Wonderful Lakeside Family Fun...

Our previous blog made clear that we would be off the grid, so to speak, from internet and cell phones services.  That was till last evening's return from Barriere Lake - north and east from the city of Kamloops, in British Columbia's north Okanagan Valley.  

East Barriere Lake

We were here with our kids and their kids from Friday, August 1st  to Tuesday, August 5th.

Jeanette and I motored out of our driveway early last Friday, on our five hour journey north to the cabin on the lake.  Our son in law's family cabin was our destination.  Ginette, Trevor, Easton and Brie would be joined by our son Deni, wife Courtney and little son Owen. 

Heading north on the Coquihalla Highway

Ginette, Trevor and the kids stopped by our home on the way to the cabin to load up our coolers of food stuff.  We met up again at the Kamloops Costco where we completed our collective food purchases for the duration of our stay at the cabin.

Following Trevor and family, towing two quads to the cabin.

Dawdling for a bit behind Trevor, north from Kamloops, we chose to pass when a passing lane was offered up. We arrived at the cabin several minutes before anyone else.  Trevor needed to make one extra stop to fill several gas canisters to fuel the boat.

The last 15 minute drive is on a vegetable oil soaked gravel road.

The final few minutes to the cabin are on a well oiled gravel road.  Two wheel riding was easy but we did take our time to avoid some washboard areas and some potholed spots. The weather and road conditions were great.

Jeanette is keeping Brie and Easton busy while Ginette and Trevor get their cooler stuff moved to refrigerators and set up their sleeping facilities.

It was a hot, hot day upon arrival and what's not to like when one is along side a crystal clear lake high up in the mountains.  The lake surface was surprisingly warm and it was not long before everyone had changed into bathing suits and dove in to cool down.

Easton got to feel weightlessness with his dad's high up throws.

Easton quickly grasped the concept of floating and had a lot of fun swimming around.

Brie got to spend some time cooling off too.  She is carefully handled by her Nana....!

The family was busy on the cabin beachfront when another voice led us to look up.  It was Deni, our Edmonton, Alberta based son, who had just arrived with his family.  I got out of the water and headed up the long driveway to guide Deni as he backed his little rig into its rightful camping spot.

Deni is backing down the fairly steep and long driveway to the cabin.

Everyone exchanged 'hello hugs' before we settled in for an afternoon of beach-side relaxation and some boating.

Easton is eager to get back to the lake side.

We enjoyed fantastic BC weather, typical of what one can expect during the summer months.  We  visited, played in the water, introduced the grand-kids to lake swimming and generally enjoyed the family fun together.

Brie is taking a shade break with dad, Trevor.

We had all been looking forward to this get together.  Trevor's mom, Sandi, and some of Trevor's siblings and their friends were visiting at the cabin too.  There is plenty of accommodation for everyone. With two travel trailers on site, Jeanette and I shared one while Ginette, Trevor, Brie and Easton shared the other.  Deni and Courtney had  towed their own accommodations along.  Their trailer was very well appointed too.

Owen is ready for his first night's sleep at the cabin.

Owen and Courtney in their trailer.

With today's technology, once the kids are down for the night, their parents (or grandparents) hang on to baby monitors for signs that the kids are awake or unhappy.  In our day, we had to get up and take a look to appease ourselves. I really like technology!!!!

Courtney and Trevor chat away while Jeanette gives Brie her first morning feed.

I was up early with Owen.  He loved that beach side swing.

Trevor and Easton are out on the canoe.

As the dinner bell was ringing, we all gathered for some great cabin foods.

We had enough food to feed a sizable army. So....we enjoyed so many nice breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.  No one went hungry! We all took turns at barbecue and kitchen duties and also contributed to the clean up.  It worked out so well.

Courtney, Owen and Deni enjoying a speed boat ride.

Our kids, and theirs (with the exception of Brie) took a fun first evening speed boat ride around the lake.  This was but one of the many boating activities to occur.

Easton is at the controls with dad Trevor while mom Ginette looks on.

This Barriere Lake is beautiful and clean.  Swimming, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, water-boarding and tubing are just some of the activities we all participated in.

Dockside at the lake.

Jeanette enjoys kayaking and she did take several jaunts out on the lake.  I joined her for one longer afternoon paddle.  On departure day morning - Tuesday - Jeanette took a better than one hour solo kayak trip around 1/3rd of the entire lake.

Early morning coffee enjoyed on the lower deck

Even a portable hot tub made early mornings a treat for me and Easton.

I am an early riser.  To enjoy solitary lake views, with a morning coffee, is hard to beat.  Hearing the loons piercing call echo off the lake and mountainsides is something to enjoy.  Watching the mirror like surface change with jumping fish and watching the ducks meander while the sun makes its appearance are sights not easily forgotten. The topography is simply stunning!

While Easton and I enjoyed some very early morning hot tub time, Trevor got some alone time to study one of his manuals.

Ginette and Trevor will take on any water sport.  Here they are on paddle boards.

To scoot on a large tube at high speed is a fun activity for young and old.  We did get to enjoy some of that too.  It's a nice way to cool off on a hot afternoon.

Ginette and Trevor take Easton on his very first tubing ride.  What a little trooper.  Although expressing a bit of early trepidation, he quickly grew to enjoy tubing.  Faster......faster.....faster.....!

Not having wake boarded for over two years (due to pregnancies), Ginette got up on the wake-board on her very first try.  Yeah!!

Trevor is no slouch when it comes to water sports.  He wake-boarded too!  And he easily got air switching from side to side off the wakes created by the boat. He chose to try slalom skiing and made that look easy too.  I was a very good slalom skier, in my younger days, but a high speed collision with a water soaked log put me in hospital, in traction,  for two solid summer months, with a dislocated hip, when our son Deni was only two years old.  That ended my skiing career! 

Trevor at the helm

Ginette getting even more comfortable with a wake board.

When it was our turn, I chose to tube with Ginette and Easton (below).  By now, Easton was a seasoned pro who was quite comfortable with the fun.

I am driving the boat for Trevor's slalom ski.... Little Easton marveled at his dad's abilities.

I grew up - with my siblings - spending our two summer months at our central Alberta lake cabin.  Most of my brothers and sisters were quite proficient with water borne sports such as skiing. To now get to spend time with family at a lake is a nice change from the routine.

At the helm, I am approaching the cabin dock where Trevor drops the rope and glides in.

It was not all boating and water fun.  To cut our kids a holiday break, we often took care of Easton, Brie and  Owen.  The parents could get out and have all kinds of fun.  Quading was also a big draw. The little four wheelers were well exercised.

I got to spend several hours - daily - with a good book or simply gazing out over the lake.

When Deni, Courtney and Owen left back for Edmonton, I got to do a bit of quading and one trip took us better than 19 kilometers into some very high mountain country.  Trevor's brother, Wes had found a lake that he named 'Secret Lake'. It offered some awesome trout fishing.  A couple of casts and the fish were biting.  All were released back. We had to trek through some thick forest to find the lake.  I could quite likely find that lake again....but it could also prove difficult.  That was some tough terrain we had to ride in to find the lake.  What a sight when one is at the top of these mountains though!  It's basically top of the world views!

Heading out with two quads and one side by side.  I am in the white shirt in the passenger seat of the white side by side.

Early morning get together at Trevor and Ginette's sleeping quarters.

Deni, me and Courtney hanging out.

Jeanette is kayaking along side Easton and Trevor in the canoe.

Saying good bye to Owen who was soon to head back for Edmonton with his folks.

All too soon, it was time to say bye bye to Deni, Courtney and Owen as they were set to head back towards Edmonton, Alberta.  Easton is sitting on one of his favourite spots.

Although Jeanette and I returned early last evening (Tuesday) Trevor, Ginette, Brie and Easton are staying at the cabin for a few more days with Trevor's mom, Sandi.

A view of the cabin from below.  Nice facility!

We sure had a good, relaxing time.  It was nice to share the time with Deni, Courtney, Owen, Ginette, Trevor, Brie and Easton.  But, like all good fun things, they have an end date when everyone has to return to their work world and their routines.  Us too!

Today (Wednesday) was a day for Jeanette and I to catch up on stuff.  I washed the motorcycle and the Nissan truck while Jeanette attended to laundry and pruning.  Tomorrow returns me to our back yard improvement projects.  More on that in blogs to follow.

Thanks for dropping by.