Leslie

Miles Meets Manitoba

What did we notice most about Manitoba? Water…lots of water! As we entered the province from the west on Highway 16 from Langenburg, we started to notice more and more water in the fields. In some cases sandbags lined the highways to keep them from flooding. And wheat and canola fields slowly gave way to cattle ranches and boggy fields full of bulrushes and songbirds. Geese, cranes and beaver dams were abundant in the marshes along the roadsides. The land became rockier and the trees, mostly spruce and birch became thicker.

Our first stop was Riding Mountain National Park… a beautiful wildlife preserve that is home to elk, bear, moose, beaver and bison as well as all kinds of waterfowl and songbirds. The park is situated on the northeast corner of Clear Lake and the little summer resort there is called Wasagaming which is the Cree word for “clear water”. It would be the Riding Mountain equivalent of the townsite of Waterton in Waterton National Park in Alberta. Bikes and canoes and kayaks can be rented, restaurants are available and shopping can be done. We were more interested in the hiking trails in the park so we tried to do two different trails but had to turn back half way into each one because of so much water on the trails. The area has had a huge amount of rain in the past week so that was unfortunate for us. The weather was stellar while we were there. Camping was so nice!

We drove north through the park to Dauphin, intently watching for wildlife the whole way but to no avail. We had planned to stay near Dauphin that night but the wind was howling off the lake and it was cold! Coming from southern Alberta, we should have been used to wind but we didn’t feel like battling it that day! So we continued east. And the wind was relentless…coming from the north and making it hard to handle our tall van on the poor Manitoba secondary highways with their gravel shoulders.

After driving through the scenic Narrows of Lake Manitoba, we arrived in Ashern. This is where my Greek grandparents had raised a whole bunch of kids including my birth mother. We skipped through town knowing we would be back tomorrow. The new plan for tonight was Steep Rock, a summer resort north of Ashern on Lake Manitoba.

Steep Rock was amazing, even in the poor weather! The sides of the lake are steep escarpments of limestone and because the wind was still blowing so hard, the lake, which looked more like an ocean due to its vastness, was crashing against the rocks in giant swells!

We had our supper and looked for a spot to park for the night but after our experience in North Battleford, we felt uncomfortable in such a deserted area. Besides, the weather was so cool we would have been confined to the van for the whole evening. We instead headed south again to a provincial campground called Watchorn Park and settled in for a cool rainy night.

After travelling on what Jim calls “fifthendary” roads due to the huge potholes, we were in Ashern first thing the next morning, inquiring about my Safioles family and two other families…Schindles and Porteous…at the municipal office. The gal at the office was very helpful and then suggested her Grandma might be able to answer some of our questions. It turns out her Grandma was in the restaurant across the street where we had planned to go for breakfast. So off we went….”Would any of you ladies know the name Safioles?” asked Jim. “Well, I have an Aunt Toola who used to be a Safioles” replied one of them. “No way! My wife has the same Aunty Toola!” So that’s how we met Sharon who turns out to be related to me by marriage and is also related to Schindles who I was also inquiring about for a friend! Sharon was wonderful… She toured us all over town, took us out to the old family farm south of town and to the graveyard where we could pay our respects to my grandparents. Then she took us to the legion to view the wall of honor where I saw a photo of my Uncle Alex while he was in the forces. We ended up staying to play cards for the afternoon and meeting other people who had stories to tell about my aunts and uncles in their younger days!

By early evening we were on our way into Winnipeg to catch the last period of the hockey game then off to bed in the Wally World RV Park. It had been a full day!

We were up early the next morning to meet my cousin, Linda, at the Forks in Winnipeg. The Forks, at the confluence of the Red River and the Assiniboine River, has been a meeting place for over 6000 years so it seemed fitting to meet her there. We hadn’t seen her in about 10 years and have never had a chance to really get to know her so I was looking forward to spending some time with her. She proved to be an incredible tour guide as she was born and raised in Winnipeg and is somewhat of a history buff.

We started with a short River tour which gave us our bearings and offered some of the historical facts about the area. Apparently artifacts have been found in the river systems that show travel has been from as far away as the Gulf of Mexico thousands of years ago! From there, we sauntered around the Forks Market and Shops, went into the very busy train station…designed by the same architect as Grand Central Station in New York…and then headed across the iconic Esplanade Riel Bridge. In the middle of the bridge, suspended over the water is an excellent restaurant where we stopped for lunch and had a chance to really visit.

After lunch, we continued across the bridge to St. Boniface, the French part of Winning and the resting place of Louis Riel. The cathedral was built in 1906 but burned in the big fire of 1968…only the facade remained intact. Built of limestone and Tyndall stone, you can actually see the fossils that make the Tyndall stone so unique. The new, modern church with amazing leaded windows is built behind the old facade. The old gravestones around the grounds dated back to the 1600’s.

It was a packed day of walking and talking. By evening we were “done” so we made plans for the next day with Linda and headed to a campground where we could catch up on laundry and some van housekeeping!

The next day was another packed day. We decided to park the van at a shopping centre and take the public transit into the city centre since parking is so difficult. We met Linda at Smoke’s Poutinerie which is famous for it’s…you guessed it…Poutine! I can attest that it is indeed yummy! From there, we had arranged to take a walking tour of the Exchange District. The tour was titled Death and Debauchery and touched on some of the shadier parts of Winnipeg ‘s history while pointing out the historic buildings in the area, including the first car dealership and an old Vaudeville theatre, The Pantages.

After the tour, we made our way to the Manitoba museum, a fantastic display of dioramas depicting Winnipeg over the ages and notably since the Huson Bay Company set up its trading posts in the area. A highlight was the replica of the Nonsuch, the famous Hudson Bay fur trading boat.

When we had finished in the museum, we came outside to discover a fine, warm rain was falling. Winnipeg has created a series of pedways that move people between buildings for many blocks without ever going outside. This would be especially desirable in the cold winter months but comes in handy in any kind of inclement weather. We managed to follow these indoor walkways across much of the downtown area with a stop at the original magnificent Bank of Montreal to view the opulence of it before heading to the Legislative Buildings, sitting proudly facing the river with The Golden Boy secured to its domed roof. We had a quick look around and then had to get to the bus stop for our trip back to the shopping centre.

When we got to the shopping centre we hopped onto the Park and Ride bus to the Bluebombers Football game… a preseason exhibition game against the Allouettes. It would be the only time you would see Jim cheering for the Bombers who won handily 36-13. They might be a team the Eskimos may have to reckon with in the upcoming season!

We started the next day with a tour of the Canadian Mint where all the circulation coins for Canada and many other countries in the world are minted. For those of you who may not know, the Loonie was not the first choice for our one dollar coin. A depiction of a canoe with an early voyageur was the first choice but the mint was lost in shipping and still to this day has not been found so the second choice, the Loon, went to mint! Because this year is the 40th anniversary of the Mint in Winnipeg, all circulation coins will be changed in honor of the event. The public was asked to submit artwork for the new coins and the entries have been chosen. One of the winners is 11 years old! Hopefully nothing gets lost in shipment this time! Another thing we learned…all Canadian coins have a thin layer of copper in them. Why? So that vending machines can identify them based on the amount of copper!

Leaving Winnipeg, we headed north west again to visit the limestone quarry in Stonewall. Unfortunately, a few bus loads of students were there for the day so we weren’t able to tour the quarry but we did see some of the old buildings.

Then on to Lower Fort Garry at Selkirk where costumed interpreters guided us through a day in the life of a Hudson Bay Company settlement in 1850. It was very informative and fun and of course made us ponder the power of the HBC and the control it had over the fur trade in the early days. It was extremely influential in the opening up of Canada as a whole. The fort was later used as a training ground for the Northwest Mounted Police in 1870, then an Auto Club in the early days of the automobile before it was deemed a historical site by National Parks Canada.

After nearly three days of intense touring it was time for some down time. When we were at Ford & Lori’s wedding in Edmonton, a friend had suggested we should go to Grand Beach. It sounded like the perfect spot to kick back and do nothing. We were certainly not led astray! We would never have imagined a beach of this caliber existed in the middle of our country! Sand dunes eight feet high turned into long stretches of fine white sand beaches along smooth blue water as far as the eye can see. Add to that a beautiful campground and hot sunny weather and you’ve pretty well found paradise! How lucky Winnipeg people are to have this just 60 km north of their city on Lake Winnipeg. We stayed two nights and loved it!

Our last day in Manitoba was spent driving past all the little summer villages along the south part of Lake Winnipeg and on through the Boreal Shield of Whiteshell Provincial Park. The sandy landscape became rocky and small lakes were continuously joined by dams and rivers. On every lake we could see boaters out for the weekend and every lake looked pristine in the sun with mixed forest lining its banks. Birch, Aspen and Jack Pine are the resident trees and along with them and the long grass, we found we needed to be aware of ticks. We stopped for a self guided hike explaining the techniques of reforestation and made sure we removed any of these unwanted visitors before we got into the van again….pesky little things! They lead to paranoia!!

On that note, we leave beautiful Manitoba behind us and venture on to the huge expanse of Ontario.

Miles Meets Saskatchewan

Who ever said you could skip right by Saskatchewan when heading east must have had their eyes closed. Our mascot moose, Miles, led us through this farming province…grains in particular…and the tiny little towns that dot the landscape. These towns once were bustling communities, each of them self sustaining. Now many of them cling to life by proudly presenting themselves as the “home of the hogfest”, “home of the original Santa Claus Day”, “home of the world’s largest tomahawk”, etc. Each town is looking for ways to re-define themselves in order to maintain there identity.

We entered the province through the city of Lloydminster where four large red posts on Main Street mark the border between the two provinces. Thunderstorms were left behind and blue sky welcomed us. We drove through lovely hills and valleys, rich farm and ranch lands, and many small lakes as we took the secondary highways through Cut Knife to the Battlefords.

Cut Knife is “home of the world’s largest tomahawk”. It was originally erected in the 50’s as an innovative way of attracting tourism and reconstructed in the 70’s. We were not the only ones who stopped!

With the increase in urban populations the little towns, no matter how hard they try to entice newcomers, are slowly dying off. We saw a couple of places where we could have purchased lots for a mere $10.00!

We arrived in the Battlefords…North Battleford and Battleford are separated by the North Saskatchewan River. The constant unrest between the Natives and the Europeans in the 1800’s gave reason to build a Northwest Mounted Police outpost to help control friction. The large Metis population who had made claims to farming plots along the river were largely ignored when the Canadian government was offering parcels of land to immigrants in the late 1800’s, giving rise to the famous Louis Riel Rebellion.

We had a bit of a scare while settled in for the night in a quiet spot behind Peavy Mart. A car with a very loud muffler went speeding past us two or three times and then came by a couple more times, stopping right beside us each time. We could hear voices but couldn’t make out what was being said. We were sure they were trying to decide if our van was occupied or not. When they drove on and turned to come back again, Jim slipped into the drivers seat and moved us into the bright lights and relative safety of the Wally World RV Park! Finally we could sleep! We were told the next day that North Battleford has the highest crime rate in Canada…

After a swim at the Aquatic Centre the next morning we were on the road to Saskatoon, again taking secondary highways. We had a picnic lunch at Olympic Gold Park in Biggar, the birthplace of Olympic Curling Gold Medalist Sandra Schmirler. This little town is fortunate to have such a beautiful park that offers facilities for all sports enthusiasts.

Arriving in Saskatoon, we were so impressed with the beauty of this small prairie city. The skyline is unobtrusive, the South Saskatchewan River runs through its centre with seven bridges spanning it at various spots and parks and walking trails run along both sides of the river.

We spent the entire morning wandering along the river and through the University of Saskatchewan. The buildings of the university have obviously been built at different intervals throughout the century but all have incorporated the lovely sandstone in some way, creating a very harmonious and pleasant feeling as you walk among them. As we wandered we watched as graduates of the Law and Business faculties posed for photos in their caps and gowns. It took me back a few years and almost made me feel like going back to school!

The afternoon found us having a cocktail in the hot sun on the patio of the Delta hotel downtown. While we were there, hotel staff were planting veggies and herbs for use in the kitchen. What a great idea! I’ve never heard of any other major hotel doing that!

Saskatoon is also a big sports town. The famous hockey player Gordie Howe was from the area as well as many other notables. Our campground was named after him and so was the large park surrounding us. We spent an evening watching fastball while in the field next to the ball diamonds the Saskatoon Hilltops were practicing football. Murals around town commemorate top athletes over the years.

The Western Development Museum is a must-see in Saskatoon. We spent a full four hours wandering through it and learning the history of the province from the early settler days through the good times of the 20’s, the devastation of the drought, dust and depression of the 30’s, the advent of electricity in the 50’s and the advancement in technology in all areas of life up to present. The museum is uniquely laid out and interactive. We loved it.

After two days in Saskatoon, we left Circle Drive at highway 5 and headed east through more small towns on very poor roads and a strong south wind that made driving difficult in our tall van. About 300 km east we finally stopped for the night in a little campground in a small Ukranian railroad town. Take the first two letters of each word in “Canadian Northern Railway” and you have the name of the town…Canora. Via rail stops here three days a week with passenger service to Regina and Winnipeg.

A very nice couple from Red Deer area, Sherry and Everett, were our next door neighbors with whom we had the pleasure of visiting till after midnight and again for coffee in the morning.

We wished them a pleasant trip before we headed southeast towards Langenburg. Halfway there, we stopped in Yorkton to go for a walk. The Nature Preserve at the edge of town should have been so enjoyable but because of a caterpillar infestation, we had to pick and choose our steps carefully to avoid having caterpillars drop on us. They have stripped the trees bare and are even eating the grass! Many of the chokecherry trees were also badly affected by black rot so the whole area looked pretty devastated.

Langenburg is the home of an old U of A roommate of mine. Brenda and her hubby, Cliff, live in the country just a few miles north of town and provided us with hospitality extroidenaire! It was such fun to catch up after about 20 years! They washed our van, let us do our laundry, gave us a bed and shower, fed us and gave us a tour of the Lake of the Prairies and the whole Asessippi Valley, including an impressive ski resort in the most unexpected part of the prairies just inside the Manitoba border.

Our Saskatchewan experience has been wonderful. Now we head for Manitoba, looking forward to more adventure! Tune in again next week!

Miles Meets Alberta

With five days to complete a trip from Claresholm to Edmonton…a trip that would typically take five hours…we decided to zig zag across the province exploring places that we had experienced twenty to thirty years ago with three small children in tow.

We left the iconic landscape of the Southern Alberta prairies and headed northeast to the Badlands of Alberta. We had once lived in Drumheller for a few months at a time in our kids’ lives when dinosaurs were the most impressive things going. Our son, Trevor, had even participated in a Sesame Street episode at the Tyrell Museum! That was thirty years ago and the study of our prehistoric friends was beginning to attract visitors from far and wide. Today we can see the effects of the tourist industry on the city and surrounding districts. Dinosaurs greet us on almost every intersection, some of them so impressively built you would swear you had walked into Jurrasic Park!

The prairies had given way to a landscape of small hills, called “the handhills” and canyons carved out by wind erosion and the flow of the Red Deer River. The hard crust of earth on top of the sandy bases has created interesting formations so different than anywhere else in the province. These “hoodoos” form the borders of the canyons, many of which are dry riverbeds. One of the largest in the area, Horsethief Canyon, was named because horses roamed freely through the canyon in the early 1900’s often to emerge in the fall with a different brand than they entered with! Obviously a great place for hide and seek.

From the Badlands we travelled north to Miquelon Lake, just north of Camrose. This was a favorite camping spot with friends and family in the early 80’s when we lived in Edmonton. We were sad to see that the lake, like so many alkaline lakes in the province, had receded so far. It was still a popular camping spot with a large bird population but swimming would no longer be the focus. It was nice to see our Alberta Rose blooming throughout the campground…so pretty in pink! The weather was very hot so we took advantage of some good “sun time”.

Heading southwest next, we decided we would like a game of golf in Rimbey, west of Lacombe. We had always enjoyed this little course in the past with its first tee off over the ridge of trees onto the flats at the bottom. As we approached the course we could see it covered in dandelions and in general disrepair…we were saddened to see that it had closed two years ago. So, while looking for a place to spend the night, we came upon Gull Lake Golf Course just north of Bentley. The sun was shining, it seemed golf would be a great way to spend the afternoon after all! Can’t say we had a great game but we had a great time! The owner, Eamon McCann, was a huge sports fan so he and Jim had lots in common.

With today being game seven of the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, we found a little pub in Bentley to have supper and watch the game. That whole area is full of summer cottages and camping areas and it was apparent that we were not the only ones who decided to get out that evening…the pub was packed! And Pittsburgh won the game so Jim was happy! The weather had turned nasty with some torrential rain…we were happy to be inside.

Heading north, our next stop would be Drayton Valley where we were meeting old friends Laurie and Kevin. We lived in Drayton Valley in the 80’s… In fact our daughter Holly was born there, and we had fond memories of fun times there. The little town we used to know has evolved into a big city with all the big box stores that we see everywhere. The oil industry has impacted the city over the years both positively and now negatively as people are being laid off from long time employment with various oil companies. It was so much fun reminiscing with our friends and seeing the changes in our old stomping grounds.

We spent the night north of Drayton Valley at the Pembina Lake Provincial Campground. Drizzling rain had given way to sunny evening skies and we enjoyed a beautiful walk along the Pembina River, watching the sun set behind the hills. A mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees formed the walls of our campsite and we watched as the campground filled up for the weekend. We were thankful for the showers since we had a wedding to attend the next day in Edmonton.

We attended the wedding of a very good friend of close to 40 years . Ford and Lori tied the knot at the Chateau Louis convention centre with a ” concert” theme wedding. It was a reunion of many friends from our BC (before children) days. We “rock ‘n’ rolled” all night to music we all love and had such fun catching up with old friends.

The next day 41 members of Jim’s family met at Kinsmen Park in Edmonton to share a picnic, play bocce and catch up. The last picnic of this sort was 22 years ago…the generational change was evident and fun to see!

By late afternoon we were on the road again, finally heading east. We drove through Elk Island National Park with the hopes of seeing bison and we were not disappointed. We came across a moulting bison on the side of the road, munching away on his supper quite separate from his herd. The photo op was perfect, and only moments before an incredible thunder, lightening and hail storm would make it difficult to see any thing else.

We decided to drive through the heavy rain and hail to the clear skies of Lloydminster that evening, with a roadside supper stop at Two Hills. The farmland in this part of the province is beautiful with gentle hills, lots of water and rich dark soil. Most house oil tanks in the middle of their fields…a sign of the diversity of the area.

I’ve noticed all over the province that old barns, weathered and worn from over a century of facing the extreme elements of the Alberta climate, are crumbling beside new, well constructed barns on tidy, organized and well manicured farms. I wonder what our pioneers would think of the changes from the hard homesteading life of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. We owe so much of our present affluence to their unending hard work and their positive spirit.

And We’re Off!

We’ve talked about it for years, we’ve planned it for months…today is the beginning of a bucket list fulfillment…

It’s been raining the whole of May Long Weekend…very typical in southern Alberta but depressing nonetheless. Unless, of course, you’re a farmer…which we aren’t! We spent the weekend packing our van, emptying our fridge, cleaning our house and spending time with our family.

Our family…two beautiful little grandsons aged 2 and 6 months. We wonder how we will manage four months without seeing them. We will miss Carlo’s 3rd birthday on the 4th of July and Lewis may be walking the next time we see him! We hope we can compensate with virtual hugs via the use of electronic technology. Thank you FaceTime for being available. We’ve left them with a laminated map of Canada with the hopes that Mommy and Daddy will help them track our trip across the country.

Much of the weekend was spent trying to decide what route to take; checking weather forecasts daily for various spots around the province. Our original plan was to head to Banff, take the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and then head east to Edmonton in time for a good friend’s wedding on May 28th. But rain in our area means snow in the mountains and we are just not emotionally prepared to start our SUMMER holiday in WINTER conditions!

So here we are…our decision made just this morning as we shared breakfast with our two little munchkins and our beautiful daughter. Miles, the moose, is propped up on the dash of the van where he will point us in the direction of our daily destinations. He’s done this before…he travelled across the country two years ago with Lis and Dennis so he’s a seasoned traveller…you can watch for him in future posts. Today he will take us to the Alberta Badlands. Stay tuned!

The Finale: Revelstoke, BC

Well, time to check out of the Holiday Park Resort and make our way back home. We were planning a visit with our son,Michael, but knew he would be working all day so we decided to take the scenic route from Kelowna to Revelstoke where we would check into a hotel for the next two nights. It was another perfect day in terms of weather so we were looking forward to the leisurely drive.

Our route took us to the north end of the Okanagan Lake at Coldstream and Vernon. We stopped for a last look at the lake and to snap a few photos of the Coldstream valley and then headed east toward the Kootenays over the Monashee Pass. The road was never straight for long and around each bend was more beauty! We passed lovely meadows, rivers, waterfalls, golf courses…and the mountains got bigger and higher. Orchards gave way to farmland, primarily stock farms but some grains. A small dairy farm caught our eye at Cherryville when we noticed they sold fresh cheese. A chunk of chilli pepper Gouda was soon added to our cooler to supplement our picnic lunch!

At the summit of the Monashee Pass it was strange seeing snow after our week of hot sunny days but spring was emerging all around us…we could feel it, smell it and see it!

We soon came to a delightful little cable ferry that ran between Needles and Fauquier. The crossing gave us about 10 minutes of amazing scenery as we crossed Arrow Lake and then we were heading north again towards the little town of Nakusp. Along this short span of highway we stopped for a stroll along the beach of Arrow Lake, the sand warm between our toes and the lake like glass. This would be a perfect place to camp someday.

Back on the road and one more ferry…this one from Galena Bay to Shelter Bay. Incidentally, just a few kilometers from Galena Bay is a little old town called Trout Creek which is worth visiting just to see the old gravity gas pump that is still in operation. We didn’t go there this time but saw it on a previous visit to the area.

We arrived at Revelstoke in the late afternoon. This is a city of young, active singles and families. Its history dates back to the gold rush days when it was a major transportation and supply center for the miners. It was eventually ravaged by fire and rebuilt in later years when the railway came through. It became a main transportation hub with steamboats coming north up the Arrow Lakes to meet the trains at Revelstoke.

Because there is an abundance of snow in the winter, skiing has always been a reason to go there and the summertime offers amazing trails for hiking and cycling through the mountain areas. We enjoyed a 7km hike on Mount Revelstoke…enough to warrant a visit to one of the great pubs afterwards!

We met up with Michael when he was done work…he prepared a very tasty barbeque for us and a few friends and then off to the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre to be entertained by one of my favorite musicians, Harry Manx.

The next morning after breakfast we were on the road again…heading home. West along the TransCanada through the Rogers Pass and the Kickinghorse Pass…majestic mountains surrounding us all the way to Banff. We stopped there for a hike to Johnson’s Canyon. We’ve done this hike many times but it never gets old. Love it!

Then as the mountains gave way to foothills and the foothills gave way to prairie, we marvelled at the change in scenery in such a short distance. We are so blessed to live in a country with so much diversity within a few hours drive. It felt good to be home!

Kelowna & Area

What a beautiful part of our country the Okanagan Valley is. We’ve been in the area for close to a week and seen the diversity of the area in terms of activities, terrain and people.

Kelowna sits in a valley on the west side of the Monashees, one of the mountain ranges that make up the Rocky Mountains. It is situated at approximately the mid point of Okanagan Lake and if you follow the lake south you go through West Kelowna ( formerly called Westbank) , Peachland, Summerland, and eventually arrive at Penticton at the south end of the lake. A drive north of Kelowna takes you along the lake through Lake County, Oyama, Coldstream and Vernon at the other end of this huge lake.

Each community boasts amazing views of the lake, great restaurants and outdoor activities that go hand in hand with lake living. Beautiful walking paths, gardens and beaches are showcased along the waterfronts and even though it is still April, many people are out on the beaches…some even venturing into the water. We spent an afternoon on the beach at Skaha Lake which is located just south of Okanagan Lake in Penticton. The beach was hot…very hot! But the water had not been warmed enough by the sun yet for me to go in. However, we did see kids swimming in it! I’m a bit of a chicken!

The hills on both sides of the valley are lined with vineyards…approximately 200 wineries in the area…and orchards which supply most of the fruit we buy in our grocery stores across Canada. Kelowna is headquarters for BC Tree Fruits.

Interspersed among the vineyards and orchards are well groomed golf courses to suit any level of ability. We enjoyed the view from the balcony of the Sunset Ranch Club House one day for lunch and today played a nine hole course not far from our condo.

We were told that in the summer Kelowna and the area grows in population by more than 20,000 as tourists converge on the area to camp, golf, enjoy the lakes, tour the wineries and sample the great restaurants. We’re just at the beginning of the tourist onslaught at the end of April and the weather has been amazing!

For the outdoor enthusiasts, Big White ski hill is not far away for mountain biking, hiking, etc. but we did not fit that into our week this time.

There is so much to do in this region that we would definitely recommend a vacation anywhere in this area!

Wine Tasting: The Golden Mile

We drove to Osoyoos today with the intent of checking out some of the vineyards along the way back.

Wines are produced all along the Okanagan Valley from the US border all the way north to Salmon Arm but the area between Osoyoos and Oliver, called the Golden Mile, has the greatest number of wineries in the whole area.

We enjoyed visits to six of them today and came away with eight bottles of wine and some wine jelly.

The wine tastings at all the wineries were lovely but most memorable would have to be Rustico Winery. http://rusticowinery.com This one is owned by an older fellow from the Vancouver area who bought the place in about 2007 because of the history of the vineyard. The owner, who looks like a retired posse leader from Bonanza, lives in the original log house with a sod roof.

His tasting room is a replica of the Wild West with appropriately named wines like Silver Garter and Farmer’s Daughter, Bonanza and Mother Lode. He’s a colourful character with a quick wit and a few good stories. The wine was not necessarily the “Best in the West” but the showmanship of the tasting sure was!

Creston Hospitality

I would be remiss if I didn’t brag about the great service and hospitality that we have experienced in the last 24 hours.

After our wonderful stop at Tie Lake we continued our journey west to the beautiful little town of Creston. With all the gardens and orchards in bloom, we were excited to breathe in the fragrant air and soak in the warm sunshine. The forecast had been for rain but it was nowhere in sight!

We had arranged a room for the night through AirBnB. When we arrived, we were greeted at the door by a wonderful smiling lady named Grietje. She had a lovely little house with a beautiful back yard of flowers….magenta coloured magnolias in particular caught my attention! Wish we could grow them in Claresholm!

Grietje showed us to our pretty little room and our comfy bed. Since it was early yet, we headed out to see a bit of downtown Creston and treat ourselves to dinner out. After window shopping for a bit we came upon a new restaurant that had just opened its doors to the public an hour earlier. The Memories of Indian Cuisine turned out to be an amazing place to eat! Kudos to the chef and the servers as people lined up outside to be seated! How lucky we were to have been seated immediately! We would highly recommend this place if Butter Chicken, kebabs or Naan bread are on your list of favorites.

Since the restaurant was not yet licenced, we headed to Jimmy’s Pub for a drink after dinner. Jim couldn’t decide what kind of beer to have and the waitress suggested the sampler… Three ounces each of six different local brews! He loved it! So I also decided on the wine sampler…2 ounces each of three different local wines. Great suggestion for us and very tasty.

Back to Grietje’s house where we were invited to visit with her in her living room. We shared a glass of wine and chatted for a couple of hours about families, travelling, art…it was like catching up with a long lost relative! We would encourage anyone needing a room in Creston to look her up! She is a wonderful hostess!

Hospitality did not end there… We headed out early in the morning. An hour and a half later we were at Jim’s sister’s doorstep! Margo and Dave had just woken up but they welcomed us in for a big waffle and bacon breakfast and a few cups of coffee. Hospitality everywhere we go!

Thank you to all of you! And hugs to little Landyn!

Memory Lane

On our way to Creston today we passed by Tie Lake… about half an hour east of Cranbrook. I suggested that since we were in no hurry we should drive up to the lake and see if we could find the cabin that my Aunt Myrtle and Uncle Bert owned many years ago. By chance, we came upon Thistle Drive which sounded familiar to me. A walk down the path to the lake confirmed I had the right area but I couldn’t remember which cabin was theirs. Then we stopped to chat with a neighbor who steered me to the right cabin and she suggested I go knock on the door and introduce myself.

Continue reading Memory Lane

Off to the Okanagan

April 22- May 2, 2016 will find us on the road again for a visit to the beautiful Okanagan Valley in BC. With a 9.5 hour drive west on the Crowsnest Highway, we’ve decided to break the trip into a two day drive with an overnight stop at a little AirBnB in Creston. We could shave 1.5 hours off our trip by taking the TransCanada Highway through Banff and Lake Louise but we’ll do that route on the way home. We love Highway 3 and the way it meanders through all the cute little towns. Besides, we’re in no hurry! Our destination is Kelowna, where we’ve traded a week of time shares at Panorama for a week at the Holiday Park Resort. http://sweetlife.com I’m pretty excited to see what the Okanagan is like in the spring.