Here?s What You Must Know About Outdoor Clothing

When spending time in the great outdoors, it is vital to choose the correct outdoor clothing. Why? Bad choices in clothing can lead to extreme discomfort and can ruin any outdoor activity. There are a variety of variables that must be considered in order to properly dress for any outdoor activity.  You can find a [...]

Source: http://www.ndparks.com/outdoor-gear/outdoor-clothing.php

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What is the Difference Between Hiking Shoes and Hiking Boots?

The key factor in choosing between hiking shoes and hiking boots is the wildness of the terrain you plan to traverse. Determining your chosen route will help you to decide which type of footwear will best suit your needs. Hiking shoes are designed to support your feet on groomed trails. Hiking boots, on the other [...]

Source: http://www.ndparks.com/outdoor-gear/difference-hiking-shoes-hiking-boots.php

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Cultus Lake

John Harvey Photo

Cultus Lake

Camping with the Baby



Stuff From The Car
Everyone told us we were crazy to go camping with a 4 month old baby. Maybe not everyone - my Mom took me camping when I was about that age, but my friends with babies thought I was nuts. Turns out it is doable - if you have enough stuff! We picked Cultus Lake because it's relatively close by - only an hour and half to get back to the city so if we failed badly it would take too long to get home. Cultus lake also has showers which makes people happy. Mark and Jeremy were game to join us so we had a trip!

Barred Owl From FrontBarred Owl From Side

So we got out to the camp site and disgorged the car. I setup our 10 person tent (no kidding) and Helen made sure the baby stayed warm. Mark and Jeremy arrived later in the evening but their puney two person tents took only moments to setup. We settle in to a little camp fire and started to enjoy camping.

That started a question - why go camping? The first part of the answer flapped it's way - to see wild life. An owl had skirted an edge of our camp site and setup pirch in a near by tree. I figure all the campers inadvertently feed mice and those mice are now feeding owls. The bird moved from tree to tree but was quite patient with me (and some invited guests) taking it's photo.



We retired to bed and had a good night. Turns out our 10 person tent (did I mention it can fit three queen sized beds and is larger than any room in our condo?) has lots of vents and not all of them can be zipped closed. We were effectly sleeping outside. Nara was fine - she had five layers of clothing on and she was warm everywhere when she woke up in the morning. Reason number two to go camping - kids love sleeping in tents. Nara really seemed to like looking at the tent. Perhaps it was the whole world being orange, or just the change from the usual, but she really like looking a the tent.

Waking Up In ATentNara Sucking FingerHanging Out At Camp

We got up and got on with our day. We had lots of gear - nice seats, a stroller that doubled as a bassenet and three different stoves. Jeremy cooked us pancakes and we got ready to see the world. Nara was surprised by bird sounds and spent a lot of time looking at trees.

Baby At CampNara Sleeping In Her Bassinet

Cultus Lake Saturday MarketJars Of Preserves
Cultus lake has a "Saturday Market" in the park behind the gas station. We were on our way to the Chillwack farmers market but I figured why not stop in? There was some locally produced items and a little locally grown food but their was a big component of flea market meets beach toy shop. The juxtaposition really threw me off, but if you are looking for a traditional farmers market, maybe this isn't what you have in mind.

Selling Plastic Junk

Turns out the Chilliwack farmers market was almost a no show - only 5 vendors and not much of a selection. We are spoiled in our choice in Vancouver (not as spoiled as Seattle though!) so I was a little dissapointed. We finished up the rest of our shopping and returned to camp.

Jeremy Holding BabyReason number 1 to take a baby camping. They make a great lap warmer! Nara slept in her pack and play, but she spent most of the days on someones lap. She really like the attention - we actually had some problems after the weekend because she got used to so much holding. Perhaps a little spoiling once in a while is a good thing.

Baby SleepingReading Nara AComic Book

I'm really not a fan of camp fires when camping. I like trees - not wood on fire. I don't like smoke. I don't find them particulaly warming (put on a tuque). I'm not a fan of roast marshmellows so that burning sugar on a stick thing doesn't do much for me. We took a vote - turns out I'm entirely wrong - everyone else loves camp fires and a nice camp fire is their number one reason for camping. My bad.

Jer And Mark Preparing MarshmellowsMark Cooking Marshmellows
Jeremy Poking FireSparks In Front Of Lit Tent

Would you drive an hour and half to go to Minigolf? I didn't think so. How about 5 minutes down the road? Perhaps the last great advantage of camping is the location - a home base to make exploring a new part of the world easier.

Mark And The Three Ball ProblemJer Starting GameMark With The Train Behind HimNara Hiding On The Green

Of course Mark won. Two holes in one - it's starting to be hard to call it a fluke!

Thanks Mark and Jeremy for joining us! We couldn't have done it without you.
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Cultus Lake

Source: http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/CultusLake/index.html

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Offbeat travel advice: 10 tips from road warriors

Any guidebook can dish up standard, basic travel advice. And while tips like "make sure your passport is valid" and "familiarize yourself with the customs of your destination" are helpful, they're not very original.  We turned to real-life road warriors for quirky travel tips that come from experience, not guidebooks.

read more

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Barbary Coast Food: The Search for Chop Suey

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Barbary Coast Food: The Search for Chop SueyThe Chinaman. For as long as I can remember, the only Chinese restaurant in the suburban southern California town where I grew up was named for this racial slur. No one, including the Chinese owner, seemed to mind. I can't remember if chop suey was ever on the menu, but standing at the gate to Chinatown in San Francisco, on Grant and Bush Streets still following the Barbary Coast trail, I couldn't help but link the two. Kitschy and part of the old school food culture many of us have long abandoned.

A few nights earlier I was eating at Incanto, a stellar restaurant in the city's Noe Valley and ended up standing in the doorway to the kitchen chatting with Chris Cosentino, the restaurant's talented chef. That's when he told me that chop suey was invented in San Francisco. "Some time during the Barbary Coast era," he said.

Or was it? It would make sense that San Francisco would have birthed this kitschy dish. Chinatown boasts the first Asian temple in the United States (on Waverly Place). San Francisco was the first place Chinese immigrants flocked to, hoping to strike it rich in the rush for gold. It had to have been invented here. So, on a whim, I decided to find out.

Continue reading Barbary Coast Food: The Search for Chop Suey

Barbary Coast Food: The Search for Chop Suey originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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H2O Mop X5 5-in-1 Steam Cleaner Review

X5 Mop has changed the way I clean ! betsky from winnipeg on Jul.252011 4out of 5 I did a lot of research before I decided on this unit. I had a Bissell unit from Costco but it didn’t work right out of the box and the temperature was not adjustable. I bought my X5 [...]

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