After leaving the Getty Villa, we had lunch in our fold out chairs overlooking Malibu Beach while watching the surfers battle it out for a fairly small set of waves. Then we drove to Santa Barbara. Derived from a Spanish Read more…
From the serenity of the forest to the craziness of LA in a day. It was a bit of a shock. The first clue was the manic driving on the freeway and the Google Maps diversions to avoid the remnants Read more…
After Yosemite National Park we were on a roll so, after a short cycle in the forest near where we camped, we decided to go to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. We drove in through Sequoia National Forest (where Read more…
So one minute we are on the coast, enjoying the sunshine but needing to grab the jackets to protect from the cold North Westerly wind, the next we are an hour inland and the heat is fierce. Wow! The difference Read more…
With no set itinerary, we are now pootling down the West Coast towards San Francisco. This gives us the opportunity of stopping when we see something nice or asking locals where we should go. Yesterday we got both these chances. Read more…
Upon leaving Stout Grove, just down the road we came across Crescent City a sprawly town with a lovely promenade, parks and lighthouse. First we did a visit to Wal-Mart, which is always a cultural experience. This time we saw Read more…
After one last gym visit and swim we checked out of our hotel in Cannon Beach and said goodbye to the cute bunny rabbits.We stopped briefly to see the residents of the Haystack – the tufted puffins. Through the binoculars Read more…
Heading South from Seattle we stopped in the “capitol” of Washington State, Olympia. Here we came across a mini White House which is used as the state legislative building. It was pretty fancy pants inside too, with the largest collection Read more…
Having left Whistler, we got excited in the Vancouver supermarket to see so much nice fruit and veg. We did some shopping as it has been a bit lacking or very expensive in the mountains. We headed to the Canada Read more…
Before leaving Kamloops, we visited the wildlife sanctuary as we’d heard the grizzly bears were awake for the spring. It was lovely to see them playing together but I wouldn’t want to have a play wrestle with them!There were lots Read more…
After an unsuccesful attempt for a US seasonal work visa to work at Lake Superior, we decided to take to the road and explore Canada and Northern USA instead. We purchased a 2007 Ford E150 which has been fitted out Read more…
So things got a bit busy recently as everyone was doing what they needed to prepare for their Level 2 and Level 3 snow board and ski exams. The tension was mounting. We undertook the Level 2 Ski course and Read more…
All of a sudden, the daytime temperatures in Sun Peaks have gone crazy from minus 10 degrees to plus 9 degrees and people are shedding layers! It is nice to try and get rid of the tan line from your Read more…
Over the last couple of weeks we have been to our first ever ice hockey match, demo’d some brand new snowboards and splashed out on some spanking new ski boots. It has been a busy time. Quite a few of Read more…
So with no formal training and about 15 days in total on skis, we both managed to pass our Level 1 Ski Intructor’s exam. That means we are both now qualified to teach beginner skiers – at least the feeling Read more…
After we both got struck down by the lurgy, we had just a week to get our skiing up to standard to start the Level 2 ski training (even though we wouldn’t take our level 1 exam until two weeks Read more…
The day after the exam was very exciting for me as I ventured out of Sun Peaks for the first time since we got here at the end of November. The nearest town is Kamloops which is an hour drive Read more…
So finally after five weeks of training with Winter Sports our Level 2 exam was upon us. The weather was the coldest yet and the temperature at the top of the chairlift on Day 1 was minus 47 degrees with Read more…
Last weekend I undertook and passed the Level 1 Adaptive Sports. We learned how to guide the visually impaired, used outriggers, had a go in a sit ski (very tricky), tethered people while snowboarding and learned about how to approach Read more…
We are now a week and a half into our Level 2 Snowboard Instructors’ course and our bodies are feeling it and our heads are mashed. Pete is carrying a shoulder niggle, I hurt my ankle yesterday in a tree Read more…
For the last 2.5 days we have been undertaking avalanche training (AST Level 1). It started with some theory on Friday night in the lecture room while we watched fresh powder fall outside. There were some pretty sobering videos of Read more…
The three days of the Level 1 course have been quite intense with homework in the evenings, tasks to do over lunch and lots of feedback to be absorbed throughout the day. Day 1 seemed to go pretty well and Read more…
For the last six days we have been training every day so it has been full on. When we’ve had some snow overnight we’ve had mornings playing in the powder but sometimes that is more difficult than you might imagine. Read more…
Our three days off consisted of one day recovering from too many beers and tequila shots for birthday celebrations followed by two days of practicing our technique and riding switch. Our switch riding is definitely improving and starting to feel Read more…
Day two of training and the weather was amazing. For the first time since we had arrived you could actually see the peaks of the mountains with blue sky and freshly groomed powder. Just amazing. The instruction concentrated on the Read more…