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!

Wine, Sun, and Exploration

ODO: 365164

The Okanagon is absolutely breathtaking. For those of you who have not yet been, put it on your bucket list. Autumn loved Kelowna and the surrounding "lands", Hazen loved the back country-but we'll get to that. The best part about the Okanagon is the variety of things there are to do, so we spent the last week trying a bit of everything. Here's some of what we've been up to.

Upon arriving in Kelowna we were itching to get outside. We wanted to get a better lay of the land so we headed out on a hike at Mission Creek. We were greeted by beautiful, rushing water, wooden bridges and small paths carved into the mountainside by the feet of people like us. Since we did not have a map and had come on a bit of a whim, we had a hard time figuring out which path would lead us to the top. Then we came across the friendliest man and his dogs who gave us the locals' inside scoop. We soon made it to the top where a gorgeous panoramic view of the city below was waiting for us. That's one thing we've realized so far about this area-smile at people and they will help you with whatever you need. 

After a couple of days in Kelowna we headed off into the back-country to take a sabbatical from the Wal-Mart we had since called home. We found this great website a few weeks before we left Victoria that lists all the places you can camp for free in BC. Check it out if you're planning to get off the beaten path this summer (Sites and Trails). We thought it would be easy enough to find these locations-the directions seemed straight forward, if perhaps a bit brief. Once on the road it became quite clear that we were truly going to be roughing it. 

In case any of you were wondering, a VW van can do surprisingly well up steep and rocky slopes. 

We followed what little signs there were only to decide there was no campground and we should turn around. We saw another couple parked on the side of the road about 10KM back and pulled over to ask if they knew of a good place to park for the night. The knew of the place we were searching for and assured us that it existed. We got back in Westy to try it for a second time only to discover that our destination was a short 500 m around the corner we had never taken. It was an adventure but the utopia that awaited  was well worth the 2 hours we spent exploring dirty, dusty roads.

Autumn spent the afternoon reading, Hazen fishing, and we had the first fire of the summer.

We wanted to take advantage of the amazing wineries sprinkled around the Okanagon-and take advantage we did. We got cleaned up-a shower when living in a van is the most luxurious of feelings- and headed off to Mission Hill and Quail's Gate. We hit a few more further down the Okanagon but these two were the highlights. 

 

Tours and tastings at both left us slightly tipsy but marginally more knowledgable about the correct way to swirl, sniff, and slurp a glass of wine. If you want to try it yourself, here's what we remember: 

1. Look into your glass. Hold it in front of a light and tilt it at a 45 degree angle. The color of the miniscus can tell you the age of the wine; pale (white) or bright (red) is a young wine. When the body of the wine becomes a caramel (white) or brick (red) color it is an aged wine.

2. Sniff the wine. Then swirl it. Then sniff it again. The smell should change because you are "opening up" the wine by aerating it. 

3. Taste it three times. First to cleanse, second to taste, third to judge. Upon the third taste, the correct way is to take a bit, tilt your head forward, and do that thing you did when you were a kid - let it fall out of your mouth but slurp it back in so that nothing actually falls out. If you're like us, skip this - it's pretentious and you look funny. Just drink the wine. 

Rules of the Road continued:

5. A smile goes a long way

6. When you think you can't go any further, always go around just one more corner.

7. You will never appreciate a shower, clean feet, or a glass of ice cold water more than you do when you live in a van.

The Day After Mile Zero

ODO: 363935 km

It finally happened. We left our house in such excitement, windows down, music up, racing to Mile 0. We had decided that this starting point of the Trans Canada Highway would also be the starting place of our journey. After dipping our toes in the Pacific Ocean for what would be the last time in months, we ran back up to Westy to hit the road!

Yesterday we made the trek to Kelowna. The drive was gorgeous! We decided to pull over to the side of the highway to steal some sun and enjoy lunch in our camping chairs. We got a few stares, but it was so relaxing to be at our own pace instead of our usual feeling of constantly rushing to the next destination. I guess that's the beauty of living out of your van, home is wherever you are :)

For any of you thinking of one day doing a road trip like ours, here's a few rules of the road we've picked up so far:

1. Do not sleep in a WalMart parking lot if the WalMart is attached to a mall. You will be asked to leave at 1:30 am. 

2. Do not listen to WalMart employees. They have no idea if you are allowed to park there.

3. You can walk into any rec center across Canada, tell them you're traveling and they will let you use the showers for free!

4. There is no use speeding up a mountain-Westies don't go fast. Put your hazards on and get behind the semies.

Hopefully we'll pick up a few more for you as we go!

Oh, and P.S. Don't worry parents, we're safe.