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Here is what some of our distinguished guests have said about their stay at Burmis Bed and Bales:
Claire and I never knew we had long lost family in the Crowsnest Pass, but it was during our first visit to the Burmis Bed and Bales in 1998 that Becky and Jerry made us realize that we are part of the Rinaldi family! Although it's location in the heart of fly fishing paradise was the initial draw, the experience is so much more. We always look forward to watching movies from Becky's giant video library, relaxing on the deck with morning coffee, hiking, biking or skiing in Waterton, Fernie and in "The Pass" with various Rinaldis and guests, soaking in the hot tub under the stars, mingling with the always interesting house guests, and of course Becky's fantastic breakfasts. Rum Runners weekend is always a blast. The fisherman's shack is extremely convenient for those of us who fly fish, and I know Jerry is extremely proud of his horse facilities as well. In a perfect world, we would spend every weekend and entire summers at "Becky's"! Jeff and Claire Goldberg, Calgary, Alberta
Following is an article that was published about Burmis Bed & Bales: Berkshire Eagle, The (Pittsfield, MA USA)
September 25, 2005
Alberta fishing trip a success despite bad weather Gene Chague LENOX Dave O'Clair of Richmond, Allen Gray from Pittsfield, Paul Knauth from Hinsdale, Tony Lorio from Becket and this scribe recently went on a fly fishing trip to Southwestern Alberta, Canada. We were fishing for cutthroat, rainbow, and bull trout and maybe a whitefish or two. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast in Bellevue, Alberta, named the Burmis Bed and Bales owned by Jerry and Becky Rinaldi. It is only a few miles from the Crowsnest Pass, which crosses the continental divide of the Rockies into British Columbia. The fishing started out wonderfully on Wednesday, Sept. 7, with sunny weather in the upper 70's. We fished the Castle River that day for rainbows, the Livingstone River on Thursday and the Oldman River on Friday for cutthroat trout and had wonderful luck every day, catching and releasing some beautiful wild trout in the 15-20-inch range. It couldn't get any better. We fished to our hearts' content, catching nice fish in the shadows of the Canadian Rockies while the Rinaldis provided a hearty breakfast, a tasty box lunch and a gourmet meal at the end of each day. Because of rain, we didn't fish on Saturday, so we took the opportunity to shop for souvenirs, do some sight-seeing, etc., in the neighboring town of Blairmore. That evening, as we sat down to enjoy a delicious meal of spaghetti with elk meat sausage, moose tenderloins and elk ribs, the power went out. Along with several fishermen from Edmonton, Ontario, we dined in candlelight and afterward sat in the living room around a gas fireplace conversing and admiring the huge mounted elk head which Jerry had bagged a few years earlier. Later on that evening, Dr. Charles Wohl from Lenox and Larry Newmark from Pittsfield arrived from the Calgary airport, bringing disturbing news of bad weather conditions which they encountered coming down. On Sunday morning, we began to grasp the depth of the storm with reports of 18 inches of snow in the next town and 28 inches in nearby Crowsnest Pass. We received reports of downed trees, wires all over the place, major trunk lines out, trees and telephone poles burning. All the businesses in several towns were closed and a state of emergency had been declared for the area. Fortunately, we received only an inch or so of snow where we were staying. Poor Becky, she had over a dozen fishermen staying there and she had no electricity, water, stove, bathroom, refrigeration, etc. ( Fortunately, there was an outhouse in the back, and as far as outhouses go, it was quite nice, complete with paneled walls. ) She did a tremendous job, cooking all of the meals on their outside gas grill. And the meals were outstanding: eggs benedict, steak, roast beef, lasagna, grilled salmon, Yorkshire pudding, and more. She was a tremendous cook and a most enjoyable host who never got rattled over the turn of events. We didn't travel thousands of miles to sit in someone's living room looking at one another, regardless of weather conditions, and Paul and Allen decided to venture out that Sunday morning to scout out fishable waters. They soon encountered 18 inches of snow and got stuck with their vehicle balancing perilously over a cliff. While walking down the desolate road in their shoes and sneakers, they flagged down an electric company truck and received assistance in getting their vehicle out of there. Even though the waters were high and muddy, some of us did get to fish below the Oldman River Dam that day. We had little or no luck, but Charles and Larry fished a nearby lake and had some luck. On Monday (our last day there) we fished the Livingstone River again. It is higher up in the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve and although the waters there ran high, they were not as muddy as down in the valleys. There was a prolific hatch of Slate Gray Drakes (mayflies) going on and we all had a great day of fishing. When we left on Tuesday morning, the power was still out all over town. We were told that power had not been out that long in 35 years. Charles and Larry stayed and fished until the 16th and had great success. They said the power didn't come back until that Tuesday evening. In spite of the weather, this was a very enjoyable fishing trip. If you decide to go out there, I highly recommend staying at the Burmis's lodge. They can be reached at 1-800-345-2841. (c) 2005 The Berkshire Eagle. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
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"I have never felt so much a part of a place as
I have at Burmis Bed and Bales. The fishing is great, the food is
great and the people that stay there are wonderful, too. Becky's
family is like my own, and Becky adopts us all and treats us like we
were always part of her family. What more could any person want?
Perhaps an extra dessert now and then, but that's about it!!!"
