On our third day, we wanted to go to Barkerville, as it’s been several years since we’ve made a trip to visit the town. Brent and my dad are interested in mining and the history of the area, so we always learn something new when we go with them.
Rowan sat out this trip to stay behind with Nana, so I took the girls. Barkerville is about an hour from the campsite.
Along the way, we saw a mama and baby moose. The mama was as big as a horse—such a beautiful animal—and the baby moose was hardly bigger than our dogs. Luckily, we weren’t travelling fast on the road as they crossed about 30 feet in front of us. I wish I could’ve snapped a picture of them, but they disappeared so quickly into the trees that I missed my chance!
We had to stop at the entrance to get a picture with the mining cart at the big Barkerville sign. Tennessee thought it was cool until I said we should go down the mine shaft and explore—not that we actually could, but I think it would be a cool thing to experience.
Things in Barkerville were a little different this time around with Covid-19. Not many of the shops were open. We checked out the Eldorado Gold Panning and Gift Shop. I really wanted to buy a keepsake coffee mug but couldn’t decide on one.
Outside the shop we got a picture with the girls on the Kelly Transport truck. The Kelly family is the only family that has four generations associated with the history of Barkerville, and this truck was recently donated.
In Barkerville, there is also the Kelly General Store and the Kelly Saloon. I bought Addisyn a massive Jawbreaker at the Mason & Daly General Merchants, and I tried to get Brent to buy a top hat at the store, but he didn’t go for it.
On our way out we checked out nearby campsites such as Forest Rose and Lowhee Campgrounds, as we had never been to them before and wanted to scope them out for future camping trips
The sun was bright and sky was blue when we got back to camp. We had barely parked the car and the kids jumped on their bikes again. When we go camping, I don’t have to worry about the kids getting fresh air and exercise—they absolutely love it and never mention missing their video games or tablets.
The kids would ride to the top of the hill and race down back to the campsite. They always had an adult watching to make sure no cars were coming and to yell if there was. It was awesome to see the kids doing things together.
After dinner, it was time for smores. Mmmm! Brent got the fire going with a huge stump he found in the woods and just had to burn it. Tennessee only wanted to eat the chocolate and skip the rest. The kids cooked theirs to perfection! It’s funny how we all have our own way of eating marshmallows. Brent likes them raw, Addisyn and I like them slightly toasted, and Rowan, well, he usually sets them on fire and has to start over.
We love camping with friends and family. Our friends Dale and Clyde, that we had met on the last trip, joined us for this trip. They brought some games over to play with the kids. The kids liked the ladder golf game—we had never played it before!
Our friend Annaka had come up from Williams Lake to camp with us as well and brought her dog, Turbo. I liked to call him my “bee-sting” dog, as it looked like his face was swollen. But he was the cutest thing ever!
Brent had a co-worker pull up to our campsite that recognized him. He was coming here to camp with his little boy, so we invited him to join us around the campfire as well. We had so much fun telling stories and sharing experiences.
We called it a night just after midnight. The kids love camping because of mom’s no-bedtime rule. Even Tennessee stayed up, cuddling with me at the fire. Addisyn and Rowan wanted to sleep in the bunks in Annaka’s trailer, so Tennessee and I slept in the big bed in the motorhome and kicked Brent to the couch.
