Ammonite Falls Hike . Vancouver Island

As some of you know, we packed up from Red Deer in the middle of March and headed out to Vancouver Island for a month long stay.  The majority of our time was spent with the boys doing their off season golf training, however, we were able to fit in a little bit of downtime here and there with visiting family and taking in a few hikes.  Despite the uncooperative weather ;).

Ammonite Falls, just outside of Nanaimo, was one of our afternoon trips.  As I know some of you visit Vancouver Island as a holiday spot, I thought I would share a little more information about the trail and falls in case you want to add it to your travel plans.

* Location: The trail is just 15 minutes west of Nanaimo. Paved roads and easy to find using google maps.
* Parking: There is a small lot just past the trail entrance. Google maps takes you to the road where the trail starts, however just drive past this and you will see the parking lot ahead.
* Time: This is a in and out trail to the falls. We had our two dogs and went at an average pace and it took about 1.5 hours
* Difficulty: The trail is really well groomed and considered easy.  Getting down to the bottom of the falls is more difficult and needs to be navigated using the rope system available on the trail. Also, the bottom of the viewing area is rather small and enough area for a few people at a time.
* Geocaching: We didn't manage to actually find any on our hike (this seems to be a recurring problem for us, haha), but there were quite a few noted on our GPS.

If you have any questions at all about the hike, don't hesitate to send me an email! 

Leigha

5 TIPS FOR VISITING THE VALLEY OF FIRE STATE PARK . NEVADA

Last April we had a stopover in Las Vegas on our spring family holiday. Since neither of us, or our kids are really into any of the typical Las Vegas 'things to do' options, we ventured out of the city to something that is more our style.  So, if you are anything like us, perhaps you will find this helpful to check out The Valley of Fire State Park if you ever find yourself in the area.

1.  ABOUT A 45 MINUTE DRIVE

The state park is about a 45 minute drive from the north side of Las Vegas. And as a bonus a drive through the desert is always an added bonus.

2. $10 ENTRANCE FEE

The entrance fee per vehicle is $10 daily.  There is a fantastic visitor centre as well with exhibits featuring geology, ecology, prehistory and history of the park and nearby regions.  They also have information on the hikes available throughout the park.  A must stop when you first arrive. 

3. PLAN YOUR VISIT EARLY OR LATE IN THE DAY

As with any visit to the desert the heat can be a little overwhelming in the middle of the day.  Especially for kids.  And me ;).  We visiting the park in April in the middle of the day and found it was tolerable, however I wouldn't recommend it if you had younger children.  Hats, sunscreen and water are all musts.

4. MANY EASY HIKES TO CHOOSE FROM

In the couple of hours we were there, we managed to get in two hikes.  Our first one, the White Domes Trail is a must see.  It is a loop trail, at the beginning featuring an area that was used for the filming of a 1966 movie.  In the middle of the hike you find yourself in the area pictured above, a long slot canyon. 

5.  DON'T MISS THE PETROGLYPHS

Petroglyph Canyon is a short in and out hike.  These ancient rock carvings are spread throughout this canyon and are defiantly worth slowing down to take a peek.

I hope these images and tips inspired you to get out of the city and into nature on your next visit to the desert!

SCOTLAND . TRAVELS

This trip to Scotland wasn't something I had planned for a long time, yet I feel like it was planned for me.  It fell into my lap, with my oldest son qualifying to play in a Team Canada golf tournament there.

I definitely wouldn't describe myself as a confident adventurer on my own, and am super thankful for my husband for his encouragement to go.  And sometimes you are given opportunities you just can't say no to, and you have to say yes.

Perhaps we should all do that more often.

Most of my touring, other than my trip into Edinburgh, was done solo. I'm not sure if any of you have traveled this way or experienced this, but it kind of puts a new perspective on what you see. It's quiet. And it seems as though the space between you and what you see are closer. More connected. A stronger sense, if you allow yourself to listen, as to what the story is telling you.

And after coming back home, I stumbled across this quote ....

".....Whether you believe you are walking into dead geographical location, which is used to get to a destination, or whether you are emerging out into a landscape that is just as much, if not more, alive as you, but in a totally different form. And if you go towards it with an open heart and a real watchful reverence, that you will be absolutely amazed at what it will reveal to you. And I think that that was one of the recognitions of the Celtic imagination: that landscape wasn't just matter, but that it was actually alive. What amazes me about landscape, landscape recalls you into a mindful mode of stillness, solitude, and silence where you can truly receive time."  John O'Donohue

So what I hope what comes across to you in this collective images of Scotland is what it felt like to be there. To be in a place that was so in tune and confident with what it is. From the people, to the land to the feeling in the air. Unapologetically strong, wild, real and honest.

1.  THE STREETS OF ST. ANDREWS & THE HOME OF GOLF

St. Andrews is small, quaint and quiet.  Just how I like things.  It is located on the East side of Scotland along the ocean and mainly known as the Home of Golf.  However, it has so much more to offer.   The University is also a large part of the town, along with being a weekend tourist destination for UK locals.

2.  WEST SANDS BEACH, ST. ANDREWS

The beach runs right along the golf courses of St. Andrews, and is famously known for being the incredible backdrop for the beach scene from the movie Chariots of Fire.  The type of beach with miles of white sand, people on horseback, dogs playing fetch in the ocean and wind in your hair.

3.  THE PLACES GOLF TAKES US

It still seems surreal that I was in SCOTLAND, watching this boy do something he loves.

4.  THE LANDSCAPE

Quite often when I am wandering the golf courses and watching my boys golf, my camera in in hand.  Not only taking photographs of them, but there is always so much beauty in the landscape around.  And in spending four to five hours surrounded by it, I can't help but feel grateful.

5.  EDINBURGH

The obligatory tourist visits to the castle and the royal mile.  Along with the hundreds of other people who had the same idea on the same day ;).

6.  THE FLOWERS OF SCOTLAND

Some bits of beauty.

MONACO IN MAY . INSTAGRAM

Those of you who follow me on Instagram, will know how much I filled up your feeds with my iPhone photos from Monaco :). Normally when I travel I use my DSLR a lot more.  Like every day.  All day.  But on this trip I wanted to pack lighter and decided to only bring it out on a few select days.  Which meant a few lot more photographs taken on my phone.  Which, seeing all of them together here, makes me just as happy.