Mid June 2019

When in Northern B.C. why not take the opportunity to try new adventures and experience northern B.C. lifestyle? I had the opportunity to go off roading in ATV’s with a colleague and her family around Burns Lake.

The following day after driving 2 1/2 hours to Prince George, I would join family to celebrate Father’s Day–my brother’s style.  All experiences this weekend involved wheels, motors, fun, and varying levels of noise!

Exiting school soon after bus duty is very rare for me, but there were adventures in store this Friday afternoon. Not knowing the proper wardrobe for riding on ATV’s I donned jeans, a long sleeved top, and runners. Luckily, I had been given a mosquito net for my head and thought to throw it in.

After arriving at my friend’s place, Sara located extra old bush shirts and a fancy looking helmet for me to borrow. As a newbie to this sport, I had no idea I would return with mud covered jeans and runners that would require multiple washings prior to identifying their original colors. It’s all part of the fun and charm of trying new experiences.

Sara, her mother, and her daughter were all joining us as we explored the back roads and bush searching for the elusive yellow Arnica Montana flowers. Arnica flowers from June to September and have multiple medicinal properties. Sara and I departed on one ATV, her mom and daughter explored on another ATV, and later in the evening Sara’s father arrived on a side by side vehicle.

Roads varied from dirt, wooden planks, grassy areas, mud, deeper mud puddles, to straight through the bush! While in motion the scenery was varied, lush, and very pretty. Each time we stopped to explore and search for Arnica the mosquitos gathered and fought for first blood! I had never worn a mosquito net covering my head before, but it did help!

Lynn has a background in botany and shared her knowledge about local flora. We did not see any animals this trip, but did locate footprints and scat during our walks. Near the end of our adventure Sara drove under a fallen tree and had a bit of a challenge getting back on the path. It is handy exploring in a group!

I am so grateful for outdoorsy, adventurous friends. Thanks for introducing me to more areas of Beautiful Burns Lake Sara!

Saturday morning I drove the 228 km 2 1/2 hours southeast to Prince George on hectic Highway 16. It is always amazing how many fully loaded logging trucks, semi trailers, massive mining equipment, over-sized sections of homes, over-sized equipment, and tractors you encounter on this well used, narrow highway. Thankfully, during June you are unlikely to encounter snow or ice and road conditions felt relatively safe this trip.

My brother was unable to travel to Burns Lake during my teaching contract there, so I have become quite familiar with the commute to his home in Prince George. This weekend was Father’s Day so my mother, and niece and nephew, were flying up to visit.

Our family is spread across Canada; my son lives in Thailand; and most of our relatives reside in Australia. So it is fortuitous to make the effort to attend family reunions.  My brother loves entertaining–and his motorized toys are plentiful and quick to appear.

My brother, Mark, is in his element when he is driving his grandson and neighborhood children around the yard on his lawn mover/trailer. The rest of us had the opportunity to enjoy the lovely P.G. sunshine and chat. Mark is blessed with a warm and caring neighborhood and lovely neighbors that truly are like family. Tomorrow on Father’s Day Mark has chosen to attend the huge Prince George Show and Shine event.

After a lovely brunch we all headed off to Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park for the 45th Annual Crusin’ Classics Show ‘n’ Shine. The estimate was that 15,000 people were in attendance.

Mom’s legs can not support her walking far, so my nephew Brody offered to push his nana throughout the grassy hills in a wheelchair. My niece, Kiersten pushed the stroller as Elijah ogled the trains and multitude of vehicles.

Mark chatted with car owners and was clearly in his “happy” place while we all walked around the grounds. There were cars, trucks, hearses, motorcycles, VW campers and beetles of nearly every hue and vintage imaginable.

Mom was ecstatic when she discovered a Model T Ford and told us stories about riding in the Rumble Seat with her brother when she was a child in Tasmania.

The weekend was filled with vehicles, engines, wheels, and exhaust. Unfortunately, I had to partake in more of the same for another 2 1/2 hours as I said good-bye to some of my family (missing dad RIP, my husband Mark, and son Alexander) and drove solo back to Burns Lake.

The final 2 weeks of the school year in Burns Lake would be packed with activities– including the hugely popular Aboriginal Day.  The next blog post will cover the remainder of my time and experiences in Beautiful Burns Lake.