These Trails are too addictive

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Anne and I have been wandering about, checking out the local eateries and what have you. "The Old Elevator" is one of the oldest restaurants in Fernie and was here when Anne lived here in the 80's. We went there with Gary and Sandra for one of the best Bison steaks we have ever tasted....in fact, it was my first and it was excellent!! Sandra has been a great friend to Anne over the past 23 years, and without her help, we would probably be living in a cardboard box eating cheerios. We owe her a lot in terms of organizing our accommodation and helping us settle into Fernie. Thanks Sandra!

Ian has been working hard again as our excellent tour guide and good friend. This included a day trip to Island Lake Lodge, a great hike through the old growth forest and moose infested terrain....even though we didn't see one, we sure saw a lot of their droppings!! Later we had lunch at the lodge which served one of the best home made burgers ever, (except Anne's of course :-).

Speaking of burgers....we bought a Weber the other day. As most of you know, I am an extremist, and when not being a vegetarian, well, one needs to touch the other end of the spectrum. Should I tell you how good Alberta Beef is? :-)

Ian took us to one of the local lakes for some swimming in the hot, hot weather we have been 'enjoying'. Silver Springs Lake is crystal clear, with some great high rocks for diving. All the rivers here are freezing cold as a result of the melting ice feeding into them, however this lake was nice and warm. It did take a bit of a hike to get to - it seems everywhere Ian takes us is straight up! However the effort was indeed worth it.

The walking/bike trails here are fantastic. I was running around town on the roads until I discovered these gems. On a hot day, running under the canopy of massive cedar trees over 900 years old, it's cool and awe inspiring. The forest floor is soft and spongy underfoot, creating a nice low impact environment. There are pitfalls however. Trails come with big tree roots, and one just happened to be in the wrong place. I found truth in the saying that exercise can be no good for you - I twisted my ankle hard, and fell like a bag of you know what.....

Limping back home, all I could think about was how well could bears sense injured animals, and how often do they take advantage of the situation? Bear shit on the trail didn't help my paranoia. I might be overreacting - however a woman was attacked and killed by a black bear only a week ago in the area - so it's a real issue here. Note to self: I must get some bear (pepper) spray. (No, I'm not getting a gun, Kem).

I made it home safe, and my ankle is now a nice purple color....

We are off to the US this weekend - our first jaunt across the border to Spokane, Washington. Anne has secured us a nice B&B. It's about a 4 hour scenic drive. Stay tuned for the pics...

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Photos

900 Year Old Cedar
Big Trees aplenty here

Silver Springs Lake
Crystal Clear

Silver Springs Lake
Is that Otis pulling on his lead again?

Island Lake
The Lake by the Lodge

Angel Sandra
Our very good friend working hard as ever...