Summer vacation days 5-6 - mostly driving, but a little Fernie

We decided not to cancel our hotel reservation in Fernie, British Columbia, when we modified our trip. That was pretty dumb, in hindsight, as it was a lot of backtracking and driving to get there and from there to the next place. We spent one night there. On the other hand,it was informative and we definitely want to go back for a full weekend or more. We decided to take the scenic route driving, so stayed on route 40 rather than the less gravelly and slightly smoother and faster route 22. That was eye-opening and useful because the advice on Crown land camping is often "drive along route 40 and find a good looking spot". We saw a ton of campers and tents relatively close off the road, or further back we'd catch glimpses through a break in trees. Actually seeing where people set up and what the setup looked like was helpful in planning if we ever want to try this ourselves. Crown land camping is basically just total backcountry, go into the woods and find somewhere to pitch a tent camping. Called crown land because it's government land, technically still held by the Crown. I think you need a permit to do this and finding a spot can be tricky - apparently the best spots are way back from the road and some get overrun and you have to find somewhere else. It also appears to be mostly folks with campers, rather than tenters like us.

But I digress.

The hotel in Fernie had an indoor pool with waterslide and when we first got there (about 20 minutes after checkin) the four of us were the only people in the area. I left them to go shower - the first one in 3 days - and apparently more people did come later. When we left later to go to dinner it was pretty full, definitely past the 12 person capacity the hotel requested. There is practically no COVID in BC so often we were the only ones in masks anywhere we went wearing one.

Our neighbor is either from Fernie, or lived there for some portion of his life, and had a list of recommendations we could never get to in the span of time we planned to be there. We dined at a recommended restaurant, then started a little hike but didn't get far, and ended up with ice cream. A number of benches outside various restaurants are actually old ski lift chairs, a testament to the fact that Fernie is apparently more a skiing hub than a summertime destination. Next day we walked around the main street area - 2nd Ave - bought some chocolate - and hit the road. In the nearby town of Sparwood is "the largest truck in the world" and we stopped for photos. Also because it was in the same parking lot as our bank and we needed cash for buying firewood at campsites.

Summer vacation days 3-5 - Etherington Creek Provincial Park

We got to the campsite around 6pm and top priority was simultaneously setting up the tents and getting the cooking started. Oh, and we had opted for the tent-only walk-in section so the site was a few minutes' walk from the car. Terry got the kids started on setting up the tents, he started getting the coals hot and the marinaded chicken onto the shashlik skewers (we had bought a portable shashlik setup either in Russia or Kazakhstan, we forget which. It's pretty awesome) while I shuttled bins and backpacks from the car to the site. Being essentially novice campers we packed both too much and too little. We have now realized that for camping the priority items are (1) tent; (2) sleeping bags; (3) a source of heat; and (4) camp chairs.  We did not have room for the camp chairs and went without the whole week. It was a definite downer.

A number of rookie mistakes dogged this week's camping experience - many relating to attire and equipment. We had no idea how cold it would actually get at night. We didn't realize how cold the air mattress would get. We did not know how great the gap would be between the heat rating of the sleeping bags and the actual warmth it provided at low temperatures - although we did know enough to be skeptical so I guess that's a half point for us. Terry and I probably slept a total of 3.5 hours the first night, having a hard time falling asleep in the first place, then waking to the cold, then thinking to try one thing to get warmer, and dozing off, waking up cold, and thinking to try some other thing. At least we got all the kinks out in one night, so the standard setup every night thereafter was air mattress, with the waterproof-on-one-side picnic blanket between that and the sleeping bags. Then the extra sleeping bag (we did know to bring some extra warmth) unzipped and spread over both of us. Also, it was a summer tent (for camping in July! hahahahaha!) This means it had a lot (LOT) of mesh/venting. Yes, a rain shield, but that is for the rain. Not the wind, not the freezing-or-below temps. We sacrificed three tarps to essentially wrap the tent and create something like insulation.  Note, I also slept in the following: wool socks, flannel pj bottoms, a T shirt, long sleeved T shirt, and thin wool sweater. Some nights I also had my flannel button down and I think one night I also had my fleece jacket. Next time camping I am bringing a beanie hat. With all these modifications it was pretty cozy and we slept decently well. I have alluded to this a couple of times but it cannot be emphasized enough: during the night the temperature dropped below freezing. Inside the tent. We had a little thermometer. If someone said to me, "let's go camping in sub-zero (Celsius) temps" I would have said "hells no". And yet.

During the first night there was a point around midnight where both Terry and I needed the bathroom so we wandered up to the facilities together. On the way back he pointed up ... it was a clear night, the campsite was pitch black and in the middle of nowhere, and I have never seen so many stars.

We decided the next night we'd get the kids up to stargaze. Given that when we went to sleep around 10:30pm there was still light in the sky we decided to have bedtime as usual, and then set the alarm. We figured 11:30pm would be late enough to be sure of darkness. Yeah, this is the downside to northern latitudes in the summer. It was another clear night - the only other one of the trip so we were lucky! We were probably only out for about 20 minutes, but it was magical. We pointed at the few constellations we knew and tried to figure out which blinking bright things were the planets (if any).  Then trudged back up to bed.

During the day in between the velvet nights, the kids read, roamed the campground, and generally hung out and relaxed. They build a little shelter/lean to out of tarps and some rope and the picnic blanket and a lot of the clothespins we brilliantly thought to bring (Terry's idea, so I can call it brilliant). Due to my chilly and horrid sleep the first night I took a couple of naps in the sun and watched prairie dogs in the field. We roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores. Terry and I sipped from adult beverages by the campfire after dinner. We had no cell phone service. This was definitely the kind of camping experience I had hoped we'd have. Although it would have been better with camp chairs.

Summer vacation days 2 and 3 - Waterton

The next morning we headed out to what was supposed to be the highlight of a trip to Waterton - Red Rock Canyon. Well, our kids have an innate ability to be miserable and fight-y and whiny during "highlights" and this was no exception. The iconic part where most photos are taken was packed with people and we wandered around other parts of the canyon. "We" meaning Terry and me, and to be fair this part was lovely. Thinking to cut our losses, we headed back before lunchtime and stopped at the Copper Mine picnic area to eat lunch (picnic area = tables but no bathrooms). A little creek runs by the picnic area and ... yep. We spent hours playing in the creek and among the rocks, and enjoying the small waterfall downstream. This was probably only 3 miles from Red Rock.

When we got back to town, we wandered to a little waterfall in town that was only a few blocks away. Terry and the kids went to look for a creek to play in while I took a small hike alongside the waterfall. Dinner was the Mexican place in town that was surprisingly good.

I should also mention we saw and enjoyed watching prairie dogs once again. Having seen them in Banff and Waterton and never in Calgary, they seem to be more like "mountain dogs" or "foothill dogs" than having any actual ties to the prairie.

From Waterton we would head to our first camping adventure. We didn't want to get to the campsite before checkin time, because we're still green and thought there were people checking us in and paying attention to such things.

First thing in the morning we retraced the previous day's steps to some particularly scenic spots and tried for family photos. It remains to be seen if any of them came out well. At least we bribed the kids well enough that nobody would look too grumpy in the shots. We tackled the Bear Hump mountain next. It was less elevation than Tunnel Mountain but attained in a fraction of the time, so I was still huffing and puffing and swearing to start running when we got back to Calgary. It was a good trek and relatively short as hikes go. Stunning views from the top and a vicious wind.

As we still had some time after this hike, we checked out Driftwood Beach on our way out of town. Once again, what we thought would be a quick stop entranced the children. Alex decided to put her outdoor camp knowledge from last year to good use and started constructing a lean-to with the driftwood - there were already several along the beach, but she wanted her own. Terry and I looked for the perfect walking stick for each family member until we saw the sign that warned against taking any of the wood from the beach. Darn.

Because the kids were having such a good time we stayed later than planned and thus got to the campsite later than planned. More on that next.

Of note: We have every intention of returning to Waterton, the mountains are as beautiful as any of the other Alberta attractions and it is as cute a town and relaxed an atmosphere as any of the other mountain getaways we've visited.