#50 - The Drop Zone!

I woke up excited! Today was the day...

Today I would be rappelling down Hill Tower II as part of The Prairie Chickens team. The rappel would be the culmination of months of fundraising for Camp Easter Seal.

As I got ready and donned my prairie chicken ensemble, I realized I wasn't fearful at all. I was full of anticipation for the adventure of a lifetime the day would bring!

We had chosen to do our rappels in the morning. There was no need to have all day to rehearse the event over and over in our minds or to watch others as they got geared up, completed one final practice run and then rappelled. I hadn't come to be an observer; I wanted to get up on the roof, do my rappel and then enjoy the rest of the day.

The Prairie Chickens (L to R): Melinda Lalach, Jill Laycock, Bobbie Sevenster

Fast-forward through the next couple of hours. We signed in, waited our turn, got geared up, did our final practice run, and finally were ushered into an elevator and made our way out onto the rooftop - what a view!

We then waited to be called over one by one closer to the edge of the building where the rappelling equipment was set up and where SWAT team members were ready to guide us through each step of the process.

It was my turn. I walked towards the railing. My harness and knots were double- and triple-checked - good!

Then began the hardest part of the day - climbing over the railing of the roof of the building. Every single cell of my brain seemed to be telling me, "Don't do it! Danger! Danger! Warning! This is completely unnatural!" The two SWAT guys kept me at ease and gave crystal-clear instructions. I was literally on the edge - of a building!

Look at that focus, the concentration!

I really (REALLY!) did not want to let go, but in order to move forward in life (which in this case meant down), you have to let go of what you're holding on to. I did and the fun began!

Surprisingly, it wasn't hard at all. I zipped down about 10 floors before I realized I should slow down a bit, take in the view and enjoy the ride (as this likely was not going to happen again).

Prior to the big day, we were all asked to choose a song that would be played as we rappelled. I chose Mandisa's Overcomer. The lyrics of the chorus are:

You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight 'til the final round
You're not going under
'Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when he reminds you
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer

I was enjoying my descent so much I didn't want the rappel to be over, but all good things must come to an end...

Before and after we rappelled, The Prairie Chickens were interviewed by a journalist who then wrote this awesome article: Easter Seals fundraiser a chance to do good and take a leap of faith

It was an amazing experience, and I'm so glad I took this opportunity to rappel down one of Regina's tallest buildings! Talk about a year of redemption... I feel like I can do anything now!

#41 Redo

When my sister visited me this summer, we took in a Red Sox ball game. We redeemed #41 on my list!

To see why redemption was necessary, you can view my original blog post here:
#41 - Attend a Regina Red Sox baseball game

It wasn't a warm summer night - it was chilly! In fact, my sister walked back to the car to get a blanket out of the trunk. We needed it! We don't remember who won, and this was our only good picture, but we had a fun time and are glad we went. It's true: Life - and baseball - are better with friends!

Canada 150: Waterton Lakes National Park

Welcome to the second national park of our trip - Waterton Lakes National Park!

The townsite, the lake and the view!

Gorgeous! Stunning! Wow!

What a beautiful place! The scenery all around us was just magnificent! And there's so much to see and do in the townsite (shops, restaurants and a natural waterfall!) and the surrounding area.

We did two scenic drives within the national park - one was to Red Rock Canyon and the other was to Cameron Lake. 

Red Rock Canyon

Cameron Lake

We also took a cruise to Goat Haunt, USA! This US border station can only be accessed by boat or by foot - how unique!

Welcome to Goat Haunt, USA!

We loved this national park so much that we spent an extra day here! Of course, it was ridiculously hot everywhere else and Waterton was a tall glass of cool water in our itinerary. What a relief!

Canada 150: Fort Walsh National Historic Site

Fort Walsh was a complete surprise to me - from the road to the scenery to the location - and I loved it! This gem was tucked in the very corner of southwestern Saskatchewan right against the Alberta border.

But first, let me tell you about getting there... We traveled on a narrow road that twists and turns its way through the prairies, alongside a variety of crops, and up and down gentle rolling hills. Then, all of a sudden, you face pastureland and a veritable forests of trees! I didn't think there were any trees in this part of Saskatchewan!

Following that, you then travel up a mountain-like hill with sharp twists and turns along the way. Then you reach a plateau and see cattle grazing! Where were we???

The terrain was not only completely unfamiliar but also it was so unexpected - it seemed there was a surprise around every corner!

Finally, we arrived. We were excited and full of anticipation! The next step was our trek down to the fort!

We arrived just in time for a tour and saw some interesting things as we learned the history of the area.

Because we visited on Canada Day, there were a few extra "treats" as well - everything from the cannon being shot to sun-steeped iced tea and birthday cake!

 

All in all, it was a completely wonderful experience, and I'd return to this stunningly beautiful part of the province any time!

Canada 150: Grasslands National Park

My sister and I have been busy planning a road trip of southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta most of this year. Our goal is to explore the area, see some of the sights and take advantage of the free admission to Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites this year.

On Day 1 of our trip, we visited the first of two national parks we planned to see: Grasslands National Park located in southwestern Saskatchewan.

There was no way we could see all of even one block in just a day, so we chose to drive part of the Ecotour Road in the West Block and enjoyed a picnic lunch along the way.

My sister taking in the view

Now those are grassy plains!

The views went on forever...

The infamous Parks Canada red chairs highlighting one of the best views!

We encountered buffalo, black-tailed prairie dogs and even a mule deer as we drove. Thankfully, we avoided any rattlesnakes out basking in the sun!

Although we only saw a fraction of the West Block, we were wowed by its vastness! It truly is a treasure in southern Saskatchewan's backyard. Why not plan to check it out for yourself?

#19 - Ride my bike in the city

Well, one plus of living just half a block from the bike path in northwest Regina is that I can go for a walk or bike ride just about any time I want to - without having to drive somewhere first!

Years ago a friend from church had given me a second-hand bike. It had sat and sat in my friend's shed. But this year, this was the summer of bike riding in the city!

I quite enjoyed my after work or early evening bike rides, but Saturday morning might have been my favourite time for a bike ride. The air was still cool, the path wasn't busy and I had all the time in the world to explore.

A couple of Saturdays this summer, I rode and rode and rode - about as far northwest as I could because there was a field on the other side of the street! Those remain my favourite bike riding memories.

 

Literally the end of the bike path at the northwest end of the city on Courtney Street. :)

Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!

When I was planning my Dream 40th Birthday Trip and asked my friend Melinda to join me, I agreed to do the same for her 40th birthday a couple of years later.

Where to go proved to be the hardest part of the planning. For quite a while, South Africa was the destination of choice. I had a really hard time getting into that, but at one point in the planning process we attended a information session put on by a Canadian-based company that does a lot of travel in Africa. That did it... We were pumped! We made a list of everything (yes, everything!) we wanted to see and do on our trip. And then the quote came in... We were looking at $10,000 each! Unwilling to compromise on our "everything" list, we decided to shelf Africa for the time being.

But then what? Where do we go from here? We started thinking back to my 40th birthday trip and how Europe was a dream trip for me. We both still want to return and see the places we weren't able to get to, but Europe in general wasn't a number one location for Melinda. I remember several conversations that began like, "What would make the trip you?" "What do you want to do?" "What's important to you?" "What would be fun for you?" And that's how we came up with Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!

Our itinerary was: Yellowknife, NWT; Whitehorse, Yukon; Tofino, BC; Victoria, BC; and Vancouver, BC! With a flight north via Edmonton, AB, we were basically covering most of western Canada in one trip!

We had a fabulous time visiting a lot of new places, seeing some amazing sights, and crossing a few places off our must-see lists! Here are some of our many highlights...

View from Pilot's Monument in Yellowknife, NWT

Carcross Desert - Yukon

Biking on the beaches near Tofino when the tide was out - way cool!

Enjoying tea at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC

The last night of our trip! (Downtown Vancouver in the background.)

Melinda is far more adventurous, athletic and outdoorsy than I am, but what a privilege it was to be a part of her celebrating. I saw and did things I never would have done had we not gone on this adventurous trip together. When I think of all the territory we covered and new things we tried, I am amazed!

Happy birthday, dear friend! I had a blast celebrating with you!

#60 - Visit a US National Park I Haven't Been to Before

This fall my friend Korin and I traveled to Montana to attend a family camp and have a bit of a vacation. While I've been through Montana a couple of times, I hadn't been to this particular area - that around Glacier National Park.

Despite not one but two forest fires raging in the park, hazy conditions on some days that blocked the views and stunning scenery, very hot temperatures (in the mid to high 30s!), and it being the driest year on record in 100 years, Glacier National Park was still a very beautiful place to visit and explore.

With it being so dry this year, water levels were low everywhere. On our way through the park on the Going to the Sun Road, we stopped and ate our makeshift picnic lunch at an area where the riverbed was over half dry. We enjoyed the peace and tranquility the park and that particular area offered.

Another highlight came the next day when we did a hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook from the Logan Pass Visitor Center. First, I have seen many pictures of fields of wildflowers in the mountains, but I had never seen the real thing. When I did, I was in awe. It was so beautiful! And secondly, it was a long hike, but the view of Hidden Lake from the overlook was absolutely amazing!

On a free day we drove to Whitefish to explore that area. We had a fun day here and I definitely got out of my comfort zone - first with taking the ski lifts to the top of the mountain, then to feeling like a kid again on an alpine slide, and finally to do a walk in the treetops which got to as high as 70 feet up in the air. It was the hottest day (over 100 degrees!) and there wasn't a lick of wind, but I drank I don't know how many bottles of water to stay hydrated, pushed myself to the limit, and I made it. (Note: I've had heat exhaustion more than once and it makes you extra sensitive to heat from then on.)

Following camp, we spent a couple of extra days in the Glacier National Park area and I had my first actual camping experience in years. Korin loves camping! I like camping as well - in hotels and with running water. In spite of this, we had a good time and I enjoyed my first (and probably not last) camping experience at a KOA Campground. Check out our cute little cabin!

On our last full day in the area, we drove back into the national park to do a hike. We had almost had an experience with a bear a couple days previous, so I was in no frame of mind to go for a hike in the woods when there was a chance we might meet him again or come across one of his close relatives. But Korin wanted to go for a hike in the woods and didn't feel her trip would be complete without that, so off we went. Her words to me were, "What's the worst that could happen?" "Oh, let me give you a few scenarios..." I thought.

Anyway, to make a long story (and an even longer blog post) short, we had a great hike, saw some amazing natural sights, did not see a bear, and came across a beautiful hidden lake (Johns Lake) in the course of our travels. It was worth it. The End.