Time to head north once again! Bidding a fond farewell to Bay View, we drive 52 miles to the US:CAN Border at Sumas and cross back into British Columbia. Heading east from Abbotsford along the Trans Canada Highway, Stemwinder Provincial Park is our accommodation destination.
200 miles inland from Vancouver, Stemwinder Park is on the Similkameen River amongst mature Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees. Just east of Cascade Mountain Range, the Park is in a beautiful forest setting with our Pitch (No.12) in prime location right on the riverbank.
Handy, as Stemwinder has no showers! No running water either - just a hand pump linked to deep well yellow liquid. And Pit Toilets - no flush but plenty of flies! We swam and washed in the River (using environmentally friendly soap and shampoo obvs). No electricity either - although David found a plug socket in the grounds of Doug's Homestead (Home of the World Famous Pepperoni and Beef Jerky an Artisan Meat Shop located in the middle of nowhere, right beside Stemwinder Park) and ran a very long extension cable through the Park Fence to recharge our batteries!
Day 1 and 2 were lovely sunny days with clear blue sky.
Day 3 the wind changed direction and we discovered we were only 10 miles from the 'Cool Creek Wildfire', a forest fire started just three days earlier by a Lightning Strike. Already measuring 12,685 Hectares (31,332 Acres), this was a big fire and we were soon enveloped in smoke with ash falling from the sky! We could smell the woodburn aroma getting stonger!!
Day 4 the smoky smog lifted a little, but day 5 was a real pea-souper, so we packed up and drove west to get clear of the Cool Creek blaze.
Before we go though, must tell you about the Dutch Family.
Pit Toilets aren't everyone's cup of tea, but on a remote Campground 21 miles from the nearest town, that's all we had. So when a family of six pulled up at Stemwinder, not to camp, but to use the facilities, we were shocked that one of the women took a loo roll from the Drop Toilet, walked over to the bushes on a nearby pitch, squatted down and peed on the grass. Grass where the next campers might very well site their tent. We could see her in action, and watched as she threw 5 scrunched up balls of soiled toilet paper into the bushes before walking away. Yuk!
So what would you do?
Amanda was cross. David was fuming!
David strode over to the Family Wagon, identifying the Father on the way and said:
"I don't know where you are from, but where I'm from we don't use someone's Campsite as a Toilet and leave our soiled Toilet Paper on the ground!" "I am camping here, and one of your group just peed on the Campsite next to mine, leaving her used Toilet Paper on the ground."
"We are from the Netherlands" said the Father. "She is my daughter."
"Well I am from England", "and in England we don't do that kind of thing." "Please ask your daughter to pick up her soiled Toilet Paper and put it in the bin."
He did. And she did. And they got back in their Family Wagon and took their lousy Dutch manners off along the Trans Canada Highway. Probably in shock that some Englishman had challenged their toilet habits on a remote Canadian Campground!. Zeikerd Kutwijf!!!
