The Sugar Shack at 70 Mile House

Wow! Having driven passed it many times I finally insisted that we stop at the Sugar Shack in 70 Mile House. So very glad we did. Blaine and I were both still full from our crappy Tim Hortons breakfast so we didn't sample the poutine but we for sure will next time. The fries are hand cut and the meat is smoked right there in the yard. $12.50 would have got us a huge portion of proper québécois poutine topped with either pulled pork or Montreal smoked meat. Instead we opted for coffee and beaver tails. Unable to pick between Maple Butter and Cinnamon Sugar we got one of each. The cinnamon one was finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice which sent it over the top and made it the winner for me, but the maple butter was awesome too. Double shot white americano to keep me awake and all is good. Definitely making this a regular stop on highway 97 from now on.


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Rrroll up the rim

Tim Hortons coffee shop chain is a big deal in Canada. They run competitions where you roll up the rim to find out if you have won something (from a coffee to a truck). A colleague has had a terrible run and is something like 0/25. I have previously never bothered to even roll up my rim, just thrown the cup away. Today I rolled up my rim for the first time in 5+ years and won a coffee.

Good food in Cache Creek shocker!

The lunch time conversation at work yesterday was all about where to stop/eat when driving between Williams Lake and Vancouver. My colleagues spoke highly of Annie's bakery so we phoned ahead and ordered a 12" Meat Lovers for a 7pm pick up.

The pie was ready waiting for us and piping hot so they were dead on with the timing. The toppings were generous, good quality and evenly spread over the homemade tomato sauce. The base was not too thick nor too thin and was also homemade. My only criticism was that it was a bit greasy but that is because they are baked in a pan.

I will definitely be ordering my drive through food from Annie's in future!

Ice Fishing

It was a lovely sunny morning so we loaded up the qamutik and went ice fishing out on the lake. Alas we didn't get so much as a bite but we very much enjoyed a couple of hours in the sun. the dogs really aren't at all sure what is going on and probably think we are mad but they seem happy enough to hang out with us. Blaine said that they are not very helpful when it comes to tying the hooks on the line though.

 

Campfire

Yesterday afternoon, after a long day of chores we took the sleds for a quick ride around the lake. It was my first trip all the way to the southern end and I was surprised by how big the lake is. On our way back we saw a group of people waving energetically from the deck of one of the cabins on the other shores so we stopped by for a chat and they invited us back in the evening for a campfire.

After supper we saw the fire burning across the way so we grabbed the dogs, jumped on the sleds and rode toward the light. Another couple came over too and the group of us enjoyed stargazing while sitting around the fire.

Tyee Time Zone

On Monday I start my new job. The clocks go forward this weekend. 

My ingenious solution was to turn the clocks forward on Wednesday so that the dogs and I can ease into our new routine. 

Blaine is mostly on the road at the moment so he has to fend for himself.

Fun in the Snow

This weekend we had planned to go ice fishing but opted out since the lake was barely visible through the falling snow, it didn't seem like it would be much fun. On Sunday afternoon it started to clear up a little so we grabbed the sleds and went out for a ride. I didn't turn on my GPS tracking app but I am sure you have a good idea by now of where we go.

We rode over to Indian Hill and then took the trail to the barns on the south of Marguerite Lake. However, we were unable to get through as the stream was decidedly liquid. Blaine turned off the trail to turn around but his sled sank in the thigh deep snow so we spent some time extracting it then retraced our route to join the main trail to the north of Marguerite.

Instead of going all the way around to the rest area we elected to take a short cut over the lake. Blaine went ahead first to find a liquid free route. I do not enjoy riding my sled on water. Johnny, Sage and I took a short walk on the lake while Blaine zipped over and back.

  

The dogs were a little confused as to why daddy had left us but they enjoyed playing in the snow.

 

We parked up on the point by the hunting cabin and enjoyed a beer (snugged in Jimmie Johnson stubby coolers) and a packet of crisps.

This is my view on the sled. Johnny stands on the gas tank, Sage sits behind me on the passenger seat.

On the way home Blaine and I rode around the trails near our house so that they were beautifully groomed for my dog walk on Monday.