dog – Page 2 – OldPlaidCamper

Cabin time

When it comes to mountain or forest accommodation in winter, a cabin is just about perfect. I’ve slept (or not slept – that wood stove needs regular tending) in a yurt, and enjoyed pleasant tent slumbers in rainforests (winter-adjacent rainforest camping isn’t so cold, but a bit damp) but nothing beats the comfort of a cabin. (I can hear one brother spitting coffee on his keyboard at the use of “comfort” and “cabin” in the same sentence. It was many years ago, I still choose to believe he had a good time, not that he’ll admit it, and anyway, of course he wasn’t going to get a great night’s sleep if he spent all his time throwing shoes at a mouse. The mouse was fine, if you were wondering…)

I did once construct a quinzee just for fun, after a heavy snowfall in Yoho, but did I sleep in it? No chance – I knew the builder – and besides, I built it in the backyard of the cabin we were staying in at the time. Cabin or quinzee? No contest!

To describe the place we called home for a few nights during our recent trip (to the Blaeberry Valley, BC) as simply a cabin seems a bit of an understatement. It was a mountain palace, and no complaints about that from this travel weary (travel weary? – it was only three hours from home! Mrs. PC) princess, happy to arrive, unsaddle and stable the horses, after brushing the road dust, er, I mean snow, from his clothes. Or something.

In realtor-speak, is this vaulted, or cathedral? Or upside-down boat interior? I liked it.

I’ve included a few photographs taken in and around the “cabin” to share some idea of what splendid accommodation it was. It did snow plenty while we were there, so was I tempted to try and make another quinzee? Nope! Too comfortable, and I was far too busy trying to figure out the fancy coffee machine. Like I said, not the usual cabin, and that was absolutely fine by us.

This week’s post was sponsored by overuse of the word quinzee. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

We’re well supplied, Scout, don’t worry!

The weary traveller, unsaddling the horses, brushing off the snow… (Huh? Is he ok?!)

Spring forward!

Longer daylight hours, the soft warmth of springlike days, and the promise of a cold drink on a sunny patio – sure, let’s spring forward!

Might have to wait a little longer for some of those springing forward benefits around here?

In the meantime, we don’t have to dream of the beach to visit the beach, not here!

Oh well! Glass half full, it’s almost spring, or soon will be, and in the meantime, we’re off to the mountains for a few days, to enjoy the rain, and maybe even the snow, if our cabin is at a high enough elevation…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

On the edge…

…of the city, there is a small wilderness area squeezed between the southwest city limits and the boundary of the Tsuu t’ina Nation. It’s mostly a wooded wetland, located on the north side of the Elbow River, with pathways weaving along and between narrow waterways and tiny ponds.

We were there this week on a bright March morning, enjoying blue skies and temperatures that quickly climbed above freezing. There were hardly any other park users – a few other dog walkers and a jogger who jingled past laden with bear bells. I imagine the bears appreciated the heads up, delighted to hear lunch was approaching? We didn’t see bears or any other big creatures, but there were many geese overhead, and chickadees were our almost constant companions in the sunnier spots. Every now and then we heard the distant tapping of a busy woodpecker.

There was some snow on the ground from a heavy fall a few days earlier, but it was melting away in the strong sun, and, in these bright March days, it feels far more like early spring than late winter, so I guess we’re headed in the right direction!

The park isn’t huge, but it’s more than pleasant enough to be in the almost wild for a couple of hours on a midweek morning. We’ll revisit again when it is spring proper, check out the new greenery, smell the sap, and give the mosquitoes something to feed on.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Adult day care!

Day care? Yes, somewhere to go when the weather doesn’t cooperate and there’s no xc skiing in the nearby parks to be had. So, what to do? Visit the “day care” of course! A new to us – it’s been there years – coffee shop that roasts on site, and they have a wide range of dark beans. Just the thing!

Most of January we’ve enjoyed (endured?!) a series of chinooks, keeping temperatures way above seasonal and eating all the snow in the city. This morning, we were able to have our coffee (beans from the place above) outside, shirtsleeves and sunglasses. Is it really February?!

Strangely warm…(the weather, not the coffee – that was just right!)

Here’s hoping winter returns soon. In the meantime, espresso it is.

I’m with this guy:

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Striding out…

…and staggering back? Maybe…

Blue skies with a few gathering white clouds – it did snow later in the day – combined with cold, but not too cold temperatures, made for great snowshoe conditions the other day. It had been more than a year since we last found ourselves in properly deep snow, so this was a great chance to see how our legs would hold up!

Being in a river valley, we opted to stay low and follow the river rather than go for steep slopes and sore muscles. I got those later anyway, but not snowshoeing. More on that another time.

Helpfully, there was a trail to assist us, and we followed whoever had been out the days before, their tracks leading over the tracks and down to the river.

We could see a single set of footprints that occasionally stepped out of the tracks, leaving deep holes on the side. Fair play to the person – we said hi when we met them retracing their steps a little later, the only person we saw all morning – but it must have been hard going without snowshoes.

As I mentioned last week, it was so quiet – we weren’t huffing and puffing too much after the first few minutes – and when we eventually stopped to sit and take it all in (and enjoy an all important caffeine and chocolate boost, ‘cos how else would we have made it back?) the silence was wonderful.

By the time we returned to the cabin, we’d probably been actually walking for a couple of hours, and I’ll admit it felt quite the workout. Still, I was ready for more, and, later that day, I set off to find a nearby trailhead, convinced I had enough left in me to tackle an “easy” there and back again ski trail. I wonder how that went?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Winter mountain hush

What a relief it was to arrive at Baker Creek, check into our little cabin, and smile when we were told internet was spotty at best due to limited satellite uplink capacity (or something) and cell phone service was basically zero. Imagine our disappointment…

No cell service?! Oh our disappointment, teehee…

It was hard to see who was more gleeful to be out in the mountains, and to be running helter skelter through the deep snow, but I think Scout edged it. She was able to make slightly faster progress with four leg drive than we did on two. And yes, instead of dumping bags and heading straight out the door to explore the immediate surroundings, a short pause to don snow pants and snowshoes would have been sensible. Sensible? Nope, no time for that!

We stumbled and postholed around the perimeter, trying to stay in the middle of snowmobile tracks, but with Scout leading and pulling, we weren’t able to keep from drifting into drifts. Mother had mentioned, before we left, not to fall into any deep drifts. Good advice! (We saw, from the road on the way home a few days later, an elk caught in a deep drift and bulldozing – elk-dozing? – it’s way out. Hope it made it…)

Poorly equipped for even a short walk as we were, we still enjoyed how silent and still (our mad stumbling aside) everything was. The blanket of snow was so pretty, muffling most noise. Winter mountain hush! Blessed quiet! We could just about hear the tinkling chuckle-gurgle of the creek, and, luckily, see it in a few places where it hadn’t been snowed over. Scout desperately wanted to get closer, odd for her, given she doesn’t enjoy the water, but we resisted her efforts. Sorry, Scout – wet feet and minus fifteen don’t mix!

Eventually, slightly wet legged due to snowmelt on lower jeans, and ready to admit we should have put on snowshoes, we returned to our cabin to unpack, find dry pants, and get warmed up by the fire. Oh, and crack open a red ale we’d been saving as a fireside sipper. It was just the thing as we planned a proper snowshoe adventure for the following day!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Holidays!

Short, chilly, bubbly and a bit festive. No, no, not me – this post. Enjoy the season, and happy holidays to you if you choose to celebrate!

“I’m not pulling this – where are the reindeer?”

Festive cheer? Oh yes! We might even have another in the next little while. ‘Tis the season, and all that!

December! Winter! Phew!

Phew! We got through the somewhat dull days of November, helped enormously by the very much appreciated end of month snowfall – for us, everything looks better with a light (or heavy) dusting of snow! Once the last leaves drop, it might as well snow, and, for now, it has!

Happy dog dance and an odd gnomish-looking fellow. (Photo: Mrs. PC)

So it’s goodbye November and welcome to winter!

Did someone say winter? Woof! (Photo: Mrs. PC)

I’ll keep it brief for this post and limit things to a few photos taken out and about the past week or so.

We have our fingers crossed that the temperature dip to more seasonal numbers is consistent, and that the promised snowy winter predicted by forecasters this season comes to pass…

Cool temperatures and a layer of ice beginning to creep out from the shore

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Empty head

I’m working hard to stay patient, same as always this time of year. The most colourful part of the fall season is behind us, and it’s not quite properly cold enough for snow and snow related activities. November is, or has been, my boredom season!

Boredom season? That’s quite a childish approach to an entire month, but I’ll own it – years of teaching mostly Junior High and elementary school means childish is often my comfort zone. Still, this November I’m trying something different, and going for a glass half full (or more) month – it won’t be empty, not this time…

Fill my glass! Trust me, this one was excellent!

Getting out and about in the city, we’re aiming to fill the month with music, coffee, hockey, and some new beer haunts. We’ve already been to see a friend’s band, Magnolia Buckskin, play, and an added bonus was a new to me performer, Rory Makem, on the same bill. Both recommended if you get the chance to catch them live.

Coffee! And perhaps a flaky almond croissant to go with it?

Getting along to watch some junior hockey is always a fun afternoon or evening, and our first Calgary Hitmen game in years was a good ‘un, with a fine home win!

Since the last time we lived here, it appears umpteen – possibly more – new microbreweries have started up, with at least three within walking distance of us. More to follow on those!

Ok, not within walking distance, but this was pretty good!

So perhaps November won’t be quite the empty month I sometimes think it is, and maybe I won’t have an empty head. I’ll go steady on the new beers though – wouldn’t want a sore head…

Winter will be just over the far side of this month

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Winter? Soon?! Tell me more – I’m all ears!

Neighbourhood horrors

Honestly, not too many horrors and this won’t be too scary; it’s mostly a collection of some frightful sights we’ve seen around the neighbourhood the past week or two. Many thanks to our neighbours for the fun seasonal scares! (Having downplayed the frights to come at the start of this, a word of warning to those of a sensitive disposition: the final image contains absolute horror, an unspeakable terror, as will become clear if you dare make it that far…)

Headless plant based horror – eek-o horror?

Are you still here, with a racing heart and slightly sweaty? Ok, here comes the real scare – brace yourself:

I have no words for this one… let’s agree we shall never speak of it again…

Thank for reading, and I hope you have a great Halloween if you choose to celebrate, as well as a great weekend!

	Bernie on Autumnal ales
	Bernie on Happy Thanksgiving!
	Bernie on On the road, off the grid, nor…
	Bernie on Canada Day (soon!)
	plaidcamper on Scary stuff