-
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Feb 21/24) – Early yesterday, Tuesday morning, after a courageous but short battle with cancer… N&J lost their beautiful friend Vicki Romanin. Those who follow this blog will remember Vicki & her husband Michael on our week-long visit to Tofino a couple years ago, where we shared an ocean-front beach house (see post Toe-Fee-No). click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery An absolute ‘ball of energy’, Vic would think nothing of going for a 2-3 hour run through the Whistler mountain forest AFTER skiing the day!!! She was an avid extreme mountain runner, competing in events as far away as the Tor…
-
“Life is a Beach” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Oct 01/23) – Ahhhh!!!! The spectacle of summer… hot sun, warm breezes, picnics, BBQing, swimming, camping, paddling, basking in it all. Traveling our vast province of British Columbia comes with many attractions… mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, oceans. But the one thing that attracts more people (and animals) than anything else, always connecting land & water, it can be found everywhere… it is the beach. After a blissful voyage across the Salish Sea (aka Georgia Strait), N&J made their way up to Qualicum Beach, BC… where they were graciously invited to use a friend’s B&B located smack on the beach. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to…
-
“🎶 Take Me Home… Dusty Roads 🎶” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Jul 10/23) – To celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary (and 10 years together), N&J and Jesse, set out to do what they love best… to pack their bags, hop in the van and hit the road in their beloved Westfalia camper van!!! Let’s go explore some areas ‘far off the beaten track’ but yet ‘so close to home’. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Travelling north from the Village of Pemberton, passing through the flowering fields and scattered farms that produce all sorts of delectable delights (organic veggies, The Beer Farmer’s hops and the famous Pemberton Seed Potatoes). Finally crossing the…
-
“Ho Ho Ho !!!” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Dec 24/22) – It has been quite the year of travel & experience for N&J (and Jesse). Getting back in the saddle after the past few years of Covid, although it is not exactly gone <sigh>, has been both exciting & nerve-wracking… to say the least. “To wear or not to wear a mask, that is the question”. Since the upgrade of HOBBES to a 4×4 (Syncro) with its improved reliability to travel on backroads, has become a pleasure to explore new horizons… so much more to see when you leave the paved road behind. Jesse’s health challenges of the past year (urinary blockages) seem to have stabilized,…
-
“Toe-Fee-No” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Oct 27/22) – Looking way back to the fall of 2021, N&J’s Whistler friends Michael & Vicki (M&V) suggested we all do a week-long stay in Tofino BC, renting a beach-home situated along the ‘World Famous’ Chesterman Beach… right smack on the ocean. Reserving such a place means doing it essentially a year before you intend on being there as the availability disappears quickly… and the plan quickly fell into place. Fast forward to October 2022… N&J thinking they may want to do some camping on Vancouver Island on the way to the West Coast & possibly the return trip, Hobbes was loaded up with all the usual…
-
“Let’s Just Get Away from it All !!!” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Sep 17/22) – Hobbes is enshrined in routine. Everything has it place. Mental checklists gone through without spoken words. N&J, including Jesse know the drill like the back of their hands/paws… so without much thought and readiness at their fingertips… they embarked on a much needed get-away and hit the road. Leaving on this trip much later in the fall than originally planned and with the ongoing wildfire situation north & east of Whistler still tenuous, the only real choice was to head west to Vancouver Island via the Sunshine Coast… so off to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal catching the next boat to Langdale. A most gorgeous day…
-
“Haley’s Really Big Coastal Adventure” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Aug 15/22) – Arms reached out embracing the child within, that child gently pivots before a blink of the eye… the turn of the hour glass, they have slipped from the embrace and turn to eek out their own path ahead. As teenagers grow to young adults (which seems to happen sooner than expected), it is imperative that the ‘grown-ups’ embrace that thought. Before you know it, they (‘they’ being little ankle-biters) have matured, left home & started their own separate lives. This premise has not eluded N&J, in fact it is a constant thought nagging in the back of their minds… so it was with this thinking,…
-
“Got Cake & Ate it Too!!!” by N&J
Whistler, BC (Jun 26/22) – N&J were no strangers to Howard Lake, been there, done that, many times. Something that keeps them coming back, the great fishing, beautiful lake, fresh mountain air, the peace, the quiet… whatever the reason this is a good spot to relax & enjoy the scene. click on pic to enlarge – right/left arrow to scroll thru the gallery Weather in the mountains is always changing, don’t like it? …wait 20 minutes. Some of the most dramatic climatic conditions were experienced this trip. While fishing down at the dock N&J witnessed major dark cloud formations & a ‘boiler’ storm being created before their eyes (Boiler clouds?…
-
“Foraging a Path” by N&J
Howard Lake, BC (Jun 21/22) – After a couple of exciting fishing days spent at Dugan Lake the travelling Westfalia’s & their entourage headed north on Hwy 97 towards Quesnel. Initially a stop in Williams Lake at Surplus Herby’s to purchase some more fishing supplies (a bigger net for sure)… always a ‘must stop’ when travelling through this town. Traffic being reasonably light it was a nice day for a drive with warm & dry conditions. Upon reaching Quesnel, stopped for a refueling (yikes!!! …oh the gas prices) & headed east towards Barkerville (site of the world famous gold mining town of the 1850’s). Passing through the historic site of…
-
“False Start” by N&J
Dugan Lake, BC (Jun 18/22) – As things would happen, after carefully prepping Hobbes for the next journey, meticulously checking every aspect of the impending trip… something was amiss. While climbing the daunting, winding road (8-10 kms & 18% grade) up to the summit of the Duffey Lake Road (between Pemberton & Lillooet), Hobbes was suddenly experiencing an over-heating problem. It would appear the radiator fan switch was malfunctioning thus preventing the radiator fan to operate causing the engine temperature to rise only when working hard (ie. big hill). So a quick turn-around & back home to remedy, luckily N&J were only less than an hour into the trip… click…
The Westfalia Journal
Travels of a VW Westfalia Camper Van