We got an early start today.  We made it out before all the Floridians at Wal-Mart in Airdrie.  I think the cold kept them snug in bed.  We heard their generators, but saw no signs of life.  There were about 12 units parked at Wal-Mart, including a horse trailer, and several were from Florida.  

When we travelled through Banff, the temperature reached a chilly 4C.  We wondered if the rain would turn to snow, but it didn’t.  As soon as we reached Rogers Pass, the clouds parted and the temperature rose dramatically.  We reached an altitude of 1330 m.  The new truck performed flawlessly with the Max Tow package. Paul hardly needed to use the brakes.  The engine never got hot.  The transmission was great.  The Airstream brakes never heated either.  Whew!  Downhill to the coast from here.

  
Somewhere near Golden, the truck passed the 40,000 km mark.  We have travelled 1155 km so far.  It was also somewhere past Golden that I discovered that Poppy had a tick in her ear.  We stopped near Revelstoke for lunch and tick removal.  The poor girl is still nervous while travelling.  Such a contrast to all of our previous fluffy family members.  Daisy is the Queen of Chill. 

Campground #1:  Monte Lake

Will this campground be life-changing?  Could we the next proprietors?

There is so much potential, but we don’t think this is the one for us.  Why?  Well, the highway is both the blessing and the curse.  You need good exposure to attract customers, but for those of you who know us well, noise is a deal breaker.  The campground is quaint.  Yes, it needs work, but that is something we are more than willing to handle.  In fact, we could have it spiffed up in one season.  It is well-treed and there is a nature trail running through the upper 8 acres.  It is peaceful and quiet up in the back area, but we think it would take too much effort (and destruction of trees) to develop it.  

About the campground

Positives: It is nicely laid out.  The sites are tiered into the hill.  Most sites are pull-through.  Almost every site overlooks the lake.  The washrooms are clean and serviceable.  There is an attractive office and recreation room.  We didn’t go inside the house, but it seems adequate.

  
Negatives: The infrastructure is old and will need repairs.  The office/ recreation room building needs new siding.  Expansion will not be cost-effective.  It is lakeview, but not lakefront.  However, the critical issue for us is the noise from the highway.  

We sat outside, listening to Antsy McClain, drinking wine, looking at the lake, and wondering if we could live here.  Was this worth such a big move and expense?  What would it take?  (What would Ron Howard’s brother do? — Antsy fans will know what this means.)  We decided to email the real estate agent to tell him not to drive all the way out to show us the house tomorrow.  

  
Tomorrow we head south through the Okanagan to see Campground #2.