roadtrip

West Coast Hospitality!

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There is so much to love about the West Coast of Canada and as wonderful as the sights (and beer) have been, the best part for me is the people. Friends, family and family of friends, it didn’t matter. Whether it was planned or, like most of the trip, spur of the moment, we were welcomed with open arms to each place we visited. Everyone knew we were coming out but not exactly when. A day or two before arriving I would message to let them know we were going to be in their area soon.


YAHK

Our first stop was, Yahk (pronounced Yack), a tiny town close to the US border. Coming from the states it was a natural initial destination. Here we stayed at my long lost cousin and her husband’s place. Though their handsome German shepherd-husky, Remi, and Harley did not hit it off as well as hoped we had an absolutely great time.

We enjoyed a show by the Northern Lights (sorry, no pictures) while sitting around the fire on a Saturday night. We went, unsuccessfully, panning for gold and learned a great deal about the BC claims. We also took a hike out to Perry Creek. It swung by an old mining shaft, rich with history. The real sight, however, was the waterfall at the end of the trail. My cousin and I, always adventurers, wanted a view from the top. The incline was steep, the branches were dead, the rocks were loose and the rope was worn. After reaching the top, (as far as we decided to go) with absolutely no view whatsoever, we quickly realized that getting up was the easy part. The decline ended in a mini-rock slide, initiated by a poor footing choice on my part, resulting in a boulder launching itself towards Matt. His lightning fast reflexes allowed him to lift up his foot with precision as the rock rolled under and into the river. I will add this to my list of poor life decisions.

 

SQUAMISH

Next stop… Squamish! For a couple of nights we lived the dream! One of my best friend’s Aunt and Uncle have the most beautiful home and property on a hill overlooking the mountains. There were spectacular walking trails, literally, in their backyard. We were absolutely grateful for our stay with them and even hit up some suggested day trips while we were there. We checked out the Wonderland Hiking/Mountain Biking Trail and Anderson Beach on the Squamish River. Just a small sample of what the area has to offer. Their sweetheart of a dog, Maggie, kept the cougars and bears away while we all had a campfire. Harley pretended that he was being useful by following her lead. We were able to make it out to our first puppy free dinner and even dropped $10 at the casino. I know… I know… big spenders! The star lit hot tub topped it of. Life goals! Definitely could have just spent the rest of our trip here but, alas, we needed to move on. Our trailer stayed in the driveway and we headed over to Vancouver Island where we were greeted with more outstanding hospitality.

 

COWICHAN BAY

Our next host was the daughter of a good family friend. Her paintings graced the walls of a B&B that is very close to my heart. Having seen many photos and hearing warming stories of her personality it was as if we had already met. I was excited for the chance to finally do so. We visited her and her husband at their organic farm on Vancouver Island. As an artist and activist she and her partner have been creating an environment and gallery display to encourage native bee conservation. Their acreage was a habitat blooming with flowers, herbs, and trees with a greater purpose to bring the bees back to the island. They are truly talking the talk and walking the walk. It was absolutely inspiring. Not to mention the amazing woodworking projects on the go! Dinner out at Craig Street Brewing Co. in Duncan had the best burger. Red Hot and Blue for the win! (Matt’s meal… but I had a bite, and it really was fantastic.) We spent the night in a two-bedroom trailer with pull-outs! – A nice upgrade from our bachelor. Spoiled with a patio-top pancake breakfast, garden grown strawberries included, we were sad to leave so soon and have promised to be back again!

 

COMOX VALLEY

Our last stop before heading out to Tofino was in the Comox Valley. And old friend from Sea Cadets has found himself in Courtney. We were grateful to have someone share all the local places with us on our short visit. It’s hard to say what the best was. We strolled through Stotan Falls and had delicious pizza at a local brew-pub. Enjoyed the Ripple Rock trail in Campbell River and desperately found lunch at the only place open on a Sunday. With great food and drinks, the White Whale did not disappoint. The patio weather was spot on and I even found a pearl in my raw oyster. Three cheers to a tasty, thirst-quenching, wheat beer, Forest Fog, by Cumberland Brewing Co. On our way back through (from Tofino) he met us for a stroll though Cathedral Grove and a visit to Goats on Roof, market in Coombs. There was a goat… however… he was not on the roof.

 

A huge, heartfelt, thank you to those who helped make our trip amazing!

West Coast Hospitality!

TICKed Off!

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What an amazing (yet exhausting) trek across the country!

Before getting into the dirty details, here are some some stats from the journey across America. We have arrived at our extended destination, Yellowstone National Park.

  • 3,170 kilometres
  • 46 hours (including gas and rest-stops)
  • 5 days
  • Average of over 9 hour per day
  • 13 hours were driven on Day Three

But don’t worry… We still got in a little exercise.

  • Nearly 60,000 steps over the 5 days
  • Almost 60 kilometers walked
  • Close to 150 floors climbed
  • Averaging over 11,800 steps per day
  • 17,300 steps were taken on Day Three (coincidently the same day we made it to a ‘real’ Wal-Mart)

However, rules WERE broken

  • Don’t set an alarm (unless catching a plain/train)
  • No bread or pasta in the camper
  • Never arrive to a campsite after dark
  • No more than 8 hours of driving
  • Never feed after midnight
  • Stick to the designated trails

Our journey in photos…

Our first night across the border was spent at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan. We did not get too much exploring in before the sun set but were up bright and early in the morning to catch the sunrise before hitting the road. It was amazing! A couple of downed trees on the way to the Lower Falls but the larger Upper Falls trail was very well maintained. A few stairs, but totally worth it!

We drove through Christmas and were thoroughly entertained by the podcast Grownups Read Things They Wrote As Kids.

We couldn’t help but notice the clever names of hotels on the way through Wisconsin and area. The favorites were “AmericINN” and “C’mon Inn”. Super cheesy! Right up my alley!

Upon nightfall, we found ourselves at Crow Wing State Park. During our early morning stroll Harley just HAD to take a dip in the Mississippi River. Who were we to deny him? We couldn’t quite tell was going on at our next scheduled pit stop, Buffalo River State Park, so decided to pass. I hope it is okay.

Matt had officially declared North Dakota the most boring state ever so we decided to have a little fun in Jamestown. We swept through the Frontier Village, home to the World’s Largest Buffalo! Super tacky tourism at it’s best AND Harley’s reaction was priceless! Unfortunately the GoPro battery kicked it a few minutes before and due to my terrible video skills I managed to botch the one I tried to get with the camera. Just take my word for it! It was awesome!

The sun set over Theadore Roosevelt National Park which absolutely changed our minds about this state. It was stunning. We did not have a chance to stop for photos during our race against time but would have liked to see more. We woke up the next morning in Makoshika State Park, Montana.

Makoshika = totally cool! We loved the short hike we took on Cap Rock Trail. (Yes, Matt is wearing a toque… Eh)

Even our alternate mascot, HAM left the truck to check it out. We drove through as much of the park as we could but some of the roads were closed. Too early in the season, I suppose. But seriously… the weather we have had! Thumbs up!

Back on the road again we noticed that we had picked up a hitchhiker! A TICK! I found it on my neck and it had indeed bit me but was not embedded! Dfgjjngyfsaerykljngt! Naturally, I spent the next 4 hours in the truck scraping what information I could of the Internet using an ever fading cell signal. So here goes my important TICK INFORMATION plug for anyone who loves to spend time outdoors. Our tick count is up to 8, all three of us involved in the catastrophe. We have now heightened our prevention protocols and are on alert for any serious symptoms. And of course, Harley’s pricey meds were on that lovely list of things we left at home…

When we arrived at our destination, hot showers and laundry facilities were overly welcome. But… the most exiting thing… “we don’t HAVE to drive in the morning!”

Be sure to check out the instaham.adventures Instagram account for regularly updated photos. (You do not need an account to view them.)

I assure you there will be a video posted this week! Sorry for my monstrosity of a blog. A long post for a long drive!

AS

TICKed Off!

Foot-Loose Leaf Tea

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NOTE: I am playing a bit of blogging catch up as our data connection the first few nights was patchy at best or non-existent at worst.

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WOW! What didn’t happen on Day Two!!!

It started of with our first, very minor “Is there enough gas?” scare. The road out of Killarney takes about half an hour and we had not filled up late the night before. There is a small, private two-pump station on the way back to the highway so, luckily, didn’t need to find out the answer.

Then WE ALMOST DIED! Now, I am unsure if I am am being over dramatic or not, but we are new to the whole towing a trailer thing so our hearts were in our throats. After hitting a divot in the road our 18ft trailer broke out in this crazy footloose dance. It was a rocking and fish-tailing pretty good. Watching it in the side mirror… I thought this was the end of, at minimum, the road trip. Matt’s super saving skills came into play. But WE’RE FINE! And from now on will “Slow Down and Drive Safely”. The only casualty was the food processer. It took a leap from the cupboard along with some cans.

Speaking of things in the cupboard… before leaving, I packed a few kinds of loose leaf tea in some small adorable Steeped Tea tins. What a lapse in judgement! After reading a list of things you can/can’t bring into across the border to the U.S. I was a bit worried even though none of the ingredients were on the prohibited list. Best to just leave it all in the original bags next time. It ended up not being the biggest issue of the border crossing.

Pulled over on a side street in Sault Ste. Marie, we were checking to be sure we had all the documents ready to go… We did not have all the documents ready to go. Apparently “certain it was brought” Harley’s vaccination certificate was not there. Short-term, passive aggressive panic followed by quick problem solving action! TGIF and not Saturday! I called the Vetrenarian’s office and they were able to email a PDF. Yay! Technology win! We made it across! But agreed that we would find a Wal-Mart and get his papers printed.

So we found “Wal-Mart” in Michigan after missing the road and having to turn around. We finally arrived at our destination!(Photo Included) Needless to say, it was not exactly what we were looking for and had to turn around, AGAIN. (Three point turns are more like 10 point turns with trailer in tow.) Thanks Google maps! Technology fail! Or user error? We would continue our search the following day.

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What is it that they say…? It’s not the destination but journey that counts!

AS

Foot-Loose Leaf Tea