Kicking Off The Christmas Shopping Season With Style In Dawson Creek

We went to the Art Gallery in Dawson Creek for the annual opening of the Christmas Gift Show and Sale.

The Grain Elevator Gallery is one of the few places in the city that is big enough to house a 15 or so foot Christmas tree, and I learned that each year, the Art Gallery uses all it's decorations from the previous year to decorate trees downtown to be auctioned off as a fund raiser.

The Gallery was bursting at the seams with top-drawer work from artists and artisans from the bottom gift shop and lobby all the way up the spiraling ramps that go to the top.

I saw woodwork, jewelry, pottery, watercolors, stained glass, fiber arts, soaps & lotions, metalwork and Christmas decorations. I checked off much of my gift list for the season.

There were trays of goodies and glasses of punch being served the whole time I was there. At 2 pm a local woman's choir came in to sing Christmas carols for an hour.

This annual event is a favorite for many shoppers whether they live in the community or come in as visitors and it's always well attended. It's more than just going shopping; it's a chance to participate in a celebration of community, art and Christmas. I wouldn't miss it.

Kicking Off The Christmas Shopping Season With Style In Dawson Creek

19th Annual Dawson Creek Tree Light Up Celebration

The weather for this year's annual Tree Light Up was a bit chilly, it was minus 20 something on the morning of November 19, and we almost decided to stay home by the fire instead of getting all bundled up and driving in to town, but we had arranged to meet some friends, so away we went.

The City of Dawson Creek moved the Mile O Post to a temporary location at the Northern Alberta Railway Park, a block north of it's usual home and put up a 35-40 foot tree in it's place and draped it with multi-colored lights. The streets have been decorated with big white snowflakes and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here.

I'm glad we went because it turned out to be a great community party and the cold weather actually added to the fun. It's nice to offer events like this to both the people who live here and also the many who find themselves far away from home and staying in our hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts.

Many of the local businesses were open for the light up celebration and some were handing out hot chocolate, hot cider, popcorn and even glow sticks.

There were kids of all ages mingling around and of course Santa was there too.

19th Annual Dawson Creek Tree Light Up Celebration

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

A Man Made Marvel of the Peace River Country.

I have evolved into the unofficial tour guide for friends and family when they visit.

A favorite day trip from Dawson Creek is to the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on Williston Lake. It takes about an hour and a half to get there and is the perfect way to spend a day visiting and seeing something amazing at the same time.

It's a real treat to drive across the dam itself, it's huge!

The trip wouldn't be complete without taking the bus tour deep into the belly of the dam on the bus. You will have to wear a hard hat.

The guided tour costs six dollars for adults and lasts about an hour.

Once I get over my immediate feeling of claustrophobia, I really enjoy the tour. The air once you are underground is cool and you can feel the energy vibrate and hum in the stone all around.

Visitors are always blown away by the project.

My Dad worked on the Dam from start to finish, so I have lots of stories to tell them, like the day the water was first released and the bear clinging to a floating log being swept away...

A Man Made Marvel of the Peace River Country.

Up the Alaska Highway: Pink Mountain, Mile 143

We set out from Dawson Creek, Mile O of the Alaska Highway while it was still dark, with a full tank of gas and fresh coffees.

About an hour and a half up the highway, just as the sun was rising, we found out how Pink Mountain got its name. Fire weed grows everywhere up the mountain and in the ditches. We must have hit peak season because along with the pink flowers, there were butterflies everywhere. Sadly, many butterflies got caught in the grill of our vehicle.

The air was fresh and clean and the views were awesome. We stopped at an interesting place called Sasquatch Crossing Lodge to fill up our coffee and ask about the butterflies. We were told that these are yearly phenomena and are Arctic Yellowtail Swallow butterflies.

We didn't see any Sasquatches though, maybe next time.

Up the Alaska Highway: Pink Mountain, Mile 143

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