Life on a Boat – Thanksgiving and Birthday edition

This week marked my second birthday since we started our life on boat. So with Thanksgiving and my birthday, it was celebration time this week! We also spent the majority of time off the boat as we took a road trip to visit handsome hubby’s parents. Thanks to a typical B.C. wind storm, handsome hubby spent even more time off the boat while restoring hydro. And, I barely cooked this week! Here’s a look at life on a boat (and off a boat) for October 9-16.

Road Trip!!

We left early Saturday morning for a Thanksgiving trip to Kamloops to visit handsome hubby’s parents. Even though we only planned to be gone for three nights, we still needed umpteen trips from the boat to car (at low tide) to get going!! I really need to remember to check the tide schedule when we’re loading and unloading the car.

As always, the first night sleeping on land was super weird!! Even though the boat doesn’t move that much, there is still a gentle rocking that I only notice when it’s not there.

The other weird thing is living in such a large space! The condo is a two bedroom/two bathroom unit that is huge by most standards. But boy it feels massive to us! The kitchen space alone is larger than our galley and salon put together. And all the storage space!!!

Snow in the mountains

As a youngster, handsome hubby and his family skied at Tod Mountain. In 1993, after being purchased by Japan’s Nippon Cable Company, the name was changed to Sun Peaks and it grew into a destination ski resort.

I have never visited the mountain and hubby hadn’t been there in over 30 years. So on Thanksgiving morning we decided to drive up to Sun Peaks with his mom to sight see.

Maybe because it was bright and sunny in Kamloops, but we did not check the weather before we left. Turns out the overnight rain in Kamloops was snow at the higher elevation! We were in a winter wonderland (and sadly wearing autumn attire).

We walked around a bit, took some pictures of the snow and poked our noses (masked covered!) into a couple of shops. I found a onesie I loved – I’ve been looking for one since last winter. Two piece winter pajamas just don’t work for me on the boat – I wake up with a cold back where the shirt and pants aren’t quite meeting any longer. Even though it isn’t cold yet, I am enjoying my new onesie!!

Birthday Detour

There are two main routes from our boat to Kamloops. One is the Coquihalla Highway which is a freeway over and through the Cascade mountains. Opened in 1986, it loosely follows the route of the former Kettle Valley Railway, which existed between 1912 and 1958.

The other route is referred to as the Canyon. Before the Coquihalla, Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon was the main route into Central and Northern British Columbia. It is mostly a two-lane highway with a few towns and many twists and turns. It adds about 90 minutes to the trip (without multiple stops for pictures).

In order to maximize our time with his parents, we pretty much always take the Coquihalla. So for my birthday on Tuesday, handsome hubby took a day off work and we drove the long way home! We stopped at viewpoints along the way for photo ops and to appreciate how lucky we are to live in British Columbia.  The changing landscape is truly breathtaking (and just not from the wind)!

Speaking of wind

Handsome hubby is a powerline technician which means he plays with high voltage power and helps keep the lights on. His job is usually pretty scheduled, that is until wind storms wreak havoc on power lines.

On Tuesday, we knew there was a wind storm brewing but we never know if it will hit as predicted or even do any damage. Since our home is secured by lines (rope) we keep a close eye on the forecast – it’s good to know when the wind might try to send us floating down the river!

As we got closer to the B.C.’s Lower Mainland we noticed the wind picking up, branches on the side of the road and small power outages. Then, just as we stopped to get a bite to eat, handsome hubby got the call – the storm wasn’t letting up and the power outage numbers were increasing. It was all hands on deck to start restoration.

From there we came straight home, postponed a birthday celebration with friends and handsome hubby headed to work almost before I finished unloading the car! He ended up working a full 16 hour shift (most of it in the dark) to turn the lights back in the Chilliwack area.

(And the postponed birthday celebration has taken place – it was nice to stretch out  my birthday a little longer.)

 

Stay safe and happy cruising!