Day 20: Moving on to Hope

With the wildfire smoke still quite thick in Kamloops, we opted to forego our planned activities and hit the road a day early, setting our sights on Hope.

Today’s drive was a scenic 2.5-hour trek over a couple of mountain passes, with Kelly and Rob splitting the driving duties. After checking into Hope Valley RV Park, we immediately headed out to explore the town. There is a small airport just a couple of blocks away, and we’ve already spotted helicopters lifting water from the river to battle the nearby forest fires. And don’t worry—there are train tracks right by us, too, meaning we are holding strong at a 100% success rate for camping next to trains on this trip.

Next on the agenda was a quick stop at Mountainview Brewery so Rob could grab some local beer. When he hopped back in the car, he mentioned they had a pool table and a happy hour going on—which according to the kids meant we all immediately needed to go inside. The pool table was occupied at first, so we took a quick scenic drive around town before circling back to the brewery.

We settled in and enjoyed some absolutely delicious smash burgers, beers, and cider. We even set up a round-robin foosball tournament to test out every possible family team combination, followed by a few games of pool. Insider Tip: Rob practically minored in foosball and air hockey during college given the hours he logged. If you ever find yourself challenged to a game, you definitely want to be on his team rather than playing against him.