Brown pelicans: Cruising the West Coast waves

The pelicans looked like they were engaged in a high-stakes game of “chicken” with the crashing surf. On a recent road trip down the coasts of Oregon and Northern California, I watched in wonder as lines of brown pelicans cruised low over the ocean — mere inches from the water and directly in the path…

Diving pelicans: Avian missiles with brakes

Diving pelicans are a curious sight: they plunge from the sky like feathered missiles — wings cocked, heads tucked, beaks tracing an approach angle of almost 90 degrees — then hit the ocean in an explosion of wings and water and webbed feet, only to bob back to the surface in an instant, as if…

Road cycling Hornby Island

On a sunny Sunday this past May long weekend, I wheeled my road bike off the ferry at Hornby Island, eager for a day of cruising the roads of this popular Gulf Island. Located two ferry rides away from Vancouver Island, British Columbia, just south of the Comox Valley, Hornby is known for its gorgeous…

Gear review: This Expedition Canoe Cart is da bomb

This canoe cart kills it. My partner and I just completed the Sayward Forest Canoe Route on Vancouver Island using our shiny new Expedition Canoe Cart by Western Canoe Manufacturing, and let me say that hauling our 17.5′ 72lb Clipper Tripper over those 8 km of portage trails was so much easier than it has…