Back In Kelowna 🙂

I’m so sorry if I scared some of you when I didn’t post yesterday, we made it home safely just before noon and despite all the time I spent on the phone with our mobile service provider my phone, which has our data, did not hook-up. And then today is a weekend so I couldn’t call in until 9:00 a.m. and then of course it still didn’t work but fortunately our daughter dropped groceries off for us at the gate of the park and I was able … from a very long distance … to use their data to post this.

We are still healthy and so very happy to be home. We officially started our fourteen day isolation at 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning after we crossed the border and are honestly looking forward to some time to decompress after the last three days.

In the last three and a half days we have driven 2,538 km (1,577 mi), visited seven states … Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah (definitely not planned!), Idaho, Oregon, and Washington … and one glorious province, British Columbia 😄

So let’s catch you up from where I left off on Thursday. The weather and the roads continued to be great so our drive went through Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and up to Northern Washington where we parked in the Walmart parking lot. Walmart was not our first choice but it was what we got, and the parking lot was FULL of RVs! Good thing there were very few shoppers and the store closed early so there was lots of room for all of us.

And before you get all freaked out about us spending time in Washington state, I checked the CDC stats and there are no cases of COVID-19 in Omak or it’s surrounding county. As well we have not been in contact with anyone since we left Napa in Enterprise, Utah Wednesday afternoon. Well other than the border crossing guard and he kept a very long distance!

It was an interesting trip and the second time we have done this route. But what we find so funny about this route is that the first time we did it was our first year on the road back in November 2013 and because of weather we did it in three days as well. Well actually two and half, as we went to Las Vegas and then headed east across to Florida, but basically if we had gone to Yuma that first year it would have been three days. Someday we may get the chance to take the whole route at a slower pace 😄

For those of you coming behind us I hope you take comfort in knowing our border crossing was easy … even easier than most years! We were asked the usual question about how long we were away and were we over on any of our exemptions.

We were then asked “Where are you headed?” In our case it was only a two hour drive from the border and generally most people in Canada can get home in one day but I’m curious to know what he would have said if we would not have arrived home to begin self isolation that first day. In fact I’m curious to know how people would self isolate immediately upon arrival in Canada if they live to far from the border and can’t get home that first day.

The next question was “Do you have enough food for 14 days?” We have no fresh vegetables or very few frozen ones, very few eggs and milk, because of course stores are running low on those items. Our daughter offered, a few days ago, to pick up what we needed and drop it off at the gate of the park (the park is not open yet). I gave her a list but she wasn’t able to find us any fresh or frozen veggies either 😦 Again I’m curious what the crossing guard would have said if we had nobody to shop for us?

The last comment was “I know you have been gone for a long time but you can’t see anyone until you have to self isolate for 14 days.” I got a smile when I told him FaceTime was a wonderful thing. We were provided with a pamphlet and sent on our way with a smile.

I had a large bag that hubby held open so that the border guard could put our nexus cards and pamphlet in. I figured even though the border guard was wearing gloves those gloves had held passports from who knows how many people before he touched ours. I even read the pamphlet with my own gloves on.

If I had my own data I would have posted some pictures including one of the pamphlet, but I don’t want to use up all of our daughter’s data. Basically the pamphlet didn’t tell you any more than you probably already know.

So we are home, set-up at the campground, and self isolating for fourteen days while trying to deal with my mobile phone … yup that was one wrinkle I could have done without!

Until next time …