A Salute to Small Towns

One of the things we love about this journey we are on is that we get to experience small town Canada, small town USA! We shop in the grocery stores where the locals shop and buy our java from the the local coffee hot spot. We also have an opportunity to experience local culture, history, nightlife and get a sense of what makes each little place tick.




Clinton, British Columbia is one such place where we

stopped for a night and were pleasantly surprised by it's unique personality. Midway between Prince George and Vancouver on the Cariboo Highway, this little village of 650 residents was founded as a direct result of the boom of the Cariboo Gold Rush over 150 years ago. When we pulled off the highway for the day into the Goldtrail RV Park, we knew we were in for a treat. 

As soon as we landed we were met by owner/operator Mike Dier with a "Where are ya from?" Well....that was it! Mike is a very colorful character with a wonderfully dry and unique sense of humour. Right away, he was quick to tell us about his nightly buffet at the Roadkill Grill, "the cheapest buffet in Canada!" and that we could bring our "own Screech!" 

After driving all day, the thought of barbequing our own chicken had lost its

appeal and the delicious smells wafting from the covered patio was very tempting. So.....we poured up a glass of wine and sauntered on over and tried our luck on the buffet! It WAS delicious! And, at $25 per night with all the hookups, one of the cheapest campsites we have stayed in so far!

Later in the evening we took a walk down Main Street and visited some of the local businesses. Clinton has done a wonderful job at retaining the character of the town as well as informing visitors and locals alike about the history of this little place. We really enjoyed reading the many storyboards about the various buildings in the town, when they were built and what they were used for. A highlight was visiting the Emporium which took us way back in time with everything from vintage carriages and toys to china and old electronics. It was fun talking to the owner who proudly told us about where he gets all of his wonderful goods and that the Canadian Pickers show had visited 5 years ago. 

Clinton was such a pretty place! They do a great job of preserving history as seen here!

Though Clinton was a nice stop in our journey we were up and on the road the next morning headed towards Vancouver. A fellow traveller we had met somewhere on our travels had suggested that we drive into Vancouver using Highway 99, which takes us down along the Fraser Canyon. It was another breathtaking drive that took us along the mighty Fraser River, through little communities and canyons and along white knuckled vertical cliffs. We finally barbequed our chicken when we stopped in Whistler for the night.

Below is some dashcam footage of our drive down Highway 99 along the Fraser Canyon!

Next stop for the night, Langley, BC!! In search of a secure location to store our motorhome for a month while visiting family in Vancouver, we were taken to a

little municipal park right on the banks of the  Fraser River. Edgewater Bar Campground was a very nice trailer park with lots of sights and sounds to keep us entertained. This sight, to the right, reminded us of our childhood days watching The Beachcombers on CBC Sunday nights. We have seen sunsets in our travels, but nothing quite compared to the sunset we saw in Langley on the night that we stayed there.

With our RV all cleaned out and safely stored, the motorcycle packed up with our clothing, we ventured on in to Vancouver for some big city living with family and, who knows, maybe some other island adventures.

Until the next time....