Oh, Canada ...

It's just a quick 2.5 hour flight to Vancouver from Anchorage, but it felt like another world. The weather was warm and balmy. Vacouver is thick with outdoor cafes, and sea-side walks. It has a multi-cultural hum that we could feel. We stayed at a hostel in a bohemian part of the town, close to the ocean. Vancouver aside from being a nice place to chill out, was also where I would be getting my eyes lased. I shopped around before we left, and at $499 an eye and good Web recommendations, it seemed like a good deal for Lasik. So far (3 weeks on) it still seems like a good idea, I'm 20/20.

We spent about a week after my lasing exploring BC in a rental car.
The highlight was the town of Nelson, a nice little art community in Western BC, near the Idaho border. We could imagine living there. It seems almost too good. Surrounded by pine covered mountains and a healthy river, it is a big, small town, complete with a beach, parks, good book shops, markets and cafes. Heaps of skiing in the winter, and watersports in the summer. Unfortunately, during our visit there, Sophia fell down the stairs and we thought she broke her leg. We rushed her to the hospital (not waiting the usual 20 minutes for things to right themselves). It turned out to be just a bruise (should have waited) but we were charged $450 for the 20 minute visit. I think our insurance will cover it - we'll see.

About an hour out of Nelson, we also visited the Ainsworth Hotsprings. It has an awesome, yet claustrophobic cave that was originally left from a mining excavation. The water was a toasty 40C inside the cave, and you could wade or swim through it in a big loop. The kids loved it.