Day 58 - Crazy Lobster

Tired of waiting for a rainy day to get some errands done, we chose to ignore the sunshine and get some things done around the condo.  Some say it couldn't (or wouldn't :) be done but the bbq finally got put together that we bought over a month ago.  Took care of business at the post office, picked up things from the trailer, quick dip in the pool and then a run to the dump.  Very productive day.

We have been noticing lately that Harrison has super powers when he puts on his Crazy Lobster shirt.   Today was no different.  Sitting and standing on his own.  So strong we could barely hold on to him :).  Amazing.

Day 57 - Man vs Dog

Very nice hanging around the condo today.  Lazy morning followed by a workout and then fishing to end the day.  Lots of fish.... none out of the water though.

The highlight of the day was when Harrison and Vinnie had a wrestling match.  Harrison may have won, but Vinnie was the real champ!

the stare down

Harrison quickly takes position to strike

hair pull and eye jab

I am Harrison hear me roar!

Friends again :)

Day 56 - Island Lake Lodge - Finally done right!

We finally made it out for a hike at Island Lake Lodge just west of Fernie!  (Previous attempts were spoiled by weather, bears and a locked gate)

The lodge offers cat skiing (they drive you up the to the top of the mountain to go skiing) in the winter and then a bed and breakfast in the summer. Along with the lodge and five star dining there are some very nice trails with spectacular views.  We took two short hikes and lots of pictures :)

 At the end of the day we decided to go for a walk downtown next to Boivin Creek and were surprised with the sunset (don't get too many out here in the mountains).  Very nice way to end the day!

Day 55 - Wapiti Ski Hill

We were very excited to hang around Elkford after our big adventure on Friday.  Jim and Ramona were up so it was a perfect day to relax a bit, go for a hike and visit.

We ventured up Wapiti Ski Hill today, Elkford's local hill.  The hike is quite steep, but the views from the top are well worth it.  Everyone was tuckered come the top of the hill except for Harrison who slept the whole way :).

The day was really nice.  Besides the great company Jim and Ramona also hosted us for breakfast and supper and also watched Harrison for most of the afternoon.  Feeling quite spoiled.... and also thankful!

Day 54 - When life gives you lemons

Sad day today.  The Motorhome broke down on the highway about 150 km outside of Elkford.  But as they say, when life gives you lemons make lemonade!


Quite the adventure.

About 20 minutes into our trip home the motorhome broke down (lemon).  Thankfully we were able to get far enough over on the highway that we had a safe place to wait for a tow truck...  Three hours later thanks to some "technical difficulties" with BCAA (lemon) a tow truck finally showed up.

Here is where the adventure began.  The tow truck could only fit Harrison + 1 more (lemon) and Vinnie was able to stay in the RV for the ride back to Elkford.  BCAA suggested that one of us hitchhike.  (lemon)

I opted for biking towards Elkford as Emily and Harrison rode in the tow truck back to Elkford.  Once in Elkford they had to pick up our truck and drove back to get me.  (lemon)

60 km's later I finally made it to my goal on the bike, the 3&93 Dairy Bar.  We had passed this food joint numerous times, always long line ups - it must be good.  Here, I was finally able to turn all the days lemons into lemonade...  Upon arrival I enjoyed a small ice cream cone and some lemonade before hitting the road again (yes I saved some lemonade for Emily).  Quite anticlimactic as we still had an hours drive ahead of us.

After a very long day, 9 hours later, we all made it home safe and sound and excited for bed!  

Day 53 - James Ritchie Trail

Another day calling for rain so we got dressed up in our rain gear and tried some trails close to the camper.

The James Ritchie Trail was very close to the camper and took us further into the forest along the St. Mary's River.  Very nice trail and we even managed to stay quite dry.

Our day ended off with some fishing in a spot we saw some other fishermen at a couple nights before.  (Since we clearly can't pick a good spot very well :)  Finally on our last "cast" we pulled a monster out of the river.  First fish out of the water from fly fishing.  Think it was a Rainbow Trout.  After the squealing subsided we let the fish go and started to plan for all the other fish we are now destined to catch.  Can't wait!

Day 52 - Kimberley

Kimberley is a small Bavarian resort town.  Very interesting... Today we rode our bikes into town to take a look around.

There is a bike path all the way from Cranbrook to Kimberley which used to be a railway.  The trail is conveniently called Rails to Trails and was perfect for the days journey.  10 km from the campsite we were in Kimberley.   Thankfully Emily did the first half with the Chariot as it we later found out it was mostly up hill :)

View of Marysville from Rails to Trails

Once in Kimberley we headed straight to the Platzl, a local shopping area.  It was a very quaint little street with lots of interesting shops, local fare and the world largest coo-coo clock.  We especially enjoyed the schnitzel and strudel! 

The way back was all down hill.  This was good for numerous reasons:  

1. Trent was pulling the Chariot.

2. A big storm was coming into the area and we had to get back before it hit.

3. We saw our first black bear of the year.  It was about 10 ft. away from us as we biked by on the trail.  Much too fast for it to notice. (Or catch us)

Later on that night we received some very exciting news.  Chris had proposed to Carmen... and she said yes!  So exciting, more Masons.

Day 51 - St. Mary's River

Forecast called for rain all day, and thats what we got.  To be honest we were looking for some rainy days to give us an excuse to relax a bit.  After blueberry pancakes we had a chance to watch a new TV series called True Detective.  Very good.

Later on in the day the rain stopped and allowed us to take a walk around the area.  The St. Mary's river ended up being right next to the campsite so we had a chance to fish a bit, hike a bit and take lots of pictures!

Day 50 - Kimberley's Riverside Campground

Today we left Elkford for 5 days at Kimberley's Riverside Campground.

Every time we drive west of Fernie we see people lined up at a spot on the mountain.  This spot is about 15 km out on the right hand side of the highway.  Today we stopped to see what all the fuss is about... Turns out there is a perfect place to fill up water jugs with what must be fresh mountain water.  We tried it out - amazing!  We will be back, with bigger jugs.

Kimberley is a resort town located 25 km north of Cranbrook, about an hour from Fernie.  The closest campsite to town is located between Marysville and Kimberley.  We thought it would be a perfect place to camp while checking out the area.  The campsite we reserved ended up being fantastic.  We were very excited to set up site and enjoy a week of camping!  (Harrison was a bit dehydrated from all the travelling - he would do anything for a drink of water :)

Day 49 - Summer cleaning

Today we had a chance to get some things organized in the condo and motorhome.  Seemed appropriate as one of us was a little under the weather and we are heading out for a week of camping near Kimberley tomorrow.

So, some of us cleaned and some of us (that were under the weather :) hung out on the couch.  I won't say who it was though...

5 days of camping, lots of updates coming at the end of the week!

Day 48 - Boys Rule!

While Mom (Emily) was off galavanting at her bachelorette party the boys finally had a chance to have some fun.  It took all day to get out of the condo :).  Once we finally made it out, we headed for the river so Vinnie could chase butterflies and Harrison and I could try our luck at fishing.  No luck.

On the other hand, Harrison is getting real close to crawling.  He moves especially well if he has a chance to get his hands (mouth) on an iPhone!  Here is a video of Harrion's journey across the living room floor.

Meanwhile at the bachelorette party...

While the moms enjoyed some pampering at the spa, the rest of us headed to Island Lake Lodge for a hike! Trent and I have attempted on two different occasions to hike in this area with no luck so I was excited to get on the trails!

Due to a black bear issue at the lake we rerouted to the Tamarack trail in attempt to reach a lookout point hallway up the trail. Jackson (2 yrs old) lead the way up this rocky trail towards Mount Fernie's south west slope. The lookout gave a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains, the lodge and lake below. Vanessa naturally was dressed in her wedding dress and cowboy hat.

Day 47 - Wedding Planners

Our mimosa indulgence the night before resulted in a slow start to the day, but as amature wedding planners we had business to take care of! Vanessa was able to get her marriage license in Fernie (we allowed her to take off the cowboy hat for this) before we headed to Elkford.

Vanessa’s wedding is in Elkford in August so we looked around Teck Hall where the reception would be and also looked at a couple of possible sites for the ceremony. Van was able to get some quality wedding planning done during this time.

Harrison decided he would spend the night with his Dad, during which I imagine he ate pizza and hung out in his diaper all night. First night without my baby boy!

Back in Fernie we enjoyed making supper, dishing up large bowls of Sundays and watching an old Clint Eastwood film (Paint Your Wagon). Another night well spent in the mountains J

From "Dad's" perspective
We had steak and potatoes, thank you very much!
My first day with Harrison was a success.  The picture below sums it all up!

Day 46 - Bachelorette Kickoff

Day 1 of Van’s Bachelorette weekend! 

Because we didn’t need to be in Fernie till the afternoon we killed time by eating French toast and attempting to golf. The French toast delicious and the golf was less than impressive.

For the weekend we rented a 5-bedroom apartment located in downtown Fernie. The apartment is an old brick schoolhouse (1908) turned into a luxury apartment with 14’ ceiling, hardwood and exposed brick. There may also have been a spa inside... so spoiled J

The night’s theme:  “Muumuus and Mimosas”. Luckily, mom and Van found Grandmas old teddy bear muumuu for me to wear (so thoughtful), Harrison however had to settle for his regular pj’s.

Van got a chance to admire her chosen outfit for the weekends hike; a full-bodied wedding dress complete with white cowboy hat and attached veil. Various other outfit accessories were supplied for her, courtesy of all her loving friends and family!

The night was spent playing games, drinking, laughing, dancing, and eating.

Day 1 – success!

Day 45 - Hidden Lake

Today we packed up the RV and headed back to Elkford.  (Everyone is starting to get to town for Vanessa's stagette in Fernie this weekend)

On our way back to Elkford we stopped at Hidden Lake which is also in Kikomun Creek Provincial Park.

The lake is home to painted turtles.  It took us a while but we finally got some pictures of the turtles.  They were much larger than we expected and are quite shy - we had to be sneaky and use a very big camera lens!

Day 44 - Cast Iron cooking

Another scorcher today.  Vinnie was very happy to have the lake to play in!

It was so nice to have a relaxing day camping and hanging out at the beach.

By the end of the day we were all trying to find ways to stay cool.  Some of us had more luck than others...

Today Emily took charge of the cast iron.  She cooked pancakes for breakfast and then cornbread for supper to go with the chili... all over the fire.  Very impressive.  The night ended with a very nice sunset over the lake.  A perfect send off before heading back to Elkford.