Sep 2/14 - Beautiful Weather

Weather has been perfect out here with the occassional rain to keep all the dust down. Trails are in great shape and now with the kids back to school its much quieter out on the trails too. We have the Flathead cabin and Divide cabin available this weekend but are booked solid the next weekend. If you are looking for a cabin for hunting give us a call - we usually only book one hunting party in so you have the place to yourself and its a quiet as we can make it. Thought I would throw in the view from the top of Turtle Mountain - Frank Slide. Hiked it for the first time on Sunday and it was a rush! Fire bans are off and the evening weiner roasts out here are all the more special! Call if you want to come out for a cabin stay this weekend. Cheers - V

July 24/14- Good Rain last night

Morning, its a bit cooler here today which is nice. We got a downpour last night with a big lightning and thunder show. Not typical for this spot to see that kind of lightning. Anyway that will freshen up the trails and cut down on the dust and maybe leave you a few puddles to have fun with. We still have the Divide cabin open this weekend and our group here says the trails are relatively quiet and they were on the Crowsnest side two days ago. We are getting bookings in Oct right now so if you know your dates then give us a call before its booked up. Seems that lots of the long weekends booked up quickly this year. Remember to check for fire bans and if you are in BC and allowed a fire then be sure to contain it properly and put it out completely. Cheers - V

July 20/14 - AB Fire Ban in Crowsnest & Not on BC side

Well hello gang! Its been a while but there isn't much weather that isn't good for quadding so it seems mute to report much. Weather has been smoking hot hitting +32 last week but this week is a nicer +23 with a slight breeze to keep you happy. Riding in the trees is cool and relaxing temperature wise. SO we have had questions about the fires and bans etc. Kelowna has a fire going and we have been getting some smoky days on and off and Banff had a lightning strike in a control burn area so they let it burn under control. We hadn't had any fire bans until the 18th when the Municipality of Crowsnest decided to have a fire ban so no open camp fires. But the BC side in the Southeast region is permitting open camp fires. So we can have campfires here and also on the BC side of the border. In both situations though, propane fuelled appliances are acceptable. Please use extreme caution when having fires of any kind. Contain them and keep them small. Put them out with lots and lots of water not just a couple of glass fulls. Stir it around and make sure all the coals are soaked. If you want more info then go to www.albertafirebans.ca or www.http://bcwildfire.ca/hprscripts/wildfirenews/bans.asp Fire bans get turned on and off without much notice so please check the websites before having a fire. The quadding is a bit dusty in spots but clear everywhere and the fishing is good in the mornings down at Summit and Island Lakes. Plan to BBQ still if you wish. Fingers crossed we get some nightly little showers to settle everything down a bit. Cheers - V

Jun 20/14 - +19 Sunny & Drying quickly

It is a beauty day here on the Divide. We made it through the 3 days of rain and flood alerts and now the sun is out and the guys said that up higher they even ran into a bit of dust on the trails! Thank you to everyone who checked in on us - your concern was much appreciated! We have a nice breeze but nothing gusty. Curt and Tyler and Cooper are going to head out on the trails tomorrow so we will have some trail photos. Here is the Summit Log Cabin and the trail out the gate. Weather looks good for the entire weekend! We have the Divide cabin and the Summit Log cabin open July 10th weekend and then we had a cancellation for the Summit Log cabin for the July 17th weekend. Our prices are $189/night based on double occupancy for a minimum of two nights and $15 per additional person. If you stay 4 nights then we only charge a flat rate of $189/night and no charge for additional people to the cabin max. Our prices are increasing for bookings November 1st fwd to $199/night with the same arrangements as the input costs of propane almost doubled this year among gas/diesel prices, insurance etc but we know that riding from your cabin door and being free to walk/quad down to the lake to fish and bbq what you caught or hunted while the kids roast marshmallows is a better experience than a hotel room in the city for more right!! Have a tow rope for creek crossing misfires and check out www.quadsquad.ca and support the club that keeps riding areas open! Cheers - V

June 18/14 - Weathering the Weather Just Fine

Morning, I would send photos but they look just like the ones I posted last. We had heavy rainfall last night but it quit around 3am. Everything is fine but the creek is definitely up and rolling hard and fast. We have one more night of possible rain but we have had the lightest touch from this storm with Pincher getting hit with hard rain yesterday per notes from friends. I hope everyone down stream is having a better time of it than last year. One more night to go in the warning and then Thurs is supposed to get to temps of +20 and mostly sun with sun and hot temps all through to and including the weekend. We have the Divide Cabin open if you want to get out and enjoy the trails and sun this weekend! Cheers - V

June 17/14 - Flood Alerts but All looks Good Instead!

Good Afternoon! Well Elk Valley and Crowsnest and Pincher among other areas were put into a flood alert on Environment Canada and it has been raining steadily since yesterday afternoon but its supposed to rain til Wed middle of the night and then the sun comes out everywhere Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun etc. Temps will go from +6 to +20 by Sunday. The rain hasn't been as heavy as first thought and the creeks are managing it readily. Your trails for the weekend will be greasy and wet but that is better than dusty for most! Creek crossings will be higher and care must be taken when considering routes with creeks ie: Trail of Seven Bridges.(no bridges!). Just thought I would check in with everyone and let them know that so far we are doing just fine and looking forward to Thursday. Cheers - V

June 5/14 - Grouchy Griz

I went up to open up the cabins this morning as we are full this weekend and this guy and I just missed each other....I walked in the front door and Sommer looked out the back window and said ahhhh...Mom...there's a bear in the back yard. Sure enough a Grizzly was eating the lush grass back there by our fire pit just off the deck. Curt gave him a yell and he gave Curt the..."ya whatever - get lost buddy" posture and went back to eating. So Curt pulled out the shot gun and let off 4 shots which only got him to casually walk back up the yard and into the creek. Not the usual response. So....one...you can be very close to a bear and not know it....two...if they don't scare off easily you have a problem...three...do not kill one without extreme cause as it is a huge fine and possible jail time - so be proactive when out on the trails and try to avoid encounters. Weather is supposed to be a bit rainy tomorrow but then beautiful at around +20 to +23 Sat and Sun. Join the Quad Squad out here and help support the volunteers in their efforts to keep areas and trails open..go to www.quadsquad.ca - Cheers - V