Houseboating in Sicamous

We all knew that at points during the trip, we would meet some amazing people and have some great experiences, completely out of the blue.

Today was certainly one of those days. We knew we were getting set up on a houseboat upon our arrival in Sicamous, but had no idea what to expect. We had been told that the owners were wonderful people, but what would that really mean?

Today's ride was a short 60km trip to Sicamous. Nothing very special happened, although lunch in Salmon Arm was interesting. After picking up some groceries, we proceeded to set up shop inside the local mall. We had gotten cold cuts and some salads, and broke out our sporks and bowls to eat at one of the tables inside. As this sight probably looked absolutely ridiculous to most people, lots came up to talk to us. One woman from the local media called up one of their reporters, so we got to take some pictures and chat with him before moving on to Sicamous.

Let's get serious, though. Who cares about today's ride? Today was definitely about the two wonderful people we got to meet, and the incredible generosity they extended to us.

When we arrived in Sicamous, we had been told to call Knud and Marianne Thomsen, who we had been told ran a houseboat company in town, Twin Anchors. We did as we were told, and Knud came to meet us and lead us to their marina on the Shuswap. Once there, we met Marianne, and they invited us in to have lunch on them, and we all got to talking about their lives, and how their company, Twin Anchors, came to be.

Knud had an incredible story. He immigrated from Denmark about 45 years ago in his mid-20s, as a bricklayer in search of work. There wasn't much in the field at the time, so to make more dough he "moved into the bush" and worked as a logger. Over time, he and his brother bought land, acquiring 880 acres which they logged themselves. At first they just sold it, but later processed it as well to make more money.

Knud had been looking to buy land near the Shuswap area, and one night while having a drink with the owner of the marina they now own, the then owner suggested that he buy the property off of him. He was sold on the idea, and has built Twin Anchor Houseboats into what it is today.

Marianne was Knud's cleaning supervisor, and as she said herself, Knud figured "it was cheaper to marry her than to pay her." They have 6 children and 16 grandchildren together, and couldn't be more proud about it. Their son Greg now runs the family business.

After lunch we were set up in our boat, and this thing was something else. Hot tub, kitchen, TV, multiple bedrooms, and two floors. Unreal. We got familiar with it for a few hours before Knud picked us up for a tour of the office and their manufacturing plant. This was amazing. Knud took us around the plant floor where new houseboats were being built, and some of them were stunning. Three levels, multiple waterslides, flatscreen TVs, you name it they had a boat with it. Everybody was friendly with us and it was quite something to see how they were built. It also helps when the owner is showing you around, because nobody's going to tell him where he can and can't go...even if the tour guests are wearing their flip-flops on a shop floor.

From there, we went on to a barbeque dinner at their place, and we got to meet Marianne a bit more. She regaled us with stories of her children, grandchildren, various paintings, and pieces of art while we gorged on cheeseburgers, potato salad, and baked beans, with ice cream for dessert. Over a few beers Knud told some jokes and we heard all about the Vasa, the Swedish warship built in the 1600s which capsized in the harbour on its maiden voyage, and was subsequently salvaged and restored through the second half of the 20th century. They were absolutely incredible to us, and Marianne gave us their personal numbers so that we could give them a call for anything we needed...even reservations for a houseboat next summer.

As I said, this day was all about the people, and we met two of the great ones in Marianne and Knud. I'm sure we'll be seeing them in the near future, perched on one of their beautiful houseboats on Shuswap Lake.

Tomorrow we have a short ride to Revelstoke to stay with Pat's Aunt Barb, where we'll take a day to rest before making our way through the Rocky Mountains, but we'll never forget the kindness and pure generosity that Marianne and Knud offered us today.
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