Adventures Galleries

Hawaii - The Island of Oahu : After many visits to the Big Island and Kauai, we decided to change it up and visit a new Hawaiian island....this time visiting the island of Oahu. Now, I've always felt that Oahu has a reputation of being crowded, touristy, and expensive. But after spending 11 full days on the island, I can now say with 100% confidence that this is a great place full of beautiful sights, amazing food, and kind people. We visited a different beach every day, found some great local favorite food stops, and were constantly in awe of our surroundings. Here's a few favorites from our trip: Best Beach - Three Tables Beach at Pupukea Beach Park. This beach on the North Shore has the perfect mix of sand and snorkeling. It's a litle quieter than the beaches near Waikiki, and the water was extremely calm and clear. The snorkeling around the tables was excellent, and we were able to find a nice patch of sand with our own little secluded cove. Other beaches we visisted on the trip include: - Lanikai - beautiful white flour sand and offshore islands - Waikiki - probably the most famous beach in the world - Kailua - fun waves to get clobbered by and lots of kitesurfing to watch - Yokohama - talk about another world....just drive up the Waianae coast and you'll know what I mean - Kaneohe sand bar - we encountered some rain but still really cool spot that you reach by boat or kayak - Waimea Bay - my second favorite spot...what a cool rock to jump from! - Ko Olina - very calm lagoon waters, fun to relax in (although not much relaxing with little Alex cruising around) Best Food Stops - Shave Ice - a must have while in Hawaii, I have to say Matsumoto's was probably the best. A close second is Aoki's, followed by Island Snow - Hawaiian food - Try Ono Hawaiian for authentic Hawaiian...Kalua Pig, LauLau, etc. We visited multiple times and were never disappointed - Thai food - Phuket Thai just outside of Waikiki - Seafood - Go to the North Shore to Ted's Bakery. Amazing Garlic Shrimp plate lunches with a Chocolate coconut pie afterwards. We really enjoyed our time on Oahu...it was great to explore a new place, and realize that Oahu has so much to offer. We'd definitely go back to visit again, and hope these pictures will entice others to see it as well.

Hawaii - The Island of Oahu

After many visits to the Big Island and Kauai, we decided to change it ...

Updated: Sep 19, 2009 3:36pm PST

Sneffels Wilderness Area : A great weekend getaway to the San Juan Mountains with Oneea and the Halstead's. It was a perfect weekend, complete with campfires (compliments of Andrew's wood smashing), amazing campsites, "Bob", red wine, cold beer, g'ang (gin / tang named after gma jane), and a few hikes near Mt Sneffels. We vowed this would be the first of many trips....Thanks Andrew and Sarah for joining us and already looking forward to the next trip!

Sneffels Wilderness Area

A great weekend getaway to the San Juan Mountains with Oneea and the H ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 1:16pm PST

Backpacking the Indian Peaks : The first annual backpacking trip with the TELUS crew: Saleem, Darren and Neel. We spent 3 days in the mountains just West of Boulder, Colorado (the Indian Peaks Wilderness)....a well known spot along the Front Range. We hiked 9+ miles to get away from the crowds and spend a few nights along the shores of Mirror Lake. Hard to beat a place like this...

Backpacking the Indian Peaks

The first annual backpacking trip with the TELUS crew: Saleem, Darren ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 1:12pm PST

Weekend getaway to Banff National Park : Finally, Finally, Finally....The stars aligned and we were able to spend a few days in beautiful Banff National Park. I could spend months exploring this park, but that's not likely to happen for another 25 years...So, we packed a week's worth of activities into 2 full days of sightseeing and hiking. After spending the first part of the week in Edmonton for work, we took off to Calgary so that we could eat breakfast at our most favorite spot in Canada "De Dutch". Great breakfast pannekoek (Alex had his first), and then on to Banff just a 90 minute drive from Calgary. We setup at the Fox Hotel...great place right in Banff and also has it's own hot springs cave. We planned out every sunrise and sunset and then went for it. Here's a few of my favorite pictures from the short time were were there (although, we'll definitely be coming back).

Weekend getaway to Banff National Park

Finally, Finally, Finally....The stars aligned and we were able to spe ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:19pm PST

Weekend Trip to Vail for Alex's 1st Birthday : For Alex's first birthday, we headed up to Vail Colorado for the weekend to stay at the Vail Cascade Resort. It also happened to be Fathers Day, so we combined the two occasions for a huge party (not really) up in the mountains. Saturday was spent walking through Vail and spending some time at the annual Chili cookoff event. Sunday we headed up the backroads to Piney Lake Lodge 45 minutes outside of Vail. It was a good time, and still can't believe Alex is already a year old! He's a big boy now, and will probably be walking any day now.

Weekend Trip to Vail for Alex's 1st Birthday

For Alex's first birthday, we headed up to Vail Colorado for the weeke ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 1:18pm PST

Road Trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park : Another weekend, another adventure. This time we headed South for the weekend to the Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, Colorado. The weather forecast called for low 70's and lots of wind....and boy were they right! It was windy, windy, windy...so much so that it really altered our plans and limited what we could do as a family. We attempted to play in Medano Creek on Saturday, but just couldn't stay for too long because it was just too cold and windy for Alex. He wasn't exactly enjoying our "beach time", so we packed up our stuff and headed back to the hotel completely defeated by the wind. On Sunday, we came back to the Park and again it was windy. I decided to brave it and hike the dunes, while Oneea took the boys for breakfast at a restaurant nearby. I had just under 2 hours to explore, and take some pictures before she came back to pick me up. And in 2 hours, I realized how amazing the Great Sand Dunes really are. I took photo after photo, and was absolutely amazed with the scenery. It was harsh due to the wind, but I would come back in a heartbeat to explore this place more (only next time I'll pay better attention to the forecast).

Road Trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park

Another weekend, another adventure. This time we headed South for the ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 1:20pm PST

Road Trip to South Dakota Badlands National Park : For the Memorial day weekend, we hit the road and headed up to South Dakota for 4 days of sightseeing. Of particular interest was Badlands National Park, which is an 8 hour drive from our house in Colorado. We stayed within the park at the Cedar Pass Lodge, and were continually amazed at the landscape that surrounded us. The Badlands is such a striking contrast from the rest of the area...one minute you're on completely flat land, and out of nowhere comes jagged mountains, sharp spires, and deep canyons. It's truly a complete 180 from the rest of the surrounding area. We really enjoyed our time (even though the weather felt more like Vancouver than the high desert - it rained every day we were there) and definitely think we'll be back to explore again. While we were in the area, we found time to visit the very famous Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore National Monument, and Cascade Falls. On our next trip, we'll likely try to camp somewhere in the backcountry of the Badlands, and also hopefully squeeze in a sidetrip to Devils Tower National Monument in Eastern Wyoming.

Road Trip to South Dakota Badlands National Park

For the Memorial day weekend, we hit the road and headed up to South D ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:14pm PST

Road Trip to Utah and Northern Arizona - May 2009 : On a last minute decision, we hit the road to visit Southern Utah and Northern Arizona for 10 days to see some of best of the American Southwest. We had a great time and saw some amazing places....such a big difference between this area and the lush greenery of BC and the Pacific Northwest where we spent the majority of the last 5 years. We went at a great time because the weather was warm (but not too warm), and the crowds were light since the busy season doesn't really start until Memorial Day weekend. A couple of our favorites along the trip include: 1) Upper Antelope Canyon - a completely unique experience that showcases nature at it's best 2) Zion National Park - as Oneea put it, when you enter the park, you feel like you've stepped into another world. The landscape is otherworldly. It's a place we'll be sure to visit again, and already have plans to head back in October to get a shot at the Subway and the Narrows (along with the fall colors) 3) Goblin Valley State Park - what a cool out of the way spot. We will be sure to camp here someday when Alex is a little older....a kid's natural playground. 4) Springdale, UT - great little town, good food, amazing scenery. Would definitely come back here again. There's so much to see in this area and 10 days is nowhere near enough time to truly experience...Besides our Zion trip this coming October, I also want to spend more time in Arizona to see Havasu Falls (trail still closed as of May 1st), The Wave in Coyote Buttes North, and the Painted Desert. Oh, and can't forget the obvious....Grand Canyon.

Road Trip to Utah and Northern Arizona - May 2009

On a last minute decision, we hit the road to visit Southern Utah and ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:13pm PST

Raimiti Fakarava in April 2007 : Fakarava (April 2007) - the second largest atoll in the Tuamotu island chain in the South Pacific. The island is roughly 100 miles northeast of Tahiti but seemingly a million miles away from everything. After flying into Fakarava's airport, we drove 1.5 hours by boat south to Raimiti, an isolated pension on the southeast side of the island. It's incredibly hard to find words to describe Raimiti...It's so unique and different from anything we've ever experienced that we felt as though we'd found a new world. Six nights filled with unique experiences, learning, and discovery. Thanks to Junior and Elvina for following and sharing their dream of Raimiti with us.

Raimiti Fakarava in April 2007

Fakarava (April 2007) - the second largest atoll in the Tuamotu island ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2009 1:24pm PST

Honeymoon in Bora Bora - Jan 2005 : Our first trip to the South Pacific was to the small island of Bora Bora. We now officially have the Tahitian Flu and can't wait for our next visit. All other trips are on hold (Switzerland, New Zealand, Nepal, etc) until we can get our fill of the South Pacific.

Honeymoon in Bora Bora - Jan 2005

Our first trip to the South Pacific was to the small island of Bora Bo ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 1:50pm PST

Road Trip to Oregon and Northern California - 2006 : We spent 2 weeks on the road in September 2006 exploring Oregon and a bit of Northern California. We went from place to place via our Ford Excursion, and camped overnight in the back of our car. It was a great way to see the state and all of it's beautiful areas. We miss the road already (and the wetwipe morning showers, nightly drives, refreshing swimming holes, harvest moons, starbucks in Prineville, trees bigger than life, and bottles of champagne and wine). Hope you enjoy the pictures. Feedback and comments are always welcome.

Road Trip to Oregon and Northern California - 2006

We spent 2 weeks on the road in September 2006 exploring Oregon and a ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:05pm PST

Big Island of Hawaii - 2006 : I spent 3 weeks in Hawaii visiting all of the islands in 2001, and found the Big Island most matched my personality. Since then, I've come back to visit 4 or 5 different times. Along the way, I proposed to and married my wife Oneea. I've shared some of my favorite spots such as Waipio Valley, Kealakekua Bay and Makalwena Beach with friends and family.

Big Island of Hawaii - 2006

I spent 3 weeks in Hawaii visiting all of the islands in 2001, and fou ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:51pm PST

Moorea and Tahiti : This was part 2 of our April 2007 South Pacific adventure. We spent the first day sightseeing and then the next 3 days sick in bed. When it was all said and done, I spent the night at the Tahiti hospital ER with a case of Dengue Fever. It was a tough second half of the trip to say the least.

Moorea and Tahiti

This was part 2 of our April 2007 South Pacific adventure. We spent th ...

Updated: Dec 01, 2007 7:52pm PST

Road Trip to Oregon and Northern California - 2007 : Our 2nd road trip down to Oregon and Northern California. This time, we did a lot of driving so that we could see a couple new spots. Here was the trip plan: - Vancouver to Neskowin, OR - 2 days with Oneea's Family on the Oregon coast - Neskowin, OR to Crescent City, CA - 2 days at the Redwoods (with the mandatory stopover in Corvallis for Local Boyz) - Crescent City, CA to Dunsmuir, CA - 1 night in the Mt Shasta area (Visited Weaverville, Redding, Mossbrae Falls, Mt Shasta, McLoud Falls) - Dunsmuir, CA to Lassen Volcanic Nation Park - 1 night in the "Little Yellowstone" - Lassen Park to Sisters, OR - The mandatory stop at the Gallery restaurant - Sisters, OR to Mitchell, OR - 2 days at the Painted Hills - And a very long trip from the Painted Hills back to Squamish, BC We had a great time with lots of adventures along the way. Some of our favorites along the way included: - Best Fish and Chips - The Gallery in Sisters, OR - Best Mexican - El Paraiso in Canyonville, OR - Best city - Redding, CA (starbucks, In-N-Out and Jamba Juice all within a mile of each other) - Best Campsite - Lassen Volcanic National Park (incredibly quiet, cool mountain air, and amazing stars) We covered nearly 2500 miles, and pitched our tent nearly every night while on the road. Although we've seen a lot of Oregon, there's still several drives that I want to do next year including Hells Canyon and the Steens Loop.

Road Trip to Oregon and Northern California - 2007

Our 2nd road trip down to Oregon and Northern California. This time, w ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:07pm PST

Road Trip to Oregon - 2008 : This was our 3rd annual road trip to Oregon...I think we can now officially call it a tradition. We spent the first few days along the coast in the small village of Neskowin with Oneea's family. We celebrated Gma Jane's birthday, played lots of beach volleyball, and let Alex get lots of love and attention from the ladies in the family. After 4 days along the coast, we headed inland where we spent 2 days in Corvallis, 2 days in Sisters, and 3 days in Mitchell. Along the way, we visited some of our favorite places, and even found time to see a few new places. Hope you enjoy!

Road Trip to Oregon - 2008

This was our 3rd annual road trip to Oregon...I think we can now offic ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 3:08pm PST

Business Trip to Prague : My first trip to Europe was for a weeklong training course in the beautiful city of Prague in the Czech Republic. I had a day before and after the training to wander around the streets and visit places like Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, Mala Strana, and the Prague Castle.

Business Trip to Prague

My first trip to Europe was for a weeklong training course in the beau ...

Updated: May 02, 2008 10:15pm PST

Winter Weekend Trip to Lake Louise : We took a quick 48 hour weekend trip down the highway from Edmonton to visit the beautiful mountain town of Lake Louise. It was a place I've always wanted to visit and I can tell you that the Canadian Rockies do not disappoint. They are hands down the most rugged mountains I have seen. We didn't have much time, but still were able to explore a bit by taking a drive up the highway towards Jasper. It was incredibly cold (-45 C) so we didn't get to explore as much as we had hoped, but we made the best of it and enjoyed all of the things in Canada that we've been missing since our time in Vancouver. We'll definitely be making another trip up here in the Summer to enjoy all the area has to offer.

Winter Weekend Trip to Lake Louise

We took a quick 48 hour weekend trip down the highway from Edmonton to ...

Updated: Dec 17, 2008 6:25pm PST

Road Trip to Eastern BC : Given that we live in the Sea to Sky corridor of Southwestern BC, we rarely get out to other parts of the province because there's so much to see in our backyard. Well, this Summer we gave it our best shot and headed out for a road trip to see some other areas of BC. We found lots of great places including: Cathedral Provincial Park, Nelson, Kaslo, the ghost town of Sandon, Vernon, Osoyoos and Keremeos. We also visited two hot springs on the trip: Ainsworth and Naksup. All in all, a great trip that showed us what a big and beautiful province BC really is.

Road Trip to Eastern BC

Given that we live in the Sea to Sky corridor of Southwestern BC, we r ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:13pm PST

Hiking Up Black Tusk : A day trip up to Black Tusk. We originally had our eyes on the summit, but after finding the proper chimney, we decided we were too old and wimpy to scramble up the class 3 chute. Instead, Mike surprised us with a cold 6 pack of brews that he managed to lug up the mountain. Perfect weather, good company, and a stop afterwards at Howe Sound Brewery. Final stats for the day: Round Trip - 29 km Elevation Gain - 1650 meters High Point - The base of the chimney Start Time - 8am Reached Base of Chimney - 12:30pm Drank beer until - 2pm Back at Car - 5pm Howe Sound Brewery - Beers, Yam Fries, Burgers

Hiking Up Black Tusk

A day trip up to Black Tusk. We originally had our eyes on the summit, ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2009 1:29pm PST

Hiking Mt Cook with Sata : In just a few weeks, my good friend Neel is packing up his family and moving back to New York. I had to make sure before he left that he summit at least one mountain in BC. So on Sept 12th, we left Vancouver at 4:50am for a day trip that would turn out to be quite an adventure. We knew it was going to be a long day as we had an aggressive agenda which would take us from the Wedgemout Lake trailhead just North of Whistler all the way to the summit Mt. Cook and then all the way back down in one day's time. In all, we would gain a total of 6316 feet and hike roughly 25km. This would be a big day for the most seasoned of mountaineers...something Neel and I are not! The good news is that we made it...the bad news is we were so beat up by the end of the hike that we both exhibited the first signs of delirium. Here's a quick rundown of the day: Left Vancouver - 4:50am (and made the mandatory coffee stop at Timmy's - I'm now addicted) Started hiking - 7:15am Arrived at Wedgemount Lake - 10:00am Arrived at Summit of Mt Cook - 2:45pm Back at the Car - 8:45pm (hiked the last hour in the dark with one headlamp) Arrived at Whistler McDonald's - 9:00pm Back in Vancouver - 11:30pm It was a great day, we met our objective and Neel summitted his first mountain. It's definitely gonna take awhile to recover from the pain of this hike though...definitely had my fill of scree, rock, and tree roots. The legs, ankles, knees, toes, and heels are not real happy with me at the moment but it was all worth it. Thanks for heading up Neel. A couple other high points from the trip: - Pre Hike music included all the old goodies - NWA, Snoop, Warren G - Coined new term - “bastardo rocks”, a new term in mountaineering describing the miserable, un-trustable rocks that tried to break our ankles all day long - Hallucinating a mouse, 2 bears, and a skunk in the dark forest on the way back down - Our “mini-feast” at McDonalds - Quarter pounders, nuggets, lrge fries, pies, sundaes, multiple large drinks. We were even offered a free chocolate shake afterwards because we spent so much money.

Hiking Mt Cook with Sata

In just a few weeks, my good friend Neel is packing up his family and ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:11pm PST

Hiking to Wedgemount Lake : After much banter, Neel and Ashik finally joined me on a hike in the mountains. Wedgemount Lake was the day's objective. We started the hike at 9am sharp. It took us 3 hours of uphill grind to reach the lake. From there, we headed over to Wedgemount Glacier. Ashik conquered his fear of water (sort of), and Neel and I decided to test the waters of Wedgemount...the swim lasted less than 5 seconds as the lake is just above freezing temperature. After spending 3 hours around the lake and glacier, we packed up and headed back down to the car. 2 hours later, we were back to the car and pretty well drained. All in all, an excellent day in the hills. Final stats for the day: Round Trip - 9.4 miles (15 km) Elevation Gain - 3900 ft (1200 meters) High Point - 6300 ft (1920 meters) Start Time - 9am Reached Lake - 12pm Back at Car - 5pm

Hiking to Wedgemount Lake

After much banter, Neel and Ashik finally joined me on a hike in the m ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:12pm PST

Hiking Taylor Peak : After nearly 2 years of talking about spending a day in the hills, the stars aligned and Scott and Bob joined me on a hike in the mountains. Leaving from the Joffre Lakes Trailhead, Tszil Mountain was the day's objective. We started the hike at 8:40am. It took us 2 quick hours of uphill hiking to reach the upper lake. From there, we took a right and headed towards the col between Taylor and Tszil Mountains. Scott pulverized some rock into rock flour, and Bob found his inner peace. As for me, I was an excellent meal for the bloodthirsty mosquito's. After nearly 8 hours of grinding uphill, we made the col and decided to go after Taylor Peak. We didn't quite make the summit, but we did find a nice subsummit that we affectionately named. Another 4 hours back down to the car, followed up by a stop at McDonalds in Pemberton (best food I've ever sunk my teeth into), and a gatorade stop at the gas station. All in all, another excellent day in the hills. Final stats for the day: Round Trip - 18 km Elevation Gain - 1200 meters High Point - 2300 meters Start Time - 8:40am Reached subsummit of Taylor Peak - 3 pm Back at Car - 7:40pm

Hiking Taylor Peak

After nearly 2 years of talking about spending a day in the hills, the ...

Updated: Sep 10, 2009 2:08pm PST

The Sanftleben's visit Boulder : After spending some time in Colorado Springs, the Sanftleben's came up to our house for a few days of fun along the Front Range. Unfortunately, the car situation didn't work out well and Scott and Dorothy learned more about Cash for Clunkers than Boulder and the surroundings.

The Sanftleben's visit Boulder

After spending some time in Colorado Springs, the Sanftleben's came up ...

Updated: Oct 15, 2009 8:51pm PST

Weekend Getaway to Monterey Bay : Recently spent a weekend along the Northern California coastline. What a cool place! We spent some time at the beach, visited IN-N-OUT Burger (must do in California!) and went to the Monterey Bay aquarium. Also, can't say enough good things about Cannery Row in Monterey and the hotel we stayed at, the Spindrift Inn. We'll definitely be back to visit again someday.

Weekend Getaway to Monterey Bay

Recently spent a weekend along the Northern California coastline. What ...

Updated: Oct 31, 2009 9:56am PST