Echo Lake: It’s a Kind of Magic
This hiking trip started with a canoe trip across the Squamish River. At least, for most of us – one of us chose to swim across, braving the frigid water. This was a rare weekend on which Neil and I had the opportunity of doing a more strenuous trip. I had been eyeing a hike to Echo Lake for a…
Lake Ann: Escape from the Tent City
After our very scenic trip to Chain Lakes last year, we were easily tempted to do another trip to that area. We drove up the Mt. Baker road, parking just below Artist Point, at the Lake Ann trailhead. We had gotten a late start as usual (border delays didn’t help), so we weren’t fazed by the overfull parking lot and…
Whistler: Spanky’s Ladder
I can’t believe it’s the ski season of the year after, and I’m catching up with blog posts from last winter! Anyway, like the year before, we headed to Whistler over the Easter long weekend, this time for six days. It’s hard to beat the views there on a sunny day! The views from Seventh Heaven are some of the…
Galiano & Salt Spring Islands: A Birthday Bike Trip
The Gulf Islands are truly magical. So, when we had the opportunity to take a few days off around my birthday, I knew it would be an awesome place to spend my birthday. Combining this with biking, one of my favourite things in the whole world and with my favourite people, guaranteed me a great birthday. Getting ready to roll!…
Ottawa-Quebec City – A Bike Trip in the “Other Canada”
At the end of summer we set off on yet another bike trip. Our flight was very early in the morning and followed a night of very little sleep. It was a domestic flight though, to Ottawa, so there was less airport hassle than usual. As were leaving, the sky looked hazy. It turned out that the smoke from wild…
Vancouver to Chemainus: Once Again, But More Planned
May long weekend was sneaking up on us. It’s been a while since we’d seen our friends on the island and we thought it would be nice to visit again. Last year we had a rushed bike ride to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal. We figured we could have a much more relaxing experience if we’d actually plan to bike there…
New York: Charmander Visits the Big Apple
As a child I spent many summer breaks and school holidays in New York. It is a big city and can be overwhelming for some. Last year Neil and I had a quick visit to the Big Apple and this year it was time to bring Kai too, and Gili, oh and Charmander. Charmander is a little red character Neil got…
Mount Seymour: So Close and So Far
The kids had been asking for a while to experience camping in the snow. It was me that needed more convincing. Eventually I agreed to come along, what’s the worst that could happen? Plus I figured I could probably survive one night in the snow. I have done it before, just not recently… The kids “helped” us pack Our friends…
A Mini-Guidebook to Cycle Touring in the Yucatán: Cenotes, Beaches, and Tacos
At the end of last year we did an excellent five week cycling trip around the Yucatán. In this blog post I put together some notes and recommendations about the route and practical tips related to traveling around the Yucatán. I hope you will find them to be useful for planning your own trip, by bike (or not). Scenic cycling…
Mexico: Let the Good Times Roll
It all started with a wedding. It was sometime in the spring that Gili shared the news that his cousin was getting married in Mexico in November. Mexico, in November? Sure, that doesn’t sound too bad. We were excited for the wedding of course, but November is also our favourite time to get away from gray and rainy Vancouver. So we…