There must be some kind of way out of here (III):.... 100 Mile House to 108 Mile House

4:15
ts ts ts.... too early.... especially in 100 Mile House, LOL

it's 8 degrees outside when I have my first cigarette ;-(

7:00
it's 9 degrees now.... back to bed!

8:00
Wow.... what a way to catch up on sleep.....  my motel is right next to the main North-South highway in these parts ...

...but it's DEAD QUIET compared to North Vancouver, LOL.

10:30
A trip to the Liquor store and the Grocery store (by now I am starving!)

the chip aisle.... FAT SPOILED BASTARDS !

, and then it's time to drive even further into the countryside. 

I meet Zu in her store and she pilot-cars me to her house..
Good thing too, because I would have got SO LOST.

Zu heads back to work and leaves me in her brand-new house.

I can't believe how BIG and gorgeous Zu's house is ....

..... For a moment, I am overwhelmed by size envy...this is how big my main room was supposed to be before poor communication and faulty measurements cut it down to its present size ......

And Zu even has deer in her backyard ;-)

12:00
Sink laundry is complete ;-)

13:30
nap time, I think....

15:00
It's August 3rd, and it's so COLD inside this house that I'm tempted to hop back under the warm blanket....

17:30
Tanya & Meg arrive....LOL, I haven't seen Tanya in 3 years but she is still the same lively bubbly buddy..... but maybe that's the bubbly's fault?

the tarts that Tanya made

For me, the evening ends on a slightly sad note.... Tanya only lives 10-20 km from here... do I understand correctly that this is the first time she visits Zu's new house ???   Shame on you, T!


23:00

There must be some kind of way out of here (II):...Lytton to 100 Mile House

5:00

What a difference to yesterday when I have my first cigarette outside.....

...the storm is here..... the wind drives intermittent rain across the courtyard.

10:30
I'm packed and almost ready to go....

11:00
A rest stop just before Goldpan...

it must be a pain to keep that railway line free of debris ....

and afterwards: another of many stops...

...
and another one, a few km before Cache Creek

I remember all these spots form years ago.... but back then I never took the time to stop.... I was too intent to complete the 1200 km to the farm within 24 hours!

13:30
NOW, I HATE car driving SO MUCH..... all my senses are numb when I step out of the car...... 100 Mile House hasn't changed much, LOL

The place looks similar to Dawson Creek all those years ago.... people bear themselves differently...and they are dressed differently....

Sushi & Noodle.... NO white wine available (but they have Asahi ;-) and probably the most watery Miso Soup I ever had...

The food is OK though, even if a bit bland, and not cheap.... but I shouldn't complain .... I need to remember WHERE I am !

14:10.....I check into the hotel

And then it's time to do a little bit more driving..... to get to the target location of this long journey:

There is a hardware store there.... I pull into the parking lot.... I enter and look around.... someone is taking care of a customer and I recognize her, LOL.

I try to take another less shaky picture but by then Z has noticed and recognized me....  we agree to meet at my hotel later.

16:00
I'm back from the Liquor Store (with the HOTTEST Asian working there ;-) with 3 bottles of wine.... It's probably not worth stocking up too much ..... this is the Caribooze Country, so resupply can be found everywhere!

17:25
I'm napped & showered, I am ready for Zu's arrival.... might as well drink some wine while I wait, LOL.

18:00
Dinner at the Firehouse Diner.... and Zu has a sip of wine in my hotel room....

We also NEED to take some selfies for a common friend... Hans-Werner on Norderney ;-)

If the pictures don't spell it out clearly enough:   We get along SO WELL.... I am rat vui that I came up to 100 Mile House ;-)

22:00

There must be some kind of way out of here (I):.... Vancouver to Lytton

5:30
EVERYTHING seems to hurt today.... WTF?

7:45
I have started packing..... and I need to pick up the car soon.... or should I ride the bike to Grandma first ?

8:20
I have the car.... just WHY did Joana give me the extra insurance or bigger car?.... gotta talk to her about that!.....now I just have to get the bicycle to Grandma and take a taxi back.... and I don't want to get stuck in the morning rush hour in a taxi ! So I better wait a little to cycle off.... but then rain clouds are looming over the mountains.... can't win!

I think I even feel the first individual drops.... but maybe that's psychosomatic again ;-)

9:15
The taxi delivered me to my hotel again...... I've thrown all the luggage in the car.....

10:30
on y va!

What can I say..... I am SHELL-Shocked when I finally sit down in Pho Xuan restaurant in Chilliwack..... stop-and-go traffic from Langley to Abbotsford....

...an absolute NIGHTMARE ! And trying to detour THROUGH Abbotsford to avoid the highway traffic was even worse !

The owner brings me my food and exclaims "Did you MOVE here?"  I don't recognize the man !?!  How embarrassing.....He used to be a waiter at my North Vancouver Viet restaurant.  And he obviously remembers me CLEARLY because the next thing he says "No alcohol here!"

12:45
Time to hit the bloody road again ...

WHY can't I see those mountains clearly?   FUCKING CAR EXHAUST !
And I am part of the problem today ;-(

Yale.... gone to the dogs in the last 5 years

Just before Lytton:  Signs of forest fires of the past:

Wow, I'll be staying in a town with 345 inhabitants?

Lytton:   The Totem Motel:
The Asian owner didn't get the Booking.com info right, he wants to put me into a tiny bedroom.... 
But I get what I want..... the first thing I do is rip open the windows and the door open.... because it's FREEZING in that room even though the a/c is NOT on..... 

There is an e-mail from Lisa ...

OMG, I so MISS these people !

The house is making progress......

....and it's GORGEOUS ;-)

But back to my present reality: A quick check of the view from the 'Garden'...

The "mighty Fraser"....

.... and then I'm walking to the Agency General Store...

... and the cashier is Asian too, with a wonderful and cheery demeanour.....  no wonder they have a Chinese Museum in this town, LOL

16:15
I can't just sit in my room and eat and drink, or I'll look like the average Canadian soon ....

NOPE, I'm going for a short walk.....

....because there is somewhere I want to go....

There is a bridge here in Lytton.....

... and it passes over the Thompson River, which here in Lytton flows into the Fraser River...

OK, so I obviously have had a few ;-)

The pictures from the bridge don't turn out... but the bridge is visible in the picture below....

17:00
I check out hotel prices in Vancouver over the weekend..... the Gay Pride Parade is on Sunday.... and the already insane prices have increased from $200 to $250 for that day..... 

17:10
The Motel WiFi becomes unusable....

17:15
A woman starts playing trumpet (REALLY BADLY) right in front of my window...

17:30
I check with the receptionist whether his WiFi router is acting up... Nope, that's just NORMAL..... FUCKING THIRD WORLD LIVING!

20:30