Gig Harbor (great vacation spot), Vancouver (great bike-able city) and Sand Point (great sailing)

Got a few things going on in this post. Two weekends ago I went to Gig Harbor which is a little south of where I live. It was recommended to me by a friend from Tennessee who said she saw it in a magazine as a top vacation location. Well, in my opinion, the magazine was right! It was a quaint harbor town with lots of cute shops and beautiful sail boats docked along the water. I went to a bunch of different shops but the one I enjoyed the most was "Emilies" it was definitely a shop for girls with lots of dresses and hats and sparkly things! The owners husband, Tom, happened to be the one running the shop for the day. He and I got to talking about what I do and all of his PT experiences with knee replacements and such. I learned that he is a pilot and so, of course, we got to talking about how I want to get my pilots license. He told me that Nevada was probably one of the best places to learn since there is still, dry air and a, relatively, low population for the square footage of the state (so less little planes flying around). I think I just might do that... :)As you walk along the harbor there are lots of grassy park areas that you can sit and read. There were people walking their dogs and children playing down by the water...all in all it was a super fun, relaxing day at Gig Harbor. The perfect place for a vacation if you want to do nothing more then relax.

Later on that week I met up with the Tomlinson family. They were good friends of mine from church who I haven't seen for quite a while. They were out here to visit their son/brother who lives in Seattle. I had the best time visiting with them at a seafood restaurant called "Rays" which is right on the water in Ballard. They also gave me tips on what to do in Vancouver. Which is where I went this weekend.
I wanted to bike around Stanley park so Jess and I packed up our bikes and headed north across the border, where you get to play 20 questions with the border patrol, and into Canada's third largest city.
We stayed at a hotel in downtown which I thought would mean having to drive to the park, find parking, unload the bikes...etc. But I soon learned that the city is very bike friendly. There was a bike path that started a couple blocks from our hotel. It was set off from the road and went straight into and around the park. Sunday was the perfect biking day not to hot and just a mild sun. We biked the whole park stopping at every sight along the way.
Olympic torch..

 View from our hotel room on the 31st floor.

                                                                                                  Lions Gate Bridge...

 The rose garden...

 Heading back home....

About a month ago I bought a Groupon online for half off a beginner sailing class. So, on Wednesday I cashed in on the deal. :)
It was so much fun! I have never been sailing before and it was so cool to learn how the boats work and how to actually catch the wind and the different angles you have to turn the boat. I learned how to "tack" and, at least the concept of how to "jibe". The wind was pretty shifty and it was hard to stay on a steady course, but eventually I got the hang of it. They tell you to bring a change of clothes because you will get wet and they were right. The little catamarans we were on were so close to the water that any little wave would splash right up onto the pontoons we were sitting on and up through the trampoline in the middle. By the end, I was soaked from my waist down with 58 degree Lake Washington water, the wind was blowing and the sun was covered by clouds. Needless to say, I was cold, but still having a blast!  I would totally do it again. There is still a ton to learn. I barely got the basics, but unfortunately, I don't think they have a lot of sailing in Nevada...