ON the grid – Canyon RV in Radium, British Columbia

This past weekend was a complete 180 from our last. If we camped OFF the grid at Barrier Mountain Outfitters, we were definitely glamping ON the grid at Canyon RV in Radium Hot Springs, BC. From our beautiful, grassy site to Wi-Fi, to clean washrooms and free showers with hot, running water, this was definitely our kind of glamping. We five (including Kira’s BFF Jaylene), had the best time. The kids cried a little when it was over and Dave said he wished we could have stayed a whole week. I was truly relaxed as I read magazines in our hammock. The weather was perfect – sunny and hot all three days we were there. We went to the Fairmont Hot Springs in nearby Fairmont and soaked in the naturally hot water. We went shopping in Invermere. We ate dinner at our favourite place out there, the Black Forest Inn, and even got dressed up for it! Yes – dresses and makeup for the ladies and showers for all. Of course, we went geocaching and hiked up to the Sinclair Creek waterfall. We ran out of time or would have checked out mini-golfing, Funtasia or the Radium Wood Carver. But we had such a nice site we didn’t want to leave it. We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.

Unfortunately, that means there are no crazy Manouri-stories to share! Sorry to disappoint!

But that makes for a kinda uninteresting blog. So I thought I’d share a few funny stories from the past, from when Jaylene glamped with us before.

Last year, we took Jaylene with us twice, to Banff and to Mount Kidd. We always use the camp washrooms when we can (just not at night or in emergencies) just so we don’t fill up the tanks too quickly. Last year in Banff, Kira and Jaylene were using the camp washroom and heard someone showering in the shower room attached. This fascinated Jaylene for some reason. Her family does not camp. They own a condo in Osoyoos! After washing up and before exiting, Jaylene ran into the shower area, yelled “Have a nice shower!” and then high-tailed it out. And I mean high-tailed. Kira said the look of panic on Jaylene’s face was hilarious, and she ran out of there so fast she tripped over her own two feet. She said she was worried the person in the shower would come after her! You could tell she’s a good girl who follows the rules and doesn’t cause trouble. Now whenever we are home and one of us is taking a shower, Kira always yells, “Have a nice shower!” And of course, when we are glamping and we hear someone taking a shower, guess what we always yell on our way out. It’s now a glamping tradition for us.

I have a Lululemon hoodie that I’ve taken glamping with me a few times. Jaylene loves it. She complimented me on it one day and then said to Kira, “I love your mom’s hoodie. I might steal it one day. If it ever goes missing, you can accuse me of taking it, because I probably did!” Now whenever I can’t find that hoodie, even when I’m at home and Jaylene is not around, I think that she must have taken it. Jaylene expects me to leave her that hoodie in my will. Yes, she has told me this.

I’m glad that Jaylene feels so comfortable with us. When these girls become teens, I want them all – not just Kira – to know that they can come to me with anything. I like the deep talks we have around the campfire. I also like that Jaylene is comfortable showing us her silly, informal side. For example, we were on a hike when I heard Jaylene let out a blood-curdling scream. I ran to her and questioned what had happened. She simply said, “Oh, I dropped my water.” One evening, we were around the fire and I expressed frustration with my two kids because they were expecting me to serve them hand and foot without doing anything themselves. All was quiet for a few seconds, until Jaylene piped up, “Oh Manouri – can you get me a snack from inside the trailer? And while you’re at it can you turn down my bed?” She lightened up a tense moment with a quick joke. She’s a joy to take with us and we’ll invite her many times in the future!

Oh, a Max story! One of the pitfalls of taking someone camping with us is the lack of privacy we face in a normalspace like a trailer. When he ordinarily wouldn’t bother shutting the bathroom door when he’s inside, when we’re camping with a friend, Max always closes himself in. This past weekend, we were all outside when Max excused himself to use the trailer facilities (it was an emergency). We were all so relaxed and having a good time outside, we didn’t notice how long he was gone. Finally, Dave turned to me and asked, “Where’s Max?” Then we heard a very faint voice calling from inside the trailer, “help me!” I ran inside to find that Max had locked himself in the bathroom. He knows how to use the lock but in his panic he couldn’t get it to work. I had to talk him through it while Dave looked for something long and skinny to poke through the release on the other side. When Max finally opened the door, his face was streaked with tears (through the dirt). Seeing me, he threw himself at me at knocked me right over, thankfully onto the couch behind me. He tearfully told me he had been calling “help” for a while and he thought he’d never get out. I felt sorry for him but I couldn’t help but chuckle.

I’ll end this blog by saying that we highly recommend Canyon RV in Radium. The owners are super nice, everything is clean and well maintained, and the price per night is reasonable. Try to get a site by the creek, and of course, while you’re in Radium, check out all the fun things that town and neighbouring Invermere has to offer.

Some awesome pics...

Gorgeous drive down...