Saturday, January 24, 2015

Hola Amigos!


Time always flies when you're having fun! We've been to Ixtapa and back since my last post.... And what a fantastic trip it was, with a great group of people!

Our resort was the Azul Ixtapa, which was about 10 minutes north of the town itself, and I highly recommend it! The grounds and pool were beautiful and the service was amazing. Being right across from Ixtapa Island was cool too - we made three trips there.

View from our room!

The gang - we're here for a good time, not a long time!


Beauty sunset!



Azul Ixtapa

Swim-up bars are very convenient.



Yes those are REAL crocodiles.

This is a FAKE crocodile.

Paddling to Ixtapa Island.

The snorkeling beach on Ixtapa Island






Fabulous snorkeling at Ixtapa Island.


Woot! Love it here!!
 

Frank's in Ixtapa - go there!



The fishing boat we chartered.

Dolphins played with us along the way.


Catch of the day! 35-pound Mahi Mahi - yum!


Fun on the Hobie cat!

Last view of Ixtapa....

For seven glorious days, the average daytime temperature was about 30 degrees Celsius, so needless to say, we spent several hours near or in the pool. One morning, a few of us kayaked over to the island and snorkeled in the fabulous west bay. It was so enjoyable that the next day, we all piled onto a water taxi and went and spent the afternoon snorkeling and exploring the neat little island.

The highlight of the week though, was probably the deep sea fishing trip, which took us almost 20km offshore. Dolphins played alongside the boat, we saw a few sea turtles, and about three hours into the tour we caught a feisty Mahi Mahi! It was awesome!

Now it's back to reality - which luckily hasn't been that bad. Mexico was a nice break for sure, but I am kind of anxious to get out skiing truth be told. Although it's hard to believe it is full-on ski season, with this spring-like weather we are having! Love it!

Cheers!

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Sunday Funday!


Aaaand.... we got in one more thrashing of the skis today! Sunshine is still in dire need of snow - the rocks abound, and my new Volkls have suffered the wrath - but really, I shouldn't complain. Any day on the hill is a great day!

The morning started out overcast and a bit glum, but it didn't take long for the greyish sky to give way to the hill's namesake. The view from the top of Divide was nothing short of stellar. Check out the neat clouds in the valley!



Mt Assiniboine was visible above the clouds! Too cool.

A chilly but beauty day!


So that's the end of our ski fun for a few weeks. Hopefully the mountains will get some snow, while we are away down south enjoying the "other" white stuff! Sand and surf, here we come!

Cheers!



Saturday, January 10, 2015

Sticks and Stones


Ahhhhhh, yes.... Ski season has begun! But sadly, early season conditions still prevail. We've spent a couple of days at Sunshine since the New Year, and it's been wicked good fun - aside from the rocks that is... I'm not gonna lie - Mother Nature has gone easy on us so far this winter, which has been fantastic! Except for the fact that the ski hills could use just a wee bit more of the white stuff.



Very important part of a successful day!

Replenishing the fluids after the first ski day of the year!


We chose the 'darkest' route....


Love my sticks! Volkl Auras.

I think we're going to head out again tomorrow - being out in the fresh mountain air is soooo good for a person, plus the forecast is for SUN and mild temps. Then in just five more sleeps, we'll be enjoying the 'other' white stuff. Thursday we leave for Ixtapa, to hang out on the beach with a big group of crazy peeps and celebrate some milestone birthdays with several of them. I haven't been there before, and I'm thinking it should be a darn good time!

All day outside and somebody is pooped out!

Have a great couple of weeks everybody!

Cheers!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Two Zero One Five


Another year has come and gone. *SIGH*  Can you believe it? All in all though, I thought 2014 was a pretty darn good set of 365 sleeps - it just went by way too fast, as per usual!

Lucky for me, my last few weeks of 2014 were spent in the mountains. The winter has been incredibly mild thus far, and we did some hiking, dogsledding, and snowshoeing. Yep, you read that right. How's that for mixing things up a bit?



Ha Ling trail was not too bad going up,
but the descent was wicked slippery!

Rundle reflection.

A day at the classic Lake Louise.





Ice, ice, baby!


|
The posse!

Awww! Look at the poochies!




What a great afternoon!

Dogsledding was a new experience for me, and I have to say it was very cool! I didn't know what to expect - I thought perhaps we'd simply hop on the sled and mush away. However, what I learned was that the animals are unbelievably strong, not to mention super friendly and social. We were given the opportunity to harness up the dogs, give them treats and water, and be as interactive with them as we liked. Too fun!

Another new experience for me was snowshoeing. I've been out on trails plenty in the winter, in just my boots, and as people have clomp-clomped their way past me on the silly contraptions, I've always thought "Ugh, how awkward". I've even seen people walking along snowy paths, carrying their snowshoes, and again I've laughed to myself and thought "Oh, you poor bastards".... On Tuesday though, my opinion of the footwear took a 180 degree turn. We snowshoed up to Chester Lake and had a helluva good time doing so! I quite liked it!

We started out all bundled up in -19C... Brrrr!

The sun helped warm us up!


What a backdrop!


Chester Lake


Mmmmm beer!

Cool sky - some weather was rolling in for sure.



The snowshoeing day was fantastic and I am considering buying a set - it is a fabulous activity for really cold days!

Tomorrow, it's back to our typical winter outdoor activity... We're heading to Sunshine for our first ski outing of the season. I can't wait! Aside from the fact that it will likely be packed with peeps, I'm excited for some downhill time.

Well, hopefully everybody had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year - I sure did! And all the best to each and every one of you as the 2015 ball starts rolling.

Cheers!