- 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 take forever and be so stressful. We decided to make it into a car-free trip, but unfortunately the awesome TransLink Bike Bus only runs in the summer months. We strongly believe that this service should start on May long weekend at the latest. Waiting for a long time for the…
Garibaldi Lake: An Unanticipatedly 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 cold and rainy weekend. But my mind was made up to finally try an overnight trip just me and the kids. Especially since I was going away the next week for work, so I wanted to give Maya some child-free time too. Happy campers, full of energy Still, I wasn’t…
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 to spend a week prior to this trip. With limited options and in the most expensive time of the year, we narrowed it down to another trip to Mexico. We came with high expectations after a wonderful bike trip in the Yucatan the year before. Maybe that was also part of the problem.…
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 for Slhanay Peak is easy to miss – it’s on a nondescript section of the Mamquam River FSR. From there we started up the trail. Our friends led us off to the much adventurous and challenging scrambling route. It was a steep chimney that required using our hands to clamber…
- 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 to get around, as well as a few weekend trips (such as a five day trip to the Gulf Islands) were likely helpful. Crossing the Coquitlam River I used RideWithGPS to plan an 80km loop, using as much dedicated bike infrastructure as possible and without too much climbing. Our ride…
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 while, but wasn’t sure of the logistics. Going with friends who know the way made this easy. Either way, hiking trips that start with a canoe trip have always captivated me. The canoe trip adds an element of excitement and adventure, and drives the crowds away. Crossing the Squamish River…
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 long line of cars parked up and down the road. Sure enough, while we had our lunch and geared up, a parking space opened up (“late bird gets the worm?!”). The views soon after we started, Mt. Shuksan This trail is a bit weird, because it starts out by going…
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! However, the ferry schedule was tricky and our time was limited. We also hadn’t reserved any camp sites, so we wanted to avoid the weekend. I had to scratch my head a few times before coming up with a plan. We spent Saturday at the Folk Fest in Vancouver and…
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 fires had finally rolled into Vancouver. Up until that point we had no smoke in Vancouver. Early morning flight to Ottawa Five hours later we landed in sunny Ottawa. We took a taxi to our wonderful Warm Showers hosts, one of six different hosts we stayed with during this two…
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 and take enough time. Biking along Beach Ave., Vancouver We now knew Neil was capable of biking the entire route – 72kms, with some hills. We made one stop at Ambleside Park before connecting to Marine Drive and the narrow, windy way to the ferry terminal. Quick stop at Ambleside…
