by Annie | Jul 4, 2010 | Travel
It’s official: Joe and I have been married for 3 years! Well, actually, almost 3 years. Those of you who were at the wedding might remember that it actually took place in October, the day after my birthday. And thus, because I would only be receiving one gift for two occasions, I had to lobby for a new date. So as of July 2nd, we’ve been unofficially married for 3 years. To celebrate, we dropped the dog off for an overnight stay at The Woof Dog Lounge and Spa and then headed up to the Sunshine Coast. After an hour on the road and 40 minutes on the ferry, we arrived at the Ruby Lake Resort, a 99-acre resort surrounded by water and mountains and claiming to have the best northern Italian fare in all of British Columbia. Though it was cloudy on the Sunshine Coast when we arrived, we were not deterred. After a quick meal of boar sausage sandwiches (yum!), we headed out on a hike to see the Skookumchuck Rapids. Fairly early in the hike, the conversation turned to previous anniversary celebrations, and the fact that neither of us could recall any of them irked us for the rest of the trek. Back at the resort, we checked in and headed to our room, which consisted of a large canvas tent with standard hotel furniture inside (queen bed, lamp, tables, chairs, fireplace, and private porch). “Glamping,” as this style of travel accommodation has been termed, stems from the combination of the words “glamorous” and “camping.” It’s a real thing, I swear. It’s the perfect compromise between...
by Annie | Jul 1, 2010 | Other
In honor (or, as Canadians would write, honour) of Canada Day, Joe and I headed out to Granville Island, a community filled with markets, theaters, galleries, unique shops, and restaurants, to partake in the festivities. Perhaps it was the lack of sunshine, or the critical mass of people, or the sheer Canadian spirit, but countless pedestrians and bikers on the path to Granville Island seemed to have lost their wits. One biker, while enthusiastically waving a miniature paper flag and staring at a nearby sculpture, headed straight for us, veering out of the way mere feet before an imminent head-on collision. Among other potential crashes, some close calls were caused by the following: – a kid who suddenly ran across the bike path without warning – a group of people who had stopped in the middle of the path to admire and photograph weeds – a girl who had wiped out when trying to make a sharp turn on gravel. I would take speeding cars over oblivious pedestrians any day. Of course, the Granville Island festivities made the frustrating ride worthwhile. We enjoyed sizzling bratwursts while overlooking the water and downtown skyline, laughed and cheered for a charming street performer (pictures below) who juggled basketballs on an 8′ unicycle, and savored a homemade mint and dark chocolate ice cream delight from a local chocolate shop. After a delicious dinner made with fresh veggies from the market, we’re preparing to head down to the beach to enjoy the Canada Day fireworks after the 9:30pm sunset. O Canada! Happy 143rd...
by Annie | Jun 27, 2010 | Travel
After a 3am courtyard brawl woke us up in the middle of the night, Joe and I arose this morning more than a little out of it but still determined to go through with the Whistler excursion we’d planned. Coffee in hand, we headed out on the 2-hour drive to one of North America’s top destinations. When planning for this day trip, we were completely overwhelmed by the endless menu of outdoor options and activities available within the small resort town. Mountain biking, frisbee golf, river rafting, alpine hiking, bungee jumping, ziplining, kayaking, sky diving, canoeing, ATV tours, geocaching, mountain climbing, horseback riding, wine tasting, and helicopter tours were all possibilities, not to mention spa visits and a myriad of dining options. And these were just the summer activities! During our short time in Whistler, I think I figured out why the town is thus named. We were whistling quite a lot throughout the day, though for several different reasons. Reason 1: [Continuous whistling] “Ah, I’m so happy to be here. What a wonderful place. I’m having so much fun.” Reason 2: [Downward whistle, accompanied by widening eyes] “That costs HOW much?!” Reason 3: [Upward whistle, followed by scrunched eyebrows and flared nostrils] “Sofie, get over here, NOW!” Reason 4: [Downward whistle, with eyebrows raised] “Wow, that’s frickin’ gorgeous.” Reason 5: [Downward whistle, accompanied by fast walking] “Finally, a bathroom!” Truly an amazing place that we will be visiting as often as...
by Annie | Jun 23, 2010 | Other
Sunny and 70. There could not be better conditions for my first solo bike ride to downtown Vancouver. Having just taken a bike safety class this weekend, the warnings, words of advice, and proper hand signals were fresh in my mind. Anxious to get on the road for my 2 o’clock Nexus appointment at the Canada Border Services Agency downtown, I unlocked my bike from the basement bike rack around 1:15pm. Speeding through the smooth concrete floor of the garage, I rode up the exit ramp and emerged into daylight. A couple turns later, I was on the Seaside Bike Trail, headed east. I breezed past beaches, picnickers, swimmers, and joggers, all basking in the afternoon sun. Turning off the Seaside Trail, I made my way up the Burrard Bridge with the downtown skyline growing more and more in focus. At the peak, I took a few deep breaths of relief, then sailed down toward increasing traffic and busy-ness. Without a dedicated bike lane, I had to ride in traffic with the cars. As I was taught, I took over a whole lane, huffing and puffing over hills and dodging parked and turning cars, using the proper hand signals the whole way. By the time I reached my destination, my shirt was soaked, and my face was beet red, but alas, I was alive! With just a few minutes to spare, I locked up my bike and headed inside for my appointment. After being directed to the proper counter, I gave the agent my name and informed her I had a 2pm appointment. “Um, no, you don’t,” was essentially...
by Annie | Jun 20, 2010 | Travel
How do you turn a 3-hour trip into an 8-hour one? By leaving something important behind, of course. On our way back to Vancouver from Seattle, we decided to stop in Bellingham, two hours north of Seattle and just south of the Canadian border. Why? Because Bellingham has the only Chick Fil-A in the state of Washington. Round and round we went, weaving in and out of the quiet residential streets of suburban Bellingham with only an iPhone to guide us toward the fast food beacon. Unfortunately, as we soon discovered, iPhone maps are a little less than accurate when it comes to tiny suburban streets. More than one street the iPhone promised as a through street ended up leading straight into someone’s driveway. Several minutes later, we made it onto the campus of Western Washington University, home of the Vikings and a branch of Chick Fil-A. Unfortunately, classes were out for the summer and the campus was almost completely desolate. Nevermind. Back to the highway toward Vancouver. Until… [iPhone rings] Bad news. Joe’s work computer was left behind in Seattle. Two hours later, we were back in Seattle to pick up the computer, then turned around and headed back toward Vancouver. Four hours into the trip, we were back at the starting gate. We just had too much gas in our car, that’s all. Felt we should release some to the environment so our car didn’t have to work so hard on a full stomach. It was the only responsible thing to do. All in all, I suppose it’s good to know we could travel to Seattle several...
