Wednesday June 9th, Viva and Greg Nicas, Pincher Creek AB

120 miles

A slow start to the morning after a great night….and a few wines! Rennie had taken the morning off, and with the rain falling it was a good chance to sit around and chat.

We all packed into their car late morning and took a look around Fernie. I got another ball of wall for my project, Jacquie had added her contribution with the idea of knitting a square featuring the “3 Sisters”, the peaks that overlook Fernie. We downloaded a picture and graphed it up.

Rennie took us to a meat packers in town to get some top quality meat, the steak we had last night was just so good, we wanted to take some with us. Also bought some jerky, which they recommended and a huge piece of ham for $15. We won’t starve.

We all went to Tim Horton’s (a Canada wide store) for lunch, the food is made fresh and the coffee is always really good…..and the doughnuts are sinfully delicious.

Luke was off to “school” at 12.30 for a 2 ½ hour session…we went in with him and checked out the class which is held in the buildings of an old school. Great facilities and equipment, and really friendly staff.

Back to Ruakiwi and we were back on the road again….and spoilt with lots of home cooked treats from Jacquie that are sure to put extra kilos on the hips if I am not careful. She had made a really yummy blueberry and almond slice…sooo good. Do miss home cooked treats on the road. It was so great to see them all again.

The rain cleared on our way through to Pincher Creek and the sun came out. We headed to Viva and Greg’s, retracing our steps from last September, to overnight and catch up with them. The 20 min drive south from town to where they live is just spectacular, rolling prairies with the snow capped Rocky Mountains rising up sharply in the distance, and their home is in the foothills. The views from their dining room just take your breathe away.

William and Katie arrived home from school, having added quite a few inches in the past year. School finishes for the summer in less than a fortnight.

Viva cooked a great meal of ribs with home cooked beans and salad….we are really getting spoilt, and will need the weather to clear so that we can walk a few of the pounds off!