Ferry to ALASKA - RV Times

Spring Serendipities
Hilda listening to the birds at Loon Lake.
By HILDA J. BORN
It doesn’t always take a long trip to
make beautiful memories. Close to
home trips work very well too.
For 85 years, the community of
Bradner has put on a great flower show.
Daffodils of every variety predominate,
but there are also tulips, orchids, and
numerous other varieties of spring
blossoms. The two-dollar admission
is worth the breath of fragrance that
permeates the hall. Beginning the spring
travel season with this uplifting stop is a
joyful boost.
We picked up our Wilderness fifthwheel
from Hesslea Crescent on the way
to Glen Valley and Fort Langley, BC.
Granddaughter Laura and Joel’s
Bellingham wedding add more bliss. A
full weekend trip gave us a chance to take
in the renowned Washington State Tulip
Tour. Near La Connor are acres and acres
of colourful flowers. You can park right
beside the fields and drink in their beauty.
Fortunately, it was somewhat overcast,
because when the sun comes out the
bright hues are startling to the eyes.
As soon as the Coquihalla isn’t
snowbound, we head to Sorrento for
corn planting. Early April the conditions
were ideal as the hawks and coyotes
were chasing newly-awakened, winterhibernating
rodents across the freshly tilled
fields.
The Shuswap and Okanagan region has
many hills and valleys to discover. Our new
friends from Heidelberg invited us to check
out their chalet off Deep Creek Road. It was
an adventure to find this hideaway, but it
gave us fine fertile vistas including Jansen’s
straight rows of green parading corn sprouts
in their rich black loam. Returning to the
Tappen highland, Todd’s similarly marching
sprouts greeted us.
In many towns the Saturday fun features are
the Farmers’ Markets. We got to check out the
first one of the season in Sorrento. Not only
was there fresh baking, jam and honey, but also
a new craft item I had never seen anywhere.
Reynold Jeanotte sold me his candy-striped needle holder for quilters. It is a safe and
handy carrier, which fits into
any pocket or purse.
On Mother’s Day, I took
the prerogative to choose
the place for Sunday brunch:
Dreamcycle Motorcycle
Museum and Restaurant across from Balmoral Store on Highway #1 leading to
Blind Bay. The barbecue lunch was hearty and delicious, but you couldn’t park there
unless you were driving a Studebaker! The freshly paved lot was filled with gleaming
vintage Studebaker cars. Maxine proudly pulled us over to show off her ruby red car.
It was Number 31, one of only 87 made.
“What year?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, it was so long ago, but it runs great!” she quipped.
Studebaker display at the Dreamcycle Museum near Sorrento.
Maxine is showing her car to John & Ellie Born.
Needle holder.
20 RVT 154• JULY/AUGUST 2013
RVT 154 48 pages.indd 20
6/20/13 12:25 PM