Friday, August 23, 2019
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Quick trips in May
In the last few weeks I've had the invitation to tag along with friends on their travels - a business conference in Kelowna and a choir tour in Nanaimo and Duncan on Vancouver Island.
The former provided hotel room and rented vehicle (of course I still use heated seats in a desert!) on the company dime, so that aspect was easily laid out for me. I was pretty much left to my own devices during the mornings and afternoons, which I spent wandering around geocaching. I didn't get very far from town itself, so was more of an urban/industrial paved environment in unrelenting heat though still enjoyable. I've been meaning to head to Kelowna for a while to tour their multitude of wineries, and we only scratched the surface of options here on one day. We hiked up Mt Boucherie and it seemed we had the whole mountain to ourselves that afternoon. I got to see visit my parents and give them a pre-Mother's Day dinner at RauDZ which was recommended by the fella at the tourist office. It seemed like a trendy yet elegant showcase of regional fare - although we all chose a seafood dish, which came from not-Kelowna. The price was befitting a special occasion and the food was prepared and presented just right.
The choir tour was a smaller affair than last year, closer to home with everyone responsible for their own transportation, hotel and expenses. They're saving up the choir funds for a more extensive tour next year to the Maritime provinces, and of course it's good PR to meet and hold joint concerts with other local groups who have a fan base in their own communities.'Twas a long wait and ferry ride (during which we occupied ourselves with sudokus) all for two concerts! Worth it though, the performances were great and it was good to see the friendly fellas again, I'm their cheerleader in the front row! One at breakfast told us about the Heritage Boat Festival in Ladysmith that we'd be passing through on our way south, so we stopped in there and browsed the exhibits, very engaging folks eager to share their passion and hobby. Beautifully restored wooden vessels. And a geocache. We had time for a meandering puzzle cache around the cute part of Duncan, which was also where the farmer's market was and the choir concert just down the street. Altogether is was a full day (he'd describe as "busy") but at a leisurely pace. As long as we got to rehearsal and performances on time, there was no other itinerary.
Thanks for a great time!
The former provided hotel room and rented vehicle (of course I still use heated seats in a desert!) on the company dime, so that aspect was easily laid out for me. I was pretty much left to my own devices during the mornings and afternoons, which I spent wandering around geocaching. I didn't get very far from town itself, so was more of an urban/industrial paved environment in unrelenting heat though still enjoyable. I've been meaning to head to Kelowna for a while to tour their multitude of wineries, and we only scratched the surface of options here on one day. We hiked up Mt Boucherie and it seemed we had the whole mountain to ourselves that afternoon. I got to see visit my parents and give them a pre-Mother's Day dinner at RauDZ which was recommended by the fella at the tourist office. It seemed like a trendy yet elegant showcase of regional fare - although we all chose a seafood dish, which came from not-Kelowna. The price was befitting a special occasion and the food was prepared and presented just right.
The choir tour was a smaller affair than last year, closer to home with everyone responsible for their own transportation, hotel and expenses. They're saving up the choir funds for a more extensive tour next year to the Maritime provinces, and of course it's good PR to meet and hold joint concerts with other local groups who have a fan base in their own communities.'Twas a long wait and ferry ride (during which we occupied ourselves with sudokus) all for two concerts! Worth it though, the performances were great and it was good to see the friendly fellas again, I'm their cheerleader in the front row! One at breakfast told us about the Heritage Boat Festival in Ladysmith that we'd be passing through on our way south, so we stopped in there and browsed the exhibits, very engaging folks eager to share their passion and hobby. Beautifully restored wooden vessels. And a geocache. We had time for a meandering puzzle cache around the cute part of Duncan, which was also where the farmer's market was and the choir concert just down the street. Altogether is was a full day (he'd describe as "busy") but at a leisurely pace. As long as we got to rehearsal and performances on time, there was no other itinerary.
Thanks for a great time!
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
My birthday in Ucluelet
It's my birthday! Or at least a drawn-out affair lasting a week or two while I try to celebrate a little with a few friends that wouldn't be at the same place at the same time. Birthday Week. Maybe Birthday Two-Weeks.
For my birthday itself on March 29th I wanted to be away from town, as a kickstart to what will hopefully be a pleasant travelling season, typically advised against by well-meaning folks who don't want me hobo-camping in the rain. Alas, I can't help it I was born in springtime on the Wet Coast! I chose Ucluelet as a destination for its rugged natural beauty, and ideally had someone to host me there for the weekend. I'd only briefly walked through Ucluelet years ago and wished to devote more time to explore.
Plans fluctuated briefly prior to departure and I was ready to go alone walking/hitchiking and stay in the hostel - my usual manner of travel that takes less money but more time and effort - but happily a fella joined me and we could drive (and stop to geocache) at a leisurely pace. We stopped at Coombs which was buzzing with tourists and again at Cathedral Grove, one of my favorite spots for big ol' trees. I'm glad this provincial park preserves them, and despite logging on the island and reports of poaching the old growth, I like to think that the far depths of mid-island have plenty of these elders left.
His friend hosted us in his beautiful home; the guest bedroom was quite dark and below ground level so extremely quiet, the bathroom clean and spacious, and the tv has all the special channels. Indeed we watched a fair bit of tv in the grey mornings and dark evenings. We arrived in the light evening of Friday and not caring to fuss with dinner plans were fine to settle in with drinks+appies at home and watch the sunset. We made short work of a bottle o'rum. I had a seasonal cold and was content to have a low-key relaxing time, burning it out with spicy hot wings and trying to keep my sniffling as unobnoxious as possible.
Ucluelet's tourist tag is to "unplug and reconnect", so we took a break away from our screens and spent most of our afternoons out. The weather was warm and calm, only just damp and chill at dusk, so we walked the trails south that overlook the Broken Islands and west looking towards the Pacific horizon. The trail networks are well maintained and accessible, the many rocky pocket beaches pristine and seem secluded although most of the coastline is in view of several hotel resorts and sleek modern homes. Despite the one-road-in-and-out small town vibe, there is some money here.
We had dinner at the Floathouse in the harbour, seemed popular and unpretentious with a simple menu and I enjoyed my salmon pasta with a decent caesar and a lemon-lime cheesecake as my token birthday cake.
For a brief afternoon we drove up to Tofino - the other town at the end of this one road - and browsed around for lunch, settling on the Wolf In The Fog for excellent corn-battered halibut nuggets on homemade salad/slaw, bright fresh tastes. After that we visit Chesterman Beach, which was sunny with a light mist just on the water. Plenty of people out today but the beach was big enough for all of us, a quiet calm energy. Perhaps another time I'd be surreptitiously tenting among the driftwood, and I was again grateful for the hospitality and assistance of my present company.
We left on Monday in an attempt to avoid the construction delays along the highway by Kennedy Lake. On our way back we grabbed a burger at a classic drive-in in Port Alberni, then another stop in Cathedral Grove for the south side.
Thanks for a fantastic time - the most fun to be had while sick - and a great start to my personal new year.
For my birthday itself on March 29th I wanted to be away from town, as a kickstart to what will hopefully be a pleasant travelling season, typically advised against by well-meaning folks who don't want me hobo-camping in the rain. Alas, I can't help it I was born in springtime on the Wet Coast! I chose Ucluelet as a destination for its rugged natural beauty, and ideally had someone to host me there for the weekend. I'd only briefly walked through Ucluelet years ago and wished to devote more time to explore.
Plans fluctuated briefly prior to departure and I was ready to go alone walking/hitchiking and stay in the hostel - my usual manner of travel that takes less money but more time and effort - but happily a fella joined me and we could drive (and stop to geocache) at a leisurely pace. We stopped at Coombs which was buzzing with tourists and again at Cathedral Grove, one of my favorite spots for big ol' trees. I'm glad this provincial park preserves them, and despite logging on the island and reports of poaching the old growth, I like to think that the far depths of mid-island have plenty of these elders left.
His friend hosted us in his beautiful home; the guest bedroom was quite dark and below ground level so extremely quiet, the bathroom clean and spacious, and the tv has all the special channels. Indeed we watched a fair bit of tv in the grey mornings and dark evenings. We arrived in the light evening of Friday and not caring to fuss with dinner plans were fine to settle in with drinks+appies at home and watch the sunset. We made short work of a bottle o'rum. I had a seasonal cold and was content to have a low-key relaxing time, burning it out with spicy hot wings and trying to keep my sniffling as unobnoxious as possible.
Ucluelet's tourist tag is to "unplug and reconnect", so we took a break away from our screens and spent most of our afternoons out. The weather was warm and calm, only just damp and chill at dusk, so we walked the trails south that overlook the Broken Islands and west looking towards the Pacific horizon. The trail networks are well maintained and accessible, the many rocky pocket beaches pristine and seem secluded although most of the coastline is in view of several hotel resorts and sleek modern homes. Despite the one-road-in-and-out small town vibe, there is some money here.
We had dinner at the Floathouse in the harbour, seemed popular and unpretentious with a simple menu and I enjoyed my salmon pasta with a decent caesar and a lemon-lime cheesecake as my token birthday cake.
For a brief afternoon we drove up to Tofino - the other town at the end of this one road - and browsed around for lunch, settling on the Wolf In The Fog for excellent corn-battered halibut nuggets on homemade salad/slaw, bright fresh tastes. After that we visit Chesterman Beach, which was sunny with a light mist just on the water. Plenty of people out today but the beach was big enough for all of us, a quiet calm energy. Perhaps another time I'd be surreptitiously tenting among the driftwood, and I was again grateful for the hospitality and assistance of my present company.
We left on Monday in an attempt to avoid the construction delays along the highway by Kennedy Lake. On our way back we grabbed a burger at a classic drive-in in Port Alberni, then another stop in Cathedral Grove for the south side.
Thanks for a fantastic time - the most fun to be had while sick - and a great start to my personal new year.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Thursday, February 28, 2019
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