August 7, 2023 - Crawford Bay

We arrived here on Saturday.  Uneventful drive, which is always good with a trailer!  Unfortunately a little smokey here too. 

This is leaving Radium, towards Cranbrook.

This is Moyie lake. That's the antenna. I had another picture to the left of the antenna, but it's got a bug squish. So, antenna picture it is!

This is Creston. I think I take this picture every time. 

This is our spot. 

Site is good.  Very green. It isn't super wide, but they are angled a lot so you get more space. And a really good price. $45.00 per night.  Crawford Bay RV Park. It is right in the middle of all the little shops. 

Yesterday, we tried to go to the Reds Bakery yesterday.  A teeny tiny bakery. Only seating outside.  There was a line up. We didn't realize there were no seats inside, so when we saw the lineup, we drove past to see where the beach was for later.

This is Wilbur. Refusing to come closer to the water.

Then we drove back past Reds. Still a line up!  We decided to drive al the way up to Riondel.  Yes the middle of no where.  An old town.  They had one market that is also the liquor store and maybe the post office. I guess it was a mine town. 

Riondel hand painted map.

Riondel mining history .

We drove to the golf course to book a tee time and saw a deer.

Then we drove back to the bakery, again!  We stood in the lineup and realized it only took about 5 mins. We ordered our breakfast sandwiches and then WAY to much baking. One muffin, one danish, one cheese biscuit, one cinnamon bun, one feta and spinach croissant, one chocolate croissant.  Yup a bit ridiculous!  Oink.

It was a good bun!

We came back and ate, then we grabbed the dogs and walked up and down looking at all the shops. Very nice shops. Everything is local. And consequently nothing is cheap. But this is their livelihood.  I did go a little crazy.  But not as crazy as I wanted to go. 

There is a broom shop. Very cool.  They are making brooms while you talk to them.  We bought a cute golf shoe broom. Good marketing.  It is little and can be used for anything. 

The pottery shop had some beautiful items.  I resisted. But there is a big orange bowl

I loved.  Vibrant. Which you don't see a lot in pottery. But $190.00, if I remember correctly. 

Shops with jewellery and clothes (I'm pretty sure the dresses weren't local! Ie China).

Then a cool weaving shop. Beautiful blankets and placemats. Shawls and hats and everything. Well I purchased two placemats and a poncho/shawl. It's beautiful. Cream in colour.  Could wear it with jeans or nice clothes. Very rich looking. The lady said "wash it in gentle and into the dryer". Eek in the dryer!  Can I just lay flat to dry?  "Well yes, but it needs to go into the dryer, with a damp towel, for a bit to fluff it and get the wrinkles out."  Eek. It's so delicate. And expensive.  But I will do what she says. 

Look at the shawl. Not me with my ugly glasses and no makeup. 

The placemats have a bit of green. Which will go well with our counter at home.

They use the looms barefoot!

Then at the next shop. It was wood and metal. I bought a beautiful small wood bowl. It's small but deep. I'm thinking? Salt? Or something?  They had some incredible wood resin charcuterie boards.  And paintings. I liked the big one for $2,200.00.  I didn't get it. Very colourful. Also, there was a full resin coffee table, with metal legs. I liked it very much. It was only $550. But getting it home in a trailer?   

Then we stopped for a beer at the pub and sat outside with the dogs.

Wilbur being thrilled to be stopping for a beer. 

Vodka having a drink. Kidding.

It was really hot. On the walk I was dripping.  Short hair doesn't help absorb the sweat. I know, not classy.  But it was dripping off my sideburns!  

We came home, got towels etc, and off to the beach.  The dogs loved it.  No rules against dogs.  We (mostly me) threw stick after stick, into the water for Joannie.  And then Vodka wanted in on the action. So we would do short throws for him. It is very shallow.  You can walk out for 50 feet and you are only waist deep.  Dum dum Joy didn't wear a bathing suit.  I had my skort on. I only went thigh deep, but got a little wet.  

My natural look. 

Rolling all over OUR towels. Next time we bring chairs. 

The dogs just didn't want to stop! I am surprised my arm isn't sore. Maybe later.  

We came back and had a beer and let dogs dry off. And someone (me) didn't take anything out for dinner.  So, we had a shower and went to the pub.  Yes the same one we went to for the beer. It was very good. I had a veggie puff pastry tart, with cherry tomatoes, carmelized onions and goat cheese.  Super yummy!  Wilbur had a Korean Bulgogi bowl with meat.  He really enjoyed it. Then he had cheesecake. I took home a lemon tart for today. Too full last night. 

Calamari 

My tart. It looks a bit brown but was yummy. Balsamic glaze added the sweetness. And the goat cheese was creamy and not goat-ee.

Wilbur's bowl. The red stuff is kimchee.

His cheesecake almost finished. The berries were very good. And the coffee that kept me awake reading until 1:00 am.

And speaking of last night.  After we were in bed, and I was not sleeping, thanks to the press cup of coffee I had after dinner, there was quite a lot of lightening. A bit of thunder and quite a lot of wind gusts.  At 12:00 the neighbours were out putting down their manual awning.  Unless you have an awning tied down, you take it in at night and when you leave the trailer.  Or you come back to a ripped or broken awning!

Today we make go for a walk to a lighthouse in Pilot Bay provincial park. And then the beach again in the afternoon.