Guess who had never ever been to Canada in her entire life even though it's just right up there? Me. Two thumbs pointing at this girl. Canada. Home of the hottest elected official on the planet (although it's a tough call between JT and Sadiq Khan, maybe even a draw), the Rocky Mountain northern version, decent USD exchange rates (this month, at least), and my new favorite town, Fernie, BC. Also, it's just four hours north of Missoula, we can drive to another country! After driving from Mexico to Missoula, four hours is nothing. It's a short nap (which is how I missed most of the drive up). It had been exactly two months since we'd seen a sign like this, the last time we were at the butt of Texas. Driving through was no problem. No one cared that Monet was sleeping in the back, no one stamped our passports (a slight bummer), and there was not one other car in line. It seemed like a strange dream. It was just so easy. They just let us in. And we could have maybe stayed forever. We planned to camp for the three day weekend, do some hiking, do some mountain biking, and hang out in the woods cooking dinner at night. What we didn't do was any sort of research on what camping is like, or to make a reservation at the standard campground area near all of the trails. Canada-newbie rookie mistake. We showed up ready to set up our tent to find that there was both no space available at the Provincial campground, and there was no obvious back country camping (although we tried beyond our realm of patience to find some). One good thing about traveling extensively with your partner is that you both recognize when it is time to change the original plan. After driving around for way too long and considering our non-camping options we decided to forgo the RV park tent camping next to the dumpster and book a spot at Island Lake Lodge instead. This lodge is more of a winter destination (they specialize in Cat Skiing, and the property is owned by a group of professional ex-snowboarders and skiers), so we were lucky to find a pet friendly room at an off-season rate. To get here, you drive six miles up a private road and end up at this lake at the base of the Lizard Range. After a hike up to Mt. Baldy, we got this rainbow at the bottom of the trail. "It's all the way across the sky," I exclaimed, then completely understanding how a person could be fully enamored with a double rainbow reaching across a valley floor, even while (claiming to be) totally sober. Me and Spencer in our natural states. I think our faces here pretty much reflect our personalities 100%. Digressing...even Monet had the best time! Her favorite part of the trip was napping in the car, but hiking was a close second. Tongue out = fun out(ting). Dare I even say it? I shouldn't. I'll say it anyway. I love Fernie and totally want to move here. I know, I know...Missoula is awesome. It's starting to become home. And every new place is a tempting relocation option. All that said, if ever there is a reason to ditch the US and move to Canada (#drumpf), I already have my street picked out.
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Well, 11 months to be specific. Can you see that this picture captures something magic? Or am I dipping into heavy nostalgia already? I can't quite tell the difference. We spent the last two months of our journey in Oaxaca, a place that felt like home the first time we walked through the Zocalo. I've written a lot about how much I love this city, and this region in general. It's famous for the food (yeah, mole!), but I'm going to remember it most for the people. And the tylaudas (if I'm being totally honest). One of our last weekends in town, we took a trip to Hierve al Agua, this natural infinity pool on top of a mountain. In the background, there is a rock that looks like a petrified waterfall. There are hiking trails all over, and the ruins of an ancient aqueduct. On our way home, we stopped to taste Mezcal at a small stand on the side of the road, and bought a few bottles from a woman who poured the liquid into whatever receptacle was on hand (water bottle, perhaps). And that's it, that's what our time in Mexico is to me. It's adventuring. There's a little bit of planning (Spencer), and there's a little bit of waiting for the experience to happen (me). And there's a bit of surprise, always. I still can't believe we were able to make this happen. What a brilliant, incredible, insanely unforgettable year...and the the adventure continues...just somewhere with a bit more snow.
When we found out that we would be spending a year in Mexico, Puerto Escondido was the first place I added to our "must visit" list. I think I found this spot the Ian Armstrong way, a random google image search of "best spots in Mexico." Here's what I knew before we booked our trip: 1. Escondido = secret 2. The town isn't accessible by a major highway or cuota (yet - that will change in a year or so once the highway from Oaxaca is finished) 3. It looked empty and beautiful Instead of driving, or taking the 9 hour bus ride, we booked a flight on Toucan Air for a four day vacation in P.E. Toucan Air consists of one 10-passenger plane and one pilot (no co-pilot, so hopefully he starts the day with lots of caffeine) that travels for just 25 minutes over the giant mountains to the beach. Spencer really wanted to sit by the window and take pictures, but that wasn't possible - I need the window on small (really most) flights. Otherwise, who is going to constantly look out and scope the place a pilot can make an emergency landing, or that we might be able to survive by jumping out if the plane catches on fire, while listening to Taylor Swift and hoping there are no bumps. That's my job. We survived! And then this was waiting for us. Escondido, indeed-o. Ha! The end of May is not a popular time to visit, it's already starting to get super hot and we were on the verge of rainy season. But oh my, does visiting places in the off season have it's benefits. What we'd heard could be obscenely crowded beaches in the winter, were absolutely empty. Large tracks of land on the beach and the roads above the coast were completely undeveloped. I imagine this will not be the case for much longer, especially once the super-highway is finished. Knowing this makes the time spent on the Oaxacan coast even more special, it's tough to know that in 10 years, this area will most likely look very different. So go now! I'm saving details on most of our activities for the Puerto Escondido Guide, but must mention the coolest experience I've had this year. Sea turtles are endangered on the coast of Oaxaca, for various reasons (human and environmental). At the Campamento Tortuguero Palmarito, Alfonso has been riding his ATV up and down the beach to collect eggs and allow them to hatch in safety. Once the baby sea turtles are 45 days old, they are set free into the ocean for the first time. We put 100 turtles in a basket, brought them out to the beach, and placed each one in the sand. There was no confusion, each little animal turned immediately towards the waves and scuttled quickly away. To the sea, and the big waves, and whatever else was out there waiting. Dangerous or not, they ran off to figure it out for themselves. |
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