lesbarons.net Blog

Les Barons just got back from part 1 of our Heritage Town Tour, and boy are our legs tired.:) We all had a great time, read on for more details.

Baron Exu writes:

Barons Exu, Paul and Baroness Joni left at 11:00 am, with Barons Evan and Steve set to follow, leaving later that evening. As we three Barons lost sight of Hope on the way up, we stopped for a picnic lunch at The Hope Slide. If you are passing by, take the moment to stop there and check it out. While you are there imagine the mountainside sliding down and you may get the picture of the awesome scope and power of this place.

The incredible Hope Slide.

We met some kind local crows there who ate lunch with us and gave directions to our cabins at The Gold Mountain Campground.

After some good eats and storytelling from Baron Paul about The Hope Slide, we realized we had better get going to make our schedule.
We thanked our new friends for the company and directions and as the crows flew , so we too headed back on the road.
On the way to our campground we passed Bromley Rock Campground, that looks pretty sweet too, there is a nice looking swimming hole there, our crow friends had said we should stop there for a swim, however we will check it out next time because we were worried about running behind.(City folk haha.)

Bromley Rock swimming hole, Similkameem River. This will be audio of the river
We stayed at The Gold Mountain Campground just west of Hedley, it is very beautiful and our cabin was right on the Similkameem river. Owners Dan and Shirley are very nice people and their campground was the perfect little oasis for our decompression from the city.

Cabins on the river @ Gold Mountain Park (pic from website)

Our cabin was the one on the far right.
At Midnight Barons Evan and Steve arrived and we made introductions all round and showed them the place, Baron Evan crashed and the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed cooking our hotdogs over our own little fire-pit, and sharing them with our new found friends from Denmark who were staying in the next cabin, on their way to Vancouver and the states. We had fun and at about 1:00 am it was time to sleep, and get rest for the following day. We also met an excellent artist his wife and their dog ‘Buddy’, it was a peaceful and downhome goodtime.

Side of our Gold Mountain Cabin – river view.(pic from website)
The next morning we ate and all of us except Baron Steve(who didn’t get much sleep, so he napped) headed off to downtown Hedley, The Hitching Post to unload the gear and visit Exu’s mom and Chris at Vintage Veranda next door.

Vintage Veranda

Downtown Hedley-Hitching Post is on the right(out of frame)

The Hitching Post ,Hedley B.C.

Vintage Veranda next door to The Hitching Post

This will be a link to film of the event.
Hedley looking in the other direction Hitching Pot is on the left(out of frame)

Hedley looking in the other direction Hitching Post and is on the left(out of frame)

Vintage Veranda

It was pretty hot out so afterwards we went off to swim at The Red Bridge. When we got there a persistent cloud made it not quite hot enough for most of us to fully submerge in the coldish water, although Barons Evan and Paul did. Still it was fun, refreshing , and relaxing.

Afterwards we headed back to town to meet up at The Hitching Post and set-up our gear.

The Hitching Post is a world class fine dining experience. Some of the best food all of us had ever tasted, and that is no exaggeration. Excellent service by wonderful people. Owners Wilson and Brenda are two of the nicest, coolest Restauranteurs that one could ever hope to meet. As a sidenote it should be stated that Chef Wilson and Chef Andre should win the real Iron Chef award for their catering of The Mascot Mine opening, having trekked up and down those stairs ourselves (all 300 feet of them!). I can’t imagine doing it more than once in a week(it’s the real Stairmaster workout!), let alone packing the hot food still fresh and pulling off a perfect Dinner service 3,000 feet above the town of Hedley. Chef Ramsey would be proud, in fact I doubt he could pull off that one! So having said that, on to our review of The Hitching Post.

Part 1. Dining At The Hitching Post
It has been awhile (2 years to be exact) since I was last in Hedley and since then new owners Wilson and Brenda have turned The Hitching Post Restaurant into a most superb dining experience.Offering real gourmet food made with dedication, love, and pure passion for the art of cooking.With so many delicious choices,there is something on the menu for everyone’s palet. you will be coming ‘back to taste more, as picking a favourite off the menu is not easy. Quote Baron Evan “This is positively the best burger I have ever had in my life!” end quote. The burgers are not made with ground beef, but chopped steak and believe me it makes an enourmous difference. You’d be hard pressed to find a better burger for the price.
I and 2 of our group had the Stack ‘o’ Beef and all we could say was “Wow!Incredible!” Perfectly cooked beef brisket in some of the tastiest gravy you will crave again long after you are back on the road.The vegetables were nicely cooked, not over or under done, and the mashed potatoes topped with that ‘to die for’gravy is heavenly.
The friendly down home service, and beautiful intimate atmosphere makes for a truly magical night of fine dining. You will be fully relaxed while enjoying the breathtaking view of the mountains and the Mascot mine high above the town. High class without a trace of pretention, who could ask for anything more.
Now that we are back in the big city, it’s back to trendy restaurants with hurry up and wait service from cooler than thou scenesters, for overpriced sub par food.No thanks.I’ll wait, and save my money. It is a good thing we are heading back up to Hedley in a month, because The Hitching Post is just about the freshest alternative to the scene here that I personally could hope to find. A wonderful discovery, don’t drive by without making it part of your memories. A++++ Five Star Rating.

Part 2. playing at The Hitching Post, Hedley B.C.

Barons at The Hitching Post, Hedley B.C.

More B.

Baron Exu at The Hitching Post

Barons at The Hitching Post

Baroness Joni at The Hitching Post

Baron Steve Hitching Post

The next day we had planned to meet up at the museum at about 11:30 am and go on the Mascot Mine Tour. We got a ride up the Sidewinder from Wilson and thus began our adventure 3000 ft above Hedley.

Strange Baron formation that we spotted on the cliff (look can you see him?)

Zooming in on the Baron on the hill.

Close up of Black Baron on the hill

The Red Bridge, Keremeos,B.C.

Beach at the Red Bridge.