August Long Weekend at 20 Mile Bay

Well after the last debacle with the truck and having to get it towed home from camping we needed to make a big change. So we went out and with Jordan's parents bought a 2011 Dodge Ram 3500, long box, crew cab- this thing is a beast! But we now have a reliable truck that will serve us well for years to come!

Jordan gets an extra day off around long weekends as a part of his union so we took full advantage again and left Thursday after work to head out to 20 Mile Bay on Harrison Lake. We had no reservations but new that about half the sites were first come first serve so we thought we had pretty good chances! After driving an hour near Harrison then 2 hours on a logging road we arrived, and there were only 3 spots left! By the time we got some things set up and a campfire going to roast our hot dogs for dinner it was after 10pm!

The next day was beautiful and sunny, we explored the campsite a bit in the morning and checked out the beaches.

After breakfast we spent the entire day down at the beach, swimming and playing. Zoey even napped on Jordan, she really must've been tired.

The wind picked up by the afternoon and it was definitely kite flying weather!

The next day was still really windy but we were camping on a little peninsula so we just went to the other side of the beach and it was calm and great for floating around in the water.

          
Another full day at the beach, and we even had a campfire down there later at night! I was incredible how many starts we could see since there was absolutely no lights around for miles!

We had a lazy morning on Sunday, the wind was pretty cool today so we decided to head out on a hike. We walked through the forest and along the beach and got some pretty great views (but I forgot my phone so there's no pictures of that). Zoey finally fell asleep after crying for at least half an hour.

We spent the rest of that afternoon down at the beach of course! Every one of us had a nap on the beach, and all at the same time!
Our last day there we packed up our stuff and parked the truck elsewhere, then spent a couple more hours soaking up the sun and swimming in the lake!

It was an amazing weekend with beautiful weather and so much fun time spent together!

July Long Weekend at Deer Lake

We headed out to Deer Lake in Sasquatch Provincial Park for the July Long weekend, Jordan took an extra day off work so we got to have an extra long weekend. Our camping stories wouldn't be complete if we didn't have an issue with our vehicle though, so of course the few weeks before this trip Jordan was rebuilding the transmission on the truck (I even spent many late nights helping him). Just 2 days before we were leaving he finished installing thetransmission but then had an issue with a fuel leak, and the brake lines needed to be replaced. So another late night to get that fixed, we headed out on Wednesday after work with still a minor fuel leak but it was drivable. As we were driving down the freeway Zoey kicked her foot and moved the shifter into reverse, we were jolted really bad and Jordan switched it back as fast as he could but there was definitely some worry over the state the transmission would be in after that. We were still able to continue on so we did, we were nearing our turn off when we took an early turn into someones driveway by mistake, then we tried to reverse out  and we had no reverse, or park for that matter. We tried getting it to roll backwards down the hill, but that was almost a horrible mistake as the driveway dropped off and the truck started to tip over. Thankfully some people passed by and towed us backwards onto the road again. Instead of being normal and heading home we decided we were so close anyways might as well camp out and figure out the whole reverse situation later! Thankfully our spot was up a little hill, so we drove into it and planned to roll down the hill when it was time to leave. We made it! Time to relax for the next few days!

After our few set backs we had a late dinner and then it was off to bed to get some rest 

The next morning was beautiful! The sun was shining and the lake was stunning! We walked around the campsite a bit and down to the lake to find a good spot to spend our day at the beach. the beach right by the campsite was covered in geese poo, it was gross! Luckily a 5 minute walk down a trail led us to a great spot to park ourselves for the day!

Alivia kept going out on the floaty and drifting off in the current. Jordan had to swim out and get her more than a few times

After a full day of fun in the sun we headed up to our campsite to have some dinner and of course a campfire with s'mores.

And Jordan got so burnt on the first day, he was red for a week (we realized when we got home the sunscreen he used was expired!!)

Starting off a new day with a with lazy morning and cuddles

The weather wasn't as nice today, quite cloudy and a little cooler so we decided it would be a great day for a hike! That was an adventure all on it's own and you can read about that ordeal here.

After our 3 hour hike we finally made it back, we played games, ate treats and relaxed the rest of the day! The kids had made friends with 2 brothers and they played together almost all day. At the park, at the campsites they became pretty great little buddies.

We spent the next morning hanging out at the dock watching some people fish, Jordan also caught a garter snake and all the kids were enthralled.

We went back down to the lake later in the afternoon to our beach spot and the kids spent their time swimming and catching frogs. No matter where we go they always make friends and always find kids their age to play with.

After a few busy days of playing hard Hudson couldn't even make it to dinner time!

He had a little nap and was up and ready to go again, couldn't miss out on the last campfire! He also found his own roasting stick he named the marshmallow tree!

Our last night at the lake was peaceful, and beautiful. The kids were watching people fishing again, and Jordan and I just got to sit back and relax!

But all good things must come to an end, and they did so on an unfortunate way! After trying for more than an hour and having someone give us a jumpstart it just wasn't going to start! We had to call the tow truck and wait 2 hours for him to arrive and also had to call my Dad to come pick up the kids and I! Luckily there was a playground and we still had some food left! We got home eventually but paid a pretty penny of $540 for the tow bill!