times life really is so good. Thank you God.  I do have the Luck of the Irish. 

It’s St. Patrick’s Day.  Not raining either.  I can’t recall a St. Patrick’s day that wasn’t raining and cold.  

  

Alp Adventurer 86FB Truck Camper - first journey

I’m in heaven.  Laura, Gilbert and I are in Harrison Hot Springs in my new to me 2017 Alp Adventurer 86FB Truck Camper. It is a truly skookum home away from home, the weekend cottage on wheels.  There’s snow on the ground outside but the propane and electric furnace kept us warm. We arrived last night in the dark.

Roy, our salesman at Fraserway handed us over to this bright delightful young guy who did the final walk around with Laura and I.  

“He’s really cute,” Laura said. 

I liked that he could answer all my technical questions succinctly. He’d make a good teacher. Despite having had a camper I learned some really useful ‘tricks’.  I’d asked for a ladder to be installed and loved it. Like a King I climbed to the top of my new domain and surveyed my territory. 

“The roof is made so you can walk on it.” He’d told me. “ There are no leaks but the only way to keep units that way is to check the calking and seals regularly.  Every three months it’s a good idea to go round and make sure with the travel and movement no seal has opened up. “ 

I loved the refrigerator with it’s automatic closing of electricity or propane depending on whether we were plugged in or not. 

The unit had been winterized for storage so had non toxic antifreeze in the lines. He purged these for us showing where the hose is that can be used to draw non toxic antifreeze into the system as well as which valves to turn on and off for this price. 

I liked again the accessibility of the black water and grey water outlet, the panels showing whether they were empty or full. The black water was empty but the grey water sensor said full.  He ran  off the grey water there, suggesting I watch the sensor and emptying as it hadn’t emptied as robustly as he would like. 

“Sometimes sludge in the tank.  If that’s it, you just fill the tank then stand inside and rock it a few times and purge. That usually clears the sensor or the sludge.” 

He showed me where the Happy Jack Electric Jack fuses were and how to use the manual jack if the electric failed.  On my previous camper the electric jacks had often failed so I was well versed in manual operation and thankful for this new system.  Further it came with a remote which was really an improvement allowing me to do all jacks together or one at a time.  

It even had a solar panel battery charger already installed with a panel showing the state of the new battery as well as effectiveness of the new solar panel. I had one of the earliest solar electricity systems on my offshore sailboat 25 years ago so appreciate how the technology has advanced.

The propane stove was nothing new to me but I did appreciate him showing me how to light the oven pilot light again. “The trick is holding it for 10 seconds once it’s lighted so it stays on.”  I’ve generally not used propane ovens because I obviously haven’t been patient with the lighting process. I can see using this oven now knowing the problem is me not the technologg.

Both Laura and I love the toilet and shower in the Adventurer.  The Jensen sound system with blue tooth, DVD and USB, indoor and outdoor speakers is going to bring us joy. I imagine a candlelight dinner with Laura and Gilbert and  Mozart playing quietly in the back ground 

The best though was loading the camper onto the back of my truck.  With my last camper I’d repeatedly banged up the truck box and camper in this process.

“This is how I do it ,” he said.  Well, his technique which can be used solo or with a spotter involved lining up the wheel wells from the ‘danger zone’ under the camper and simply going back and forth multiple times and checking the alignment on both sides. John, from Chilliwack RV Storage in Yarrow had used a similiar technique.  John is my favourite  wiseman when it comes to vehicles and campers. Now I know what he was aligning when he was giving me directions for backing up.   I had had  this weird idea that one could just back in directly. Naturally this Captain Ron ‘docking’ technique hadn’t worked so well for novice me.  Slow and easy and multiple checks is the future which will save this camper the experience of it’s predecessor.  I also won’t have to kidnap and tie up one of these guys to have with me when I want to load or unload the camper.   

The new tie downs are space age, expensive but a major time saver.  My iron extension connections under the truck had rusted but with my approval and encouragement the guys freed them up with  application of the ball preen hammer philosophy. No damage but a quick solution. 

“Here’s a new manual.” He said in parting. 

“What was his name?” I asked Laura later.   

“I don’t know.” She said. “I don’t think I ever got his name.”  

The anonymous tech assistant might well have been  the Lone Ranger having done his good deed but left us to ride off into the sunset.

Victor was waiting in Chilliwack. As his friend had bought the old camper as a wreck, Victor  been kind enough to stow the contents in his garage.  Victor’s new home and garage are the envy of all men with his Harley trike project almost complete in the centre of the garage with moose and deer racks all around the upper walls.  Definitely it’s fast becoming a major ‘men’s meeting space’. Screw women’s town and country homes, by all men’s standards, this is an award winning garage.  

“That’s a nice unit.” He said as we we handed Laura the kitchen boxes so she could load them into the cupboards over the sink. I put the old tools in the space under the outside door. Lots of clothes and books went into the back of the truck to be taken home as we were going to have be be a bit more utilitarian with this camper.  I just seem to collect clutter but then the last we’d used the other camper had been in hunting season so there was a lot of fall and winter clothing and tools for that activity. Nothing we’d need in the spring and summer.  

“Thank you, Victor.” Laura and I said sincerely as we departed.  What a great guy with a skookum garage.  Thanks to him we’d been able to get the old camper to his friend in the winter and now load this new camper with the kitchen ware, tools and barbecue for spring camping.   

We headed out with him waving to us in the mirror. “Happy Trails.” was playing in my mind. 

Last stop, Superstore for weekend groceries.  While we have less open space without the slide I really like not having a slide on a camper. Great on RV’s but slides on campers make the interior space less functional when closed.  This task of unloading groceries into the refrigerator was a trial in the old camper with the slide but a breeze with this one.  Further if we had to pull over for a nap on a trip no one would know. 

It was 6 pm and dark as we headed on to Harrison’s.  I’d decided we’d find something close where we knew our way about rather than heading out into the wilderness campsites this first weekend.  Glencoe RV campgrounds in Harrison was open.  The delightful manager welcomed us and wished us well with our new camper.  Harrison’s has several RV campgrounds, the provincial campground out of town and many wilderness campsites further north.  Here we were right across from the Harrison Hotsprings Town Pool which I certainly will be partaking of. Healing soothing waters are calling to my aging aching body.   We’ve often been to the fabulous Harrison Hot Springs resort or stayed at the Bungalow cabins or the luxurious Beach Hotel but this is the first time in a camper. With snow on the ground and ice on the roads we’re the only camper in the park.

The Happy Jacks made set up easy. I had connection to the shore power electricity on. The furnace worked with one button and the freezer was automatic. I didn’t have a slide to worry about. Laura had the bed made. Gilbert had his walk and sniff.  

We had a glorious sleep in the quiet of the sleeping town. Now it’s a new day and I’m so pleased with Fraserway RV and this new to me Adventurer Truck Camper.  We learned that these rental units are most commonly used for trips from BC to Alaska or up through the Rockies.  I imagine we’ll be taking this unit in time to places it’s been bringing joy to others as it will bring to us.  Gilbert loves it.  From the ashes of the poor old Palimino this Adventurer has arisen.  I do like roughing it with furnace heat, refrigerator, hot and cold running water, electricity and wifi. Now that I’ve had coffee and made Laura coffee I may have to walk Gilbert down to the little cafe that makes the best egg and bacon sandwiches in the world.