Post by Lauren; Photos by Dusty
Dusty and I met in July of 2015. We took our first trip together to Vancouver & Seattle over New Year’s 2016. This was a good test for our relationship to see how our travel styles meshed. And more importantly, see how Dusty handles my morning grumpiness! Lucky for me, Dusty is the most laid back guy on the planet.
We got off to a bumpy start. First, the plane was delayed because the pilot accidentally overflowed the lavatory. Oopsie! But, bonus, we got to ride on the little golf cart through the Dallas airport. We caught our connection and finally took off, only to be diverted to McAllen, Texas for bad weather. During the delay we sat and watched an airport worker spill jet fuel, like a lot of fuel, all over the runway. Why? We never found out, but got a good laugh out of the ordeal.
Vancouver
Vancouver is beautiful – especially dusted with snow and decorated for Christmas! We saw the sites and played tourist for the first few days. The waterfront is picturesque with the snowy mountains as the backdrop. Plus, we got along with the famously friendly Canadians right away.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
We visited to the Capilano Suspension Bridge where I tested my fear of heights. Mission accomplished! And it was a beautiful walk through the trees. The only downside — it was pretty cold. I may have overdone it with my layers and look a bit like a marshmallow in the photos. Dusty runs hot and was wearing like one sweater the whole time. I eventually acclimated to the cold and dressed like a normal person.
Grouse Mountain
Next on our schedule – Grouse Mountain. We did not ski, but walked around in the snow. Being from Mississippi, this was a thrill to us! The trees were impossibly big and views breathtaking! The resort had an ice skating rink. We grabbed hot chocolates and watched the amateur skaters slip and slide across the ice.
We boarded the bus to go home, but had to wait for a car to be towed from their illegal parking spot. Instead of a tow truck, a forklift appeared and picked the car up and toted it away! We were glued to the windows for the ordeal.
Stanley Park
Next, we headed to Stanley Park to walk the 5.5 miles seawall. We had great views of the city, mountains and Lions Gate bridge. The park is beautiful and almost makes you forget you’re in the middle of a city. The park was Dusty’s favorite part of our trip. Although I may have gotten a little grumpy when my feet started hurting.
Hockey
Finally, we ended our visit with our first hockey game – Canucks v. L.A. Kings. What’s more Canadian than catching a hockey game, eh? We do not follow hockey and do not know many of the rules. But, the game was exciting. There were several fights to start the game, which definitely helped! Go Canucks, Go!
Seattle
The first leg of our trip finished, we took the train across the border to Seattle. When we planned the trip, I was nervous about the weather. Seattle = rain right? Wrong! We had perfect weather the entire trip. We did the normal touristy trips to the Pike Place Market, Space Needle and the first Starbucks, and the Sky View Observatory at Columbia Center. Our days in Seattle were beautiful!
The end of our trip fell on New Year’s Eve. In addition to the normal festivities, NYE means college football to us. We found a great sports bar to catch both playoff games. The bar was full of extremely rowdy Clemson fans. This was a change from our normal all-SEC environment.
Finally, we met Dusty’s cousin, Trent, and his wife, Mary Beth, for a fancy NYE dinner. After dinner, we caught a fireworks show over the water and rang in 2016 in style. Dusty and I toasted our successful first vacation together.
Sugar Bowl
After we planned our trip, Ole Miss did the unthinkable and qualified for the Sugar Bowl! As long suffering fans, we knew this could be a once in a lifetime event not to be missed. We rescheduled our flights and arranged to land a few hours before kickoff. We dropped off our luggage and raced to the Superdome. Ole Miss beat Oklahoma State 48-20. The perfect ending to a great trip!
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