We made the move from Richmond, BC to Quesnel, BC finally after having bought land in Quesnel in the Summer of 2004.
Our plans are to build a house on the acreage we bought in the next year!!! Here's to hoping!!! :)
I am going to cheat a little, and post my husband's blog entry about our little adventure to the Cariboo. He just makes it sound so much better than I could ever make it sound. :)
It was an interesting adventure to say the least! I am just glad we are here, and ready to get on with our lives.
Taken from www.gadgeteer.net
So much here, I’m just not sure at all where to begin.
On the 27th of February, I picked up a moving truck from U-Haul. If you think about moving trucks for a second, you probably know how crappy this was. The truck itself was just one year older than our 1999 Forester, but it was beaten up pretty bad in its life. Really, if I was an honourable U-Haul CEO, I’d make a rule that said anything someone pays $800 for three days use of a vehicle, they should be given something that works properly, and has a very few comforts. At the very least, comforts like a working set of tail-lights and a stable suspension should be provided. Alas, the world is a different place than my aspirations for the quality of my moving truck.
The 27th was a very difficult day. Thanks go very much to JD and Gret, who helped us immeasurably. But in the poor state of our packing, and the difficulties in playing 3D Tetris with misshapen boxes and miscellaneous furniture in the back of a truck, and attempting to pack with a needy and cold-afflicted 9 month old baby in the house…things got problematic.
Our original intent was to split the trip over two days…Richmond to Merritt, and then Merritt to Quesnel. It ended up being Richmond to Chilliwack (not anywhere near as far) and then Chilliwack to 30 minutes from Quesnel and then back to Williams Lake, and then a third day into Quesnel. The hotel we booked in Merritt for that night said that they had to charge us anyway, but the hotel in Quesnel that we weren’t able to reach did not do so. From now on we’ll just not bother booking hotels ahead of time. It never works out well.
1 hour from Quesnel we came across, on an unlit rural road, a truck over on its side in the ditch, with blood in the interior and the rear cab window apparently kicked out. After getting a flashlight to make sure there was no one still inside we headed on, after a fair delay.
30 minutes from Quesnel, according to a trucker I talked to around 10:30pm was a semi that decided to take steep “Chin Hill” without chains in February. He ended up jackknifed and across the whole road, so while the RCMP, a sand truck, and a wrecker-tow truck arrived, they had to stop all traffic in both directions and wait. We waited an hour or so, before I made the judgment call to turn back to the previous town…over an hour backtracking. According to that and another trucker, it could have been another 1.5 to 3 hours before they had it clear, and I didn’t want to make Jen and Molly sit through that.
I wonder though, if we hadn’t stopped for the truck that was flipped over, would we have gotten ahead of the semi? Or perhaps been involved in the accident?
So, on back to the road in the morning, but much later arriving than desired. We got in around 9, and meeting the people who offered to help us unpack. My father’s wife’s sister lives in Quesnel and she arranged for a couple of young, bright, and kind Mormon men to help us unload. I truly cannot express how much I appreciated and continue to appreciate this help, and I still don’t know what I can do in return but continue to be thankful. I asked about offering payment, which they refused, as expected. I ended up offering whatever computer advice I could give whenever they needed it. I hope they take me up on the offer eventually. After helping us, they headed off to wash dishes at the Salvation Army. Like I said, awesome young men.
Now, the house is a disaster, but we are here and can manage it over time. It’s a 2.5 level townhouse, with 3 bedrooms upstairs, kitchen and living room on the main floor, and a half-level basement with laundry, furnace, etc. Pico managed to find his way down there and into the enclosed crawlspace beneath the townhouse…we’ll have to keep him out now, as I don’t know what all is down there. I’ve already managed to make a few contacts that might pay off, and have an interview next week.
The place itself…kinda sucks. When I found this place, I wasn’t able to see it. I was allowed into a neighbors place to see it, and was assured that our place was “in better shape". It’s not. Holes in the industrial-level carpet, crappy paint, and a need for more serious cleaning and updating. It’s livable, but really does need some work. I hope to convince the owner that it’s worth doing.
So, all in all…we’re safe, we’re in Quesnel, and we’ve got a lot of unpacking ahead of us, as well as a lot of bill-paying to do. I haven’t yet looked at the credit card statement. It’s going to be ugly, and I’m certain I’ll need to scrimp and save for a while to recover from this move.
So that is it in a nutshell...
Aside from that Molly is growing like crazy. She stood up on her own in her crib yesterday. Today she waved to a nice lady at the drugstore. She is so happy, and healthy. She is not quite crawling on all fours, but she is getting there. she is so expressive, and she just makes us laugh. She is a joy.
Well, I am off for now. I will be posting new pictures on our flickr account, and hope to have some good ones as soon as the place is put together.
Cheers!
Here are some pics I took today on a walk along the river:
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