And we're off!!! Here's a re-cap of our awesome summer vacation :)
July 18th we left Edmonton and over-nighted in the casino parking lot just out side of Canmore. Seems to be our usual 1st night stop! Not too exciting but a great spot to stop and break up the trip to BC!!
From the 19th to the 21st we were camped in Vernon. This was our first stop in Vernon but hopefully not the last time we'll visit! We really enjoyed the area! Some of the highlights were Davison Orchards (so fun, tons of fresh fruit, veggies, fudge and treats!), a day hike to a beautiful point of Kalamalka Lake (I need to find a spot on this lake to camp ... or win the lotto and buy a cabin!!), a stop at the Log Barn (you have to see and feed the goats!!) and the Starlight Drive-In (so awesome the kids got to experience a drive-in on a gorgeous summer night!)! SO fun!! Such a gorgeous part of BC. And of course the kids loved the swimming pool at the campground!!
From Vernon we drove the short drive to Wright's Beach in Penticton. Feels like home ;) We love Wright's Beach and that feeling we get as we drive in to the campground reminds me of when we'd drive in to Marean Lake when I was a kid!! We were at Wright's Beach from the 21st to the 27th. We did all our favorites - the float down the channel, multiple visits to Tickleberry's, the Peach for fancy ice cream and milkshakes, dinner at Salty's, a visit to our favorite brewery - the Cannery, lots of beach days at Wright's, the Wibit, dinner out with Auntie Sharon, outdoor movie nights at Wright's, a visit to the dog beach and the catered Sunday dinner at Wright's!! We visited our favorite book store too! I love, love, love this area and hope we get to visit for many more summers to come!! The weather was fabulous and we had the tans (and some sunburns) to prove it :) We also met a really nice family during our last few days at Wright's. They were camped beside us for the last 3 nights of our stay. The girls hit it off with their daughter, who was also named Reese! It was nice for them to have someone to play with for a few days! Cal and I had a great visit with Ryan and Shauna too and even stayed up way too late one night and drank wayyyy too much, lol!! They live in Calgary but are originally from Texas. It was neat to hear about their impressions of Canada and the US! We really hit it off and plan to keep in touch :)
From Penticton we crossed the border at Osoyoos to spend the 28th to August 3rd at Farragut State Park with my parents and the Stecyk's! It was an interesting drive from BC to Farragut ... we trusted Google Maps and it took us on a very round about, kind of backwoods, route!! But we saw some gorgeous countryside and made it in one piece ;) Farragut State Park is so beautiful and the campground itself is very nice! Nice campsites, shower facilities and all the roads are paved. Somehow I miscalculated when we'd arrive and we had to spend one night in overflow! Thankfully my mom was able to secure us a spot! The next day we moved to our site, next to Lindsay and Jeremy and my parents. Cal had an important work meeting in Vancouver while we were in Idaho, so he flew out of Spokane to Vancouver for a few nights. But we made sure he was home for all the fun!! We spent 2 days at Silverwood and Boulder Beach and a day on Lake Coeur d'alene on a pontoon boat! We had a blast!! The pontoon boat was awesome and the lake is gorgeous! We swam, the kids tubed and somehow the day flew by. It was my favorite day of the holiday!! Of course Silverwood and Boulder Beach are awesome as well! Poor Quinn had to spend most of her days at a local kennel as towards the end of our stay in Penticton she started getting anxious when alone in the trailer and tried to dig her way out ... hence ruining some of the flooring in the trailer :( Poor girl and poor us too, lol. We'll have to repair that at some point and figure out what we'll do with her next summer when we're camping and/or on vacation. While at Farragut State Park we also spent some time at the local beach. It was absolutely gorgeous but the water was so cold!!! The kids complained a bit but got used to it after awhile and had fun floating around on the cool floaties Grandma D bought!! It was a great holiday with my family and I can't wait to visit again, maybe in a few years!
On August 3rd we headed to Fairmont, BC for a few nights to wrap up our summer vacation road trip. We had never been to Fairmont before so wanted to check it out. We try to explore at least one or two new spots every summer! Fairmont was nice, we stayed in a campground that had a pool, which really is all the kids seem to need!! We checked out the hot springs but didn't go in. They looked nice though and maybe next stop we will 'take the plunge' so to speak ;) We enjoyed a hike that took us up and behind the hot springs and then headed home on August 5th. We are so thankful for the beautiful weather we had over the past 18 days. It's been HOT and not a spot of rain!!
Another great summer vacation in the books! I adore these moments and am so thankful we can take this large chunk of time off to spend together. So many great memories to hold on to for life!
