White Rock

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On a Distant Shore

I have a standing contract with a UK company. I triple verified that because this contract was set up in Canada and is with a non-US client, it’s okay for me to continue with it during my stay in the States. It’s not steady income. Some days I make nothing, other days I cover rent for the day. I usually check out the task list first thing in the morning, while I have my coffee, and work at it steadily until I either run out of work or need to get started on more pressing projects.

I’ve been on an early schedule since I left Osoyoos last Monday, something that is likely going to keep up so long as it’s sunny out. So, I was in the office at 8 this morning and was able to put in two hours of work before running out of tasks.

Due for a break, I headed down the hill to the beach and discovered a little café that’s open in the winter! Most of the other business are shut tight, so this gem was a sight to behold! The owner and I had a good gab about the weather while he prepared me a mocha (a real treat since otherwise I never have sugary coffee drinks). I wouldn’t want to get in the habit of going there for a mid-morning coffee every day ($$$), but a few times a week when it’s so nice out will be great. They also make sandwiches and sell ice cream, so the café offers me a place that’s super close by to duck to when I need to get out of the rig. If I have to drive to go somewhere, I’m more likely to stay shut in when I’m in the groove of my day.

Standing on the beach, looking at White Rock in the distance, I had to laugh, remembering standing on its beach and looking out towards what I now know is Birch Bay, Washington. You really never know where your life is going to take you. And now that I realise just how close I am to the Canadian border, having seen it, I can understand better the US customs officials’ bewilderment that I wasn’t go very far into their country!

White Rock, BC, in the distance

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Detrenchment

Today was the first day of my last weekend here at Pacific Border and it was beautiful! Here are some of the projects I’ve accomplished:

  • Putting winter stuff away under the rig

I stored the aluminum coated bubble wrap I’d used to insulate the cab window as well as the foam blocks I’d stuffed into the skylights. I left the one in the bedroom, though, because it blocks out the light. I also put away the rest of the winter clothes and took out the summer clothes. I shifted some stuff around and got rid of a tote, freeing up room to store some items like the charger in the basement instead of the cab.

  • Resealing the entrance well

Even though I’ve had a rubber mat over the stair thread, water leaked under. There was also an unmistakable smell of eau de chat.  I washed the stairwell, sanded it, and applied three coats of sealant. I didn’t think that the results would be visually apparent, but you be the judge:

stairs1

stairs2

I used Verathane water-based ‘crystal’ sealant. I love this product–it is easy to use, inexpensive, durable, and readily available. I usually get it at the home store, but Walmart had some for 6$ for a small container.

  • Cleaning the cab carpet

After so many months on the road and a few Tabitha accidents, it was definitely time to degrime the cab floor! I was going to rent a carpet cleaner to do so, but a rental was about 40$ for a day, plus a deposit. Also, the machines were very bulky and I worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into all the nooks and crannies of the cab. I therefore spent quite some time in the vacuum cleaner aisle at Walmart and decided to instead buy a carpet cleaning machine of my own for 80$:

Even though it will mean something extra to store, I have tons of room for it and the machine will pay itself with three cleanings.

I am very impressed with it because it is so easy to use that I even cleaned the seats in the cab, the bucket chairs in the lounge, and the dinette cushions!!! The machine’s footprint is small enough that I can wedge it between one of the bucket seats and the back of the passenger seat so that it can remain handy, but out of the way. It also seems quite sturdy.

This was in no means an impulse buy; I’ve been looking for a compact carpet cleaner and this was the first model I found that seemed halfway decent. So far, so good!

I also, finally (*rolls eyes*) laid down some plastic mats in the cab.

  • Charging the truck battery and testing the starter

I have been remiss in keeping the battery at a good charge, so I trickled charged it this afternoon, then started the truck to make sure it would. It took a bit of coaxing, so first thing I will do Saturday morning is get the charger on it.

I spoke with some neighbours and was told that the Mr. Lube at 200th and the Fraser Highway in Langley will be able to accommodate Miranda, and this without an appointment. That’s right on my way north, so super convenient. If my shopping goes well tomorrow, I might head out of this area on Saturday after all!

Finally, my cats would like to start the rumour that I am the most horrible mother in the world. I would like the opportunity to respond to that. Since I was cleaning the carpets and sealing the stairs, and it was a beautiful day out, I decided to throw open all the doors to make drying easier. I therefore had to ‘lock’ the cats in the back part of the rig (LOVE having a real door!). They had fully half the rig to themselves–the dressing room and the study, with three big windows for entertainment and two skylights for air (plus the shower skylight!). They also had food, water, a litter box, and several soft places to curl up on. They therefore had no reason to be sit at the door howling to be let out!!!

For dinner, I decided to try out Chicken Bob’s Cantina in White Rock where I had their very yummy chicken enchiladas, cantina-style, and a couple of Coronas. Sure felt like a Saturday night even if it’s Sunday. 🙂

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Sushi and Gelato in White Rock

Sushi

At the risk of sounding overly sushi-addicted, I cannot leave this area without recommending Taka’s Take-Out Sushi in White Rock!

This tiny, spotless gem is quite probably the place to go in the lower mainland for takeout sushi. Everything is prepared fresh to order and is beautifully presented.

Tonight I had a spicy tuna cone (big surprise) and I decided to try their ‘mango’ roll. I’m looking at the menu now and Googling ‘masago’, which I suspect is the fish eggs I’ll be picking out of my teeth for a week! Yup! This roll is really yummy, a refreshing alternative to California roll as it combines a comparable blend of textures and tastes.

The last night my friend was here, she wanted one more sushi meal but did not want to go out. I ordered two kinds of teka maki (tuna rolls), a spicy tuna cone for myself, California rolls (theirs are different, with a creamy filling), and ‘dragon’ rolls which are essentially roasted eel wrapped in avocado. We had both wanted to try eel, but were not fond of the dragon rolls; she because the eel did not tickle her taste buds and me because I’m not nuts about avocado. I’m going to have to try eel again to get a firm feel for whether or not I like it. Their miso soup is also divine and it’s very telling that I slurp it all down without frowning when I say that tons of mushrooms float in that heavenly broth and I abhor mushrooms!

What a lovely Tuesday dinnertime it was to sit at my picnic table, enjoying the warm weather and sun, listening to the birds chirping, and munching on such good grub!

Gelato

Dolce Gelato on Marine Drive (right across from the pier) offers the best ice cream I have had in my life. It is made onsite, Italian-style, and and you can just taste the quality of the ingredients. It took a few tries for me to come up with the perfect cone, but I did–bacio and coffee. I used to buy Blizzards at Dairy Queen that set me back 5$ and change for a small with two ingredients when a generous gelato from this place (please indulge in two scoops!) is just 4.95$. Gelato is denser than American-style ice cream, the perceivably smaller scoop really amounts to the same thing and feels so much more satisfying for its light richness (gelato’s wonderful oxymoron!). Other combinations I tried were coffee and hazelnut (bacio gives you that plus chocolate!) and hazelnut and white chocolate (the latter of which has little chunks in it making it feel all the more rich).

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Journey to White Rock Across the Bottom of the Ocean

Today, all the elements came together to make a hike to White Rock possible. The weather was perfect, I was limbered up from all my hiking and walking, I knew what I wanted to see and do, and the tide was out (meaning that I could walk on sand instead of stones). It was a roughly 20km (12.5mi) expedition (according to my pedometre) on foot through Peace Arch park and down to the beach. It would have been much quicker to use the land route via eight avenue, but not nearly as scenic!

For the visual folk out there:

Google route in blue, my route in red

Google route in purple, my route in red

White Rock is a seaside resort town that seceded from Surrey, which surrounds it on all four sides, in 1957. The population is roughly 5,o00, but that number grows exponentially in summer. The community has a reputation for being balmier and sunnier than neighbouring towns and pilots actually call it the ‘hole in the sky’ because it often lacks cloud cover when the rest of the lower mainland is blanketed in fog! Walking Marine Drive with the ocean on my left, houses carved into the hillside on the right, and palm trees all around never fails to make me feel that I am back in southern California!

My mother has been to White Rock and was quick to advise me to try out the fish & chips at the Moby Dick restaurant. I figured that a 20km walk would mean a guilt-free indulgence in such a greasy treat, so I planned my day to have an early supper at this restaurant. I found the meal excellent, but it wasn’t quite the best fish and chips I’ve ever had (hint: the Lobster Barn, in York, Maine). The French fries were fantastic, the coleslaw was rather disappointing, and the fish was very good (not too greasy, light on the batter), but it needed lemon, which they don’t offer. I do highly recommend this place for fish and chips!

Today’s photo gallery tells the rest of the story. Pardon the French; I’ll be making my photo galleries bilingual from now on to save myself some work when telling my relatives about my adventures. 🙂

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A Day Out of Time

Oy… If it was a long day for me, I can only imagine how my friend, who got up at 4AM EST must be feeling!

After a morning of work, I drove out to Abbotsford to pick her up. Abbotsford International (YYX) is just about equi-distance to the Richmond Airport (YVR) from South Surrey/White Rock but more convenient to get to and flights on Westjet are cheaper. The terminal is tiny, making the airport easy to navigate, and parking is inexpensive. I’m really glad that the RV show I went to in January was at the Abbotsford airport because I would have otherwise not known that it would be so convenient to pick up my friend there.

She is staying at the Seacrest Motel and RV Park in White Rock, a location I scouted out for her. It is a great spot. It’s almost right on the ocean, but much cheaper than places directly on the main drag and still walking distance to touristy Marine Drive. She has a huge suite with bedroom, living area, kitchenette, and bathroom. The kitchenette is fully equipped with everything she could need to make a meal and everything is spotlessly clean. I’m a bit fussy when it comes to motel cleanliness and this place passed muster. First order of business, then, was to go get her a few groceries.

What about the RV Park, you ask. Well, I checked it out and didn’t feel it was worth moving to it just to save a hundred fifty dollars. The ‘park’ is really an uneven and extremely unlevel slab of asphalt with very tight spots. They admit to this fully, marketing themselves as a cheap place to park your RV while you enjoy the beach. It would have been okay for a month if they had wi-fi, but since they didn’t I decided to stick to my current cushy digs.

I hadn’t had lunch and her body had no idea what time it was, so we decided to go for an early dinner. The day had started off cloudy, with threats of rain, but by four o’clock it was sunny and warm. We decided to park my car at the motel and then walk down Marine Drive in search of food.

It’s a good thing I hadn’t checked out restaurant reviews prior because if I had there is no way we would have gone to Charlie Don’t Surf. I don’t care what the reviews say, I would give up cooking and eat there every night! I have rarely enjoyed such a perfect meal. My friend had lobster ravioli in a mildly spicy sauce, all of which was delicious. I had a huge salmon steak seared to perfection with cajun spices served on a bed of rice seasoned with cumin (an inspired combination that I will try at home!). With this, I had a heaping helping of glazed carrots and perfectly cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus. I thought that I didn’t like asparagus but as it turns out, I’ve just never had it properly cooked! Nearly replete, we stopped off for ice cream on the way home.

According to my friend, this day is going to be hard to top, but we’re just getting started! I have big plans for tomorrow, which is supposed to be the nicest of the weekend. Even if it ends up raining all weekend, just having this perfect evening was enough.