Red Heather: Two Dads and Four Kids Go Snow Camping
Somehow, two dads and four kids, we ended up making plans to take the kids snow camping in March. It was a semi-secret goal of mine, so I was quite pleased and excited that we were finally doing it… Our friend picked us up, and we stopped at Tim Horton’s in Squamish. It was only at this point that we…
Keith’s Hut: A Functional Coffee
Before this trip, Keith’s Hut was a distant memory. You see, this hut is popular in winter with backcountry skiers. That’s something we used to do most weekends in winter, but seldom do now that we have two young kids. So when we were planning a weekend fall trip with friends and they suggested Keith’s Hut, we were quite excited…
Mt. Frosty: Definitely Not Frosty
We set out on a three day hike in Manning Park with the goal of getting to the summit of Mt. Frosty. We were looking for a doable hike with the kids, but also challenging enough and one where there was snow (the kids insisted). With an attractive name like Frosty we set high expectations. Not an early start for…
Japan: 100% Unpredictable Hokkaido
We’d been dreaming of exploring Hokkaido for years, even though we had already done two previous bike trips to Japan. This summer, it finally felt like the stars were aligned. We discovered that ZIPAIR offered surprisingly affordable flights, and kids under six could fly practically for free. With Kai’s sixth birthday approaching, we knew it was time to embark on…
- Camping, Carfree, Cycling & Cycle Touring, Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast, Trip Reports, Trips with Kids
Saturna Island: The Long Way There
This trip was very loosely planned. Our friends asked if we would like to bike to Saturna Island on the May long weekend and we happily agreed. We were there with them two years ago so we knew more or less what to expect. May long weekend on Saturna What we did not expect was that the way there would…
Garibaldi Lake: An Unexpectedly Snowy Weekend
Locals (including us!) often complain about how you have to book campsites months in advance. This is the case for Garibaldi Lake, and it sure is annoying. So, when I saw a site come open due to a cancellation for the weekend I jumped on it. I realized well why the cancellation had happened – the forecast called for a…
Mexico: Big Roads, Gravel Roads, and Friendly People
Not all things go as planned. In fact most things don’t. This trip was also not what we had originally planned for the winter break. Certain known world events made us change our plan of a family visit in our home country. We had to come up with a Plan B with reasonable flights from San Francisco where we were going…
Slhanay Peak: A Magical View of the Chief
We met up with friends in Squamish for an after-school hike. They suggested Slahanay Peak rather than the more standard and well-traveled Chief – which I’ve been up a few times. I’m always excited to try out a new trail, and in fact had been eyeing this one for a while (when it was still called the Squaw). The trailhead…
- Carfree, Cycling & Cycle Touring, Metro Vancouver & North Shore, Trip Reports, Trips with Kids, Urban
Vancouver to Coquitlam: The Boy Who Biked 80km in a Day
Our son Neil (then eight) had been asking to break his cycling record of 72km in a day for a while. I figured that the long warm summer days would be a good time for this. My dad was visiting, and he loves riding, so he joined us. We didn’t train for this ride, but a steady diet of riding…
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…
