When we left Vancouver Island at the end of week 14, we were no longer going West, but instead headed East. It hit me early this week that means that geographically we are now making our travels back to our home in Indiana–and I will admit it left me unsettled for a few days.
At first I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling kind of out of sorts, but then as I was running one morning this week,, I finally put my finger on it. Now that we are on the route home the adventure we spent almost a year dreaming and planning about is coming to an end and since I am a goal setter that leaves me feeling a bit lost.
I do miss our home in Indiana. And I have loved almost every minute of this amazing trip that we have been blessed to take. I just love having a BIG dream/goal to strive for–and now with just five weeks left of our trip as I write this my soul is in a state of unrest as it desires to know “what next.”
It reminds me of how I felt the moment I crossed the finish line during all three of the 26.2 mile, full marathons I have ran. I would be so excited to finish and yet fighting feelings of unrest, of losing focus, of nakedness.
If you are not a goal setter that probably sounds weird to you and I admit when I just took a second to reread what I wrote, I thought it strange too, yet it describes exactly how I feel.
To avoid living my life in circles, I need a new dream goal to strive for before this one comes to an end. So I am talking with my husband and dreaming and praying, and hopefully before we step foot on the concrete stairs leading up to Purchased for $10,000 home in Indiana, we will have a new crazy wonderful, seemingly impossible, but oh-so-delightful goal to strive for -because that is how God wired my husband and me.
The cycle usually goes something like this: Hubby comes up with a crazy idea. I like it, but don’t see it to be practical. Hubby won’t stop talking about dream, and I start to fall in love with it. My realist nature freaks out and grabs my running shoes. I run for miles. God comes beside me while I run reminding me that when you push through fear, sometimes fun memory filled adventures await on the other side. HE shows me that we three could make the crazy idea work and by the time I hit home a plan is hatched. I go home, tell my husband yes, but to make it happen we need to do A, B and then C, and we both go into focus mode, working together to make it happen. It is how my husband and I tango–he gets me dreaming, and I get him planning.
But enough contemplation on my strange personality and what makes my marriage work, let’s get to the pictures of what we been up to this week.
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Easter Sunday we made our way from Vancouver to Vernon via the Coquihalla Highway. The highway takes you through mountain passes, many of which are snowcapped all year long. The trip is a pretty one no matter what time of year you travel it.
We made one brief stop on our travels Sunday to what is now called Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Back in 1992 my husband and I met each other there. At that time it was called Cariboo College.
In the picture above my husband and I are standing in front of the dorm rooms we lived in the first year we dated. Mine was the one with the hanger in the window, and my husband’s the one with the three items in the top window.
We actually met on the top floor of this building in front of a mutual friend’s dorm room, but where we are standing is where our first in-depth conversations were shared. Those conversations led to our first date, which resulted in marriage, which resulted in three kids and a life that I won’t trade for the world. Oh, I would love to swap a few events out, but who knows how those events shaped me for the better–so perhaps not.
Now, although I am a HUGE ocean gal, I will admit that the lakes in the Okanagan where my husband spent most of his childhood are beautiful too (but the ocean will always have my heart).
I have enjoyed three lakeside runs this week and hope to enjoy a few more this week since we are in the Vernon area for a total of two weeks.
Kalamalka Lake was my favorite when we lived here during the beginning of our marriage. I love how the colors of its water change with the seasons.
Another family favorite from the five or so years we lived here over 15 years ago is Davison Orchards. I have many a memory of meeting other young moms with their preschoolers, toddlers, and babies here. We would spend several hours chatting while the children enjoyed the petting zoo and the playground area. And of course we would always go home with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Unfortunately, Davison Orchards isn’t open until the day after we leave Vernon. Somehow we blew by three signs telling us that it was closed and ended up interrupting workers trying to get the place ready for this seasons opening day. Oops! That was slightly embarrassing.
Since we already had the whole family in the truck that day we decided to salvage our travels out to that end of town by showing the kids the beach that we took them to several times each summer.
Kin Beach has a long beach area as well as a great playground for young children. The view of the mountains beyond the lake is pretty nice to stare at too. It was getting chilly by the time we got there so we didn’t stay long. We hope to go back to this particular lake (Okanagan Lake) later this upcoming week with the kids to share a favorite hiking area of ours.
My husband’s sister was very generous to us. She took her RV over to her parents and let us empty out ours and take over her home for two weeks.
The kids are enjoying having rooms of their own and so are my husband and I. As much as I love having a bedroom with a real door again what I am loving, even more, is a space to enjoy the quiet of the morning without feeling like I am waking everyone else up.
One morning I sat curled up on the couch reading several chapters of Love Does. This book is a must read for everyone. If you want to make this world a more compassionate place you need to read Love Does.
As I stated earlier, I am enjoying Kalamalka Lake views on my morning runs. The area recently added a new trail that gets bikers, runners and walkers closer to the opposite side of the lake than they could before.
It is called the Rail Trail because it is a trail built where the railway tracks used to be. I think if there is time and good temperatures this coming week I might take my bike to it so that I can explore more of it in less time than it takes me to run. The views of the lake as far as I have explored so far are stunning.
Friday we headed out to Lumby, a town my husband spent several years living just outside of as a child. He also drove through it many a day when he worked as a forester in the area.
One of his favorite places to stop and pick up dinner for us on his way home from work when we used to live here was the Pagoda Inn. So it was on our must stop and eat at while we are in the area list. It is still just as good as we remembered.
IDAS bakery was another “got to stop” spot for our foodie family. My husband spent a good percentage of his personal money at this bakery when he worked as a forester. Oh, my! What you are looking at is a blueberry filled turnover, and it was incredible.
We went home with a pie, several butter tarts, sausage rolls, bread, rolls, and a few other yummy treats. We are practicing some self discipline though as it is now Sunday and we will still have several items left. However, I have eaten cherry pie for breakfast the last two mornings–but that has to be better for you than an overly processed pop tart…right?
After filling up on sugary pastries, we headed out to see the Shuswap Falls. I had never been, and neither had our daughter. Our boys went with their dad when they were tiny, but they didn’t remember it.
Once we were through exploring the falls we headed to Mabel Lake. The lake was so calm when we got there that it made the perfect mirror reflecting the clouds in the sky and the forest covered hills that make up its shoreline.
If you ever pass through the Okanagan I highly suggest heading out to Mabel Lake, the other lakes in the area will seem plain Jane once you see the beauty of Mabel Lake.
This week we plan to visit with more friends and family as well as share a bit more of the area with our children.
How To Follow Us Now That The Journey Is Over
My husband and I are currently traveling one weekend a month, you can check out our adventures on our blog The Parents Flew The Nest.
We also have an Instagram account that we keep updated with our most recent travels — @theparentsflewthenest is where you can find us there.
Wisdom Learned On The Road
12 Tips For Long RV Road Trips
10 Things To Bring When Exploring The National Parks
Want to read more about our RV trip? Dig into the links below!
Week One Update: Nashville and Atlanta
Week Two Update: Atlanta, Savannah and St Mary’s
Week Three Update: St Mary’s and Little Talbot Island
Week Four Update: Orlando and Niceville
Week Five Update: Niceville, New Orleans, and Sea Rim State Park
Week Six Update: San Antonio, Carlsbad Caverns, and White Sands
Week 7 Update: Gila Cliff Dwellings, City of Rocks & Sedona
Week 8 Update: Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam & Lake Mead
Week 9 Update: Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley, Palm Springs, Laguna Beach
Week 10 Update: Joshua Tree, San Francisco, Yosemite, and Sequoia
Week 11 Update: Sea Glass Beaches and The Giant Redwoods of California
Week 12 Update: Seattle, Port Angeles, & Victoria
Week 13 Update: Nanaimo, Tofino, & Courtenay
Week 14 Update: Vancouver Island & Vancouver
Week 15 Update: Okanagan (you are here)
Week 17 Update: Canadian Rockies, Drumheller
Week 18 Update: Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake
Week 19 Update Carters of The Moon, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton
Week 20 Update Grand Teton National Park, Salt Lake City, and Zion
Week 21 Update Kolob Canyon, Red Cliffs, Bryce Canyon, Red Canyon and Estes Park
The Final RV Road Trip Update: And Now We Are Home
Visit our RV Trip page for the story of how the trip came to be, a map of our route, and more
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So pleased to have come upon this as my wife & I plan for a 3-month cross-Canada trip with our small trailer next year from Kelowna to Newfoundland. Blessings.
Wow, that is sure to be a great trip! Our family has yet to explore the Eastern coast of Canada–but it is on my bucket list.