Harrison Hot Springs – leah explores

Top Ten … 2016 Travel Experiences

January 6, 2017February 9, 20171 Comment

Whilst 2016 was a sucky year for many reasons, I can’t help but be thankful for some of the awesome travel experiences I’ve had. Starting a travel blog was a big thing for me and it has really helped to push me out of my comfort zone, appreciate all that is around me and travel more than I would have done. So without further ado, here are my top ten travel experiences of 2016 …

Salvation Mountain
Salvation Mountain was one of those places I have wanted to go to for a long time and finally making it happen this year was really satisfying. This place is completely magical and I hope everyone gets to experience it at some point.
Moorten Botanical Gardens
This place wasn’t big or fancy, it was small and tucked away and a complete hidden gem. If you had of told me that one of my highlights of 2016 would have been going to a botanical garden full of cacti I would have laughed in your face, but here I am, writing about how much I loved it.
Santa Barbara
I didn’t spend long in Santa Barbara but the time I did have there I really enjoyed. I always feel like I’ve seen quite a bit of southern California so the chance to explore somewhere new is always great.
Capitol Hill
Going back to Seattle and exploring new neighborhoods was apparently all that was needed for me to fall in love with Seattle all over again. Capitol Hill and Ballad were full of “local flavour” and a perfect place to spend a weekend with good friends.
Harrison Hot Springs
Going back to Harrison this summer for more than an hour was pretty great. It’s such a beautiful place and being able to relax with friends and take it easy was just what the doctor ordered.
Galiano Island
Any chance to see more of beautiful British Columbia is always more than fine by me, and Galiano sure was beautiful. A perfect place to hideaway from reality for a few days.
San Francisco
I’ve wanted to go to San Francisco for a long time, and in 2016 I finally made it happen. Luckily, it did not disappoint, even though I did a lot, I feel like I hardly scratched the surface, so I cannot wait to go back there someday and do some more exploring!
Whale Watching
I’ve been whale watching before and it was very unsuccessful, so when I got the chance to go again whilst visiting family I jumped at it. What I saw was beyobd my wildest dreams; Orca’s, Dolphins and a Blue Whale to name a few!
Redwoods
In the same trip as whale watching I also got to go and see the world famous Redwood tree’s in the less than famous Henry Cowell State Park. Seeing these trees in person is something amazing, you cannot comprehend the height and width of them without standing next to one and feeling completely insignificant.
Ojai
Ojai was my “treat yo’self” spur of the moment trip of the year, and I loved it. This tiny little laid back oasis was the perfect place to spend a few days by myself, exploring and recharging my batteries.

Honourable mentions go to the Cabazon Dinosaurs for their sheer quirkiness, my birthday hike in Deep Cove, visiting Carmel, riding in a Seaplane, and finally my amazing Cabin Christmas. 2016 was a great year of travel for me but I’m hoping 2017 will be even better! Happy exploring!

Leah Explores … Harrison Hot Springs

September 12, 2016September 16, 20162 Comments

Every year myself and two of my best friends go away for the weekend. It can be a bit challenging as we all work together so there is always a bit of human Tetris involved for us to all get the weekend off but we always manage (well done Laura!) This year we decided that we wouldn’t go anywhere too far away and wanted to stay in Canada, because of the US exchange rate right now. We settled on Harrison Hot Springs, a tiny lakeside town about 90 minutes outside of Vancouver. We’ve all been before, but not for a while which made it fun to rediscover this little gem of a place.

Stay
As I’ve already said Harrison is tiny, there are some small hotels and campsites around, however, most people, ourselves included, opt to stay at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa. This place reminds me of Kellermans from Dirty Dancing; everything is there and there are definitely some people who do not leave the resort. And to be fair, you don’t really need to. It has a spa, pools, bar, restaurant, shops and a coffee shop. There were some nice touches too, for example they had free afternoon tea out by the pools one day during our time there. Our stay was really enjoyable and I would definitely stay there again.

The resort and lake

Making friends with the locals

The pool at the hotel

Do
Harrison is definitely a place for both relaxing and for being active, it’s such a small place that you will inevitably end up doing both. As the name suggests the town is home to some Hot Springs which definitely lend themselves to the relaxing aspect of the trip. On the other hand there are loads of trails around the area as well as abundant water sport options, and a ridiculously fun looking inflatable Total Wipeout style obstacle course out on the lake. Our stay coincided with the annual ‘Sasquatch Days’ which included war canoe races, activities and entertainment, and takes place every June.
We did the easiest hikes called the Miami Bridges trail which is a very leisurely (and flat) 0.5km meander through some trees, past some water and back to the hotel car park. Of course, when in Harrison you have to search out and take a picture with Bigfoot, see below. We also sat by the pool, enjoyed some cocktails and walked from one end of the town to the other, which takes about 10 minutes. It’s also worth taking the short stroll down to the source of the Hot Springs which is located a little way down from the hotel.

The Miami Bridges trail

Enjoying the views

Made a new friend

Harrison Hot Springs is so close to Vancouver that it makes it a perfect place for either a weekend getaway or even for a day trip. Like I said there isn’t a lot to do but that is the beauty of visiting Harrison. In all honesty we didn’t really push ourselves to do too much exploring, and that was kind of the whole purpose of the trip to relax and escape from the city for a few days. The hotel is so big that for the short time we were there we didn’t feel the need to venture into town for any food or drink. All in all I really enjoyed my few days there and will be back in the future for more relaxing and hiding away from reality, and maybe some more energetic hiking.

More information about things to do and places to stay in Harrison Hot Springs can be found on the Tourism Harrison website. Happy exploring!

Upcoming Adventures

February 25, 2016June 22, 2016Leave a comment

It’s nearly March (where did January and February go?) and I haven’t been on a proper trip yet. Actually, that isn’t necessarily true, whilst I was back in England for Christmas and New Year, I did visit with friends in Gloucester and Manchester for a few days. But, I’m not counting those little jaunts as they definitely counted as social visits. So, with that in mind I decided it was time to nail down a plan of action for the rest of year and give myself something to look forward to.

The Definites

These are the trips that are already booked, or may as well be and are definitely happening.

Seattle

My first trip of the year is coming up very soon. I’m off to Seattle, more specifically Ballad and Capitol Hill with some of my best adventure buddies, we went on one of my favourite trips ever to Hawaii together back in 2012. All of us have been to Seattle numerous times before (one of the perks of living in Vancouver) so I’m excited to get out of the downtown area to explore some new neighbourhoods and find some fun breweries and coffee shops to fill the days.

Harrison Hot Springs

Harrison Hot Springs is a unique little town that is less than two hours drive from downtown Vancouver, and yet it feels like a world away. It is a tiny little town situated in the Fraser Valley around the south end of Harrison Lake. I have been there briefly before, and by briefly I mean a few hours where we stopped for an ice cream and stretched our legs. So I am thrilled to be heading back there for a weekend in June with two friends for our annual weekend getaway. In previous years we have gone to Seattle, Vernon and even attempted camping at Cultus Lake, so it will be great to be able to relax and explore the surrounding areas a bit more in depth, and maybe even spot a Sasquatch.

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Last time I went to Harrison I made a friend.

The Definite Maybes

These are safe bets that they (most likely) will happen this year, but nothing is booked yet.

Silicon Valley, San Francisco and the surrounding areas

My cousin and her family have just moved to Silicon Valley through her husbands work. So I will definitely be taking advantage of this and giving them a visit at some point this year, once they are all settled in. San Francisco has been on my list of places to visit for some time so this seems like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and even explore a bit further afield; Berkley, Napa Valley and Carmel are all on my list.

Cabin Christmas

It has become a tradition in our friendship group that we go away for Christmas to a cabin in the woods, for the past few years we have gone to a lovely little cabin in Mount Baker, Washington. Last year I went back to England for Christmas and that was fantastic to be surrounded by family and old friends, however I couldn’t help but feeling like I was missing out by not being at the cabin. I was offered some constellation that due to the weak Canadian dollar my friends weren’t at “our cabin” and instead had gone to a cheaper alternative. There has been some discussion already about Christmas 2016, and even though the Canadian dollar isn’t looking so great at the moment, I’m sure we will find a cabin to suit our needs, even if it isn’t “our cabin” that we love so much!

Our Christmas cabin in Mount Baker.

The Maybes

These are the places that I would like to go to this year, but it will all come down to funds and the amount of vacation time I can get from work. Some are a lot more achievable than others.

Montreal

As I’ve already said in this post, the Canadian dollar is weak at the moment, which means going down to The States isn’t as cost effective as it once was, not that that is stopping me, but it is definitely making me think. That said, domestic travel is extremely expensive in Canada (the country is huge after all) so traveling between provinces is not as easy as I thought it would be when I first moved out here. I’ve lived in Canada for five years now and have yet to leave the British Columbia and explore some of the other beautiful provinces in this stunning country. Top of my list is definitely Montreal. I have got a couple of friends who have been and loved it. From all the research and pictures I’ve seen it seems like a city in a bubble with some beautiful building and a bit of a party atmosphere, plus it’s the home of Poutine, yum!

The Rockies

Once again, a part of Canada that I am yet to experience, and definitely up there on my list. I’m not into winter sports or super outdoorsy, so I think a trip in the summer would be more up my alley, and the chance to see Lake Louise in the sunshine, is something I definitely want to do. I know my mum is planning on coming out to visit this summer, so I think this trip would be a nice thing to do with her.Plus the road trip to there would be pretty epic in itself.

Iceland

Iceland has been a country that I have wanted to visit for years, and it is definitely one of the countries I wish I had visited when I was still living in England, where it is a lot cheaper to get to. Having done some research, it is definitely still a doable trip even from Vancouver, but it might also be something I save for the next time I go back to England and make an extended stopover.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of those countries that constantly comes up when I am browsing through the travel section of Pintrest. Not only does it look like there are some stunning beaches (I’m a sucker for a beautiful beach) and glorious lush rainforests and jungles, but it seems like there is a new adventure around every corner.

I definitely feel a lot better about not having a lot booked so far, having written this all down. I know I am not going to be able to go on all of these trips this year, unless there is a lottery win involved, and my vacation time through work doubles, but I am going to do my best to see and explore as many new places as possible. I will be making the most of the three day weekends coming up in the summer and attempting to explore the beautiful city I live in a bit further.