Big Lake Country Tourism
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After a hectic week in the city, my husband and I were in need of some fresh air and fun. We have always loved spending lazy days on the beaches of Lesser Slave Lake in the summer, so we thought we would see what the area was like in the middle of February. A friendly telephone conversation with a staff member at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation in the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park confirmed that we had a warm, cozy room to stay in at The Nest: A Boreal Hostel.
After packing up the car, we set out on the highway on a crisp, clear Saturday morning. As the scenery changed from farm country to hoarfrost-encrusted forest, the stress melted away. A few hours later we arrived in the town of Slave Lake. With a quick coffee stop out of the way, we drove the 18.5 km north on Highway 88 to the Boreal Centre. The staff was very happy to see us and took the time to get us settled into our charming accommodation.
The groomed Trans-Canada trail was perfect for gliding along, half enjoying the surroundings, half daydreaming about what it would be like to live here full time… We stopped on the bridge over Lily Creek to examine the
deer, coyote and snowshoe hare tracks going to and fro through the snow. An hour later we decided to head back to the Boreal Centre to check out the exhibits and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. We had a lovely chat with the Executive Director, Patti Campsall about the joys of living in a small northern community.
The best part of the evening was going out to stand on the veranda and looking up at the undisturbed night sky, which was simply alive with stars and northern lights- breath-taking. With the combination of the fresh air of the day and the absolute silence of the night, I slept like a baby that night in the "Canada Warbler Room."
With our snowshoes strapped on we headed down to the lake toting a camera, ice auger, scoop and fishing pole. My husband went straight out onto the lake to a spot he deemed "a good one" and started drilling his hole. I began my quest for the perfect shot. After snapping off a couple dozen photos I sat down to just take it all in.
I watched my husband patiently jigging his line, concentrating so intently, I thought he was trying to will the fish into biting! I stared at the heat waves from the mid afternoon sun drift over the surface of the ice. The peacefulness of it all sort of washed over me and I wished we didn't have to go home in a couple of hours. I snapped out of my daydream when I heard my husband whoop out in his excitement of catching the first walleye of the day. I guess he really had picked "a good one!" I decided to go check out what was around the point.
Just a few hundred meters around the corner, where Lily Creek feeds into the lake, I saw a coyote trotting along the shoreline. I zoomed in as far as my camera would go to capture him in his search for food. Excited to tell my husband about my discovery, I hurried back to the fishing hole. While I had been gone, he had successfully reeled in another fish.
All in all, it was an excellent afternoon. Unfortunately though, it was time to head home. We packed up our gear and returned to the Boreal Centre. We thanked our host for a much needed weekend vacation and parted ways with a friendly goodbye and an invitation to return whenever we liked.
Our drive home was bittersweet, as we were so rejuvenated from our weekend in the forest but sad to have to go back to work. One thing is for sure, we will be visiting Lesser Slave Lake and the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation again!
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Lesser Slave Lake - A Find in February
After a hectic week in the city, my husband and I were in need of some fresh air and fun. We have always loved spending lazy days on the beaches of Lesser Slave Lake in the summer, so we thought we would see what the area was like in the middle of February. A friendly telephone conversation with a staff member at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation in the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park confirmed that we had a warm, cozy room to stay in at The Nest: A Boreal Hostel. After packing up the car, we set out on the highway on a crisp, clear Saturday morning. As the scenery changed from farm country to hoarfrost-encrusted forest, the stress melted away. A few hours later we arrived in the town of Slave Lake. With a quick coffee stop out of the way, we drove the 18.5 km north on Highway 88 to the Boreal Centre. The staff was very happy to see us and took the time to get us settled into our charming accommodation.
A Perfect Day in Nature
Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to have a hot dog roast for lunch at the fire pit behind the Nest. With full bellies and warm hands, we were ready to explore the trails on the cross country skis given to us to use by the Boreal Centre. Toques and mittens donned, we set out on our afternoon adventure.The groomed Trans-Canada trail was perfect for gliding along, half enjoying the surroundings, half daydreaming about what it would be like to live here full time… We stopped on the bridge over Lily Creek to examine the
deer, coyote and snowshoe hare tracks going to and fro through the snow. An hour later we decided to head back to the Boreal Centre to check out the exhibits and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. We had a lovely chat with the Executive Director, Patti Campsall about the joys of living in a small northern community. The Ultimate 'Perfect Evening'
We decided to really take advantage of our long, quiet evening by cooking a wonderful meal in the spacious kitchen and dining by candlelight with the fireplace dancing in the background. It isn't very often in everyday life when my husband and I can curl up in front of a fire with some wine and talk all night long!The best part of the evening was going out to stand on the veranda and looking up at the undisturbed night sky, which was simply alive with stars and northern lights- breath-taking. With the combination of the fresh air of the day and the absolute silence of the night, I slept like a baby that night in the "Canada Warbler Room."
An Afternoon to Snowshoe, Ice Fish, Watch for Wildlife
The next morning while lounging on the sofa and enjoying my coffee, I watched a busy chickadee flitting about while my husband made our breakfast. While we ate our pancakes, we chatted about our plans for the day. I expressed my desire to get some photos of the ice-heaves on the lake and my husband said he wanted to try ice fishing. Our compromise was to borrow snowshoes from the Boreal Centre and head out on the lake to do both. We loaded our things into the car before our noon checkout time and headed up the Boreal Centre to check out and pick up the snowshoes. I ended up browsing in the quaint little gift shop for about 20 minutes and came out with a beautiful bark carving made by a local artist.With our snowshoes strapped on we headed down to the lake toting a camera, ice auger, scoop and fishing pole. My husband went straight out onto the lake to a spot he deemed "a good one" and started drilling his hole. I began my quest for the perfect shot. After snapping off a couple dozen photos I sat down to just take it all in.
I watched my husband patiently jigging his line, concentrating so intently, I thought he was trying to will the fish into biting! I stared at the heat waves from the mid afternoon sun drift over the surface of the ice. The peacefulness of it all sort of washed over me and I wished we didn't have to go home in a couple of hours. I snapped out of my daydream when I heard my husband whoop out in his excitement of catching the first walleye of the day. I guess he really had picked "a good one!" I decided to go check out what was around the point. Just a few hundred meters around the corner, where Lily Creek feeds into the lake, I saw a coyote trotting along the shoreline. I zoomed in as far as my camera would go to capture him in his search for food. Excited to tell my husband about my discovery, I hurried back to the fishing hole. While I had been gone, he had successfully reeled in another fish.
All in all, it was an excellent afternoon. Unfortunately though, it was time to head home. We packed up our gear and returned to the Boreal Centre. We thanked our host for a much needed weekend vacation and parted ways with a friendly goodbye and an invitation to return whenever we liked.
Our drive home was bittersweet, as we were so rejuvenated from our weekend in the forest but sad to have to go back to work. One thing is for sure, we will be visiting Lesser Slave Lake and the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation again!
