One Van, Two GPSs and Six Women

What happens when you put six geo-caching friends together in one van? And then drive all the way to Fairmont Hotsprings and back?

A trip I will never forget!

I have never seen so many beautiful places in one week. And, I am sorry to say, it was wonderful travelling without any men! We could stop as many times as we wanted and not hear those travelling excuses that all men love to impart on their women...

"Oh, did you want to stop?"

"But then all those semis I passed will get in front of us!"
"You want to stop again?"
"You just went to the bathroom!"

We love them but, honestly, what are we racing for?

We decided to take the scenic route to the Kootenays, travelling along the Crowsnest Highway. It's curvy but so amazing.... full of history and views that belong on a postcard.

It would be a pretty lengthy blog if I wrote about every day so I'll share just a few of the many highlights.

On the first day we decided to take the Old Hedley Road between Princeton and Hedley. There are a few caches along this road but what I love about this route is the many pictographs you can see along the way. To experience a tangible, touchable piece of history painted there on the rock gives me goosebumps every time. I try to imagine what the artist had to say but I must admit that I love the mystery just as well.

There are over 15 different sites, some that you can see without even getting out of your vehicle. We didn't stop for too many this time but we did make sure to stop for my favourite.... the Drowned Warrior paintings. The four paintings depicted on this cliff wall supposedly tell the story of a young warrior who drowned while canoeing. See....I'm getting goosebumps again.

Close to Greenwood we made sure we stopped to look for a cache called "Look at all Those Flags!" We wondered at this seemingly misplaced tunnel. It wasn't until we got home that we discovered the story behind British Columbia's very own Sphinx.

After an amazing dinner of authentic Ukrainian food and a sleepover in Grand Forks we continued on to Fairmont. We made stops at Christina Lake, Kettle Valley Gorge and of course, the Goat Mountain Soap Company in Yahk.

Fairmont Hotsprings is a wonderful place to have a base camp when you're exploring the Kootenays. Every day one of had our "Princess Day" and got to choose where we would travel to next. From shopping the Bavarian shops in Kimberley to stepping back in time in Fort Steele... every day was a truly unique experience.

If you're a geocacher like us you really have to experience all the earthcaches that are here. Published mostly by locals, who know the area best, they take you to the most amazing places. Once you have stood under a warm waterfall or sat in a real hotspring beside a mountain stream you will be looking for the next nearest earthcache, believe me.

On our last day we decided to do a couple of good hikes. The hoodoos near Fairmont are some of the most incredible examples of geological formations in the province. We decided to hike to the top of them and found the three caches hidden at the top as well. Those finds were well worth it! My pictures don't do justice to the uniqueness of this place, you just have to go see them for yourself. Amazing!

So those are a few of the highlights...
What a wonderful trip this was with my friends. Visiting, caching, eating and making memories.

Memories to last a lifetime!