Blog

So we may have just discovered a new favourite animal – the sea otter. They are so cute, playful and then they just wrap themselves in kelp to stop them drifting and chill while keeping their head and front paws Read more

To quote the Lego movie (maybe not a mid-forties person’s best reference material ) “Everything is awesome”! ! P.S. This is Pete’s first Blog !!Two bucket list goals ticked off this last week – are cycling Laguna Seca racetrack, and Read more

We decided to see a bit more of Monterey and Carmel, so first we visited the Carmel Mission and Basilica (well I did while Pete had an afternoon snooze) to see how the town was first lived in by the Read more

Next we headed to Monterey to meet up with a special friend from the Isle of Man, who now lives and works in the USA. She was going to be working at Leguna Seca and Pete was very excited to Read more

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

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

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