For the August long weekend the family went to Oliver to visit Kerry's parents and in this case it was extended family as well as Kerry's brother and family went went at the same time. We left after work on Thursday and went a slightly different way then our normal route. Ordinarily we take the highway three but this year there was a rather significant fire near Keremeos. I found out about it via Facebook as one of my high school acquaintances was driving through just as the fire was reaching the highway. I'm not sure if they closed the highway or not but it was good to know in advance so we could take the route via Merritt.
On our first full day there was a new hike that we had heard about and we all agreed it sounded like fun. It was 5k both ways for a total of 10k and this is a bit longer than our normal hikes. On top of that, Ryan is not a very big guy so it was going to be a significant effort for him. In the end we all made it with very little complaining. I think it helps that there are two families. It's harder to complain when it's not just your family. The hike was mostly a gentle rise up to one of the bluffs overlooking Oliver. We stopped for lunch and a family selfie before making our way back down. I'm glad it was only in the low 30's. It got much warmer later in the week.
The highlight of the hike was the deer we found on the way up. I was up front and managed to stop before scaring it away. It was only about 20 or 30 feet in front of us and stayed long enough for everyone to catch up and have a look. Oliver has quite a few deer and we often see them right in front of Barb and Reg's house. We all moved in to their territory but they don't seem like they are ready to move along.
We did the hike early in the morning for a couple of reasons. The first was that we wanted to get out while it was still cool and the second was that Kerry and I had reservations at Nk'Mip winery to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. Reg lent us the Miata so we arrived in style. When we got to the restaurant there were two people looking after the door guiding people in and they were very quick to come out to help us find our way. I don't think we get quite as good service when it's just us in the Kia Sportage.
The rest of the trip was fairly standard with outings to the beach and Tickle-berries for ice cream. For some reason one of Barb and Reg's neighbours often gives a $5 gift card to the kids. The first time Carter was quite disappointed when he realized that $5 only really paid for a single ice cream. This time he knew what he was getting. We also made a trip to Rattlesnake Canyon for mini-golf. I actually think this is one of the best mini-golf courses I've been to. It's not super big but it's very well done and the holes are complex without being too hard. We go every year and always have fun.
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