Gas, Grass or Ass No One Rides for Free...But We'll Also Take a Toque

Before we get into the lovely Kootenays we'd like to answer some questions about the van so that some of you can get a visual picture of the inside (we'll also include some photos if we can). Our van is named 'Westy' - we know, so original, right? We chose it because he went nameless for so long as we waited for inspiration, that Westy went from a nickname to the legal version. Westy Garnett-Fowler for tax purposes. He is a chocolate brown 1986 Volkswagen Vanagon with the Westfalia camper package, which is the most inclusive of all the V-dub camper vans. For those that care, it is powered by a 2.1 waterboxer engine with 4 cylinders and half as many valves as it should - meaning it only makes 90hp and if a snail race was uphill, some of the bigger, faster snails may win. For the inside, Westy starts with two lovely captains chairs which can swivel around to face each other, and for driving comfort we have an iPod hookup and some custom cupholders (because the world's most awesome vehicle didn't have room for drink holders). For camping comfort, the inside has a fridge, two burner stove and a sink that actually make kitchen chores fairly easy. The only thing it could use is a dish washer, but currently Hazen washes and Autumn dries. This unit sits behind the drivers seat, and behind it sits a swivel table and a wardrobe so we can actually hang stuff up! The back bench seat is perfect for hitchhikers, but it is also a great dining area when the swivel table is pulled out. For less formal meals and nap time, the back bench seat pulls forward like an Ikea Futon and our full size bed comes out. When guests visit, the roof of the van pops up like a tent, and another twin bed flips out to accommodate 1-2 more people.

Hope this gives you a better idea of where we're living! It's actually more spacious than we first anticipated.

Ok, so we left you last in the Okanagan as we were heading down towards the Kootenays. On the highway you end up passing a lot of people traveling with their lives in their backpacks, and there's something about a Westfalia that makes you want to pick people up. Don't worry though, we've got some sense to actually offering a ride - if you look scary or physically capable of robbing us we won't pick you up. But if we come by a young couple like us, hell, we've got two spare seats! And that's what we did in Osoyoos.

Sebastian and Isabelle are French adventure guides whose contract had expired in Whistler. They were on their way home to the Laurentians in Quebec (shout-out to Tara and Mat because they said they lived near your town), but had to stop in at Nelson to visit Sebastian's brother. I don't know how many of you have driven from Osoyoos to Nelson, but there aren't a lot of places to see between. With us having no plan, and them headed to Nelson, we set out on the 5 hour drive (Westy speed Keira and Roman). When we got there and were just about to part ways with our new friends, Isabelle handed Autumn a toque she had been quietly knitting in the back seat as a thank you for the ride.

We spent the next few days getting the lay of Nelson. We stayed out at a little site along the river and explored all the little shops, street markets and cafes during the day. After a few days on our own, our good friend Jeremy was coming home to visit his parents and was kind enough to put us up and show us around over the Canada day long weekend. In addition to showing us some of those great eateries (Oso Negro, the Outer Clove, the Kootenay Bakery and the Full Circle Cafe are some awesome restaurants/coffee places if you're ever in the area), he pointed us in the direction of the Ainsworth Hotsprings..they weren't quite as natural as we had anticipated, but were still nice to sit in on a cold, rainy day.

On Canada Day we went on a fantastic hike up to Pulpit rock, which overlooks the valley and river around Nelson. It was a steep hike but so worth the view from the top. and At night we enjoyed a few beers with Jeremy and friends at a pub and then walked down to the park for the Nelson music and fireworks.

 Nelson was Hazen's favourite spot thus far, the people, scenery, food and vibe are some of the best around!