Trip to Cold Lake

Bert and Barb invited me to join them for a quick 3-day trip to Cold Lake, Alberta earlier this month.  It was a cool and rainy couple of days, but it was great to get out of the city for a bit.  We stayed at the Waterfront Harbour Bed & Breakfast, owned and operated by Isabel and her niece Shannon, who were wonderful and very accommodating hosts.  

Waterfront Harbour B&B

The B&B is in a beautiful spot, located directly across from the lake.  The picture below shows the view from Bert & Barb's bedroom window. 

Bert's cedar strip canoe waits for clearer weather

Cinnamon buns fresh from the oven were waiting for us when we arrived.
Eating in the dining room overlooking the lake.

 

View of the lake from the sidewalk along Lakeshore Drive

The Cold Lake pier next to the marina, which has berths for 250 boats.  There are plans for expanding the number of berths due to a lengthy waiting list

After a huge breakfast on our second day, we took a drive out to Cold Lake Provincial Park just outside of town.  The rain had let up a bit so we decided to take the canoe out on the lake.  It was a good thing we were warmly dressed as it was pretty chilly out on the water.  But what a beautiful paddle, so quiet and calm, with just a few ducks and loons to keep us company.

We headed back to shore after about an hour and half of paddling and by this time we were more than ready for a late afternoon lunch.  Bert's pie iron came in very handy for cooking farmer sausage over the open fire. Delicious!

After lunch, Bert took the canoe out to try his luck with a bit of fishing.  The fish weren't biting but the photos were amazing.

Our last day dawned bright and sunny, so we once again headed for the Provincial Park and took a leisurely walk along a beautiful walking trail through the woods right alongside the lake.  A bird lookout provided excellent views of a flock of cedar waxwings.

View of the lake from the Provincial Park with the town of Cold Lake in the far background