27 Sep-5 October 2014: Kamloops, Canada (horse riding)

What inspired me to head to a 'dude' ranch in Canada? Well two things....firstly my trip to Palestine was cancelled (surprise, surprise), and a friend suggested it as a replacement trip. Terries knew I wanted to visit a 'dude' ranch anyway, and she actually found this one by doing some internet research for me (she's good like that!).

So I booked it and headed up to a city called Kamloops in BC, Canada.  45mins drive from there is the Tod Mountain Ranch which is located at Heffley Creek.

The afternoon I arrived the sun was out and I got the grand tour of the ranch by Steve - the senior wrangler.  Very British and very experienced, he talked about each and every horse and the workings of the farm. A great intro to the ranch and the herd - who are all geldings as the owner, Tracey, decided that she would only have guys and no gals (too much trouble mixing them!). I also got to meet Blue (cos of his husky blue eyes), and Rowdy (cross between a collie and lab).

I met Heidi (helps Tracey with cleaning and other tasks around the ranch), and also Jean, a South African 21 year old wrangler.  So not an American or Canadian on the property at all! Got to know them (and the one other guest - Annya) at dinner time and realized that I was going to be in for a quiet time (which was just what I was after), with delicious homemade food and an abundance of conversation (when we weren't all tired out from the day!).

I found myself following a similar schedule most days...get up to see Steve/Jean collect in the horses from the fields (with help from Blue/Rowdy when they could be bothered getting out of bed - and me!), have breakfast, head out on our first ride around 9.30am, get back in for lunch and then head out for the afternoon ride about 1.30pm.  After heading back in after that, the temps drop and so we would shower and head back to the main ranch house for dinner at 7pm. No one was up for staying up and so I would hang out a bit in the main ranch house reading and then head back to the cabin about 9/10pm.

As for the trails - they were pretty steep (and sometimes slippery after the rain) and so the pace was slow with a few places where we could lope (ie canter). Loping took a while to get used to depending on what horse I was on and the slope - ie uphill or flattish.

But glad I asked to do a day trip otherwise the trails would get a bit repetitive after 4-5 days. Unfortunately there is only one trail as logging is being done on the other trail. And they rarely take guests out on a day trip as it's usually too hot and too steep for the horses.  Thankfully the conditions were good for us and so Tracey prepared a pack lunch for us and we headed out for the day with Blue and Rowdy in tow as well.

We didn't see any wildlife other than a deer, but the scenery was really beautiful - especially with the leaves changing colour. It was quite cold most of the time and a few mornings were around zero degrees which meant I had to layer up big time! Brrrrr.

I can't say enough about how wonderful a host Tracey was - always ready to chat and on hand for questions. As for the wranglers, Steve and Jean, they ensured safety always came first (for us and the horse) and so as a beginner I was never worried about being out of my depth! The herd of geldings were looked after like family (as were the ranch dogs Rowdy and Blue), and everything was provided during the stay - from freshly cooked homemade meals, spotless cabins (thanks Heidi) to endless coffee and great company!

Would recommend TMR to anyone - whether an experienced rider or not - as this is the ideal place to get away from it all! 

NOTE: There is no phone service and limited wifi (so bring a book!).

 

 

 

21 Feb-2 March 2014: Whistler, Canada

Third year in a row...just shows what a fab-u-lous place Whistler is!  Love it.  Again a 10 day trip and staying in the village - only way to do it.  Literally a 5min walk to the ski lifts and straight onto the slopes. 

This year's partner in crime was again Terries, with Sera, Alex (and Alex) dropping in for a quick 5 day visit. 

Below are the photos to prove what a wonderful place this is, and the amazing slopes we had the run of over the 10 days.

11-23 February 2012: Whistler, Canada

12 days skiing at Whistler - I couldn't turn that opportunity down and so booked the trip with a friend from London...six months ago...not knowing I was going to be moving to New York! But thankfully it was Canada and not Europe that I was going to.

We booked an all inclusive package that included accommodation, breakfast and an evening meal.  We also organised ski passes, ski hire and everything else beforehand so the first day we were straight on the mountain (even though I didn't get to bed until 2am due to a delayed plane).  We had a 10 day ski pass so every day counted as we only had 10 days (+ 2 days travelling).

The biggest difference between Whistler and European slopes is that the runs are wider, lots more powder, lots more runs, not as crowded and there were two massive mountains to choose from (Whistler & Blackcomb).  Everyday we got to where both gondalas go to their respective mountain and decided which one we were going to spend the day on.  Of course, depending on conditions we switched mountains during the day via a gondala at 2,300 feet!

The first three days was sunny and warmish - which meant no new snow, hardpacked, a bit icy and then a bit sludgy by the end of the day.  I really enjoyed it as it was similar to European slopes.  Then it snowed on and off for the rest of the days we were there.  Of course that bought some unpleasant conditions such as low visibility, cold winds, and blasting snow!  But we did learn how to ski in poweder, and that can be hard work!

In fact I took a day's ski lesson which was really helpful.  They are called Max4 lessons and only 4 to a instructor  - I ended up sharing an instructor with 2 Aussies (there were a hell of a lot of Aussies on the slopes working!).  It was great as we were at the same level and he took us to the Blackcomb glacier (involved a walk up to it) and other areas I hadn't gone to yet.  And of course, I learnt some new stuff as well.

As for evenings we would head back to the chalet (about 20min walk from the slopes) and then join about 4-8 others for a meal.  They were a combination of many different nationalities....Brits, European, Canadian, Japenese.... We didn't go into town much at night as we were tired out and it involved another 20min walk! But we did see the Snow and Light show which is every Sunday, and did enjoy a couple of meals in Whistler village.

On one of the days we took the afternoon off to go dogsledding. What fun!  We were the only ones and got to enjoy the experience of having 7 dogs dragging us along!  Unfortunately they were not particularly motivated and so the poor guide did have to do a lot of work to get them going!! Not cheap at C$190, but really worth the experience.

It was a fantastic, if not tiring, 10 days and I really do recommend Whistler to everyone who skis/snowboards. Certainly a bit different skiing on powder, including different types of skis, but you really can ski your heart out here!

May/June 2009: Boston, New York and Canada (Ontario, Quebec)

During the summer this year I had six weeks off to go and enjoy myself in the US and Canada. The first thing on my agenda was seeing my brother, sister-in-law and two nephews and niece in Boston, then I took a train down to New York for some serious fun (i.e. sightseeing and shopping), and then I joined up with a TrekAmerica trip that went to Niagara, Ontario, Quebec and back down to Maine. And here is a little of what I got up to...not everything of course, as that would be telling..... :)

Boston
The reason for going to Boston was two-fold...to see my brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece, and to also have a look around Boston. My brother Geoff and his family live about 40mins outside of Boston but very near to Plum Island which has some very nice beaches. They also live close to Newberryport which is very idyllic...similar feel to English seaside villages. I loved catching up with my nephews and niece and to experience living in a house with 3 kids under the age of 9!

Boston is a lovely city...quite condense and lots of things to do. I would really recommend the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, going out to Harvard University campus (I was there the day after graduation so it was pretty dead), and the Bunker Hill monument. I have to admit, I even have a photo of me standing outside the bar Cheers!

New York
After spending a week in Boston I caught the train down to New York. I was staying in a hostel called Village Inn and it was situated in Greenwich/East Village part of NY. I was basically in the middle of Manhatten so I could either head up to Times Square area or down to Statue of Liberty.

Walking NY is extremely tiring...the first day I must have been walking for at least 8 hours straight and then gradually less and less as I saw more and more. Luckily the weather was on my side and didn't get rained on at all. I really recommend the following things in NY:

• Seeing Statue of Liberty up close and personal (if you want to actually go into the statue you need to get a free pass BEFORE heading out on the boat)
• Going up the top of the Rockerfeller Building rather than the Empire State Building (this way you get to take photos of NY with the ES Building in the background)
• World Trade Centre museum and guided walk (well worth taking as the guide is usually someone who was there on the day)
• Natural History Museum (we have all seen 'A Night at the Museum')
• Crossing Brooklyn Bridge (take the metro to Brooklyn and walk back as the view is much better)
• Walking in Central Park
• Guggenheimer Museum
• Shopping on 5th Avenue (it has to be done)

Trip into Canada
The TrekAmerica camping trip 'Canadian Pioneer' was brilliant - a fantastic trip with great people (we only got rained on for two evenings - both times we decided to get other accommodation other than our tents!). There was a mixture of nationalities and everyone was a similar age...no one too old or too young! The first stop was Niagara Falls (US side) - it was exhilerating going out on the Maid in the Mist boat but well worth doing that to get a close up.

Then we headed into Canada. First on our agenda was Toronto (just another city) and then Algonquin NP. If was full of mossies and it was only spring. We all went on a canoe trip and after two people capsized we sent out a rescue party to go and get help as we were on an island in the middle of the lake and the wind was up which meant there were waves and strong currents. They capsized but managed to get a rescue boat out to us!

After that adventure we then headed to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Ottawa felt like Wellington, NZ with its parliament, and Montreal and Quebec very French! I loved Montreal with its harbour, and cafes / restaurants (went to a restaurant called 'ONoir' where we had dinner in the pitch dark - very freaky but great fun). It is also home to Cirque du Soliel (I saw the latest show called 'Ovo'), and has gorgeous parks and amazing night life. I recommend Montral to everyone.

After spending a week in Canada (where we did see a moose or two, but no bears) we headed back out to the good ole US of A. We spent a day in Maine and the Acadia National Park where it rained for most of the time. We did get to cycle around for the day which really was good fun and very beautiful. Then we coasted down through Rhodes Island and then back to New York.

I spent another 5 days in NY seeing everything I didn't get around to (ie. Brooklyn Bridge, nearly seeing Obama in Times Square), then back to Boston for 4 days before heading back to London.

I loved every minute of the trip and would go back to New York again for sure. And of course I will have to visit my brother and his family again before my nephews and niece forget about me!

More photos...