I just got back from a bike ride above Crestview. It’s a suburb just on the other side of the highway, about a 5 minute bike from my house. The closest mountains (hills, really) to Porter Creek are just above Crestview, and I hoped (and assumed) there would be some trails heading partway up them, if not all the way.

Hills as Seen From Porter Creek

So I shot through Crestview, descended to a deep creek I’d never visited, crossed a bridge, and headed up and north as far at the trail would take me. I got to the top of the hill that sits infront of Haeckel Hill (where the wind turbines are) / Mount Sumanik (the mountain farther north along the ridge). This was as far as I could go on bike, as I didn’t see any ready trails that descended into the big gap that would lead to the final ascent.

I’ve always been disappointed with these particular hills–there’s lots of dead trees, and the features are round and, in my opinion, relatively uninteresting. Before moving to the Yukon, I would have dreamed of something different for my “closest scenery” (by the way, there’s lots more to see nearby that is quite beautiful). But once up there, I was actually quite impressed. It was very peaceful (quiet, still, running water, bright), and even a bit stunning (wild, expansive), looking into the hills. I could only get glimpses over the valley, but I was high enough that those glimpses were also expansive/dramatic. So I have earned a new appreciation for my hills.

Best of all, I met a porcupine. He got spooked and slowly climbed 15 feet up a tree, out along a branch, and froze. I was so surprised at how big he was! I thought they were more like skunks–3/4 of a foot long or something. But he was like a 2+ foot oval of long, multicolored quills.

I always love the idea of leaving my front door, self powered, and getting into real wilderness. Similarly, in Riverdale I could leave the front door and climb Grey Mountain. And of course there are all of the trails through the forests, past lakes, and along the Yukon River. And with most of these, the wilderness doesn’t end. If you continue in any given direction, you just leave the city further and further behind.

This is one of the things I love about the Yukon.

I was originally going to call this Travelogue “¡Erico En Español! – A Central American Travelogue.” I’ve kept a travelogue of the last couple significant trips I’ve been on (Europe & Asia), since there’s lots of time to write, lots of interesting topics to write about, and it’s fun to share the adventure.

However, after writing the first post, I realized 1) there will be more travel adventures, so no point restricting the scope, and 2) there are aspects of the adventure of life I’d enjoy sharing. Having more time to write, with my year off, also certainly doesn’t hurt.

Earlier than expected, I’m now on my vacation leave (which will turn into my parental leave)–one year off! Oh Canada, I love our EI system.

As long range planners, we’ve had our eye on a Central American adventure for this leave for quite some time. We hope to depart when our third child is about 3 months old (roughly early November).

We’ve done a small amount of research, Asheya for fun, and myself to feel a bit prepared, as in some ways it will be complicated to be away from Whitehorse (ie: our suites and businesses).

Asheya has done lots of reading on nicaliving.com, to learn what it’s actually like to travel/live in Nicaragua. This dispels many myths of the country. Why Nicaragua? Some stats we found indicate it’s one of the safer countries in the area. Also the poorest, there are more service opportunities, and a low cost of living. It also seems to be less Americanized–an alternative way of life has an appeal.

I’ve looked into the more pragmatic details: mail forwarding, laptops, visas. We’ve also done some work on vaccinations. We have a property manager (also our friend, the talented husband of Asheya’s talented midwife) for our suites, so it’s nice to have that necessary piece in place.

It feels odd to have to wait another 6 months to depart–it feels like my leave and the travel should coincide more closely. But of course the baby needs to be born, we have the Yukon summer to enjoy, and a big purpose of the trip is to skip a Yukon winter…

So the planning will continue…but in no big hurry.