Christmas 2015, family fun and west coast running

Our Christmas road trip is officially in the books. It’s great to be back in Saskatoon, running on the familiar flat land, in subzero temperatures — and that’s not sarcasm. It feels fantastic to be home and getting back into a routine. I’m looking forward to setting my first goal race for 2016 (and will be writing more about that in an upcoming piece).

For now, I’m going to take a moment to look back at the wonderful time we had on the west coast with family. When I last wrote, Candace, Skylar and I had just arrived in Pender Harbour and I was anticipating the days ahead to be filled with family fun and west coast running. It didn’t disappoint. The terrain in Pender Harbour was tremendously hilly, which provided a fun daily challenge. I had a blast exploring this new area and taking in the surrounding beauty. Below are snapshots of my trip.

This was our daily view of the ocean while we were in Pender Harbour.

There was a nice mix of road and trail running. On all of which, it seemed, I was running up a hill or down. It was a nice change of pace from the flat prairies, and a solid leg workout.

Up a few stairs and there I was atop a lookout tower.

There’s nothing like catching up with Skylar on a cool down. Some of our best times came while outdoors– running, hiking, climbing and walking.

This was taken during an afternoon hike up a nearby mountain. Scott, Margaret, Augusta and Skylar trek along. It was a thrill to watch Skylar rip up and down that mountain. I wish I had taken video.

Imogene and Skylar bonded on the way up — taking time for a photo at the top.

This herd of elk was on the road as we approached, before making their way across.

We passed countless photo-worthy sights while driving, but only a few were caught on camera, including the one below. 

Unfortunately our drive back to Saskatoon didn’t go as well. We were in an accident just north of Kamloops. The conditions were pretty slick and I moved the car to the right while a mini van passed very quickly and closely beside us. We ended up going off the road and over an embankment.

Nobody was hurt, but we were hung up there for a few days while the car was being fixed. This incident further confirmed my belief that I’m far better on two feet, than I am on four wheels. It would be horrible to end this holiday reflection on such a note, so I’m going to jump back to the time we spent at Scott and Margaret’s home in Fort Langley after our stay in Pender Harbour. 

After a Christmas Eve morning run along the Fraser River, I was happy to start making pumpkin pies for Christmas Day.

There was more baking, and more fun, on Christmas Day. Scott is a big mincemeat tart fan. It turns out both of my parent’s also like them, so they got in on the sweet treat when they came over later in the day.

My barista days still come in handy at times. This photo of my mom and Augusta sipping on steamed eggnog was taken in Pender Harbour. It seems like an appropriate scene to end on, in toast to a fabulous Christmas spent with family.