Golden, British Columbia, Canada
Monday, September 16, 2024
We said good-bye to Yoho National Park this morning, and drove to Golden, British Columbia about 45 minutes to the west. Laura had some work to do this morning, so we left our Starlink satellite internet with Andi’s cousins, and got a head start to our next destination.
Surrounded by six national parks, Golden is an outdoor adventure lover’s paradise, but it also has a special ‘small town’ charm that lets visitors know real people live and work here. Our first stop in Golden was IGA grocery store to restock our refrigerator. We bought the makings for greek chicken bowls for dinner tonight, plus a few snack foods. Aden went nuts for the maple-flavored Oreos we tried the other day in Banff, and was disappointed not to find them again.
Across the street from IGA was the Great Canadian Dollar Store which felt like an obvious stop. What kind of treasures would we find in there that we didn’t know we needed on this roadtrip? This Dollar Store turned out to be one that advertised itself as a ‘dollar store,’ but actually sold lots of products at different pricing. Nevertheless, we found a few odds-and-ends to buy.
Laura and Shaun had now joined up with us again, but Laura needed to finish a couple more things for work. Andi parked our RV on the side of the road and set up the Starlink so she had internet connectivity. While she worked inside our RV, Andi, Tory, Aden, Shaun, and I walked through downtown Golden. Andi and Aden have been on the hunt for a pocket knife for Aden, so we stopped into a few sporting good stores to look for one. They found one at ACE Hardware, and Aden was so excited. It’s camo-colored (his favorite)!
On our way back to the RV, we walked along the banks of the Kicking Horse River. What a beautiful paved trail this was with several restaurants and shops beside it.
Laura finalized the contract she was working on, so our group decided to grab some lunch together. There’s several cafes and restaurants in and around downtown Golden. Andi selected one called Ethos which was a coffee cafe with a small lunch menu, and a big outdoor patio.
The quality of the coffee and ingredients were phenomenal. Along with coffee, Shaun and Aden each ordered meatball sandwiches, Laura got a breakfast sandwich, and I had a tuna salad sandwich.
Everything was perfect except for all the bees that were swarming around us on this lovely fall afternoon. Laura and Tory were overwhelmed by them, so our party quickly moved inside the restaurant to avoid getting stung. Laura said it has something to do with blood types; the bees were attacking her and Tory, but Andi, Aden, Shaun, and I weren’t bothered by them at all. Maybe there is something to that theory, I don’t know.
At the end of our meal, Andi said this was the best coffee he’s had on our trip so far. He bought a bag of coffee to take home with us.
Next, our camping caravan drove to a site Andi found on the iOverlander app. This amazing, free campground is located on the shores of the Waitabit Creek, about 20 minutes outside the town of Golden. These were primitive sites with no camping services offered, but exactly what we were looking for — quiet, secluded, and on the river. We were able to find two fantastic campsites right beside each other.
The boys set out to go fishing as soon as we settled into our campsites. They each purchased one-day fishing permits online, and then walked across the creek bed to cast their lines. Waitabit Creek was so clear that they could see the fish swimming in the current.
While the boys fished, Laura, Tory, and I sat in Laura’s camper and enjoyed glasses of wine and Coca-Cola. We visited with one another for an hour or so before joining the boys down by the river.
Aden successfully caught one of the red fish in the river called a kokanee salmon. We weren’t sure what type of fish this was at first, so I had to do a little online research. It turns out, kokanee salmon are a non-migratory, land-locked, species of sockeye salmon that have been introduced in British Columbia. They are a relative of sockeye salmon, but are much smaller in size.
Aden also caught a silver-colored fish that the locals called “white fish.” An older man by the name of Carl visited our campsite this evening & filled our ears with information about this campground, Waitabit Creek, and this area of southeastern British Columbia. He gave Andi and Shaun another fishing spot to check out tomorrow. “If I’m back from grouse hunting in time, we’ll throw the kids in the back of my truck, and go” he said. Carl told us he’s lived in and around this area of British Columbia for 44 years. Sadly, he told us he’s dying of cancer, but still had such a welcoming, upbeat attitude about him. “I’m not here for a long time, I’m here for a good time,” he told us.
The six of us had such a lovely afternoon of fishing on the Waitabit Creek. The sun was shining, the air temperature was warm, and the fish were biting.
A deal came together at work for Laura today, so she and Shaun decided this would be their last night traveling with us. Tomorrow morning, they’ll start making the drive back to Minnesota. I’m so thankful to have had this time with them in Montana, visiting Banff and Yoho National Parks, and tonight on Waitabit Creek. We made lots of fun & special memories together.
Tonight, Andi grilled the chicken while I chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta for our dinner. Laura and the kids collected driftwood for a campfire. The six of us ate greek chicken bowls outside at the picnic table, and had s’mores over the campfire for dessert. Carl wandered back over to our camp at some point to share more stories with Andi and Shaun.
Tomorrow, we’ve got school and work to do. Laura and Shaun plan to take off sometime in the morning. Then, Andi and Aden want to check out that special fishing spot Carl was telling us about today. Though our time with Laura and Shaun has come to an end, our family’s adventure continues.
