Golden Adventure Pt 1- Just outside the cabin

Sarah, Gil, and I set off on our 700 mile drive to Golden, BC for a snowy Christmas break adventure extraordinaire. On the drive we enjoyed the gorge and stopped in The Dalles to visit the Veteran's Home in honor of Sarah's Grandpa. We continued up through Kennewick and discovered The Playground of Dreams which is a large wooden playground with so many places to discover and climb.




We ended our first day's drive in Spokane with the Friends pastor and his wife. Their Christmas tree was breathtaking and we had great conversation with them.




The next morning, we started out again. There were many books, books on CD, and music in the car. We had to stop at a Goodwill after discovering that one bag of shirts had been left in Beaverton. We really enjoyed seeing northern Idaho and the drive just kept getting prettier.




We crossed the border into Canada and continued after a brief stop in Cranbrook. The Canadian Rockies were breathtaking and it just kept getting prettier until it was too dark and we only had our imaginations. We arrived for a delicious dinner at Farview Bed and Breakfast and had a great reunion with our hosts, the Stobbes, who were a family I grew up, and our good friends with their three kids who are the Stobbes children and grandchildren.




After dinner, we headed down to the cutest cabin which would be home for the next week. After a game of Killer Bunnies, we headed to bed in anticipation of the next day.




Golden, BC is an hour ahead of us and far enough north that it takes awhile to get light. When Amy first started stirring I was convinced it was still night but when I finally did get up it was about 8:30am which is quite luxurious with a three year old sleeping in your room! We headed up to the main house for breakfast.




Sarah enjoyed doing some photography of a squirrel while I headed out with Mike for a snowshoe. Amy stayed at the main house where Grandma Olive held Sunday School for the kids. Later, we went into the town of Golden where Sarah purchased "forbidden fruit". Apparently, dragon fruit cannot be taken across borders and "helps you breathe fire" according to Amy.




Mike and I totally enjoyed bushwacking on snowshoes through up into the nearby woods. I was amazed at the view of the mountains just outside the main house and cabin, even on a cloudy day!




Meanwhile, back at the main house, Amy was having a great time with the other kids, getting dressed up by 8 year old Carolee and playing "Spy Club" where you solve mysteries. She also enjoyed playing a lot of Killer Bunnies at the cabin and stealing Sarah's bed and slippers.




After a break for lunch, Sarah and I were out again on the trails around the property. This time I was on skis and falling quite a bit but still loving it!




In the evening after one of our adventures was a pajama party complete with gingerbread house making and watching Polar Express. There was a lot of game playing and we learned a new game called Word Thief and taught our friends Killer Bunnies, and Wise and Otherwise. Sarah, Gil, and I played some Dominion as well.




I couldn't believe all the fun and beauty inside the house and cabin and just outside the door! Though I was amazed by the two national parks we visited and the town trips, this far from home but just out the front door adventure was the icing on the cake!