Travel & Adventure

It’s Day 1 of the Chevy SXSW Road Trip Challenge and we’re in Boise.. We’ve traveled a long way, check out the On Star GPS map.

Passing through the beautiful “ski hills” of Snoqualmie Pass, we made our way to the small town of Yakima where we encountered a Sonic Burger for the first time. Fun little burger joint with roller skating carhops.

Check out the full Flickr Gallery for photos.

Sonic just happens to be directly across from The Muff Center. The hilarity and irony of this name – given that there are 3 girls in the Eh Team pack – inspired us to call our Chevy Traverse by the very same name.

The good old fashioned road trip is almost a rite of passage for every North American. There’s something about breaking free of the confines of the rat race and just…well….driving. And driving we are doing: Today is an 800+ kilometer drive.

I’ve been on a few road trips before – both times with a group of close girlfriends. It’s been fun getting to know some new friends from scratch – and some old friends better.

On every road trip, there are a few common denominators:

Junk Food

Funny Inside Jokes

Music (good and mostly bad)

Random Moments

To keep the inspiration alive, here are my favourite Road Trip movies of all time.

tra

Today’s Info Drop – which we’ve affectionately called “Chrissie Mail” as an ode to Tyra Mail on America’s Next Top Model – indicated that we need to be in Twin Falls, ID tomorrow by 11am, where our first challenge will be commencing. They’ve told us to download the Group Me app.

Stay tuned to the Eh Team Blog for further updates and follow along with the hashtag #ehteam.

Goodbye Toques, Hello Cowboy Boots: Chevy SXSW Road Trip Challenge

March 7, 2011

Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Travel & Adventure

1 Comment

Yup, I’m leaving my two favourite boys in the world for a fantastic adventure of a lifetime. Saying goodbye to toques and snow, and for two weeks, exchanging for cowboy boots and the bright lights of Texas, among other States.

Mickey and Neil.

Bags are packed (to the max), tech gear is assembled and the Eh Team – Vancouver’s blogging contingent - is preparing to depart Vancouver on the Chevrolet SXSW Road Trip Challenge. Tomorrow’s Day 1 of a 4-day road trip to Austin, TX for SXSW Interactive. The total distance is approximately 2,500 miles/4,142 kilometers. Day 1 is Vancouver to Boise, Idaho. Day 2 is Boise to Moab, Utah. Day 3 is Moab to Clovis, New Mexico. Day 4 is Clovis to Austin, Texas. Here’s our official route.

Photo: John Biehler

The road trip organizers have been dropping little hints along the way and thus far, the info has been limited. Along the way we’ll be participating in a total of 11 challenges, still to be announced. The 10 teams – which are departing from across North America – will be judged by a panel of social media superstars. So far the sentiment is that it’s about quality of engagement over quantity.

The Eh Team had a little send off at Local Public Eatery in Kits (@LOCAL_Kits) with an array of appetizers and Red Truck beer. It was great to feel the love before we embark on our epic journey.

The Local is an awesome spot to watch the Hockey.

yummy nachos

My good friend Kim Bowie from The Thuggie even dropped off some Chuggie beer coozies for the trip (thanks Kim!).

Rub a chug, chug. The Chuggie keeps my drink nice and cold.

The Eh Team has been hard at work getting the word out about our trip. So far, we’ve been on News1130, Miss 604, Van City Buzz, CKNW and team captain, John Biehler, will also be hitting CBC morning news in the morning tomorrow. Check out our press room for more info.

Follow along with the Eh Team:

BLOG: http://www.ehteamsxsw.com

Biking the Sea to Sky Trail from Whistler to Brandywine Falls

August 31, 2010

Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Travel & Adventure

2 Comments

Two Fridays ago, I went on a solo mission to explore the Sea to Sky Bike Trail . This 30 kilometre round-trip journey from Whistler to Brandywine Falls brought a bit of everything: from breaking my favourite pair of Oakley sunnies to experiencing an annoying mechanical issue with my bike seat. But regardless of a few setbacks, it was a great adventure with beautiful scenery along the way and one that I could recommend to anyone who can ride on 2 wheels.

The Sea to Sky Trail, once completed, will link Squamish to D’Arcy with a 180 kilometre non-motorized trail. In the winter, you can snowshoe or cross-country ski, while in the summer months, it’s all about biking or running.

The Whistler to Brandywine Falls leg opened last summer. Overall, the ride wasn’t difficult; rather it was just long. Don’t expect to see any single track or difficult features. This is a mellow ride compared to the North Shore, Whistler Mountain Bike Park or Whistler bike trails, but it’s still a great way to get a bit of exercise and be outside.

The trail is quite wide with a moderate grade and is perfect for anyone who is an high beginner to intermediate level mountain biker. Some level of fitness does help, given the distance.

The views are stunning along the way as you cross rushing mercury-blue rivers and navigate through the lush, forest, along river beds and passed purple alpine flowers and waterfalls.

The Whistler to Brandywine route is more or less complete, although I did have a bit of trouble navigating the trail once I crossed the Cal Cheak Suspension bridge to Brandywine.

When I finally made it to Brandywine, I was rewarded with views like this:

Last fall, Neil and I visited Brandywine (by car) and he ended up with a sprained ankle from an ill-fated jumping photo. You can read about that here.

The Sea to Sky Trail has partnered with the Trans-Canada Trail, which makes it part of the world’s largest trail network. And that makes it super cool.

This project is funded with the help of government, First Nations and community partners, and also by donation. According to the website it costs $5,000 to build around 100 metres of trail, so you can imagine why they haven’t quite completed it yet!

Expect a little bit of adventure along the Sea to Sky Trail. Anything’s possible:

Here’s their introductory video featuring Dr. David Suzuki and also Paralympic skier Brad Lennae who discusses accessibility on the Sea to Sky Trail.

To access the Sea to Sky Trail
Bike south from Whistler Village via the paved Valley Trail. At Tamarisk, you’ll have to skirt onto the highway for about 10 minutes. Once you get to Function Junction, cross the highway to Cheakamus Crossing and keep right along the road until you come to the small Sea to Sky Trail sign.

More Information
Always check the weather forecast before you head out and make sure you bring plenty of food, water and a first aid kit.
http://www.seatoskytrail.ca/