Pretending to be at the cabin is a bit tricky when you live in a large city like Vancouver, and although there is a large body of water, the Pacific ocean, it doesn’t quite have the look and feel of Horne Lake. It’s been exactly 83 days since we last visited the cottage, and it will be another 121 days (give or take a few) before we’re there again.

While I miss wakeboarding, sitting and watching the comings and goings at the lake, campfires with our neighbours, happy hours, going for a ski just as the sun is setting and the lake is calm, playing hide and go seek at dusk with the kids and happy hours, I have found ways to cope in the off season.

Today, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite things to do in and around Vancouver. While they don’t replace being at the cabin, they are still lots of fun.

Hiking in Pacific Spirit Park - Located in UBC’s Endowment Lands, there are over 35 kilometres of trails in this 763 Hectare forest. If I want to escape, this is the first place I go. It’s lush and green 365 days of the year, and the large canopy forest helps block the rain.

Skating at Grouse Mountain Not only can I ski, skate and snowshoe, there are two really awesome restaurants on top of this snowcapped mountain. On a clear night, the view of the city is breathtaking. The four minute gondola ride is a bit chilly, but it goes fast. When you reach the top, it is truly a winter wonderland. The best part, it’s only15 minutes from downtown Vancouver.

Skiing Whistler - While Lake Louise, Breckenridge and Fernie, are my all time favourite places to ski, these days I’m getting my high altitude kicks at Whistler. Two hours on the sea-to-sky highway and I arrive at the “Number One Ranked Ski Resort in North America.” Yes, lift tickets cost over $80. Yes, it’s crazy busy over the Christmas holidays. Yes, the line-ups are long, and you need a reservation at Starbucks just to get a coffee (ok, I’m exagerating). Yes, driving the sea-to-sky highway can be a white knuckle experience, but after dropping the kids off at their ski lessons, and finally making my way to the top of the Peak Lookout, the adrenalin starts to kicks in. It’s the same rush I get just before I yell, “Hit It” on my wakeboard. The crowds and lineups are quickly forgotten, as I test my knees on the Peak to Creak run. Every year I try skiing it from top to bottom without stopping. It has yet to happen, but maybe this will be the year.

As far as happy hours go, NOTHING beats the ones we have at the cabin, but, going to Dusty’s after a day of skiing, and running into all your friends and neighbours from Vancouver, is the next best thing. The beer is cold, the nachos crispy and their barbecue wings are the delectable.

So for those folks going to their cabin or someplace warmer this Christmas, lucky you. I wish you a safe trip and some great memories. For those of you who are staying home, tell us what you’re up to. And if you happen to be in Whistler, drop by Dusty’s. You can find me upstairs in the back corner, or next to the pinball machines.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 5:00 am and is filed under Road Trips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.