Salmo, Nelson, and Creston are not exactly tourist destinations (to say the least--hahaha) but that's where we took our kids this summer and here's why:
So, my brother in law, Ted grew up in Salmo before he moved to Langley and met Tina. Just a year or two ago, his Dad bought his old family home there and renovated it. So Tina and Ted invited all of us to check it out! Salmo is a tiny town...out in the middle of nowhere, 7 hrs from home.
While we were there, we played games--we learned that I am the absolute worst at "the question game" and that Jason and Becca can name any tune within half a second. We had some great campfires, where Becca fell through a chair and Eric roasted 5 marshmallows at once, and the rest of us got eaten alive by mosquitos. We took over the Salmo pool (there was only one other person there that wasn't part of our group)...playing an intense game of football and cheering everyone on at the end of the diving board. Tyson finally got the courage to do a flip, Ben tried about a hundred times but didn't quite get up the nerve, Eric walked to the end of the board but couldn't quite jump in. We also did some hikes, ate some yummy food (except the cold potatoes) and just enjoyed being together away from the busyness of life.
Why Nelson?
So, Nelson is only about 30 min from Salmo...and the closest town with a Walmart and a few restaurants so I am sure without the other draws we still would have gone there. But, Nelson is special to our family for a couple of reasons. First, my Uncle Raymond lived there! We drove by his house and visited his grave. I have very fond memories of visiting my uncle when I was young (and him driving out to Abbotsford to stay with Grandma). I remember his spaghetti sauce made from scratch, his cute house, his homemade guitars...and much more. Also, my parents lived in Nelson while my dad went to art school and Lisa was actually born there! It was special to be there with my kids and share some stories about my family with them.
While we were there, we also drove up to Ainsworth Hot Springs! They still had the caves that I screamed through as a kid...I still think they are pretty creepy!!
Summer practically spent the entire time in the "cold" pool
(which was actually filled with ICY cold water!)
Why Creston?
Mike spent his high school years in Creston, BC. He's always wanted to take the kids to show them where he grew up! Creston is only about an hour outside of Salmo, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity. It was wonderful to visit some of the people who played a huge part in Mike's life as well as in him joining the church.
We visiting The Rennakers...his best friend Derrin's parents. They were so friendly and welcoming. The had three huge cats, and they let Summer pick raspberries and they fed us way too much food!! Their property was absolutely beautiful!
We visited Gloria Huschroft. It was funny because Mike couldn't get a hold of her on the phone so we just drove to her house but she had a gate blocking her driveway. We were going to drive away but then we saw an older lady walking in the back yard and Mike got out of the car and yelled "GLORIA" we were all laughing hysterically in the car! She had horses and lots of dogs for the kids to play with!
We visited Mike's old Bishop and seminary teacher and his wife. They had a nest of babies birds on their patio and a bearskin rug so Summer was in heaven--haha!
The drive from Salmo to Creston was so beautiful! I am so glad we had the chance to go and visit where Mike grew up and meet some of the important people from his past. And, I know I'm in the minority, but I just love road trips:) So, "thank you" to Tina and Ted for inviting us up to Salmo...it was definitely a wonderful family trip!
