WONDERFUL SHUSWAP LAKE

With a quick stop to see friends (Phyllis at Mount Vernon and Pat in Bellingham), we made our way to Canada. We were surprised at the border that they wanted our birth certificates or passports.

Many commercial vegetable gardens greeted us across the border. The flat valley was bordered on each side by tree-covered mountains. Then the land changed to pine covered mountains and deep canyons. Zoe loved the RV park at Hope, BC as we were nestled in among the pine trees and could have a campfire. It was more like camping to her.

Out of Kamloops, there were fewer pine trees on the mountains. The gardens stretched for acres with one field covered completely with black netting over a large area. It made a stunning contrast to the vivid green of the other fields. The mountains were rock from violent eruptions that twisted and curled the rock in great contortions.

Our main goal was Shuswap Lake at Sicamous and we were not disappointed. Sicamous is called the Houseboat Capital of the World and we believe it. The lake is huge with over 600 miles of shoreline. The setting with the pine-covered mountains surrounding it is gorgeous. It makes you want to get in one of those houseboats and live on the lake. We took a six-hour cruise on the lake and barely made a dent in covering it.

The beauty of Canada campgrounds is tempered somewhat by their lack of adequate power to each site. Fortunately, cool breezes moderate the heat. The lush abundance of trees also stifles our use of the internet but as usual, we found an internet café and also computers at the town library.