This was a hell of a summer. 2016 has been a great year thus far, and after returning to Florida for the rest of the year, I figured I would write a quick recap of what I’ve been up to this July and August.
The summer started with a quick trip to Saskatchewan. My grandma has a cabin in Waskesui, Saskatchewan, and most of my family took a week long trip to the cabin in early July. We had a great time visiting with relatives from both sides of my family. The sunsets at Waskesui Lake were particularly beautiful.
After 5 days of golfing, visiting, and hanging out by the lake, I packed up and headed to Vancouver. My brother Taylor came into town in July, and we tried our hardest to show him the best of BC in just 7 days. We started his visit with a trip to Coal Harbour, and a tour of the downtown core.
After touring Vancouver, we hiked to the top of Cypress to show Taylor the city from above. Eagle Bluffs is a great hike that isn’t too challenging – about 3 hours round trip. The hike ends at a viewpoint that really shows off the lower mainland – personally it’s one of my favorite views. We did the hike with my girlfriend and her sister, and got some really great photos from the day.
After showing off Vancouver, I really wanted to take Taylor up to Kalamalka Lake near Vernon, BC. My girlfriend Amanda has a trailer between Wood Lake and Kalamalka Lake, and it’s one of my favorite spots in the province. We spent the August long weekend on the boat trying our best to wake-surf, playing tennis, and enjoying the yearly concert that the trailer park puts on. It was definitely one of the best weekends of the year for me. You can see more pictures from that trip here.
And yes, I’m aware of how often I wear my blue Hawaiian shirt. It’s awesome.
Almost immediately after Taylor left, my older brother Graeme and his fiance Ashten arrived for a weekend trip to the city. Amanda and I were happy to play host for another sibling, it forced us to get out and show off the lower mainland. Our first stop was Stanley Park, where we spent a few hours biking around before stopping for drinks and a great meal at Meat & Bread.
We stopped by White Rock in the evening to revisit our old neighborhood, and went for dinner at one of our favorite spots, the Washington Avenue Grill. Graeme was turning 30 in a couple of days, so we had a nice birthday dinner and walked along the pier. It was a jam-packed day, but somehow we managed to top it on Saturday.
We woke up at 7AM the following day, and despite a few hangovers made it to Squamish to hike the Chief before hundreds of other hikers would pack the trail. It’s about a 3 hour trek, not counting a stop at the top to enjoy the view. It’s a must do if you’re in the lower mainland. Graeme and Ashten both loved it.
We had a goodbye dinner after our hike (and a quick stop at Howe Sound Brewing). We tried out Salt Tasting Room which was fantastic, they pair wine, cheese and meat for you so it was a cool experience. After popping some champagne to celebrate Graeme’s birthday, and a few of my favorite new drinks (a classic Nagroni is delicious), we headed home and saw them off in the morning. It was another awesome visit.
With our guests gone, Amanda and I spent the rest of our summer playing tennis, trying out the new breweries in Port Moody, and getting up to the lake one more time for good measure. Sprinkle in a few wineries and some trips to Kits and Jericho Beach, and you have my summer. Plus, I got to meet one of my best friends newest additions – baby Enzo.
That’s a good note to cap it off on. I flew back to Florida in the beginning of September. It was hard to leave, but this summer will be an easy one to remember. Definitely a 10 out of 10.