May 08, 2019
Sweaty, smelly, bedraggled but happy we made our way back from Jones Lake to Maple Ridge in Vancouver where Jim lives. Jim had a few things he wanted to sort on the van anyway as well as fixing our battery and starting problems. He needed the van for a couple of days to get the work complete and was very kind to put us up in his newly acquired Dodge camper van at the Golden Ears provincial camp ground just 20 minutes from his house. The ground is a paid for camping site at $35 a night which is something we only want to use maybe once or twice a week to get a shower and have some basic facilities but was a nice welcome relief to have a shower and get cleaned up.
Golden Ears park itself is great. Again as with Jones lake you get your own site with picnic table and fire pit nestled among the towering trees of the surrounding Forrest. We spent three nights there and it was great to have some home comforts thanks to Jim’s camper. The camper was modest in size but came with everything you need for a comfortable stay. A small kitchen area with a stove and sink. A good sized table and seating area where we could sit and play cards and read on a night, it was a pleasant way to spend a few days. We explored the park and found a nice beach area on the lake shore where we relaxed for an afternoon without seeing another sole and we went on a trek up to the nearby falls which were great. The falls themselves weren’t anything spectacular, at least compared to some of the waterfalls we have seen in Asia but the setting and location was certainly unique and like nothing else we have experienced. A beautiful turquoise river snaking it’s way down through the valley. Thick dense forest on one side and towering snow capped peaks on the other. Canada is really starting to feel exactly how we expected it to be. It is the stunning scenery that you see in photos. Crystal clear fresh waters, towering Redwood’s, snow capped mountains and stars and camp fires on a night. The weather has been fantastic since we landed here, from the snippets we have heard on the news it seems British Columbia is experiencing record breaking temperatures currently for this time of year. I guess in our mind we thought of Canada as being cold and it is when you get up to higher altitudes such as Jones lake but once back down in the low lands and it has been scorching T-shirt and shorts weather.
A few days later Jim drove back up to take us back down to his and we discussed and helped him with our bed arrangement in the back of Buddy. So far we have been living off an airbed which fills the entire space in the back of the van. It has done a basic job but every night when we go to sleep we have had to move everything we have in to the front seats on a night so that we have room to sleep. We desperately needed some storage and a more permanent set up in the van and yet again Jim delivered true to his word. He has been so helpful in getting us set up with this van and we can’t thank him enough for the help and guidance he has given us. Within a few hours he had our bed frame built and installed and also a basic but clever sliding system for part of the bed frame so that on a night or when it’s raining we can slide back a portion of the bed and have a small seating area where we can sit upright and comfortable. With the van in better shape and more livable we were ready to head off again. Let’s see where we end up next on our adventure through Canada.
