Vancouver Island: The Quiet Before the Storm
Another year was about to start, and this time we didn’t have plans to travel too far. We are excited about this upcoming year since in less than two months we are expecting a new addition to our little family. At the same time we are aware that life is going to change and quiet times may be a bit…
Vernon and Kamloops: Winter Wonderland of the Interior
Finding somewhere to go over the Christmas break is always a challenge. Everyone is on vacation at the same time and therefore flights and everything related to traveling is more expensive. Things get even more complicated in the third trimester of a pregnancy since we wanted to avoid flights, long drives and downhill skiing is out of the picture for…
Red Heather: How to Avoid Becoming Jaded
Over time we become jaded: the same old activities only continue to excite us if we make an effort to view them with a fresh eye. This is hard, since by nature we seem to be sensitive to changing stimulation but not constant stimulation. Just like in the oh-so-overplayed Passenger song Let Her Go: “Only know you’ve been high when…
Hanging Lake: Hike-skiing, Ski-hiking, or Hskiing?
In the Coast Mountains, it’s not often that early season skiing starts at the end of December. This year, just like last year, is a late starting snow season. Somehow, during the years we have lived in Vancouver, almost every snow year is “out of the ordinary”, unusual or atypical in some way. Perhaps it’s global warming causing the weather…
Lopez Island: A Winter Getaway
Sometimes it’s nice to do things off season. Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands is a very popular summer destination, but on a chilly weekend in mid December we found ourselves in an almost empty campground, on roads with little to no traffic and on beautiful abandoned beaches. True, it was a bit cold and the days are short.…
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.…
Nicaragua: A Test in Attachment and Other Such Adventures
Some trips are different. This was not a cycling trip, backpacking or hiking trip, nor was it a trip to visit family in our homeland. This was simply a trip to get out of our routine, get away from Vancouver in the gloomiest time of year and try to live in a new place for a few weeks. It was…
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…
How to Make Chocolate Milk, From Scratch
I’m obsessed with chocolate. I guess lots of people say this, but I feel like I’m worse than others. Barely a day goes by without me digging in the cupboard for some dark chocolate, ideally Belgian and 72%. Since I also have a thing for making stuff from scratch, I was very interested to learn about making chocolate, and in…
Vantage (climbing): Basalt Columns Forever
It is sunset. Steep columns of golden rock rise before you like soldiers prepared for combat. Some of them are broken, crippled. Others stand tall and slender. You look carefully, and notice that in between their folds are little creatures, clambering up the columns, attempting to reach the top. When they crest the top of the cliff, they lower themselves down gracefully…
