Traditions are timeless regardless of the event, time or place. Whether there are years that go by not participating or faithful attenders, a tradition brings back memories of the past and creates new ones for the future. Hefley Lake, near Sun Peaks in Kamloops, BC, is one of those traditions that carries many memories for Tim along with the Vander Pol family.
Last year Tim and Charlie, as well as Erik and Nolan, took a fishing trip to Hefley Lake stirring up a desire to take the entire family. So, in attempts to recreate the traditions of the past, we drove north to unplug and
have some needed family time.
The Hitch and Rail Campsite is stripped down to the basics: picnic table, fire pit, power and water hook-ups and camp ground bathrooms with showers. There were 8-10 campsites total, a few cabins, a couple of docks to tie up too or jump from and boat rentals if you needed. The one hike we did find took about five minutes so we walked back and forth a few times with the girls. Most of the entertainment came from the old Snoopy fishing rod I used as a little girl or the adventurous boat rides trolling and exploring with lines down and wiggling worms attached. The Woodstock Rod has started to show it's years of use as the top fell off and the push button broke. What's left was enough to make a toddler happy with line tied to it with flashy "jewels."
Addison learned to play Rummy and a mean game of Phase 10 after we cruised part of the lake in a paddle boat. Myriam learned most of the songs to Babes in Toyland and also made progress with her impossible task of wearing panties. You bet I used the empty campsite to have her sitting on the potty and run around in her undies everyday! I think my efforts have paid off but time will tell with that adventure.
Charlie has taken on a new hobby of fishing even if he did take a few snoozes mid-troll. He gave Tim many earfuls of conversation including his perspective on Obama and where his heart was at. The most entertainment came from the boys attempting to reel in a fish while the old men in the boat not far off from them caught their limit in a little over an hour. I guess we'll stick to other hobbies... or continue to perfect the art of fishing.
The weather was beautiful along with the sounds of nature and surrounding lakeside views. The water was warm enough for the kids to jump in and have fun splashing around. Daddy even taught the older ones how to
perfect the cannon ball.
I helped the girls find some lake snails and hermit crabs which suffered a fatal death when Myriam lost her balance walking on the rocks and smashed the living collection. After one last try of catching trout, Tim returned the boat and we packed up to head home.
We made sure to say goodbye to Dave, the owner of the campsite who calls you by first name and treats you like family, and thanked him for the few nights as a family. He treated the kids with candy necklaces and said, "see you soon's," until we see him again! It was a fantastic time of unplugging and being forced into chats with the kids and forced card games which mommy dominated. Here are some of the best moments from our fishing trip...
{ First trip out on the boat. }
{ Learning the skill of multitasking. }
{ Here fishy fishy...dinner is ready. }
{ Morning explorations around the lake. }
{ Dusk and rod...with no bobs. }
{ Faithful Snoopy stripped down to his bones. }
{ Deep in thought as we explored the lake. }
{ The "I SAID NO." face after Addi pushed her in! }
{ Clothes on. Why not! }
{ The set up. }
{ The jump. }
{ The splash. }
{ Our little blessings. }
{ Always a laugh with this one! }
{ Searching for collections of snails and hermit crabs. }
{ The Broersma Five. }
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