ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕞𝕖𝕤🧭ℝ𝕠𝕒𝕞𝕤

July 30, 2014; We were island residents for about 2 years now and had mostly been exploring places north and west of us on our weekend road trips, so now it was finally time to go south to the Province’s capitol, Victoria. We had my in-laws visiting from Toronto, so it was the perfect way to entertain and experience something new here together.

We were all excited for this trip because even though we liked the slower pace of island living, we still missed and yearned for city life and the amenities it offered such as, more selection in dining and shopping, and a night life! Our first stop was straight to the waterfront where it was alive with tourists and locals alike enjoying a beautiful July day, some even by horse drawn carriage.

I was in awe of all the beautiful gardens and sculpted landscaping. Everything was so perfectly manicured and colourful with all of the blooms.

The historical architecture of all the buildings nestled around the waterfront with all the boats moored perfectly in rows in the marina and of course, the grand Parliament Building with its turquoise coloured patina roof overlooking it all, along with the distinguished Empress Hotel, with it’s ivy covered facade, was just beyond what I had imagined in person. The energy in the air, the excitement of all there was to see and do was all around. No wonder this is such a popular Canadian destination. To think, this was just one of the highlights the city had to offer and I was already in love with it.

There is so much to do already just at the waterfront. A simple stroll would make your day, but if you wanted to, the Royal BC Museum is across the street from the Parliament Building and always features a 3D exhibit, well worth the visit. Also, as I mentioned before, there are horse drawn carriage rides around the downtown and along the lower area of the waterfront is a walking path filled with artisans and seating areas. The kids decided to get sketches done of themselves on this visit. Aside of things to do, don’t get me started on the places to eat! So many choices, all so close and all offering beautiful views.

We checked out a bit of the downtown core and shops before it was time to move onto one of Victoria’s other “must see” landmarks. Along the way, we stopped at, for obvious reasons (my Portuguese background), Casa Nova, a Portuguese catering/restaurant with all the Portuguese eats. Unfortunately, being a Sunday, it was closed, so no beefanas (fast fry pork with caramelized onions and sautéed peppers on a Portuguese bun) or quejadas de nata (custard cupcakes) for me this time.

We didn’t have a lot of time to fit in and explore all that Victoria had to offer, so we chose 1 unique site that we could all agree on, Craigdarroch Castle.

The castle was built by baron Robert Dunsmuir, a Scottish immigrant turned industrialist during the coal era and earned his wealth from Vancouver Island’s coal. It was built in 1887 and 1890 on a hill overlooking the city of Victoria. Rumour was that he was the richest and most important man in Western Canada. The level of wealth is reflected in the 4 floors of lavish furnishings, stained glass windows and intricate woodwork throughout. Unfortunately, Robert passed away a year and a half before its completion, where his sons then took over finishing the home.

In September 1919, the castle was renovated and reopened as a military hospital . It also served as a college and music conservatory in its lifetime.

In 1979 it was repurposed into a historical museum and has since been designated a National Historical Site of Canada. Today it remains open to the public, and is a huge tourist attraction, receiving over 150,000 visitors per year. On this lovely July day, we were among those visitors.

Continue reading “Visiting the Capitol ~ Victoria, BC”

February 14, 2014

Well, with today being Valentine’s Day 2023, its only fitting that my next post took place on Valentine’s Day, back in 2014. My husband planned a romantic and fun west coast adventure in Tofino, with a surprise trip by boat to Hot Springs Cove in Clayoquot Sound. Before arriving in Tofino, we decided to visit the small fishing community of Ucluelet (Ukee for short). Located on a peninsula, with Tofino only 40 Km’s northwest and beautiful beaches (Long Beach, Cox Bay Beach, Wickaninnish Beach) and Pacific Rim National Park in between. We enjoyed the panoramic views from the Wild Pacific Trail and took in the magic and power of the ocean from Big Beach. A perfect start to our Valentine weekend away.

Upon arrival, we settled into our beach front cabin at Ocean Village Resort. Located on the beautiful shores of Mackenzie Beach, with direct beach access, indoor pool and hot tub. Stunning sunsets are complimentary…wink, wink.

After a beautiful and relaxing first night in our cabin, we were up with the birds for our boat trip to Hot Springs Cove. We boarded the “Miss Chief” with Ocean Outfitters Whale Watching. We were welcomed with delicious, locally made chocolates from Chocolate Tofino, a sweet touch to add to our weekend of love.

Arriving at Clayoquot Sound was exciting. Exciting for the unknown and for my first experience in a natural hot spring (not the pools I had experienced so far). To get to Hot Springs Cove, one must walk the Hot Springs Cove Trail, a 3.9 km out and back trail in Maquinna Provincial Park that takes on average, about an hour to complete. No dogs allowed on this trail as it is a popular trail for bird watching and the delicate forest and its floor must be preserved. The trail is mostly made of a beautifully maintained boardwalk etched with past visitors names. The history of carved planks began when boats were made of wood or steel, boaters would come to enjoy the hot springs, but the trail was quite muddy. Over time, visitors constructed the boardwalk, bringing in planks to add. Boat names and dates were carved into the planks and consequently, the boardwalk was created and continued until about 2017 when the boardwalk replacement project began. More recently, today’s safety and construction standards does not support future removal and placement of carved planks along the boardwalk. BC Parks has consolidated the best planks to re-purpose them into a special feature within the park with interpretive signage depicting the history of the carved planks. I am so happy that we got to experience the boardwalk before the replacement project began.

As we walked the beautiful forest, we quickly realized that the walk in itself was part of the Hot Springs Cove experience. It was just simply, amazing! It wasn’t long before the streams and vegetation and sometimes the smells, changed. You could see steam and smell the sulphur, a sure sign that we were getting closer to the springs. Once there, we were wowed and disappointed at the same time. The springs were packed with other bathers brought in on other, similar boat tours….something we didn’t factor in, given the fact that it was Valentine’s Day weekend and clearly we weren’t the only ones celebrating here. All things negative aside, the area itself was stunning! It included a pavilion for bathers to change, sit and relax while taking in the views and it’s winged visitors all around, (mostly Blue Jays). I did get to have a soak, even though I was shoulder to shoulder with others but we all collectively agreed that regardless, this was amazing. Especially when, just as you were getting overheated, a huge wave from the ocean would crash over the rocks separating us, into the pool with an instant and invigorating refresh. It was perfectly timed; nature is amazing that way. We enjoyed a glass of wine on the pavilion before our boardwalk journey back to the “Miss Chief”, awaiting to take us back to Tofino.

The walk back on the boardwalk was equally enjoyed as when we first came in. We stopped and Tony carved our name, HOLMES into a plank. Just before the end of the trail, we found a grassy area to picnic and finish off our wine. It couldn’t have been more perfect!

Once back in Tofino, our evening ended with a beautiful sunset walk on Chesterman Beach.

SURF DAY! Our final day in Tofino, Tony tried surfing (I wasn’t ready to take on the ocean yet). He was thrown around and spit out for a few hours with a giant grin on his face! Well worth it and an instant new love for him, prompting a goal in me to give it try on our next visit.

We wrapped up our day storm watching from our SUV before driving home. We had a fabulous weekend together. Tofino always delivers and to this day, we visit often.

Well, seeing as our first trip to California was a huge highlight in all of our road trips so far, we decided it was time to do it again… And what better time than for a Christmas in Disney? Also, it was Tony‘s 36th birthday on the eve of Christmas Eve, (December 23rd), so even better a reason. Given our girls ages and our new love of experiences versus things, a decision was made that instead of material gifts for Christmas, we were going to create moments. So pack up the SUV and the family and back to California and Disney we go, just nine months after our last trip. Disney twice in the same year you say? Yep! This time around we purchased city passes to Universal Studios and Seaworld as well. So buckle up once again, this is going to be another long one.

On this trip, we planned that we would be driving through Seattle and Oregon and daylight so that we were able to see things like the space needle in Seattle. Driving through Oregon, we made a quick stop in Portland to the Roloff farm, (TLC’s Little People, Big World). Unfortunately, the farm is seasonal, operating only in October for the pumpkin patch, so we’re just a couple of months late on that but it was still cool to just take a picture with the sign and see them watching us from the window of their home.

It’s been established that one of her favorite places in California is San Francisco, so it wasn’t a trip through California without stopping there for the day. We had lunch at Pier 39, watched Rhylee assist in the magic show and treated ourselves to some ice cream at Dreyer’s. What a different experience it was to see San Francisco at Christmas. The festive Decour at the pier and all around us was beautiful and a bit weird at the same time in the 20°C sunshine when you’re used to cold, snow or rain.

Up with the sun following morning and back on the road continuing south! We rolled into Malibu just in time for lunch, greeted by beautiful, orange trees, and the surfers on the water across from Neptune Net, then now famous restaurant for the scene in the Fast & Furious (2001) film with Paul walker and Vin Diesel. We made a point of stopping here and having lunch at the very table they sat at in the scene from the movie, as a tribute to Paul Walker’s recent passing a month prior. They were many people doing the same with flowers and messages left at the restaurant.

We took our time driving the coast, and by the time we arrived at our hotel in Santa Monica, it was evening. We settled into our hotel, and then took a walk to the Santa Monica Pier and enjoyed the rides, lights and festive Christmas spirit at night this time, which was an entirely new experience in itself, having been here before in daylight.

The night was still young, so after fun at the pier, we hit Hollywood Boulevard to get a nighttime experience there as well. Being only days away until Christmas, getting out at night with all the lights and decor was so perfect for the California Christmas experience we were after and so beautiful.

Well, we made it to our destination, and so it was time for our first adventure at Universal Studios. The day was overcast and a little drizzly, and felt more like we were back on the Canadian west coast with slightly cooler than normal temperatures, something we were already used to and didn’t phase us; although it was funny to see park workers dressed like it was -20° outside and looking at us in our sweaters and wind breakers like we were crazy. It was at that moment that I think we were recognized as being Canadian. The park was fully decorated for Christmas and he even had fake snow in some of the areas. Not surprising as this was Universal Studios, known for all its props and special effects. We wasted no time, starting with a studio tour of places like the set for The Voice and the super fun, interactive King Kong set where the bus that we were in, got tossed and turned by “King Kong” himself. it was just the beginning of our experience with special effects in film and we were loving it. We also saw the sets to Jurassic Park, jaws, Whoville, the bates motel, and more.

We even got to be part of a demonstration of how Green screens and special effects work in film when we were chosen to participate in a safari adventure, and pirate ship expedition. So fun! afterwords, we walked around some more, and took in more of the amazing decor, and the beautiful views of the Warner Bros. studios below, which was closed for the Christmas season and even had a beautiful rainbow over it after a little rain shower.

Now it was time for some thrillseeking fun on the rides! Our favorite was the Simpsons ride, and Krustyland, an all interactive and special effects ride with a huge screen, and a seat that moves you around, giving you the sensation of free falling and spinning, as though you were on the craziest roller coaster, wind blowing in your face and all. Of all the rides and coasters we have ever been on, to this day, this is our favorite. We also hit the rides at Jurassic Park, Transformers, and more. We later took a break from walking and checked out the Waterworld show, which did not disappoint with all the special effects from stunts, fires, explosions, and planes crashing… it was quite impressive.

We wrapped up the fun filled day with an evening of some sweet treats, and taking in the Christmas spirit at night with Christmas coming to life all around, in every lightbulb and fully decorated tree.

The following day we had a free day, which we were conflicted between spending it shopping or as a beach day, so it was decided that a day at Venice Beach was the perfect solution to cover both beach and shopping. We loved interacting with all of the artists and vendors along the strip and checking out all of the cool shops as well. The whole place was the buzz with tourists and locals alike. It was definitely a vibe between people, relaxing under the palm trees, reading a book, the surfers catching a wave, the buskers showcasing their musical talents, and the vendors selling their creations. The atmosphere had an energy for everyone to enjoy. I found some really cool and original pieces handmade by some of the local artists and Rhylee even got a little lesson on how to make palm leaf flowers, which we still have to this day. Muscle Beach was just like you see in the movies and we had so much fun taking photos in the iconic muscle cut outs.

Earlier that day, we got a call from a friend who knew we were in L.A. Informing us that their home in the Hollywood Hills was available for us to stay in and they insisted that we cancel our room in Santa Monica and move up to the hills for the remainder of our holiday. So after our beach day, we asked up our bags and made the move. The house was absolutely beautiful and the drive up was just breathtaking. The house was just across the road from the entrance to the Runyon Canyon trail, a popular trail for celebrities and locals with stunning, panoramic views of L.A. below. We did a mini hike and took in the views also keeping our eyes open for any celebrity sightings…no such luck. We enjoyed freshly picked oranges in the morning from the trees on the property and drove up and around Mulholland Drive, and even went to the sight James Dean drove his car off. It was so surreal for us to be staying in the Hollywood Hills and realizing who some of the neighbours were through a quick Google Search. We felt like stars ourselves, a true Hollywood experience for us on this trip.

It’s Disney day for the birthday boy! Yup, today is Tony’s birthday and we were up bright and early to start the celebrations. Right away the magic of Disney (and Christmas) was the air in full force. We had a magical day riding the rides, watching the Disney parade and in the evening taking in all the twinkling lights of Christmas and all the displays and the new World of Colour light show. Unfortunately, no fireworks this time. The conditions were too windy and so they didn’t happen. A highlight of the evening was while in line for a ride, Tony recognized an actor and said his name to us, which he overheard. He was impressed that Tony addressed his actual name and not the character he played in the movie he was in so he came over, introduced himself with his wife and we had some small talk and a funny photo op with Tony. The actor was Steve Carlson from the hockey movie Slapshot. A great way to end the night and Tony’s birthday.

It is Christmas Eve and today was Seaworld Day! We made the drive down to San Diego and noted it was a few degrees warmer than L.A. which we weren’t upset about as Southern California was experiencing unusual cooler than normal temperatures at this time. Once again, Christmas was all around and felt pretty cool to feel the Christmas spirit and summer at the same time. The day was filled with lots of fun and information as we enjoyed all of the marine life. We ended the day with the evening Orca show, which was impressive but at the same time sad, as we’re used to and prefer to enjoy these majestic mammals in their natural surroundings. All in all it was a positive experience and interaction, but we felt through our personal experience that mammals in captivity was not something we supported, unless it was for rescue or rehabilitation purposes only.

Merry Christmas from Disneyland! Holy moly was the park packed today! We quickly learned that Christmas Day is one of the busiest days of the year for the park and we felt it! Thank goodness for the Fast Passes today. It was actually quite surreal to experience Christmas Day in Disney and the energy was just electric and so festive. We enjoyed some more rides and the highlight was the Christmas parade! It’s not Christmas without the big guy in red making his grand appearance, and that he did! There wasn’t a single face without a smile on it from what I could see, our faces included. The girls enjoyed meeting their favourite Disney Characters at the Princess Castle and we wrapped up the day with the evening show Fantasmic, which it absolutely was. What an amazing day and way to close off our trip. A fabulous time celebrating Christmas and Tony’s birthday all together, making lasting memories.

It was the summer of 2013 and now that we had a year to settle in and explore our surroundings a bit as Vancouver Islanders, it was time to have our first west coast camping experience. With all of our gear packed up, we were ready to head North to Buttle Lake in Strathcona Provincial Park, the oldest Provincial Park in BC. Designated in 1911, Strathcona Park is located in the centre of our island and is made up of 250,000 hectares of mountains, forest, rivers and lakes making it also the largest park on Vancouver Island. Buttle Lake is a major body of water in Strathcona Park, measuring 23 km long, 1.5 km wide and up to 120 metres deep, emptying into Upper Campbell Lake. The lake offers great fresh water fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming and of course, camping!.

We arrived and picked out the perfect spot, which was easy to do, because all of the sites here are great, but not so easy, because there are 85 sites to choose from. The campground is well equipped with toilets, pump, water, showers, Hydro for RVs, fire, pits, picnic tables, and even a playground… Dot, all the surrounded by trees, mountain views, and access to sandy beach. Sounds heavenly, right?… It is!

The next day, we did a little exploring, and went for a walk on the trail off our campsite, and was surprised to find that at the end, there was an opening in the trees up to a beautiful, picturesque part of the lake. We spent the entire day there, swimming and hanging out on the sandy area, playing fetch with the dogs, and just loving being part of that scenery. I felt like we had found a secret place no one knew about.

We enjoyed our last day, back at the campsite, relaxing after a nice dinner, and the girls making bracelets around the fire. Things couldn’t be more perfect here.

On our last day, we made the best of another beautiful day and enjoyed some more swimming and more fun in the sun before packing up. Our first camping experience in our new “backyard” was a huge success and definitely a level up compared to do the camping we had done before in Ontario. We were already excited about where the next camping trip was going to be after getting a taste of BC camping. By the lake was a great first experience, one will never forget. We have gone back over the year since even for just a day trip. Great memories were made here.

Buckle up, this is going to be a long one….

Being islanders for nearly a year on the Canadian west coast definitely had it’s adventures with stunning, nature saturated scenery, but we were craving another good, long road trip; comparable to the one that began our lives west when we drove across 3 Provinces from Ontario to Alberta, and then one more Province further west to our now home in British Columbia. We had fallen so in love with the raw and rugged coast and lush forests of our beautiful western Province, that we wanted to explore it further on a road trip to California on the Pacific Coastal Highway, aka… the PCH. So we packed up the car and the family and began our trip south to the US border into Washington.

We drove through Seattle in the dark and didn’t really stop to keep on schedule, but the night time views of the city and seeing the Space Needle all lit up was enough to add it to our Bucket List to explore it on its own at a later time.

Our first pin drop on the map was a stop in Astoria, Oregon to check out the Goonie house and other landmarks from the iconic 80’s movie such as the Haystack Rock formations shown near the end of the film. Being 80’s kids, and my husband, a huge Goonies fan, this was an exciting highlight! Our daughters were also Goonie fans through us and so they too could relate and be equally excited to be here. A number of other movies were filmed in this little town such as Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy and Short Circuit to name a few and it was neat to recognize some of the buildings and landmarks from the movies that were filmed here.

We crossed into Northern California in the early evening, checking into a room at the Oceanfront Lodge in Crescent City and enjoyed the pool and hot tub amenities before turning in for the night. Being dusk on arrival, we had little notion of the spectacular views that awaited us in the morning. This Lodge definitely lived up to its name with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean from our room, to the restaurant’s floor to ceiling windows for breakfast.

Continuing on, we came up to Klamath, CA to experience the Trees of Mystery located in the heart of the Redwoods, in the center of the Redwood National and State Parks. We explored trails through giant Redwoods, chainsaw sculptures and carvings that told the story of the legendary logger, Paul Bunyan.

As we continued south, we took in the spectacular views from the highway in awe. This is what the PCH experience is made of! Rocky bluffs, rugged coastline, wildflowers and crashing waves below. The energy was exhilarating to experience so we had to stop and get out to really appreciate it (and get a family photo op in). We continued along to our next stop in Eureka, CA to the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwood State Park. The trees were massive! So massive that you could literally drive a car through…and so we did. The Shrine Drive Through Tree measures 375 ft tall and 64 ft in diameter. We really couldn’t believe that our Lincoln MKX would actually pass through so we even put the mirrors in, just to be safe haha.

En route to our next destination, we came across a little roadside attraction that looked worth stopping for. Not part of our set plan, yet things like this were however, part of the plan to check out things unplanned…if that makes sense. So here we were at the Legend of Bigfoot Carvings and Souvenirs in who knows where ( Google search shows its in Garberville, CA). We were so glad we stopped here. We all enjoyed checking out the carvings and familiar characters like Shrek, a few of Snow White’s Dwarfs, and of course the Legend himself, Bigfoot! We drove on to check out one more drive-thru tree in Memorial Grove. Here, the Chandelier Tree stands at 315 ft and is 21 ft around.

Behold, we have arrived to our first major destination! Hello San Francisco!!! This was so exciting and a major highlight of our trip. Now I fully understand how one’s heart could be left in San Francisco, like the song says. I instantly fell in love with this beautiful city in the bay! Crossing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge was an experience in itself! I couldn’t help but hear the Full House theme song in my head as we crossed. We drove through the downtown core, straight to the Fisherman’s Wharf, but not before stopping at Candlestick Park, former home of the 49’ers …yes we are huge 9’er fans so this was a big deal.

Fisherman’s Wharf was alive with music, food and so many tantalizing aromas. Shopping, more restaurants, street entertainers and even a carousel awaited us at Pier 39, a whole other experience in itself. San Fran was where it was at and we were thrilled to be taking it all in. Stellar Sea Lions barking in the bay, Alcatraz in the distance, the ringing bells of the trolleys zipping up and down the streets…literally up and down, and of course, the fresh baked bread filling the air from Boudins Bakery, with its intricate alligator loaves being made right in their storefront window for you to enjoy! It’s hard to put into words the feeling you get when you’re here. It’s absolutely something that stays with you.

We had a blast checking out the Victorian houses, better known as the Painted Ladies, and even better known as the Full House houses. Again, the Full House theme song came to mind here. Mrs. Doubtfire was also filmed in this part of the city along with many other films and sitcoms across the Bay Area. We also took a drive down the worlds “crookeest street”, Lombard Street. A steep street with 8 hairpin turns and fabulous views below as we made our way down. We ended our stay in the Bay City at the Golden Gate Park, where we had amazing views from below of the iconic bridge. I was left already looking forward to our next trip here, and we hadn’t even left yet.

Continuing south we come to the city of Malibu. Where mansions upon mansions take up the hillside on one side, and surfers take on the waves of the Southern Pacific on the other as you drive in. We stopped briefly to watch the surfers and stretch out our legs before carrying on to Santa Monica Beach and Pier. The girls loved riding the rides, having themselves sketched by artists at the Pier and playing in the surf.

The following day it was high energy in downtown LA! From Sunset Blvd to Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills, we did it all. At first we began to explore on our own but then found we could cover more ground by hopping on a sightseeing bus. It took us around to the night club scenes, old and new like Johnny Depps (at the time) Viper Room to the more relevant hotspot the Keyclub, where the likes of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and other celebrities would party it up. The tour also took us past celebrity homes and iconic landmarks and places in film like the Beverly Hills Hotel, the fire escape from the scene at the end of the movie Pretty Woman and of course the Hollywood sign to name a few. Once back on our own, we followed the stars on Hollywood Blvd and took in the amazing shopping and atmosphere at the Hollywood & Highland Entertainment Center, filled with world-class shopping, dinning and the location of red carpet movie premieres like the Game of Thrones premiere taking place at the Chinese Theatre while we were there. Before we knew it, day had turned into night and everything was aglow around us. The streets were buzzing with tourists and businesses doing their hustle of buying and selling. Every other shop had a massive, limited time blowout sale that after a while, seemed to never reach the limited time advertised lol. It was such a vibe to be in!

On the road again…. (I warned you this was a long one lol). Our next big adventure was Disneyland. On our way there we stopped at what I would say was one of the nicest beach communities I had seen yet. Behold beautiful and welcoming Huntington Beach, home of world class sandy beaches and surfing, its long beach pier, (measuring 1850 ft in length) and film location to Baywatch… if you’re old enough to remember the hit series of the 90’s starring David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson. I was just in love with this charming seaside city where everyone was pleasant to meet and everything around was pristine.

Finally we arrive in Anaheim, CA! Home of the most magical place on earth…Disneyland! We checked into our hotel room just outside the Disneyland gates and cooled off in the pool before heading out to Downtown Disney, an impressive outdoor shopping centre featuring shops, restaurants, entertainment and everything Disney. The experience is a great prelude of what to expect in the theme park with things like Lego World showcasing amazing Disney characters and sculptures all made of Lego pieces. It is truly mind blowing to see.

The next morning was an exciting one and we were all up early to take in as much of the day as possible in Disneyland. We fuelled up with a hefty breakfast and made our way into the gates. We were immediately tickled with happiness and didn’t know which way to turn. We decided first things first, “we need our mouse ears”, so the hunt was on. We were greeted by some big Disney celebrities along the way and the girls got some good squeezes in from Minnie Mouse herself (I may have snuck in a hug as well). The whole day was a whirlwind from beginning to end. Space Mountain, Small World Boat Tour, Princess Castle meet and greet, The giant Disney ferris wheel, Haunted Mansion, the smells and sounds of Orleans Street, the famous Disney parade and fireworks…I could go on but this blog is already going into novel territory as it is and we still have Vegas to cover so I’ll just say this…Disney does not miss a thing! Right down to the landscaping sculptures with speakers pumping out every Disney tune one could imagine, I wondered at times if there was fairy dust being blown into the air as well because it truly was magical and made you connect to your inner child. The fireworks display narrated by Julie Andrews was the icing on the cake and a perfect ending to our time in Disneyland. It left us exhausted from high endorphin levels all day, the best kind of exhaustion one can have.

VEGAS BABY!!! Leaving the ocean behind and making our way through the Cacti and sandy hills of the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas Nevada, we were wowed by the change in landscape in just a short time from leaving California. The outside temperature reading on our vehicle was showing values in the 40’s as we drove through Death Valley. Once we got to Las Vegas, it was a comfortable 24°C (75°F), which to our surprise was below normal temperatures as they were experiencing a cold front passing through. The Canadian in us thought is was just perfect. We checked into our room at the Circus, Circus Hotel and were pleasantly overwhelmed with all of the stimulation and energy the hotel offered right down to dazzling Aerialists swinging and spinning from the ceiling. We hit the pool right away and relaxed a bit before our amazing all you can eat buffet style dinner and then some fun in the indoor amusement park. Once we exhausted ourselves on all the rides and games, we took in the city lights of the Vegas nightlife as we drove up and down the strip and even into Old Vegas.

The next day we enjoyed Vegas in daylight and took in all the sites and architecture, appreciating how different everything was from the night scenes before. We made a wish at the Caesars Palace fountain and was entertained by the Fountains of Bellagio water performance, a popular, must see daily event every 30 minutes. We shook hands with lots of Elvis’ and were wowed by the Can Can girls and their elaborate feathered costumes. Sin city did not disappoint and left us unscathed … for now.

July, 2011

After being Albertans for 2 years and not seeing family & friends in that time, we decided it was time for a little summer reunion. With our bags in tow, we were on our WestJet flight en route to London, Ontario.

Our first stop was my hometown of Strathroy, now Strathroy-Caradoc, a municipality about 30 mins West of London with a growing population of approximately 20,000. Born and raised here, I have many connections and family to come back to. The reception on arrival was big (family of 10 plus spouses and children is a good party). There were hugs, tears and lots of laughter and of course an abundance of food.

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Because we are such social people and have a large group of friends, we knew it wouldn’t be possible to visit everyone, so we planned a party for everyone to see us in one place at the beach I grew up going to as a child and where Tony lived with his mom and brothers for a few years. Ipperwash Beach is one of the longest fresh water beaches in Ontario. The main beach is located along the shores of Lake Huron in the municipality of Lambton Shores. As a child, it was a Provincial Park until a land dispute with Indigenous members of the Stoney Point band occupied the park to reclaim the land. I had so many great memories coming here as a child. The beach to this day is open to public by the Stony Point band and a beautiful place to spend with family with even a drive on beach as an option and a few amenities including Gators for ice cream treats and good eats as well as clothing and beach apparel on Ipperwash Beach Rd. The shallow shores are an ideal place for children to swim (no Lifeguards) and there are multiple things to do in the area from camping to hiking the dunes and trails. The weather and beach couldn’t have been more perfect that day.

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Our trip wouldn’t be complete without a night out, partying it up and dancing our legs off like we had never left. We had Cellos Nightclub in London reserved just for us and even had our friend DJ Everfresh spin the beats for us. Coincidentally he was the clubs regular DJ at the time so it was perfect.

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We spent a couple of days in London to visit with Tony’s aunt and spend some time relaxing in her backyard oasis and pool. London is a University city (University of Western Ontario ~ UWO) of approximately 400,000+ (2017) people, located just North of Lake Erie within the Quebec-Windsor corridor and just over 2 hours from Toronto. Also known as the forest city for its abundance of trees, nature parks and greenways along the Thames River, the great night life, delicious dining experiences and historical landmarks made this a great living experience for us for the 5 years we lived here before moving west to Alberta.

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Our final week was spent in Tony’s home city of Toronto, the capital of Ontario. Toronto has several beaches along Lake Ontario’s northwestern shore, also know as the Lakeshore. We enjoyed hot and sunny beach days at Ashbridges Bay in the West end, and in the evenings, took in the bright city lights of the downtown core. Toronto is a metropolis of sky scrapers, sports facilities, concert venues, green space, trails and home to the iconic CN Tower and more. We loved being tourists in Toronto on this trip.

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A highlight of our time in Toronto was an amazing day spent at Canada’s Wonderland (Canada’s Disney) with Tony’s mom and brothers. The theme park is located just outside of Toronto in the city of Vaughan and was a childhood past time for all of us at least once every summer. With 17 coasters, an 8- hectare water park and more, it’s no wonder this is a place for every age to enjoy from all over. Great memories made this day.

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So many lasting memories were had on this trip, and it was neat to be a bit of a tourist in our birthplaces and experience all those familiar things from that perspective, but most of all, we enjoyed many conversations, laughs and delicious home cooked meals that were greatly missed. The whole visit was ‘Soulfood” for us but as the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and all too soon we were on our way back to Alberta to the new lives we had built for ourselves and home.

Our next adventure weekend took us to, drumroll……yup, British Columbia!! I’m really starting to see a trend with our travels, we just couldn’t get enough of BC it seems! January 24, 2011 had us on a bus trip bound for the beautiful Panorama Ski Resort in the Rockies. Not being avid skiers (I only tried once before at 16 and never made it past the bunny hill), and Tony not really skiing before either, this was going to be an interesting and hopefully injury free trip. We arrived in the early evening and the resort hit the wow factor right away with all of the beautiful lights reflecting off the snow. We checked into the Taynton Lodge and settled for the night, excited to see what views awaited us in the morning.

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After a relaxing soak in the hot tub and a good night’s rest, we were eager to check things out in daylight. Panoramic mountain views all around (hence the name), icicles hanging off of the rooftops, sparkling like jewels in the sun and the fresh, snowy air was a 5 star wake up call for me! Tony was ready to tackle the day by crossing off another bucket list item, learning to ski. He was like a kid at Christmas with excitement. He applied the basic “pizza, French fries” technique on the bunny hill a few times. Then, he was on the lift, making his way up to the top! He’s a fast and driven learner and with his athletic background in sports, biking and being a great skater to back him up, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Myself, not a chance! I prefer to sight see, sit by a warm fire while enjoying a few hot drinks and people watching. The setup of the facility (The Great Hall), allowed me to do just this, in comfort with a wall of windows looking out onto the hill to visually partake in the action on the other side. It was, and still is one of my favourite places to go to while Tony skis for this reason.

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This was the day I lost my husband to the slopes! When he returned to me after a full day of skiing, he was a changed man with a new passion and a love for skiing. He fell a few times up there, tearing his new ski suit in the most visually eye opening of places, which made for a good laugh, but he was hooked on skiing regardless of how embarrassing his first day was. He was able to capture some great shots for me at the top so I was pretty happy and proud of him for his accomplishment. I knew at that moment what our future winters were going to look like.

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While Tony skied, I split my time between watching the skiers from the warmth and comfort of the Great Hall and exploring the lower village. The gondola ride down was a treat in itself offering majestic views of the village nestled into the mountains surrounding it, snowy rooftops lined up row by row. It really felt like I was in a hidden city in the mountains.

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The remainder of our stay was filled with great food, dancing at the beach theme party in the Great Hall, some more skiing and even night skiing for Tony. On our last day before leaving, we came across a huge stone wall fireplace with hundreds of messages and signatures on the rocks from past guests, which of course we had to add to. This was a great introduction to ski life and how we have spent part of our winters since…. on the mountain.

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August 25-31, 2010

The exposure to the ocean from our Mexico trip had really awakened something within and it seemed like we had just unpacked when we were packing our bags again (and car this time) for another adventure; To Beautiful British Columbia once again, but this time, as a family and far from the Alberta/BC border right to the west coast on Vancouver Island, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.

We made a quick stop in Jasper, AB to stretch out and enjoy the beautiful views before continuing on our 8 1/2 hour drive to the BC Ferries terminal in Vancouver. We drove through the night and arrived at the terminal just in time to catch the first ferry and the sunrise while crossing the Straight of Georgia to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The ferry ride in itself was exciting and new, feeling like a cruise ship with its amenities and gift shop. The views as we travelled across were beautiful and the smell of the salty air, unforgettable as I could already sense something bigger growing from within and we’d barely just begun.

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As soon as we got off the ferry we knew we were somewhere special. Totem poles greeted us as well as some of the common wildlife on the roadways, the deer. Our first stop was at Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville. We had timed our arrival with the low tide in hopes of beach combing and finding some sand dollars. Although we didn’t find any, we were able to explore so much marine life in the tidal pools and walk the sandy beach for what seemed like miles. Tony was exhausted from the overnight drive so he and Madi slept on the beach while Rhylee and I went off on a beach exploration adventure!

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We then drove on to the Coombs Country Market, famously known as The Goats on the Roof Market for the goats that literally live on the grassy roof top. The atmosphere here was so quaint and relaxed and made you feel good all over. From the sounds of the local musicians, to the colourful market inside, as well as the other shops along the Main Street; this was definitely a super cool place to be. The highlight for the girls was petting the goats of course. I was really taken by the amazing soap stone sculptures on the other side of the market grounds.

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Continuing on to our westerly destination, we stopped at Cathedral Grove, an old growth rain forest with massive trees over 800 years old. It was was surreal to walk among theses giants that we could barely wrap our arms around collectively between the 4 of us! The green canopy hung high above our heads, offering protection from the elements like Mother Nature’s umbrella. Their branches swaying in the breeze as they squeaked and cracked, almost as though they were talking to each other. It was quite an experience, and the smell….wow! The smells of the forest is like no other. The millions upon millions of fallen needles make up the spongy forest floor, giving off an aroma to fill your senses for a lifetime. Something profound was happening inside me on this trip….for all of us, and nature had everything to do with it.

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We were now almost halfway to our destination and the scenery just kept on giving to make the drive easier, until we hit the winding roads (S bends) that take you the rest of the way to the rugged west coast of Canada. Side to side, up an down the roads went and Rhylee’s stomach was not having it….mental note * gravol for the drive back. Before we knew it, we arrived to the quaint municipality of Ucluelet, also known as Ukee to the locals and means “people of the safe Harbour” by the indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth people. It is known for its salt water fishing for cod, halibut, salmon, crabs and prawns and also the amazing Wild Pacific Trail. We stayed at a modest seaside hotel with access to a marina where we could watch the fisherman come in with their catch and more entertaining, watch the sea lions try to steal their fish. We enjoyed a delicious 10 year anniversary family dinner at the Black Rock Resort and explored the tidal pools afterwards. The Aquarium in Ukee was a great hands on, up close and personal look at the marine life that makes up Canada’s western Pacific shores and waterways and we really enjoyed all of the knowledge we were gaining of the ocean beyond just its surface beauty. Another highlight for us in Ukee was the cool eating experience on the Canadian Princess Ship, turned floating restaurant. It was brought to Ucluelet in 1979 after suffering damage from hitting Ripple Rock near Campbell River, restored and made into a restaurant for the neighbouring resort to bring in tourism. Sadly today, the ship is no longer there as it was towed away and dismantled in 2016, 6 years after our visit, so we were really glad we got to experience this landmark when we did.

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With Tofino just a 40 minute drive away, we made our way to experience what is considered Canada’s true west coast life. Tofino is on the tip of a peninsula made up of lakes, inlets, rainforest and of course it’s sandy beaches world renowned for it’s great surfing. We had beautiful sunny weather and a whale watching tour booked with Jamies Whale Watching. We were quite nervous and experienced some anxiety as our vessel left the bay into the ocean waters with the mishap from our Mexico trip still being so fresh on our minds having happened only 3 months prior. It wasn’t long though, through the expertise, care and understanding of our captain, that we were put at ease and enjoying ourselves. We saw eagles, sea lions, jelly fish, and humpback whales on our day trip. An amazing time that helped ease our fears of being on the ocean. We spent the remainder of the day shopping around, and beach hopping the Tofino beaches of Cox Bay, Chesterman, Mackenzie and lastly, Big Beach where Tony tried his luck fishing on shore and caught his first ever Green Lingcod. The final curtain was the amazing west coast sunset to really put the exclamation point on this whole experience. Our time spent here saturated in nature and the ocean made that thing inside grow, just a little more.

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Well it was time to start back tracking towards home but not without spending some time in Vancouver first. We spent a day at Canada’s largest aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley Park which was super fun from the tropical rainforest exhibit to watching the live dolphin show. Stanley Park is world renowned and has been a staple of Vancouver since 1888. A huge, 400 hectare urban park with it’s beautiful 8.8 km sea wall trail, Totem Poles, monuments and panoramic views of the Lions Gate Bridge and downtown across the harbour. You can run, walk, bike, drive or even go by horse and buggy through this beautiful park surrounded by huge trees, beautiful gardens and the ocean. We definitely did not get enough time to explore Stanley Park completely, but we were thrilled with our experience for the time we did spend here.

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On the road again, homeward bound! As we put this life changing trip behind us and inched closer to home, we made one more stop at the Fraser River before crossing back into Alberta. As an avid fisherman, fishing the Fraser has been a bucket list item for the hubby, so it was a must do and a good time to stretch out and get a break from the drive. We did finally get to see a bear on this trip and even though it was just a little dinker, Tony was able to cross off another bucket item off by catching a fish in the Fraser River. This was a trip of a lifetime that felt like we were a world away from our then home in Alberta…. I say “then home” purposely…stay tuned!

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This was a big one for our family. A trip to MEXICO!!!! Neither myself nor our girls had been on a plane before so we were super excited and anxious for this trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. One whole week of sunshine, no cooking or cleaning for me and unlimited drinks and eats at Canto del Sol Resort. It was also my first meeting with the love of my life (well, second love, next to my Hubby), the ocean!

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As easy as it was to fall into the tourist routine of eat, drink, swim, sleep, repeat, we wanted more from our time here so we ventured into town, walked the famous Malecon sea walk, ate at a quaint restaurant in the old village where we were serenaded by a mariachi band and watched the locals wade and play under a bridge in the river. You can’t go to PV without experiencing the market and that in itself is an experience and highly recommended should you go here. The art of bartering with the vendors is part of the novelty of visiting PV and when you come out with the treasures that will tell the stories to take home, they become priceless! The beautiful sandcastles along the beach were impressive and the Church of Guadalupe is stunning with it’s rich history and architecture. Our girls were particularly taken by the men dressed in ancient Mayan attire walking around carrying lizards and were excited to get so close to them.

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Our resort was fantastic and checked off all the boxes for us. Situated right off the beach for strolls, horse back riding, stunning sunsets, a dip in the ocean, or enjoying other water activities like parasailing or riding a banana tube, we couldn’t have had a better first experience then what we had at Canto del Sol. From poolside dancing to aqua aerobics and even a swing of the stick at the piñata for the kids, there was something for all of us! The nightly entertainment was interactive and engaging and our girls loved being part of the show…even my hubby got his 5 mins of fame.

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Unfortunately, it wasn’t all smiles and fun for us on this trip. We had booked an excursion with the Pirates of the Bay pirate ship where they take you out to the beautiful cove of Majahuitas. Each family/group is assigned their own “pirate” which looks after your needs such as dinks, food and giving instructions. Our “pirate” Pearl was fantastic, helping out even with Rhylee’s sea nausea and making her comfortable. On the 29km voyage, we were treated to a pirate breakfast and show which Rhylee and I ended up participating in and was fun for us. Just before arriving at the cove, our pirate Pearl gave me a plastic bag for our belongings, as we had to exit the ship onto a smaller speed boat to take us the rest of the way to the shore while the ship remained anchored at sea until we returned. The time spent at Majahuitas was fabulous! A treasure hunt for the kids, volleyball games, beach bars with drinks and lots of sunshine for all. When the time came to pack up and head back to the ship, the winds had picked up and the waves had grown substantially, making it challenging to get into the speedboat. We were the second group of 3 with approximately 10 passengers to make our way back to the ship. The first group made it safely while the third group waited on the beach for their turn to board. While making our way across, the engine on our speed boat died halfway between the shore and the ship. The solution was to have the speedboat carrying the supplies (chairs, alcohol, volleyball nets etc.), to tow us to the ship, which was rocking parallel with the waves quite heavily. As we got closer, it was quickly apparent that this was not a good idea (my screaming at them may have been an indicator), and my husband ordered for us to be turned away to which they quickly complied (he can be a little intimidating haha), except by that point, the tow line essentially sling shotted us straight into the side of the rocking ship as the bumper came down on my side, just missing my hand and causing us to take on water. Then, as the ship rocked away from us, the bumper hit my side again and this time, flipped us all over into the sea. Luckily, no one was sucked under the ship with the force that was there and we all grabbed onto our upturned vessel and began to hold on for dear life. Thankfully we all had life vests on. My husband jumped onto the speedboat that towed us and proceeded to throw all the chairs and supplies into the sea to make room for everyone to get on and yelled orders for the crew to do the same. They all acted quickly as my husband jumped back into the water to hoist people into the speedboat as it was being emptied. Once we were all safe, a man who had been fishing and witnessed the whole account picked up the third group still waiting on the beach and watching in horror, and brought them out to our boat for us all to be taken to the port we left from earlier, as my husband made it very clear that they were not getting us on the ship. Not 5 mins from boating away from the scene, a shark fin was spotted in the water not far from us. We realized then, how much worse the whole ordeal could have been and we just wanted to get to port and back to the resort. If not for our pirate Pearl giving me the plastic bag for my belongings, I would’ve lost everything from this trip as my camera was in the bag among other personal belongs and I’d have no photos to share here or to look back on. Many others who were with us lost their passports, wallets and cameras so we were luckier than most in that regard. We were all just happy to be safe and uninjured. It was a terrifying experience that to this day, even as an avid boater and boat owner, has me anxious when the waves get choppy. Needless to say, the rest of our trip was at the resort on land and we cancelled all of our other excursions, including a catamaran trip. My husband was a true hero the way he took charge of the situation and helped save us and many others. It’s ironic that the poster/advertisement for this ship was “Expect the Unexpected”….well that it did deliver!

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Now it’s not a trip to Mexico without indulging in a bit of the nightlife! We had met some great people from Calgary during this trip, and even though they were all in their early 20’s, we hit it off and went out for a night of dancing together. Some of us remember more than others I’m sure, so we at least have these photos to go by which speaks for itself on what a great time we had!

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The rest of our stay was great. We kept ourselves busy in the pool, on the beach and enjoyed many tasty meals, especially the a la carte nights where we dressed up a little. Our final full day was Rhylee’s 8th birthday. We surprised her with a birthday message on the beach and ended the day with a rooftop dinner with a special cake and song surprise for the birthday girl. Our final sunset was one of the best from the whole week. We loved Puerto Vallarta and we loved the resort. We met some great friends and made lasting memories. We would definitely revisit.

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2010 was a big travel year for us with many firsts including our first time visiting British Columbia for Valentines Day, to Radium Hot Springs. Yes, we travelled 5.5 hours for a Valentines Day retreat and it was worth every second of the drive…. I wasn’t kidding when I said a seed for road trips and exploring had been planted since driving across Canada during our move west to Alberta.

Radium Hot Springs is in the Easy Kootenay of BC and named after the hot springs in nearby Kootnenay National Park. A very small community with beautiful scenery and neat artistic points of interest like the House of 1000 Faces, the landmark home of woodcarver Rolf Heer who began with a few carvings on the exterior of his home and over the years the whole exterior became his carvings and the home was even featured on the TV show Weird Homes. To the our dismay and many others, it burned down in 2018, so we were fortunate to have seen this townsite icon during this visit.

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Another landmark site is in the drive itself as you pass through the Sinclair Canyon and the Redwall Fault. Literally a mountainous entryway in and out of Radium. A must see on highway 93!

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Panorama Mountain Resort is not far for the ski/snowboarding enthusiast in you. Located in the scenic District of Invermere, you are surrounded by the Purcells and Rocky Mountains. We did not go to Panorama Ski resort on this trip but we did visit at a later time on a company ski trip where my husband learned to ski for the first time at 33 (he’s hooked now). Instead, we took in the majestic sites of Invermere, nestled in the mountains and valleys.

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Our stay at Radium Resort was refreshing, cozy and therapeutic. Located on the grounds of a golf course, it offered beautiful views from our room. Massage services and a daily breakfast from the on-site restaurant and bar were very accommodating and it was just a short drive to the hot spring pools which was an experience in itself. There are 3 pools; an Olympic sized one for swimming (29°c), the larger, hot pool (102°c), tucked into the side of the mountain for a more natural soak and the plunge pool for those who can handle the waters hot temperature from the source for only a very short time.

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Looking back on this, our love for BC and return visit months later to Vancouver Island, became the catalyst of our move further west in 2012. The little piece of BC we experienced here was just the tip of the iceberg we would later but soon learn.