Ever since we got stranded in Monterey, CA overnight due to a rogue mudslide caused by heavy rains that closed the Pacific Coast Highway before we could reach Los Angeles, I’ve wanted to take my girls back to the beach. I called that trip “A Delightful Detour”, and it truly was one of the brightest moments in a brilliant vacation. My girls loved our forced delay in the beach-side Best Western Monterey Beach Resort and I really, really wanted to take them back to the ocean, but this time for a longer stay. However, finances and time and commitments being what they are, driving from Calgary to the Pacific coast for a week wasn’t in the cards for us this summer.
But still. Memories of the girls at the beach just wouldn’t leave my mind…
…I really wanted to take them back. Somehow.
I busied myself with all the normal summertime things, but in the back of my mind was one word “beach”. But here’s the thing: beaches are a little thin on the ground here in Southern Alberta. Yes, there are the majestic Rocky Mountains and yes, there are lakes, too. But warm, swimmable lakes with sandy beaches? Not so much.
So I needed to cast my mind further afield, and in the end it lit on the Okanagan. Swimmable lakes, sandy beaches, and drivable in a day from Calgary. I spent a lot of time on google and tripadvisor, then booked us for two nights at the Lake Okanagan Resort. I booked us on Monday, we left on Wednesday, and we were home again on Friday. It was a whirlwind, but a wonderful, action-packed whirlwind. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking…
…a boatride…
…and a waterski lesson…
…tubing!…
…fun on the water trampoline…
…and in the pool…
…heading out on the trails…
…and meeting new friends…
…sweet evening breezes on the patio…
…and sunset…
And then, we encountered another mudslide. Stuck in a traffic jam!
Just outside Banff – oh, so painfully close to home – and the highway was closed for – well, enough time to turn our eight-hour drive into a twelve-hour drive.
In the end, though, mudslide or not, we had a fab time on our last-minute getaway. Can’t wait until the next one!
These are awesome pics, Kath… and your girls look SO HAPPY! Wonderful!! 🙂
Looked AMAZING Kath! You are a mudslide magnet!