Monday, 5 August 2019

You and Me and… a Bear named Boo

Condos in Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
June 2019
This blog will age me and yes, I remember Lobo’s music. I grew up in a family that traveled most summers, and my parents subscribed to the theory you better understand history and geography if you see and absorb it.  In reality; they just want to get us out of our remote isolated community for everyone’s sanity, anything else was a plus! 

Summer 2019, my husband and I did a road trip through parts of British Columbia and Alberta.  I had traveled as a child and adult through out both provinces; him not so much. A friend recommended Golden as a place to stay.  I researched and decided I liked several rentals in Kicking Horse Mountain Resort just outside of Golden.  IMHO a "Brilliant Decision" (he does agree and has invoked editor rights for this blog).

Golden,  BC
Directions to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
Golden is a fantastic base for exploring hiking trails, mountain climbing, mountain biking, white water rafting (May-July), world-class skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, along with waterfalls, lakes, and various heritage sites; so basically, it’s a great outdoor activities base regardless of season. The Kicking Horse Pass Resort is 13 km up the mountain from Golden; or in others words the ski resort area of Golden.  We visited in a “shoulder season”, so restaurants and bars at the resort were on reduced hours or not opened.  We primarily dined in at our rental condo with a few evenings in Golden. 

Surrounded by six incredible Canadian National Parks; Golden served as our gateway to visit them; specifically, Revelstoke, Yoho, Glacier, Banff and Jasper (Kootenay was visited from another locale).  The drive to the Columbia Icefields (Jasper) made for a long day, but that was really the only one. 

Boo June 2019
Our rental was perfect for the two of us, a one-bedroom condo with washer and dryer and a private hot tub on the patio.  We could not have asked for more except maybe a softer mattress!  The icing on the cake to staying in Golden and unknown to us until we arrived, is the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge which is in the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. This is the largest enclosed and protected grizzly bear habitat in the world and is home to Boo.  Boo was born in the wild with his mother being shot and killed by a poacher in June 2002, leaving Boo and his brother, Cari, orphaned and defenseless at just five months of age. They were given a second lease on life and a new home at the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge.  Alas Cari died but Boo is a thriving Grizzly you can visit.  Just make sure to confirm the schedule as it is not open to the public for more than 4 or 5 hours per day during the spring, summer and fall seasons. 

Golden for us will always be about “You and Me and A bear named Boo”.  Although we saw several grizzlies in the wild, the highlight of this trip will always be Boo.  Finally, the Eagle’s Eye Restaurant at the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is worth a visit; if only for the breath taking views. 


Boo Playing in his Pool

Mountain Bikers heading up Kicking Horse Mountain 

Road to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort


Golden BC Outdoor Playground; Road to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort


Kicking Horse Pedestrian Bridge


Reflection Lake, Golden BC


Video Compilation of Boo Clips




The following web sites are excellent resources for information on Golden BC and the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.



Wednesday, 3 July 2019

Mixed Emotions

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Beaumont Hamel , France
Canadian National Historic Site
July 1st is a day of celebration in Canada; it is our national holiday marking the anniversary of Confederation in 1867, when the British North America Act came into effect. Like all Canadians, I joyfully celebrate Canada Day with pride.  But as a Newfoundlander, this day marks an additional and more solemn anniversary; Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel on the first day of the Somme Offensive during the World War 1 (July 1, 1916).  This anniversary predates Newfoundland’s joining Canada, when Newfoundland was a dominion of the British Empire.  

As I sit here and listen to the pouring rain on this Canada Day, I can’t help but remember the 2018 girl’s trip; a driving tour of Belgium and France.  A stop at Beaumont Hamel wasn’t discussed per say as we just knew it would happen.  Upon arriving after 15.5 hours of travel from Canada, a 4.5-hour time change coupled with 2 hours in customs at Charles de Gaulle Airport, we excitedly went to pick up our rental vehicle.  Que le plaisir commence!! 

Well, not so fast ladies! Our rental agent decides the vehicle we rented; a SUV was going to be too big for what we needed.  He spent the next hour to no avail trying to find us a smaller vehicle. By this time, I must admit I am convinced we rented a Bus!   We finally get out to the vehicle, said SUV, which supposedly could hold up to 8 passengers.  We stared and kept saying, “are we sure this is the correct vehicle”?  It was!  Oh, and the only way it would hold 8 passengers was if they were Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, even then it would be a tight fit.  

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial

Trail of the Caribou
Engaging the GPS, avoiding flashbacks of “Recalculating is a four-letter word” experiences from Sicily and we are on our way to Beaumont Hamel.  Eventually, we exited as directed by the GPS onto a small paved road.  We travelled several kilometres without seeing another vehicle, coming to an intersection, and continuing as directed; our two-way lane quickly became a paved cart path.  Yikes!  All I could think was hopefully we had better not meet vehicles along this path.  Of course, we did; one.  A few kilometres more and we arrive at the end of the said cart path in Beaumont Hamel, where we are greeted by a sign with directions to the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.  I can safely say Prime Minister Trudeau and his entourage did not travel our route in July 2016.  The route we travelled to Beaumont Hamel generated a lot of laughter and more than a few flashbacks to our travels in Sicily.  

One of the trenches at Beaumont Hamel




Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is a memorial to all the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who fought in WWI, including those who have no known grave. The whole site is a cemetery and should be remembered as such.  It is one of only two Canadian National Historic Sites outside Canada: Vimy Memorial is the other.  I am not sure how to describe Beaumont Hamel except as a haunting symbol of remembrance to both human courage and resolve, as well as, arrogance and stupidity.  Beaumont-Hamel is stunning and extremely thought provoking, bearing the scars of trench warfare to this day.  It remains essentially an “untouched" battlefield where the original trench lines, artillery shell craters and the remains of barbed-wire barriers are still visible, softened only by the passage of time. The monument of the great bronze caribou, the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, stands atop a cairn of Newfoundland granite on the highest point overlooking the former battlefield. The stunning caribou sculpture is facing its former foe with head thrown high in defiance. At the base of the statue, three bronze tablets bear the names of more than 800 Newfoundlanders (the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve and the Mercantile Marines) who died in the war and have no known grave.

So, for myself and most Newfoundlanders, July 1st is a day of mixed emotions.  One of pride and joy as well as sadness and sorrow; and now it has also become a day to remember the start of another great adventure with good friends.  

Bronze Caribou at Beaumont Hamel (British sculptor Captain Basil Gotto)
Emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment



The following web sites are excellent resources for information on the Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial:

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/overseas/first-world-war/france/beaumonthamel

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/fact_sheets/beaumont-hamel