Saturday 11 October 2014

Up to Trickle Creek, we go when our tent springs a leak...

One thing that Garth and I had been looking forward to all summer was our September camping trip to Wasa. We went last year for about 5 days and it was so much fun we knew we had to go back!

Once we got on the road, Grant proved to be a bit of a challenge in the car. When he wasn't sleeping, he was crying which was not only really irritating, it was really weird for him. We had to take a little pit stop to give him a break and rearrange the car so I could sit in the back with him.


Gas prices in BC always make me want to cry.

5 hours later, we finally arrived and set up camp! Because it was after the long weekend, there was nobody around so not only did we have the whole place to ourselves, we got to pick the best spot. Good privacy, close to the bathrooms and close to the water.





We had delicious steak for dinner while enjoying our first fire of the trip (my favorite part). On the way to Wasa we realized that we forgot to pack the playpen for Grant to sleep in. When we first realized it we just looked at each other and laughed. So that night we all slept on the same air mattress in the same sleeping bag. Both Grant and I slept pretty good considering, but Garth didn't get any sleep at all.


The next day, after a delicious breakfast we headed to Fairmont Hot Springs. I have never been and always wanted to go. I honestly have never seen Grant have more fun. He loved jumping off the ledge into Garth's arms. he has always loved swimming but I think the fact that the water was warm made it even better for him. In between our swimming sessions we took a lunch break and a long nap in the car together.







That night, it rained. Luckily we had a nice evening together with some hot chocolate before the downpour started, but once it did, it didn't stop. It was super relaxing to fall asleep to. We woke up in the morning and realized it had rained so much that there was water inside at the front of our tent. We were so cold and it was supposed to rain all day, so we decided to pack up our clothes and head to Kimberley, where we booked a hotel for the night.

Before we went to Kimberley, we spent the day shopping in Cranbrook, which was a lot of fun.



Once we got to Kimberley, we walked around the Platzl and of course got to see and listen to the Bavarian cuckoo clock. We then headed to the Trickle Creek Lodge (Sidenote: on the way there Garth made up an awesome song about our trip so far. I live for his parody songs, he is the next Weird Al Yankovic I swear). It wasn't until we got there that I realized how nice this place was. It was a beautiful ski lodge in the mountains. Because it was a little out of season, and we booked it that day, we got an insane deal. We ate what we had originally planned to eat that night (tacos!), but instead of a campstove we had a real stove. Grant loved hanging outside on the balcony. We went for a nice night drive, bought some ice cream and had a nice (warm) enjoyable evening together.









Grant trying to put his socks on my feet.

The next day we went up to Lussier Hot Springs. They were my favorite from last summer so I knew we had to go before we left. They are natural hotsprings made up of several pools at the side of a river. Each pool is a different temperature, the hottest one was around 43 degrees and as it got closer to the river they got a little cooler.



I love how unbelievably gorgeous it was there. I tried to take a panorama picture but just as I was taking it, this guy decided to drop his shorts right in front of me and I was so stunned I just ran away. So my panorama picture has a bare butt right in the middle of it. I couldn't stop laughing about it for at least 2 days.



Grant was a lot harder than the last time we went camping, mainly because he loved to wander and explore. Luckily there were no cars around anywhere or I wouldn't have been able to let go of him the whole time we were there.



He was a lot more fun than last time as well because he got to actually enjoy camping! He insisted on roasting his own hotdog.













That night we had our last cuddle by the fire. It was so relaxing I was almost unwilling to go to bed. That was one of my favorite parts about camping, hot chocolate and fires. That and, getting to stay up all night talking to Garth. Finally, no summer curfew!

That night it somehow managed to get even colder. Grant rolled off the single mattress we bought him and slept part of the night on the tent floor. When I woke up and found him he was so frozen! We brought him in our sleeping bag and snuggled him the rest of the night trying to warm him up. When we woke up the next morning Garth and I were excited to go home. We hadn't been "home" for 4 1/2 months and we just hit that point where it was all we could think about. Plus, we didn't think Grant should have to handle another cold night. We packed up our campsite while Grant spilled frosted flakes all over the car, and then we headed home.



I have always said I am not a camping person. I grew up in a family that didn't camp (unless you count ward campout or girls camp, which doesn't count haha). When I first went with Garth I was a little weary about it because I didn't know what it was going to be like. But I think I can now call myself a camper, or at least say that I like camping! While our September camping trips might not continue, I know that once Garth has summers again, camping will become a fun tradition in our family and I can't wait.

 And it definitely helps when you throw in a night in a nice hotel. Best of both worlds. Marriage is about compromise, right?? ;)

-A.


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