Tuesday, June 5: Such a relaxing day yesterday, up at 6:30am for a yoga workout--then another fabulous breakfast before we hit the road for Houston BC. Another rainy Spring day through the wide valley of the old Fraser River, the mountains are beautiful, even in the rain! Reminds us of home, lots of second growth forests and huge logyards as a result of heavy harvesting. Passed through Vanderhoof, the geographical center of BC, named for a Chicago publisher and Grand Trunk Railroad investor, and got a view of extensive Fraser Lake to the north. Just outside of the town of Fraser Lake (White Swan Capitol of the World—breeding area for trumpeter swans) we turn into the huge, sprawling complex of the Endako molybdenum mine. Ron heads into the administrative offices…and off goes Ron in a hardhat and a big, white Endako truck. He reports: “The hope was to find a lookout or something to see at the open pit molybdenum mine. Well, it’s raining but I’m thinking, ‘What the heck, let’s drive in and go till someone throw’s us out.’ I went to the office and introduced myself as a retired (true) geologist (from 40 years ago!). I must have a rabbit’s foot somewhere in my pants because the next thing I know, the mine geologist comes out, introduces himself, and off we go in his truck for a tour of the mine! About half an hour later we come back and I’m loaded with ore samples. We talked rocks and geology like 1970 with USSteel. What a blast!” Took a quick picture of the operation, saw a moose and a couple of mule deer (also called black-tailed deer), and found a wayside for lunch. WE ate beside the Tintagel Cairn which hold a large stone from the Norman walls of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall England where King Arthur is said to have been born. A couple more hours and we showed up at our Pleasant Valley Motel in Houston. Things are a little dingy and pretty smoked up for a non-smoking room, but our luck has been so good, we figure a little bad luck was good! And we were right. We had time to find a Laundromat and had a hoot doing the laundry! A lady has a make-up sales/barbershop/flower shop/Laundromat in one little building! She was grandma-vintage and full of stories. Then a couple of younger folks came in and the stories really started flying—real knee-slapping, hat-tossing, bend-over-laughing stories. Laundry time went by in a flash! Cut-up sausages in mac and cheese for din-din and taps.