I get overwhelmed a lot these days- trying to do too many things and not giving enough consideration for the most important ones it seems.
My husband and I got through our move successfully; in fact the whole thing went without a hitch other than it being extremely tiring what with doubling back and making a second trip on the same day. I thought I had driven long distances in the past but nothing beats 10 hours of it.
A word to the wise if you're traveling through the town of Hope in the wee hours: don't think you're going to get a damn thing to eat or use the toilets at the service stations. The only thing they sell at night is gas and diesel. The oil companies can kiss my ass- the next vehicle we buy will run on electricity or alcohol. Yes, I said alcohol because thats what they use in Brazil- why the hell are we buying grain based fuel when the Brazilians have been using SUGAR KANE for the past 30 YEARS to fillerup! I could care less if sugar costs more- bread is now close to 2 dollars a loaf- and thats cheap bread.
Larger view of Merritt Viewpoint looking south east at my art site.
Anyways, back to Merritt. We like it here.
The countryside is beautiful. Perhaps not as striking as places on the coast but it just doesn't run out; everywhere you go outside the city is natural and for the most part remains very rural in character. There is very little crime and no obvious pollution other than the sawmills in town which work 24/7 in many cases and create a lot of dust. This is something we simply have to adjust too because its quite hot and windy here.
What is Merritt known for?
Merritt Mountain Music Fest for starters:
It used to be a really big thing but its not gaining such large crowds anymore since the organizers have clamped down on their camping policies to keep the illicit and lewd activities from completely ruining the reputation of the event. Its got to a point out here where the locals won't even go to the event because of the 'drunken debauchery' that was going on. But the fest still draws some big names in country music and its trying to get back to its roots so I wish them well.
Larger view of a small lake in Kane Valley just south east of Merritt and the Coquihalla highway.
Camping and hiking:
The whole Thompson-Okanogan area is well known for having absolutely gorgeous camping facilities, cross country skiing, dirt biking and atv-ing; there are trails everywhere in the mountains.
Ranching:
There are several large and historic ranches around here that do tours, horseback outings, rent out cabins with private fishing lakes...
Rodeos:
There are a lot of them through-out the summer.
Fishing and Hunting:
Lots of that too- deer, bear, moose and other species- fishing requires a boat since the lakes tend to be wide and shallow for the most part. Yes, we bought a small boat and trailer- a hitch goes on the Jeep next week! I even got my first fishing rod- its Barbie pink!
Larger view of the rolling grasslands that lie directly east of Merritt and south of Nicola Lake.
Anyway, thats about it for now- lots of stuff to keep a person busy- my husband is going to the range tomorrow and will no doubt meet many of the local hunters. I'm finally getting around to checking all my mails, log-ins, web address changes etc. ...
If theres one thing I could say about buying our first house its this: theres no place like home. :)
