Been there, done that

Smithers Municipal Campground, Smithers, British Columbia, Canada
We have a good day running errands, get the oil changed, the tires rotated, bike two miles to a gas station to buy a gas can and gas when we run out...

We are exhausted, but we push on through exquisitely beautiful British Columbia. Alas, we run out of Forest Districts about the time we run out of ability to move onward. The rest areas become shallow gravel pits on the same level of the highway, amenities reduced to a low-tech pit toilet, a trash barrel, maybe one picnic table, and posted No Camping signs. Ugh. We find a Provincial Park Campground, something that's been really reasonable up until now, when the price has almost doubled. Ugh.

We end up staggering into a gas station in Smithers, BC, a tiny mountain town with a municipal campground, really a parking lot for RV's, but next to the ubiquitous river and boasting acres and acres of wilderness trails and FREE firewood. We spend the night, both of us almost in tears, bumping into each other, cussing at the poor dogs when we're too clumsy to be predictable and they can't get out of our way.

I put my foot down and make us stay two nights here. Not scenic or remote, but comfortable, known, and not any farther down the road.

We sleep in, far far far in, keep all the curtains closed, make love and loll about for hours. Amazing day. I bike to the Hilltop Liquor Store for mimosa-makings. We have a laaaate barely-brunch and drink mimosas. Later we make a fire to burn the mosquitoes away and sit around it smoking a delightful cigar.

Amazing day. We hike with the dogs and then bike the wilderness trails, together, magic, amazing, glad again to be on our trip. Together.