Last weekend, David and I decided to cross the border and visit our neighbors to the north: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Neither of us had ever been before but had heard it’s better than Seattle- as far as beauty goes. We were about to see- but I’m pretty partial to my beautiful little city. Thankfully, I’ve found a partner who seems to love travel and adventure just as much as I do! It’s no wonder we pair off so well. We both are always looking for a new discovery and don’t mind getting lost in a new city together. There’s something magical about not knowing where you are going and having no time frame to get yourself there. Plus, exploring Vancouver was on my 2015 Bucket List so away we went!

Friday afternoon, we left Seattle right after I finished coaching and started the drive north. According to our friends at Google it should have only taken about three hours to get there- unfortunately, Seattle seems to be prone to horrible traffic so it took us a little bit longer.

We stopped twice along the way- once for PIZZA ❤ and then again, for a few weekend supplies i.e.; Oreos and milk. We have this love for eating Oreos and milk as a bedtime snack, so of course, we had to make sure we had them up in Canada. We both noted that the further north we got, the more drastically interesting the people got. Without sounding too horrible, it was very much “The Hills Have Eyes” brought to life in front of us in a few of those towns. Uh…. nope.

By the time we got to the Peace Arch Border Crossing, it was about 5PM and the rain was beginning to trickle down. The cars were backed up, causing a 30 minutes delay. They sure do not mess around at the border, I’m not complaining. We used the time to get any last minute texts out and to figure out exactly where we were going. Once we crossed into Canada, our cellular service and data would be cut off and we would be phone-less. I was actually excited for a weekend of no phone distractions. I was ready to just be unplugged from the “real world” and just get lost in some new land with Dave.

When it was our turn to cross, we drove up and handed our passports to the Canadian Border Patrol. I was surprised at how kind the man actually was. Of course, he had to have the tough guy/stern look but you can see he was actually nice. Three out of the four times I’ve crossed into Canada, the Canadian Border Patrol has been less than thrilled for my visit. This time however, aside from a few questionable remarks about my car (SORRY I LOVE MY MINNESOTA PLATES) he was pretty relaxed with us. He even gave a few suggestions for things to do once we arrived in Vancouver. I really should credit Dave for the relaxing, laid back way of the Border Patrol though. He always seems to have this way about him that makes people want to open up and talk about things. I just have to sit there and keep my mouth shut.

As we drove away from the border and ventured a little deeper in Canada, the rain started to pour down. Not surprised, Vancouver weather is similar to Seattle, which means that we are in the tail end of rainy season. Despite the rain and the lack of phone service, we managed to navigate our way to the Pinnacle Hotel in downtown Vancouver. It was a beautiful hotel, seated in the midst of downtown Vancouver and the water’s edge. The hotel bar and restaurant over looked the lit up water front and made for a sparkling view.

Our room was on the 8^th floor and gave a nice view of downtown. Apparently, even though we were in Canada, March Madness is still a thing so on went the TV and out came the basketball games. Fine by me as long as I can still get a little bit of attention, sip my wine and eat my Oreo’s which was a nice compromise in my book.

To be continued…