Pulling out of Medicine Hat and hitting the road towards the unknown was difficult. Packing up our stuff and having it scattered in various boxes in numerous places for the next few weeks has created chaos. But, in the midst of it all, I got to plan (or as much as I plan) an adventure. The timing just worked out that soon after leaving the Hat, I’d be looking after my niece (M) and nephew (A) for a few days while their parents were away. In the emotional turmoil that was August an idea was hatched to take these kiddos on a surprise adventure. What a wonderful distraction that was for me, a great reminder of one of my core values and why I’m doing the things that I am and an opportunity to introduce my little peeps to the element of surprise.
So as I set off into the unknown, at least I had an adventure awaiting me that I was kind of excited about. From the Hat, I made my way to BC where M & A’s parents had secretly packed a bag for them. They knew their parents where going somewhere, but it was priceless to see the expression on their faces when they found out they would also be going somewhere.
A few hours later we were on a plane going to . . . . . .
. . . . . their grandparents house! Not something new or different, but that morning they had no idea that at night they’d be sleeping at grandpa and lola’s house!! Their grandparents were nice enough to set up the next phase of the adventure which involved staying at a hotel with a waterpark.
The waterpark was fun, but I think we all busted a gut the most when the additional bed arrived in our room for A to sleep in.
The next morning we said goodbye to the grandparents and hello to . . . ..
. . . . . Uncle B-Rod who picked us up in the truck and camper. We had spent the previous night in Calgary, so didn’t have too far to go for the next surprise.
We enjoyed some rides, fried food and all agreed that the log ride was by far the best part of the day.
We eventually hopped back into the truck and once again I was leaving Alberta bound for BC.
We drove until we found a place to settle in for the night and got cozy in the camper.
The next day we got up for the next surprise which was just as much for B-Rod and I as it was for the kiddos. It was something that would be a new experience for all of us!
The Pipe Mountain Coaster!! B-Rod and A opted for their own rides, while M and I went together. I could tell that M was nervous, and I’ll admit I was too. I don’t know if it was because of our nerves or because the employees encouraged us not to use the brakes at all (I’m pretty good at following directions) but when we got to the bottom we discovered that we were the only ones that had gone full speed ahead the whole time! Though B-Rod was all tough talk at the beginning, both him and A had applied brakes at one point in the ride. Yeah for the girls, but yeah for all of us as this was a super fun experience!
From there we went back on the road and made our way to the Enchanted Forest. I had promised a friend we would stop here and we were all glad we did. We spent a few hours in the enchanted forest, the nature walk and the FREE boats (which we were the only ones using!) The weather was perfect, the setting was magical and it was just wonderful to be outside.
It seemed fitting that the adventure and surprises ended spontaneously when we found ourselves in Salmon Arm for supper. We decided to go down to the water and take a walk along the pier. Perfect weather, perfect setting, perfect company, perfect adventure!! Thanks kiddos for the distraction and the fun ❤️
What fun! Now they have even more memories with their cool Aunt and Uncle. It’s hard to believe the Enchanted Forest is still going strong after so many decades.