Day 18 - Transcanada Highway

We left Vancouver early and got onto Highway 1 - otherwise known as the Transcanada Highway for the first leg of our journey east. Although we cheated slightly and took the toll road that skips part of the old highway and saves an hour or so.

We stopped for lunch in a place called Kamloops, one of the few decent sized towns along the highway. We thought we'd give Arby's a try, not really knowing what it would be like but hoping it wouldn't be just another burger joint. We were satisfied on that front, but slightly disappointed that it was basically an American version of a Little Chef. Still, we ordered a couple of jacket potatoes which were edible - and at least they didn't come with fries.

After lunch it was just a short drive to the small town of Sorrento, on the banks of Lake Shuswap. We arrived at the house mid-afternoon and were greeted by Ros, who I think it my second cousin once removed, or possibly first cousin twice removed. It might even be a more tenuous link than that but we're definitely related somehow. Inside the house were a couple of surprises - the first was the size of the place. I'd imagined a small holiday home and from the road it looks quite compact but because it's on a slope there's another floor below - in all there are two lounges, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a 'penthouse' suite with another couple of rooms, the kitchen, utility room, wash room, tool shed and then hidden away is another self contained cottage and a boat shed. Pretty big by anyone's standards.

The second surprise was rather different. As Amy and I walked into the lounge who should be there but my mum. I thought she was several thousand miles away in England but secretly she'd arranged a last minute trip out to Canada. The look on Amy's face was priceless, I can't comment on the look on my own face as there wasn't a mirror to hand.

We spent the evening catching up and drinking wine before Amy and I decided to take a quick stroll down to the jetty, which is just down from the house. It seemed like a good idea until Amy tried to jump from the beach onto the jetty, missed and fell, grazing all up her shin. That caught the walk rather short and the rest of the evening was taken up with first aid, and Amy telling everyone that I'd pushed her off the jetty. Still, there doesn't seem to be any major damage done.