Leaving Drumheller after lunch we set out for Pigeon Lake, a provincial park campground south west of Edmonton.  We had an incredible lakeside pitch that treated us to wonderful views and spectacular sunrises.  One of the benefits of having boys suffering from jet lag is that you get to wake up at 4:30 and see the sun come up over a misty lake.

The weather wasn’t great and unfortunately stayed that way – there were just enough breaks in the rain over these couple of days for us to toast marshmallows, catch a couple of sunrises and improve our Frisbee skills.  It could have been a blessing in disguise as the lake had blue-green algae which meant swimming, paddling and contact with the water were off-limits unless you wanted a nasty rash accompanied by stomach cramps and diarrhoea if ingested.  It would have been tough playing on the beach in the sunshine trying to keep two active boys out of the water.  Instead there were a few sleeps, some playing in the net tent and a drive to Pigeon Lake village for a rather large ice cream.

One thing we already know about Granpops but that seems to be magnified on holiday is his ability to strike a conversation with everyone and anyone.  It has it’s benefits, like when we got to chat with the RCMP bomb disposal expert camped next to us, but it also has it’s downsides – like when he went off to get some loonies for the shower block for everyone but took three hours to return.  Jack seems to be mirroring Granpops ability to get chatting.  He made some great friends of the hosts grand kids, eventually heading off into their fifth wheeler to play computer games and have lunch while it was raining.

Time was also spent trying to improve fly fishing skills in readiness for Fernie – both grown up boys were a little rusty with more trees and bushes hooked behind them than casts landing in the lake.  Still, it was fun to watch.