Home On The Range

Welcome to Home Hardware

We are thrilled to know that Big White is welcome at the Home Hardware department store in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Finding a place to quietly settle in for the night as we free-range across Canada, can be unsettling to those of us who live full time in a mobile home. Our ‘rv’ is our abode. Frank converted this 17-passenger HandiDART bus two years ago, and it’s been our primary domain ever since.

We depart the parking lot and cruise west along Highway 3 to our next stop-over.

Today, we are exploring the town of Creston, British Columbia. 

We pull into the library parking lot and step outside. It’s October 12, and the weather is much warmer here than inside our bus. We don't have central heating, just a small heater and when it's turned on it cloaks us with a blanket of warmth, but the moment you turn it off, the cold clings to you like a thief. 

Millennium Park

Inside the brightly lit building, we ask if there are any large stores that would accommodate our truck and trailer. The librarian explains that there is a graveled parking lot beside the Millennium Park where large transports park regularly. Later that day, we join them.

We get a good sense of this gentle town by strolling its streets, visiting the senior centre, having a meal at a restaurant and speaking to some of the people at the grocery store and on the avenues. At one of the Chinese food eateries, we have a conversation with the owner.

“How long have you lived in Creston?” I say.

“Oh, all my life. But I don’t like,” the man says.

“Why don’t you like it?” Frank says.

“It’s too old. The people are old and no one wants to eat at my restaurant anymore.”

He sets down a large bowl of soup in front of us, two empty bowls, a plate of dumplings and walks away.

Updating an original building

We also have a sense of it being old, by Canadian standards, and pay special attention to the restoration of some of its buildings. The biggest regret we have is that the hub of the town is plowed through by large trucks, leaving behind their ghastly smell of burning diesel, and fast moving cars travelling to and from work in outlying centres sometimes beeping their way through the intersections. With regret, potential visitors find it nearly impossible to pull over on Highway 3. 

The next day, as we wander around the town, we meet two older men sitting at Millennium Park. We approach them and engage in conversation.

Another view of Millennium Park

“Most of the people living in Creston are seniors, these days. That suits us just fine,” the man with the cane says. “We’ve got young families too and like every other town in the world, we’ve got restless trouble-makers.”

“It’s like a retirement community. People move here from as far away as Calgary,” the man in the baseball cap says.

We talk with the gentle souls for another half hour and then set off to explore more of the town.

Along our travels, we consider places to settle down once we are not able to live this ramblers’ lifestyle, and Creston has been added to our list.

View of mountains from street in Creston, BC

Blessed is the spot

Elkford? Should be 'Deerford'

View of mountain Elkford, BC

The two primary commerce in Elkford, British Columbia are coal mining and logging. The bold leaders of the Fording Coal organization in the 1980s decided to abandon underground mining and proceeded with one of the greatest mining endeavours ever undertaken in the world – mining Eagle Mountain from top to bottom. Jobs opened up for the adventurous and housing them sent the wildlife further up the hills.

Mule Deer resting in neighbours yard

The District's population these days is approximately twenty-five hundred humans surrounded by an overabundance of Mule Deer.

The large-eared breed travels in pairs or as a herd stroll through the town and sits casually on lawns and in parks. They saunter from one neighbourhood to another, stopping to munch on grass, flowers and leaves on trees leaving 'from behind' physical evidence in their wake. The locals prefer not to have them around. In the recent past, the common practice was to cull them by assigning the task to the Elkford District sanctioned by the British Columbia government. 

Elk antlers

This technique was halted and the deer are now captured and transported to other areas of the province. ‘Win – win’ as far as the locals and government are concerned. Considering that there are six Mule Deer sitting on the lawn of a nearby property might be an indication that it is time for another harvest.

Property for sale - includes deer

'Deerford' as Frank and I refer to it, is a district municipality in the southeast region of British Columbia in the Rocky Mountain range. It is 32 kilometres north of the junction at Sparwood, on Highway 43.

We were escorted on a backroad adventure by Frank's cousin. We viewed Josephine Falls, then took in the

Josephine Falls

town from the top of a high lookout, and witnessed the minimal growth of the industries and its workers from the comfort of a four-wheel drive truck. Most folks have at least one truck and an all-terrain vehicle. At the peak of the valley, our driver commented that the car in front of us must be driven by tourists because it was a Smart car.

"There's nothing smart about a little car like that here in a place like this," he said.

Our three-day October stay in this pristine location ended with a snowfall. Our next destination is Cranbrook, BC. We'll be staying in Big White at Walmart for a few days. Winter camping is not for the faint of heart.

Elkford? Should be 'Deerford'

View of mountain Elkford, BC

The two primary commerce in Elkford, British Columbia are coal mining and logging. The bold leaders of the Fording Coal organization in the 1980s decided to abandon underground mining and proceeded with one of the greatest mining endeavours ever undertaken in the world – mining Eagle Mountain from top to bottom. Jobs opened up for the adventurous and housing them sent the wildlife further up the hills.

Mule Deer resting in neighbours yard

The District's population these days is approximately twenty-five hundred humans surrounded by an overabundance of Mule Deer.

The large-eared breed travels in pairs or as a herd stroll through the town and sits casually on lawns and in parks. They saunter from one neighbourhood to another, stopping to munch on grass, flowers and leaves on trees leaving 'from behind' physical evidence in their wake. The locals prefer not to have them around. In the recent past, the common practice was to cull them by assigning the task to the Elkford District sanctioned by the British Columbia government. 

Mule Deer antlers

This technique was halted and the deer are now captured and transported to other areas of the province. ‘Win – win’ as far as the locals and government are concerned. Considering that there are six Mule Deer sitting on the lawn of a nearby property might be an indication that it is time for another harvest.

Property for sale - includes deer

'Deerford' as Frank and I refer to it, is a district municipality in the southeast region of British Columbia in the Rocky Mountain range. It is 32 kilometres north of the junction at Sparwood, on Highway 43.

We were escorted on a backroad adventure to view Josephine Falls, then to take in the

Josephine Falls

town from the top of a high lookout, and witness the minimal growth of the industries and its workers from the comfort of a four-wheel drive truck. Most folks have at least one truck and an all-terrain vehicle. At the peak of the valley, our driver commented that the car in front of us must be driven by tourists because it was a Smart car.

"There's nothing smart about a little car like that here in a place like this," he said.

Our three-day October stay in this pristine location ended with a snowfall. Our next destination is Cranbrook, BC. We'll be staying in Big White at Walmart for a few days. Winter camping is not for the faint of heart.