Houseless But Not Homeless…Picking up our Trailer!
Finally the sun is out today bringing a bit of warmth with it. The weather has been seasonably cold since arriving in BC a couple of weeks ago so a bright warm day is in order - and by warm I mean 10 degrees Celsius!
A few weeks ago, we started our drive across Canada to pick up our trailer in British Columbia. After travelling through Ontario and most of the prairies, we stopped in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan in order for me to get a back massage. I suffer severe lower back pain at times and long distance drives don't help the situation. We ended up booking a room at the Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa for the night. I got a great massage that helped my back pain tremendously and coupled with the onsite geothermal mineral pool, I was good to continue our drive to Alberta.
After driving about 9 hours the next day, we made it to our Airbnb in Canmore, Alberta. We booked for five days giving us time to get some outdoor activity in before moving on to BC. Although excited to pick up the trailer in BC, we weren't in a big hurry. Both Brent and I are really enjoying this part of our lives by the way. It is amazing how our stress levels have gone down throughout the year, just by eliminating all the stress that comes with holding a full-time job, maintaining a home for our family and living in a very expensive city like Toronto.
I really like the feel of Canmore. If you have plans to ski Banff in the future (fingers crossed), I suggest staying in Canmore. As long as you have a car, all the ski hills are within an hour or so and the town of Banff is about a 15-20 minute drive. Accommodations in Canmore are less expensive and it has all the amenities that you will need. Because of Covid, many activities are limited, but if you search Airbnb Experiences, there are some guided hikes in the area that look good. There is an abundance of trails to hike and bike on your own and The Legacy Trail connects you from Canmore with the town of Banff measuring a little less than 50 Km.
Unfortunately, we didn't have our bikes with us as they were in the trailer, but we did some hiking around town and Brent got a day of Spring skiing in at Sunshine Ski Resort .
The next day, we drove a full day straight to Penticton, BC. We were in the area last August and had a great couple of days in the South Okanagan. You can catch our adventures on our Youtube Channel South Okanagan, BC
If you do land in Penticton in the summer, make sure you put some time aside to do the 7 Km Lazy River Float followed by dinner at one of the local breweries. We really enjoy Bad Tattoo Brewing Company. Great pizza and beer. If you need coffee and breakfast in the morning, head to Wayne and Freda They have great breakfast sandwiches and lunch items too.
After our one night pit stop in Penticton, we drove to Summerland to pick up the trailer. You can catch all the excitement and jubilee at Houseless But Not Homeless. Honestly, we've been looking forward to this ever since returning to Canada from Costa Rica in February. There was a lot of planning involved as we needed to avoid snowstorms and freezing temps at night once we got the trailer and started living in it again.
With all those variables in mind, we decided to stay in Oliver, BC for a couple of weeks. Generally, Oliver has warmer temperatures and there is plenty of outside activities to do in the area. We booked a campsite at Apple Beach RV Park and began cleaning, organizing and de-winterizing. It felt so good to be back in our own home and although it's only 18 feet, it's ours. It may not be a stick or masonry house, but it provides for our needs right now and allows us to travel. We've managed to make it our home; our safe and comfy space.
We've chosen this lifestyle for the time being and we couldn't be happier. Actually, that's not true. We'd like to share our home with friends and family - maybe this summer? Let's hope!
