Category: Travel

Day-to-day life, Family, Kids, Travel

Packing up and logging off…

Christine Cogger

Tonight, we head to Vancouver to begin our Christmas road trip.  We’ll have an early Christmas dinner with the family and in the morning we’ll load up the kids and our gear and start heading south…  I’m equally excited and nervous about what this experience will bring.  I’m looking forward to seeing new places, being with the family without too many domestic distractions and seeing the sun.  I’m nervous about being in the car for so long and I hope that we haven’t built it up too much in the kid’s minds.  Time will tell, I suppose.  The goal is to make it to San Diego by Christmas and then meander our way home in time for school in January.  I plan to take lots of pictures and write updates on our journey, so stay tuned.  That is, if I’m not in some kind of road coma.

—

The self-imposed cooking challenge is now officially over.  While I wouldn’t rate it as a complete failure, it wasn’t a complete success, either.  I did manage to stick to my plan of 2 new recipes a week, and I think that I’ll continue to do that when we come back from this trip.  However, I failed to fall in love with cooking.  I think it’s time to face reality: cooking and I will maintain a healthy respect for one another, but there ain’t gonna be wedding bells anytime soon.

—

What will 2013 bring, I wonder?  I’m not one to make resolutions but I’ll admit that I want to set some new goals and challenges for myself in the coming year.  I’ve already committed to 2 races and I am pondering what else I can challenge myself with to fill the calendar.  I think it should be the “Year of Yes”: time to try new things and say “yes” to whatever comes my way.  And I’ll admit that I am not at all sad to see the backside of 2012.

—

I’m planning on ending 2012 by taking a break for news, social media and digital distractions in general.  On this trip, it’s time to re-connect with my family, rest and re-charge.  I’ll bring a notebook with me and actually use a pen.  Time to shut off the noise for a while.  Digital detox!

—

I’ll leave you with some recent pics.  See you in the new year.

photo 5-1
2010 stomping grounds…
photo 4-1
Renewing an old love. I hope to do as much of this as I can this winter
photo 3-1
Winter weddings are fun! And so is pink champagne.
photo 2-1
Bridey! Can you guess her blog alias?
photo 1-1
Despite the lockout, I am quite certain the NHL won’t come calling anytime soon.
photo 3
Riveted by the school Christmas concert. The worse the performance, the louder the applause.
photo 2
Winter is fun
photo 1
These are unnatural. I’m not sure what to make of them, except that my toes miss each other.

Family, Kids, Travel

Road tripping, Ho Ho Ho.

Christine Cogger

Roadtrip

A few months ago and for a variety of reasons, I decided that I did not want to spend Christmas at home this year.  Last year, I missed the buildup to the holidays due to the fact that I was in the Middle East. To my surprise, I didn’t miss it; the hype, the commercials, the spending at all (I did, however, miss the egg nog lattes).

If I ruled my own universe, no one would be allowed to start decorating, singing, tinselling or egg-nog latte-ing until December 15th.  Ahem, moving on.

This year, we’re planning on loading up the Suburban and heading south to San Diego.  We haven’t done much planning for this adventure, other than to promise the kids we’d hit Legoland as our Christmas excursion.  That’s it.  As for the rest of it, we’ll play it by ear.  This is either going to be a great idea or a foolhardy mission.

It’s roughly 2250 km from Vancouver to San Diego.  We’ll bring camping gear because I’m optimistic enough (naive?!) to think we may be able to camp for a few nights in California.  It’s always warm and sunny there, right?

The kids are psyched.  I’m… working up to it.

Anyone got any great road trip ideas to keep kids happy?  Must-see places on the way south?

Family, Kids, Travel

On accomplishments, grief and a confession

Christine Cogger

Standing on the beach in Kona, it was such a tremendous feeling to watch Will accomplish something he was initially so nervous to try.  He’s never been the bravest kid around water and it took him a few days to get comfortable but he worked up the guts to try boogie boarding on our second or third day there.  I know he’d been thinking about it for quite some time and it took Rory trying it first to give it a go.

Watching your kid succeed at something that scares them it so amazing.  I highly recommend it to those of you who are contemplating kids – ha.  I felt like jumping up and down (I suspect I did) and telling all the grandparents on the beach to check out my kid.  I was certain they’d never seen a kid in Hawaii do it quite like mine had!

Granted, he got smashed by a wave a little while later and that turned him off of it for a while, but he went back in.  I’ll be the first to admit that I stood by watching like a mama lion trying not to go in and snatch him up.  Still, I was filled with pride.

—

Grief hits me at the weirdest time.  It’s like being on a roller coaster with my eyes closed: it’s up and down and I can’t see what’s coming around the corner, or even when we’ll go around that corner.  I’ll be fine one minute and the next, I’m knocked down by overwhelming sorrow.  Will caught his first wave and my first thought was, inevitably, that I wanted to tell my mum because I know she’d want to hear details and see pictures.  And for that split second, I reach for the phone before I remember that I can’t do that anymore.  It makes me sad, sometimes more than others but eventually the feeling dissipates and I move on.

I am beginning to think that perhaps I’ll always feel this way.  For eight years, my days and weeks were often dictated by how my mum was feeling.  Almost daily we’d touch base and when I didn’t hear from her, I’d get anxious that something wasn’t right.  I’d always breathe a sigh of relief when I’d get an email in the morning; even if she wasn’t feeling well, I knew she was thinking of us.  I still feel like a part of my day is missing because I don’t do that daily check-in.

As much as I enjoyed this family holiday, it was also very difficult for me because it was the first time I couldn’t share the milestones with her and it made me miss her all the more and that feeling of grief and sadness became a little more raw again.

—

I must confess: my personal cooking challenge has been a total failure.  I clearly wasn’t thinking straight when I thought I’d start this outside of the comfort of my own home and my under-6 test group.

In Kona, it was too easy to let other (much better) cooks take over and I wasn’t brave enough (or perhaps I was being lazy) to give it a go.

SO!  It kicks off tomorrow as it’s time to get re-acquainted with vegetables, un-acquainted with wine and chips and to toss out the Hallowe’en candy.  Round 2 begins before round 1 even got started…

Wish me luck and send me recipes.

I’ve got a few other challenges up my sleeve to keep me motivated through the dreary fall… so stay tuned.

Some of my favourite moments from the trip. Aloha!
Day-to-day life, Family, Kids, QOTD, Running, Travel

Musings

Christine Cogger

I’m happy Hallowe’en is OVER for another year.  I suppose I don’t hate it as much as I used to now that we have kids, but it’s still one of my least favourite “holidays” of the year.  I didn’t like it as a kid; I disliked the pressure of finding “the perfect” costume, and since I grew up on a farm with a Dutch mom, trick or treating was rare, so I never cared about it that much.  I particularly hate that most costumes for girls/women have been taken to soaring heights of slutiness.  That’s just annoying.  Anja will henceforth be an old fashioned ghost, white sheet and all, until she’s 21.

—

CITS is creeping along through the fall and early signs of winter.  However, CITS #8 and #9 have been run with a boy.  That being said, he can hold up his end of the conversation and walks when I ask/tell him to, so we shall continue until it has to turn into Chicks in the Snow… which means ski days.

I’m trying to decide what, if any, races to do next.  I’ve damaged my knee so it either needs to be soon – before the doctors kibosh more running, or post-op.  Suggestions welcome.

—

Our home office is close to the kids playroom and it’s actually kind of nice to be in here working while they play together (we have a door we can close when we don’t have to break up fights). The best part is eavesdropping on their conversations. It’s quite something listening to a 6 year old explain to a 4 year what “outnumbered” means.  Or listening to a 4 year teach the 2 year old how to count to 20 (who needs 12 and 14, anyway?)

—

It’s November 1… which means no more perusing cooking sites with guilt-free pleasure.  My cooking challenge starts today.  What was I thinking?? We head to Kona tomorrow as a family which is great but we’re joining friends who happen to be great cooks.  Some would see this as an opportunity to learn.  I see it as pressure!

That being said, please send me some of your go-to recipes so that I don’t have to spend my days on Pinterest!  Maybe I should have started small, as in one new smoothie recipe a week – I can handle that!

—

QOTD

Will to Rory, late one night.  “It’s in my dreams to have you come to school with me”.

Rory: “I’m so glad the world isn’t made of black pepper otherwise my whole body would be so itchy”.

—

Kona-bound tomorrow.  3 kids.  6am flight.  I’m not asking you to feel sorry for me… but think of me with fondness as you roll over in bed at 7.  Oddly, one of the things I am most looking forward to about this trip is being in the US for the election.  I’m curious to watch the coverage without the Canadian twist.

Hard to believe that when we come home it’ll be one week till opening day at WB!

Aloha!

Biking, CITS, Pemberton, Racing, Running, Travel, Triathlon, Whistler

Ironman, eh?

Christine Cogger

So presumably, you’ve heard the news.  Ironman Canada is moving to Whistler in 2013.  This is pretty exciting news for a tri-nerd like myself.  No, I won’t be signing up.  But I’ll be involved in some way and will be following developments closely (and by closely I mean I’ll be following my favourite pros twitter feeds to see if they are coming and hoping the Ministry paves the road between Whistler and Pemberton).

Liz has written a very good account of what race day is going to be like and if you’re racing, I highly suggest you read it.  Preparation is key!

Most of the people signing up seem to know quite a lot about Whistler (based on the forum chit-chat I read). Some are knowledgeable, some are grossly and amusingly misinformed (for example, the dude who thought a swim in Green Lake in October would be awesome!)  However, no one seems to mention Pemberton all that much so consider this my open invitation to come to my little town and create your own training base!

Pemberton is small, fun, active and family-friendly.  It’s a great place to live and train – trust me, since I do both here…  If you come to town to train, look me up, maybe I’ll even invite you to a CITS run!

Herewith, some suggestions…

1. The swim.

Despite years of asking for one, Pemberton doesn’t have a community pool.  If you are coming to our part of the world between October – June, you’ll be swimming in the 25m pool at Meadow Park.  It’s a decent facility (with a hot tub and steam room) but stick to swimming during “swimmer’s hours”… that is 6am – 9am.  Otherwise, you’ll encounter hordes of screaming kids and are liable to get landed on by an overzealous rookie on the rope swing.  Plus, there are only 2 lanes open during non-lane swim times, so you’ll be battling for space with the head-up breastroker and the one length, board-short wearing sprinter.

If you come from June onwards, the open water swim possibilities open right up.  Alta Lake is where IMC will be held, so best to train there.  Like Liz said, watch those boats!  They are pretty pointing and they go backwards.  Lost lake is a great option with the added bonus of a nudie dock (if you’re into that sort of thing).  But let’s not forget Pemberton!  Mosquito lake is small but clear and beautiful.  It just takes a little work to get to… 1 Mile is an ok option, if you don’t mind getting your face caressed by weeds, which I kind of do.  Last but not least, Gates Lake in Birken is absolutely worth the drive north.  Clear, quiet and big.

Oh – and you’re kidding yourself if you think wetsuits won’t be required at this race!

2. The bike

Perhaps I’m in the minority but I think this course is tougher than Challenge Penticton.  It may not have Richter Pass, the 7 Bitches, and Yellow Lake, but the ride back to Whistler at the end of 180K is not to be underestimated, nor is the long out and back in the Pemberton Meadows.  It’s pretty much guaranteed that the wind is going to be picking up just in time for the AG’ers to make the turn and that’s when the real drafting, er, I mean work will begin.

If you are coming up here to train, don’t limit yourself to the course. There’s some fabulous riding to be had around here.  Riding from Pemberton to D’arcy is a gorgeous and tough training ride.  Bring your $5 and treat yourself to a cold Coke at the D’arcy General Store before you start the ride back up to Pemberton.  Challenge yourself -as we do every year – to ride from Lillooet Lake to Joffre Lakes sans timing device and see how close you can get to your estimated ride time up the 13KMs of switchbacks and climbing.  Ride the Classic “Tour de Train” – ride from Pemberton to Lilloet, take the train back to D’arcy then ride back to Pemberton.

Of course there are lots of hills and rides to be had in and around Whistler.  Join the Whistler Tri Club on Wednesday mornings… they’ll welcome you up Cardiac and Kadenwood.  Fun times at 6:30am, I swear.

The thing with riding around here that everyone – triathletes, roadies and drivers – needs to remember is that the roads are going to be pretty crowded next summer.  Everyone’s going to have to play nice.

I know tri-nerds are loathe to risk injury in the months leading up to their “A” race, but trust me when I say that the mountain biking around Pembi makes it worth the effort.  And that’s saying something when it comes from a chicken like me.

3. The run.

The course description makes it sound pretty flat, but there’s a few kick-your-ass deceivers in there.  By all means, train on the course.  Run the Whistler Half Marathon course.

But Pemberton has some great trails to train on and miles of roads (here’s where that out and back on the Meadows comes in handy… have someone drop you off at the turn around and you can run back to town.  It’s not super exciting but it’s scenic and dead flat – what better way to practice leg turnover!)  While it’s true that most of the running in Pemberton tends to out-and-back style, we local girls have managed to string together some pretty long loops over the years.  Look us up and we’ll let you in on our secrets…

A tried and true and tough long run?  Go from Pemberton to Whistler.  It’s not very exciting but it sure as hell gets the job done.

4.  Nutrition

We triathletes are known to eat and eat well (and often).  How much do I love finishing a long run or ride knowing that I get to end the day at Mile One Eating House?  A whole lot.  You won’t find a better burger and micro brew combo!  I’m sure they have some veggie options, I’m just not that interested in what they might be.

We happen to play host to 2 fantastic coffee shops, too… Blackbird Bakery and Mount Currie Coffee Co… Try both, you’ll wind up with your own favourite.

For such a small town, we can boast about having 2 grocery stores, a natural foods/supplement place, a couple of yoga studios, a gym, a physio clinic, the world’s best masseuse but if I told you who that was I’d have to kill you because he’s already busy enough, a totally weird General Store and last but not least, 3 gas stations.

See?  Doesn’t it make you want to come and play?

Family, Travel

Guest post

Christine Cogger

I’m home again, settling in to my new reality.  It was great to get home and see my little family and to try to find routine again.

While I do that, Dad and Nicholas have set off on an adventure – well deserved, I’d say. So without further ado, I’ll introduce my first guest poster: my brother, Nicholas.  A much better writer than yours truly, that’s for certain!

—

In the wake of mom’s passing last week, dad asked me to join him on a road trip to the Maritimes to clear our heads and gather our thoughts.

 

13 Years ago, I drove with my mom to the Maritimes for my first time ever as we drove  King`s College for my first year at university. 3 years later, Dad drove me back for my last year at STFX. Both were very special trips for me, but this one evokes more memories and emotions than either.

It’s been nice and somewhat out of character for both Dad and I to have a free form vacation. We have an idea of how far we want to go East, but no set itinerary or agenda: we’ve simply hit the open road with some ideas of places to visit and of which old friends we could call in on along the way.

Our first stop was Westmount for lunch on Thursday afternoon with Bill and Patty Smith (parents of Maryann) who, over the years have proven time and again to be excellent and reliable friends. Patty served delicious homemade sandwiches and bruschetta salad, followed by coffee and a great conversation – mostly regarding the recent Quebec provincial election. Patty also made sure we left with a tin-full of home made chocolate chip cookies which we have been making short work of along the way.

I have driven back and forth to the Maritimes more times than I can count, and so has dad. So, for a bit of a change, we decided to drive the first stretch along the north shore of the St Lawrence to Quebec City, then on to dad’s friend Gilles Rivard’s farm in St. Joachim, at the base of Mt. Ste Anne. The drive through La Mauricie, past Trois Rivieres is so much more entertaining than the Trans- Canada on the south shore – more rolling hills, more vistas…, and by late afternoon we were pulling into the driveway at M. Rivard’s farm. Built and completed in 1779, M. Rivard and his wife have owned it for 35 years, and have worked diligently at acquiring all the bits of land surrounding it. Today it is a magnificent spread with waterfront on the St Laurence, a full working cattle farm, sugar shack, and numerous outbuildings. M. Rivsard is exactly what one thinks of when the term “bon vivant” is used. He loves good scotch, eats rich foods (“Steak. Bleu!“) and pulls no punches in regaling us with his stories.

I took a seat quietly while dad and M. Rivard reminisced about all the people they had worked with in the professional careers, and a litany of hilarious stories from their days as young upstart lawyers (Conservative, at that!) in Quebec City. M. Rivard treated us to a lovely meal at St. Bernard Steakhouse in Ste. Anne de Beaupré before dad and I adjourned to our private cottage for the night. We retired but not before a stroll out into the back field under the stars to listen to the river and watch the lights of Quebec City in the distance to the west.

We woke up early, had a cup of coffee watching the river flowing East some more before quickly saying “adieu!” to Mme. Rivard (Gilles, bon vivant, was still in bed. Good for him!). We got back on the road, continuing East along the north shore, past Le Petit Massif de la Rivière St. François, and venturing beyond my experience of the Lower North Shore. Along the way, Dad, as is his wont, occasionally dropped anecdotes about villages and landmarks we passed along the way: the time during the ’72 campaign when they…, or once, while caucus was sitting at Murray Bay, the wives went to… etc.. etc… We stopped for a light breakfast in Baie St. Paul and pushed on to La Malbaie, where we pulled over to take in the view over the river before pushing on, all the way to Baie Ste Catherine.

As we waited there for the ferry to cross the Saguenay River, dad went inside to speak to the people operating the ferry terminal. I am not sure what he said, but when the young lady behind the counter came by to count the cars and passengers waiting for the ferry, she was in hysterics (“Ton pere est crampant!’she said, virtually in tears.) We crossed the mouth of the Saguenay to Tadoussac, where we promptly found our way to to the Hotel Tadoussac which was made famous in the film version of John Irving’s “The Hotel New Hampshire”. We had a lovely lunch *Christine: dad actually ordered (and ate!) une assiette de crudités* before doubling back on our tracks to St. Siméon, where we caught a ferry over the river to Rivière du Loup, where I am writing this now.

Tomorrow, we will try (but not too hard) to make it to PEI, choosing wisely, in my opinion, to speed through northern New Brunswick. This time, and the first time for me, we will head further East after Grand Falls towards the Miramichi and follow the coast to Shediac before crossing over the Confederation Bridge to PEI. I have a wonderful photo of Mom and Cathy Morris up to their knees in the Northumberland Strait with the bridge behind them from that first trip in 1999.

That’s all the news that is fit to report for now. We are happy, healthy, well fed and sleepy. Looking forward to more fun tomorrow.

Stay tuned.
N
Family, Running, Travel

Chick in the… countryside?

Christine Cogger

I’ve been thankful that while here in the Eastern Townships, Quebec the weather has been spectacular and that I’ve been able to sneak out for some great mind-clearing runs.  It really is amazing how many roads, nooks and crannies there are to explore.  I’ve only gotten lost once – so far.  While I love running in the mountains and trails back home, there’s something to be said for endless miles of dirt roads.

That, and the Brome Fair.

I’m not sure when I’ll be heading back to BC but in the meantime, I’ll continue to endeavour to get lost.

Racing, Travel, Triathlon, weekend

What I did on my summer holiday

Christine Cogger

My summer holiday this year revolved around spectating and supporting at IMC.  Turns out it’s the last one and it did not disapoint.  I was pretty excited when I got the green light to head up a few weeks ago. I was kid-free for the weekend so despite 13+ hours of driving and no sleeping-in, this really did feel like a holiday.

I was excited to support Liz as she had done for me years ago.  To watch the other athletes, to take pictures, to yell and cheer and clap.  I was a bit apprehensive that being around this race would make me sad and ultra-envious that I wasn’t racing and in reality have no plans to “go long” in the near future.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself relieved not to be getting in that water with the other 2500 athletes.  I really did enjoy my day of chasing athletes, riding my bike and eating an ice cream cone when others were feasting on gels and warm, flat coke.  Maybe it was because I am not race fit, or maybe it’s because I’ve lost my racing mojo, I’m not sure.  Either way, I did enjoy my summer holiday immensely.

I loved seeing the families out there supporting their loved ones with silly shirts and signs.  I don’t think I’ve ever really noticed it as much before but it really blew me away how much these people get into.  I hope that when my kids are older that they’ll do something like that for me, if I’m out there again.  You can bet that if any of them do something like this, there will be shirts, banners and signs GALORE.  I don’t care how embarrassed they get!

I’m so proud of Liz for turning her race around after 2 flats.  To be able to put a smile on and enjoy the day when it could have gone entirely the other direction takes a mental fortitude that I’m not sure I possess!  So kudos to you, ST.  You did awesome.  You’ve inspired me to improve while keeping the fun factor high and smiling while I do it.

A few photos to remember the weekend by.

Racing, Running, Travel, Triathlon

The list

Christine Cogger

Everyone seems to have a bucket list, a 100-things-to-do-before-they die/get married/have kids/etc. I don’t have a life bucket list (yet) or a 100 things list (yet) but I guess I have a bucket list of races, events or adventures I’d like to do before I kick it. Or stop being able to do these silly things, whichever comes first. Herewith, my list.

(Ed note: This list changes on a daily basis, per my mood and general interest level).

NYC Marathon

Yes, I’ve run this one before, but this time I’d like to do it without being 4 months pregnant.

Boston Marathon

The sand in the Vaseline here is that I’d have to qualify. I’ll work on that. Hmm.

A Marathon or trail race in Hawaii

It’s bound to be hot and humid. Fun!

The Transrockies Run

For my 40th. Or thereabouts. Right Lizzie?

An Xterra race in Utah

Why Utah? I have no idea really, other than it seems like a nice course with the added challenge of altitude.

The Mid-Mountain Marathon in Park City, Utah.

This trail is stunning! Why not run it?

An Ironman or Marathon in Europe.

Huge crowds, historic cities, lots of beer.

The Across the Lake swim in Kelowna

I have never been brave enough but figure I should do it one day.

An Ironman that gives me an outside shot at qualifying for Kona one day.

Maybe when I’m in the 80-85 age group.

What about you? What’s on your list? I want some suggestions and by suggestions I mean invitations. I realize this list is mostly running, time to work on my biking and adventure list – primarily more Chicks in the Sticks!

—

No big adventures planned for the weekend (unless you call getting up at 5am to volunteer at an the Squamish 50 and then heading home for a wedding and dancing on a mildly sprained ankle an adventure) so I’ll leave you with some random pictures.

Have a great weekend! The last weekend of Olympics 24/7… cue the withdrawal.

Family, Kids, Travel

‘Fino.

Christine Cogger

I’m ‘back on the grid’ after 4 days in lovely, rainy Tofino (or ‘Fino, as it’s known to the kids). It was a long haul to get there and home but, in my and the kids’ opinions, worth every minute. It was cold and rainy (except, of course, for the morning we had to leave) and it didn’t matter. It made the place even more beautiful.

Highlights for me include watching Anja collect every bit of shell, crab, seaweed, stick or stone she could stuff in her ‘yadybug’ coat pocket; betting Will $5 he  wouldn’t jump in the ocean; losing that bet; watching the kids eat fresh crab for the first time;  Anja eating (and enjoying) an oyster; a short run on the beach; being away from the internet/news/phone for 3 entire days.

The quote of the weekend came from Will:

Me: “Will! Be quiet or the neighbours will get mad at us!”

Will (to his siblings): “Guys! Be quiet or the neighbours will shoot us!”

I took over 350 pictures in 3 days. Kids and beaches are so easy.  I can’t wait to go back.