'The Shoebox': Go West: September 2010

Our first real 'shoebox' adventure happened the first week of September. Jon had traveled through the summer with Jacob for golf but I was tied up at home with a broken ankle. I had fallen down the stairs leading to the pool in early July and spent the summer in a cast and on crutches. By the end of August I was hobbling around pretty well on my now healed wing and we were ready to venture out together. Tamara was beginning another LTO (long term occasional) at Pringle Creek PS and Jacob was beginning his practicum at Vimy Ridge PS. That's right, both kids were teaching.
Jon and I decided we would knock off two wishes simultaneously; we would visit his sister and brother in British Columbia and in route he would play two more Canadian golf courses on the '100 Best Canadian Courses'. Jon would have visited and played 60 off that published list. We flew into Calgary and rented a car for the trip into BC. We traveled from Calgary to Banff Springs where Jon had an afternoon Tee-time. I rode around with him on the cart since the ankle was not quite strong enough for me to play. He played with a lovely couple visiting from Quebec. It was an incredible experience. Every avid golfer should experience playing in the mountains, although the vistas can be quite distracting. The weather was decent; high 60's with sunshine and blue skies. His game was also decent, not perfect but 81 was a score he was happy with. After the game we visited the hotel and had a late lunch at a table overlooking the course. Memories for a life time.
We decided not to stay in Banff overnight but rather made our way to Lake Louise where we found a room very near the water. We visited the hotel and we're mesmerized by the beauty of the mountains reflecting back off the water. Early the next morning we began the journey up the scenic highway to Jasper. It was so over-cast we had no clue of the beauty on that highway until we were making our way back down toward Kimberley. The glacier fields are massive and the lichen sparkles in the sun. It is quite breath-taking.

the first tee block

Jon had a tee-time with Bob, a high school buddy of Rich's. The golf course was very unique but we both agreed that we loved Banff better. It might have been because the temperature was in the high 50s, (burr) and there was heavy cloud cover but it didn't really matter because it was 'a wish' experience. It was our first time seeing caribou up close and personal. They were everywhere and on one of the holes they needed to shoo a group off the green before they could putt out. We did a little sight-seeing in the town of Jasper before setting out for the return journey that would take us into BC. We were hoping to arrive at his sisters before it got too late.

British Columbia the beautiful!

We spent 6 days in Kimberley. Jon played golf, went hiking, and bike riding. We had terrific dinners that were filled with love, laughter, and good living. These 'shoebox' memories were so awesome.