Castle Mountain Lookout Hike

As I sit here writing about our last hike of the season, we are getting our first snow. It started with early morning rain and turned into snow as the temperature dropped. A very heavy wet snow is descending on Calgary and it is beautiful. 

Last weekend we hiked to Castle Mountain Lookout, an iconic hike that you must take if you are in the Banff area. Castle Mountain sits halfway between Banff and Lake Louise on the 1A Highway. Castle Mountain was once the location of a fire lookout, but now all that remains are the cement ground foundations. It's a short steep hike that climbs to a expansive viewing area of the Bow Valley which extends in both directions. The hike is only 7.4 km round trip, but with a gain of 530 m in just 3.7 km you have to work to enjoy the panorama from the lookout. 

Jim climbing back up to the trail after retrieving his visor that he dropped down the side of the hill we were climbing......

A view on the way up to the top

Views of the Bow Valley from the top of the trail

More views of the valley

The Castle Mountains looming above the lookout

The views were breathtaking

It was a little chilly up top. We ended up putting all our layers back on.

Jim carved our Halloween pumpkin. Do  you know who it is?

Our first snow of the season

Oct 2013 in Houston

I was in Houston in early October to visit the kids and see the "baby bump." (Ryan and Cindy are expecting in Feb!) It's still hot in Houston in October! Actually, grossly hot, some days. I know the humidity is good for your skin, but you have to be able to breath too, right?

Steve and Bev hosted me for a few days while I was looking for a house in the Kingwood/Atascocita area. We are still up in the air about our time frame in Calgary, but we will need a place to land when we return to Houston in the future..... I also enjoyed dinner with Toby and Janet in their beautiful new lake house in Atascocita.

The Greek Festival was lots of fun with the kids, but we didn't get to see the Greek dancers. Bummer, they only have limited shows and we missed it. Oh well, the food was great! We'll see the dancers next year! I got to play golf with Casey, and she was AMAZING! Her first time and she hit the ball farther than her old ma! She is now my new golf partner. Sorry,Jim, you're out and Casey's in!

Karen and Mike Schaffer hosted their annual UT/OU party at their beautiful house in Magnolia. This was the year of the "kid". Times change and so do we. Every couple there was either expecting a child, had a child, was a grandparent of a child or a soon to be aunt and uncle of a child. Of course we still had folks doing "keg stands". Go, Heather!

Thanks Casey, Anthony, Cindy and Ryan for showing your mom a fun time! Love you and see you at Thanksgiving!

Greek Fest

Steve, Bev, Janet and Toby at their new Lake House!

Ryan and Cindy and the "baby bump" (Reese)

UT/OU Parth - Avery, Sammy (Brandon and Melissa's) and Olivia (Mike and Karen's)

UT/OU Party - Bev and Steve

UT/OU - Casey and Anthony

UT/OU - Dennis, Dana (Mikes uncle and aunt) and Mike

UT/OU - Chris, Lindsey and baby

UT/OU - Owen and Karen

What would a UT/OU party be without keg stands? Brandon, Heather and Ryan

UT/OU - Karen, Dan, Casey, Olivia and Kimberly

UT/OU - Brandon playing beer pong on the official BP table Mike designed.

Kelowna Golf and Wine Tour

In September, Jim and I enjoyed a wonderful week in Kelowna, with our good friends, Gloria and Dean Eshelman. We stayed in a great condo at the Lake Okanagan Resort on the west side of Kelowna (which was north about 14 km, on treacherous two lane road!) The weather was beautiful in September and we were able to play golf at five different golf courses in seven days. Three of the five days we played golf with the Eshelmans in the Okanagan valley. The other two we played on the way down to Kelowna and on the way home. THAT'S A LOT OF GOLF!  

The wineries we visited (in no particular order) were: Gray Monk, Mission Hill, Greata Ranch, Tantalus, Summerhill, Hester Creek, Cedar Creek Estate, Camelot, Arrow Leaf, Ex Nihilo, Quinta Ferreira, Tin Horn Creek, Jackson Trigg, Bonitas, Le Vieux Pin, Burrowing Owl, Castoro de Oro, Cassini Cellars, Vibrant Vine, Gehringer Brothers, Blasted Church, Inniskillin, The View, Sperling. OH MY, THAT'S A LOT OF WINE!

On the way back to Calgary we stopped at the famous Dave's Log Barn with the famous "goat walk". When we asked about the "Home-Made Mennonite Baked Goods," the cashier told us that the baked goods were not really made by Mennonites, but that some Mennonite people used to work there.....LOL! It's all in the marketing, folks!

Gloria and Dean, thanks for sharing a great vacation! Bev and Steve we missed you!

Salmon Arm Golf Course, Salmon Arm, BC

View from our condo

Dean and Gloria at the Art Show (we did do something other than drink!)

View from Gray Monk Winery

Ex Nihilo Winery

Gray Monk Winery

First winery we visited (still Gray Monk)

Driving from West Kelowna to Peach Land

Mission Winery

I must have been the DD that day...I look bored.

Jim and Dean getting ready to tee off at Summer Land

Bonita's Winery

After golf at Summer Land, we hit a couple of wineries on the way back

View from Greata Winery

Gallagher's Canyon Golf Course

Summer Hill Pyramid Winery

Summer Hill Pyramid Winery

Dean, Gloria, Candy, and Jim at Cedar Creek Estate Winery

Camelot Winery......the sword and the stone(s)

Vibrant Vine Winery

The Rise Golf Course

Rise Golf Course

Gloria teeing off  with a view of Lake Okanagan on The Rise Golf Course

We started off our last day in Kelowna with a toast to our grand baby due in Feb (Ryan and Cindy). Jackson Triggs Winery

Castoro de Oro Winery

Quinta Ferreira Winery

Burrowing Owl Winery

Hester Creek Winery

Oh Ohhh...Dean trying to make it into La Vieux Pin Winery!!

Where next??

Nine wineries on the last day.......

Famous Dave's Log Barn

Sitting on the giant gorilla at Dave's Log Barn

Goat Walk at the Log Barn