You can pass on this blog update if you are looking for the usual full fledged travel experience – it isn’t. Rather, just a quick update on our summer at home – a nice, long, hot one for the most part ! More travel “stuff” next week.
The aforementioned summer gave us much opportunity to enjoy all that our beautiful Okanagan valley has to offer. Sadly, some of that joy was tempered by several weeks of very serious wildfires just to the south and north of us which caused significant damage, days and days of horrendous air quality and tragically, one death ( seems it’s becoming the new normal ).
Fires aside, there was much on our plate; June saw the arrival of our beautiful second grandchild, adorable little Bowen, weighing in at a healthy 3.75kg ( 8lb 2 oz ). Both mum and baby are doing well, while dad and big sister, Hadley are enjoying much time with the new arrival ( as are the proud grandparents ! ). We’ve had a ton of time catching up with old friends, crossing paths with fellow overlanders ( see Appendix ), attending weddings and helping steer our daughter and her husband through the final stages of a new house build. Meanwhile we’ve all had lots of time together in our own home. It’s been delightful.
Plans are starting to firm up for our next few months on the road (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and on possibly to Morocco), although this next stretch will only be a short one as we are scheduled back in Canada in December to spend the Christmas season with our family, but also to welcome my own sister who will be joining us all the way from Australia ( via Europe where she’s been travelling ). We’ve not seen each other in almost 4 years and it is over 20 years since her last visit to Canada – we are all thrilled to be having her with us ! We’ll firm up our 2027 longer range plans later this year – more on that in the months ahead ( but looking at some interesting options).
Update on Some Local Overlanding Friends
Some months back I noted that, while parked up in Athens, we’d come across the stored Land Rover of the Hunter family from Grand Prairie, Alberta. This in itself is unusual, because one just doesn’t come across many Canadian-registered vehicles out there in the overlanding world, anywhere. We’d since connected with the Hunter’s and discussed our respective future plans so knew they were in Turkey about the same time as a former work colleague of mine, SheraLyn Smith ( and her hubby, Stewart ). The Smith’s had been motorcycling around Europe, and had recently crossed into Turkey. Anyway, as luck would have it, they bumped into each other at a campground in Turkey and discovered the common link ( us ! ). Talk about a small world ! With all of us planning to be back in Canada over the summer a get together was planned – in due course a most enjoyable afternoon and evening was spent by the lake, then out for dinner, sharing tales from the road and figuring out where and when our paths might cross again. Most serendipitous !
In the past few years we’ve made contact ( and become friends ) with two other Kelowna couples, both of whom were itching to get vans built, careers completed and then hit the road ( this overlanding thing is contagious ! ). Congrats to Petra and Spencer who have completed their Sprinter build and this year kicked off what will be many years ahead of global roaming ( currently exploring northern BC and Alaska, before shipping to Europe ).
Congrats as well to Alex and Nadja who have just purchased a new Sprinter and are planning a comprehensive self-build before shipping off to Europe in ‘27. I’m sure our paths will cross somewhere ahead !
Till next week……
We need to find a time and place to meet! We’re also Canadian and overlanded for 12 years before getting an apartment at the end of 2025 in Las Vegas, to avoid the Canada cold. To avoid Vegas heat we planned to summer in Vancouver, but this past summer we went to Africa instead, visiting 8 countries. We returned a couple of days ago and are headed to Vancouver Island in a couple of days but then returning to Vegas (Henderson actually).
We do expect to summer in Vancouver in 2027. Other than that, we are planning to visit Uganda/Rwanda and the Afar triangle region around the end of 2027 and we are investigating the potential to complete our South America travel which was interrupted by COVID19. Depends on timing of a few things and how/if we can include the sites in Venezuela we want to visit.
Hi Doug/Fran,
Wow, lots of travel in common so far, as well as future plans so it’s indeed possible our paths may cross ! We are Kelowna-based so if you come up that way give us a shout ( we plan to be home in Dec/Jan ), or in the future, in Africa perhaps ??
Hopefully see you guys when you’re back in December!
Not “hopefully”…certainly !!!
Back on the road!
Yes, Chris, and it feels good !
Lovely to have all this news. Congratulations on the new bubba and we’ll look forward to reading your travel blogs when you resume. We’re currently on. 9 week cycle in Italy, about to hit the Amalfi coast xx
Thank you, Fiona (and regards to Andrew), it was so nice to be back home and to see everyone, and of course to spend time with the new arrival ! It’s too bad our pasta didn’t cross in Italy, I’m sure they will somewhere at some point in the future, it must happen ! Enjoy the Amalfi coast, it’s stunningly !
Wow! I can’t believe we missed you this summer. We were at the cabin in late July but then we got evacuated by the Bradley Creek fire. Cabin is fine but otherwise tragic for so many. We were in Morocco in March. Highly recommend that you include that in your adventures this fall. You will love the drive in the Atlas mountains.
Thanks for the tip, I think we will follow it, everyone says the same thing ! Yes, too bad we didn’t connect this summer since we did catch up with so many of your old gang, which was really nice. Glad you guys escaped the fires unharmed. Sadly, so many people did not. Will you guys be back in Europe this year?
Nice update – thanks. We’ve just returned from 3 months in Western Australia. We then took off again & we’ve been exploring the east coast between Sydney & Newcastle. We couldn’t believe the beauty of Lake Macquarie & surrounds. We’re finally exploring our own state! We’ll head down the south coast of NSW after this to do some whale watching, always a favourite pastime of ours each year. Enjoy Spain.
Glad you were able to get back to WA in the end, I know Ian took off solo. It’s a long drive without a co-pilot !!! Yes, tons to see in NSW which many of us who are from there tend to overlook. The wine growing area in the Hunter is amazing…!
Nice update – thanks. We’ve just returned from 3 months in Western Australia. We then took off again & we’ve been exploring the east coast between Sydney & Newcastle. We couldn’t believe the beauty of Lake Macquarie & surrounds. We’re finally exploring our own state! We’ll head down the south coast of NSW after this to do some whale watching, always a favourite pastime of ours each year. Enjoy Spain.
On the road again!!
Yes great to hear all is well. Looking forward to more adventures
Yes, seems like it was forever ago that we locked up the rig in Barcelona- nice to be back at it !