Information Echo

The drizzly and cold weather of Thursday was gone and the sun was shining once again and the temperatures were forecasted to be pleasantly warm all day. Despite being thwarted in our efforts to go horseback riding yesterday, todays weather actually turned out to be vastly better then what we would have been riding in yesterday.

We departed camp early in the AM in order to arrive at the stables ahead of our 10:30 appointment, and also leaving plenty of time to accommodate the anticipated construction delays. Despite encountering plenty of delays as expected, we arrived into Squamish with time to spare so we stopped at the unique tourist information center and killed some time.

Despite our stop we still arrived over 45 minutes early at the stables. This actually worked out well as our kids got the opportunity to help brush down the comb the horses in preparation for saddling. They both enjoyed this a great deal despite it being considered “Work” by anyone accustomed to horses.

The ride went well. Unfortunately as is common with riding stables the horses were pretty much on “Autopilot”. For our kids who have never been on a horse in their lives this was good - it’s tough to make a mistake when the horse knows the routine (and the trails) and could do the ride with it’s eyes closed. However, for slightly more experienced riders who would like to be able to have a little more control, trail horses leave a lot to be desired - they simply don’t respond to much, choosing to simply fall in line. Only twice during the ride did my horse actually answer my requests, breaking out into a trot once, and actually going where I wanted it to (over to my daughter for photos) at another point.

Regardless, the kids absolutely loved it (and the stable owner talked up my son to make him feel like a million dollars) so it was worth the hefty $160 price tag for the one hour experience. My daughter was just speechless about the whole situation and was grinning from ear to ear the entire time - I see riding lessons in her future.

Before long we were all done and back on the road for the 45 minute drive south back to Horseshoe Bay. Again, unlike yesterdays cold and dismal weather, today was beautiful and would be quite enjoyable for our boating adventure.

We only booked for an hour - the allowable operation area for the rentals was fairly small, and one hour seemed like plenty, so we figured we’d keep it short. I was surprised at the ease of renting a boat - in Ontario there is at least some basic training required in order to be set loose with a rental, but apparently here in BC all you need is a valid credit card and the ability to pay.

Not that this is a bad thing (I’m quite experienced with boats, having rented 70′ houseboats in the past and having grown up with a variety of boats as well) but I’m sure that others who are less experienced could be problematic if simply set loose with little to no training of operational basics.

The hour went fast, but was great fun. My daughter was unsure at first, grew fond of the whole experience, and then after a few bumps and bruises caused by some unexpected waves, unsure once again. I think overall both kids enjoyed it, but it was a bit overwhelming.

Despite grandeur plans to see all sorts of wild life, we only spotted one seal and a variety of common sea birds.

After returning the boat we experienced issues with our truck when we went to start it up to leave. The alternator had been malfunctioning for some time now and I had been “Nursing” it along with hopes to address it in the USA at significantly less cost, but unfortunately with the batteries now reaching the point where even starting the truck was becoming problematic, it was time to address it now.

We headed back into North Vancouver and returned to an auto parts shop that me and Cameron had scoped out the night before and I picked up a new Alternator. Once back at the truck I immediately prompted our GPS to show me the nearest repair facility that could install it for me which turned out to be a mere 300 meters away - we simply drove down the side street and pulled up in front.

Despite being only minutes from closing the guys took on the job after I explained my situation. In about 30 minutes we were back on the road, batteries charging.

A bit later then hoped we headed directly to our friends Cameron and Colleens for dinner which they had graciously invited us to. I felt a bit bad having held them up due to our unexpected repair, but the alternative was quite possibly breaking down on the side of the road on the way there, or not having enough battery power to adequately light way home afterwards.

Dinner was excellent - we must get the recipe for the pasta sauce!

We socialized and had a great time for a few hours, but eventually the evening drew to a close as Colleen had to head off to bed for her usual early-morning start to her day, and the kids all had to head off to bed. We took some last minute pictures, said our goodbyes, and headed out for the 30 minute drive back to the RV.

About 15 minutes into the drive my level of exhaustion from a few rough nights of sleep suddenly caught up to me and I literally felt like I was going to have to pull over for a nap at a few points, but I pressed on (jealous of everybody else napping during the drive) and made it back to camp. It’s been a great many years since I’ve felt this tired.

Needless to say the evening came to a quick end as we all crashed immediately.

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