Saturday, July 9, 2016

Travel Fun Continues - Who Needs a Home?!

 Once back from Montreal and camping I had a few days at home. I did a little training but mostly we tended to laundry and cleaning up around the house. I then repacked and headed to Vancouver for the 2016 Canadian Urological Association annual conference. Having interacted with Ontario urologists for the past 7 years it's always a great event. It was well attended this year as the venue is Vancouver. Weather was great. A couple of urologists wanted to do the Grouse Grind up Grouse Mountain. I've always wanted to do it so I tagged along.


 The Grouse Grind® is a 2.9-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.”

Trail Facts
Length: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles) 
Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830 
Statistics: Annually, over 150,000 people hike the trail.
Average Time: On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended.


 Hard to tell from my pics but the trail was pretty crowded. I only took shots when there was a gap between log jams. It was a great workout. We completed the climb in 55 minutes - given the pace we kept and the crowds it was pretty good. Once at the top you have to take a gondola down as coming down on foot is not that safe.

 Love this quote.




 Here's a pic I took as we started the gondola ride back down. Later in the day I caught a flight back to Toronto which got me home at 1:30am. The next morning we packed up and headed to Turkey Point Provincial Park for 6 days of camping. The park is only an hour from home on Lake Erie so I was cool with that.

 Bliss.


 Along Lake Erie is a great riding route - the Waterfront Trail. It had a nice shoulder, had some twists and turns, hills and little traffic. It takes you through little villages along Lake Erie. Check it out if you ever in the area.

 With our park pass we also could get access to Long Point Provincial Park. We love this beach! As you can see there are cool sand dunes - Logan loved it.

 The sand here is quality. I took this shot on a Wednesday - we pretty much had the beach to ourselves. The waves weren't up today but when they are it is a blast. Logan and I can't get enough.

 No I'm not drowning Logan. Logan loves to wrestle in the water. We usually go through 3-4 bouts of this on a beach day. It's pretty funny. Logan finds the waves soothing - it relaxes him.

 The kid is strong now!


 Back at camp and a beverage.

 The next morning I went for a run though the park. It's beautiful - all the lanes throughout the park look exactly this.

 No this is not Turkey Point! After a few days at home we ventured up to Muskoka for more camping and to cheer on our fellow TCoBers at the Muskoka 70.3. Lots of clubmates here to tackle this great course. As I write this it is pouring rain here and our setup looks nothing like this picture (I took the pic yesterday). Good news - rain will end today and make way for ideal race weather tomorrow. We leave Monday so I will have plenty of time to dry things out.

Have a good one - cheers!





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