All posts filed under: Road Trips

Weekend Getaway: I Went to Washington for a Cabin Stay and It Was Cozy AF

In late January, five Vancouverites made a city break. But this time they took a road less travelled. Weekend escapes from Vancity often take three forms: east into the Interior (“Oh haaay Wine Country“), over the Georgia Straight to Victoria (home to my favourite restaurant), or down the I-5 to Seattle (“Go Hawks!”). In a departure from the norm, we went south, swung east at Arlington, and made for the Cascade Mountains. Destination: Darrington. If you’re thinking, “Darring-what?” it’s okay. I had never heard of it until we went. How’d we end up there? Us gals were after a woodsy weekend away and the Stillaguamish River Valley came recommended to us by the folks at the tourism office. Up the Stilly, they assured, we’d find mountains, crisp air, wood stoves, tall trees, and plenty of quiet. For a place that doesn’t show up on your mobile map until you’re pretty zoomed in, Darrington is quite a remarkable place. Fun fact, it’s the birthplace of Bob Barker. It sits on the Sauk River, just below the largest hanging …

If there’s only one craft brewery you visit in Darrington, make it THIS one

Okay, okay. I tricked you. Darrington, WA only has one craft brewery. But I promise, even if there was a choice, I’d still pick River Time Brewing. It’s got laid-back vibes, easy going patrons and two, two IPAs on tap. And after all, hops are happiness. The beer business in Darrington is good, but part-owner Neil shares a laugh about humbler beginnings. “I took equity instead of payment for like, the first eight months. Now, I have a hard enough time keeping up with demand in here. We normally have a really great jalapeno kolsch.” It’s a good problem to have. River Time brews were born in a garage, raised in a cabin, and perfected on the Stilly. Well, almost. “Our stout is terrible. It’s back before I really knew what I was doing. There were a lot of growing pains” Neil admits. He nods at a pair of regulars shored up at the tap room’s handsome live-edge bar. “I’m lucky I have faithful locals who will drink terrible beer no matter what!” he teases. “It’s …

How to Visit Monument Valley for Sunrise (PHOTOS)

  The sun peeks over the horizon in Monument Valley, Arizona; it is a sunrise that needs no caption: Accessing Monument Valley from Utah: If you’ve been following along on my road trip, you’ll know that we spent the night in Mexican Hat, which is 24 miles from Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Much to my relief, an October 14th sunrise in Monument Valley happens at a kind hour: 7:28 a.m. We set our alarm for 5:45 a.m. the following morning, allowing us plenty of time for the drive. Why so early? Well, the information I found online was a bit confusing. Mostly it boiled down to this: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Visitor Center  Peak Season (5/1 – 9/30) 6 a.m. – 8 p.m., 7 days/week Off Season (10/1 -4/30) 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., 7 days/week  Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Scenic Drive Peak Season (5/1 – 9/30) 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. Off Season (Oct – Apr) 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. So, with sunrise occurring half an hour before everything opens, how were …

Roadtrippin’ America: Day III Cowboys & Canyons

Wednesday, October 13 This day ended 283 miles away from where it started. In ‘Canadian’, that’s 458 kilometres. Not the longest stretch of driving I had done lately, but somehow this 12-hour haul felt like a year and a day. The last few hours of the drive led us through some of the most rural terrain I had ever travelled. We pressed on through an empty desert, nary a porch light, star or moon to interrupt the inky horizon. The gas tank needle met the quarter tank mark and slowly crept toward empty. There were no towns between us and our destination; an observation that I tried to push to my mind’s periphery. And what would be there when we arrived? Surely, there would be a gas station. Finally…we pulled into a blip on the map called Mexican Hat and checked into what I would nominate as the least remarkable motel in America. Despite the fatigue of driving lonely highways in the dark, I’d struggle to fall asleep, because tomorrow was a day I was very …

Roadtrippin’ America: Day II Zion National Park

Hailing from British Columbia, I’ll admit, I thought I lived in the most beautiful place in the world. That was before I visited southern Utah. Tuesday, October 11 Waking up in Mesquite, Jason and I packed up the truck, crossed into the northwestern tip of Arizona and then pushed onward into Utah. Immediately the land became cragged and dramatic. Grey skies overhead threatened rain but by mid-morning the dullness of the day had burned off. We grabbed coffee in St. George and then followed I-15 north until exiting at Hurricane. From here we drove east along the Virgin River toward Springdale. On the advice of my contact at Visit Utah, Jason and I had settled on hiking The Narrows. The trail isn’t so much a trail, but a shallow river that leads hikers through an increasingly narrow gorge. The Narrows and Angel’s Landing are counted among Zion National Park’s most popular day hikes. In Springdale, we popped into the visitor centre where I picked up an inexpensive but adequate pair of water shoes and a collapsible walking …

Roadtrippin’ America: Day I Desert Drive

Into the Desert Monday, October 10 Following the wrap of Desert Trip festival (October 7-9), Jason and I packed up the truck and left Indio. But not before we fetched the items he had buried in the desert. I know what you’re thinking, but it was just the camping equipment festival organizers didn’t permit on the grounds. Our heading? Simply due north. We first wound around the sun-baked park limits of Joshua Tree National Park, whose trees stood stunted and gnarled. We sailed along lonely byways as 35 degree temperatures radiated from the ashphalt. Winding, weaving, the truck crested a pass to reveal an arrow-straight stretch of highway that pierced the horizon as far as we could see. As we skirted Sheephole Valley Wilderness I was consumed by the emptiness of the terrain, trained on a singular thought: how this might be a miserable place to be stranded. A Desert’s a Desert’s a Desert…Isn’t It? From here we pushed on through Mojave National Preserve, and Jason and I couldn’t help remarking on the diversity of desert landscapes. Pop culture had …

2 Girls Try (and Fail) to Find Barkerville’s Cheeky Past

How in the world did we end up in Barkerville? I was heading from Smithers to Vancouver and needed a place to spend the night to break up an otherwise 14-hour drive. Having never been to B.C.’s famed gold rush town – Barkerville – I figured it would elevate the task from arduous drive to touristic road trip. Lucky for me, my gal pal Alex had recently moved north. With Dawson Creek just a cool six hour drive to Barkerville, she hastily accepted my invitation. What is Barkerville, anyway? “Barkerville is a preserved and dynamic gold-rush town in the British Columbia interior. Each summer, its rich history during the Cariboo Gold Rush and subsequent gold mining in the area is demonstrated for visitors from all over the world.” – TheCanadianEncyclopedia.ca Prior to arriving, we knew little of Billy Barker’s boom town. All we knew was that we’re apt to geek out over B.C. history – like that time we hit up the Royal BC Museum exhibit, Gold Rush! – so this seemed right up our alley. And surely, a gold rush ghost town …

How I Nearly Killed Greg’s Dream

Okay, a motorbike trip to Pai, sure to be a highlight of the trip. One obstacle: I have never driven a motorbike. Pai is a darling little town in the highlands, approximately 130 kilometers north of Chiang Mai. The journey begins with 30km on a Thai expressway and the 98km after the exit is characterized by 794 curves and a steep ascent through the mountains. The trip can be done in 3-5 hours from Chiang Mai.    One night in a pub, Greg heard that many make the trip to Pai by motorbike and he was instantly sold on the idea. Okay, a motorbike trip to Pai, sure to be a highlight of the trip. One obstacle: I have never driven a motorbike. But I can learn right?    Let me take a moment to digress. Greg and I have very different learning styles. While on Ko Tao, Greg had been griping about the amount of scuba diving theory and lecture we had to do before getting into the ocean. With Jason and I as …