Football, Cherries and The Phantom of the Opera!

Happy B.C Day Long Weekend! (British Columbia day Aussies)
It started with a Friday night game of Canadian Football with our friends.
Mmmm...All we can say is that we're glad for cricket (and god do we miss it!!).



Dan tried to get in the spirit of things with one of those giant hand thingys,



but was definitely more excited about "The Cuteness of Evy" (one of our friend's babies).



Saturday morning was all about house hunting and yep - we found an apartment (top right)!
So Sept 1st we say goodbye to our flatmates (yes, we live with ALL these people!) and it's just DnD on their own. We signed a one year lease so you know where to find us!

Saturday afternoon was a little more exciting... a surprise afternoon for Dan, care of Dave. Lovely man he is took her to see The Phantom of the Opera, followed by a lovely lunch in Yaletown (posh part of Vancouver).
A nice chance to leave the ol' fleece in the wardrobe and find some nice clothing! (See mum, I can still get dressed up!)






Spontaneity ruled the day when DnD decided to go for a 'fruit & wine run'/camping trip to the Okanagen for the remainder of the long weekend. The Okanagen is the fruit and wine country of the province and is technically 'desert' in some areas. It was hot and dry but luckily there were lots of lakes to swim in, lots of cherry trees to shade us and plenty of glasses of cold, crisp B.C Chardonnay to sip!



We tried our hand at cherry picking, wine tasting (and buying), peach hunting, coffee drinking (great coffee) swimming and despite a disastrous effort at preparing our camping gear (forgot our sleeping bags!!), we camped (Just ignore Dan's attempt at preparing for what was going to be a cold night! Dave graciously leant her his boxers and socks!)








So despite our chilly night spent strategically placing our relatively small picnic rug around the two of us, we ended up coming home very happy and content, with bellies full of wine and fruit, hair wet and smelling like lake water, a fridge full of yummy fruit and a wine rack full of merlot and ice wine (anyone tasted that?).



What a great way to cure the homesickness :)

The bonding of Dad 'n' Dave

The bonding of Dad n Dave started in here


It was helped along by a friendly "who could take the best reflection photo" competition,

... and by the daily rituals of wood collecting,



moose and elk hunting (for photo purposes only!),





... and feeding the ever-so-friendly ground squirrels.




... and by the end, just look at these smiling faces! "Dad n Dave" - has a ring to it doesn't it?!! See Dave, spending a week in an RV with Dan's Dad wasn't that bad was it?!

Dan's Birthday Party - in an RV!

Dan celebrated her 26th birthday in style...
What? A party in an RV doesn't sound exciting? Well add a beautiful national park with a bottle of BC red, some champagne, a Dave-cooked meal and a game of 500 with a slightly tipsy Dad, and you get a very memorable celebration.


Add that with a day canoeing at glorious Emerald Lake,


the pride of putting up her own tent,


and doing what all Canadians do on their birthday...hug a Grizzly, and Dan gets a very happy birthday!

Bob and The Fountain of Youth

So we were told (and we're sure it's true!) that drinking the water from the Athabasca glacier in the Rockies took away at least 10 years from your face. Bob thought this sounded great, so attempted to drink 25 years away! Dad was sure no one would notice him hogging all the water (with the camo jacket and all!)

Personally, we think horseriding did a better job of making him look like a fit, young cowboy!! (We think Kay agreed!)



...or maybe it was canoeing at Emerald Lake? (You have a actually paddle though Dad! You don't want Kay looking younger than you!!)


Either way, we thought Bob did a great job of posing in front of lakes for us! Even if he didn't look 31, he looks like a pretty spunky Dad to us!

Lovely Lake Louise (and a night at the Chateau!)

A 21 km hike was in store to truly experience the amazing Lake Louise. This is a view from a trail called the "Big Beehive". You can see the Chateau and Lake Louise from the height of around 2290m.



Lake Agnes was on the other side (and higher up) from Lake Louise. After a strenuous hike to get there, the water looked so tempting for a little dip, (but absolutely freezing!!!)


D2 going down the ever-so-popular "switchback" section of the hike

Did someone leave their...thumb behind?!!

Dan taking a well-earned break at the teahouse (with the Victoria Glacier in the background). This was a cute cafe nearly at the peak of the "Plain of 6 Glaciers" trail, run without running water or electricity.

Looking a little worn out at the top. We were so close to the glacier we could see down the crevasses, hear the glacial ice cracking and feel the ice cold wind from the glacier on our faces, despite the warm day.

... and wasn't Bob proud with himself for making it!!


Looking a bit more refined, down at the bottom in front of the lake. The two D's escaped the perils of living with Bob in the RV for a night, and spent it in the Lake Louise Chateau. Ooh la la!

First Stop: Glacier National Park

...and glaciers there were. 400 in fact!!!
After searching for hiking trails that were open (most were closed due to Grizzly sitings) and Kay rinsing off all her deodorant and perfume (a little scared of Papa Bear we think), we went our separate ways to explore the Illecillewaet (prize for those who can pronounce that one) Valley and Glacier.
A little altitude-sickness later, Dave and Dan had completed their first hike in the Canadian Rockies.

...And Then Along Came Bob!

Bob (aka. Dad Cutler) and Kay heard just how much fun everyone was having, so they drove 6000 kms from New York City all the way to Vancouver, just to see what all the fuss was about (and for Daddy to give his little girl a cuddle too!).
Before long, Dad C and Kay realised that 26 US states had nothing on beautiful British Columbia.
There were mountains to climb...


Fresh Blueberries to pick (and eat)...


And of course, salmon and trout to catch!


After a special dinner atop Grouse Mountain, with views of Mt Baker in the USA (look for the white "cloud" on the horizon),


... and a few Grizzlies,


the gang sadly said farewell to the Parents Stone and prepared for their much-anticipated camping trip into the Canadian Rockies