#44 (K)not a good start

Ha! You probably thought I would keep you waiting for long! 😋 Nah, just kidding. Having WiFi here is a rare exception.

But let's start from the beginning:

On Tuesday, it was time to say goodbye, and due to Trooper and Daisy running away again, my departure got delayed. I went out on the lake with Jenny to search the shore. So, I quickly had a crash course to potentially offer boat tours or assist as a boat guide in the late summer Grizzly Bear Workshop. Jenny completely forgot to mention that I would need a license for that, in her "idea euphoria". 😅

After the two escapees returned and we grabbed another free lunch, we hit the road. The first stop was Williams Lake. I wanted to get an oil change and do some grocery shopping. After this short stay, my wallet was already crying. 😁 After finishing all the errands, we headed to the first campground: Green Lake. Now that I drive fuel-efficiently, it takes significantly more time, so I arrived at sunset. During the drive, I started getting massive headaches, which got worse and worse. It was because I hadn't been drinking enough water. My mood didn't improve when I got out of the car. Mosquitoes! MOSQUITOES! You can't even imagine. I immediately threw away the idea of cooking a nice dinner that evening since I wanted to have a great start to my adventure. Plus, the headaches made me want to go straight to bed. I decided to take a short walk by the lake before going to bed. But I still couldn't sleep because suddenly a woman knocked on the car window, and I realized: I have to pay for this campground. I thought it was supposed to be free, but I was wrong. And to make matters worse, the price was outrageous: $18 for nothing. For a parking lot, a stinky outhouse, and a water source. The problem is, $18 is actually one of the cheapest prices. You might find one for $15, but that's the minimum. I always look for free ones, which are very rare and overcrowded. So, I paid my $18 and wanted to go back to bed, but that was not possible because by opening the doors, I let a whole horde of mosquitoes into my car. I sent as many as possible to the animal paradise, and went to sleep with only two buzzing mosquitoes left. The night was unfortunately so cold that I slept poorly. So, in the morning, I packed my things and planned to visit a park that I couldn't find. On the way there, I saw something alive and not dead on the side of the road for the first time: a fox. After the failed attempt with the park, I went to the second stop: a campground near Lillooet. It took me about two hours or so to get here, and I drove in circles four times.

1st loop: I checked out the campground and was very surprised.

2nd loop: I looked for someone to ask if this place is really free.

3rd loop: I looked for the best available free sites.

4th loop: I found the campground.

And what can I say? This campground is amazing! 😍 It's free(!), it has a somewhat neutral-smelling outhouse, a crystal-clear river with hardly any mosquitoes, a separate water source, free WiFi, and beautiful scenery. The only downside: there are cougars and bears around here. 🐻 Upon arriving, I explored the river a bit, and it's really beautiful. I didn't plan on going too far as I only had flip flops on, but I ended up walking quite a distance. The worst part is always thinking that a wild animal could be anywhere. While walking along the path, I suddenly saw something small and black running alongside me to the right, and I thought to myself: Shit, a black bear cub! But it turned out to be a dog, and I only saw the man later. 😅 After I got back, my "neighbor" approached me. He and his girlfriend arrived here at the same time as me. (I would write their names wrong, so I'll just call them "Indian couple".) He has been living here for a few years, and his partner is visiting. He immediately invited me to have dinner with them, and they cooked delicious spicy Indian chicken. Oh, it was so tasty! We chatted for a few hours, and then it was time to go to bed. The night was almost too warm, but much better than the night before.

The next day, I opened my trunk, and what awaited me? Breakfast. The Indian couple had made breakfast for me. How kind are these people?! I was so grateful. After breakfast, I went for a little "hike" that was supposed to take 30 minutes according to the signs. The only part that felt like hiking was the first 200 meters. They were so steep that after 50 meters, I thought I needed a tree for support. My calves were burning, and I was dead tired when I reached the top. 😂 The rest of the trail was relatively flat, and I could admire the campground from above. I had planned to hike to the waterfall with the Indian couple in the afternoon, but since they were both busy, I went on that trail alone. It was a bit strange at times, walking alone through a cougar and bear area, but I had my annoying bear bell (better annoyed than dead, I always say), and I spoke loudly because I now record voice messages. 😅 In the end, it wasn't a waterfall, but it was still a very beautiful area that showcased the power of water. When I returned, I had dinner - or so I thought - because after my dinner, the Indian couple invited me to have dinner with them again. I felt so bad and told them that I didn't want to eat all of their food. 😂 But he kept saying: It's all good! Don't worry. Oh, it was another really nice evening, and I just had to express my gratitude to the couple for their food and conversations. I also mentioned how proud I am that my communication skills are improving. 😁 They also told some tiger stories, and you can only be grateful that those two are still alive. 😅

Today is Friday, and I declined breakfast graciously because it would be too much. 😂 But they asked me if we could explore the area today, and I agreed. First, we went to Seton Lake, but we couldn't find any hiking trails, so we decided to drive to the town of Lillooet. I had already been there yesterday to refuel, and this town is so charming. It has that old North American style in parts. We visited a nice little weekend market where they even had sauerkraut. It's always amusing to read or hear that word here. Then we went shopping, and I finished much faster, so I wanted to drive back alone. However, I stopped a few times in the town. I checked out the oldest store and another older shop. They were so beautiful. You can really feel the open-mindedness of this place, even though it's not intrusive. There's a lot of sustainability and collaboration with indigenous cultures. As part of my road trip, I'm planning to learn more about different cultures, and this would have been a great place to delve into that. However, I only strolled through the stores, and then one of the shopkeepers approached me, and we had a short conversation. He told me that the town has changed in recent years but could still be even better, as it's still somewhat quiet. He also told me that there are five indigenous tribes around Lillooet, and they coexist very well. But he also said: Watch out for the bears! 🐻 Because just last week, some (extremely dumb) tourists fed bear cubs at my campground. What happened? The bear cubs wanted more, came to the campground, people got scared, called the police, and the police had to shoot the bears. Sometimes... you can't believe how thoroughly you have to wash your cutlery here in the evenings to not attract bears. 😅 After this bear warning, we continued, and I saw another museum. I immediately stopped to get some culture. 😁 The museum is an old church that showcases the old times when gold was being mined here. The good thing was that you could determine your own admission fee, so I got away with very few dollars here too. 😅 The woman at the museum started a conversation with me, and we chatted for a bit. Meanwhile, a Pride parade started outside. It was really cool to see how many people came together in this relatively small town. Even the fire department participated. I have to say, I love this area. A very good free campground and a small town that's just big enough to have everything you need for daily life and a seemingly nice city vibe. The nature, lakes, and rivers here add the positive touch. Whistler, Squamish, or Vancouver can be reached in two to three hours, and that's not much here in Canada. I like it so much that instead of one night, I'm staying here for three nights. Maybe I will be tempted to go on a hike, but I think tomorrow I'll really start my journey and move on. While having dinner earlier, he came over and told me not to eat too much because he's going to cook for us soon. I'm going crazy, it tastes so good! Maybe the three of us will stay here for another day?! 😍

Short time jump because now it's Saturday. Due to the dinner invitation, I didn't go to the WiFi area in the evening, so the post is only going online today (Saturday).

Anyway, we're still here. Yesterday, during dinner, we talked about how it doesn't make sense to change campgrounds on a Saturday since all the weekend campers are on the road. So, we're staying until Sunday or maybe even Monday. It's raining every few hours today. Pretty good for nature, but it also means we're mostly stuck in the car. 😁 Unfortunately, I can't go outside with shoes and a rain jacket because yesterday I forgot to put my shoes under the car to dry. They need some time to dry now. Today, I was invited for breakfast again. I love this couple. 😁😍

One more thing: It's highly unlikely that I'll find more free campgrounds with WiFi. This one is maintained by the B.C. waterworks (there's one right next door) and they have a few free campgrounds in B.C. where you can stay. I'll probably visit them one by one, as finding unpaid WiFi at a campground is not very likely.

Finally, I can say that the first 24 hours might not have been great, but since then, I've been feeling great. I'm so grateful to have such friendly neighbors. 😁 I really love the area here, and I can enjoy some more peace and quiet before heading to more touristy places.

Until then, take care and all the best!

Samuel ✌🏽