Taking the City Boy to the Farm

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your summer! I can't believe that summer holidays are already half over and I go back to school soon. I am writing this late at night as we finish packing and getting ready to leave early in the morning for camping with my man's family. Last week we flew out to Alberta to spend a week with my family. It has been crazy busy!
As I said, my man and I flew to Alberta to visit my family last week. He had never been to Southern Alberta or spent much time on a farm. We landed in Calgary from Vancouver and got to have lunch with my cousin. I haven't seen her in over a year and was so glad that she was able to have lunch with us. We got to see her new work place and catch up quickly before she had to go to work and my mom picked us up to drive 3 hours south to the farm. It makes for a long travel day flying then driving, but it was interesting to see how things have changed since the last time I was home and to see my man's reactions to how different Alberta looks then BC. 
My parents no longer farm the land they live on, but still own a small portion of it where the house is. Which is in the middle of nowhere with very few neighbors and an amazing view of Chief Mountain. We kept pretty busy while we were there and went of many adventures. I also got to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in forever. I did miss my high school reunion by one week but I'm okay with that. 
Our first adventure was riding E-bikes in Waterton. My parents have their own and we rented some for my man and I. We rode them part way up to Red Rock Canyon. The road up is closed to vehicles after the big fire there 2 years ago. Some of the other roads are still closed, but most of the park is still open. Things didn't start out so good, as the E-bike we got for my man was not working! My dad and him fiddled around with things and kept trying to

Road to Red Rock Canyon

figure out why the assist wasn't working and finally as they jiggled some wires they got it to work. So we continued our trip. I have never ridden an E-bike before and was kind of nervous, but it was a blast! Those things go! The speed limit in the town of Waterton is 30km/h and it was surprising that with very little effort on the bike I was going that speed. When we got to the road to Red Rock Canyon on some of the hills, I got the speed up to around 40km/h! If I had a place to store a bike I would definitely be getting an E-bike. 
A couple days later, with the addition of my brother and his fiancee, we went down into the States to go over Logan's Pass and kayak on Lake MacDonald. I try to go over the Pass every time I come home, but since it is only open a few months of the year it isn't always that easy. Going over Logan's Pass is an amazing drive through the mountains. It is hard to describe, but something

In my brother's Jeep on Logan's Pass

everyone should get to see, I think. We took 5 kayaks and the paddle board out on the lake and had a blast. We were lucky that it was calm day, warm day. I am not very good at kayaking, but really enjoy the paddle board, though for this trip I got pulled along behind my dad when they noticed I was struggling to keep up. My brother wanted to try out the paddle board, so I switched into the kayak for a bit. My brother had a blast on the board. I only crushed my finger twice while in the kayak and then my dad pulled me back to where we started. It was great to get to spend more time with my brother and his fiancee. I don't get to see them much living so far away. 
In the evenings we played card games and horseshoes. My parents built a horseshoe pit in the yard years ago, but I have never really played. I don't have the greatest aim and my dad got attacked a few times by my horseshoes bouncing towards him. He started standing closer to me to avoid rogue horseshoes. I did get better as we played though! I even scored some points! 

On Logan's Pass at one of the pullouts

Taking my man to my parents farm was interesting as he grew up in the Lower Mainland and hadn't really spent anytime on a farm. He and I love to go on walks in the evenings and one thing he brought up was that there wasn't really somewhere to walk. When we are in the city we can go to the park or walk to the store, on the farm it's pretty much just up and down the lane unless you drive somewhere else. I never really thought about this because when I lived on the farm we were always busy and working on the farm.
We were there for a week, but I think I could have stayed a little longer. It felt like we were busy every day and didn't really have a day to just relax and hang out at the house. Some days it is hard living so far from my family, but moving to BC has been the greatest adventure so far and I wouldn't have met my man if I wasn't out here!
Tomorrow morning we are off camping for a week so I should be getting to bed!
Have a wonderful week everyone!


Song of the Day: Lyin' Eyes by The Eagles