“Dear Santa, What I want for Christmas is a doll from It’s A Small World. No, make that ALL the dolls from It’s a Small World. Or just one doll with all the costumes from It’s A Small World. Whatever works, I think you get the picture.”
Oh the big dreams we have as little kids. That was one of mine, and though I never did get any of the dolls from It’s A Small World, I still enjoy visiting them at Disneyland every year for the holidays.
“It’s a Small World” is to credit for being an early inspiration for me, fueling my desire to travel the world and discover the many different peoples and cultures represented with the colorful costumes and brightly painted scenes of far away places. As an adult having traveled to many of these places, I now appreciate it all the more.
So, in honor of Disney’s power to inspire, and the “Festive” theme of today’s #Frifotos on twitter, I present, in photos,
The far away places….
The costumes of culture…
And….the magic of SNOW and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle….
For more festive photos of Disney Holiday Magic, check out:
UPDATE: The sponsor (YMT Vacations) has extended the offer to be redeemable for EITHER this year (December 30, 2011 – January 3, 2012) OR next year (December 29, 2012 – January 2, 2013), so you can take your pick and plan ahead!
It’s that time of year, when Passports With Purpose conducts the annual fundraiser organized by travel bloggers that raises money for deserving non-profits throughout the world. It’s a wonderful way to give back to the places we, as travelers, visit.
This year, Room to Read was chosen as the 2011 beneficiary of Passports with Purpose. The goal is to raise $80,000 to build two libraries in southern and eastern Zambia. Wow, that sounds ambitious, right? After last year’s target of $50,000 was surpassed by over 25% and an entire village was built in India in partnership with Friends of LAFTI, clearly this community of travel bloggers and PWP founders are not content to rest on any laurels. We love to travel, we love to blog about it, we love reading blogs, we love reading books, and we can’t imagine what our lives would be without the gift of reading. But perhaps above all, we love the idea of bringing the gift of reading to others.
In my last post, I shared the story of how I found the room to read on the floor of an orphanage in Calcutta, with children climbing all over my lap to stare at the words on the pages and listen to my voice. I realized right then and there just how powerful the gift of reading can be, and I hope that you will take just a moment to share in my reading with purpose.
Read it? Good. Now you’re set with inspiration to help make a difference, too. And that means, it’s time to talk prizes!
Here’s how it works:
Each participant blogger provides a prize and blogs about it. You can find the complete list of the prizes at Passports With Purpose website. Between now and December 16, 2011, for each $10 in donations that you make to Room to Read, you will be entered to win the prize (or prizes) of your choice.
Thanks to the generous folks at YMT Vacations, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past year, I am thrilled to present….
4 nights accommodations based on twin/double occupancy in a luxurious Los Angeles Airport area hotel.
Rose Parade viewing from reserved Grand Stand seats, complimentary YMT seat cushion & an official Rose Parade program.
Exclusive evening of behind the scenes float viewing at the Pasadena Rosemont Pavilion.
Los Angeles City tour including Beverly Hills, Mann’s Chinese Theatre, & the home of the Academy Awards, the Kodak Theatre.
The service of a professionally trained and accredited tour driver/guide who is licensed, bonded, and insured.
Baggage handling for one 50-lb. bag p/p.
Taxes and Fees of $149 per/person.
Tour Dates: December 30, 2011 – January 3, 2012 OR December 29, 2012 – January 2, 2013
Tour starts and ends in Los Angeles, California
Important Stuff:
* The Rose Parade only happens once a year, so this prize is only valid for either of the dates indicated: December 30, 2011 – January 3, 2012 OR December 29, 2012 through January 2, 2013
*Airfare to and from Los Angeles is NOT included, and is sole responsibility of winner.
So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to Passports With Purpose Donation Page to make your $10 donation via paypal and enter to win before midnight, December 16, 2011. Winners will be announced on December 23, 2011. Good luck!
Falling on the heels of Canada Day (July 1), and preceding American Independence Day (July 4), my local community of Cardiff by the Sea, California, celebrated its centennial birthday on July 2, 2011. That’s like 100 years old, dude!!
One might think it would be totally overshadowed and lost sandwiched between two nation’s birthdays, but in these parts, it was the biggest event of the weekend, and a grand cause for parades, picnics and parties.
In case you’re feeling pangs of agony and remorse for missing Cardiff’s big birthday bash, I’ve compiled a few of the highlights – so feast your eyes and take in the atmosphere of a small laid-back surf community’s centennial celebration!
Grand Marshall of the Parade: Marion Ross
That’s right, it’s Mrs. Cunningham from television’s “Happy Days”! Now, who doesn’t love Mrs. C? She’s everyone’s favorite mom, and she’s Cardiff’s dearest resident. You know when Mrs. C. lives on your street, you’re in a great family neighborhood!
Speaking of families, here’s one you see a lot of around town: The Machados
Of course, Rob Machado, the world-famous surfer/guitar player, grew up in Cardiff and has never lost touch with his roots. He gives back so much to the community, particularly the schools, and you can read and see more about his contributions to the Cardiff Education Foundation in this post from 2008: Rob Machado: Because He Cares.
Clearly, classic cars were a theme in the parade – given that Cardiff sits on a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway 101, a favorite for Sunday cruises. The parade included many models from a 1917 Model T (San Dieguito Heritage Museum) to a 1970’s Hot Rod.
What I loved about this particular parade entry is that it almost looked like a local resident accidentally turned in to the parade route…classic cars with boards sticking out are an everyday sight around Cardiff:
A few of the more active parade entrants choosing to go on foot include:
Plus, an honorable mention for the Costume Contest Winner: A Walking Sandcastle!
If there’s anything we Cardiffians love as much as, or perhaps even more than, classic cars and surfing, it’s walking our dogs. So naturally the parade would have to feature lots of them – worthy of their own slideshow:
Of course, there are many great places in Cardiff that the dogs love to explore, and Cardiff wouldn’t be nearly so beautiful were it not for these two organizations in particular:
The Cardiff Botanical Society – responsible for the beautification of public areas such as Carpentier Parkway, which was officially dedicated April 30 as part of Cardiff’s centennial celebration:
The San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, which looks after the coastal wetlands and backcountry of San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve:
The parade route finished with a big party in Glen Park, and while the linked article covers it nicely, I wanted to share two of the more artistic aspects which caught my eye:
Cigar Box Guitars and Ukuleles by local artist Smokebox Bob:
And this guy, Dylan Barmmer, performing “Random Acts of Poetry” – another local artist passionate about the community, be sure to check out his Ode to the Surfing Madonna video.
For more information about visiting Cardiff by the Sea, please check out the Chamber of Commerce site, Cardiff 101, and Beach California. You can always contact me for tips and suggestions as well!
It’s no secret that I’m a big huge fan of Canada, and will find any excuse to travel there at the drop of a hat. I’ve been several times to several parts over the years, and frankly, I’ve never met a part of Canada I didn’t love. But I realized, I’ve only blogged about it a couple of times since I started this blog in 2006, but it’s worthy of so many more articles that I just haven’t found time to compose, and photos that I haven’t taken time to edit. In fact, the image archives consists of:
*A photo album from my first venture to Canada (Saskatchewan) in 1981 – a couple of quick scans are included in this feature. like the one above from the RCMP Museum.
*Several boxes of slides sitting by the scanner labeled “CAN-Yukon & Northwest Territories”, “CAN-Canadian Inside Passage Cruise”, and “CAN-Montreal, Quebec”
*CDs from my early days of digital archiving (and early days of motherhood) labeled “CAN-British Columbia” – you’ll find more of these later in this feature, but this one of my daughter meeting a carriage pulling horse is a favorite of ours.
*Back-up hard drives with various Canada file folders, including “CAN-Toronto, Ontario”.
I keep telling myself one of these days I’ll get them all fixed up to present online. Well one of those days has come in the form of a very spontaneous realization that Canada Day is….today!!! So I better get cracking. For starters, I’ve created a new online gallery of Canada images containing some favorites and several previously unreleased images.
But for this post, I’m going to use more words than images, and tell a few stories. There are just so many to share of my travels in Canada, and images too, each worthy of their own blog feature. But for the sake of my last-minute effort, here are a few of the more memorable highlights.
These are my TOP 5 highlights of travels in Canada, plus an honorable mention:
Honorable Mention: Frostbite in Edmonton
Yes, you read that right, frostbite. It was my first trip to Canada – I was visiting my sister who married a Canadian hockey player from Regina, Saskatchewan. I flew from a beautiful balmy 80 degrees in San Diego to 40 below in Edmonton, Alberta (where I had to change planes to continue to Regina). It was my very first winter away from home (San Diego), and my first time in snow (real snow with real snowflakes that stayed frozen on the windshield). I had no idea that stepping outside in my warmest California-poser-ski-bunny-fashion-statement-gear would result in mild frostbite on my derrier.
I’m not joking. Here’s what happened – I strolled outside of the terminal with my camera determined to check out Alberta’s scenery. Within moments a patrol car pulled over and the officer rolled down the window and said “Give your bum a slap, miss”. Surprised by this odd run-in with Canadian law enforcement, I did as I was told. “Feel that?”, he asked, to which I replied “feel what?”. His reply: “Exactly. A minute longer and you’ll have no sensation at all back there. It’s called frostbite. Now get in the car.” So I guess that was my first exposure to both the harshness of Canadian winters, and the kindness of Canadian people. He probably saved my life, and had a good laugh as he did so. He made me laugh too, at myself, and that skill would remain an important one throughout my first Canadian adventure…and the rest of my life for that matter. But this first impression really stuck, and I’ve never gotten over that Canadian sense of humour (see, I can even spell it in Canadian).
#5 – Becoming a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club in Yukon
Well, the title tells the story, and I rarely find an audience who want to hear elaborate details, but if you must know more about this concoction, here’s an introduction to the Sourtoe Cocktail. And as soon as Captain Dick assembles the comprehensive membership list online, you can look me up. And someone out there has a photograph of the event: I done drank a real Sourtoe Cocktail. Now if that alone doesn’t make me an honorary Canadian, well, nothing will. And before you ask, no, there was not a vegetarian toefu option…(ba da boom).
#4 – Skiing in Banff
Remember my sister’s husband the Canadian hockey player? Well, he had 6 brothers (and a sister), and they all played hockey (the sister too). They even set up a mini-rink in the backyard and taught us a few moves. Here’s me trying to get a puck past my sister:
It was a good laugh for sure, but it was nothing like our big ski trip to Banff. See, the brothers decided it would be an even better laugh to teach these two Californian sisters how to ski, so we all piled into the van and headed west from Regina. For those who don’t know, Saskatchewan is the midwest of Canada. It’s flat. Really flat. My sister and I had heard of Banff, but at the time having been subject to our California education system, we were horribly ignorant of Canadian geography. So when these brothers told us we were going to drive to Banff to ski, and it was just down the road, we totally believed them. We were so excited, the ultimate Canadian experience – skiing in Banff – was going to be ours! We got to the slopes and got all fitted up with boots and skis and such. Now, their idea of teaching us the ropes consisted basically of a “how to catch the ski-tow” exercise, which I passed remarkably well. But when I reached the top of the lift, they were gone, nowhere to be found, and I had to figure out my own way down the mountain. Little did I know they had positioned themselves at various points on the way down to help me along. But I failed to see them. I took to that slope like nobody’s business and flew down the hill. Fast. Really fast. I was gleaming in pride and feeling like an Olympic athlete, imagining the crowds roaring as I would swoop to the bottom and apply my Olympic sponsor’s chapstick with a big smile as the cameras flashed. But when I noticed the dot of the distant lodge growing bigger and nearer, I realized I hadn’t learned one minor detail in the sport of downhill skiing….how to stop. I didn’t even know how to slow down for that matter. Funny, but in that split-second of realization, my whole life flashed in slow motion before my eyes, but my body was going fast. I froze on my skis, but the skis kept moving. I watched the line for the ski-lift part like the red sea and I shot straight through, past the lift station, past the lodge, and somehow ending up in a frozen creek bed with my skis stuck in the bushes. Eventually the Canadian hockey-playing brothers found me, lifted me up, and carried me back to the lodge like some kind of trophy. I’ve been blessed with many miracles, and this was certainly one of them – I didn’t break anything. Before I knew any better, I was back on that ski-tow. But this time, the brothers gave me a demonstration on zig-zagging to slow down, before they sped off down the hill. So for my second jaunt down the slope, I zigged, fell to my bottom, rested, then zagged, fell to my bottom, and rested. Repeat pattern. I don’t remember how long it actually took me to get down the hill, someone said they clocked me at 2 hours 21 minutes, but all the brothers (and even my sister) had passed several times, and I noticed the sun dipping quickly toward the horizon. The fear of frostbite and Canadian law enforcement kicked in, and I finished with a beeline for the lodge, lured by the fire burning inside and the odor of smelly woollen socks roasting away. It wasn’t until I returned home to California and began boasting to everyone that I’d been skiing in Banff when I learned that it was, in fact, a little bunny hill slope in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Damn those Canadians, they pulled one over on me big time. But at least they had the courtesy to send me off with a good story to tell. And there’s my Banff Ski story. I haven’t been downhill skiing since. Nor have I ever, really, been to Banff. Yet…
#3 – Camping in Ontario
We were living in Chicago in 1997, and Labor Day weekend was fast approaching. That meant 3 whole days to get away from the city and go camping. We knew we wanted to camp, but we hoped desperately to avoid the crowds of Labor Day weekend which invaded state campgrounds in the midwestern US. Little did we realize that Canada celebrates a similar holiday over the same weekend, only they call it Labour Day. Well, after we’d lived in Seattle for 3 years and had been in the habit of escaping to British Columbia on a regular basis, when we moved to Chicago, we pretty much followed the same pattern and escaped to Ontario. Canada is Canada, and if it’s within reasonable driving distance for a 3-day weekend, we’re there. This particular weekend was memorable for two reasons, neither of them humorous. We never imagined that Canadians could ever possibly be as loud, rude, and obnoxious at campgrounds as Americans, but we were so very wrong (clearly we hadn’t seen them lose the Stanley Cup yet). The sound of drunken youngsters breaking beer bottles against boulders and then falling and breaking their own limbs will forever haunt any notion of peaceful camping in a state or provincial park. The next day found us driving aimlessly throughout lower Ontario in search of any camping spot favored by the slow-moving over-60 retired crowd. We found one, later, but it was that aimless meandering drive that set the stage for one of the most shockingly memorable days I’ve ever known. We were driving on this seemingly endless stretch of road through Ontario when I popped the cassette out to change it and the radio popped on – the news: Princess Diana is dead. He slammed on the brakes and pulled over. I burst into tears like I’d lost my own best friend. Neither of us spoke. We sat in shock listening to the radio reports – every now and then he would change the station to see if perhaps we were just imagining it, perhaps the news would be different on AM. No. Every station was reporting the same news: There’d been a car accident, and Princess Diana was dead. There are certain events in history for which most people remember precisely where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. For me, this was that event. And I was on an otherwise insignificant road in Ontario. Well, fate being what it is, eventually I looked up from my soaked tissues to see, just a few yards ahead, the perfect place to camp for the night. That was another miracle – because neither of us were really fit to be driving on .5 hours sleep compounded by the shock of tragic news. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you if it really was truly quiet in that campground of retirees and motorhomes, or if I was just completely numb. But I slept deep and long that night. So that one weekend in Ontario was memorable for both the noisiest and the quietest nights of camping I’ve experienced. And the news…the shocking news…
#2 – Chasing Bears on Vancouver Island
Well, I’ve already blogged this up so you can read the full adventure at the link below. But most memorable from this trip was the fact that we were bound and determined to see bears, and did all kinds of fantastic nature and wildlife outings with naturalists in the hopes of catching a glimpse. But alas, our whole time spent scouring the rugged west coast of Vancouver island turned up no bears. Deflated, we packed up and headed out on the long Highway 1 back across the island to catch our flight. Of course, who should appear right on the side of the road casually foraging in the bushes? Yep, a nice big beautiful black bear. We pulled over and took some pictures and video, and then just stared in awe at this beautiful dog-like beast eating dainty little berries. We could hear him munching…tiny little berries…one at a time, actually savoring them, swishing them around with his tongue. It’s a sweet sound that I will never forget, and a definite highlight of my travels in Canada. You can read the full adventure, and watch the video, in this post all about Ucluelet, Tofino, and Wickaninish.
#1 – Victoria, BC (anything and everything)
The quaint and beautiful Victoria, BC holds so many memorable experiences that it has earned first place in my Highlights of Canada list. From the first romantic escapade on the Clipper from Seattle – it was my first trip abroad with the man who would eventually marry me – to the many happy returns since with our daughter, Victoria has retained it’s romantic charm and character throughout and has just so much to love about it!
Left: Exploring Totems with my daughter. Middle: Arriving in Victoria by float plane. Right: All decked out in her Canadian ROOTS gear.
The Inner Harbour waterfront is intimate and entertaining – we enjoyed watching the float planes take off and land as the cute little water taxi bumps around points in the harbour. One of my favorite museums is in Victoria – the Royal BC Museum – with fantastic exhibits of natural history and a captivating First Peoples Gallery. Victoria also has wonderful restaurants – so many delicious and healthy dining venues – as a vegetarian family of 3, there was never a lack of options. And shopping!!! Government Street is a good bet for both native arts and anything British, of which Victoria is quite fond. In that regard, it doesn’t get any more British than at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, where you can experience a classic afternoon High Tea. I could go on and on, but perhaps Victoria is my number one Canadian highlight for no greater reason than my own grandmother. It is due to a faded kodachrome slide I found of her as a young woman which really hit home. I had remembered seeing this picture in my childhood, reading the word “Empress”, and imagining that my grandmother was a Queen. Now here I was as an adult, going through the slides and diaries she left behind, and finding it again. This slide of my Grandmother, “the Royal Queen of Victoria”, sitting in the gardens of the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC, 1947.
I’ve been feeling very Mexico lately – no reason really. I haven’t been south of the border in ages and I have no plans to go in the near future. But I’ve been dreaming about it, so I decided to feature a few photos from Mexico for this week’s Wanderfood Wednesday (and TravelPhoto Thursday, and Photo Friday!), to indulge my camera’s appetite more than anything. Enjoy some eye candy from Mexico!
This is a re-post from last December, back by popular demand! I wanted to share the fun and enjoyment of a visit to Walt Disney World in December. It would have been too easy to post a bunch of pretty holiday light pictures, so I gave myself a challenge. Featuring the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in photos, I present here…
THE TWELVE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS (verse 12)
On the 12th Day of Christmas, the Osbornes lit for me…
12 Angels Spinning
11 Red Lights Blinking
10 Pretty Windows
9 Toy Soldiers
8 Reindeers Flying
7 Angels Flapping
6 Golden Arches (no, not those ones)
5 Car-o-lers
4 Halos’n’Wings
3 Shooting Stars
2 Mischievious Elves
And a PEACE ON EARTH message to ALL!
Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Muharram, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Whatever-it-is-ious to all of you, all over our beautiful planet, from Mira Terra Images!
(Dedicated to the families of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois)
It’s that time of year again, when the desert wakes up from winter and ushers in spring with wildflower blooms and cactus blossoms. Armed with our cameras and some water bottles, my family and I made a day trip out to Anza-Borrego State Park to explore under a clear blue sky.
As we drove east along the Del Dios Highway, we passed the north shore of the Lake Hodges Resevoir, which appeared rather healthy after the recent rains. But Lake Hodges was making headlines this week for another reason, and it was anything but healthy. We passed quietly, and my husband and I avoided any comment which might give our almost-8-year-old daughter reason to see and experience anything but beauty and joy as she peered out at the water and surrounding green hills exclaiming “it’s so pretty!”
We continued our journey along SR 78 and made a mandatory stop in Santa Ysabel at the Julian Pie Company, an absolute must for the country’s best apple pie…and, in our opinion, the very best “frosted cinnamon buns” on the planet.
Eventually we reached our destination, and hiked and clicked and clicked and hiked and filled our cameras with cactus and wildflower bouquets from the desert.
The drive back home was aided by the google maps app on my iphone. We would do a nice loop northward and return via Highway 76. We passed near or through Indian Reservations of La Jolla, Rincon, Pauma, and….Pala. Pala, now why was that sounding so familiar? Indeed, it too had made the headlines this week. “Isn’t this where – ” my husband began, “yes” I replied, and checked the backseat to see my daughter fast asleep. I counted my blessings, and decided then and there that all the desert scenes and flowers collected in all our cameras would be for Amber and Chelsea.
For every image licensed or print purchased from the “Anza-Borrego Desert” or “Sunflowers” galleries at Mira Terra Images, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Finally, before you link away, please be aware that a search continues for 16-year-old Mickey Guidry, who went missing from Anza-Borrego State Park last November.
Thank you for your time in reading this article. Journeys don’t always end the way we might expect. Be aware. Be alert. Be grateful for each day. And don’t think for a moment that you can’t make a difference.
San Diego’s winter involves it’s fair share of Pacific storms, but the days in between bring clear blue sky, warm sun, and a wind off the Pacific. I was having lunch with friends at the Cliff Hanger Cafe on this perfect day, and that’s all it took to spark some inspiration.
Ucluelet is this cool little town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Cool because it sits on the foggy coast of the Pacific. Cool because it is surrounded on either side by the Pacific Rim National Park. Cool because the Canadian locals are friendly and easy-going. And cool because, amongst other activities, there’s surf!
We arrived by car from Victoria, a long 5-6 hour drive through fantastic scenery, but such harrowing roads that it quickly earned a place on my list of “never again” travel experiences. Never again, that is, until we had to leave the same way we came. But I’ll get to that later.
The Pacific coast of Vancouver Island is known to be a storm-watcher’s paradise. Winter is the best season for storm-watching, but any time of year one can appreciate the ocean’s dramatic meeting with the land on this rugged and wild coast. For surfers, they’ve probably heard of Tofino, which is up the road about 40 minutes drive from Ucluelet. We had every intention of checking it out, but found that Ucluelet offered everything we could need or want for a surf safari, wildlife safari, ocean safari, great dining options, and great lodging…less the crowds of visitors to Tofino.
As a “Native of Paradise” (born in Coronado, California), there are few places in the world I would considering moving to, if I absolutely had to. I could live in Ucluelet, quite happily. That says alot.
Of course, it helped that our accommodations were absolutely gorgeous at the Black Rock Oceanfront Resort, perfectly situated on a rugged rocky promontory surrounded by expansive ocean, rocky inlet, and lush forest. The lobby entrance is perhaps the most dramatic and tasteful architecture I have ever seen, beautifully bringing the outside in. And the views from the rooms are equally and unquestionably spectacular.
We took a stroll down the road at dusk on the evening of our arrival. We were told to “make yourselves heard” so as not to startle any bears that might be wandering around. My 7-year-old daughter clung to my legs and begged my husband to carry her. I took this opportunity to teach her the camp song “The other day…I met a bear…” and soon her fear turned to courage. We sang and laughed and laughed and sang, and skipped gleefully down the road. We must have been sufficiently loud, as no bears crossed our path; and we only quieted enough to watch a doe and her fawn foraging on the roadside ahead of us. The peace of the forest contrasted nicely with the roar of the ocean. That first night – falling asleep listening to the rising tide and the waves crashing into the rocky shore all around – is something I won’t put into words, it simply must be experienced.
It doesn’t take a trip into Pacific Rim National Park boundaries to sight the wildlife, it’s everywhere. In fact, most of our wildlife sightings occurred roadside or just around town…or even just from our balcony at Black Rock.
Bald Eagles are most abundant, with pairs nesting in the treetops and fishing in the waters, or simply soaring in the fresh cool ocean air.
And speaking of ocean, the marine life is pretty incredible. While much can be viewed from shore, we opted for an afternoon out on a cruise to explore the Broken Group Islands unit of the park. Whales are a given, especially with resident Humpbacks in the area. Harbor Seals are often spotted. Stellar Sea Lions are easily seen…and heard. But the elusive Sea Otter is not so cooperative for most visitors. We got lucky.
That’s not to say there isn’t anything to find if you don’t have sea legs. The beaches offer plenty of tidepool creatures, for a touchy feely encounter.
And speaking of squishy things, if you plan to hike on any rainforest segment of the West Coast Trail, best watch your step so as to avoid an encounter with these guys:
The park boasts several beaches, including one really long one appropriately referred to as”Long Beach“. Between exploring tidepools, surfing, and building forts of driftwood, one can easily pass the day away at the beach.
We did just that, and found a great spot for a scenic lunch (or dinner) at the Wickaninish Restaurant. They offer a nice selection of vegetarian entrees and kid’s menu as well – a welcome change (and the only disappointment) from our resort.
But our favorite foodie find was right in town in Ucluelet, this little local’s spot hit the spot every time with healthy, yummy, tasty homemade food. Delicado’s has something for everyone, and if you’re a surfer, or a lover of southwestern flavors, don’t even think of looking further! The owner and crew are totally cool, and the decor is fun, too.
Time both flew and stood still. Days passed with no set agenda and spontaneous adventures. Nights passed being lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean. And then, it was time to leave.
Remember that horrendous drive I mentioned earning a spot on my “never again” list? Well, since we had not opted to fly in and out of Tofino, we had a rental car which had to get back to Victoria, and tickets on a plane which had to leave Victoria that same day. All of that meant a very early morning departure to hit the road. Our time was too short. We’d seen alot, experienced a dose of both adventure and serenity found nowhere else on the planet, and captured plenty of wildlife with a lens.
Everything but the bear – the Black Bear – for which we booked a cruise and scanned the shores and hoped to spot on our guided wildlife outings. Nope. Of course, it’s not until the bags are packed with miles to cross and a flight to catch that the elusive black bear presented itself. Right smack on the side of the road, who would have thought, drive-by wildlife viewing free of charge?! So much for the “never again” list entry – had we flown into and out of Tofino, we’d never have seen a bear. So that 5-6-hour-totally-stressful-but-scenic-harrowing-road-drive from Victoria to Ucluelet…..now, TOTALLY WORTH IT. (I still think I’ll fly next time).
It marked the perfect ending of our British Columbian adventure, and so this video marks the perfect ending to the story. (turn off the sound if you don’t want to be humming camp songs all day….)
In case you’re thinking I’m always on the road, I’m thinking it’s about time I share some of the work I do between travels. Every week can be something totally different, but it usually involves one or more of the following subjects: actors/theatre, surfing, dogs, urban wildlife, local events, or kids.
This past weekend I saw an excellent show for which I happened to shoot the publicity stills a few weeks back. I felt the actors, and the production, deserved as much publicity as they could get, so I decided to feature them on my blog this week!
So without further adieu, here are Kevin Six, Tom Hall, and Tyler Richards Hewes in the Lotus Theatre Collective and Talent 2 Amuse’s production of:
“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged”
