Wow, it's great to get out of the city for a couple days - sometimes you don't know how much you need a break until you actually get to drop down a gear and relax for a while. It was nice.
Since I was a child we'd go to yearly Fairmont Hotsprings Resort in the beautiful Columbia River Valley of BC - sometimes hit it twice in the summer! If you haven't visited, I would recommend that you don't. Oh, not because it's not spectacular - but if I tell people about it I might not be able to get a room next time - like the few couples that we saw at the front desk when we arrived. Glad you can phone and make reservations.
Honestly, a hot springs that offers excellent golf (or so I'm told, as I'm not a flogger!), a hiking, skiing in the winter, camping, and a spectacular hot spring pool with adjacent cool and diving pools - unlike some of the other hotsprings in the area - is an incredible place to stay whether in the lodge, it's cabins, or with your RV (sorry, no tenting onsite...). Childhood memories of heading down to the pool when it opened and seemingly not leaving till they kicked us out flood back every time I visit. They are doing some renovations/expansions over the next several years, but there are signs of improvements already. Many years ago the area adjacent to the hot pool contained trampolines, and then eventually that expanded to be more grass where sunbathers could lie. Now they've expanded the sunbathing area to almost 3 times the size it was, and now include trees that offer shade as well. It's nice. I still recommend getting there early though as the lawn fills up if it's going to be a nice day. Oh, and if you stay at the lodge you don't have to pay the $14 for the day pass (in-and-out privileges) as you just mention your room number and name and you're free to enter. Ah, the luxury!
One of the things that I noticed while driving to, around and from there was the amount of Corvettes that were on the road. The weather we had was a little above normal - 34 Celsius on Sunday, 30 Celsius on Monday, which is a little high for the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. In three days I saw at least 15 Corvettes, half of them convertibles. That was higher than the number of Rig Rockets that I saw on the way out there. I'm not sure why, but even though I appreciate the looks of the Corvette, I'm not in love with them. Evidently though, people in BC sure seem to. Good on them, if they can afford the gas. The province just instated a 2.4 cent/litre Carbon Tax starting on July 1, 2008...and it was up over $1.40/litre when we left. Knowing of this in advance, we topped up the tank yesterday.
While we topped the tank we noticed an interesting restaurant next door - call the Hoodoo Grill. It was excellent!
First, we had a top-grade server, Jeni. Oh, excuse me, her business card says supa-serva, and I can vouch for that! When you go, ask to be seated in her section, you will not regret it.
We started off with Mexi-adian style calamari. I can't remember what was in it, but it wasn't your normal deep-fried squid. Yes, it was deep fried, but the batter was unique and it was served with this excellent salsa/chutney. It disappeared quickly.
For our meals Ruth, my wife, had a delicious ratatouille, my son had a huge burger (hand made patties too!), and his friend Claire and myself each had this excellent hazelnut chicken on vermicelli. Too stuffed for desert, but will have to make it back there some time. Check this place out if you are in the area - just south of Fairmont a couple minutes.
We came back on Canada Day, and we noticed that the police were busy...pulling over speeders and other wrong-doers, like the guy who had his long canoe tied diagonally across the back of his truck taking up almost two lanes, instead of over the cab. I had the cruise control set and was motoring along. I had to pull out and pass someone who was going slower than me, so did the lane checks and slightly increased the speed so that I could pass. Out of nowhere came a big red Rig Rockets. I sped up to get out of the way, and when I pulled back into the other lane I was doing almost 140 km/h - and he passed me like I was standing still. I mentioned to Ruth that "I hope he gets a ticket". Well, karma came through for me today! Just south of Leduc, Alberta, we saw an RCMP cruiser come down the on-ramp to pull someone over. Just ahead, 4 more cars - and that rig rocket - were pulled over by other cops. Maybe my friends can help them overcome their problems of an apparent need for speed.
When we got home our poor kitty wanted to go outside. We'd kept her in the house for the two days we were away,with lots of food and water, and the blinds drawn so it would not get too warm. Even when it's hot outside the basement stays quite cool. Maybe she could become a cat on a treadmill and she would have been too tired to go outside!
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