A Radium Retreat

You know how a person can go on vacation and it’s so much that you get home and think “I need a vacation from my vacation.” That’s exactly what I went through over the holidays. The husband and the kids and I headed out over to Vancouver Island for Christmas. We were there 11 or so days and we visited with a very large number of people – more than 30. It felt like 100. These people who we love so much and who are so important to us are spread over three towns and we wanted to see everyone and participate in every dinner and occasion we were invited to, so we did. We saw aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents and great grandparents and at the end of it all I was done. I was so exhausted from all the running around, back and forth. All the hellos and good byes, all the chatter and hugs. Done.

We came home, picked up our pets, unpacked, and dove straight into the school routine and then….I went on vacation again! I went on a vacation for me! Over the weekend, myself and my best girlfriends went into the mountains to Radium. We brought snacks and drinks and craft supplies. We crocheted and went on winter snowy walks and just enjoyed a slow pace with no obligations. It was heaven. I mean. Look. I watched the sunset over the mountains. I didn’t have to cut anyone’s meat. I didn’t have to drive anyone anywhere. I just sat there and watched the sun go down, on the balcony from my suite at Bighorn Meadows. 

I have to say, Bighorn Meadows is the answer – it was so gorgeous and SO spacious! They have suites and single rooms too. My suite was pretty much a full sized apartment with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full kitchen and living area with a large dining table too. If you wanted to share a suite with another family then this is the way to go – so budget friendly!

When you make the trip and choose Bighorn Meadows ask for the “Blogger Special” and you’ll get a 20% discount when you book two or more nights from now until June 23rd 2016. Be sure to ask for the side that overlooks the mountains. I spent a good amount of time just staring out the window. Sigh. It was lovely. After all that staring, I was hungry so we did venture out to Invermere just 10 minutes away. We had lunch more than once at the Blue Dog cafe which was amazing and fresh. My favourite thing there was the falafel pita – it had an amazing lime sauce that just made it sing. So good. We poked around in some shops and watched the bighorn sheep wander the streets. There were so many, everywhere. We actually saw quite a bit of wildlife on this trip. I saw a wolf on the highway just outside of Radium, a fox in between Invermere and Radium, many sheep and some deer too.

Back at the resort we went for a little walk in the snow and came upon a large herd of sheep. They are so used to people that we were able to get pretty close to snap photos. They really didn’t have many cares as they pawed at the snow looking for grass to eat. Birds sat on their heads even and they just didn’t care. Oh to be a bighorn sheep in Radium!

The Columbia Valley is a wonderful option for vacationing close to home. There is so much to do from snowshoeing, cross country skiing, soaking in the hot springs, shopping or just staring out at the mountains like I did. Split the costs between two groups and share a large suite at Bighorn Meadows to keep things extremely reasonable. It’s only a 3 hour drive from Calgary. Be sure you have the proper winter snow tires for a trip like that (it’s law in BC for that highway) and take it slow over the winter months. Still, the drive is breathtaking in the winter. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was all so beautiful. Go. Get your vacation too.

Resources: 
Columbia Valley Tourism
Big Horn Meadows (ask for the Blogger Special to get 20% off until June 23rd 2016
Blue Dog Cafe