I enjoyed reminiscing about the good ole days in my former life.  I was involved in the media for 30 years prior to making a career change and moving to Kicking Horse Resort and owning and operating Vagabond Lodge with wife Lori. 
Bryn Griffiths and Robin Brownlee asked me to join them on their podcast called the Outsiders the other day. I knew both when I was working with TSN in Edmonton.  Bryn brought up one story I had forgotten about which isn't unusual.  It was after the Oilers beat the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup in 1990 in Boston. .  We were waiting for the bus at a downtown hotel to take the team and the media(me included ) to catch the team plane back to Edmonton.  It was relatively early in the morning.  There was an unexpected passenger who arrived to take the bus and the plane to Edmonton.  You have to listen to find out more. 

Kicking Horse Resort unveiled its Covid-19 protocol for this coming ski season and there will be some challenges.  They will not be selling any lift tickets at the resort.  You will only be able to purchase them on-line and they will be limited.  If you are planning to come skiing or snowboarding here this winter you need to get your lift tickets organized before you book a room otherwise you may get here and not be able to ski.  We are still waiting at Vagabond Lodge to find out what our guests need to do.  I am hoping we will have access to lift tickets for our guests as I suspect a lot will wait until the last second since our major market now is Alberta and BC.  They will look at the weather forecast before making a booking.  Since food services will be limited as well as toilets and warming areas, Vagabond will be offering lunch to our guests and since we are just across the road from the gondola, it is easy to whip back for a quick bite to eat, warm up and back on the hill.  There is a policy of mask wearing throughout the resort.  The only time you do not need to wear a mask is when you are skiing.  Good to hear.  You can click here for more details on what to expect. 
It really is a winter wonderland already at the resort with about 50cms of snow in the past week.  One of my favourite things to do this time of the year is to go for a walk in the woods.  Usually I put some snowshoes on and do some exploring.  It is so serene and a great way to escape.  We have some awesome trails out our backdoor at Vagabond Lodge.  
You can book your stay at Vagabond by giving us a call  250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca  We have some great winter specials.  

The seasons  change quickly here.  One day we are kayaking on the river in 20 C temperature and the next we are having a snow storm.  And that has basically been the case here in the past week.  It has been snowing off and on for the past few days and it definitely looks and feels like winter. 
We are staying close to home and did manage to go on a road trip into the wine growing area of the province for a few days and did some wine swilling, kayaking and bike riding.  It was our first getaway in a year.  We took all the precautions and always wore a mask when we went out in public.  It was great to getaway. 
Now we are in the winter prepping mode but not sure what the winter will bring.  Kicking Horse Resort is scheduled to open on December 11th and we do have some reservations but not many.  Usually most of our guests are from overseas and the US.  That will not happen this winter.  Whether there are enough Canadians to make an impact on the tourism business in this area is difficult to predict.  
One thing we do know, we will be keeping our occupancy to 5 rooms maximum which is 10 people to make sure everyone is spread out and we feel safe and so do our guests.  It is a good manageable number for us to work with.  The resort hasn't really unveiled their winter protocol except to say "no masks, no service." But how they will handle food service on a busy day and washrooms and keeping skiers warm is unknown at this time.  It will be a challenge.  The one thing they could do is have someone at the bottom of our road in Golden  allowing a certain number of people up to avoid congestion and not early.  That way there will not be a big lineup on a powder day. When the lifts open, then they can come up the hill.  Just an idea. 
We have our 10% Early Bird Discount available until October 31st plus we also have some extended stay savings available through the winter.  If you stay 4 or more nights you get 10% off, and if you pay for 6 nights you can stay 7.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca to get more details. Be safe, and stay healthy. The video is from this week. 

It's not over until it is over. Everyday like this is a bonus so we are taking advantage of it.  We have had an amazing month or so for weather.  Along with son Kori and his wife Elaine Lori and I  took advantage of an amazing day recently for what could be our last paddle on the Columbia River this year which flows by the town of Golden.  We put in just south of town and it was about a 3 hour float.  We did some paddling but not much.  It was too nice of a day to rush things. The water level is pretty low so we needed to watch for sand bars in a few spots but nothing serious. There were only two other people that we saw, on paddle boards behind us.  How good is that.  We are so lucky where we live.
​Vagabond is closed but we are planning to reopen for the upcoming ski season which is set to begin on December 12th.  How that will unfold, is still not known at this time. 
Vagabond is taking reservations and they will be limited as we do not feel having all our rooms full is a safe way to do it.  Give us a call at 250 344 2622 or email info@vagabondlodge.ca.   We are offering a 10% Early Bird savings.  That offer expires on October 31st. 
Enjoy the video.