I wonder if British Columbia is still smoky?

[MikeO]

7th June 2026

Not a great night's sleep - don't know why.

I spent yesterday planning the rest of the trip, and have got just about everything sorted out. Today I'll be heading for Kelowna, where I'll be staying for two nights, which means 500+ klicks today (there's really no closer point to stay for the route I have planned).

But first - breakfast...

Hey, Audi doesn't have the café I want on her list, so I get her to navigate to the street address.

It's like being Amish

I slip Matthew - the super-concierge - $20 as a thank-you for all of his help, then wheel my bags out to the car - next to some dual-sports bikes - anyone from here?

However reluctantly, Hey, Audi, steers me to The Baker 89 café, which I last visited in September (and should have visited yesterday morning

).

It's opposite a hemp shop...

It's a quirky little place - and I love it. The single waitress is working her ass off (apparently her oppo called in sick), but she races around, keeping a good attitude, which is commendable...

Good menu...

From which I select...

...the Baker 89 BF, with eggs over easy and pancakes...

One of the quirks of this place is that you get a complimentary bowl of soup with your breakfast. Today's is homemade pork and barley - delicious...

The main event arrives, and is top quality, and delicious...

To add insult to injury, it was also cheaper than Denny's substandard fare...

I waddle back out to the car, noticing this shop down the road...

I think my body was saying, "Let's not do that every day, eh?"

Hey, Audi lays in a course for The Ramada at Kelowna, some 525km distant, and we set off...

Spotted this old gent parked on the way to the highway - any guesses for make/model/year?

It's quite a chilly and damp day - as I leave Cranbrook it's around 8°C, and I soon run into some drizzle...

Even the bridges don't brighten the day up...

...it's just miserable weather. Still - I'm not at work...

I spot someone's pride and joy parked in the splendidly named town of Yahk...

Some great bridges today, but it's still a miserable drive...

The cloud breaks and the temperature climbs...

...but I'm going to be climbing a couple of mountain passes today, and the weather and temperature is very variable...

At the top of the splendidly named Kootenay Pass...

...it drops to 2°C, and I'm driving through sleet...

Five minutes later, on the floor of the next valley, it's 16°C...

Although Hey, Audi is doing all the work, it's still a tiring drive...

Christina Lake is beautiful. I stop at a gas station and get a coffee refill...

Lovely old car advertising a café in Greenwood. Points available for make/model/year...

Eventually, the rain abates, and the weather settles into a breezy, dry day and about 16°C...

How about this old Brit?

Definitely didn't look this good when it rolled off the production line...

I suddenly realised that we've not had a barn pic this trip!

I feel this one has crossed the event horizon between 'farm building' and 'firewood'...

After what seems an age, we are entering Kelowna...

...where I have booked a room at the Ramada for two nights...

My check-in is supervised by a moose in RCMP uniform...

...and I'm quickly allocated my beautiful room on floor two...

There appears to be a drive-through off-licence across the road...

I fuel the Audi up - it has done 39.6mpg (33mpg US), even though it's covered a lot of steep and winding roads. I'm pretty impressed...

Quite a hard day's driving - I'm glad I'm not going anywhere tomorrow...

 

[LOLGEOFF]

What a day! Nearly all boxes ticked, bridges, old cars, motorcycles and an old barn only the Mom and Pop restaurant missing unless you are counting The Baker89?

Interesting too see Parking Meters, obviously still in use, I can't help thinking about the opening scenes of Cool Hands look looking at them and how pretty quickly his live went downhill from then.

 

[RedRick Esq.]

I'm letting Hey, Audi do the navigating and driving. If I don't have my hands on the wheel for a period of 10 seconds or so, she gives me this visual reminder in the HUD...

The trick to the self steering thing is wedga an apple ( other fruit will do - or indeed anything ) in the crook of the steering wheel to fool it into thinking you have your hands on the wheel

 

[Hairnet600]

tr6

chevy nomad mid fifties

chrysler valliant

bet you were happy you werent on the bike over the pass

 

[MikeO]

8th June 2026

I sleep really well, and wake to a beautiful day, with hardly cloud in the sky and a forecast high of 20°C...

After getting showered and dressed, I have a very pleasant call home, then set off searching for breakfast...

I follow Hey, Audi's guidance to...

...where the charming Sam...

Brings me the menu, coffee, and iced water...

I choose the Classic Breakfast, with bacon and maple pork bangers (as an extra), with poached eggs, waffles and fruit...

It's a great little eatery, bustling and with a nice atmosphere...

My meal soon arrives...

...and is delicious...

Probably the lightest waffles I've ever eaten...

I settle up, leaving a good tip - this is a nice café, and I'll likely be back tomorrow.

I get Hey, Audi to find me a supermarket, and buy some fruit...

No pomelos, alas, so I buy some red grapefruit and a large bag of cherries...

I avoid their rather 'in your face' named doughnuts...

I arrive back at the Ramada at about 10:30, update the journal and plan the rest of the trip...

 

[MikeO]

tr6

chevy nomad mid fifties

chrysler valliant

bet you were happy you werent on the bike over the pass

I saw a few riders coming the other way - I did not envy them...

 

[MikeO]

9th June 2026

I sleep well - as bloody usual, it'll take two weeks to overcome jet-lag each way (although I always find it more difficult when returning to the UK). I get abluted, suited and booted, and check out online before getting Hey, Audi to lay in a course for Delta, near Vancouver.

It's a miserable, grey, wet morning - and I'm going to go through some bad weather as I head towards the coast - travelling over some of the mountain passes I navigated over on the way to Kamloops...

So - let's get set up for the day, eh?

I return to Oeb and order the same as I had yesterday. Just as good...

I'm intrigued by their poached eggs - which are served "egg-shaped". I ask how this is achieved. Apparently they put them into a hot oven for a short time, then plunge them into iced water, peel them and then poach them in a specialist kettle. The result is a superbly soft poached egg...

I top off my travel mug with some of their excellent coffee, then pay my bill and get Hey, Audi to start doing her thing. It's going to take about five hours to get to Delta, where I'm booked into an Air B&B for the night. I just needed a bed not too far from the ferry port at Tsawwassen, that well-known typo...

I'm listening to the sequel to Box 88 - Judas 62 - and can recommend both books. The plot takes my mind off the horrible grey weather and the fairly heavy traffic as I get out of Kelowna...

I'm mired in a stop/start series of traffic lights, which I let Hey, Audi deal with...

Nope - not going up there...

After a while, we get to the highway proper, and I set Hey, Audi's autopilot to 120kph...

There are strands of Scotch mist in the valleys along the route...

The temperature starts to drop as we climb, but it's much milder than it was the other day - the lowest temperature I see today is 8°C...

Very elegant looking Airstream trailer...

...a late pic of the bear decorations on the avalanche shelter I came through a few days back...

...and, as expected, there's a marked improvement in the weather this side of the mountains...

I mean - no-one's sunbathing - it's just not horrible...

Hey, Audi turns me off the main highway and onto a series of rural roads, running through a slew of orchards, vineyards and other agricultural land.

Cool artwork on the roundabout...

I spot this neglected old chap at the side of the road, and double back to get some pics. Lots of points available for make/model/year...

Nearby were a couple of less flamboyant ageing examples...

Look at the white wall tyres!

This one's fairly easy - any guesses?

Back on the route (much to Hey, Audi's relief)...

Suddenly, I'm spat out onto a highway again - I ask Hey, Audi to find me some fuel, and she's straight on the job...

I fill the Audi up - she's done 36mpg (30mpg US) since my last fill up. This car continues to impress me (though it would be a nightmare to own outside of warranty with all the complex systems incorporated in it

).

I meet Mark, whilst admiring his mid-90's pickup. It has a seven litre diesel engine...

We have a slightly surreal conversation. He has dual Canadian and British citizenship, and has just come back from visiting the UK. He's thinking of going to live there, to escape the lawlessness and violence of Canada...

The lawlessness and violence of Canada?

My expression must give my inner-monologue away. He said he felt much safer in East London than he does in Vancouver.

OK - we obviously have different experiences and views - so I don't know what has led him down this path, but I wish him well...

I grab a coffee, then Hey, Audi steers me the fifteen minutes to my Air B&B in Delta...

I follow the instructions emailed to me (I booked this through Booking.com), and go around the rear of the building...

...and tentatively venture into the dungeon-like entrance...

Can't say I would have rented this place if this had been in the pics on the listing...

...but it turns out to be clean and functional...

So long as I'm not woken during the night being told to rub the lotion on my skin or else I'll get the hose again, I'm sure it'll be fine...

I bring my bags in - I'm tired - driving in poor visibility and bad side winds takes it out of you, no matter how much the car tries to help.

 

[Arsey]

9th June 2026

I spot this neglected old chap at the side of the road, and double back to get some pics. Lots of points available for make/model/year...

Nearby were a couple of less flamboyant ageing examples...

1959 Plymouth Belvedere ?

Jet lag never gets easier but sometimes you soon acclimatise.
I’m in Tokyo, about to head home .
It’s 8 hours ahead here though we cross the dateline later heading to Alaska, so even though I’ve just slept through Tuesday night, we get to experience it all over again , as when we cross the date line it’ll go from something like 1700 on Wednesday pm in Tokyo to 2300 on Tuesday night in Alaska !.

Enjoy the rest of your trip !

 

[MikeO]

1959 Plymouth Belvedere ?

Hi Martin,

Close - it's a Savoy (according to the badge)...

 

[Hairnet600]

ford fairlaine

80s crown vic

 

[Larry Langford]

Ford Powersmoke .....

 

[MikeO]

10th June 2026

I sleep well - unmolested by serial killers - and have an excellent shower, then get suited and booted. I'm catching the ferry to Vancouver Island this morning, and have lots of time in hand (can you hear a bell tolling ominously?

).

I make a call home, then get everything packed and into the Audi. I Googled "Good breakfast Cafés near me", and get Hey, Audi to set course for the Railway Café...

I'm steered down some suburban roads. The weather is forecast to improve - it's already a pleasant 12°C and is apparently going to be in the mid-20s in Vancouver Island over the weekend...

I end up in an industrial area - not what I'd envisaged when choosing my breakfast venue. Spotted this old rock-star parked, though - any guesses?

The Railway Café turns out to be a proper greasy spoon - not a derogatory term, just meaning it's a working man's café...

They have a simple menu, from which I select...

The Ultimate Conductor...

...which is delivered very quickly and is delicious...

I fill my travel mug with coffee, and my bottle with chilled water, pay my (very reasonable) bill, and get back in the car.

I have loads of time in hand, but get Hey, Audi to navigate to my hotel in Victoria, which will involve her taking me to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen...

I realised soon after arriving in Canada, that it was going to be cooler than I'd anticipated. I've only got a lightweight jacket with me, and could probably do with getting some form of waterproof...

As if by magic, a Bass Pro Shop appears - great - this place will definitely have something to fit the bill.

And I've got plenty of time...

Bass Pro Shops bought out Cabela's some years back - a place I've bought some good quality clothing in the past...

Just like Cabela's used to be, a visit to the shop is an experience in itself, with huge displays of stuffed birds and beasts, and an enormous aquarium...

They have an incredible range of - well, everything hunting, shooting and fishing, really...

My progress is monitored by some bison on the upper level...

The centrepiece of the display is this enormous fish tank...

Populated by rainbow trout (I think?)...

They have everything here - and a huge boatyard outside, selling full-sized bass boats...

This is an incongruous sight to a Brit. Since a terrible shooting incident in Dunblane in 1996, personal firearms ownership has become next to impossible in the UK. Seeing rifles lined up like fishing rods is an odd sight.

I find a waterproof in a suitable size, to allow for my gibbon-esque arm length, and snag a lightweight North Face jacket and wander over to the checkout.

The chap ahead of me has some issue, which takes a few minutes to resolve, after which I'm relieved of just over £150, and walk outside to the Audi.

I nonchalantly check my watch and do a double take - I've been wandering about for the better part of an hour

I get Hey Audi to steer me to the ferry terminal, where I check in with FOURTEEN SECONDS TO SPARE...

So - efficient trip planning, eh?

I take up my slot in Lane 45, and wait for them to start boarding...

Which starts about 10 minutes later...

...conducted by the crew who have done this a thousand times before...

Pretty soon everyone is aboard, and the ferry starts leaving the terminal...

I get a coffee from the cafeteria...

...then take a stroll onto the upper deck...

It's a beautiful, sunny day...

...but after a while, I return to the cafeteria...

In about 90 minutes, a tannoy asks drivers to return to their vehicles...

...and we are eventually directed off the ferry, and onto Vancouver Island...

There is, naturally, a lot of traffic, but it soon dissipates and Hey, Audi steers me towards my hotel in Victoria - past this old gent, restored to within an inch of its life...\

I arrive at my hotel at about 13:00 - ridiculously early for a check-in, but Cheryl on reception doesn't even blink - yes, my room is ready...

I borrow a luggage cart and take all my stuff down to my very pleasant room...

...then, returning the cart, move my car from the check-in parking slot and - putting the car-park pass in the window - find a slot for it nearby.

I check with Hey, Audi - it's a 15-minute drive to Wharf Street, where I'm booked for an 09:30 trip tomorrow - I do not intend to be late...

More later, perhaps...

 

[DrFarkoff]

@MikeO

has your smugMug subscription maybe Expired??

All your photos are gone

 

[MikeO]

@MikeO

has your smugMug subscription maybe Expired??

All your photos are gone

Is anyone else getting this problem? I seem to remember something similar happening when someone was trying to view one of my posts using an iPad with an out of date iOS...

 

[MikeO]

10th June 2026 (Cont)

Having written up the journal so far, I venture out and grab a skinny latte at Starbucks just down the street. On returning to the hotel, I see this old gent parked...

Any takers for make/model/year?

After parking the Audi, I ask at the front desk about the guest laundry, that I noticed earlier was a few doors up from my room. I have sufficient laundered clothes to last the trip, but clean clothes are easier (and more pleasant) to pack. I brought a couple of Bold pods in a mini-Tupperware (it's almost as if I've done this before ).

Apparently the machines take "Loonies" - Canadian one dollar coins, named for the bird whose likeness appears on them...

...much to HRH's distress, I'd imagine. Two to wash and another two to dry; I put a wash on...

 

[Radburne]

Is anyone else getting this problem? I seem to remember something similar happening when someone was trying to view one of my posts using an iPad with an out of date iOS...

Not a problem for me, I'm enjoying your excellent report along with the great photos.

 

[Larry Langford]

Is anyone else getting this problem? I seem to remember something similar happening when someone was trying to view one of my posts using an iPad with an out of date iOS...

Right at this moment I can't see the pics yet. But the same when I first clicked on this thread, a couple of days ago. But after a day or so they showed up. Maybe its a busy server thing ...

 

[matgriff]

Is anyone else getting this problem? I seem to remember something similar happening when someone was trying to view one of my posts using an iPad with an out of date iOS...

Nope, pictures work fine for me, looks like a great trip. I did a bit of work in and around the Vancouver area back in the mid 90's , as I wrote previously, on your last trip report you snapped a picture of my old work colleague taking a drive in his "Big Healey"

 

[glenn2926]

Is anyone else getting this problem? I seem to remember something similar happening when someone was trying to view one of my posts using an iPad with an out of date iOS...

I’m getting your pictures on my iPad ok. Please keep this coming and have a great trip.

 

[Posh Pete]

Apparently the machines take "Loonies" - Canadian one dollar coins, named for the bird whose likeness appears on them...

And this is a Twonie! Loonies and Twonies, gotta love Canada!