Plans are Subject to Change

 Each trip has a title and theme.  Sometimes it is set out before we begin, but sometimes it reveals itself as we go.  This was one of those times when the theme developed as we went along.  In my travel art journal, I described the days with Plan A, Plan B, etc. and reached up to Plan H!  Granted, I addressed every slight change as we went, but it did create a theme.  

So what was the plan?  We were going to drive to Sioux Lookout to be with Katherine and the littles while Devon was out of town on training.  Then, we'd stop in Killarney for a few days to visit with Dad.  

What happened?

We began the drive Monday afternoon and when it turned to sheer ice, we returned home to try again the next day.  Bad idea.  Still super icy. And then poor visibility. But we made it to just past Regina staying at the Ramada Inn in White City.  Or on a day a like this, I felt like calling it Whiteout City!

The next morning we awoke to clear and cold.  Very cold.  Thankfully, the car started and we were on our way.  We stopped for lunch at my niece's home (right close to the highway) and continued on.  Later we found pie and coffee in an very entertaining coffee shop in Richer.  That put us in good spirits as we drove on to Kenora for night, staying in the Travelodge.  

The Half-way Tree
It's an official landmark along the Trans Canada between Brandon and Winnipeg.  
 

Timberline Restaurant, Richer, MB

By noon on Thursday we'd arrived in Sioux Lookout.  There were three people very happy to see us and we were ready for a fun-filled week together. 

 So much snow!  If you live in the north, you learn to enjoy it, building a luge and clearing a space for a firepit.

Just a week earlier the roof of the Red Apple Store (one of the few major retailers) collapsed under the weight of the snow!

Friday we celebrated Elliott's 4th birthday.  The actual date was a week ago, but this was the party with friends.  It caused a bit of confusion in the young man's mind thinking it was now his 5th birthday.  Nope, it was just the celebration of the 4th birthday!

This is where the plans changed.  Instead of staying a week, we left the next day because life was COVIDized.  Devon returned earlier than expected and we didn't want any potential exposure to COVID to interfere with a visit with Dad.  He's 95 and living in a care home.

The drive began pleasantly enough through the Stone Bush and Water (frozen that is) of northern Ontario with a delicious lunch stop at the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company in Kenora. 

Lake of the Woods Brewing Co., Kenora, ON

And then we hit a typical Manitoba blizzard.  Whiteout conditions.  Thankfully we found a coffee shop in Niverville to wait out the storm for an hour.  

Eventually we had to brave the storm again, but it soon let up and by the time we crossed the Red River, we were greeted with sundogs and a beautiful sunset.  It was well after dark when we reached my brothers farm.  

The next few days were spent visiting Dad, eating Rhonda's great cooking, doing puzzles, and watching calves on the barn monitor. We had one perfect day to use the cross country skis that we'd brought along.  

We decided to make another change of plans.  Instead of heading straight home, we decided to take the long road through southern Alberta to stop at the old farm and visit some friends.  And as we weren't in any particular rush, we decided to stay at the Temple Gardens Spa hotel in Moose Jaw for the night. What a beautiful evening, sitting in the outdoor rooftop mineral spa pool under a full moon.  

Temple Gardens Spa Hotel, Moose Jaw

This time the road conditions were much more favorable as we made our way home. 

It's the vacations where things don't go as planned, where the weather adds chaos, where new things are experienced; these stand out in the memory.  When everything goes off without a hitch, it's just another trip. With a certain amount of change and uncertainty it's an adventure.  Here's to many more adventures in 2022.  We're already planning for the next one.  

Winter on Vancouver Island

 "They said it would be warm here.  What happened?"

Compared to the weather we left behind, it was warm.  But the weather definitely was the defining feature of this trip.  

Our family gathered together for the first time in a very long time.  It was a destination vacation. We were thinking of the finding warmest spot in Canada, and this was it.  We gathered from New Brunswick, Northwestern Ontario and Alberta.  What a wonderful time spent together as a family!  

Let's get this party started!




We stayed in a beautiful log home, Tugwell Cottage, booked through Airbnb.  It was perfect for us.  




Katherine, Steve (holding Shiloh) and Deanna got some quality sibling time. 




The cousins, Elliott and Nora, got acquainted and played so well together. 





Everyone enjoyed Shiloh time, hanging out with the newest member of the family.  

So apparently this isn't typical Sooke weather, but we enjoyed our excursions.  We went to the Sooke Potholes Regional Park for a hike.  It was a beautiful afternoon walking through the woods along the river.  We visited a few ocean beaches and got chased off by the wind and the waves.  Steve and Dave tried crabbing and brought one home to turn into a delicious crab dip.  

We enjoyed Christmas celebrations with lots of gifts, games, food and other shenanigans at the house.  

Once everyone had scattered again to hither and yon, Dave and I spent a few more days exploring the Island.  We may not have made the best decisions based on the weather, but we had an adventure.  Nothing was damaged except maybe our nerves!

Happy New Year from Victoria

The Butchart Gardens Christmas Light display was so beautiful.  With the snow on the lights and plants it looked absolutely magical.

We spent the night at Gibraltar Rock Ocean View Bed and Breakfast in Nanaimo.  We might not have thought it through, that a place with the words 'rock' and 'view' in the name might mean it would be on up a road with several switchbacks to the top of a mountain.  This proved to be a problem in the morning when the road was sheer ice.  We had to wait till the ice melted before carrying on our way.   That just gave us more time to enjoy the view!

After too many hours of driving through this....

.... we arrived at this.  It was amazing! We were at Pacific Rim National Park enjoying the roar of the waves, walking along the beach in the rain while others tried their luck with surfing.  

The view the next morning from the Tofino Motel Harbourview was the incongruity of palm trees and snow.  Again, the streets and sidewalks were very icy, limiting our exploration of the town.

We made it back to Victoria before another storm hit. 

 A foot of snow fell during our last night there, delaying our departure for several hours.  Like I said, it was all about the weather.  

After this introduction to Vancouver Island, we're not quite sure if this is where we want to snowbird or retire just yet.