Travel Tips & Adventures

Those who have a fear of heights – BEWARE!  You will not want to go over the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.  

For the rest of the population, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a fascinating diversion that gives you a rare vantage point high above the river and forest.  

When you enter the park (admission charge – about $30 Canadian per person for adults), you briefly see some totem poles, snack locations and a store, but the real reason you came is waiting for you.  

Step down from a platform area onto the suspension bridge and you will feel a swaying.   Look down the 200-plus feet to the water below and you will have a sense of just how high up you are.

Capilano Suspension Bridge - spans the Capilano River -over 200 feet below

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First up on our Vancouver itinerary was a visit to the third largest park in North America, Stanley Park…

 
When the people of Vancouver British Columbia established Stanley Park in 1888, they created more than just a park. They provided a place for their citizens – and visitors – to enjoy the country right in their own city.

Totem Poles in Stanley Park - signify legends

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Let’s face it, the name sounds like a disease. But, about two hundred years ago, Captain William Clark and his party came to the area now called Ecola State Park to salvage some whale oil and blubber they needed for survival. They also boiled seawater until they could gather enough to preserve food to make it back to the East Coast.

Inspiring scenery - the Pacific Coast with Haystack Rock is in the distance

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If Cannon Beach is like Scottsdale without water, then Seaside, Oregon is like an upscale Coney Island with all of its family amusements.

Lewis and Clark statue at "Prom" turnaround

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Think of Scottsdale on the ocean, less heat and no malls — You’ve got Cannon Beach on Oregon’s Pacific Coast.

An upscale beach community, Cannon Beach was the second resort town on Oregon’s coast. (Seaside was the first.) Art galleries, boutique shops, unique toy stores, candy makers and specialty restaurants abound.

Shops on Hemlock Street

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Continuing our travels in Oregon this week…

Jutting out of the Pacific Ocean on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon is the monolith called Haystack Rock. Like a magnet, it attracts birds, humans and the sea creatures that use it for shelter.

Haystack Rock and humans

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Our travels in Oregon took us on two windy roads that would be a challenge for anyone – even an Indy 500 racer!

Take, for instance -

McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway – and Truck Stop (more…)

Just a few miles up the coastal road from the Sea Lion Caves (see yesterday’s blog) is Heceta Head Lighthouse. It is one of nine lighthouses on Oregon’s coast that were built to warn fishermen and other mariners of the dangerous shallows ahead.

Heceta Head Lighthouse - one of the most photographed locations in the world

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We traveled to the Sea Lion Caves, world renowned, and located 11 miles north of Florence on the coast of Oregon.  The caves are fascinating – the largest in the world, at 125 feet.

Sea Lion Caves

Although we couldn’t wait to visit the sea lions, no one told them.  They had decided to spend the day sunning themselves on a rock further up the coast.   (more…)

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
Photos by George Bradshaw

When I first got off of the airplane at Deadhorse, Alaska, I wanted to get right back on and fly away. It was 33 degrees and it was June 23, summer solstice, and the wind was blowing at least 30-40 miles an hour. We all climbed onto a tour bus (which was warm) and were taken to the motel where we would be staying, the Arctic Caribou Inn, while we experienced our unique visit to the oil fields of the North Slope of Alaska. (more…)