This is a trip we took in Aug. 2002. My Mother-in-law Beatrice Asmar wanted to visit her daughter Pam and her son George. Pam, who is the youngest of 5, lives in Pitt Meadows BC. George the oldest lives in Calgary AB. Mom, being 77 didn't want to go on her own. What to do? What to do? Someone would have to go along. After careful thought Judy decided she would go. That was today but I knew I would miss her like crazy. After much thought and reflection I decided to change my vacation time and go as well.
Now Pam and her husband Pete have their own business and do not take too much time off so they decided they needed to get away for a bit. They decided a trip on a house boat at Sicamous in the centre of the Rocky Mountains would be great. I didn't know this but Sicamous BC is the houseboat capital of Canada. I could sure see why when we arrived there on Aug 26th. We had left Windsor Ontario on Sunday morning Aug 25th at about 10:15am. We came with stops in Winnipeg, Calgary and landed in Vancouver BC at 6:00pm their time which is 9:00pm in Windsor. We did our hellos and how are yous' Then tried to catch some sleep so we could leave at 12:00am on the 26th.
This day was a one long day. Leavening at 1:00am and driving to Sicamous BC with a couple stops for coffee and breakfast we arrived at Sun and Fun Houseboats at 7:30. We were tired for sure but at the same time excited to be there. The Houseboat was 12 X 42 and had sleeping space for 10. There were 7 in our group consisting of Mom, Pam, Pete, Christine, Rebecca, Judy, and I. The office opened at 8:00 am and we were right there to greet them. We had to sign papers Peter signed on as captain. Then they told us which boat to load and gave us a short tour, how to start and stop the engine how to work the water supply and anchor the boat to shore. We finally left harbour around 10:00am. While we were severely wasted we were too keyed up to sleep right away.
The Shuswap Lake is a large "H" shape and the plan is to just cruise around until you decide to stop. You then drive the boat right up to shore and pound two long steel stakes into the ground. Then you tie large ropes at 45% angle from the rear of the boat to the stakes. The swimming was great as the water is very deep and drops off from shore fast. There is a lot of hiking to do or you can just crash and sleep on your boat. You need to bring blankets, food and clothes. From the Start point to the furthest out is about 7 hours as the boats are not intended to be fast. We never did make the furthest out point but did see lots and were very happy with what we had time for. One of the highlights was Four Mile Creek. This is a point in the first leg of the lake where a creek flows out into the lake. From the shore it does not look like much but I can imagine it would be one mighty fine flowing river in the spring when the snow in the surrounding mountains is melting fast. The evergreen branches reach right down to the ground hiding the interior. Once you step beyond these branches you are in another world. With the land slopping up quickly in front of you and the water in the creek flowing to the lake the sights and sounds are fantastic. Pete Tina, Rebecca, and I ventured into the bush for a look see. Mom and Judy came ashore but didn't go into the bush. We stayed here a while but I have to say I could spend a lot of time there looking around and climbing the hills.
Now no trip is complete with out good food, this was no exception Pam and Judy had packed some very nice food with fruit and baked goods, salad fixings and chicken breast for the bar-b-que which is included with the boat. I know for sure we all ate very well. There was cereal and fruit for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch of chicken breast and sometimes chicken again for supper but to sum it up there was a lot of good food and family and no phones or television