July 8 - 16, 2018: Christina Lake, British Columbia (BC)
We arrived in Christina Lake, BC and stayed with our friends Martin and Sylvia. We were in luck and had the opportunity to meet their daughter Michaele and helped around the cabin with a few yard/house chores during our stay. Martin, Sylvia, and Michaele all had great suggestions of what to do during our stay, so we tried to hit them all!
This is the longest we have stayed at a place and it was really nice to have some days to unload all of the toys, play, and relax.
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As we have been driving through BC and the surrounding areas, the forest are absolutely beautiful! They are so dense and healthy, with controlled clear cutting for the health of the forest. GREAT FORESTS!!!
This is our camp area at Martin and Sylvia's. We were able to hook up to water and power, so it felt like a luxury! The Bedazzled Flamingos and the hot air balloon will be traveling with us and part of our camp setup. So check out the Flamingos page frequently to see what they are up to!
We spent a day riding the bicycles into Christina Lake, getting the lay of the land, and then did some sunbathing and paddleboarding on the lake. There is an incredible set of concrete steps/pathway from the cabin down to the lake and private dock. It splits towards the bottom and goes left/right. One of the days we cleaned up the concrete forms on the right side and hauled the forms to a scrap pile at the top.
One day we drove into Grand Forks and partook of their farmer's market; walked around the downtown and had Borscht (Russian beet soup-YUMMM!); visited the Doukhobor Discovery Centre Museum; and picked up some awesome cheese from JerseyLand Cheese.
Left side of steps to lake
Craig broke up the forms, then we hauled them to the top. Killer workout!
Right side of steps to lake that is all cleaned up and ready for the next phase of building!
Borscht and Pyrahi for lunch
We traveled to Trail, BC (via Rossland, BC and Castlegar, BC) and golfed at Brichbank Golf Course. Using our GolfNow pass, it was $24 US for two players, 18 holes walking. What a deal! And as usual we saw some local wildlife - wild turkeys.
We rode the motorcycle around the East side of the lake to Texas Creek and the marina area. Then went up Fife road to explore where it went. Discovered a really cool old cabin along the way.
Another day, we rode the bicycles on the Trans-Canada Trail. This trail spans from the Atlantic, to the Pacific, and Artic Oceans. We rode the Santa Rosa to Fife route which was pretty easy and a ton of fun. At the Fife entrance, they have a reststop building with a tables and maps so you can stop and rest. What great views of Christina Lake! We hope that as we travel across Canada and the US, we can pick up this trail again and ride other spots on it.
We attended Christina Lake's Annual Grand Opening Celebration on July 14. Which consisted of riding the bicycles into town, looking at vendors, and eating ice cream! Later in the afternoon we rode the motorcycle back into the beach area to listen to music, eat BBQ, and watch the nightlight boat parade on the water. What a cool tradition and fun thing to be able to partake in. One of the special highlights was that Sylvia and I got to row with the Kootenay Robusters Dragon Boat Team. They were taking people for rides/rowing and it was so much fun! Sylvia will look into joining the rowing team and if I summered here, I would definitely join their team!
Craig, Sylvia, and Martin
We met some new Minons friends : )
One of the musicians (Blues)
Sylvia and Holly ready to paddle with the team
Done paddling, what a GREAT time!!!
Thank you so much Martin and Sylvia for your hospitality! We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed everything that you shared with us!!!