Western Command Tour 2011

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Preparations
After a number of our Western Command members attended the 60th anniversary of D day commemorations in 2004 in France and Holland, the idea of following up here at home with a similar tour. Driving over multiple days with our MV’s and visit Veterans, Legions and AN&AF clubs.
This resulted in the first Freedom Route Tour in 2005 were we went up into the southern interior over a week 1100Kms and 10 legions or Clubs. This has turned into a biannual event for us with tours in 2007, Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island, and 2009 Shuswap and Okanagan.
This year we moved the Calendar up from August to Early June to correspond with the Convention of the B.C. and Yukon Royal Canadian Legion in Penticton. We were invited to participate in the parade and display at the convention.
We decided this would be the opportunity to get ourselves up into country we had not been to before in the West Kootenays going as far as Salmo B.C. where a couple of our members, Tammy and Drew Swan now resided and their Legion was looking forward to our dropping in.
This was going to be a difficult trip as there were only 2 directions of Travel, Up and Down!
Most Participants gathered in Chilliwack on June 3rd, the night before the convoy started at the CMEC Museum. Dave Good drove down in his M35 1100 kms from Edmonton to join us. Good food over the BBQ, showers and we were ready for our adventure.

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Day 1
After a group Breakfast of Pancakes, eggs and Sausage we packed up and formed up on Dieppe drive and headed out to our fuel stop at the truck stop in Chilliwack. At 33 feet above sea level this was now all uphill from here.
We set out on Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) at a reasonable convoy speed of about 40 to 45 mph towards Hope (Elev. 135 feet) taking Highway 3 the Crowsnest Highway we headed up the sunshine valley and our first steep climb over the site of the Hope Slide. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Slide
Speed for most was reduced to 2nd gear crawls at about 15mph till we crested the hill but that was only a respite as we got into the winding steep climb up into Manning Park via the Allison Pass At 4400 feet this was the first real test of the ability of some of these nearly 70 year old trucks to make it.
We all did and stayed in a reasonable convoy and descended down into Manning park Lodge area for a pit stop. (Elev. 3700feet) after a quick stop it was back up Sunday Summit (Elevation 4213 feet) and down alongside the Similkameen River. On the way up the C15A developed a gas blockage in first one tank and then both, causing several stops on the uphill side but managed to crest the pass. All the trucks were caught up in Princeton (elev. 2300 feet) and everybody got a taste of long steep downhill travels on transmissions and Brakes. Gassing up in Penticton we repaired one flat tire on the Dodge Ambulance and cleared one fuel line with compressed air on the CMP to get it back on the road. Nice of Dave Goods M35 to have an air hose! We then continued along Highway 3 to Keromeos (elev. 1198 feet) were we met at the Legion. About 5 minute after a complete stop the C15A’ front right tire went down in a hurry with a ruptured inner tube. So the driver pulled the wheel off and replaced the tube with a spare but unfortunately after all that it leaked too! On with the spare and into the legion, Pizza, Cold Beer and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final!
Bill McLean from Cherryville joined us with his Jeep and Daryl “Doc” Rose came along with his German Motorcycle with side car.
Content in a Vancouver Canucks Victory we slept on the Parade ground across from the legion.
Day one Chilliwack to Keromeos 250 Kms

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Day 2
After another breakfast cooked up by Chuck Ingram we were gassed up and on our way to Penticton (elev. 1260 feet) and the convention. Reasonably short drive through a major construction zone that on other days would have been closed for hours at a time we pulled into downtown Penticton and formed up near the cenotaph and Gyro Park. Grant Johnson joined us with his Jeep for the Parade, Kevin and Jennifer joined up with us again in their Iltis, Norm Krugar came by for a visit and to tell us his very original Cab 11 C15A was for sale and chat.
After a Brief ceremony at the cenotaph we took our place in the Parade with Veterans on board or standing through the roof hatches. It was a well-dressed parade down the main drag past the reviewing stand with The Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and his wife taking the salute at the Reviewing stand.
We set up outside the Penticton convention Center for a few hours and mixed with the delegates and visitors on a very pleasant and sunny day.
Near the end of the day the main group departed for Oliver (elev. 1,017 feet) and the Oliver Legion for Dinner and relaxation. 2 camped in Penticton to attend to their flat tires on Monday Morning. They spent a relaxing evening by the lake zapping the foolish mosquitos that came our way with our trusty bug swatter zapper thingy. The rest of the group dropped into the Oliver legion for Supper and set up for the night in Oliver.
Easy day for mileage with only 90 kms to cover

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Day 3
The Hot sun got us all up early, the 2 trucks in Penticton got to the Tire shop an hour before opening and they opened up for them and got there tires fixed and even arranged for us to pick up the increasingly scarce spare tubes ahead on our trip. They quickly got down to Oliver and joined the main group who, after finishing breakfast were at the Hester Creek winery doing a tour and some tasting before seemingly everybody was loading up cases of the local grape juice.
Together again it was south on 97 to Osoyoos (elev. 987 feet) for gas and to check everything for the long steep climb east on Highway 3. This is a big intimidating climb that truckers avoid. This is a long zigzag climb that starts at the edge of town and keeps going up without any level spots for 27kms till you reach Anarchist Summit (elev. 5082 feet) If you missed a shift you and everybody behind you fell way back. About an hour and a half at only 15 to 20 mph it took some time to get to the summit. Amazingly shortly after passing the summit we were all within sight of each other. It was 30 C at the bottom but rain and sleet at the top. A little meandering about the road was observed as sweaters and toques got pulled on
On down into Rock Creek the highway now followed the old Kettle Valley Railroad route through Midway, Greenwood and on to our destination for the day, Grand Forks (elev. 1706 feet).
Throughout the day the rivers and streams we passed were overflowing and brown from the late spring runoff and erosion. Our Campground was in danger of flooding and the local officials were keeping a close eye on it. It was amazing to watch some pretty big green trees floating by in the current of the Kettle River.
We also heard from Don and Fred Robson, who were trying to catch up and join us, had blown a head gasket around the Hope slide area and would be turning back.
The Legion opened up for us for a quick tour but for most of us, it was off to the pub for Game 3 of the Stanley cup finals. Unfortunately by the 3rd period most of us were doing our PM’s on our trucks or otherwise trying to forget game 3!
Day three, 146 very hard Kms but we all made it!

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Day 4
Up early again and as no one woke us up in the night the campground remained dry. The river we camped next to was amazingly quite given the volume and speed of the water in full flood. When the water is lower it roars and splashes around the rocks making camping by a river a noisy experience.
Breakfast by Chuck again and we were gassed up and on the road around mid-morning heading east on highway 3 this time up into some pretty high country although the climb was a little gentler than the day before. His time it was bonanza pass at 5036 feet that tested us. Shortly after we met up with drew swan in his Land Rover Ambulance at the turnoff for Rossland/Trail (4000 feet). Now with 12 MV’s in the convoy as we climbed back up over Nancy Green Summit (5170 feet) there was a lot of snow still on the ground and felt like winter in the fog. Onto Rossland (3356 feet) and then Trail (1444 feet), the steepest part of the trip with runaway lanes every few hundred meters with evidence that they were well used. The odour of burning brakes wafted over the convoy as some newer drivers let their speed get up a bit much or lost a gear (or transfer case slipped into neutral). The convoy spread out and the lead took a wrong turn but eventually we all had a chance to cool off our brakes (not to mention our dry mouths) at the local Legion Branch in Trail. Looking over the Columbia River it is a fantastic little Legion.
After an all to brief a visit it was back on the road up a steep climb (like there is any other kind around there) up through Montrose (1986 feet) and through to our destination at Salmo (2198 feet).
Drew and Tammy Swan live in Salmo and while he couldn’t bring his ferret (the armoured kind) Tammy brought her Harris Hawk (the feathered kind) to give us an up close and personal demonstration of this bird of prey. Nice little show on Main Street and then we formed up and with a color guard from the legion we were marched to the legion for dinner.
After a great homemade meal we set up in the municipal campground for the night and none too soon. Thunder and lightning preceded a deluge that kept the kibitzing to a minimum. Salmo is a lovely little town with beautiful mountain views.
Fred Robson was able to catch up with us after taking the jeep home and returning with his Ranger adorned in Canucks livery.
Day four, 147 Kms

[Harry Moon]

Freedom Route 4 Day 5
Day 5 found us a little wetter in the morning after all that rain but it let up before we hit the road for the short drive up to Nelson (1755 feet). Nelson is a pretty busy little town compared to most and given the vertical nature of the surrounding terrain parking was at a premium so we were pretty spread out near the legion which has no parking of its own. It was one of the few times that we were on our own for lunch so most of us wandered around some visiting the plaque outside the Gray Building (Post Office) named after Robert Hampton "Hammy" Gray VC, DSC (November 2, 1917 - August 9, 1945) who was a Canadian naval officer, pilot, and recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) during World War II. He was born in Trail but grew up and went to school in Nelson.
We agreed to meet up down in a nearby open area and once together it was back on the road to Castlegar. Along the drive you pass a series of Hydro Dams with their sluice gates full open and it was like Niagara Falls over and over again as all the Dams were maxed out in water capacity and passing the extra volume downstream.
The C15A had to deal with the fuel blockage again on the way and fell behind, catching up and catching the attention of the local Mountie on the way. Something about “wrong way” “Do not enter” and double solid yellow lines or something like that. Anyways he straightened us out and got us to the Legion and our display. We got there in time for Dinner and Game 4. Food was great, the game sucked.
After dinner we headed out of town to our overnight lodgement. Kind of reminded us of a show we sometimes watch called “Trailer Park Boys” except that the residents got up before we did and went to work. Kind of tight but we managed.
Showers were nice and hot and that is always appreciated after a cool wet day.
Day five, 83 Kms.