Temp: 26 degrees
Traffic was fine - we really lucked out, even though we dindn't get out as early as we had planned. In fact, we weren't on the road until 8:30. We took the Lougheed highway all the way to Hope, figuring that the #1 would probably be much busier, and we ended up making the journey is under 5 hours of driving time, arriving at exactly 1PM, after stops for breakfast in Mission, and lunch in Cache Creek.
It's a little bit cooler at the Green Lake campsite (26 degrees) than it is at Cache Creek and Ashcroft (The consistently hottest spots in Canada), just and hour or so to the south, but this is the southern end of the Caribou region, and we're at about 1.1Km above sea level, not to mention it's just about the 52nd parallel. Not to worry though, this is perfect camping weather - though the camp chatter claims it dipped down to 10 degrees last night, leaving some of the tenters a bit chilly...
When we arrived, most of the regulars were already there, with the rest showing up over the next few hours. As I've mentioned in previous years, this trip is planned every year by our friends Ron and Pam, and for one week, the Green Lake Scouts Camp is occupied by a rotating group of Ron's friends and family. We pay $10 per couple/per night, and that includes use of the cookhouse, shower, toiletries, free hotdogs, pop, condiments, rides on Ron's boat, and an invaluable amount of rest, relaxation, and good conversation and company amongst a truely awesome group of people. It's no wonder that of all the travelling we do to unique new places, this is the one spot we genuinely look forward to returning to year after year - even if only for two nights.
After setting up our tent and staking out a claim in the fridge for our perishables, the rest of the afternoon consisted of a steady flow of beer, lounging in the sun, and catching up with people we hadn't sen in a year. For dinner I made BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, and salad. After dusk, the campfire ritual began. The accoustic guitar comes out, and the singalongs begin. I got to play a half a dozen songs, but the real star was Colin, the bass player in Ron's cover band - he knew every song ever written ... seriously... people would call out songs, and he'd play them. From about sunset (9PM-ish until well past 2:30AM, about 20 of us sat around the fire drinking beer and singing top 40, classic rock, and oldies hits - getting louder and more "festive" with each passing hour (and beer). Man, what a great time... let me tell ya, we were in the company of some seriously professional drinkers too... just picture the garbage bags full of empties in the morning if 20 people each consumed 2 beer per hour for eight hours... and that's conservative!
We hit the hay at 2:30, and while it WAS getting pretty chilly (maybe 14 degrees?) Carole and I managed to huddle together and keep pretty warm all night.