A good trip

So August was a whirlwind month. We spent the last 2 weeks of the month on a big road trip. We camped for 3 nights at Kettle River Provincial campground. We love it. We've now been there 3 times and will be back. It's got big sites, spread out from each other, a playground for the kids, a river to frolic in (with some pool like spots so it's not all current), great other campers, and it's on the Trans Canada Trail. DH got in a bike ride or two, and I did two 'good' runs. I went out with the intension of running for 1.5 hours, but it was super duper hot and I only have 2 small bottles on my run belt. The trail merges with road for a bit and there the heat got overwhelming, so I decided to turn around at that point and cut my run short. It still ended up being about an hour (I'm trying to up my mileage to get ready for an upcoming half marathon.) Better cut a run short than collapse on the route (although DH knew exactly where I was going and how long I expected to be out - we're really careful about that when working out while traveling). Then a few days later the heat broke and I went out in the other direction for a tempo run. That run went really well, and I was feeling good about managing to get in workouts while traveling.

Then the weather turned nasty, as in, thunder storm nasty. By that time we had moved on, and headed towards Nelson, BC. I have some family there we try to see when we can, and we had a campsite booked nearby. Son loved seeing the Kokanee run, and we loved seeing my family, but we didn't stay in the area long - the weather was going to be awful and we were at a site with no trees, and so no way to put up tarps (we're old school - we tent). So off we went to Wasa Lake. Got there in the dusk and set up camp quickly enough to beat the rain. We managed to get packed up the next day before it really started to pour too. Unfortunately the little guy didn't get to ride in the little dirt track they have there. He would have loved it. DH is a smart man, and figured we might want a break after so many nights camping, so next we were off to a condo in Invermere. Son enjoyed the pool, DH got in a really great ride (his first 100km ride ever) and I went for a 40 min run. Wasn't out for any speed records, just wanted to move my legs, and it's a town on a hill, so it was not unchallenging. But it felt great to get out and run. I was thinking at how 2 years ago when I started moving again running for 25 minutes was super hard. And now a 40 minute run is a nice short jaunt for me. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I've come a long way. And that feels good.

From there we were off to Calgary to visit with friends and more family. DH did another ride, and I got out for a fartlek session on the path along the river in Okotoks. Then it was off to Drumheller. My son is mad for dinsosaurs, has been for years. Last time we visited the Royal Tyrell Museum he was 3 and we told him if he still liked dinosaurs in 2 years we'd go back. Well, we went back. Eating well was harder there, as we were reliant on restaurants and the selection there isn't great, to say the least. But we stayed at a nice litle B&B style inn with self-serve breakfasts, so at least we could start our days as we wanted.

Then in was back through Calgary on our way west again. I popped into Tri It Multisport. Unfortunately, they didn't have anything I wanted in my size, but I would totally shop there if I lived closer. The staff (and customer) there pointed us to a great little cafe nearby for lunch, the Extreme Bean Cafe, so it was worth stopping in.

Then we camped at Lake Louis. We won't be back. Partly it was the weather, cold and wet, and partly it was just the vibe. It was very transient, people weren't really there in the day time, so there were no kids playing or riding around together in the typical bike posse that is common in campgrounds. DH got in a wretched ride (cold cold rain hit while he was descending) and I didn't even bother. I'm reluctant to go trail running solo with the threat of bears being so high, and I am trying very very hard to avoid too much time on the pavement. Anyway, after 3 nights there we were ready for some inside time, so it was good that we were done with camping.

We spent the next 2 nights in a 'hotel' in Golden, BC. It was cold there too, but we found a few neat restaurants that were totally unexpected, and I discovered that pool running can be a good workout. The place had a pool and the little guy really wanted to hang out there for a while. So I snuck in a bit of a workout while he played. Although we'd planned a trip out to Alberta this summer anyway, the timing was dictated by a wedding, my brother's, that was the day before Labour Day at Emerald Lake. It was a lovely occasion in a spectacular setting. But given that all three of us had the first day of school 2 days after the wedding, it meant a long drive back to Vancouver the day after the wedding. So staying somewhere that cut even a little bit of time off of the drive seemed like a good thing.

Anyway, that's a very abbreviated version.