He Did It!

My husband constantly amazes me.  When he completed his training at Depot seven years ago this month he was my hero.  Not only was he the oldest in his troop but he had survived the training while 13 others who had started with him had not made it.

Then off we went to Swift Current where he learned on the street how to be a real constable.  I use to smile when he got dressed for work because it looked like he was just playing cops.  It had been much more normal for me to see him heading out the door with his bible to go to church or a prayer meeting.  Yes, life changed quite a bit.

When staffing talked to Ron and asked him to consider a limited duration isolated post in northern Saskatchewan he jumped at the idea and I went along for the adventure and that is what it was. After two years we moved to another province with a town that had a grocery store.

A few months ago Ron started studying for his corporal exam and he just found out that he passed!  What does that mean?  Well, he can start applying for a promotion which means we could be going anywhere in Canada.   When?  Who knows?  Life is an adventure and I'm glad I'm doing it with Ron.  He certainly keeps life exciting and I'm very proud of him!

Biking in April

The weather looked great for Saturday and so we decided it would be great to get the bike out and go for a little cruise.  Our first thought was to head to Swift Current.  It would be great to see our friends there and go to church but it was hard to pass up the idea of heading to the mountains especially when we could have company if we went that way.


Ron and I dressed in our full motorcycle gear as it was still a little chilly in the morning when we left home.  

We headed into the park at Saskatchewan River Crossing.  The winds were quite strong but it still felt nice and warm.

As we travelled on we could see that ahead of us it looked like there was a snow storm up in the mountains and the temperature was dropping.  We realized that Stephen was not dressed for mountain riding.

When we turned south on the Icefield Parkway we could see that the snow that was in the mountains was right with us and both bikes were in need of a fill up which meant we needed to get to Lake Louise which was about 45 minutes away.  I was praying that we could make it because it would not be pleasant being in the cold temperature waiting for help.

Ron motioned for me to try and take some pictures of the snow banks and snow falling.  This was a first for us to be caught in snow.  I took my glove off and got the camera out of my pocket and held it carefully to take a few pictures.  My hand was freezing.  I knew that Stephen was cold and I realized that even though we were dressed a lot warmer it was getting colder all the time.  I managed to take a shaking picture of the temperature over Ron's shoulder.That's a 3 degrees Celsius.

I watched the road signs for the distance to Lake Louise and was so relieved when we finally turned off and made it to the gas station.  We were all pretty cold and we enjoyed a hot chocolate after filling up with gas.  Reluctantly we got back on the bikes and headed to Banff.  It was warming up a bit by then but we were pretty chilled. We did a little walk around to get the blood going.

And we got a beavertail and some Starbucks tea and hot chocolate to warm up our insides.

We still had to go a little further but we were feeling a little better and ready for the last of the trip. 

So perhaps riding in the mountain in April is not the best idea but we've done it now.  We will let it warm up a bit before we try that again.  Perhaps going east might have been a better idea.

Hiking

Moving to Alberta opens up more opportunities for adventure.  While in southern Saskatchewan we took many trips west to the mountains but now we are just that much closer and are hoping to take advantage of many excursions.  One of the things that I would like to do is a bit of hiking and since our son has done a lot of hikes we asked him to be our tour guide.

First on the agenda is load up your vehicle with all of the animals.

Eagerly they watch out the window wondering where this adventure might lead them and this one took us to Grotto Creek Trail.

The day was gorgeous for April.  I soon shed my jacket as we walked carefully on the path.



In some places it was picking through rocks and other places it was snow covered or even ice covered.  I was very careful in these areas as I am just recovering from a fractured tailbone (that was another day out with our son!)The dogs had a great time especially once we got away from people and Bentley was able to be off leash.

The dogs probably did twice the hike that we did by running from side to side, up cliffs and down again and way ahead and back to us.  The views were beautiful and we took time to sit and relax...and catch my breath.

Of course we had to stop and take pictures of just that perfect spot.

And there are always those that have to take the adventure to a new level like climbing up a cliff or to a cave.

All and all it was a perfect hike day.

When we got back to the vehicle the dogs were eager to get in and try and find their space to lay down.

And when I did my review I discovered that we had been hiking for three hours and I had burned 1199 calories.

And you know what that means...if you burn them, you can reward yourself.

And now to work up to my dream hike....to a Tea Room!

http://www.banfflakelouise.com/Things-To-Do/Summer-Adventures/Hiking-in-Banff-and-Lake-Louise/Unique-Experiences/Tea-Houses

Fabulous Fernie

Fernie, British Columbia is a beautiful little mountain town.  When you go for a walk it's hard not to just keep looking up at the spectacular views surrounding you.  Of course, walking is a little harder because it seems you are usually walking up hill.  When we arrived on Monday we went for a walk around the ski area.

On Tuesday morning we went for another walk around the beautiful homes at the base of the mountain.  Later we took a drive to see some of the little towns surrounding Fernie.  Mining is a huge part of life here.

Wednesday we took the dogs and found a place to hike through snow covered trails.  

  

The dogs loved exploring ahead of us, behind us and all around us.  

They used up lots of energy and so did I with a lot less straying from the path although our guide did do a little off the trail excursion.

Once we got back to the condo there was a fight for the couch.

Yesterday we came home and we had a couple of hitch hikers to drop off on the way.

They are good little travellers.  They never asked "how much further."  Now Ron is back to work and I have the laundry caught up and it's time to think about supper.  Fabulous Fernie is behind us and now I should check out some motorcycle trips.  So many paved roads to explore!

Saskatchewan Has It Right

For most of our lives we lived in Ontario and it was normal to "spring ahead" and "fall back" each year. It meant that you lose an hour in the Spring and gained it back in the Fall.  It really never made sense to me.  It definitely knocked your internal clock out of whack for a week or so and especially so when you had little ones.

Then we moved to Saskatchewan.  No changing clocks there and it made sense.  It made me wonder why the rest of the country didn't join in with the idea.  So for six years we only had to change our clocks after a power outage or when we travelled.

Then last year we moved to Alberta.  This province is not a rebel province like Saskatchewan.  They do the change of the clock thing. So on Saturday night I will lose an hour sleep and take an extra hour to change all the clocks.  

 After living for six years without losing or gaining that hour it makes even more sense to set your clocks and leave them there.  Saskatchewan, you've got it right!

Hello Spring!

Okay so it might not be technically Spring yet but it sure felt like it today and we made use of this beautiful day.  We started out with a nice walk in out light jackets and it soon became too warm for even them.  After lunch Ron washed the truck in the driveway and had it shining.  When I finished cleaning the house I pulled the lawn chairs out of the shed and sat on the deck with my kobo and a cup of tea.

And then...we took this out for a little ride.

Looking forward to lots more days of deck sitting and bike riding!

In Like A Lamb

The first day of March has arrived and it has come in like a lamb.  The sun is shining and the temperature is on the plus side.

There is still snow on the ground but there is the promise of some warmer weather through the week.  My chairs on the deck are trying to call me out but it is still a little too chilly for that.  Although last week Ron and I did sit out there and it was quite nice with the sun beaming down on us.

For now I will enjoy my living room soaking up the sun on my couch.

The only bad thing about March coming in like a lamb is the possibility of it going out like a lion.  Oh well, we have 30 days to prepare for that.

Happy March!