• Cycling & Cycle Touring,  Duffey Lake Road,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Sea to Sky

    BC Day ‘Short’ Weekend (Mis)adventures

    Our car is a weekend warrior, pretty much like us these days. We don’t use it at all during the week since we get around by bike or by walking, but on weekends, especially in summer, we put it to good use mostly to get out of the city. I don’t think we had any problems with it in the five years we owned our old beat-up Subaru Legacy, but on the previous long weekend one of the rear tires blew out. In fact, the long weekend before that we also weren’t off to a good start as Neil threw up all over himself ten minutes after we left home and we almost…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Saint Marks Peak: First Family Hike of the Season

    Yes, we are a bit late in the game. I’m not sure how it happened, we probably just got caught up doing cycling trips and forgot to switch to hiking. We were also waiting for the new hiking carrier to arrive, and then most weekends in June were a bit cold and wet. Then there was this one day that we had planned on going to St. Marks Peak but Neil woke up sick, so we ended up hiking to the beach instead. So here we were on the last weekend of June, together with what seemed like the rest of Vancouver and their dog  heading to St. Marks Peak.…

  • Metro Vancouver & North Shore

    Kids on Wheels Rolls into East Van Daycares

    In July, Kids on Wheels, the BC Cycling Coalition’s exciting new program, had two fabulous sessions in Eaglets and Grandview Terrace daycares in East Vancouver. In both daycares we found an enthusiastic group of children who were more than ready to jump on the balance bikes and start exploring. The teachers were very supportive and with the guidance of our wonderful instructors everyone had a great time. The children’s riding abilities varied and it was inspiring to see how in one week the children who were less confident on Monday gained confidence and mastered their balance abilities. The children rode in a basketball field connected to their daycare and we started with…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Mt. Seymour: In Search for a Missing (Teddy) Bear

    A few weekends ago we headed to Mt. Seymour. I think it’s the classic hike if you want to get the full outdoor experience but still stay close to the city. We just bought a new hiking carrier for Neil and we wanted to try it out before our big trip to the Rockies the weekend after. It had been sunny for a long time, but the rain decided to come back that weekend. We still decided to go out and when it looked like it was clearing we got into the car for the short drive, making yet another great alpine start at 2pm. The moment we put Neil…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Outdoor Recreation,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Mt. Strachan: From Failure to Success

    Looking for an easy overnight hiking trip, we decided to head to Rainbow Lake. We started hiking at 2pm – lately, since Neil was born, we are having trouble getting out of the house early… What can I say, that kid likes to sleep late! 🙂 After taking an unintended but very nice detour to Rainbow Falls, and continuing on the main trail, it started raining hard, very hard. It has been a warm and dry spring and summer, and although the forecast showed a risk of thunderstorms and a possible rainfall of 1mm, the abrupt change in weather took us by surprise and suddenly it seemed like full on…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Black Mountain: Tummy Time on Top

    If you are looking for a hike close to Vancouver, relatively easy and short but still rewarding with good views, then Black Mountain just up from the Cypress ski area is a good option. As you can see it’s also a great place for babies to take naps while doing their tummy time… We started not early on Saturday afternoon, somehow when you have a baby the days just fly by, and before we noticed it was already noon, so we started hiking around 2pm… The trail up is in excellent condition and is well maintained. We hiked up Black Mountain in the winter when I was about six months…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Outdoor Recreation,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Diez Vistas: Even the Baby Did It

    Diez Vistas (“ten views”) is a bit of a weird hike. For starters, it’s not really clear why this hike is named in Spanish. Then there’s the issue of the number of viewpoints on the hike: it is not even nearly close to ten, although we did forget to count them. The last time we did this hike was several years ago. It was a gray day, and the views were close to non-existent. This time we got luckier, or perhaps smarter, and hiked in full blown sun, enjoying beautiful views of Indian Arm. Two girls passed us on their way down. One of them pointed to me, carrying Neil…

  • British Columbia (and nearby),  Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Trip Reports,  Trips with Kids

    Dog Mountain: Back to Hiking in Baby Steps

    When our new baby boy Neil was just over a month old, we decided that it was time to get back into outdoor activities. We heard about Dog Mountain a while ago, and it was always on our list when a short and not too strenuous hike was in order, but we never got around to going there. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. We drove to Mt. Seymour ski area not too early (i.e. 2pm). The sight was a bit sad. Like the rest of the local ski hills, Mt. Seymour has been closed for most of this season due to a lack of snow. Is this the future…

  • Hiking & Scrambling,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Trip Reports,  Urban

    Vancouver’s Secret Beach: Exploring Close to Home

    With shoulder season stretching longer these days, and since anyway I won’t be doing much skiing this season, it’s time to look for some adventures close to home. After the cold spell last week and then the pouring rain afterwards, we finally got a break in the weather on Sunday, so we headed out for a walk along the beach. Or as I like to call it “Vancouver’s secret beach”. Not everyone is aware that there is a stretch of beach behind the rich people’s houses on Point Grey Road, only accessible by foot or boat. I actually first became aware of this beach a few years ago when our…

  • Baking,  Food,  Metro Vancouver & North Shore,  Travel,  Urban

    The Journey of Cherry on a Bike

    We are once again in Granada, Nicaragua, where the idea of Cherry on a Bike first started. When you’re on a trip, especially a cycle tour, your mind often wanders. Although we tried to live in the moment as much as we could, thoughts about the future always came up. When we stopped in Granada where Gili’s aunt Peta and her husband Ben lived at that time, many of our conversations were on this topic. Since we both have a weakness for food, especially fruit, we first thought of a fruit drying business, with a baking component, my favourite hobby at the time. In a brainstorming session the name Cherry on a…