I'm back!! And have finally had a chance to blog again! Since being back in Port Alberni, BC I have had a pretty hectic work schedule. No excuse, but it's the one I'm using! I am here for a short 6 weeks this time, and drove out from Ontario to the island. To make the drive more interesting my Mom and Uncle joined me for the trip! And to make it more touristy we added a couple days to the trip and drove through the Rockies.
I could write for dayyyysssss what we did in that week of driving - but I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version. Our first day was getting to St.Ignace, MI. A stop I had on my way home. Not much for sights for the whole day until we got to the Mackinac Bridge and could look out onto Lake Huron and Lake Superior. At least I could see it this time, last time I went over the toll bridge in a blizzard.
The next day was heading to Superior, WI. Another familiar stop - even stayed at the same hotel - such lovely people - with a funny accent. The guy at the front desk chuckled and said to me "you just said 'a-boot'" when commenting on my accent! Weather in Superior was cold, windy and rainy! Which is better than what the forecast suggested - they were calling for 20cm of snow! Thank goodness the weatherman was wrong! The drive to Superior was pretty as it was long Lake Superior, with a couple viewpoint stops of the beach. Too bad it wasn't warmer!
Our next day was heading to Minot, ND. Another stop familiar to me - it was a long day of grey skies and flat roads, but we did it! It all paid off when we sat down for dinner at Kroll's Diner (a triple D spot) for old fashioned milkshakes and fantastic food. It was even two for one milkshake day! Score!
Then it was a border crossing day! Finally heading back into Canada and the land of km/h and muffins/green tea at McDonald's (I ordered a green tea and a muffin at the drive thru of a McDonald's and the lady thought I was crazy and said "we only sell Egg McMuffins" haha). We went through the North Dakota/Saskatchewan border and made way to Medicine Hat, AB. Again, a long and boring drive, with rolling hills, lots of cow pastures and views for miles with the occasional snow covered grass - which made me nervous for the mountains - I didn't bring my parka!
Our next day was the exciting one - Banff and Lake Louise bound! It was a shorter drive, with more stops because those mountains are just incredibbllleeeeee!!! We did the classic Lake Louise, I hadn't been since I was about 13 or so, and had some nostalgic moments while there with my family 13+ years ago. The lake was still frozen, with signs of thawing around the edges, giving us a tease at how blue it will be in June. We also watched 2 girls seizing the moment - they stripped down and jumped in the lake! Br! We went back to Banff to our hotel (amazing by the way!) and toured the Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Falls and the downtown. Beautiful place that reminded me of Whistler Village (with the addition of traffic everywhere).
Then onto Jasper the next morning. Somewhere I had never been before. When I was out here at 13 years old, we were going to head that way, but due to the forest fires we didn't actually end up going - so its been something high on my list since I was SO close to going last time. Man was that drive incredible. Mountains for days, snowy peaks, frozen lakes with some more shallow ones all thawed and that beautiful bright blue colour. Lots of wildlife and a stop at the Columbia Ice Fields for a Glacier Tour and the Sky Walk. That alone would take up a whole blog post! Quickly put - we got into a big tundra buggy that had wheels taller than us, and made our way to the Athabasca Glacier where we stood and drank glacier water while taking in the views. Then ventured onto the glass floor of the Sky Walk over a deep valley in the mountains. It took us a lot longer to get to Jasper due to all the incredible scenery.... something I will never forget.
Our final day before Mom and Uncle K flew home was getting to Mission, BC via the Yellowhead Highway and the Coquihalla Highway (aka Highway thru Hell on Discovery). It was cool going from the epic sharp peaked mountains to the more rolling mountains in southern BC and more desert like landscape through Kamloops. We also drove through old forest fire areas - it was scary to think how close it looked to peoples homes and the roads. The Coquihalla was another crazy ride. We had a steady 17km of 8% descent (I think it was 8%, maybe 6%) at 120km/hr speed limit with big curves throughout the descent. I couldn't imagine driving this in the winter! Mom may have quietly grabbed the "holy s***" handle a couple times!
I dropped Mom and Uncle K off at the airport early Saturday morning and made my way to the ferry. I got to Port Alberni around lunch time and was able to settle in a bit before jumping back into work Sunday morning!
Since that Sunday morning, May 1, I have had a pretty wild schedule of 1 or 2 days off here and there and some short turn arounds, so I haven't been doing a whole lot but relaxing and recovering. Until May 9 came around where my friend M and I made a last minute decision to head to Seatlle for a couple days!
We took the Black Ball Ferry out of Victoria to Port Angeles, WA, a rocky ferry once out in those open waters. Luckily it was beautiful weather! Port Angeles to Tacoma, WA was our plan. We stopped at the Sol Duc Falls, a brief little hike (well, would have been brief if I was better prepared and not in my Birkenstock flip flops, I felt like SUCH a tool every time we walked by the legit hikers all decked out in their gear haha). Then onto Ruby Beach. A beautiful coastal beach reminiscent of Tofino or Ucluelet. This one was rocky, and the driftwood on the beach made it a maze to get to the shoreline. We were hoping to get some starfish/sea urchin sightings, but the tide was too high, so we just took in the sights (and a bit of a sunburn!).
We stayed in Tacoma, a smaller city just 30mins from Seattle. I was exhausted (just got off nights the morning we left) so once I got into bed I was out cold. Our next day was to take a quick trip into Seattle and do the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. The Space Needle was made in the 60's and is a 605ft tall. It can withstand a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and up to 200mph winds! We took the glass elevator to the top, a less than a minute ride and took in the sights. There were mountains everywhere, and when there weren't mountains it was ocean. Pike Place Market was another must do - reminiscent of Granville Island market. A long narrow building filled with food, art, clothing and beautiful flowers. Another interesting spot at Pike Place Market was the Gum Wall. Literally an old brick wall COVERED in gum that tourists (including myself) have stuck on there. It started in the 90's and has once already had to go through a cleaning due to the sugar in the gum eroding the bricks. Could you imagine doing that job? Gross. Naturally, I stepped in gum was sticking my Hubba Bubba to the wall. We also visited the first Starbucks, ever! A cool old spot in Pike Place Market. Usually has a line up out the door but we lucked out and walked right in! Then it was time to head back to Canada - it was a VERY quick trip! I'd definitely go back and spend a little more time there someday!
We made our way to the border with a couple Outlet Mall stops and luckily, just BARELY made the 8:15 ferry to the island. I'm so glad we did, because the sunset we witnessed was just incredible, and such a great way to end our trip. I had such a fantastic time with a very good friend, and I got to end it by getting TWO of my favourite things - a ferry ride and a sunset. Let the picture uploading begin.... Lord knows I got a ton of 'em!
And just like that, you're all caught up on my life! Well, almost. I turned 27 yesterday! and spent most of the day sleeping off a night shift. BUT had a fantastic birthday nonetheless. My parents thoughtfully had flowers delivered to my work (and made me blush in front of all my co workers) on my birthday eve, spent the rest of that birthday eve working with a good crew, had a birthday benny after work and snuggled into bed in my quite place for a snooze without an alarm waking me. Then woke up to so many messages and well wishes. It sure made me feel loved! To cap it off, a couple of my island friends treated me to dinner and good conversation at the Clam Bucket. I'm so, so lucky to have surrounded myself with such fantastic people, everywhere I go. Thank you to each and everyone of you! 26 was pretty amazing and I hope 27 tops it! It's a pretty lofty goal, but I am up for the challenge!
Until next time....!
I could write for dayyyysssss what we did in that week of driving - but I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version. Our first day was getting to St.Ignace, MI. A stop I had on my way home. Not much for sights for the whole day until we got to the Mackinac Bridge and could look out onto Lake Huron and Lake Superior. At least I could see it this time, last time I went over the toll bridge in a blizzard.
The next day was heading to Superior, WI. Another familiar stop - even stayed at the same hotel - such lovely people - with a funny accent. The guy at the front desk chuckled and said to me "you just said 'a-boot'" when commenting on my accent! Weather in Superior was cold, windy and rainy! Which is better than what the forecast suggested - they were calling for 20cm of snow! Thank goodness the weatherman was wrong! The drive to Superior was pretty as it was long Lake Superior, with a couple viewpoint stops of the beach. Too bad it wasn't warmer!
Our next day was heading to Minot, ND. Another stop familiar to me - it was a long day of grey skies and flat roads, but we did it! It all paid off when we sat down for dinner at Kroll's Diner (a triple D spot) for old fashioned milkshakes and fantastic food. It was even two for one milkshake day! Score!
Then it was a border crossing day! Finally heading back into Canada and the land of km/h and muffins/green tea at McDonald's (I ordered a green tea and a muffin at the drive thru of a McDonald's and the lady thought I was crazy and said "we only sell Egg McMuffins" haha). We went through the North Dakota/Saskatchewan border and made way to Medicine Hat, AB. Again, a long and boring drive, with rolling hills, lots of cow pastures and views for miles with the occasional snow covered grass - which made me nervous for the mountains - I didn't bring my parka!
Our next day was the exciting one - Banff and Lake Louise bound! It was a shorter drive, with more stops because those mountains are just incredibbllleeeeee!!! We did the classic Lake Louise, I hadn't been since I was about 13 or so, and had some nostalgic moments while there with my family 13+ years ago. The lake was still frozen, with signs of thawing around the edges, giving us a tease at how blue it will be in June. We also watched 2 girls seizing the moment - they stripped down and jumped in the lake! Br! We went back to Banff to our hotel (amazing by the way!) and toured the Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Falls and the downtown. Beautiful place that reminded me of Whistler Village (with the addition of traffic everywhere).
Then onto Jasper the next morning. Somewhere I had never been before. When I was out here at 13 years old, we were going to head that way, but due to the forest fires we didn't actually end up going - so its been something high on my list since I was SO close to going last time. Man was that drive incredible. Mountains for days, snowy peaks, frozen lakes with some more shallow ones all thawed and that beautiful bright blue colour. Lots of wildlife and a stop at the Columbia Ice Fields for a Glacier Tour and the Sky Walk. That alone would take up a whole blog post! Quickly put - we got into a big tundra buggy that had wheels taller than us, and made our way to the Athabasca Glacier where we stood and drank glacier water while taking in the views. Then ventured onto the glass floor of the Sky Walk over a deep valley in the mountains. It took us a lot longer to get to Jasper due to all the incredible scenery.... something I will never forget.
Our final day before Mom and Uncle K flew home was getting to Mission, BC via the Yellowhead Highway and the Coquihalla Highway (aka Highway thru Hell on Discovery). It was cool going from the epic sharp peaked mountains to the more rolling mountains in southern BC and more desert like landscape through Kamloops. We also drove through old forest fire areas - it was scary to think how close it looked to peoples homes and the roads. The Coquihalla was another crazy ride. We had a steady 17km of 8% descent (I think it was 8%, maybe 6%) at 120km/hr speed limit with big curves throughout the descent. I couldn't imagine driving this in the winter! Mom may have quietly grabbed the "holy s***" handle a couple times!
I dropped Mom and Uncle K off at the airport early Saturday morning and made my way to the ferry. I got to Port Alberni around lunch time and was able to settle in a bit before jumping back into work Sunday morning!
Since that Sunday morning, May 1, I have had a pretty wild schedule of 1 or 2 days off here and there and some short turn arounds, so I haven't been doing a whole lot but relaxing and recovering. Until May 9 came around where my friend M and I made a last minute decision to head to Seatlle for a couple days!
We took the Black Ball Ferry out of Victoria to Port Angeles, WA, a rocky ferry once out in those open waters. Luckily it was beautiful weather! Port Angeles to Tacoma, WA was our plan. We stopped at the Sol Duc Falls, a brief little hike (well, would have been brief if I was better prepared and not in my Birkenstock flip flops, I felt like SUCH a tool every time we walked by the legit hikers all decked out in their gear haha). Then onto Ruby Beach. A beautiful coastal beach reminiscent of Tofino or Ucluelet. This one was rocky, and the driftwood on the beach made it a maze to get to the shoreline. We were hoping to get some starfish/sea urchin sightings, but the tide was too high, so we just took in the sights (and a bit of a sunburn!).
We stayed in Tacoma, a smaller city just 30mins from Seattle. I was exhausted (just got off nights the morning we left) so once I got into bed I was out cold. Our next day was to take a quick trip into Seattle and do the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. The Space Needle was made in the 60's and is a 605ft tall. It can withstand a 9.1 magnitude earthquake and up to 200mph winds! We took the glass elevator to the top, a less than a minute ride and took in the sights. There were mountains everywhere, and when there weren't mountains it was ocean. Pike Place Market was another must do - reminiscent of Granville Island market. A long narrow building filled with food, art, clothing and beautiful flowers. Another interesting spot at Pike Place Market was the Gum Wall. Literally an old brick wall COVERED in gum that tourists (including myself) have stuck on there. It started in the 90's and has once already had to go through a cleaning due to the sugar in the gum eroding the bricks. Could you imagine doing that job? Gross. Naturally, I stepped in gum was sticking my Hubba Bubba to the wall. We also visited the first Starbucks, ever! A cool old spot in Pike Place Market. Usually has a line up out the door but we lucked out and walked right in! Then it was time to head back to Canada - it was a VERY quick trip! I'd definitely go back and spend a little more time there someday!
We made our way to the border with a couple Outlet Mall stops and luckily, just BARELY made the 8:15 ferry to the island. I'm so glad we did, because the sunset we witnessed was just incredible, and such a great way to end our trip. I had such a fantastic time with a very good friend, and I got to end it by getting TWO of my favourite things - a ferry ride and a sunset. Let the picture uploading begin.... Lord knows I got a ton of 'em!
And just like that, you're all caught up on my life! Well, almost. I turned 27 yesterday! and spent most of the day sleeping off a night shift. BUT had a fantastic birthday nonetheless. My parents thoughtfully had flowers delivered to my work (and made me blush in front of all my co workers) on my birthday eve, spent the rest of that birthday eve working with a good crew, had a birthday benny after work and snuggled into bed in my quite place for a snooze without an alarm waking me. Then woke up to so many messages and well wishes. It sure made me feel loved! To cap it off, a couple of my island friends treated me to dinner and good conversation at the Clam Bucket. I'm so, so lucky to have surrounded myself with such fantastic people, everywhere I go. Thank you to each and everyone of you! 26 was pretty amazing and I hope 27 tops it! It's a pretty lofty goal, but I am up for the challenge!
Until next time....!