Going Home

Like all good things, this vacation had to come to an end.  Friday morning we had another delicious breakfast and then backed out of Turtle Bay.  It was a 30 minute trip back to the Waterway base so we used that time to pack up our things, put away the dishes, and sweep the floors.  We just barely finished as I pulled up along the dock.

We waited a few minutes for the boat to be refueled and then had our final walkthrough.  We may or may not have taken some time to look at a smaller houseboat, called "Double Play" that was currently for sale.  After that, we were back on the road.

But only for a minute or two because our first stop was at Dutchman Dairy in Sicamous.  After all of our ice cream shop research, it had been at the top of my list.  Not only is their ice cream homemade, their own dairy cows supply the milk for it.  In my opinion, this is the holy grail of ice cream making.

In the interest of science, I also bought a litre of their chocolate milk to taste test against the stuff we have a home.  The darker colour doesn't show up in this photo, but it is a 2% milk instead of 1% and was much more rich and creamy.  It made me a little sad to now know what I am missing out on. 

The next stop on our list was the Last Spike, but I drove past it by accident because I was imagining what we would rename Double Play if we bought her ("Starline Road" if you are wondering).  So, we ended up at the Enchanted Forest.  It was so expensive that even Ella thought it was not a good idea, so I was pretty desperate to have a good time and convince everyone that I didn't get ripped off.

Fortunately, Deacon was a believer right from the start and his enthusiasm was infectious.  Everyone had a good time and we particularly enjoyed a nature walk that took us on a loop through the forest to the river where we saw some salmon breeding grounds.  The highlight was a stop at a pond where they had lifejackets and row boats that you could just help yourself to.

Lastly, we backtracked to the historic site where the final spike had been driven into the track, signalling the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.  One of the plaques on the monument reads: "A Ribbon Of Steel From Ocean To Ocean Symbolizes The Unity Of Canada."

A keen eyed Heather noticed that one of the spikes was painted a faint gold colour.

The gift shop had a collection of dress up clothes for the kids to recreate the famous photo of the event.  A train passed by just as we were taking the picture, more good timing with trains!

And if that wasn't crazy enough, when I turned on the GPS this morning, I found that our exact distance travelled, on the lake and during our hike, was 123.4 kms.  Every random zigzag we made in the boat, and even the wrong turn we took on the hike, all added up to a perfect 1-2-3-4.

A fitting coincidence for a perfect vacation.

- C

Moving On

Early Thursday morning we backed ourselves off of Steamboat Beach and started looking for a new area to explore.  We checked out the very end of Seymour arm but decided that the water was too low to try beaching at Silver Beach.  We retraced our steps South so that we wouldn't have as far to travel when it was time to head home the next day.

During the trip South, the sun came out and the water got perfectly calm.  Ella took over the helm while I grilled the steaks and the realization came to me that this was definitely the most enjoyable barbequing experience of my entire life.

Heather did an amazing job on our meal and it was nice to just shift into neutral and drift as we enjoyed our food.

We had ducks following us the entire day.  The kids swore that one of them was "Duchess" who had paddled up to our boat the previous evening for the pieces of bread that they threw to her.  

Later in the day, the wind picked up and the waves got choppy.  We found a place to beach at Hungry Cove, however Heather had to keep the engine on and wheel turned in order to hold the boat on the shore long enough for me to secure the mooring lines.  The water was not great for swimming and the beach was gravel rather than sand.  After looking at the map for a while, I realized that there might be places within Mara Lake itself where we could beach.  I radioed to base and they recommended Turtle Bay.  I quickly pulled up the stakes and soon we were pulling away. 

After getting permission to enter the channel, we navigated between the sand bars and under the traffic overpass and train bridge.  As luck would have it, a passenger train crossed the bridge just as we were under it.  It was exciting for the kids who were on the roof of the boat, very close to the bottom of the bridge.  For taller boats, that section of track, actually swivels open like a gate; hence the reason why getting permission from the base and bridge control is so important.  This video, taken when we left the channel on our first day, shows the bridge.

Mara lake was calm and quiet, at least it was before the kids showed up with their dance party.  There was no one else on the lake and we had our pick of spots along Turtle Bay.  By this time, our duck entourage had grown to 6 birds which made fishing a little difficult.  

After a healthy supper of nachos and pop, we played games until it was dark enough to sit in the hot tub under the stars.  Unfortunately, someone had decided to pump some lake water into the hot tub to bring the level up, but then forgot to flip the switch to the off position.  When we went upstairs, instead of being greeted by steaming hot water we found the tub full to the top with... warm water.  Just as they do each time I mess up, everyone was very forgiving of me.

After a half hour, it was time for hot chocolate and then bed.

- C

Steamboat Bay

We knew that we wanted to visit a series of waterfalls known as Albas Falls, but we didn't realize how pressed for time we were going to be getting there. When we were having lunch and swimming, it seemed like we had all the time in the world. By the end of the day I had the engine rpm's turned up, trying to make it just a little bit further before the mandatory hour-before-sunset beaching time. After a mad dash (only 9km/h) up the Seymour Arm, our pontoons slid up onto our private beach with not a second to spare. We drove stakes into the beach and then secured the mooring lines.

In the evening we took a few more slides, then came inside to play Sushi Go and have hot chocolate and Tim Tams. Everyone was so tuckered out, we were in bed by 9pm.

It got cold overnight so we ended up turning the furnace on. In the morning we woke to an overcast and rainy day, not great for a day on the beach, but just fine for a hike.

The forest floor was silent and covered with moss. The waterfalls were beautiful and treacherous in the spots where steep cliffs overlooked them.

The tacos, cooked trailside, were delicious.

After getting back to the Aspirus (our boat), we spent some time warming up in the hottub. Mason tried his hand at fishing and quickly caught this beauty. Heather was able to record the whole thing, from the heroic fight, to the release.

I ran the engine a couple times to charge the batteries, but we spent the entire day on our beach. Maybe we will do some more exploring tomorrow.

- C

Houseboat

 

We left school a little early yesterday and dropped off our dumb little dog at our friends' house. We drove to Revelstoke where we spent the night at the Glacier House Resort, which turned out to be an amazing log construction hotel that uses antique snowmobiles as its primary decoration.

 

 

The hotel had a swimming pool and hot tub that we were able to spend some time in, thanks to the extra hour afforded to us by the time change.

 

 

Instead of the hotel proper, we stayed in one of the cute little cabins scattered around the property.

 

 

After a better-than-usual continental breakfast, we drove the remainder of the way to Sicamous. The winding roads combined with lush forest and fog rising off the lakes made for a gorgeous trip.

 

 

We loaded our provisions and had a quick orientation, but after that we were underway.

 

 

Technically Heather and I are the captain and co-captain, but everyone took a turn at the helm. In fact, as I type this post, Ella is navigating through the Cinnemousun Narrows as we make our way to the Seymour Arm of the lake.

 

 

We only have 2.5 hours of travel time before we have to stop for the night. We probably aren't going to get all the way to Silver Beach as planned - we stopped for an hour or so for a lunch that Heather prepared and for some swiming time. Every member of the family used the slide off of the back of the boat, and half of us jumped off the roof into the water.

 

 

At least we didn't have to stop for people to do their hottubbing.

 

- C

 

Happy Birthday Heather!

On the 16th, the most important member of our family celebrated her birthday. It was a school day so it got off to a chaotic start, especially with the kids getting ready by themselves and me packing lunches. Instead of waiting until after school to blow out the candles, we breakfasted on an amazing cheesecake that Ella made for Heather.

Then it came time to open gifts. I thought that I had the ultimate surprise this year, but Heather actually figured it out the night before. This year... for her 39th birthday... she got...

 

her first cell phone :)

As amazing as that seems, what is even more amazing is the fact that she would have been perfectly fine to continue without owning a phone. That is just a small example of Heather's selflessness, and her thrift, and her willingness to not just follow the crowd. Everything she does is for our family. Not only is she the best mom in the world, she is The Perfect Wife, and is my best friend.

Thank you for the wonderful year!

 

A Perfect Weekend

We decided to use this weekend and its unseasonably warm weather to take a trip down to the farm. After being away for so long, it brought a smile to everyone's face as soon as we drove into the yard. I was also touched to see that uncle George had been there at some point to cut the grass.

The idea of laying a fire in the old fireplace had been nagging at me so it was the first order of business. I used a flashlight to look up the chimney, and then inspected the exterior of it on all three levels. Satisfied that it probably wouldn't cause a fire anywhere else in the house, I lit the match. It immediately warmed the room and brought back many fond memories - the kids loved hearing how we used to roast hotdogs in the living room with grandpa and grandma. At some point in the evening the atmospheric conditions, or some fireplace property unknown to me, shifted and we started to get a lot of smoke in the room. We will need to figure that out before trying it again.

We went for a walk out to some trees where I once saw grandpa stand on the hood of a vehicle to peek into a hawk's nest. Their mother swooped at him and even tore the back of his down-filled jacket (if my memory of the event can be trusted). The field is now owned by uncle Bill but I remember sitting next to grandpa in the cab of the tractor for hours in that field. At dinnertime grandma was waiting at the fenceline with a meal of sandwiches made with her homemade bread and wrapped in wax paper.

Here is our target after everyone in the family took a turn shooting. And no, that is not a very good grouping :)

When it got dark we pulled out the boardgame Mice and Mystics and the kids were able to complete chapter seven on their first attempt. Playing by lamplight really added to the theme of their mice exploring dark tunnels and uninhabited castle rooms.

We used a camp stove to fry doughnuts for a dessert / victory celebration.

Before going to bed I explained to the kids that our family had lived in this place for 100 years and we had nothing to fear from this property. Sure enough, no one was scared and we all had a good sleep.

Heather made an amazing breakfast in the morning and then we headed in to church.

During the broadcast, the kids followed my directions and slipped away in pairs to explore the nursery in the basement. After the meeting we stayed and visited with people for almost an hour. It was awesome to see so many good friends and important people from my youth.

Everyone made us feel so welcome, even to the point of pretending that we didn't all smell like smoke.


- C

 

Salt Lake City

Last night we dropped Orco off at Hardy's (and collected a bag of travel goodies that Jewel surprised us with), then drove through the night to Utah for Ann Marie's wedding reception. We made the decision at the last minute, packed some things in the van, and googled a hotel near Temple square before rushing out of the house.

 

With a couple stops, we got to Salt Lake by 9:00am the next morning, almost 15 hours after leaving home. The first thing we did was find a place for breakfast - and for that we went to Ruth's diner, an amazing restaurant that has been featured on an episode of Diners Drivins and Dives. Even more impressive is a framed dinner napkin on the wall, upon which a customer named Betty Crocker had pencilled a note, complimenting Ruth on the food.

While we were eating, two guys at tables next to us started a shouting match after one of their wives complained about the other's wife coughing loudly. They were out of their chairs and it was looking like it would come to blows so I got up and reminded them that our children were sitting right there. Whew, it made for an interesting breakfast at least.

After the meal, we visited the nearby This is The Place monument to enjoy the beautiful weather and the wonderful spirit and example of the early pioneers.

The hotel we chose let us check in early, so we swam in a pool we had all to ouselves before lying down for a much-needed nap.

When we woke up, we walked several blocks to visit Crown Burger, a place that Heather had heard about and is famous for its pastrami hamburgers and fry sauce. It was an amazing meal - four burgers, two pops, and two orders of fries had our family of six feeling as though we had eaten too much.

As we entered the lobby of our hotel, I was stunned to see Aunt Karin and Matt and James and their families. It turns out that the hotel we had chosen at random as we were rushing out the door, was actually ground-zero for the Toone family reception party. Suddenly, Ann Marie and Scott also came down from their room upstairs! It was so great to meet Scott, especially a day sooner than we thought we would. Even Jordan and his family showed up to check in.

It was the most unexpected and wonderful surprise and if you'll excuse us, we are just headed down to the pool again - I'm sure it's a party down there by now!

- C

Ice cream and Freedom

The leaves are on the ground and the days are getting shorter, so I decided to use our beautiful Saturday afternoon to finally teach Deacon to ride a two-wheeler. I would have taken care of this milestone sooner, but last year Deacon's bike was snatched off our front lawn by what eye-witnesses described as three teenage girls in a pickup truck. I don't know what game they thought they were playing, but I'm sure it was hilarious.

We managed to find an overlooked Supercycle on our local facebook group for only $15. Deacon washed it and we put air in the tires. Then we loaded all three of the boys' bikes in the truck and went to the Jr High running track, only a couple blocks from where Ella was watching a Studio Ghibli movie marathon at a friend's house.

Deacon had a helmet, and knee and elbow pads, but we forgot to bring gloves, so each time he wiped out, his hands got more and more scraped up. At one point his front tire turned sideways and he flew over the bike, landing on his butt and the back of his helmet at the same time. Despite all of this, he stuck with it and kept getting back on his bike, eventually able to pedal all the way to our improvised finish line (his older brothers waiting to catch him). The fact that his successful run came only minutes after he prayed to ask Heavenly Father for help, makes me even more proud of him.

A while ago I told Heather I wanted to make home made "Earthquake" sundaes, like the ones we had at Swensen's while in Thailand. In preparation for this, Heather would pick up a different flavour of ice cream each time she went out shopping. We couldn't find fancy bowls like the ones used by the shop, but we collected enough supplies to provide the eight different scoops of ice cream required for each Earthquake.

If you're counting, you should note that the small Village container was not included in the sundaes. That is a pint of their Oaxacan Chilli Chocolate ice cream, a personal favorite of Heather's and the best I've ever had. This spicy seasonal flavour has been discontinued for the year and I am anxiously waiting to see if they bring it back next year. If it returns in the summer, this pint will last us only if we don't squander it in a bowl of seven other flavours, whip cream, almonds, maraschino cherries, and chocolate-caramel-strawberry sauces. But if Village doesn't bring it back next year, this pint represents a pitiful stockpile indeed, and I will be faced with some difficult decisions about how to make it last for the remainder of my life - meting out small doses at only the most auspicious of occasions and accomplishments.

Either way, Deacon has already earned a spoonful.

- C