The Lost Years

 The lost years cover from 2020 until current day. I feel like we did really well during the pandemic to keep up our travels. I stopped posting as it seemed weird during a worldwide pandemic. I have decided to list a few highlights to get the "blog going again"

2019- step back in time for a quick sec and we did Newfoundland with our good friend Dean. The main part of the trip was completing the "Long Range" in Gros Morne. Dean's first backcountry hike and a real "Canadian" experience for our British friend seeing bear and moose in the wild. 

2020 - as per previous post we did Killarney Cloche Silhouette - amazing 

2021 - Headed up to Sault Ste Marie as a launpad for hiking the coastal trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Incredible rugged coastline and trails to ourselves. A special part of this trip was taking a trip back to Healey Lake where I grew up at my grandparents cottage outside of my dad's hometown of Mactier, Ontario (first picture)

2022 - Bonus of staying in Canada. We "finally" biked the Cabot Trail. Such an amazing part of the country. Finished off with waterfront fun in Halifax and catching up with friends at an Oceanside cottage on our way home. 

2022 - First territory, the Yukon. Goal: hike the Grizzly Lake trail in Tombstone Territorial Park. Achieved, including northern lights and a day trip to Alaska to see the grizzlies fishing for salmon. Finished off with another epic multi-day in Kluane National Park and Reserve. 

2023 - "We biked the Alps". For 18 days from Munich to Salzburg via the Italian dolomites. Return to international travel doesn't get much better. Of course, Dean had to make a guest appearance. 

2023 - Keeping it Canadian - great times with friends, new and old, in Vancouver, Whistler and squamish. 

2024 - planning has begun. Cannot wait. 

Gros Morne and La Cloche Silhouette

 In September 2019 we completed the Northern and Long Range Traverse in the amazing Gros Morne park in Newfoundland. We would have never imagined that the pandemic would mean that we would complete another Canadian hike in 2020. La Cloche Silhouette in Killarney was the perfect Covid getaway, backcountry and close to home. 

We look forward to the day we can get overseas again but for now we are lucky to have these beautiful places in our country.

We covered Maui

Maui was booked as a post bike trip to unwind.  We anticipated some rest and relaxation and actually planned some workouts to ensure we kept up our fitness. It turns out none of that was needed. We crushed Maui by swimming, snorkeling, hiking and surfing everyday. We were pleasantly surprised the whole time by the number of activities that we had to do and that kept us on the move. The best part was that we rented a campervan and were able to be anywhere we wanted to be so quickly on such an accessible island. I will break it down again by day:
Day 1 : Arrrival
Picked up the van and went right to Paia. Explored and grabbed some lunch to eat on the beach. Baldwin beach in town gave us our first taste of sand and salt water and instantly we were hooked. Slept at a questionable wayside park that introduced us to the homelessness and addiction problem on the island.
Day 2: West coast snorkeling and whale sighting 
On our way out of our campsite we could not believe it but we spotted a humpback offshore. We were even more shocked and in awe when it breached! Incredible! Hard  to beat but then we headed south and snorkled at Makena Point where we saw sea turtles, Ahihi Bay where we saw tons of fish and walked King's trail and then checked out Big Beach in Makena state park where we did a beach workout. 
Day 3: Surfing
We started the day by driving out to Honolua Bay to watch the good surfers take on some huge waves. We then headed into Lahaina to rent a surfboard for Chad and a SUP for Ashley. We spent the afternoon cruising around the waves at Launiupoka Beach Park. The best part was being out on the water and looking back at the west Maui mountains.
Day 4: Morning on the water and afternoon rains
We woke up early to get some more use out of the boards. Ashley actually SUP almost 2 miles up and down the coastline. We then returned the boards and grabbed some groceries to start the road to Hana
It was pouring! We made it through the  twists and turns to about 2 miles before Hana and camped at Wainapanapa State Park.
Day 5: Road to Hana
The skies cleared and we woke up at Wainapanapa to be treated to a black sand beach and volcanic rocks surrounded by lush greenery. Our highlight of the road to Hana for sure. We cruised along the rest of the day stopping at places outlined by our rental company and gaining lots of knowledge from the app we downloaded and the commentator whom we nicknamed "Cliff". Between the red sand beach,  cliff jumping at the venus pools and hiking the Pipiwai trail at Kipalulu it was a jam packed and great day.
Day 6: Haleakala 
After completing the road to Hana we stocked up and camped at Hosmer groove the night before allowing us to be ready to start the Halemau'u trail for the day. It is 11 miles hiking down into and out of a crater. Amazing! We loved it. We parked at one end and hitched to the other to allow a one-way trip.  We spent a second night at Hosmer to allow us to stay up at the summit of the volcano for sunset. 
Day 7: Back in the water
Snorkeling at Polo beach ended up being our snorkeling highlight as turtles were literally everywhere! We also saw tons of fish and a ray. We actually sat out at Big beach for the afternoon which was really the only time Chad got his book out and Ashley got a nap in. We grabbed dinner in Lahaina at Paia Fish house and shared big plates of fresh Mahi Mahi and Ono.
Day 8: Tour and back on the board 
We debated doing a tour and by a random turn of events (presentation style) we got a free snorkel tour. It was great to be out on the ocean looking back at Maui and also we toured the coastline of Lana'i. The snorkeling was sub-par but we did see a manta ray which was unexpected and amazing. We also saw a pod of spotted dolphins on the way back to the harbor, seeing dolphins in the wild is always a great experience. Once we were back on land we grabbed surfboards and headed back to the beach. The surf was dismal so we went back to the campsite to get ready for our last night. By chance we got a reservation at Mama's Fish House on the north shore. It offered a great back drop for our last night. 
Day 9: One last surf
Our flight left midday so we woke up early to head our surfing before we left. What a great idea! The surf at break point near Lahaina was perfect and we bought caught our best waves. The best way to end our trip in Maui.

Reflections on a Japanese Bike Trip

In 2015 we did our first bike tour around the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. The purpose was to try bike touring and see if ultimately it might be something we wanted to try again internationally. We knew the answer was yes but needed to find the right time and the right location. Japan presented itself once we secured a longer leave from work. Most of the trip was covered in previous blog posts but there are some random thoughts that we wanted to cover. This post is mostly going to seem obscure but there are a few things we wanted to get down to help us remember them.

• Convenience stores: Lawson, 7-11 and Family Mart were the convenience stores we encountered at every turn in Japan, like literally every turn. They are everywhere!!! On a bike tour they offer so many things; wi-fi, bathrooms, a place to sit and take a rest, snacks and coffee. At 7-11 we discovered our favourite lattes which were made from actual ground beans! At Family Mart the best seating was usually available where Lawson had the best coffee and stuffed peanut cream buns. Some days I swear I would never want to see another convenience store again but ultimately they helped us so much to get across the country. Another perk was that they had waste disposal, this might not seen like a big deal but when you are camping and there are basically no garbage cans anywhere in Japan it is incredibly helpful. 
• Daily chimes: Apparently starting after the second world war daily chimes to indicate time of day became a mainstay in Japan. Much to our surprise they continue today. Usually at 6 a.m., noon and either 5 or 6 p.m. The chimes were played over loud speakers that also occasionally had announcements projected across the towns. Given that we do not know Japanese we typically would look around when there was an announcement to see if we needed to be worried, we were never quite sure what was being said but it never did seem concerning. 
• Random music: Chad loved this! Music playing at storefronts, on main streets and even from garbage trucks. Most commonly an instrumental version of a familiar tune but always pleasant none the less.
• Generosity and Kindness of the Japanese people: This point cannot be understated. The people in Japan are beyond generous and kind. It is so genuine that it is humbling. There were a few times that I was actually moved to tears by this extraordinary population. From serving your coffee to you on a tray at a convenience store to running to serve you at a grocery store counter to giving us fresh oranges for our journey, the daily acts of thoughtfulness were endless and the nature of the Japanese people will stay with us forever.
• Response to Foreigners and Foreigners Bike Travelling: This point ties into the point above. Almost everyone we met were so gracious and welcoming. They almost all thanked us for coming to Japan and were incredibly touched when we told them how much we loved it. A stronger reaction was elicited when it was noted that we were biking across Japan. 
• Cleanliness: Japan is clean, full-stop. It is spotless. We only got one flat tire in almost 7 weeks of travelling which had to be assisted by the fact that there was no debris anywhere! 
• Personal Properties: The Japanese people are clearly a proud people and this extends to the care they place on their own properties. We could not help but be amazed at the care and attention each house or apartment unit exhibited. From carefully arranged potted plants on a balcony to perfectly manicured landscaping in every yard. It really added to the experience of biking through the outskirts and side streets.
• Camping: We planned to camp across Japan but this proved to be a little more challenging while on a bike trip. The general consensus is that you can camp anywhere in Japan including parks and road side stops. We tried to avoid that at all costs only because we got the impression that given the kindness of the Japanese people we just were not sure if people truly were okay with the practice or if they were too kind to say otherwise. Unfortunately though campsites were a little more remote and proved a challenge to reach after a full day of cycling. This meant that overall we camped about 60% of the time and used various lodging from hostels to guesthouses to warm showers the rest of the time.
• Food: There are no words to articulate how amazing the food was. We tried everything! Given that we were in grocery stores daily we always tried to grab something that we didn't know and give it a go. Another daily occurrence was Chad throwing back mochi, a rice dough ball typically filled with red beans. He cannot wait to try to make them at home!
• Vending machines: Everywhere!! Literally, around every corner and in the most random places. They sold drinks only but actually had hot and cold offerings. We will never forget the first time we grabbed a canned coffee from one in Nikko and when it dropped down we realized it was hot!

Kenji, Ramen and Disney

When we arrived in Hiroshima we had some sights we wanted to see but we knew we had to spend some time getting our bikes packed up and shipped beforehand.  The whole process went so smooth thanks primarily to the manager of our hostel, Kenji. Honestly he embodied the Japanese hospitality and thoughtfulness that we had experienced throughout our trip. He helped us with everything from printing labels to tape and even double checking our measurements and restrictions.  During the rest of our stay we spent a lot of time chatting with him, overall he really made a difference in our stay in Hiroshima. 

While in Hiroshima we continued our "food tour" by trying the local specialties including Okonomiyaki and oysters. We also took in the two main sites, peace park and Miyajima. Both were very interesting and worth checking out. The peace museum was especially well laid out and displayed. In Miyajima we took in the shrine at high and low tide. We also walked around the island where the fall leaves were especially colorful. It reminds us how lucky we are in Canada to have our leaves as we saw so many tourists so excited to experience this phenomenon we see yearly. We were also surprised to find that the morning after Miyajima,  having hiked around a small lookout point, to find our legs really sore! More so that any day biking! 

After comparing the costs for the high speed train with the bus, we opted for an overnight bus to Tokyo. It worked out great as the seats reclined and it was decently comfortable. Once we arrived in Tokyo we hit the ground running. Over the next two days we ate amazing food, walked tens of kilometers through district after district and Chad finally got to a true Japanese whiskey bar. Highlights from the food included sushi near the outer fish market where we waited in a huge line wrapping round the block to get in and tsukemen ramen style noodles. Of the districts we explored we really loved the akihabara gaming area and shibuya crossing. After covering so much on foot we spent our third day going to Disney Sea!! It was the kind of fun day that only Disney can offer. The incredible park themes and attention to detail in each part kept us amazed all day. Thanks to some planning ahead and taking advantage of their efficient pass system we got to do everything in the park we wanted to in a jam packed 12 hour day! 

Today Chad wanted to check out one last museum and I spent the morning getting organized and wandering the area around our hotel (Yes, I opted to skip the history museum on the edo period specifically...) In the next hour we will head to the airport and fly to Hawaii! We will wake up tomorrow in Maui ready to set out in our campervan!! Although very excited, we are so sad to leave Japan.  We will never forget this incredible experience and opportunity like no other. We biked across a country, met the nicest people, saw amazing sights,  ate the most delectable food, challenged ourselves daily and furthered our own relationship by doing it all together.