Stave Falls Dam

Weather sucked yesterday and we were looking for something to do so we took the kids, and cousin Madison, to the Stave Falls dam. This dam was built in the early 1900's until it was replaced in the 1990's (if my memory is correct) so they made the old one into an education centre where you can go see the old power generating facility and learn about creating electricity and other cool stuff. For you Chilliwack locals its only $15 for a family and a short drive away, good place for a rainy day. Some pictures below; I hit something on my phone that changed the pictures to black and white and I dont know how to change it back - kind of worked for these photos anyway.

5th Annual Oliver Trip

Its crazy to think that this was our fifth year to Lakeside Resort on Tuc-El-Nuit lake; probably Chelsey's 15th time or more when you consider she went as a kid too. This continues to be our favorite vacation every year because the kids have tonnes of fun, the parents relax, Chelsey gets her wine tours and I get a few bike rides...Lets not forget Tickleberries too!

Not as many pictures this go around as you have all seen them before but a few highlights from this year...

Camping at Blue Lake - May 2015

Back in may we went up to Blue Lake Resort for a quick weekend camping trip; it is located about 15 minutes from Boston Bar so not too far away. After booking we read the Google Reviews for the place and they were not all pleasant so some nerves were present; the reviews were wrong as the place was awesome. We were looking for a place a little more "rustic" than a KOA and this place was perfect.

The road up was a little dodgier than expected but after talking to some regulars and employees I learned everything always works out fine. There were even some big ass bus size RV's up there

Leavenworth Trip - July 2015

Another inconsistent blog post to keep our far flung family updated; I always promise to do this more but it never happens so I will stop promising! Anyways, this year Canada Day fell on a Wednesday so we decided to take the Monday and Tuesday off as well so we can go on a mini five day trip; for this adventure we chose Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is a cute little "German" town (for you in South Australia it is kind of like Handorf) which is just over Stevens Pass from Everett; it is a 4-5 hour drive from Chilliwack.

We left the Friday night after work and I was able to fulfill one of my camping dreams...Sleeping in a Wal-Mart parking lot. After spending the night at Wal-Mart we headed off and made our first stop at the Monroe Reptile Zoo; as a hater of spiders and snakes I did not find this place much fun - the kids sure loved it though. Our next stop was Stevens Pass where we stopped for a beer and to watch the mountain bikers heading down the hill. It looks to be a pretty decent ski hill with prices much better than Whistler-Blackcomb!

Our campsite was about 25 minutes north of Leavenworth but it was well situated between Lake Wenatchee and the town so it was perfect. It was super hot the whole time we were down there so we spent most evenings in the pool to cool off before bed. We spent one day at Lake Wenatchee where the kids ripped around in their kayak and Chelsey and I tried the paddle board; I suck but its because I am fat and have no core muscles (I ride bikes so I can eat crap and drink beer!)

We also spent a day wandering around the stores in Leavenworth. There were some cool shops and