canada – A Pursuit of Life – Barefoot& High Heeled

3 Steps to take when your locked in an Outhouse

First of all, how in the heck do I end up these situations?! Really now, the most random situations always seem to sneak up on me. It’s either the most incredibly amazing things, or the most ridiculously random. There seems to be no middle ground.

So yes, in case your wondering, I did get locked into a damn outhouse. I have been accustomed to outhouses all over the globe. Or at times shall I say versions of outhouses…. I mean the rotted wooden hole filled caving in ones that I had to use when I was working in the jungle’s of Central and South America were one version, oh and there was that one in very rural Mozambique which was 4 thatched walls, strung together, and inside is no hole in the ground, yet just a pile of boulders, in which you have to step on top of other people’s business and find a spot to do your business – and being the only foreign person these people have ever seen, you have a whole village just stand there watching you go inside and do your thing. Of course I maintained my classy composure, did it like a rockstar(literally rock-star), while smiling and waving at everyone while I entered and then preceded to try my best to hover over these rocks that you would rather not step on. When in Africa…. Sounds like pretty pleasant experiences don’t they?! They definitely weren’t the most glamorous loos that I have ever had the pleasure of using, nor did they smell like a bouquet of roses that some hunk bought me. Trust me that’s only a couple of many outhouse stories.

Of course I prefer porcelain and marble, however in some circumstances, you just ain’t got that option – and if there is one thing that I am, it’s Adaptable. Whether I enjoy the experience or not, its still an experience that I am alive to feel, so I always maintain a smile, and a good sense of humor to the best of my ability.

So here I was yesterday morning, on my 15 hour drive from Northwest Territories to Calgary, in – 30 c weather, and ridiculously icy road conditions, when nature decided to call.

I should know better then to drink a coffee and a tea directly before hitting the highway, as there isn’t much of anything for the first few hours of the drive.

The first road side turn out with an out house that I came across and I immediately pulled over to try and answer natures call…..

Holy geez! Someone did their business all over the toilet seat rather then inside, and it was -30 so it was frozen to the seat. Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty – and I could darn well hold it and give nature a busy signal.

40 km later, and I reached the NWT/Alberta boarder, where there happened to be another outhouse. I pulled over once again, jumped out, looked inside, and was once again flabbergast at what I saw. Are you freaken kidding me?! Is it the new in thing to use the toilet seat rather then the toilet hole? Is there some sort of stomach bug in the area? So many questions. Yet I couldn’t stand looking at the sight, so I put nature on hold once again and hit the road. You and I both know, nature does not like being put on hold, and she was getting a bit antsy and starting kicking me in the bladder. Ok, ok, I promise not to ingest so many liquids before my road trips in the future.

20 kms down the road again, and I came up to a little place called Indian Cabins, where you get snacks and cheap alcohol in the middle of nowhere.

I seen the frozen out house and instead of going inside to see if they had a nice warm ladies room, ‘as there just wasn’t time for that’, I went straight to the outhouse and answered the call. I mean third times a charm right?

Mother nature was peeved though, and not so charming this time around. As soon as I found my relief and went to vacate the stall, I realized I was locked in. What the!? There is no way this is happening I thought. I rattled the door knob, and to no avail…. I kicked the door a couple times… Wearing my sneaker wedges weren’t exactly the most ideal for the job. I rattled the knob and pushed the door at the same time… Well it didn’t take me long to realize that Nature was obviously pissed at me, and was trying to hold me captive! In such brutally cold conditions, and not having mitts a hat, or proper boots, I could feel frosty starting to bite at my toes.

I dug in my jacket pockets and all I had with me was my car keys, and my bottle of Abundance essential oil…. I started calling for help, knowing that the one person that was inside would never hear me, and in that kind of weather people don’t go outside unless they have too. I also contemplated inhaling my abundance oil, although I wasn’t sure what kind of abundance it would bring me in that moment, but it would never fail to be relaxing.

So on to Plan B, ‘Survival of the fittest’

I am pretty quick thinker, and I do have loads of wilderness first aid and survival training… So, I stayed calm, and rationally assessed my situation. Freaken Petrena…. How do you find yourself in these places. Here are the three steps I took, to free myself from Natures cold ass cage.

Step 1 – Call for help, I mean even if no one can here you. Call your little heart out. Not to mention it keeps your blood pumping, which keeps you warm, and keeps your vocals singing. Its darn cold outside, and I was about to turn into an ice princess. I have too many ambitions in life for that shit.

Step 2 – Use whatever you have in your pockets as a tool to help you. I realized that on my keys was the car alarm!! I know whomever was inside would never hear me calling for help, but perhaps they would hear the car alarm. So I sounded the high alarm! It would only go off for about 5 minutes at a time before I would have to press the button again, but I wasn’t giving up.

Step 3 – Look at other ways of escaping. Seeing as how my super human strength wasn’t happening when I tried to kick the door down, I looked up and seen there was a bit of openings going over to the other side. It was quite high, but I tried my best to shimmy up. I realized I could probably do it, I would have had to kick off my wedge heels though, and then figure out how I would get down on the other side without breaking a leg on the 6 foot drop. So I decided to wait it out bit longer before that attempt at being in Cirque De Solier.

45 minutes later, I was starting to lose hope and body heat…. But it was in that moment I heard someone come outside, and boot steps coming towards me. It’s always in the moment where you feel like you hit rock bottom that something amazing happens.

A man got to the door, unlocked it, opened it, and said, ‘What are you doing locked in the outhouse?!’

Oh you know, I was just hanging out for some shits and giggles, no big deal. Who doesn’t like a good outhouse sesh? NOT! Clearly I had to pee like a race horse and ran into the first clean looking outhouse I could find. Although sarcasm aside, he was my night in shining armor, and I wanted to through my arms around him and thank him for saving my life. I didn’t though. I mean I did thank him, but I also kept my classy composure, and hands to myself.

He told me maybe I should go inside and freshen up in the nice warm washroom. Oh Petrena, you silly silly women, you shud have followed your gut in the beginning when it told you to go inside and look for a warm ladies room.

Moral of the story: Always listen to your gut – and when you fail to do that, then, be a survivor in the most awesome fashion possible. An hour behind schedule, but I was back on the open road of adventure, and I have finally arrived in Calgary!

So here you go, keep this trusty little step-by-step guide handy to get yourself out of being locked in an outhouse, or you can use this guide to not do what I did, and just don’t get yourself locked in a darn outhouse.

Happy road tripping days!

Snow, and the shoes for the occasion.

Winter time entertainment. It come is all forms, shapes and sizes. I love a good ol’ winter adventure sesh, especially when you find yourself amidst a beautiful balmy winter day. Not to mention in the stunning Northwest Territories region of Canada. It’s not uncommon to find temperatures dipping down to -50c in January/February, yes freeze your limbs right off kinda weather, so -22 was feeling like a Arctic summer dream. I always say, once you get past -30c, its just friggen cold, and the number of it no longer matters.

That is where my fire place comes in handy, oh yes, a nice toasty warm fire. I get that bad boy blazing in the winter, so when you come in from the ridiculously cold conditions, and need to thaw your lungs since the air pretty much froze in there – your house is like a oven sent from heaven! I absolutely adore it. It’s a winter pleasure for sure. Every season has its perks, no matter what, you can always make the most of any situation, and this is an example of me looking on the the bright side of any circumstance.

Being a balmy winter day, my friend Krystina and myself decided that we needed to get out and enjoy some time with mother nature and all her winter glory. Gosh, its damn stunning out here in the winter. Sheer winter blanket beauty coating all the tree’s and landscape. So I kicked off my high heels, covered my bare feet and we dawned the best shoes for the wintry occasion, which happen to be none other then, snowshoes, and we hit the trails at the golf course just outside town, in Hay River, NWT.

Literally I hadn’t gone snowshoeing since high school, which was quite awhile ago now…. I mean at the very least it was 16 years since I had a pair on – which made this little excursion extra exciting. Not that snowshoeing is a great level of difficulty, its just a nice, relaxing form of winter exercise.

Once we got out there and got ourselves together, it was GO time! Initially it was feeling cold ass out there with the wind chill. Even through my 3 pairs of socks my toes were feeling frozen, but we trooped on. Knowing that once we got our blood pumping we would warm up.

It really didn’t take long before frozen toe syndrome was a thing of the past.

The trails at the Hay River Golf Course are very well done. Full of snow shoe and cross country skiing tracks.

It’s apparent that these are pretty popular winter sports from all those tracks. We were in awe of the winter wonderland-esque beauty that we were surrounded by. Totally engulfed in it.

There wasn’t the best path markings, and we did get lost in and amongst it all for awhile, not in a bad way though, in an adventurous way. As any good traveler knows, “It’s not always the destination that’s important, its the journey along the way”. Oh, and we did at one point find our way, or should I say, ‘Ricardo’s Way‘, so we followed the snowy brick road.

It was so peaceful, calm and serene. At many parts the snow was being blown off the branches giving the effect as if it was snowing. There was another area where there were birds chirping, and squirrels playing. It was majestic to say the least.

In the end we covered just shy of 6 km of distance, and killed a few hours, enjoying every moment, stopping to bask in the endless splendor, playing background music(when my phone was actually working), and held up trees….

Oh, come on now, who doesn’t like to spend some time holding up a pine tree?!

I say when my phone was working because the darn thing kept freezing and shutting off on me….. So I would stick in my shirt and un-thaw it. It’s not as though I have loads down there, so there was plenty of room for it. Worked like a charm I tell yah. Iphones clearly aren’t built to brave arctic winter conditions, but she did well considering. We even had icecycles on our hair and eyelashes.

Being awesome kept us warm though. It never fails.

We knew we found base again when we came into view of the club house.

Yes we were melting with enthusiastic joy of our accomplishment of the day.

Another afternoon of rocking my little world, and doing so with the epic company of a life long friend. It was a breath of fresh scenic air, and a bonding event with mother nature herself. So if your feeling like a nice chilled little winter adventure, slap on some snow shoes, grab a good friend, and get your asses out there.

I am already preparing for round two before I leave my Northern homeland, this time busting out cross country skis. Let’s put our best foot forward. Happy winter days!

Fishing, beers and bonfires North of 60.

Fishing, one of my favorite lifelong past times(well so is beers, and bonfires actually). From playing the card game ‘Go Fish’ from as early as I could master the art of cards, to fishing my little heart out on the Hay River and Great Slave lake in Northwest Territories, Canada- from as early as I could master the art of operating a fishing rod.

Yes, with all that experience under my belt – you could basically call me a pro. An extremely amateur pro that is. You can be whatever you want! So today for me, amateur fishing pro it is.

A few months ago, I was invited to go on the fishing trip of a lifetime. Seriously it had always been a dream of mine to go to a remote fly-in fishing lodge. Long behold, that dream became reality this past summer, and it was just as amazing as I had imagined. Heck yes it was. Lucky ass! I have my moments anyways. Don’t we all?!

I flew from Yellowknife NWT, on a float plane all the way to Gordon’s Lake, NWT – where Sandy Point Fishing Lodge was awaiting my long overdue arrival. Just thinking back to it brings a massive smile to my face. I want to do it all over again!! It was a remote weekend full of endless laughter, incredible fishing, ridiculously good food, a bear finding us all, hot tubbing, and campfire stories. EPIC, is the short way to sum it up. I wrote about the experience in this little article below.

https://apursuitoflife.com/2015/07/14/sportfishinglodgenwt/

Since then, I collaborated a video from the trip(yes I now do films), and I wanted to share it with all you wonderful people! So please, pop some popcorn, sit back and get comfy and enjoy the next ‘not quite’ 7 minutes of entertainment.

If you are ever up for a fishing trip adventure of a life time, then I say you should darn well go to this exact lodge! The owners are fantastic and provide their guests with an absolutely unforgettable adventure of grand proportions. I also left with a parting gift of a grand hangover…. It’s not my fault beers, fishing, and camp fires go so well together. Don’t you just love a good adventure?!

Toronto reunions, beer tasting, and being awesome.

Hello Toronto! At least that’s what I said upon arriving to the big city from Spain last week. Little did I know the reunions and beer tasting about to ensue, leading up to Blissom, a sweet ass blogging/writing conference happening at Blue Mountain Resort(my reason for being in Toronto) – were gonna be as fantastic as I imagined, if not a bit better. Knowing that this conference was something that I couldn’t miss, I just freaken went for it. I booked my tickets from Spain, a hotel room, and hit the bright blue skies. Jet setting across the Atlantic. It’s always a bit sad to leave Mallorca, but my love story of where I call home, belongs to both Canada and Mallorca. I was also darn excited to touch my true home soil. As per always.

After I arrived to the big city, I grabbed my car rental and headed straight to the hotel. Possibly straight was not the best description, as coming from driving on the island roads of Mallorca to the freeways of Toronto – was a bit of a shocker! Let me just say, I needed a day of it to get my barring’s and survive it all. Pinch me please! After which however, I did nothing less then rock that freeway driving.
Now guess who just happened to be waiting for me at the hotel?!

It was none other then my beautiful mother.

I can’t imagine a face I would be more happy to see at that moment. Seeing your mother’s face always give a sense of home. My mother and myself never get to travel together. Even though it is just Toronto, it was exotic to us, simply because we were there together, and it isn’t the NWT or Alberta. It’s new stomping grounds, that we never stomp on together, on the other side of our rather large country, with wine and laughter waiting to be tapped into.
Literally no jet leg could bring me down from the cloud nine of this awesome occasion, and the vino was flowing from the get go. In reality, we all know it’s not hard to twist my rubber wine loving arm.

Things were of off to a phenomenal beginning(who doesn’t love a happy beginning), and within a very short period of time, it was about to be taken up even higher. Approximately an hour after the festivities began, a long lost travel buddy of mine gracefully arrived. Tanya!

Her and I met and traveled in Panama 10 short ass years go. At least it feels short. It’s amazing how 10 years can feel so short. Isn’t it just?! We had the best times ever, some of the best of my life in fact.

This was another reunion of epic proportions. One of those beautiful friendships that feel as though no time has passed, as you just pick up exactly where you left off. I was super excited that her and my mother were getting to meet also.
So with the party so far being a massive success, and just when I was thinking ‘Wow, this night is rocking my world, I don’t think it could possibly get better.‘ Long behold, it got better.
A couple hours later, my fabulous aunt flew in from Arizona to join the party.
Three’s a crowd?? Well alright then. How about we make it 4 shall we? We laughed, we sang(maybe I exaggerate a tad), we drank wine, and then right in the middle of it all, my jet leg kicked in – and I passed the freak out pretty much mid laughter. As Tanya’s description was the next day, ‘One minute you were laughing, and the next minute I look over and you were sleeping’. Oops! But I am not surprised, and it’s a pretty entertaining story if you ask me.

Believe me, I gave it my best shot. An 8 hour time change(plus layovers) kicks an awesome women’s ass. No matter how awesome you are. I think I was entitled to be the first one to hit the hay. Beauty sleep is important, and I don’t wanna look my age if I don’t have too. Plus, there ain’t nothin’ quite like laughing yourself to sleep. Sounds pretty therapeutic if you ask me.
The next morning after a hearty ‘let’s soak up last nights wine party’ breakfast, it was time to hit the highway and get going on the next leg of my adventures. Which was, heading to Blue Mountain with my long lost travel buddy accompanying me on yet another travel experience. Although we did get a little side tracked along the way…… As any good travel buddies do.
Creemore, Ontario. A historically set quaint little village. Something like a little postcard. Alright, well I know postcards are pretty much the same size. So I suppose I mean – like your average size, picturesque postcard.

So dang cute. Seriously. I love anything historical.

Being an avid cyclist, I was stoked to see this! Every town/city should get some of these bad boys.

Aaaand,

Every restaurant should have there own garden. That’s the definition of fresh food right there.

I also have a real soft spot for Autumn. The colored leaves added the stunning rustic ambiance to the already antique feel.

I was loving life. As if that is any different than usual. I was particularly enjoying this experience though.

I was loving life even more when we stopped to take a tour of the local brewery. Creemore Springs.

They fire brew their beer in an authentic copper kettle, and also use water from the local springs. Talk about fresh brew! For a little town, and a little brewery, they pump out some crisp and tasty brewski!

The staff were absolutely fantastic. Very knowledgeable and welcoming. The staff that work there, really DO enjoy working there. That was apparent to me from beginning to end, and I am a huge fan of people doing things they love. When I see it, I know something right is being done, and it brings joy directly to the ticker in my chest. Life is too short to not love what your doing. Might I add, there are 80 employee’s at the brewery. That creates opportune employment in the community. Loving it. That’s my stamp of approval. Stamp, stamp, stamp. Stamps all over the show.

It’s a small brewery so the tour doesn’t take long. However, for a small place, they do have a broad little array of beers.

I was quite surprised at the volume of people that were coming and going during our time there. Which I am obviously not doing a good job of depicting in these photos. The establishment itself is fantastic. I must say. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Let’s not forget to grab a souvenir.

That was a massively impressive pit stop, but I was happy to finally arrive to Blue Mountain and my hotel.

Ummm, hello big welcoming bed!!

Sprawling out on this was sure to be exactly what the travel doctor ordered.

Not before Tanya and I went for a good one on one dinner sesh, put on the ol’ laughing pants type catch up. 10 years later, and the only thing that changed is we are not as shiny and sweaty as we were in the hot humid weather. Oh, and maybe I don’t have that sun kissed glow at the moment either…. Darn. Time for a vacay I guess!

Everything so far on my trip was spectacularly awesome. Better then I expected. I am lucky, and when you love life, it loves you back. I was ready. Ready to attend the most incredible blogging/writing conference I have had the pleasure of attending yet.

Heck yes to being awesome and making the most of every awesome experience. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Golden adventures, around Golden BC!

Golden, BC. I love Golden! It is a small town, set in beautiful pristine settings, with a green river(yes green) flowing threw it, and a lush mountainous landscape surrounding it.

The people are as golden as the name itself, and it just has one of those energies to it, the kind that pulls you in and engulfs you. Like a nice warm blanket that you never want to leave. Not to mention, there are endless adventure activities for the outdoor enthusiast(i.e. ME).

I decided to stay in a hostel this time around. The Dreamcatcher Hostel. It was massive, beautiful and didn’t feel like a hostel. The service and helpfulness of the owners was impeccable. I made a new friend, whom had a very interesting story. His name is Robert and he was walking across Canada. It’s always fantastic to meet people on their individual journeys, and I so appreciate when people are doing things out of the ordinary. With some good company and conversation, night 1 was spent just enjoying what the town has to offer. We checked out the local watering holes, and enjoyed some Vino(of course), and then finished the night off enjoying an impromptu wine a cheese dinner back at the hostel – playing music on the jute box. My kinda night!

Day 2, and I was super stoked for a jam packed day full of adventure! First off, I headed to Kicking Horse Mountain. I took the chair lift up to see Boo the bear at the Grizzly Bear Refuge.

Boo was a rescued bear, and his refuge was fit for a king. Apparently he is also an escape artist.

Not only was it massive, he has everything he would have in the wild and more. They even built a little log house for him to hibernate in during the winters. Not a bad life if you ask me. I am such an animal lover, and that also goes for bears. I am not one to watch animals in cages on display, however in this cirsumstance, since Boo was a rescue-ee, this situation was for his own wellness, he has an epic set up, and you can see he is one happy bear – I was excited to be so up close and personal with him.

Back down the chair lift and onto the Gondola back up the mountain.

I was so looking forward to some hiking! Now I don’t suggest you go off hiking in the Mountains alone, as this is bear country, and hiking alone is not the best idea. Even though that has to be said and beared in mind; It wasn’t stopping me – and in order to take some safety precautions, I didn’t go too remote, and I stuck to trails that I could see other people hiking in the not too far off distance.

The hiking trails around the kicking horse mountain range are what seem endless, and I could easily spend a week or two just hiking and camping, and being awesome in nature.

The following photo is my ‘I feel super successful, as I just hiked the heck outta these mountains like a solo rockstar selfie‘. It had to be done. Celebrate your successes! It only serves to create more success in your life. Even when your just celebrating solo.

For a week or two of hiking and being one with nature I would leave the heels at home, and also take a companion.There are so many endlessly awesome cycling trails, and I happen to LOVE cycling, it was so temping to just go rent a bike and head off. Alas, not this time around.

That was hard. Hard to watch and not have a bike with me!! Watching the other cyclists only made me think, ‘I must go back and do some cycling! There is no other way‘ and that I will indeed. Golden is a place I intend on spending loads more time at.

After working up a good sweat hiking my little heart out, I was more than ready to find some hot springs to have some RnR and some soul soothing rejuvenation. There are absolutely loads of hot springs around BC. The only unfortunate thing is that most of them have been made into swimming pools. Swimming pools with spring water in them. That wasn’t the picture I had in my imagination. I was thinking something more natural , rural, and in nature. I asked back at the hostel, and they knew exactly what I had in mind, and kindly pointed me in the right direction. 2.5 hours later of cruising and cranking my tunes(oh and a wee bit of singing, come on now, you know you do it too). There they were. Lussier River Hot Springs.

Fine, fine. No vino(since it is prohibited), and I will wear my swim suit(since nudity is also prohibited). So, chilling in your birthday suit with a bottle of wine is a definite no.

It seems as though it is off the beaten track, but it definitely is not unknown.

There were constantly people coming and going. It wasn’t crowded by any means, just surprisingly busier than I expected. Amazing though! None the freaken less. It was just what I was looking for. 3 different temperature pools, on the banks of a river, surrounded by pure lush nature. Oh heck yes!!

My heart was singing with joy. Seriously, if you would have been there, and put your ear to my chest, you would have heard a sweet sweet song. Something far sweeter then my vocal cords could produce.

Immediately upon entering my silver jewelry turned copper. A clear indication of the minerals flowing in the water. My body, mind and soul, were soaking it all up. I was loving life – as per always.

I spent a couple hours loving life there, before making the journey back to Golden, where I slept like a baby after that beauty of a day.

Having been on the road for 2 weeks days at this point, I was really torn between saying ‘screw it, I am moving to Golden right now!’, or hitting the road and finding a different place to stay another night or two, or to just spend the day venturing around and then head to Calgary for a late evening arrival. I decided to just take the day as it comes. Which ended up being sightseeing, and a late Calgary arrival. Not to worry Golden, our story isn’t over. Being in Yoho National Park, there were a couple things I had to check off my long time bucket list. First stop, get your park pass! I didn’t realize I needed one and had to turn around and go find the office to get one. Woops.
Then! It was onto the extremely majestic Takakkaw Falls.

I could visit every waterfalls in the world, and never have them lose their luster. They always feel so powerful, and full of energy. Being around them just brings an inner peace like none other. There were loads of tourists there!. That didn’t change the experience though, not in the slightest. I hiked around, and stood in the mist, and took some selfies rocking my new hat that I had made in Golden.

As you do on solo adventures. I think considering I travel alone alot, a selfie stick wouldn’t be a bad investment.

I hit the highway, and was ready for the next big check off my bucket list.

To bask in the beauty of Emerald Lake. Woah!!!! Is all I have to say. I was blown away.

Pictures don’t do it justice. The color of the water is insanely blue. The mountains hanging in the backdrop are like the cherry on top. My eyes were oozing with delight. I did the walk around the lake, wich took a couple of hours, and just enjoyed my surroundings. It was incredible. There is a restaurant and lodge there, but this time around I didn’t go into either.

Rest assured though, I will also be going back there to spend a weekend – and I will write the heck out of it.

Wow. That was the road trip of a life time. It was unplanned, unexpected, and one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. I love road trips, I love my own company, I love spontaneous adventures, and I love British Columbia. To sum it all up, I had the best time ever, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Even thinking back to it brings a massive smile of happiness and gratitude to my face. Next time I know exactly where I want to go back to, or the places I missed that I want to go to. Take your self on a road trip! It’s nothing less than incredibly epic and amazing! Just you, and the open road of adventure. Happy road tripping days!

Cheese tasting, drive in movies, and serious classy camping. All in a days road trip.

Even though being immersed in all those British Columbia winery’s was absorbing my attention. I still was up for checking out anything and everything else that popped up along the way and peaked my interest. So, needless to say, in my world that leaves the options pretty wide open – as I can find entertainment in almost anything. I absolutely feel lucky in that sense, as I am not easily bored. I can make an adventure outta thin air if need be.

Being such an avid wine lover, you can only guess what else I love. It pairs perfectly with vino, and I admit it – I am a self proclaimed addict……. Cheese. Glorious freaken cheese. I love it. Except for blue cheese. I know, I know, it’s known for being a refined tasting cheese. Sorry though. I may be a classy lady with refined taste buds, yet, I have tried to acquire the taste for it on numerous occasions. Alas, it still just tastes pungent and moldy to me. Who knows maybe one day my taste buds will change, as they get older, they will also like older cheese perhaps.

However, that aside, the Salmon Arm area also has some excellent cheese farms! Among plenty of other things. I absolutely love the Salmon Arm area, almost as much as cheese. This was my first time back since I went house boating in the Shuswap when I was 13.

Well I do believe with all that being said it’s pretty obvious there is no possible way I could pass up a cheese farm tour. I was in need of something to cleanse my palette between all that vino sampling as it was.

I ended up choosing Grass Roots Dairy Farm to venture off too. Not for any particular reason, it’s just the one I decided to pull into. OK, well that isn’t entirely true…. I remembered reading a pamphlet about it, and the fact that it said they pride themselves on their grass fed cow’s, really is what peaked my interest. Long behold I was cruising down the highway and stumbled across the sign for Grass Roots. The sign said cheese farm, and I said GO! For some reason I kept missing the darn turn off though, so 2 U-turns later, and I finally got er!

What??? It was a small turnoff. You would have done the same. Trust me. Once off the highway and onto the little dirt roads, I easily found it.

You can see how eager she was for me to sample some of that queso.

It’s a quaint little farm, with some top notch cheese production. Mainly producing various types of Gouda, they have also incorporated Maasdammer into their array, which is a Dutch Swiss style of cheese. I sampled them all. One by one.

They had loads of other products on offer as well, from milks, to preserves, and on wards.

Every little cheese morsel I tasted was divine, literally, not simply because I love cheese. They were really really good – and fresh!

After my sample sesh, I got all settled in on a chair in the back room and sat to watch a little 10 minute informational video about how their cheese comes into production – while at the same time getting a prime view of the guys working hard creating the good stuff. If your there you mine as well take it all in. I was like a little sponge, eager to absorb all the cheesy info.

After a stunner of a day wining and dining myself in true taste tester fashion, there was only one way to finish off my ‘take yourself on a date day‘ and that was to take myself to the drive in movies! The Starlight Drive-in Movies, in Enderby, BC, approximately 20 minutes outside Salmon Arm. It’s one of the very few drive in movie theaters in Canada, so there is no way I couldn’t go.

I got there nice and early so I could get a prime spot and got all settled it. Literally, like 2 hours early. Tick tock, tick tock.

You can either sit in your car and listen to the movie tuning in over the radio, or you can bring some chairs and sit outside your car where you can hear it over the loud audio system. It get’s jam packed! So getting there early is a good plan. They play two movies a night, both are included in the one price, and this night it was Minions, and Jurassic Park. It was actually super enjoyable, and one of those novelty activities to partake in. Fun for the whole family.

Gosh I am good at taking myself on the best dates ever. Not to boast. I just happen to nail it every darn time.

So that being a long day of epic and random adventures, it was time to find a place to get my beauty sleep. Instead of picking a Bed & Breakfast this time, I remembered I had seen there just so happen to be a random tent in the trunk of my car. No idea where it came from – a mystery tent. Didn’t matter though, I figured I would switch up my accommodations and book a campsite. I do love camping. I picked up some supplies and then was off the pitch my tent at the campgrounds I booked into.

Was I ever in for a treat.

Note to self: the next time you decide to book a campsite and use a random tent that is sitting in your trunk, DO first open it up to check it out and make sure it has all its proper pieces, and is possibly made of some nice and quality material, not your everyday dollar store disposable tent.

So after some struggling, and wondering if I was going to be able to even make anything out of this pile. Not to mention, almost diving under the picnic table out of sheer embarrassment anytime people came by and seen my ball of mess(and me looking like a total novice), I was able to Jimmy rig it to as luxurious of a tent as I possibly could.

Barefoot & High heeled, prepared for a little bit of everything and more. I did sleep pretty darn good though. Although I was happy to ditch the tent for a nice bed in Revelstoke the next night after I did some hiking at Herold Provincial Park, where I checked out their wonderful little waterfalls. Being in the forest is also my kinda stomping grounds, most of my childhood was spent out in the bush, so I feel so at peace when I am in it. The waterfalls may be small, but they were big in beauty.

And let’s not forget the pit stop I made at the Crazy Creek Suspension Bridge, where there was also some sweet little waterfalls with stunning green water flowing down them. Also located there is a resort if you feel as though you want to kick back for a couple days.

Oh, and there were a couple more random unplanned wine tastings thrown into the mix. It’s not my fault there are vineyards everywhere. Twist my rubber wine loving arm why don’t yah?!

Next destination on my list was one of my favorite places EVER. Golden, BC. Are you ready?

My Top 3 British Columbia Winery’s:)

Wine Tours. Glorious wine tours. One of the best past times of my life. I have had the privilege of doing wine tours all over the globe. This time around, I had the pleasure of doing wine touring in my own spectacular Country. It’s often we forget what we have in our own back yard – and this was the perfect opportunity to remind myself of the incredible things we have right here in Canada. Not to mention the incredible vineyards Canada boast’s.

Trust me, seeing as how I was road tripping like a solo rock star, it was only fitting that I wine tasted like a solo rock star. I took full advantage of being in wine Country while in beautiful British Columbia. Wine is an art, and here in BC wine Country, they take their art seriously. There were so many too choose from, I couldn’t get them all in, but made a massively good effort – if I do say so myself. I was blown away at the beauty of pretty much all of the vineyards I visited. I mean this is British Columbia, it’s over flowing with endless beauty. I also really appreciated the fact that all the winery’s I visited are family run – it definitely adds to their charm.

The wine touring I partook in was between Kamloop’s, Salmon Arm, and Vernon. That being said, as much as I would love to write about every winery I visited, I can’t. That would be very long, and I have so much to tell about at the moment – that I have to narrow it down and tell you about my favorites. So here are my top 3 wineries of this trip.

Monte Creek Ranch just a 10 minute drive outside Kamloops. An area rich in history – the family whom began Monte Creek Ranch, wanted to maintain and cultivate the land. Livestock share the ranch with grape vines and wild stock. They have two vineyards, Lion’s Head Vineyard, and Monte Creek Ranch Vineyard(where the tasting room is located). Everything they grow on the farm and vineyard is organic and chemical free. Just the way I like to live my life. Not to mention, every person working there, was very knowledgeable about about the ranch, and happily shared as much information about it as I could take in. Customer service at it’s finest.

They have quite the array of wines, and I love their labeling, just as much as their wine. The view from the tasting room, is as salivating for the senses as is their wine. With majestic mountains sprawling around you for your viewing pleasure.You can sit and enjoy some incredible vino and canape’s while taking it all in. Before you go, don’t forget to top up on all their farm fresh products, including grass fed beef, all the way to honey. I am happy to say I enjoyed every wine that I sampled, it was hard to choose just one to purchase, as I could have taken a couple cases, but in the end settled on a bottle of the Rose.

Sunnybrae Vineyards & Winery Nestled at the base of the Bastion Mountain and on the shores of the Shuswap Lake, you will find the radiant and meticulously groomed vineyard of Sunnybrae. The staff were also very welcoming and friendly. Sunnybrae has also received awards for their finely crafted wine’s.

From the tasting room you have an exquisite view of the lake and Mount Ida.When you step out to the Vineyard, you can not help but be blown away by the picturesque beauty. I had to just stand there and take a hard 10 of basking and taking it all in. When I say it is meticulously groomed, that is no exaggeration.

They proudly offer wines made from their Kerner, Ortega, Siegerrebe, Schonburger, and Marchel Foch grapes. Once again, not one of their wines I sampled disappointed. However my palette fell head over heels for the Ortega, and the Siegerrebe, and I ended up having to get a couple bottles of each(they had a sale). What classy lady can say no to a sale?!

Larch Hills Winery A farm winery located at the Northern end of the Okanagan growing region, not far outside of Salmon Arm. There is a nice little drive up the mountain to reach this little stunner, and also warm welcome awaiting you in the tasting room.

Larch Hills has some phenomenal wines, and as you can see, have received numerous awards.

Specializing in cool climate grape growing, they offer wines made from Ortega, Madeleine Angevine, Madeleine Sylvaner, Siegerrebe, and Agria grapes, grown right there on their vineyard. Also Foch, Merlot, and Pinot Noir grapes outsourced from contract vineyards. I ended up getting a couple bottles of the Lemberger, as they were so kind enough as to give me one as a gift too. Being ridiculously good, and very limited due to the fact that there were only so many bottles made from what they yielded from the crop, and its popularity was very large – so they were down to their last few cases. Now I have more stop that needs to be mentioned. It’s not wine that is produced from what they grow, however it is something even more unique that comes from their crop, that being – Haskap Liqueur.

High Mountain Farm located in Salmon Arm, BC, is the first commercial grower in the North Okanagan of the marvelous haskap berry. Up until this point in my life, I had never even heard of the haskap berry, let alone Haskap Liqueur. However, thank’s to my lovely sister’s recommendation of visiting this particular farm, a whole new world opened up to me. Run by the most lovely family ever, they were more then happy to give me a tour of the 108 year old farm – and teach me everything I needed to know about the wondrous little haskap berry. I learned that not only does the haskap berry contain 3 times more antioxidants then blueberries, there are also various types. Here at the High Mountain Farm they proudly grow, Indigo Yum, Indigo Gem, and Aurora, all grown naturally and pesticide free.

Let me tell you, these little berries pack a punch of flavor! Axel and Doris were so amazingly hospitable during my visit, I had the best time ever just visiting with them. Not only did I get to sample some of their delicious berries on ice cream, and some refreshing frozen haskaps.

We also cracked open a bottle of the Haskap Liqueur that is not made on the premises, but is made directly from their lovingly grown haskaps.

Careful though, haskap’s do stain the fingers. Stopping here was one of the highlights of my trip. Thank you so much High Mountain Farm! Well I can’t wait to go back to BC for round two of my wine tasting adventures. I will happily re-visit any of these places, and can’t wait to check out some new ones. With all my goodies, I was able to share some tasting’s of these fine wines with some other special people along the way of my adventures.

Happy wine tasting days!

Road Tripping BC like a Solo Rockstar.

One of the best parts of a completely unplanned and unexpected solo road trip, is that it is literally just about you, and the open road of adventure. Seeing as how I was in Northern British Columbia anyway’s, and was on route to Calgary from there, I just decided – ‘Why the heck not make an adventure out of it?!’ I had no time frame, and I love BC, so I seized the freaken moment. There is something liberating about just cruising, and ending up wherever you end up. Sheer freedom.

After having an epic time around Quesnel, I hit the highway, cranked my tunes, and enjoyed my own awesome company. Finding myself in the Cariboo area, not to long down the road. Of course as soon as I seen a fruit stand, especially one that appealed to my eyes instantaneously – I had to stop to check it out, and stock up on some fresh road tripping goodies.

I was digging the decor, very bright and inviting. It did make me slam on my breaks after all! I absolutely love how you can get all the fresh food your little heart could desire when in BC(among many other things that I love about BC).

I was digging the decor, very bright and inviting. It did make me slam on my breaks after all! I ended up having a very nice chat with the super lovely owner, who was eager to tell me places I need to check out on my journey’s. I so appreciate when you can feel that someone loves what they do, and it in turn show’s in what they produce. Life is that much more amazing when you strive to do things you love.

Purchase made! A basket of cherry’s and a basket of rasberries, she even gave me an apple for the road. Happy days! I love apples(true story) – and parting gifts. It’s just a sweet gesture. The scenic beauty of BC grows and grows the deeper you get into it. As I was time frame free, I would stop at any place I found that had a little feast for the eyes on offer – bask in it for a few moments, snap some shots, and then on to the next. It’s amazing watching the landscape change as you get closer and closer to the mountains. British Columbia definitely does not lack in the beauty department.

After quite a few pit stops I wound up in radiant Kamloops, where I decided it would be a good idea to spend the night. It was already 8 pm, and I like to relax and enjoy my evenings, no need to push the peddle to the medal too late. It was chill time. After pulling over and googling Bed & Breakfasts in the area, I decided on one that looked pretty pristine. It was called Riverside Bed & Breakfast.

It is set on the banks of a beauty of a little river, and the owner Cynthia, was very welcoming and accommodating. Especially considering how last minute I booked in. I was amazed at the stunning property. They have it set up so beautifully, with a fire pit, and hot tub. Very chic, clean comfortable rooms. Exactly what the doctor ordered after a long day of adventuring like a solo rock star. I made sure to chill by the fire with a bit of vino before I retired to the comfort of my room. Which also comes stocked with Vino. You know what that made me….. And yes I mean happy! Not tipsy. I like to keep it classy.

Upon awaking from my sleeping beauty induced coma in the morning from that ridiculously comfortable bed, I opened the curtains, so I could just lie in my bed and take in the view. Good morning world!Now that’s the view a lady likes to wake up to. My kinda morning. Breakfast was served up at 8:30 bells, and it did not disappoint. Freshly prepared and exquisitely presented Egg’s Benedict, with orange juice, coffee and fruit, accompanied with a view to match. That B&B was a total gem, and I will be going back there for sure.

Heck yes to that experience. I was rested, fueled and ready to rock again. Not long down the road I came across Kamploops BC Wildlife Park. Hmmmm, check out some local Canadian wildlife?! Why the heck not. Keeping my experiences local no matter where in the world I find myself.

It was pretty interesting, nothing too crazy, the animals were as chill as I am. I think my favorite part of the experience was taking a goat selfie.

Me and my cheap thrills. But seriously, who doesn’t want a goat selfie? Goats are awesome, and he was a total poser, and loved it just as much as I did.

So far this road trippin’ like a solo rock star was shaping up to be pretty freaken awesome – and it was about to get better. I suddenly found myself in wine country! Let’s not forget, next to water, and green juice, I am a total wine lover. This was about to get real! Real freaken next level epic that is! Let’s go get our wine on.

Beautiful Quesnel, and my Barkerville top 10.

After road tripping for 13 hours like a solo rock star from the spectacular Northwest Territories to beautiful British Columbia, I first spent the weekend in Prince George with family, and then we ventured on to their home turf, being Quesnel, BC. This was all leading up to my epic day at Barkerville. Having never have really thought to visit Quesnel, I was pleasantly surprised at all this little gem has to offer. It is a little city that is built in pristine natural settings, and boast’s a very well preserved cultural heritage. There is more then 30 heritage sight’s in the area, and you can enjoy loads of hiking trails, as well as camping, or you can even just knock back a few cold ones at the Barkerville Brewery.

It also just so happens to have the longest wooden truss walking bridge in the whole world! ‘The Old Fraser River Bridge’ proudly stretching 831 feet in length. Obviously with that kind of history and status, you can’t not pay a visit to it while in the area. So we were off to do just that. Not before making a pit stop for some coffee. I needed to get the good morning swift kick in the ass kinda jolt, so I was ready to take on the day and all its awesome activities.

My sister and brother in law, being the best tour guides ever, knew just where to take me for only the most fab experiences. We popped over to super funky Granville Coffee shop to fill up our cups with the good stuff.

They had some epic little ambiance going on. Accompanied with humorous cups(coffee and a knee-slapper, happy days!), and the coffee itself was quite tasty too. After we got some liquid energy we ventured off to check out the bridge. No wait, first I had to stop and admire the fire hydrant. Quesnel has very artistic fire hydrants all over the city. Then it was off to the bridge. Yup, it was wooden, walk able, and with a very scenic river view. Very well kept, and mighty fine looking for what it is.When we were finished basking in the view, and grabbing a selfie(it has to be done when you are there with your awesome sister).

It was en route to Barkerville!! Ok, yes, you could say I was a little bit excited. Like a kid a in a candy shop. I knew I was gonna have fun! And that WE all definitely did.

Barkerville is the largest living-history museum in western North America. Its a completely preserved gold mining town built around ‘Williams Creek’, where Billy Barker(whom Barkerville is named in honor of) and his crew ‘struck the lead’ in 1862. So in other words, he and his crewnailed it, and found a ridiculous amount of gold. Activities such as this, are right up my alley! And this just happened to be on the grandest historical scale I have experienced to date. It did not disappoint, they really go above and beyond to bring the town alive and bring you back on a little time travel to the gold rush days.

So here are the top 10 things I did in Barkerville.

1. Take part in the festive spirit of Barkerville and get dressed up for the day. Oh, and I was all over that! You had me at get dressed up. I am always down for a good dress up party. They have loads of awesome outfits to choose from, and such fab people working there to help get you all geared up.

Just checking the ol’ pocket watch. Well yes, a pocket watch disguised as an iphone. And seeing as how you are in your finest apparel, stop by the L.A.Blanc Photography Studio and have one of the very talented ladies will capture your lovely essence.

2. Take in a show at the ‘Theater Royal’. A theater rich in history, the Cariboo Amateur Dramatic Assosication began putting on shows in Barkerville in 1865, and in this particular building in 1868. It’s a great live little show, with Barkerville’s finest actors and singers, putting on a very entertaining and fun little show.

3. Have a pint and play the piano at ‘The House Hotel Coffee Saloon’. What would a visit to the local brewery be without pumping the tunes and getting the whole room up and dancing?! Well if your capable of that. I’m not though, my piano skills are a bit rusty. I did a better job of getting photo’s sitting at it.

And if after that pint you need to stop at the ladies room, it’s not hard to recognize.

4. Grind some coffee at ‘C.Strouss Drygoods and Provisions’. I mean why the heck not?! That is what it is there for, and its cleary fun. Look at the sheer enjoyment exuding from her face. My sister partook in the Barkerville’s amazing race last year, and this was one of the things she had to do. So she had pro written all over her.

5. Have a coffee, and do some socializing while your at ‘C.Strouss’. I mean your dressed for the occasion, you just ground all that coffee – I think you earned it! Not to mention it gives you a chance to meet some new locals, catch up on the town chat, and drink some exceptionally good coffee.

Don’t forget your etiquette.

6. Flash your pantaloons. Don’t blame me! Trust me, you put on a pair of Pantaloons and try to keep those bad boys under wraps. Not everyday your wearing an undergarment the size of pants. Ahhhh, its the small things in life that produce the most thrills.

7. Pan for gold at ‘Eldorado Gold Panning and Gift Shop’. It is a gold mining town, so why not try your skills at finding the shiny stuff. We were privileged enough to get lessons from Scott, a 7 time world champion gold panner. And boy was he a gold panning machine. He knew his stuff. I like to think I was pretty good at it too…. Possibly just because I had a world champion instructor – but I got my gold!

8. Pay a visit to ‘China town’. Who would have thought that even back in the mid 1800’s that they had China town’s in their cities. I wouldn’t have, that’s for darn sure. Pretty cool fact though. I didn’t get to see as much of it as I would have liked, as the day was flying by! But apparently there is also a great little Chinese restaurant called ‘Lung Duck Tong’ to eat at. Just another reason to go back.

9. Go shopping and grab a treat from the bakery ‘Goldfield Bakery’. Honestly when a lady is out on the town, obviously she is gonna do some shopping. Isn’t that a given? Especially when there are loads of cool things to buy. I made sure to pop into ‘Mason and Daly General Store’ where I was kindly assisted in trying on hats. And you can’t not stop in at the bakery when it was once upon a time owned by my brother in law’s great grandmother. Go on, treat yourself.

10. Check out ‘The Waterwheel Show’. This is where you get to learn about deep shaft placer mining, through a lively demonstration of this 1870’s technology, using nothing less than an authentic wooden cornish waterwheel. The two guys are very comical and provide some good chuckles while involving the audience. Even in the rain, the show went on. Not to be missed!

One other thing I didn’t have time for this particular visit was to go on a stage coach ride. Although it seemed as though it would be more then fitting, seeing as how I was dressed for the occasion.

Well I would say I had a pretty kick ass day at Barkerville, and would like to extend a huge thank you to all the lovely people there who made my day so memorable. Every person I encountered were so friendly and they are totally in it for you to have the best possible experience. I would visit again any day! It is one of those places, that there is so much to do, you can’t really get it all in, in one day.

Before I bid adieu to Quesnel and all its greatness to continue on my road trippin’ like a solo rockstar adventures, I once again needed a coffee. What can I say?? Coffee and morning go so well together. So I made another one of those pit stops, at Edgewood Farm. My lovely sister told me it was a must stop destination. She is always full of such great advice, I knew should wouldn’t steer me wrong now.

It was a beautiful farm just on the outskirts of town, where they sold lots of things I wanted – yet didn’t need, fresh local produce, and delicious Phil & Sebastian coffee.

Very stunning little place to stop. Once I came to the decision that I should just buy a coffee and run(before I gave into all the lovely things), I did just that. I cranked my tunes, and hit the open road of adventure and was off to see what BC had for me next.

Sports fishing like a rockstar at a remote NWT fishing lodge.

So what do you do when you are invited on a fishing trip of a lifetime up high in Northern Canada?! Well….. YOU GO! You freaken go. So off I went. The destination was Sandy Point Fishing Lodge on Gordon Lake, NWT. A wonderful place full of lake Trout just waiting to be reeled in. The adventure began in Yellowknife, NWT – Where we we were to hop on an Air Tindi float plane and hit the skies en route to the lake.

After packing my bags, and having a late night of live tunes on the beach back in Hay River, NWT, I packed up my car and cruised on outta there at 6 am to undertake the 5 hour drive to Yellowknife to get to the Air Tindi airport for our 12:30pm departure. Tired? Yes extremely. Was the love music worth it?! Heck yes! Missing this trip of a lifetime?! I think not!

Awaiting my arrival at the Air Tindi float base was my fabulous friend Michelle. Just as eager and excited for the fishing excursion as I was. We were exuding it completely.

The float plane ride itself was something I was looking forward to. Having only been on a float plane once before in my life, and that was about 20 years ago, it’s still quite the novelty. So that being said, it was like a first time all over again.

Like a kid in a candy store. It was fun though, and I loved every second of it. The flight was only about 30 minutes. 30 minutes of pure bliss on the ol’ eyeballs.

Any of you who read my posts previously, know that I have a massive soft spot for my home turf of Northwest Territories – It has an untouched beauty like none other. An endless feast for the eyes.

As per usual, I went on this trip with no expectations, nor even a small mental picture of what this lodge was going to look like like. That didn’t matter though, I already knew in my gut that it was going to be absolutely incredible. I love adventures like that. When you have no expectations, because it always turns out even that much better then you could have ever imagined anyways.

Hello Sandy Point Lodge!!

Serene, tranquil, stunning, and blissful, are just a few words I would use to describe my initial feel and impression of the spectacular place. Ok, and let’s not forget, undeniably freaken amazing!!! This trip was already rocking my world.

The Cabins are very well put together, super clean, welcoming, and comfortable. All the luxuries and amenities you could want while in the middle of the real rugged North Country, and a little more.

Just up the beach is the main lodge, where you can hang out, bask in the view, and enjoy all the delectable home cooked meals that are prepared and served by the on site chef.

He really did create some darn delicious eats and treats. And had an array of them awaiting us when we got there.

After we all had to sign our waivers and listened to the orientation of how we were to undertake navigating the lake, and catching our prized lake trout, we were ready for action.

Accompanied by Brandon, our incredibly helpful and knowledgeable guide for the afternoon, we got geared up and onto the boat.

Once we were good to go, we cruised out to find a prime location where they knew there would be fish, enjoying the stunning scenery along the way.

Received a run down of how to do everything.

Then it was our turn. We attached our bait, and dropped our lines.

Oh and let’s not forget – it was a MUST to crack a cold one.

Well I suppose we didn’t really drop our lines, more like pulled out line 40 arm lengths of line, and let it go into the depths.

For some reason lake trout love me?! And I was getting bite after bite. Well I can’t blame them, I do drop some mighty fine bait.

But seriously, every time I dropped my line, within minutes I had another bit. I was loving life!!! A fisher women’s dream.

It’s not out of the ordinary to catch 25 pounders plus!

This time around though we were only getting the 5 pounders. Although they were still little beauty’s. Sometimes though, these cheeky little lake Trout, would just nibble on our bait! Leaving there little jaw’s of life marks.

After hours of fishing like rock stars, we went back to the lodge for dinner with the crew, and then decided it was time to hot tub! As if things couldn’t get more epic… We had a hot tub that had a 360 degree view of pure paradise.

Michelle and I made a few towel wrapped runs to top up on Vino. Just when you think you grabbed enough – it was suddenly all gone! Hot tub party rockers, and we made good use of the hot tub until we were all pruned up. It was one of those times when you just never want to get out. Until you realize it’s almost 3 am.

Day 2 started off just ridiculously awesome. Baileys and coffee back in the Lodge with a spectacular view. A treat for the eyes, and a party in our mouths.

Being trained up so well by Brandon the day before, our confidence was at its max, and Michelle and I took out our own boat for some rock star fishing adventures.

Things were motoring along quite amazingly, and then I had a bite!! Oh heck yes!

After proudly reeling in my prize and deciding he was a beauty to keep – all my excitement turned in to sheer horror upon realizing we forgot the wacking tool, and the paddles were too long and awkward, and my little fish friend was suffering. That’s exactly the moment my animal loving instincts kicked in(I even let spiders out of my house), and I started panicking. ‘Oh my god, he is suffering!’ as I jumped around the boat looking for something to get the job done swiftly and quickly. ‘This is inhumane!’, ‘I love animals!’, ‘I can’t watch him suffer!’, ‘ I am sorry fish! I meant for this to be a lot quicker!’, were just some of the things I was borderline squeezing, in an on the edge of hysterical tone. In the mean time everyone on the other boats could only see two ladies freaking out with their catch, and each one of them grabbing the radio’s to say, ‘Come on girls, use the paddle!!’ Finally, Michelle was able to get the job done with a paddle.

Horrified and relieved at the same time, we thought maybe our fishing was finished for the day and decided to slowly make our way back to the lodge. I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off at myself, and my nature loving instinct reaction. After the fact it provided some good laughs! Too bad I didn’t have that on camera. Would have been a knee slapper for freaken sure.

Soooo, let’s just head back and get ready for dinner shall we?!

Back at the lodge after dinner, one of the guests notice a bear across the water. It was all alarms sounding. Time to be ‘Bear-aware’. It was only going to be a matter of time before the bear made his way over. He would absolutely follow his nose. With that, it meant – no hot tubbin’. Dang! Oh well, plan B it was then. Time for a good ol’ shindig around the bonfire.

The whole group of us were out there, endlessly laughing, and also playing some campfire games. Who doesn’t love a campfire game?

Todd was on bear watch to protect the camp.

And yes, later on into the evening the bear did show up, but was spotted right away, and Troy was able to scare him off, and the party continued.

Feeing pretty spent by day 3 we didn’t end up making it out for a last fishing excursion. Instead we just enjoyed the beautiful day at camp until our afternoon flight back to YK.

The scenery on the flight back to Yellowknife, was equally as breath taking as the way there.

That trip was not only a massive check off my list in life, as I always wanted to goto a remote fishing lodge, but Sandy Point Lodge gets 5 stars from me for sure. With incredible staff, outstanding amenities, world class fishing, and stunning scenery, I would book another trip there in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for a trip of a lifetime experience.

Now it was time to haul ass back to Hay River to pack up for my next adventure. Road trippin’ across British Columbia. Let’s go!!

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