by Annie | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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...
by Annie | Other
Due to the relative scarcity of squirrels in Vancouver, Sofie has taken up a new pastime: seagull chasing. She has yet to grasp the fact that wing power can outmaneuver her four short legs any day, so she expends lots of energy in the hunt. In the spirit of the sunny day, we did some hiking in the Endowment Lands, a gorgeous 14-square-kilometer area of forest and beaches just west of the Vancouver city limits. As soon as the leash came off, the hunt was on. Slow…one step at a time…sudden full-on seagull chase! Stop to gulp seawater. Back to the chase! She did come close a couple of times, but I don’t think she would’ve had the slightest clue what to do had she actually caught up with...
by Annie | Other
It’s hard to describe how elated I am to finally sleep on a real bed after almost 3 weeks of sleeping bags and hard ground. After a late start, I spent most of the morning staring quizzically and turning my head one way, then the other, at various Ikea instructional diagrams for our new bed frame. There was also much squinting and head scratching involved. Slowly but surely, the thing came together. Later in the afternoon, an Australian delivery guy dropped off our mattress, made to order from the Bedder Sleep Store where we’d tested out several mattress options last week. The mattress we chose was the one I nearly fell asleep on while testing. Fitted with pocket springs and a firm foam core, it’s ready for the sleeping. Sweet dreams,...
by Annie | Other
What did people do before Craigslist? Every few seconds, at the click of a button, you can find several new listings for everything from fish tanks to RVs. In my quest to furnish our rather empty apartment, I’ve been scrutinizing every listing, trying to picture each item within the hodge podge of our new knick knacks. It always amazes me how valuable people think their items are and, sometimes, why they purchased said items in the first place. Take, for example, this “Leather Peach Couch”: Question 1: Why would anyone make this? Question 2: Why would anyone buy this? Question 3: Why would anyone buy this used? In addition, the listing titles can often be deceiving. Don’t be surprised when a click on “Vintage Loveseat – $400” leads to a picture of a saggy wingback chair with a faded floral pattern or “Modern Coffee Table – $125” actually refers to a strange contraption with only a small semblance of a flat surface. The ads often proceed to explain how much the items originally cost, as if that’s an excuse for the exorbitantly high prices they’re demanding for the items in their current state. Perhaps my favorite listing of the day was for a beige “microswaid” couch. Craigslist is also notorious for bad spellers. So far, my Craigslist hunt has netted me a microwave and several sofa scoutings. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? That’s the beauty of...
by Annie | Other
It’s not often in life you get to start over from scratch, but that’s exactly what we’re doing here in Vancouver, at least in terms of furniture and household goods. Luckily, Ikea is but a hop, skip, and a jump from our new apartment in the Kits neighborhood of Vancouver. After testing out the slim sofa pickings, we had great success in picking out a table and chairs, bed frame, and numerous knick knacks one needs to function from day to day. It’s true what they say though – you get what you pay for. The three pots we got, while they were a mere $7.99 for the set, came with the following warnings in the insert: – To prevent salt stains on the inside of your cookware, do not add salt to your food until the contents are boiling. – The base is slightly concave when cold. Thus, always leave cookware out to cool before cleaning it. – Never let the cookware boil dry, because the base becomes skew when overheated. – Food that is stored in the cookware may take on the taste of metal. – The handle can be damaged by the flame when the cookware is used on a gas burner. Sounds like I might have better luck using a plastic cup to cook my food. The good news is, the pots did great in helping me prepare tonight’s dinner. No warping or salt stains yet. I’ll have to keep a close watch on them...
by Annie | Travel
Thanks to all those who have followed along through our many adventures during this roadtrip. I will continue documenting our adventures here in Vancouver, for those who are interested. In the meantime, here are some pictures to illustrate the many interesting experiences we’ve had (click the picture below to open the album). Enjoy! DC to BC...
by Annie | Travel
Well, I guess you can’t expect a roadtrip of this magnitude to go off without any hitches. During the past couple of weeks, we’ve woken up to wet pillows/sleeping bags/tents multiple times, the lens popped out of my glasses as I was laughing at a funny email (no joke), an interior car panel unhinged itself (presumably from Sofie stepping all over it), our ketchup and mustard bottles were flooded with old cooler water, and a bottle of body wash exploded in my backpack. On top of all that, we were nearly kept out of Canada as we were passing through the border today: BORDER OFFICER: So, what are you coming to Canada for? ME: I’m studying game design at the Vancouver Film School, so I’d like to apply for a student visa. BORDER OFFICER (to JOE): And you? JOE: I’m assuming I can be under the same student visa? BORDER OFFICER: Sure. Marriage license? US: Oh… Oops… Didn’t know we needed that. We’ll have to get it from the car. [We walk to the car, spirits still high, while security cameras pan toward us and the guard outside eyes us suspiciously.] JOE: Do you know where it is? ME: Yup, it’s in one of the large plastic boxes. [I beam at my supreme organization, immediately pulling out my iPhone to access the annotated lists of the contents of each box.] JOE: Great, so it’s in the rooftop carrier. [JOE rummages around, trying to find the key for the rooftop carrier.] ME: Oh yeah, I remember seeing that key… JOE: Well, where is it? ME: I think I put it...
by Annie | Travel
A dozen or so days of driving and a couple thousand miles later, we are within hours of our final destination. Today’s been a long day of driving and road sign reading. Here are a few of the most interesting sounding places we’ve passed within the last several days: Salt Lick, KY Effingham, IL Ho-Chunk Casino, WI Blue Earth, MN Crazy Woman Creek, WY Tensleep, WY Wisdom, MT Opportunity, WA Who knew that crazy women originated in Wyoming, that wisdom could be obtained in Montana (right along the banks of the Wise River, of course), and that opportunity could be found in Washington? Oh, the things you learn on a...
by Annie | Travel
After arriving in Grand Teton National Park around noon, we pitched our tent in a spot with a gorgeous mountain view and set out on a wonderful 5-mile hike. Well, wonderful in retrospect, now that my toes aren’t throbbing anymore and I’ve made it out without a major fall. Starting out on the trail, everything looked great. There weren’t any signs of my usual hiking archnemeses: mosquitoes and poison ivy. I could walk with confidence. However, I soon found out that other unforeseen obstacles were awaiting me. My non-hiking shoes had to contend with jagged rocks, gooey mud, and slippery ice and snow patches. Don’t get me wrong – the view was breathtaking, when I could look up from the treacherous trail to enjoy it, anyway. We spotted numerous marmots along the trail, and some seemed very eager to pose for pictures, perhaps in exchange for a spare crumb or two. When we finally reached Inspiration Point, a hilltop spot with an amazing view, we were greeted by a chipmunk host, who seemed very excited to see us. As soon as we sat down with our afternoon snacks, Alvin promptly scurried over, circling the perimeter at first. Before I took a single bite out of my Nutrigrain bar, he was already hopping back and forth on the branches behind me, getting uncomfortably close. Once I opened and peeled back the wrapper, all bets were off. He ran to my feet, sat up, and put his little paws on my leg. Now, if it’s illegal for humans to approach wildlife, the opposite should also apply. As soon as I shook...
by Annie | Travel
The weather in Yellowstone is bipolar, at best. We drove in through snow, then rain, then sun, then hail, then snow again, all within the course of 20 minutes or so. After passing up a campground at a higher altitude, we went with Madison Campground, at 6800 feet, below freezing temperatures, and whose 250+ campsites would all be full for the night. Sandwiched between two RVs, we had a less than quiet dinner, to say the least. After soaking up as much warmth as possible in the heated bathrooms with flushable toilets (a luxury, I’ve learned), we pajamaed in layers and mummified ourselves in our sleeping bags. By 7am, light started creeping into our tent, and we woke up to several unexpected and unwelcome puddles of water inside our tent. Among other things, the icy water infiltrated Sofie’s bed and Joe’s jacket and gloves and soaked my mittens. Not funny, Nature. Not funny. On our morning drive, we promptly made a reservation for a heated, pet-friendly cabin complete with hot shower, mattresses, and non-battery-powered light sources. The cabin even had hangers, carpet, clean towels, and, dare I mention it, a blowdryer. Sheer extravagance. On our way back to the campsite to pick up our wet tent, we came across droves of people parked by the side of the road. Being the obedient tourists we are, we pulled up behind them and soon realized that everyone was pointing their binoculars and telephoto lenses at a grizzly bear well over a thousand yards away. That means that through our amateur binoculars, the bear was a mere speck. Here’s what I don’t...
by Annie | Travel
The Earth sure can tell time. Well, relative time, anyway. Old Faithful shoots scalding hot water dozens of feet into the air every hour and a half or so. It’s the “or so” part that makes people antsy. After treading through snow and slush on the boardwalk in freezing temperatures to the Old Faithful viewing arena, we stood around anxiously anticipating the legendary spout as the sun came out, turning the slush into fat water droplets an prompting us to unzip our coats and remove our hats and gloves. We stood next to an old couple, likely visiting Yellowstone on a long-awaited retirement trip. The poor old man kept raising and lowering his camera, hoping to capture the first sprays of the geyser. He must have lifted and lowered that camera over seventeen times, sometimes eagerly, and always awkwardly. Meanwhile, Old Faithful trudged along, huffing and puffing with billows of hot steam. Occasionally, it would spew a false alarm spray, to the oohs and ahhs and then consequent disappointment of the several hundred onlookers. At last, a shy little squirt, followed by a full blast, at which time the old man proceeded to snap several photos, first landscape, then portrait as the water rose higher, then back to landscape again. Ah, sweet...
by Annie | Travel
After cruising through the gorgeous Big Horn Mountains yesterday afternoon, we pitched our tent less than ten feet away from the roaring Leigh Creek. Any closer and our tent would have been floating in the rapids. I would easily have categorized Leigh Creek as a river, but apparently things are on a different scale out here. Call it nature’s white noise machine. A few chili cheese dogs and a quick game of Scrabble later, we retired to the tent. At 9pm, it was still light outside, but we were beat. Joe and Sofie were both snoozing soundly within seconds, while I lay tossing and turning for a bit, no doubt the result of my repeated car napping throughout the day. By 7am, nature had called, and we emerged from our mountain dew-covered tent. Next, we’re off to...
by Annie | Travel
It was the best of naps, it was the worst of naps. You can never tell if a car nap is going to be a glorious one, in which you wake up refreshed hours later in a different state with gorgeous vistas to enjoy while you rub the remainders of sleep from your eyes, or a terrible nap, in which bits of radio commercials creep into weird dreams as you nod uncontrollably like a kid being offered a giant ice cream cone. Well abreast of the odds, I always make sure to take multiple naps to ensure I can get in at least one good nap. After waking up at 4:45am to take in the sweet sounds of a prairie creature symphony, we watched the sun rise over the Badlands. As soon as I settled into the passenger seat, I started nap number one. After a few of the more violent nods, I looked up to catch some views of deer and the awesome terrain of the big Badlands. Before I knew it, I woke up as we were parking in front of Wall Drug. After a quick round of tchotchke shopping and with bellies full of homemade donuts and 5-cent coffee, we headed out on the interstate again. Several mini naps later, I woke up on Main Street in Deadwood, SD. After a snack and some more tchotchke browsing, we returned to the car. This time, I dozed off without even realizing it and awoke to Joe shaking me vigorously to ask for directions out of the tourist trap town. We’re currently headed toward Big Horn, WY, for some...
by Annie | Travel
Ever wonder where wind comes from? Well, wonder no more. Wind is born in Minnesota. It grows on farms and is cultivated by windmills on the side of the highway. Baby winds mature fast, as it turns out. Before its first diaper change, a wind is already out on its own. From Minnesota, the winds blow straight into South Dakota. The young prepubescent winds, still unsure of their power, are often wild, unpredictable, and unnecessarily assertive, as most young ones are. They blew the cheese slices off the sandwiches I was making for lunch and dried the windshield before I even started to squeegee. Ah, adolescence....
