3 months on Galiano Island

I started off 2017 with an eviction notice from our landlord in Vancouver. A common story in the city of 'renovictions.' We had only been there for a few months before the landlord decided to sell the unit we were living in under our feet. Instead of spending Christmas looming over finding another rental in the city, we opted to try something new.

We moved our things into a storage unit and January 1st, I packed up my truck and moved over to Galiano Island to live in a cabin for the winter. 

Lucky for me, a buddy of mine on the island has a beautiful cabin resort called Bodega Ridge. It's located on the quiet side of the island, surrounded by arbutus trees and just a block away from the ocean...

Over the 3 months on the island, I helped Jesse with some projects during the day, and spent my evenings by the woodstove reading books and sometimes watching the snow fall... A pretty dreamy place to spend cold winter nights.

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Winter can be really slow on the island, which can have it's up's and down's. I broke up the days by going out for hikes. My favourite happens to be Bodega Ridge Provincial Park, just behind the property. The views of the gulf islands from the top are amazing. 

If staying at a beautiful cabin for the winter wasn't good enough, I was so excited to dine out at Pilgrimme, one of Canada's top restaurants which happens to be in a quaint cabin style building tucked in the forest. I won't ruin the surprises for you, but if you go to Galiano... don't think twice about eating here and if there's room, book a stay at Bodega Ridge.

I hope to one day have my own cabin on Galiano, but for now, the journey continues as I am back on the road, living between my rooftop tent on my Toyota, at friend's places in the city or working with resorts along the way. 

Casa Corona in Whistler

#coronasunsets

A couple of weekends ago, Corona invited me up to Whistler for a getaway in the mountains. They hosted a two-day VIP après-ski party at Casa Corona, a beautiful chalet with mountain views, equipped with a backyard dance floor, bar, dj booth and live art. During the day, my friends and I got to take in the festivities at the World Ski & Snowboard Festival, before enjoying sunset at Casa Corona. 
 

The venue was gorgeous, a beautiful mountain home just outside the village. Right from the party, you could see the ski runs on Blackcomb... A perfect place to watch sunset and enjoy a Corona. 

The stage was set for an amazing party in the mountains. Corona outdid themselves with a great venue, decorations, amazing music from artists including Grammy Award winners, Brasstracks and of course a great group of guests to enjoy it all. 

After an amazing party, we woke up way too early for a must-do Whistler activity... Snowmobiling to a cabin for breakfast with Canadian Wilderness Adventures. There aren't too many things that will get me up at 6am on a Sunday, but this was worth it!
 

We were fortunate to be the last guests of the season to enjoy the Yukon Breakfast run at the cabin. The snow this time of the year was much better than we expected but we'd definitely do this again on a fresh powder day, maybe next year! We headed back to Casa Corona afterwards to close off our weekend in the mountains with a great après-ski experience.

Sad to say, it's time to say goodbye to winter... but this weekend experience in Whistler with Corona was the best way to cap it off! Until next year, winter.