Distractions for July

So maybe you are curious... what was my distraction for July?? I decided it was going to be ADVENTURE! Instead of taking a long vacation this summer, we actually took several mini-vacations. And we did some exciting things...

We went ziplining in Whistler, B.C. We did the Bear Run (= for beginners) by ZipTrek Ecotours. Bill knows that I am afraid of heights. He also knows that I will do most things if dared to do them. He also knows that I giggle when I am scared. Let's say that I giggled a lot during the five ziplines, in the canopy of an old-growth forest, above a canyon with a river running below it. It was exhilarating!

We also went whale watching in the San Juan Islands, WA. I have always wanted to see orcas in the wild. In the Pacific Northwest, we have several pods (=family groups) of orca whales that are called "residents"-- they stay within a specific region for both feeding and reproduction. During the summer months (May - September), our local J-Pod hangs out in the San Juan Islands, feeding continuously on salmon.  Whale researchers keep track of the members of this family group based on their identification marks (mostly fin shapes and color patterns).  We were lucky on our excursion day! Our boat (and many other tour boats) found J-Pod, up to 26 orcas swimming together. The boats are required by law to turn off their engines and maintain a certain distance from the group. We saw several orcas spy-hop (= emerge from the water to look around), breach (= jump out of the water and make a big splash), and swim together. It made my inner marine biologist very happy. :)

We also went white-water rafting! Some of our friends recommended this activity near Lytton, British Columbia.  We made reservations with Kumsheen Rafting Resort and invited our friends, Kris & Darin, to join us. We chose an all-day package, paddle-rafting down the Thompson and Frasier Rivers. We had an amazing guide, Natalie. Bill said I had a "perma-grin" on all day long... It seemed only fate that I was the only person onboard to get tossed out of the raft during one of the wild rapids! Was I scared? No way! I didn't lose my paddle... I just held my breath until I surfaced... someone pulled me back into the raft and it was time to get ready for another rapid set! I considered it to be a BONUS!! [I love water sports] hahaha

 

Comments

[Judie Sittner]

Sherri....thanks for the mini recap of your mini vacation. I just have a big smile on my face as I look at your pics, but not as big as yours!. It is so good to see you kicking back and just having a great time.