2016

I have a hunch that someday November 9, 2016 will be regarded as the first day of the end of the world, or the end of civilization, at least. It was a day that many Americans considered moving to Canada – so many, in fact, that they crashed the server for Canada’s immigration website.

Well, these two Americans were one step ahead.

We were already in Canada, and despite our shock and disappointment over the election results back home (for the record, we both voted by absentee ballot before we left), we were determined to go out and enjoy the first day of the end of the world.

Since we had spent the previous few days exploring the city of Vancouver, we were ready to see what was beyond the Lion’s Gate Bridge. So we rented a car (from a few Enterprise employees who were surprised, but pleased, to see Americans invading their country so quickly) and set off to see some of that stunning natural beauty we had heard that British Columbia had to offer.

BC, you didn’t disappoint.

We spent the afternoon at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. It was a rainy day, but it matched our moods.

Even on a misty day, the views from the suspension bridge were incredible.

Crossing the suspension bridge was just the beginning of the fun. On the other side, we saw the forest from a new perspective in the Treetops Adventure.

The park was setting up their annual holiday feature, Canyon Lights, while we were there. It looks like a beautiful display!

Then we took a little walk through the rainforest. Yes, you read that right – the rainforest. It turns out, in certain places, British Columbia’s climate conditions produce temperate rainforests. I never would have guessed that the first legitimate rainforest I ever visited would be in Canada, but that’s how it worked out.

Next up was the Cliffwalk.

If the world is going to end, at least we got to see this first. Sigh.

BC, you’re beautiful! And thanks for helping two sad Americans make the most of a bad day.

2016, Travels

Catfe

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For his birthday, I surprised Justin with a trip to Catfe, Vancouver’s take on the cat cafe trend. (If the idea of being surrounded by adorable, adoptable cats while enjoying a latte and a muffin sounds like something you might enjoy, I highly recommend finding a cat cafe near you.)

At Catfe, they take the needs of each cat seriously. If they discover that a cat is overwhelmed and unhappy in the large, communal “lounge”, they have a private room available for that cat to stay, while they await the big move to their forever home. We stopped in that room to play with Chief, who was adopted about a week after our visit.

After a lovely time with Chief, we ventured into the cat “lounge”. It was clear that the cats knew they were the main attraction, and they were just fine with that.

This chonker was named Alfie. He was very playful and sweet!

Gotcha!

Ah, now it’s time for a nice nap…

2016, Travels

A Visit to Vancouver’s Chinese Garden

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When I think of British Columbia, I think of mountains, forests, and wilderness. And they certainly have plenty of all of those! But they also have something else that’s pretty special and unexpected in the city of Vancouver – a stunning Chinese garden. So while we were in town, we stopped by the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Even in November, it was exquisite!

“Scholar Justin” volunteered to participate in the tour. Fortunately, I was selected as his “first wife”.

2016, Travels

Mammoth Cave

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Instead of driving several hours north to celebrate my birthday, this year we drove south. Kentucky is the land of bourbon, the fastest two minutes in sports, and the world’s largest hole in the ground – Mammoth Cave.

Mammoth Cave has over 400 miles of underground tunnels. That’s a lot of dark places for people to get lost, so the only way to tour the cave is while guided by a ranger of the National Park Service. The NPS offers a number of tours, from easy hikes to hard-core spelunking. And it turns out, they book up several weeks in advance during the summer months. We weren’t able to book a couple of the ones we wanted to take, but we did snag some spots on the Historic Tour which enters the cave at the historic entrance.

Tripods and flash photography are not allowed on the Historic Tour, so I had to shoot at a really high ISO and a really long shutter speed to get any acceptable images. Those are not exactly the camera settings I prefer to use, but I made do.

In the afternoon, we rode a shuttle bus to a different part of the park for the Domes and Dripstones Tour.

This tour ends in what’s called Frozen Niagara. It’s the most photographed section of the cave and it was easy to see why – it was an awesome mix of creepy and spectacular.

2016, Travels

I Heart Lake Powell

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This time around, I didn’t mind getting up at the crack of dawn. It’s hard to be grumpy when you know you’re about to spend an entire day surrounded by views like this: