Recounting the invasion of Canada

There's been a lot going on lately, most of it is more personal than i'd like to post. But several months ago, i was invited to join a huge camping trip on a ranch in Merritt, British Columbia, Canada. By the time last week drew to a close, i was more than ready for an escape.

We set off north for what we thought would be just over a 5 hour drive. Shortly after Lynnwood however traffic slowed to a crawl in all lanes for construction. This went on clear past Everett tacking on additional hours to our drive. Crossing the border was a cinch and we chugged along for an additional couple of hours, stopping every now and then to stretch.

By the time we were rolling into Merritt however, the sun was sinking rapidly and it quickly became evident that both the directions and my memory of the trip four years ago was quite insufficient.

Finally we found a sign that looked promising. Well, it wasn't. And then we decided to pull out the phones and get our GPS going even though we were roaming. We rolled in as twilight was gripping the valley and set up our tent as quickly as possible.

The next day, i was immensely thankful that i had insisted on setting up in the trees next to the river. The temperature rose to 88 degrees and the river was invitingly cool. After a trip into town, where we got a double tube, we went down the river. Or rather, we made a mad, paddling dash for the left fork in the river and then mad paddling dashes to avoid log jams, and rocks and cliff walls. But in the parts that we just drifting with the current, it was pure bliss.

However at some point between getting into the river and getting out, my right foot became VERY unhappy with me. Turns out that i broke my second smallest toe. We did some quick first aide and then i put my foot in the river to save some of the ice from the cooler.

But that misfortune didn't stop us. I played Bocce Ball for the first time in my life and won 11 to 5. I chatted with the people in the group, played with the dogs, caught up with the people that invited me, read by the river, and got an awesome tan.

Finally it was time to go and we made for the border. While we were waiting in line, another diver alerted us that we had a flat. A nice big nail decided it really liked my tire. And of course this was after 6pm on a SUNDAY which means that every single tire place within a 10 mile radius was closed. Finally we got out the trusty smart phone and found a Sears that was open. In getting there, we found a Walmart with a tire center and pulled in.

After 40 minutes, $11 and many heartfelt thank yous to the tech who stayed late to help us, we were back on the road home.

I think we rolled in around 10pm and made a Beeline for a hot shower which was the most glorious of all the adventures of the weekend.

Next comes the adventure of unpacking while nursing a broken toe. This should be interesting.