The Exploratorium in San Francisco is not your average museum. In fact, it’s pretty much unlike any other museum I’ve visited so I won’t call it that. It’s an imagination-boosting, mind-bending, tinker-encouraging, eye-opening, fun-filled space for science and discovery. It was another stop during our recent trip to San Francisco with Disney Canada and Travel […]

There are various San Francisco activities and landmarks that make a trip to the City by the Bay complete such as a tour of Alcatraz, dinner at the legendary Tonga Room, family fun at Pier 39, photo ops at the Golden Gate Bridge, riding a cable car or navigating Lombard Street. For families, fans of […]

One place I have always wanted to visit when in San Francisco is Alcatraz, which is as notorious as some of its former prisoners. The 9 hectare island sits about 2.4kms from San Francisco and has had many lives. First as a lighthouse, military fort and military prison in the 1860s, then as a federal […]

Photos and write-up about a visit to Maquoketa Caves State Park Iowa

On a typical grey day in early May I spent an afternoon touring three wineries, a bistro, and a chocolate shop in the Comox Valley with a media group as we sampled delicious treats from some of the region’s best local producers. The trip was hosted by Tourism Vancouver Island and when we reached Courtenay […]

John and I enjoyed a few days exploring “The Other Vancouver”, which is Vancouver, Washington. Located about two hours south of Seattle along the I-5, this Vancouver sits along the Columbia River and was incorporated in 1857, 29 years before Vancouver, BC. While planning our trip to the “other” Vancouver in Washington State we knew […]

There had to be a better way to get pedestrians over a set of busy train tracks and a four-lane highway in a scenic riverside city and Vancouver, Washington found the perfect solution. In 2008, with federal, state, and private funding, the Vancouver Land Bridge opened to the public. This 40-foot wide paved pathway links […]

It’s one of those moments in the life of a Pacific Northwest resident that everyone remembers — where they were, what they heard, what they thought it was. I was only a few months old when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980 but from 500km away, people (like my mother) recall hearing the […]

Last August, John and I were invited to the Ka’anapali Fresh Festival on Maui, which celebrated locally-grown ingredients prepared by local chefs at a variety of unique beachfront events. On top of the festival, we toured MauiGrown Coffee, had a beer pairing lunch with Maui Brewing, and even managed to fit in a volcano sunrise. […]

Pinot Noir grapes are mainly associated with Burgundy but Andy Johnston of Averill Creek Winery on Vancouver Island are putting Duncan on the global Pinot map. Averill Creek is the largest estate grown vineyard and winery on Vancouver Island and they’re producing everything from Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer to a Foch Cab. “I’m a grape […]