Rolf Radium Springs - The Home of 1000 Faces

On our way back from camping on Crown land we made a quick stop in Radium, not for the hot springs, but rather the wood carver - Rolf Heer.  I am not quite sure how Rebecca met this man, or when, but we had to make a stop on the way back.  The place - The Home of 1000 Faces.  What can you see at the home of 1000 faces?  Well, for starters, lots of faces.  Second, lots of woodcarvings.  And third, but not finally, goats.  

Not sure if this place was Rolf's home or workshop or possibly both.  The man definitely appears to be a craftsman.  He greeted us at the door and after we paid our entrance fee (I believe it was $4 a person) we chatted with Rolf for a bit.  His brother was visiting from Switzerland.  He then gave us some stale nacho chips and invited us to go and feed the goats.  Yes, goats!  The workshop is easily 3 or 4 levels with pathways specifically designed for the goats.  We toured the inside of his shop a bit before making our way outside to feed the goats.  

We finished, after snapping quite a few photos, on the ground floor.  Rolf had just started to work on a piece and explained that he had thousands of bottles left from his Halloween party.  So, not only was it the home of 1000 faces but also the home of thousands of bottles.  The bottom floor had some fun 'traps' where you could push buttons or twist doorknobs and water would squirt out from some unknown place.  If you get the chance and find yourself in Radium with a few hours to kill, stop on by and check out the art!

(Lamp post as we entered)

(A few of the thousand of faces)

(Admission sign)

(A few more of the faces inside the shop)

(Not really sure what this photo was supposed to be of...)

(A wooden creature of sorts, pretty cool)

(A few more sculptures)

(Time to feed the goats some stale nacho chips)

(Rebecca feeding the goats)

(Me feeding the goats)

(From what Rebecca told me all of the things inside this room were found while Rolf was in the woods cutting down trees.  This may have been a tenth of the items plus there was another room.)

(A few of the thousand bottles)

(Strolling through the ground floor/workshop area.  Those black plastic bags were also filled with bottles.  So, if you are in Radium over Halloween, stop by his place - must be a great party.)

(Not sure what happened when I twisted this doorknob, possibly nothing)

(Luckily, I was standing in the right place here)

(Lonely Bear)

(Rebecca had a seat)

(A few more of the faces with bodies)

(Lots to see, that was for sure.  We were on our way back to Calgary so probably only spent an hour there.)

(Not quite sure what either of these sculptures were supposed to be)

(A workbench, perhaps)

(See the face?)

(A few more of the faces on the outside)

(A glimpse of the upper level.  Not exactly the best shot but hopefully gives you some idea.)

Rebecca's Proposal

During our camping trip on Crown Land, we made our way down to the hot springs extra early one morning.  This morning, I knew something was up and kind of expected something.  Fortunately, when we arrived, there was only one other couple in the springs.  Rebecca asked me to go down by the side of the river.  The next thing I knew she was rooting around in her pocket for something and pulled out a paper airplane and a paper boat.  We originally met online and corresponded via the internet for quite some time before actually deciding to meet in person.  I was originally penciled in as material for a book she was working on at the time.  This did not sit very well with me so she said we could fold up all our papers and let them fly/sail away. Interestingly, we weren't even planning on meeting before I left Calgary.  

Fortunately, it all worked out.  The boat and plane have symbolic meaning in regards to our online correspondence.  Additionally, she also made me a sweet silver necklace that was half of a paper airplane and she kept the other half for herself.  Of course I said yes...

(I was all decked out and ready to get in the hot springs... it was a bit chilly)

(I wasn't quite sure what they were at first...)

(Here you can see the airplane and boat a bit better)

(We sent the boats sailing and the planes flying)

(And watched as they floated down the river...)

(And then it was hot spring time)

(We were already engaged by this point but she wanted to ask...)

(Here you can see the chain... should have held the necklace up...)

(The springs were pretty cool because they were different pools with different temperatures)

(And in the morning we were the only ones there after the other couple left...)

(Rebecca had to do some untangling...)

BC Car Camping Trip

While up in Calgary I got a chance to go on a bit of a camping trip.  We ended up taking the car and finding a spot on Crown Land in British Columbia.  Camping here is totally different, in some aspects, others not so much.  I can't say that I've ever done much car camping but one of the positives is the food.  The food is also so much better when you don't have to worry about carrying everything and there is a cooler.  Sleeping in the car...  not one of my favorite past times, but it worked.  It did get quite chilly on a few nights.

The best part about our location - the hot springs.  There were natural hot springs a 20 minute drive from where we were.  The second best part - there wasn't a soul in sight.  So, we pretty much had nature to ourselves, one of the aspects of camping I enjoy very much!  Also, Rebecca proposed to me at the hot springs - a pleasant surprise.  There were paper planes and paper boats and a necklace.  I'll have to see if I can find the photos from her proposal and put them on the following post.  Anyway, here are a few photos from our camping trip in BC on Crown Land.  

(Getting our beds ready for the evening)

(Dinner the first night - veggie sausages with cheese on cheesy rolls.  Quite tasty - even vegetarians can enjoy a tasty treat!)

(This vegetarian gave it the thumbs up)

(We built a little fire area complete with logs and a cooler for sitting)

(I was on breakfast duty which included making the coffee, cowboy style, and honky potatoes)

(I boiled the potatoes before I left so they didn't take as long and chopped up some mushrooms, onions, and peppers with a little bit of dill and some more veggie sausage - YUM!)

(Rebecca taking a moment to wake up and enjoy her coffee)

(Smoke shot...)

(Extra cheese - only happens with car camping)

(Coffee still hasn't sunk in yet)

(Time for a little hot spring action)

(The first time we went it was packed so we went on a little hike and came back later in the day)

("Most injuries in life are preventable.  Have a word with yourself."  Great life motto and mantra for a lot of people I know...)

(Lussier River hot springs, that's where we were...)

(Rebecca shot, I suppose...)

(Kissy time)

(We hiked around a lake, I believe Alces Lake or possibly Whiteswan, but my instincts tell me the former.  This was our view...)

(Another artsy shot from Rebecca)

(Jump shot time)

(Here, I had to throw pebbles into the water so if you look closely enough you may just be able to see the ripples...)

(A little pine tree action...)

(A little moss action...)

(Some more pine tree action...)

(Dead grass action...)

(Sweet reflection in the water action)

(And another...)

(Just kind of liked the way this looked on top of a log)

(Really???)

(I believe this night salmon was on the menu)

(Happy Happy Happy...)

(This, if I remember, was post coffee...)

(Had to look pretty...)

(A valley of sorts)

(Now, while this shot may not seem like much, as we were making our way down to the hot springs the final day we spotted 2 moose.  The jumped over the guardrail and took off into the wild.  This is the only photo I got, sadly...)