Annual Water Fowl Migration in the Peace

Bring Your Camera and Your Rubber Boots!

Now that the snow is really melting, there is water pooling in fields everywhere and the Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Swans and Ducks are arriving by the thousands and it's a great time to take photos.

About 3 miles north of Dawson Creek on Rd 219, I saw 2 other camera buffs parked beside the road taking photos of one particularly large mixed flock of big birds.

This only happens for a short period of time in the spring until the water runs off and soaks into the fields. Soon the birds will be gone and the fields will be growing a crop. In the meantime there is a lot of activity and much honking to go along with it.

Make sure you have your camera handy for those great photo opportunities when you pull to the side of the road to enjoy the water life.

Annual Water Fowl Migration in the Peace

Snowshoeing & Game Trails with a Side Order of Wolf

Last Sunday we went out for our weekly winter exercise. This time we went snowshoeing which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this beautiful country. It's simple great cardio exercise and we especially love the quietness. Snowshoes are light, easy to travel with and a great way to hang out with people.

We chose a spot near the little village of Rolla, about 10 miles north of the city, which has great bush trails and fields with sweeping views all the way into Alberta. It's beautiful there.

We had just about completely crossed a field when we saw something big moving in the tree line just ahead of us. It moved like a coyote but was a lot bigger. We had our binoculars and camera with us.

It was a Gray Wolf. Even though common sense told us that he would not bother us, being out in the middle of a field in deep snow with a wolf watching us was scary exciting.

We stopped and watched the wolf, and the wolf stopped and watched us. We figured we would just wait for it to make the first move and after several minutes the wolf turned and resumed his travels away from us.

When we got home, I looked up Gray Wolves on the Internet and found that there are estimated 7,500 in BC. Life isn't easy for a wolf. Living on large and small game, they only have a 10% success rate with their hunting and so live by feast or famine. I also learned that they often travel 200 kilometers in a day.

A friend told me that a Gray Wolf had been spotted about 30 kilometers from here; maybe it's the same one. The mystery is whether or not there is a pack around.

Whether a local or a visitor, it's important to keep eyes and ears open when you are out an about in the country. There are a lot of wild animals living here. Cameras & Binoculars and a cell phone are a good idea. It's also a great idea to mention to someone where you are going.

Snowshoeing & Game Trails with a Side Order of Wolf

Annual Cabin Fever Winter Festival at Mattson's Farm in Dawson Creek

The annual Cabin Fever Winter Festival hosted by the Mattson Family took place on a very cold, clear February day this year. We were all dressed up in our warmest winter clothes to be outside.

It was a day of visiting, laughing, eating, dancing, playing and stiff competition between neighbors and visitors alike.

The kids with their rosey cheeks had a great time racing the "Board Walk" (modified three legged race where they have to walk together with feet strapped into two short pieces of lumber and also testing their skills in the "Snowball Toss."

Adult Competitions:

"Tea-Boiling" - contestants had to run to grab a hatchet and kindling and light a fire with no paper and ten matches only and bring a pot of water to a rolling boil – first one to drop a bag of tea in the pot was declared the winner.

"Cross-Cut" Sawing - teams of two people sawing a slice from a big log with an antique cross-cut saw.

"Bale Rolling Race" - Teams rolling 1500 pound bales of hay a specific distance.

"Mitt Mayhem" – This was the best! Contestants struggled to open a canned drink and make a peanut butter and jam sandwich wearing large bulky snowmobile mitts.

The competitions were fierce! The winners were thrilled!

There was a beautiful team of Shire Horses giving sleigh rides. Hot food was served in the warm barn and we had a warm-up fire and hay bale wind break to make the outdoor event comfortable even with the bitter winter day.

The festival ended with a barn dance in "Albert's Loft" with old timey music by the Sweetwater Ramblers.

The festival was a great way to shake off the winter with friends and laughs.

Annual Cabin Fever Winter Festival at Mattson's Farm in Dawson Creek

Brrrr in the Peace River Country

I woke up to -34 degrees Celsius (-29 degrees Fahrenheit) the other day. That is the coldest yet this winter and although we have been colder in years past, it's cold enough.

Temperatures like this require extra travel considerations whether you live here or are visiting:

~ All vehicles must be winterized (winter tires, block heater, anti-freeze, emergency kit, extension cord, warm clothing, ice scraper, cell phone).

~ Pets need to be monitored carefully while outside if they are not used to the cold.

My sister from Vancouver was here at the time and we had quite a discussion on the hardships of our respective winters.

• Rain versus snow.
• Warm weather versus cold.
• Grey cloudy days versus lots of blue skies and sunshine.

We came to the agreement that both areas have pros and cons in regards to winter climates.

Then a Chinook came through and the temperature jumped from -34 to +2 (35 degrees Fahrenheit) on the same day.

Chinooks are usually accompanied by big gusty winds and this one was no exception. Drifting is another reality of northern winters and are a novelty unless they plug roads.

Several years ago, a blizzard caught quite a few people unaware and there were reports of a dozen or so motorists stuck in big drifts overnight.

Graders, snowplows and sand-trucks are winter heroes here in the north.

Brrrr in the Peace River Country

Flying on a Snowmobile in Dawson Creek

We try to spend as much time outside as we can in the winter and since we get so much sunshine here in the Peace River Country, the cold weather doesn't seem to bother us.

Our friends invited us to go snowmobiling with them. I hadn't been on a snowmobile since I was in elementary school. The machines certainly have changed since then.

We met up at the entrance to the Bear Mountain Wind Park and spent the whole day exploring back trails.

I couldn't believe how fast we went. It was very exciting! There are a lot of places to ride around here. In addition to the oil and gas pipelines and back trails, the ditches along the highway are really wide in a lot of areas and you can go for miles and miles with ease.

We weren't the only ones on the ridge that day, we heard and saw several other groups of people.

Our friend packed some kindling and small firewood along and we stopped along a trail that had a panoramic view of the valley to the east of Dawson Creek, built a small fire and roasted hot dogs. Thermos' of hot coffee and chocolate made the day perfect.

We had one problem right near the end when we crossed a field and were met by a farmer who was out plowing snow on his tractor.

We stopped to chat and he told us that being on the fields was not allowed unless we asked permission and then it depended on the crop. Apparently it packs the snow down and can damage the crops. He said our two little trails wouldn't do much damage, but groups roaring around on a field can really hurt it. Oops...

Flying on a Snowmobile in Dawson Creek

Finding a GeoCache Stash in Dawson Creek.

GPS in hand, I went with a Geo-caching friend on a high-tech treasure hunt to find a cache box near a cemetery just south of Dawson Creek. (Tomslake)

We had checked out GeoTourismCanada online and found a whole list of locations in and around Dawson Creek.

Even though I live in the area and knew where we were going for this hunt, it was very exciting to forget that and just follow the GPS coordinates. I used to love orienteering with a compass when I was in school, so this gave the same thrill.

Learning how to read the GPS device was the tricky part and I'm sure it would get easier with practice. We stopped the truck several times along the way so I could learn and practice how to read coordinates.

Finding the box itself just by following the coordinates was a challenge as well as a lot of fun.

Inside the box was a plastic bag with a small pencil and a logbook to write in. Several other people had written in the book ahead of us. We made sure everything was tucked away for the next adventurer.

I can certainly see why people love this sport.

Finding a GeoCache Stash in Dawson Creek.

Hungry Little Fox

Winter has finally come to the Peace River Area, and with it cold temperatures and the beginning of snow.

I was walking by my living room window the other day, and saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.

My dogs were sleeping on their beds in the house so wondering what the movement was; I looked closer and saw a red fox eating kibble out of our dog food bowl. He/She was right up on the deck.

By the time I got my camera, she must have sensed that she was being watched, because she left the deck and moved farther out to the yard.

I am wondering if this is the same fox that lives in the old abandoned farmstead down the road. People know to watch out for her although as the saying about 'smart as a fox' goes, she seems pretty good at looking after herself.

One of the best things about this part of the country is the closeness to wildlife. All you have to do is drive around; you are bound to see a wild animal doing what wild animals do.

Hungry Little Fox

Rainbows Like This Need a Big Sky

Living in the Peace River Country has always meant big skies and big weather.

One particular day this fall started out with a big clear blue sky. It was the perfect day for being outside.

Later in the afternoon, the sky darkened and we could see a storm brewing in the west. We watched the black clouds move in accompanied by thunder and lightening.

We timed the intervals of the bolts of lightening and the claps of thunder and could tell that the lightening was very close and moving east.

We stayed outside as long as we could, eventually having to seek shelter from the driving rain.

It poured hard for 45 minutes!

The storm continued it easterly path, and the thunder and lightening receded off into the distance.

Then, the most amazing set of rainbows we have ever seen filled the eastern sky behind the storm.

My camera captured two rainbows, but there was a third, much fainter that the others. WOW!

Rainbows Like This Need a Big Sky

Visiting a Cemetery on Halloween

We stopped into the historic cemetery in Tomslake, 20 minutes south of Dawson Creek on the day before Halloween.

This beautiful place is more than just a cemetery. It contains the cultural identity of the small Sudeten German Community whose members immigrated here in 1939 to escape persecution and death in Hitler's Germany.

A museum has been built to house the many artifacts donated by the community to tell the story of the journey to a new life of freedom in a new land.

The original Roman Catholic Church is now part of the museum. We stood on a stool and peeked in the windows. Nothing fancy, just hand built pews and some old pictures on the wall. Plastic flowers in a vase on the alter.

There is an impressive commemorative stone and bronze monument to the immigrants and their new home in Canada. It is quite emotional to read what the community went through for freedom. They came on huge transport ships and each ship and the date it sailed from Liverpool is listed along with the list of family members on the roster.

The cemetery itself is beautifully maintained with a simple rural backdrop. Entering through the iron gates was like entering a history book. The names on the granite headstones are mostly German and date back to the early 40's. I was struck by the short lives of many of the people laying to rest there.

Peaceful.

Visiting a Cemetery on Halloween