Whitecaps Soccer

Rhys was selected to participate in the Whitecaps training camp as part of a group from the Okanagan area. He has been doing training as part of the program for a few weeks now and last weekend they conducted a series of training opportunities in Vancouver.

Rhys and I left Vernon Friday night for the long 5 hour trip to Vancouver. We arrived late Friday night, found the hotel and went to bed. The next day he needed to be at a local university stadium for the first training session. The coaches divided the training squad up into groups according to age and gender. They trained the kids hard but Rhys had a heap of fun.

The kids were provided with lunch and then they did another 90 minute training session. Following this we headed back to the hotel to wash up before going to BC Place Stadium, the home of the Whitecaps (and the BC Lions). We took the Skytrain into the city. The train runs on a special track which is raised up above the ground. This is a quick alternative to having to find parking.

The atmosphere at the stadium was great. It was almost full with Whitecaps fans. The kids got to meet a couple of the players before the game and get autographs. The stadium had its roof open. It has a massive video screen and scoreboard hanging above the centre of the pitch which has four sides so everyone can see what is happening.

The game was very exciting but a bit spiteful. The New England side committed a lot of fouls in the first half with numerous yellow cards given out along with a red card which meant New England had only 10 men on the pitch for most of the game. There were lots of goals scored with the final result being 4-3 in favour of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

On Sunday morning we were up early as the training session was help at BC Place Stadium. This was a special treat as the pitch is rarely available for anyone to use. The kids loved playing on the same surface that they had just watched a professional match take place.

After training we headed back to Vernon. It was a memorable weekend.

 

 

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Victoria Day Public Holiday

We tested out our new second hand tent trailer on the recent Victoria Day public holiday. We left one on Friday for a 5 and a half hour drive to the town of Radium Springs where they have some hot springs. We got set up very late but had a reasonably comfortable night's sleep. 

While it rained a bit over the weekend the weather was generally very pleasant. The kids enjoyed playing in the forest around the trailer park and just loved the campfires. We found the hot springs a little warm at 37degrees Celsius. 

We went to church at a small Christian fellowship where they had a quest singer named Crystal Clear and her husband sing and preach. The drive home was wonderful as it was light all the way. We even took time to stop a couple of times and snap a few pictures. 

Weekend Walk

The kids and I went for a walk down the local park. It turned into quite and adventure. At the park Alyssa used the swings and climbing frame while the boys explored some nearby bush. They decided to climb down a somewhat steep slope until I suggested they explore some of the trails around the park. They saw some great views as the trail followed a ledge overlooking the valley. 

On the way back to the house we decided to take what we thought would be a shortcut but which ended up being a very steep climb. We came around the back side of the house through a swampy area which the kids had walked over when it was frozen in winter. 

Universal Studios

On our first day in California we drove to Universal Studios which was a 68km 60 minute trip on the famous LA freeway system from Anaheim to the other side of central LA near Studio City. We had a rental vehicle which we had only paid basic insurance on so I was constantly worried about damaging it. Narelle had her finger nails impaled in the seats and was always quick to remind me about merging lanes or if a car was braking in front of us. Fortunately the kids could sense the tone in the front of the car whenever we drove and kept reasonably quiet.

The GPS was the saviour yet again. It was the best $100 investment I have ever made. It provided a spoken and visual description of what needed to happen well before time. Even so, crossing 8 lanes of traffic can be a bit scary especially when no one seems to have any speed other than very fast. I was told later that the LA freeway system is the second busiest in the nation with Hawaii being the busiest. Next time I'm in Hawaii I will remember this and take a cab! It is amazing when you come to a place in the freeway where 4 or 5 entry/exit lanes are situated. They all curve gracefully away at different heights and angles loaded with vehicles headed who knows where. There were plenty of police around although I am surprised how they manage to pull people over safely.

We even managed to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood sign in the distance although Rhys was annoyed that he didn't see it. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to drive up to the sign. Next time we are in LA (assuming there is a next time), we will spend more time seeing the city.

Universal Studios was great although much of it was the same as I remember from the last time I was there 20 years ago. The one difference is that there seemed to be more shops which were a big hit with the kids even though we didn't buy much. Cameron purchased a pair of Hollywood novelty glasses which he wore religiously for the next few days.

We all enjoyed going on the guided tour and the kids recognised many of the places and props used in movies they had seen. They really liked that town square which was used to film Back to the the Future. Cameron kept saying 'I can't believe that it is right there.' He also loved the Delorian which was used in the movie as well.

The stunt show was spectacular with explosions, men on jet skis, a plane crash, gunfights and people falling to their pretend deaths! Alyssa didn't seem too scared by it all. By the time it was late afternoon we were all tired and ready to tackle the difficult drive home which we did safely.

Riding the Ferries

To get a vehicle onto Vancouver Island you have to catch one of the BC ferries www.bcferries.com/. I found it odd that the city of Vancouver is not actually on Vancouver Island although the capital of British Columbia (Victoria) is. The trip takes around 90 minutes.

The Tsawwassen Ferry terminal is about 45 minutes drive north of Vancouver. We caught the ferry from there to Swartz Bay which about 45 minutes drive south of Victoria. On our return trip we drove about 2 hours south of Victoria to the Nanaimo ferry terminal and travelled to Horseshoe Bay which is about 45 minutes south of Vancouver.

When you arrive at the ferry terminal in your car you are placed in a numbered row of vehicles. They place trucks, buses and heavy vehicles in the outside rows with smaller vehicles in inner rows. Depending on how early you are you then lock up your vehicle and go into the terminal where there are shops, washrooms etc. One of the terminals we were in was almost like a mini-mall with all sorts of tourist shops Of course the kids always want to spend money and are disappointed when we don't let them!

Eventually you get a call over the PA system to return to your vehicles. It only takes them about 15 minutes to get all the vehicles onto the ferry which is a pretty good effort considering that hundreds that are lined up (including trucks and buses). They carefully allow certain rows to enter first in order to ensure the weight in the ferry is balanced. You drive on and are shown where to stop so that they can squeeze as many vehicles on as possible without much space between the front and back of each.

Once out of you car you walk to the passenger decks remembering to take a note of where your car is parked. I think they would not look too kindly on someone losing their vehicle at the end of the trip and holding everyone else up.

The passenger decks are wonderful. There are hundreds of different areas to sit. There are a number of cafeterias (managed by a franchise called White Spot) with a central eating area. There are areas with desks and chairs for businessmen or students who want to work. There are loads of powerpoints for people to charge their electronic devices (very important for iPad lovers). The ferry provides a free wireless network which is okay but not fast. There are various vending machines including one that dispenses electronic equipment including phones, iPods and iPads. Surprisingly, the prices were not bad although I didn't buy anything (I wanted to though!!). There was a small arcade which cost a tooney (two dollars) or loonie (one dollar) per game. There was also a very small area for young children to play which had some things for them to play with.

On at least one of the outside decks you can walk a complete circuit. While I was busy surfing the web on my iPad which was plugged into a convenient wall socket I saw one lady doing laps. It seemed to take her about 2 - 3 minutes to complete a lap. I thought about doing the same but it was cold outside and nice and warm with my iPad!

About 15 minutes before we arrived a message was sent over the PA to return to the car. There are numerous messages posted around not to turn your car on until just before you drive out so as to reduce the amount of vapours that build up in the vehicle decks. Eventually the front of the ferry is lowered and vehicles begin to drive off.

I loved the ferry rides. They gave us a perfect opportunity to sit and relax for a while. The kids stayed entertained although they constantly asked for money to buy things. They enjoyed being able to use their electronic devices and walking around the outside decks. We met an Australian family on the return trip from Victoria to Vancouver which was also nice. The view out the windows is always interesting, especially when you pass close by some of the smaller islands on the route. The captain puts messages over the PA when interesting things come into view e.g. whales etc. We passed close by one of Canada's submarines which looked as threatening as one of our Australian ones (nothing compared to the big American nuclear subs).

Even a ferry ride becomes a time to remember!

Disneyland & California Adventure Theme Park

Disneyland is a wonderful place for kids and adults alike. The whole experience is so happy and positive with all the characters and cast members oozing joy and friendliness. Every element of the experience is rehearsed and designed to be happy.  We stayed in a nice sized unit in West Lamark lane not far from the front gates of the theme parks.

Many rides have a photo service which captures an image of you as you enjoy the ride. These photos are usually expensive so we took the opportunity to take a photo of the photos whenever possible.

Besides rides there are also many street performers and productions/shows. The Aladdin show was amazing and very funny. The sets were elaborate as were the costumes. 

Alyssa loved the fairies and princesses. She managed to get a photo with most characters. 

At night the California Adventure Park has an amazing light show which is created by projecting images onto water fountains and spray. The mix of Disney movie clips, music and sound is wonderfully entertaining. 

Correction to previous post

I just read the last post and noticed the paragraphs got moved when I was putting pictures in. The paragraph between our time in Seattle and our trip to Vancouver has been dropped down. Sorry, I hope you can make some sense out of it!

I just figured out how to fix it so ignore this post!

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