Vespas on the bike path??

A while ago I noticed 2 people, each riding their own Vespas (at least it looks like a Vespa) on Preston Ave, the stretch that goes by Innovation place. I noticed that they must have gotten the Vespas fairly recently as they were very cautious as they rode and weren't the greatest of drivers. That I can give some leeway to as you have to learn somehow and the only way to get comfortable driving one is to be in traffic. I myself would probably practice in my neighborhood though prior to driving on a busy street. Anyways I thought nothing of it UNTIL what I have been seeing lately.

As I am going to pick up John from work at Innovation Place, I see the exact same woman and man driving their respective Vespas on the bike path. Before I go into a tirade over how wrong I think this is, can anyone tell me if this is indeed legal or not? I would assume those riding it know if it is or not and I will give them the benefit of the doubt that it is. However all the research I've read state that Vespas themselves are not legal on bike paths but electronic scooters that go no faster than 32 km/hr can. This also differs by province I believe. I have to say though, the bikes these people drive have stayed up with traffic and that street they were on, the speed limit is 60 km/hr. Anyway, I will reserve judgment (and when it gets down to it, who am I to judge).

If you know what the laws are regarding Vespas/electronic scooters in the province of Saskatchewan, I would love to hear from you.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part 6 The End

All in all the trip to Lund was a successful and highly enjoyable. We managed to do everything we had set out to do and will most likely replicate this trip again in the future.

The drive back was uneventful and I was thankful for that. Well I guess we were once again locked out of the place in Vancouver that we were planning on staying at but I won't get into the details of that. We managed to find a room that was reasonably priced right downtown Vancouver and met up with our friends Michelle and Brian who we stayed at their place on the way down. We met up with them at Rodney's Oyster House and it COMPLETELY filled my craving for shucked oysters. I always crave shucked oysters when we go to BC and I will have to make a point to always go there. The restaurant is not that big in size compared to other places we've been to so it was a good thing our friends made reservations prior to going there. The place is jam packed with people and played lots of 80s music. It was a happening place with the waiters seen having shooters every now and then (this may not have been a good thing as I think our waiter was drunk by the time we were nearing the end of our meal and made a few minor mistakes which he made up for). We tried a variety of different oysters (I think 7-8 different kinds in total) where there was only 1 type from the west coast. I probably had over 20 shucked oysters that night (none of which contained red tide) with the option of 7 different kinds of sauces. :) It was so good I am craving oysters as I type this.



So the trip to Lund has come to an end and I hope you enjoyed reading about our journey. We've done this trip twice now and I am sure we'll do it again.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part 5 - Day 2

I have to say, I love waking up in the morning with the view of the ocean in front of us and the sun shining. It was such a gorgeous view that we never once pulled the shades down (and being on the second floor we didn't worry about peeping toms). We took our time in the morning having continental breakfast and heading into Powell River to find a backpack to take with us on our exploration of Savory Island (can you believe when I asked a Walmart worker where their bookbags were located he asked me what a bookbag was!?!). I ended up getting a knapsack and we were set. We drove back to Lund and made it to our 1:00 water taxi reservation (the only way you can get to Savory Island is by boat and you have to make reservations with the water taxi ahead of time). We arrive at Savory Island with a few other people and started exploring. For anyone that has not been there, it is positively beautiful. The side that we got dropped off at was literally covered in clams and starfish.




As I have never tried digging for clams we had a fun time trying to dig one up with empty shells. We were unsuccessful as those suckers moved a lot faster than I was expecting. I took a video of how fast they move as it amused me greatly (note you will have to watch it sideways as I do not know how to rotate a video in Blogger)




Exploring the rest of the island was awesome, we got to see an eagle at a fairly close distance and even stumbled across a deer standing approx. 10 feet away from us. The island was peaceful as there was only one restaurant on it (that was closed when we were there) and a place to rent bikes (also closed). We made it to the other side of the island where there was dead shellfish due to the low tide that stretched as far as the eye could see.

After arriving back at our hotel room we showered and changed for supper. We decided to check out the Shingle Mill Pub & Bistro in Powell River. The food here was alright, nothing too fancy but yet again the view was magnificent.




This night we rented Juno which was absolutely hilarious and I would highly recommend it.

All in all Lund treated us right and it was exactly what we needed. It was the perfect getaway to just relax. For my last post on Lund, BC I will leave you with a video of the scenery we experienced in Lund from our hotel room. Enjoy.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part 4 - Day 1

On our first full day in Lund, we woke up to the sun shining and the view of the ocean from our hotel room (did I ever mention our hotel room was spectacular?). After having a continental breakfast in the Lund Hotel restaurant we made our way to rent kayaks. We rented a 2-man kayak and after nervously getting in the kayak we were off. The weather was gorgeous yet a tad windy making the water slightly choppy which made me nervous sitting in the front. However after a while I got over my nervousness and enjoyed the scenery. It was a blast, having seen a couple eagles and 2 seals. Below are a few pics I took while kayaking and yes I was scared of not only dropping my camera in the ocean but falling out while using it.





After kayaking for 3 hours we headed back to our hotel room to shower and relax before supper. We spent considerable time sitting on our patio enjoying the view. As it was Wednesday we planned to go to the Laughing Oyster Restaurant which was one of our destinations for our trip. Having eaten there on a prior trip we knew their Wednesday supper buffet was going to be good. It did not disappoint. Sitting at a table where we could view out of the massive windows onto the bay, we dined on huge oysters, lamb, steak, calamari, salmon, numerous salads complimented by red wine. We finished our meal off with taramisu. Below is a pic of my plate which I surprising ate all minus the garlic bread. It was DELICIOUS and I would recommend it to anyone going to Lund.




That night we rented 3:10 to Yuma which was an awesome movie and I would recommend it to anyone that wants a western movie different from the shoot 'em up story line between cowboys and Indian style movies.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part 3

While waiting for a ferry at Earl's Cove we decided to book a room in the Historic Lund Hotel and it was a good thing we did as there were only 2 rooms left. Initially we were thinking about staying in Desolation Sound Resort which is simply awesome looking but super expensive for the short amount of time we would be staying in Lund. When we booked the room they promised that it was the best room in the hotel and well worth the slightly higher price. Having stayed there before I have to admit we were a bit skeptic. However the moment we walked in we knew we made theright choice in staying at Lund Hotel. The room felt like home. Below are a few pics of the room.













As it turned out, this year was the first annual shellfish festival where the Lund Hotel Restaurant and the Boardwalk Restaurant features appetizers of different shellfish. I can't remember what the schedule was but we decided to eat at the Boardwalk Restaurant. We ended up ordering mussels with bacon, a bucket of prawns and of course, kokanee beer. Let me tell you, the mussels were delicious but it was the bucket of prawns with lemon butter, garlic butter and the usual seafood sauce that impressed us the most. Not only were they fresh but they were huge and very, very tasty. For the weak of heart that don't like seeing the entire prawn, you may not want to view the pics below.






Looking at the pics definitely makes me miss the food but it is better to have tasted it than not at all :P So far Lund has met our expectations. Later on in the evening we rented a free movie that came with the room and watched "Cloverfield" which I found highly disappointing. Next up kayaking in the ocean.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part Deux

In continuation to our trip to Lund, BC over the May long weekend, we finally had our car looked at by the mechanic in Golden, BC who was nice enough to fit us in the morning. As it turned out, a seal was incorrectly installed and 2 screws were missing as a result of the oil change we had 2 days prior (see Trip to Lund: Part 1). So after shampooing the under carriage of the car and refilling the car with oil we left Golden, BC. For what it was worth, the people in Golden was friendly and most helpful. After deciding that the car was in good condition to drive we continued on to our destination of Lund, BC.

For anyone who has not driven in the mountains before, the drive to Vancouver is positively spectacular. Every time we've gone out west, we've driven and it is well worth it. We arrived in Vancouver early evening and located the place we were going to crash at. As it turns out the key was not placed where it was supposed to be and we were locked out. Our good friends, Brian and Michelle bailed us out last minute with only 5 minutes notice. We are completely grateful for them. We settled in for the night and went to Las Margaritas for some awesome Mexican food and naturally margaritas. The next day we woke up early and stopped for breakfast at Cafe Zen which has been known for its consistent breakfasts. Then we were off!

To get to Lund, BC you need to take 2 ferries, (one from Horseshoe Bay to Sunshine Coast, and the other from Earl's Cove to Powell River) and I know some people find ferries boring but I love them (it may have something to do with the fact that we don't have any ferries in the prairies). The drive along Sunshine Coast onwards is fun, filled with windy roads and small towns. At last, around 5:00 we rolled into our destination Lund. Read on to find out more about Lund, BC.

Trip to Lund, BC: Part I

For the May long weekend, John and I set out for Lund, BC, otherwise known as the end start of the highway on the west coast.


We got off to a rocky start as we had an oil change the day from Great Canadian Oil Change on 8th St near the Centre on Circle & 8th before we left and the seal was put on incorrectly. Needless to say we leaked oil to the point where we ran out (and were extremely pissed) and we had to call our emergency road side assistance for a tow to Golden that was 8km away (thanks VW for the 4 year road side assistance). After a 30 min. wait, we got towed into Golden to the nearest mechanic shop near the Kicking Horse River Lodge. By then the shop was closed so we booked a room at the lodge. I'm pretty sure I don't have to describe the mood we were in at this point. I will keep you posted on whether or not we get reimbursed for the mechanic bill (which we should) and our hotel bill. We tried to make the most of the situation and went for supper at Eleven22 where we shared a hot pot of steamed mussels, and John ordered the Roasted Duck Breast and I had the Tomato and Pesto Pasta. I had a taste of John's duck and I have to admit, it was the best duck I've had in a long time.

So next day rolls around and we contemplate about what our next plan of action is, continue on to Lund or turn around and go home as we wasted 2 days and we had no idea what condition the car was in. Luckily I see the mechanic outside his garage cleaning up the yard. I end up talking to him and discover that he is open on Monday (which is a holiday) and he would try to squeeze us in. We cross our fingers that he is able to squeeze us in and there is no major damage to the engine. We ended up sharing a huge Grande Burrito from the Bugaloo Cafe in the lodge. It was huge and I was glad we shared it.

We spent the day wandering around town and walked across the longest timber framed pedestrian bridge in Canada (you can view pics of its construction here). Here I am on the bridge:



Being that it was Sunday hardly anything was open. We did stop in a pub for a Mt. Bigbie beer and played a game of pool. We spent the rest of the day reading and lounging. Finally supper rolled around and we decided to eat at the Kicking Horse Grill restaurant where we shared a trio of meat and the best steak I've had in a long time. Wonder if we ever made it to Lund :) Stay tuned.