Campground Review: Eaglewind RV Park, Aldergrove, BC

I had work in Abbotsford to do where the security of the client required that I be onsite, so I could not work remotely. As it was work separated over a couple weeks, I opted to stay in an RV park nearby.

After looking online, I found that at least logistically, Eaglewind RV Park was the closest to my client.

When choosing an RV park...

I have not been at the current RV park for a full day (technically), but I have spent the past 13 hours away working at a clients site. I've learned that it really pays to pay attention to transit directions, and make sure that your Transit app, or Google maps are not also showing you "walking" distances...

The nearest bus stop is 4km away. The park is nice, but it is not for people who do not have addition means of transportation outside of their RV's...

I'll update more in a review after I have completed my stay here.

Campground Review - Burnaby Caribou RV Park

I stayed at the Burnaby Caribou RV Park from March until June of 2015. Below is my review of my experiences there.

Location:

BCRV is within a very easy walking distance to the SkyTrain, and Costco is even closer. The park is relatively quiet. When I was first looking for potential parks to stay at, the Google reviews did concern me. There is a train line right next to the park, and Gaglardi Way is on yet another side. The Google reviews all scream about how terrible the place is, and how unfriendly the staff are. I decided to choose this park as it gave me a central location to my clients, and as I was alone, I could deal with some extra noise.

Settled into the new RV park

As a side note, I located my key! I must have forgotten I took it off and placed it in the RV, "just in case".

The 2015 HEARTLAND ELKRIDGE 37 ULTIMATE

So I have been doing my best to explain to people about our plans to move into a fifth wheel and full time. When the typical person thinks about any sort of RV, they think more or less back to their childhood, and the crappy, and cramped campers of the time, and just cannot imagine anyone wanting to live like that.

Uh Oh.... Can't find my ignition key

So I was scrolling Facebook, and someone posted a picture of the two keys that used to be used for vehicles back in the day. My RV being from the 70's, I have those. So, I was going to post a picture of them.

I look up and grab the keys to the RV, I have all of them on one keychain... except the door and ignition keys. They are missing. I have no idea where they could be. They were (stupidly) the only set I have, and I hadn't had a chance to get spares cut. This is bad. I have to get the RV out of storage in two weeks because I need it for some work I am doing on the mainland.

Anyone know how easy it is to replace the ignition? If I can't find the keys, I need to replace them.

And starting to panic....

Beautiful Fifth Wheel, amusing video.

I like to look at what's out there occasionally, and watch videos on them to see the interior, and not just a floor plan.

I have not had a chance to bring the RV over yet, partially finances, but also the fact that I need it for the last two weeks of September on the mainland. One of my clients is a high security facility, and I cannot work remotely doing the work they require.

I can't wait until I can get the RV completed, and sell it then buy a nice new fifth wheel for the family. If you recall from this post, My wife and I had gone out and looked at RV's to see what would work for us as a family, and we fell in love with the 2015 Elkridge 37 ULTA by Heartland RV. It was outside of our price range at that time, and currently it's still outside the price range. That doesn't mean we can't dream, and plan.

Approval from landlord to move RV

Had a chat via text with my landlord yesterday to make sure that he would be okay with me bringing the RV over, and thankfully he is.

I've also chatted with the neighbours downstairs to make sure they're okay with it and they are. Now it's just a matter of where I'll put the RV in order to complete my renovations. There's a spot that looks to be perfect in size on the side of the driveway, but the only issue is the slope. I think that in order to put the RV there, I'll need to build some higher level blocks. I need the RV relatively level in order to get everything taken care of, and while it is here being worked on, it's going to double as my office.

Renovations will continue soon

Currently, the RV is sitting in storage, and I am planning on bringing it over to the Island soon so that I can complete the renovations.

I need to complete the renos so that I can finally sell it, and buy a new fifth wheel to move my family into and move on with our lives.

Lots of insanity has happened that I just cannot talk about yet, but I'm excited to get going again on the RV.

Small update

It's been several weeks since my last post, and for that I do apologize!

We have moved into an S&B for now, and eventually, I seriously hope we get back out of here.

We welcomed our newest edition to our family on July 7th! We shall call him The Prince.

The Prince doesn't wake up like normAl babies where he works himself up to a freak out. He goes from zero to 150 in 0.000003 seconds. I nearly fell out of bed the first night he was home and in our room. Mylaela and The Prince have slept in the living room for a couple weeks because that is where our portable air conditioner is.

With the drought, and a minimum of 30C everyday, it's difficult to move very close from the A/C!

Our friend Robert, from the RV park on the mainland, has moved out to the park here on the Island, and I have been to visit a couple times.

After not only describing it to Mylaela, but showing her video, I am more adamant than ever to get out of this S&B.

Welcoming a new member to the family!

Our son has arrived!

The little prince was born July 7th, and is very healthy! He's certainly got a set of lungs on him too!

We were worried how Princess was going to react to a new baby, being that she's two.

Here's the results:

It is HOT.

With near record breaking temps this past week and a bit, it's been a heck of a thing trying to not burn up. I even have a few proof pics of the 36C/97F temps. Thankfully, we live near the ocean now! That water is cold for a moment, but its better than sweltering in this heat.

I got back to the RV late last night, around midnight, as I have some work to do in a clients office, and it was a muggy 25C/77F with still air. That makes it feel even hotter than it is.

Help me out? Even a bit?

So, I have mentioned it in passing in the past, but I am trying to build my webhosting up so that I can finally bring in extra cash, and eventually replace my work for someone else career.

The biggest thing preventing us from properly fulltiming and living our lives is that my job requires me to be in a general location. We can not ever leave where we are as long as I work for someone else.

I started this project a couple years back, and it got put on hold as my daughter was born, and my money and time needed to go to more immediately important things.

Well, in the three weeks since my family and I moved to Nanaimo, I've been out with them spending time once. That was yesterday for Father's Day.

I don't want to do that again. I want to be there with my family. It is the one driving factor in my life that makes me truly happy.

A lot of people want to be able to spend more time with family, but few have the ability to properly act on it. I do.

My webhosting is focused on a niche', but it open to all. In order to fully complete, and launch the webhosting, I need to be able to finish purchasing the remaining domain names I need. Sorry, I can't say what they are. I don't want them bought out from under me, and then offered back to me at $2000 a pop like once before. I was once stupid enough to mention an idea and a domain name that worked which was available. Someone bought it for the $10 it was worth, and asked for $2000 for it. Needless to say, he could keep it.

I'm offering rewards through my GoFundMe page for anyone interested. There's also a simple $25 donation for no reward if so inclined. Heck, if anyone is so inclined, they don't even need to collect the rewards I have.

Have a look, share the page, and help a family man out if you can! Every little bit helps.

My GoFundMe page to change my life.

A look at the new countertops

So, we finally picked up the new countertops for the RV before we moved to BC, but they were first in a moving trailer, and then in storage until today. So here they are! I'm very excited for the new updated laminate to go in.

They are full pieces without holes, and get cut afterwards when the proper measurements can be completed and I'll use the old countertops as a template, however I'm thinking of changing out some things. I'm currently looking for a new sink and faucet for the bathroom, as well as a new sink for the kitchen. The kitchen isn't that big of a deal and could use the same one we currently have, but I'd really like to change the bathroom out. I honestly don't care much for how the thing is set up. It's really not laid out for full time living in the RV.

Settled into our S&B

It's been two weeks now since we moved into our rented S&B (Stick & Brick) and we're getting settled. I still have some things to grab from the storage unit, but we're almost fully moved in.

Mylaela and I were talking about our plans the other day, and we think we may have something set up. It's just a matter of getting the budget in order, getting the debt's paid off, and saving at the same time.

So, we have a plan.

Previously, I mentioned that with the new baby boy coming soon (six weeks!) and the current RV being far too small for a family that we would be setting up shop in an actual stick and brick. not my favourite idea, and I'm a little defeated because of it, but logic and reason are that we do this.

We're renting a house in Nanaimo, BC for a year long lease, and thankfully, my wife's mother is offering $5000 towards rent which is $200 shy of four months rent now that she's sold the house in Calgary. I'm still hesitant until we actually see the money in our account as she like to change her mind a lot.

Interesting article that really makes you think harder about this lifestyle

I was surfing Facebook as I do often, and I came across this article regarding being "House Poor".

Real estate woes: The secret lives of house poor Canadians

It's interesting to read particularly because it's not something that you read about often in the media, just on blogs. This couple had several setbacks as they were building their dream home, and now worry about losing it.

"Edgerton estimates she and Camus spend 43 per cent of their combined income paying down their $418,000 mortgage and covering other fixed housing expenses. Once they pay the rest of the bills and buy groceries, "there is nothing left," she explains. She describes their existence as living "hand to mouth.""

My family is with me in Vancouver!

It's been just over a week since I flew back to Calgary, grabbed a 6x12 uhaul trailer, loaded it up, and drove my family out to BC.

I've been very busy because of this, and work, but things are moving along now.

Getting back to Calgary was good, and the weather wasn't terrible. It was however, cooler than I was expecting, and stepping out the airport startled me! I guess three months in Vancouver's warmer climate has made me something of a wuss! 

Visited Nanaimo

Yesterday, I took a trip to Nanaimo, BC. I was looking for potential homes for my family. All but one were terrible. Each boasted a yard, and all but one had wide open yards, and typically on the busiest of streets. The one that was off the beaten track, with an enclosed yard, was nearly perfect. It was as the realtors put it, "cozy". It was small, but had an amazing yard in a quiet area.

We were denied for one simple reason.

Oh, I have been so darn busy

Hey all,

I apologize for the posts being so few and far in between this past month. One of my clients had major network melt-downs in Mexico, and most of my waking time has been spent on trying to repair the network, the rest on trying to locate a home for my family.

Just a rant, feel free to skip over this post

I'm just ranting in this post. This blog is about my life, and times in an RV, and everything that comes with it. Sometimes, I need to vent.

This past couple weeks have been incredibly stressful for me. I have the typical stress of work, compounded by an issue with a client that has taken over a week to get results, and I've been spending nearly 12 hours a day trying to resolve for the past week, coupled with trying to find a home for my family.

Not too much to report

It's been quiet here for a bit, mostly because I have been so busy with an issue affecting a clients site in Mexico. I even worked for 12 hours yesterday on what should be my day off trying to get the site back online. It's been rough!

On Friday, I sanded and painted my furnace cover and the A/C hood. I found a dark grey, and I think it works well as an accent.

The house sold in Calgary

When I first embarked on this journey to BC without my family, the plan was that my wife and child would be in Calgary until perhaps end of June, or July. During which time, I would be able to get finances figured out, save money and find a place for us here.

My mother in-laws house recently sold, and the move date is now May 29th. So I now have a month and a half to get things settled. With the costs of paying bills in both places, I haven't been able to save anything yet, so now I'm stressed out a bit. I need to come up with at least $3000 in a month and a half. This would be very easy if I wasn't paying so many bills. Then there is the matter of locating suitable housing in Vancouver. The cost of living is very high here, and housing is incredibly high. Average price for a 3 bedroom home is around 1700-2000 per month.

90% complete on painting

I cannot believe what a difference a little painting does!

This past weekend was a four day weekend due to Easter, and I was able to focus on painting. I lost track of time and was painting until about 1am, but the results are certainly worth it. I got to work on the most disruptive part of the job which was the kitchen and dining room wall.

Safely running 30amp power now

When I first looked at this RV before buying it, I thought it was a little weird that it had a 15amp connection on it. The previous owner said that it was like that when he got it and everything always worked. They just didn't run too many appliances at once.

Painting continues

I've been hard at work this weekend with prepping the RV walls. I'm going over everything with wood putty, covering holes and gouges, removing hardware and doors, and sanding. 37 years of use really takes its toll on an RV's interior. The good thing about a wood finish is that many of those holes are mostly hidden, unless you know where to look.

With the paint I am using, these holes show up more readily, and need to be looked after right away. I found when I painted the entrance of the RV, that there were several staple holes i had missed, and now they're quite apparent. I'm going to need to go back over them, and touch up the paint in that area. It has made sure that I pay closer attention on the rest of the RV.

Podcast Interview

A friend of mine has a son that is very introverted. They created a podcast, where his son interviews people and slowly gets better at social interaction. The podcast occurs every two weeks, and this last podcast, I was fortunate enough to be interviewed. This not only helped my friends son, but allowed my friend to learn even more about me than he previously knew.

He has a long way to go, but he;'s making steps as a teenager that many adults are still incapable of doing.

Have a listen, and feel free to send words of encouragement to this young man!

http://outofmyshell.podomatic.com/entry/2015-03-29T18_55_50-07_00

Painting the RV

I was able to head out and pick up some materials for painting the other day, and I am painting in sections now. I bought CIL's "City Song" paint. My lovely wife picked out the colour as being a guy, I'm a lot like Windows 3.1. I only see in 16 colours. haha

This paint is grey with a purple tint to it. Depending on the lighting, it can look more blue-grey. First, I'm painting everything this one colour, so it's going to look rather boring and bland. Once it's all dry, and the entire RV is painted inside, I can pick up the accent tone, which we're currently thinking about using CIL's "Cliffside" which is a darker grey.

"Must-Have" purchase for within the month - Internet

So this is what happens when it's 9pm, and apparently everyone in the park is online.

TengoInternet at 9pm on Monday

For anyone not familiar with this, a "ping" is sending a piece of information to a server that's basically saying, "Hey, are you there?", and the server responds. Anything above about 30ms is not good, so imagine how terrible it must be at 235ms... The longer the ping, the slower the connection. This can be for a variety of reasons. In the case of the screenshot above, TengoInternet only has so much bandwidth to provide (I presume), and just about everyone is online, soaking up all of it, and putting strain on the system.

Here is the same ping to 8.8.8.8 (A Google server), but using ShawOpen. ShawOpen is only useable by those with a Shaw account, or at least know someone who can add their MAC address to the account. This means that very few people in the park are able to use it.

ShawOpen at 9pm on Monday

See the difference? In computer terms, this is the difference between the Pony Express (TengoInternet) getting you a letter, and email (ShawOpen). TengoInternet might as well currently just mail you a picture of the webpage you want to see, because it's about that slow.

Now, I understand that there can be bandwidth limitations. It's all in the package that you get from whatever ISP you subscribe to. However, I'm a little surprised that TengoInternet, which is apparently in nearly every campground out there, is this slow. Seriously. Wow.

Then there is the whole partnership with Boingo. I'm a Boingo customer, I pay for unlimited internet access anywhere that Boingo is. This includes anywhere that TengoInternet is. the complete inability to use the internet is not what I pay for.

Good thing I can connect to ShawOpen.

So, my next big purchase will be the WifiRanger Elite pack. A few trusted Full Time RVers all recommend it, and even a few that I don't know much about do as well. I was originally thinking about getting the SkyRanger, but for an extra $100, I can make sure to get above the big RV's that might be in my line of sight to an access point.

If I can boost a ShawOpen signal, I won't need TengoInternet or Boingo anymore. Boingo is a great price, and I would use them if travelling outside of ShawOpen areas, but i'm locked to the Vancouver area for now, and Shaw is everywhere.

So, now to come up with $600 and all my wifi issues vanish. (I hope)

Making an RV of any sort, "Home"

I follow Tinyhouse Talk on Facebook, and there are so many great stories on there. More often than not, they're about the stickbuilt tiny homes that typically cost around $60,000 to build. I just came across a post about a family of four living in a renovated Airstream travel trailer, and boy, does it ever look amazing. I'd love to learn more about this family, and how they manage as my goal is to get something a little larger as soon as I can, and have my family with me.

I'm hoping to get something beautiful out of the work I am going to be doing on my RV. Beautiful enough to garner the attention of websites such as these.

Here's the article: http://tinyhousetalk.com/womans-anthropologie-airstream-renovation/

Finances, electrical, and renovations

Let me tell you, it's been pretty cheap living in an RV, but I'm still assisting with bills back home, which is making this saving to find a place a lot harder, and take a lot longer than I hoped. I was hoping to have a few hundred saved up by now, and I have exactly zero dollars saved up.

I also need to continue with the upgrades to the RV, and the first and most important change is swapping out the 15amp plug on the outside of the RV for a 30amp. As it turns out, I'm fully wired for 30amp and for some reason, someone tossed a 15amp plug on the end of the cord. This makes for a really dangerous situation as I could potentially pull more power in the RV, and not trip my breakers, but instead, melt the plug and start a fire.

Some exploration

A two minute walk from my RV is a walk path along a creek. It's really quite beautiful. I was going to take a walk today along the path as I typically do, but it was nice out. Sun was shining, and no rain.

I saw a path along the side, and decided to have a look. It brought me to one of the streams that feeds the creek. Quite a lovely spot, and lots of beauty. Even though I could see the RV park through the trees, it didn't feel like I was anywhere near the park.

The water is amazingly clear for being in the city. Back in Alberta, you were hard pressed to find a clear body of flowing water. usually the silt is kicked up so much that all the rivers and such just look brown.

I decided to follow the water back towards the RV park since I didn't know that it went so close. I came upon a clearing that looked like it may have been lived in by squatters at some point. good location though, right on the stream, but high enough to not be too concerned about water levels. Close to the road, but out of sight. The downside is that the train tracks are right on the other side of the stream and VERY loud. A train was rolling by as i took these pictures and I couldn't think.

This massive trunk is split into two parts, and it's been burned at some point by fire. Tough though, it's still standing, and there's plenty of life growing on it.

As I travelled along the stream further, I ended up directly behind the RV park, which had privacy hedges mostly keeping it separated. I was surprised to learn about this path, and just how close to home it was. As I turned another corner on the path, I came to what could be considered the mouth of this section of the stream. All I could think of, was that this was listed as a Salmon spawning stream. my guess was that there had to be something to allow the fish to not only come down, but perhaps move up this drain. It goes directly under the railway, so basically, it was created in order to keep the stream running.

And I was right! The mouth of the drain is designed to cause a spill back, allowing the fish time to adjust and be pushed into this area, which steps down the fall while the majority of the water then goes over the top.

There were two drains, and one barely had any water going through it. It was interesting to see, and you could see that erosion from water had carved the rock over time.

Inside the drain, heading along my path upstream. I thought it was neat, and you can see on the left side of the picture that time eventually destroys all man creates. The drain is starting to break apart, and the rebar is exposed and rusted.

Here's what's holding back the water. My guess is that it keeps the main drain flowing strongly, and only gets going when we have heavy rainfall. I don't know how much longer that wood will last, but it was really sturdy.

One the other side of that drainage pipe, was an old railway bridge. This thing is really cool, and I had no idea it was here. The rails have been removed, and the bridge fenced off on either side of the bridge. i have no idea how long it's been out of service, but the road on the one side doesn't have any rails in it, and there's a walk path on the other.

All in all, it was a great walk, and i got to discover some great spots. I certainly want to get back out to this bridge at some point. I can see some photography in the future using this relic.

As an extra, I am being interviewed tonight for my friends son's podcast. I'll send out the link when I get it after post-production. 

Have a great night!

Small update

It's been about a week since I last posted, and not much has happened. I am settling into the park, and I've been very busy with work.

Last night, I was in bed, and I just couldn't stop thinking. I was trying to plan out some of my renovations I am planning for this RV to update it, and make it more at home. I'm glad that the countertops didn't come in before I left now. It has given me some time to use the space and decide how I want to get things done.

Last weekend, I wanted to convert the fridge door into a chalkboard, and in the Travel Trailer, it was as simple as undoing a couple screws and pulling the wood panel out to be painted. In this RV, that is not the case. There are no screws, and the frame is a single piece that has been wrapped around the entire door. This means I have to paint the door inside.

I need to stop by a Home Depot and find a roll on chalkboard paint now. I did try to use the spray paint, but it makes such a mess. I'm glad I learned this before completing not only the counters, but the floor as well.

One of my thoughts, away from the fridge, is of what I want to do about the stainless steel appliances. Talking it over with my wife, a Brushed Nickel would look great with the new counters. I also need to replace the faucet as it leaks a bit from the tap. So, I am thinking about painting the sink with a Rustoleum paint, and replacing the faucet with a brushed nickel one. I actually found a couple great sites for how to do this, and I hope that it'll work well, and look good. I don't need to rush, but it is a day project. So, if I start in the morning, I could have a new sink by the evening. One day without water isn't too bad.


These are things I can do without the new counters for now, so I'm looking forward to that project. I'm also going to get started on sanding the walls and filling in holes this weekend as prep for painting. I'm going to have to do this in sections when I paint so I can still live in here, and be in one area while another is drying.

My biggest hurdle I think will be Loki, my cat. He may be a little grey in spots if he decides that being close to wet paint is a good idea. Then there is trying to keep his hair off the walls as well.

This should be interesting.

Rain, and beautiful walks

It’s been raining for a day and a half so far, and the sound of the rain on the roof of my RV is so soothing. Taking a walk is more annoying because my shoes have very low rubber soles, so water gets in a lot faster.

Changing my socks more than once a day now. I’m one of those people that can’t wear socks after I’ve taken them off. Now, with the rain, I’m sure I’ll be buying more socks soon. It’s just a thing I have.

Walking in the park is also more serene with the rain. Very few people, to interrupt the quiet. The stream is becoming more of a river now, having risen more than a foot in a day.

Cause of leak located

So, today, I had to get that water leak fixed. I want coffee, and I don't want to be trudging outside to a hose every time I need water.

So I grabbed my screw driver, turned off the propane, burnt off the remaining gas in the range, and started unscrewing the screws that have the range and oven secured to the frame of the RV. I was able to slide the whole thing out a ways and locate my issue almost immediately. It's a pipe to the bathroom, and was very loose.

Disaster Strikes!

Luckily, I was awake, and watching a movie. I started to hear a weird noise, so I got up and listened. It sounded like it was coming from under my kitchen.

Curious, I went outside, and I watched as water was POURING out of my RV in several places. I quickly check the hot water heater and it's not coming from the drainage hole there. The water feels cool, so might not be the heater. I quickly turn off the city water, and go back to the RV, there's water pouring out of my passenger door as well!

I open my door, and where I was sitting not a minute before is flooded with water! What is going on?!?!?!

Now, I'm cleaning up water, rather than enjoying my night. It's too dark to look around, and I really don't want to be pulling my RV apart at 11pm. So, I am without water until I figure this out.

I turned on the water pump to see if the sound came back, and it quickly did, so I've burst a pipe somewhere.

This sucks. I don't have the finances to replace this damage right now.

A victim of theft

Someone actually stole my license plate...

Really? This is a thing?

Well, that was unexpected... WTF Google +?

So, I do not use Google+, in fact, I thought I had deleted it when I was given one after needing to sign up with my email address in order to continue using this blog.

I just got this email, clicked the link and it basically added photos from my trip, along with locations.

Cooking: Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Here is another of my favourite's. This is a low carb alternative to Shake 'N' Bake. This list is for cooking four chicken breast.

The list:

• 4 Chicken breast
• 2 cups Crushed Almonds (I recently discovered that there's such a thing as 'Almond Flour', it's cheaper than crushing it yourself)
• 1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Salt, Pepper
• Minced Garlic
• 2 1/2 cups Minute Rice
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (I use frozen)
• Feta Cheese

Princess having a ball at the Calgary Zoo

I may not get to be there, but I get to live vicariously through my wife. We love going to the Zoo, and Princess loves seeing the Gorillas, and all the other animals. Today, my wife took Princess to the zoo with her family friend we call cousin.

Cousin's son is in love with Princess, he's only a couple years older, but just wants to be around her. Such a girl! She already has the love and protection of a boy! Mylaela sent me some pictures, and I got permission from cousin to use them as well. This is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time!

One week

It's been a week since I drove to BC, and left my beloved family in Alberta. I have to say, it feels like it's been a month.

I can't believe how much I miss my family. hopefully, I will be able to pick up my cat from my cousin in-law tomorrow. I need a snuggler.

Today, I got paid thankfully, so I went out and bought a couple necessities and got my hair cut and highlighted. The nice older lady said it was no longer common for guys to get highlights, and she was excited to do it. I think it has to do with the media beating up on guys a lot in the last few years for taking care of themselves, and "manscaping". Yes, we want to look good too, and no; just because we care what we look like doesn't mean we're gay. Thanks media.

Cooking: Mexican Rice

Alright, so I made this last night, and I want to share!

So I am going to start sharing my recipes with you! I'm taking foods i cook in the house, and trying to figure out the best way to make them in an RV. This recipe had to be modified (based on cooking utensils). The whole thing can be done in a deep frying pan, but you can follow it as I have for the RV, where I don't have a deep frying pan.

Feel free to grab my recipes, and modify them for your families! Share your results! I'd love to see them!

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped bell peppers (I use red, green, and yellow)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup minute rice
3/4 cup water (you need less water because of everything else)
1 tsp chili powder
As much grated cheese as you like!

Playing around with a new template

Have some patience if things look weird! I think I have most the bugs sorted out, but not quite yet!

Let me know if there is anything amiss.

[EDIT: The template was a gongshow. I've removed it]

First venture into Vancouver

I had a couple meetings today downtown Vancouver, so I finally got to hop on the SkyTrain. I must have looked really perplexed while staring at the ticket machine because a girl came over and asked me if I needed help.

First full day in Vancouver

So far, things have been good at this new RV park. I do have some complaints, but they're things that I cannot do too much about. We're inside city limits, so there is no possibility of having a fire, which probably wouldn't work out well since the lot sizes are super small. The only thing differentiating this from a parking lot is the privacy hedges, and hookups.

Campground Review - Coquihalla Campground in Hope, BC

As I stay in campgrounds, I'm planning on writing reviews based on my personal experiences. It's difficult to tell if my experiences will be the same as yours, so just take what I write with a grain of salt.

On my journey west from Calgary to Vancouver, I made the extra time to stay in Hope, BC. I have driven through there dozens of times, and have never been able to stay longer than getting gas and maybe a bite to eat. From the first time I drove into Hope, I fell in love with it. The mountains are huge, and the little town of under 6,000 just seems at peace.

So, I did some research. I wanted to camp somewhere close to town. As I am only in my RV, I don't want to drive it everywhere. It is a pig on fuel after all. I wanted nice scenery, and full hookups, all at a decent price.

Enter Coquihalla Campground: