Sunshine Coast & the world's worst bear photo

A moment we've wanted for over a year: a bear encounter.

David and I were walking through a woodland near our cottage in Davis Bay...and we walked into a male adolescent bear. He was 10 feet in front of us & directly on our path.

We both jumped back and watched the bear's bottom disappear into the scrubs.

Thinking we were safe, we walked on clapping and shouting 'hey bear' as we'd been taught to do. A loud rumble in the scrubs next to us told us Mr. Bear hadn't gone very far - however after hearing our footsteps, he scurried off further (about 15 feet) before turning around and watching us.

On David's instruction, I then tried to take a photo - hurriedly - while the opportunity presented itself. I didn't realise the flash was on. So not only did I flash in the bear's face, I also took the world's worst picture. It was daytime - and this was the result:

Yes, you can only see the bear's eyes glaring in the dark. The bear looks scary here - he was actually gorgeous, with a black shiny coat.

By contrast, I thought it was worth sharing Dee and Bob's photos of bears from three days earlier. They'd seen a Mum and three cubs while walking in whistler:

Despite the awful photo, David and I were both delighted - and we tiptoed our way through the rest of our walk in hope of another encounter...

CS

Sunshine Coast: part 2

We went for a 4km hike in Sckookumchuck Provisional Park in search of rapids. At the highest tide, unusual rapids formed through the narrows, creating a stunning scene.

Here are some photos of our venture:

 

We finished our day by eating at the Lighthouse Pub, a rather well-known, loud & popular place in the Sunshine Coast.

CS

Sunshine Coast: part 1

For our next adventure with Dee & Bob, we headed to the Sunshine Coast, which is a short ferry ride from Vancouver and predictably, renowned for its sunshine.

We stayed in Davis Bay. I've included the map below, as we travelled far and wide throughout the region so it's a useful reference point for places:

We arrived to find very cute accommodation - check it out:

What perhaps was somewhat of a surprise was the sleeping arrangements. We walked in to find all four of us would be essentially sleeping in one room:

I was entirely to blame for this arrangement - as the person who had booked the accommodation! We made it work fine, but good learning for me...

CS

Diner en Blanc Vancouver

A spectacular evening for me; I went to Vancouver's first ever Diner en Blanc.

I was invited by my favourite client to help staff media & was truly delighted by the invitation! 

To explain: Diner en Blanc originated from France and it's essentially an all white pop-up dinner party with style. Obviously the dress code is all white and guests need to bring their own table, chairs and dinner ware too as it's an entirely sustainable affair. Check out my white attire: 

What's also fun is that no one knows the location. Leaders meet groups of guests at different

areas in the city and walk them to the secret location. Think of 'Step Up to the Streets' with a twist. The venue was Jack Poole Plaza, an iconic place in the city. As the light dimmed, this was the party scene:

There was lots of rules regarding etiquette too. For example, you cannot stand up during dinner; the dinner ceremony kicks off with everyone waving serviettes; the dinner ends with guests lighting sparklers. Fabulous idea. Worth a repeat visit in 2013.

CS

Deep Cove & Maplewood Flats - Round Two

We took our visitors (Dee & Bob) to some of our favourite haunts in the North Shore today (Sarah Spain, this itinerary may sound familiar to you...).

We began by circling Maplewood Flats, a hot spot for wildlife, before heading to Deep Cove, a stunning & popular village. Typically Deep Cove is a quiet place - today, it was packed - as locals competed to travel as far as possible in the cardboard boats they'd created (yep, that kind of contest draws a big crowd here).

We finished off with a trip up Seymour Mountain to check out the views over the city.

Still no bear sightings despite our best efforts. We'll continue on our quest. However we did spot pretty starfish:

Here is Bob, Dee & David chilling out in the Maplewood Flats...

I'll confess; the leaves weren't falling down around us. We staged our romantic scene:

A few birdies...there were many in Maplewood Flats...

An Osprey...our first sighting of one of these...

CS

Golden Ears Provincial Park

With the arrival of Dee & Bob (David's parents), we had a good excuse to seek new adventures.

Today we tackled Golden Ears Provincial Park, to add to our collection of park visits (e.g. Yoho, Banff, Jasper, Wells Gray, Manning, Garibaldi to name a few).

We printed off a trusty map (here for reference) & hiked the Lower Falls Trail. Here are some of our snaps:

We also briefly stopped at Alouette Lake, however it wasn't as calm or serene as we'd hoped. People covered the sand & Stag-style parties were taking place on boats. Good to know where to go when looking for a wild weekend.

CS

Ladies night at the races

An interesting evening for us: my company (Peak) took us all to the races - at Hastings Race Course!

Admittedly it wasn't quite Ascot, but we dressed up for the occasion none the less:

It was an evening of frolicking and fun, betting and booze. 

We even sat in the commentator's box for a few minutes. Quite an experience; the commentator can talk at an impressive speed.

David and I betted six times between us - and didn't win a single cent in return. Gambling isn't our strong point. 

CS