We had a wicked thunderstorm last night with rain pounding down so hard and much that I can't remember the last time I've heard rain so loud. Needless to say I didn't get a great night sleep before my early wake up call to catch my flight. There seems to be a pattern I'm noticing with my ability to sleep well before I fly but this time I can say that it wasn't all just me.
I started running about four months ago and I love travelling so why not combine the two? A lot of people may start out running and participate in races locally but that isn't quite adventurous enough for me....so I, at the encouragement of some good friends, signed up for the inaugural Disney 10k in Disneyland and well then I had no choice but to start training. So here I sit at the airport day before the run waiting to catch my plane to LAX. I'm pretty sure I'm ready...just got a little anxiety about whether my knees will cooperate but other than that I should be ready. I've trained and I know I can complete it...quite excited about running this race and getting to see Mickey and all his friends again!! I'm also meeting my Z in LAX and I can't wait to see him again.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Sunshine Coast Photos
Road trip - Sunshine Coast
Time to explore a little closer to home when we are fortunate to have such a glorious "backyard" to play in. Our road trip to the Sunshine Coast began with a 7am wake up call to get ready to catch the 9:40am ferry to Langdale. It was a beautiful sunny day and the 40 minute ferry ride was smooth sailing. It's a really scenic ride over with all the different islands surrounding the route and mountains raising out in the background.
We decided to spend a little time in Gibsons as our first stop on our way to Sechelt. Gibsons isn't that large of a town and on the Monday of a long weekend there isn't much happening in town. We walked to the wharf and watched boats coming and going before walking through the rest of the area by the water. Gibsons is famous for the long running TV show "Beachcombers". Z found a great ice cream store called Mike's Place. From the outside it doesn't look like the place you'd find home made gelato that comes a close second to gelato found in Italy!! I can't remember exactly how many flavours they had, but there were a least 24+. The pistachio was my favourite. It was a great mid morning snack. I think a visit on the way back to the ferry might be in order.
We stopped at Davis Bay after some lunch. This is a great spot for some beach combing, swimming - my extent was up to my knees and I'd have to say the water was refreshing - or just some plain rest and relaxation on the beach soaking up the sun and the gorgeous view! We spent a couple hours here before checking into our B&B - Four Winds Beach House and Spa.
Our B&B is nestled down Hill Road, a quiet road off Hwy 101 and is right on the water. We stayed in the spa room and have a fabulous ocean view. The room is set up to maximize your ability to enjoy the beauty of the ocean. Lying in bed or sitting on the balcony brings such peace and tranquility because all you hear are the rolling ocean waves hitting the rocky shoreline and the occasional bird chirping. There are resident ducks always swimming in a row, guess that bring some truth to the saying "got my ducks in a row". There is also a sea otter hanging around and we kept seeing its head pop out of the water. There's nothing here to stress you out. The house is quite magnificent. The common living room looks out to the ocean, the dining room has views of the ocean and there is a wrap around balcony also oceanside. Our hosts, David and Brenda, are gracious hosts. They are quite friendly and are very hospitable. Breakfasts were very tasty. over the course of our stay we indulged in fresh baked blueberry muffins and rhubarb muffins, oven baked apple pancakes and blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit salad, croissants, Scottish eggs nest (ham formed like a nest with egg baked in the centre), waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, coffee and juice. Waking up in the mornings to the smells of fresh baking was very delightful!
Our first night we ate at Lighthouse Pub. There is no shortage of fresh seafood in Sechelt. Z ordered the seafood chowder which he thoroughly enjoyed before eating his local halibut fish and chips. I enjoyed the freshly made tomato/basil bruschetta and half rack ribs with caesar salad and mashed potatoes. And of course this was enjoyed on their waterfront patio by the marina. This evening was capped off by watching the sunset on our balcony.
Our first full day was Tuesday and after our filling breakfast we decided to head a little north east, about 10 minutes past Porpoise Bay, and go sea kayaking. We spent 2 hours on the water and got a great workout in and saw some marine life up close. There was a sunbathing sea lion who eyed us cautiously as we passed by, a sea otter popped his head up out of the water a short distance from us probably wondering if we might be a danger to him, some flying fish, and in a shallow bay we saw a bunch of purple star fish, some clams, and sea cucumber. There were plenty of birds too and I think we saw a bluejay. We've seen a couple herons too and one was fishing one morning on the rocks below our B&B. Paddling in a sea kayak is quite different from what I've done before. Thankfully Z is good at steering and while hugging the coastline kept us away from any obstacles that would have tipped us or beached us. There were times when I wasn't comfortable with the waves but we didn't flip and in the end it was all worth it!! Looking up and seeing the mountains rise out of the water or discovering a beach around an outcrop of rocks. It's hard to accurately describe the beauty of the scenery here on the coast. It's much more beautiful than I ever imagined and to think it's taken me this many years to finally come and explore.
Dinner for our second night was at Daphne's in downtown. This is a Greek restaurant and rated as one of the best restaurants in Sechelt. We were not disappointed. I had a very tasty chicken souvlaki while Z had roast lamb shoulder. We had dessert to go and enjoyed the Baklava in our room. It was a great end to a fabulous day which also happened to be my birthday.
On Wednesday we had another lazy morning. I lounged around after breakfast reading on the deck while Z had some work to do. We decided to go for a hike today. About half hour north from our B&B, just past Halfmoon Bay is Smugglers Cove. The trail to the cove is not very difficult. Part of the trail is a boardwalk that takes you past a beaver pond. We didn't see any beavers, but did see their dam that they have been busy building. The hike itself is about a 4km loop. The forest is filled with many different plant and tree species as well as many different birds. We learned along the way that one of the tree species native to our coast is the Arbutus tree. I'd never seen an Arbutus tree before and it's actually quite neat because in the summer it sheds its bark and exposes its smooth wood beneath. There are many amazing view points along the way to the cove and an area known as Smugglers' Hideout where many years ago sailors would smuggle alcohol to the US or smuggle immigrant workers into BC.
After our hike we drove up to Pender Harbour...didn't find this to be much of a town, unless we missed it somehow. But we did stop and have lunch at Grasshopper Pub. We sat on the patio, of course, and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the bay while eating some really great food which also turned out to be enough for leftovers for dinner. The portions are quite big. I had the chicken tostada salad while Z had seafood linguine.
A lot of time was spent reading, resting and relaxing....everything this B&B is set up to provide. It was a much needed break for both of us as work has been rather busy in the last few weeks. The weather couldn't have been any better...sunny and hot with the heat lasting well into the evening hours and not a cloud in the sky. It's so peaceful here.
View from our bed
Sunset view from our balcony
Heron sunbathing at Davis Bay
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We decided to spend a little time in Gibsons as our first stop on our way to Sechelt. Gibsons isn't that large of a town and on the Monday of a long weekend there isn't much happening in town. We walked to the wharf and watched boats coming and going before walking through the rest of the area by the water. Gibsons is famous for the long running TV show "Beachcombers". Z found a great ice cream store called Mike's Place. From the outside it doesn't look like the place you'd find home made gelato that comes a close second to gelato found in Italy!! I can't remember exactly how many flavours they had, but there were a least 24+. The pistachio was my favourite. It was a great mid morning snack. I think a visit on the way back to the ferry might be in order.
We stopped at Davis Bay after some lunch. This is a great spot for some beach combing, swimming - my extent was up to my knees and I'd have to say the water was refreshing - or just some plain rest and relaxation on the beach soaking up the sun and the gorgeous view! We spent a couple hours here before checking into our B&B - Four Winds Beach House and Spa.
Our B&B is nestled down Hill Road, a quiet road off Hwy 101 and is right on the water. We stayed in the spa room and have a fabulous ocean view. The room is set up to maximize your ability to enjoy the beauty of the ocean. Lying in bed or sitting on the balcony brings such peace and tranquility because all you hear are the rolling ocean waves hitting the rocky shoreline and the occasional bird chirping. There are resident ducks always swimming in a row, guess that bring some truth to the saying "got my ducks in a row". There is also a sea otter hanging around and we kept seeing its head pop out of the water. There's nothing here to stress you out. The house is quite magnificent. The common living room looks out to the ocean, the dining room has views of the ocean and there is a wrap around balcony also oceanside. Our hosts, David and Brenda, are gracious hosts. They are quite friendly and are very hospitable. Breakfasts were very tasty. over the course of our stay we indulged in fresh baked blueberry muffins and rhubarb muffins, oven baked apple pancakes and blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit salad, croissants, Scottish eggs nest (ham formed like a nest with egg baked in the centre), waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, coffee and juice. Waking up in the mornings to the smells of fresh baking was very delightful!
Our first night we ate at Lighthouse Pub. There is no shortage of fresh seafood in Sechelt. Z ordered the seafood chowder which he thoroughly enjoyed before eating his local halibut fish and chips. I enjoyed the freshly made tomato/basil bruschetta and half rack ribs with caesar salad and mashed potatoes. And of course this was enjoyed on their waterfront patio by the marina. This evening was capped off by watching the sunset on our balcony.
Our first full day was Tuesday and after our filling breakfast we decided to head a little north east, about 10 minutes past Porpoise Bay, and go sea kayaking. We spent 2 hours on the water and got a great workout in and saw some marine life up close. There was a sunbathing sea lion who eyed us cautiously as we passed by, a sea otter popped his head up out of the water a short distance from us probably wondering if we might be a danger to him, some flying fish, and in a shallow bay we saw a bunch of purple star fish, some clams, and sea cucumber. There were plenty of birds too and I think we saw a bluejay. We've seen a couple herons too and one was fishing one morning on the rocks below our B&B. Paddling in a sea kayak is quite different from what I've done before. Thankfully Z is good at steering and while hugging the coastline kept us away from any obstacles that would have tipped us or beached us. There were times when I wasn't comfortable with the waves but we didn't flip and in the end it was all worth it!! Looking up and seeing the mountains rise out of the water or discovering a beach around an outcrop of rocks. It's hard to accurately describe the beauty of the scenery here on the coast. It's much more beautiful than I ever imagined and to think it's taken me this many years to finally come and explore.
Dinner for our second night was at Daphne's in downtown. This is a Greek restaurant and rated as one of the best restaurants in Sechelt. We were not disappointed. I had a very tasty chicken souvlaki while Z had roast lamb shoulder. We had dessert to go and enjoyed the Baklava in our room. It was a great end to a fabulous day which also happened to be my birthday.
On Wednesday we had another lazy morning. I lounged around after breakfast reading on the deck while Z had some work to do. We decided to go for a hike today. About half hour north from our B&B, just past Halfmoon Bay is Smugglers Cove. The trail to the cove is not very difficult. Part of the trail is a boardwalk that takes you past a beaver pond. We didn't see any beavers, but did see their dam that they have been busy building. The hike itself is about a 4km loop. The forest is filled with many different plant and tree species as well as many different birds. We learned along the way that one of the tree species native to our coast is the Arbutus tree. I'd never seen an Arbutus tree before and it's actually quite neat because in the summer it sheds its bark and exposes its smooth wood beneath. There are many amazing view points along the way to the cove and an area known as Smugglers' Hideout where many years ago sailors would smuggle alcohol to the US or smuggle immigrant workers into BC.
After our hike we drove up to Pender Harbour...didn't find this to be much of a town, unless we missed it somehow. But we did stop and have lunch at Grasshopper Pub. We sat on the patio, of course, and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the bay while eating some really great food which also turned out to be enough for leftovers for dinner. The portions are quite big. I had the chicken tostada salad while Z had seafood linguine.
A lot of time was spent reading, resting and relaxing....everything this B&B is set up to provide. It was a much needed break for both of us as work has been rather busy in the last few weeks. The weather couldn't have been any better...sunny and hot with the heat lasting well into the evening hours and not a cloud in the sky. It's so peaceful here.
View from our bed
Sunset view from our balcony
Heron sunbathing at Davis Bay
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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