Canada Road Trip (Part II): Bears and Boats

 After leaving Kamloops and the ranch we continued north along Highway 5. Several hours later we pulled into the tiny town of Blue River and hopped into a boat for an outing on the poorly named  Mud Lake.

Here’s what we were in for, according to the blurb from River Safari:

The river safari is an unforgettable and awe-inspiring one hour ride through Grizzly Bear Valley, right in the heart of the world’s only inland temperate rainforest.

Located in the picturesque Monashee Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, the river safari is an activity that both the seasoned adventurer and the not-so-daring can both enjoy. 

Ben was totally on board, especially when the guide gunned the engine and roared up the river. A chip off the ole block, I suppose. 

Emma? Not so much. Probably because her neck is too short for the baby life jacket. She was not a happy camper. 

She fell asleep for a bit until we slowed down to look for bears and then I had my hands full keeping her squeaking to a minimum.  

Who named this Mud Lake, anyway?!

A bear! 

I was thrilled. Chris was impressed. Ben was attentive for about three minutes. Emma was not happy. Fortunately she didn’t break into full protest but sucked furiously on her binky while emitting occasional squawks. 

We wrapped up the tour with an osprey nest.

Definitely a fun trip; probably best without a five month old in attendance. We had a gracious guide and fellow passengers; we were definitely grateful for their patience and understanding. You win some, you lose some, right?

xo,

Sonja

If You Go

River Safari
http://riversafari.com/WP/
$80 CAN/person
Kids 4 and under are free
No reservations necessary
Tip: Stop by one of the gas stations in Blue River and pick up a coupon for $10 off per couple.

Canada Road Trip 

Previously:

Route
Part I: Kamloops Horse Ranch

Part II: Bears and Boats

Up Next:

Part III: Jasper National Park
Part IV: Icefields Parkway
Part V: Banff and Lake Louise 
Part VI: Calgary 

Canada Road Trip (Part I): Kamloops Horse Ranch

Ben is a kid that loves horses so we decided it was high time to visit a dude ranch. We ran across the lovely Jandana Ranch outside of Kamloops, BC during our research and booked one of their cabins for the night.

We pulled in just as they were letting the horses out to pasture in front of the house.

In addition to the equines, the ranch was also host to a few donkeys, alpacas, chickens, and assorted barn kitties and dogs. There was also a play structure and a soccer ball.  Kid heaven, right?

The next morning Ben carefully selected a pair of cowpoke boots and trotted off to meet his instructor.

His lesson was 30 minutes long and included a little getting-to-know-you time with his horse Charlie.

But after about 30 seconds of petting, Ben announced to his (fantastic) instructor Alex that he was ready to ride. Get this kid in the saddle.

I always think of Ben being a big kid...until you see him on a horse. And then he looks tiny! They had a hard time finding a helmet small enough for his little pea head.

But those small details won’t keep a horse man from enjoying his ride.

Whoa, nelly! Ben even got to do a little trail riding, which was definitely the highlight of the morning. 

Good boy, Charlie. Thank you for not dumping my tyke on the ground.

xo, 

Sonja

PS: Here is an interesting little anecdote for you:

As we were packing up to go, I watched from the window as my outgoing kid tried to introduce himself to a bevy of older girls. There were six of them and they ranged in age from five to seven years old. They were playing Red Rover and I could tell that Ben was interested in joining the game.

But they wanted nothing to do with him.

This was the first time that I’ve ever seen him completely shut down, socially. The ringleader loudly proclaimed: “Get away from us you dirty boy!” and the rest of the girls joined in with their mutual disdain. As his mama, it hurt to watch.

I didn’t feel like I could force them to let him join the game but I was about to go out and offer to play soccer with him until I saw the old lady in the next cabin march out onto the field. She loudly and completely dressed down the worst offender. She too, had clearly had been viewing the proceedings from her porch and wasn’t going to stand for any bullying on her watch.

Six subdued little girls quickly loaded themselves into their suburban for the ride home while the sweet lady tried to perk up my little son.

Somehow I’d managed to forget how cruel life on the playground can be. I was both the aggressor and the victim at various times in my growing-up life but a part of me wants so desperately to shield my kid from the hurt that comes from social ostracization. Kids, even young ones, can be so mean.

We cheered him up with a few snacks and the promise of bears and a boat ride. Almost as good as horse riding, right?

Next up: The promised bears and boats.

Canada Road Trip 

Previously:

Route
Part I: Kamloops Horse Ranch

Up Next:Part II: Bears and Boats
Part III: Jasper National Park
Part IV: Icefields Parkway
Part V: Banff and Lake Louise 
Part VI: Calgary 

Banff and Jasper National Parks Road Trip [Alberta and British Columbia, Canada]

Summer is here and thus it is time for Team J to hit the road. This vacation has been in the works for a while; I made the reservations back in February and then kind of forgot about it. Life has a way of creeping up and getting hectic, doesn’t it?

Anyway, after a mad scramble last week to wrap up the few final details, we piled into a rented minivan (poor little Pepe the prius was too small for this adventure), grabbed the passports, and headed north.

Hello Canada!

Our plan was to drive in a big clockwise directions, spending the night in Kamloops (British Columbia)(1 night), Jasper (Alberta)(2 nights), Banff (2 nights), Calgary (1 night) and then head back into the US, spending our final night in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Here is our route:




Red indicates an overnight stopover; blue pins are activities.

All in all, about 2,000 miles. We decided that our family was either a) really ambitious or b) crazy. Ben is not known for his ability to sit for long periods and Emma is, well, only five months old so her attention span is also a bit limited. It was going to be an adventure no matter what!

More to come as I sort through pictures.

xo, Sonja

Canada Road Trip 

Up Next:

Part I: Kamloops Horse Ranch

Part II: Bears and Boats
Part III: Jasper National Park
Part IV: Icefields Parkway 
Part V: Banff and Lake Louise
Part VI: Calgary

Banff National Park

It’s baby grizzly season in Canada, peeps! We just got back from a trip up to Banff NP and here is the first picture I pulled off the camera.

More to come shortly.

xo,

Sonja

Coast Trip

We took a super-short trip down to the Washington and Oregon coasts a few weeks ago to visit family.

It was typical coast weather: overcast and slightly muggy but the rain held off so we considered that a success.

There was plenty of beach combing and a little bit of wading. Note the water level on Ben’s pants.

We’re still getting the hang of traveling with two kids. Invariably we wake somebody up when we arrive at our destination. In this case it was Emma. Note the frowny face.

We stopped at the (tiny!) Seaside Aquarium to feed the seals and check out the fish.

My favorite: the octopus.

Although others are partial to the wolf eels, they kind of freak me out.

I’ll spend my time with the frog fish instead.

Despite being memorial day weekend, Seaside wasn’t too crowded. It’s looking a little dated though. I think next time we’ll venture a little further south. Tillamook sounds good. And that’s not just because the ice cream factory is located there...

xo,

Sonja

Dear Future Homeowner

We’re working away on our upstairs bathroom and we had to remove an old built-in medicine cabinet.

Before patching and finishing the wall, we stuck a letter into the cavity, in the hopes that someday a future home owner will find it while completing a bathroom remodel of their own.

We talk briefly about our family, when we purchased the home, its history, and the work that’s been completed.

This is the second time capsule that we’ve stashed away on the property; the first is hiding out in the shed we built in 2009.

I think the chances of somebody finding them are slim...but you never know.

The optimist in me wants to believe it’ll be read someday!

xo,

Sonja

Spring Happenings

I love this time of year. Seattle is green, green, green. All the little critters are out and about. Ben has been finding new pets all over the place. The kid is in bug heaven.

"Mama, what are the lady bugs doing?!"

“Hey, you can't walk on him. You’ll squish him! I’ll just move you over, little guy.."

Not yet ripe..

Tiny peaches! This tree was planted when Ben was born and this is the first year that we’ve had fruit. Hopefully the critters will hold off long enough for us to harvest a few.

Ben is living exclusively off snap peas right now.

Mmm, kale salads.

The raspberries took a bit of a beating when I transplanted them this Spring but it looks like they’re regrouping and we’ll still get a harvest.

Poor little lady bug....lost his ‘buddy’, thanks to an enthusiastic toddler.

Happy Gardening!

xo,

Sonja