Travel – Page 3 – A Sassy Lifestyle Blog

Sober in Vegas!

Yes you read that correctly, it is possible to be sober in Las Vegas; and news flash, it can actually be really fun. I want to share a few fun things that I have discovered off strip, that don’t involve drinking or gambling.

Not to brag but in my first year here, I now live in Las Vegas, my friend Lynn and I have done almost every day trip activity within a two hour drive from the strip.

What kind of things you ask? How about kayaking, camels and hiking for starters? There are so many fun things to do off strip, it’s going to take more than one post to share them all.

One of my first day adventures with Lynn was kayaking and it is probably my most favorite activity to date. And yes, I said kayaking…in the desert! I am from Atlantic Canada, so I am naturally drawn to the beach and to any and all water activities.

I was amazed to find a place that is just a 50 minute drive from my house; it’s called Willow Beach. The water is crystal clear, there is also an area called Emerald Cove where the water is, well it’s emerald green, hence the name.

I am in love with this place!!! I should warn you that this post will be heavy on pictures! Oh and filled with lots of exclamation points!! Deal with it!!! lol, sorry, will try to restrain!

Once you turn off the highway, you will drive all the way down this road. Trust me there is water at the bottom.

For exact driving instructions, punch it in your phone, Willow Beach. But in brief, from Vegas drive towards Boulder City, then hang left; super helpful right?

On our first kayaking adventure, Lynn and I booked a guided tour, which is more expensive, but was well worth it for our first time out. On our next trips, we ventured out on our own. You can rent a single or double kayak onsite, you will need to book in advance, rentals are $47ish a day.

434E9F17-D7F8-45DE-B2C0-DF47723070DD — Lynn taking in the view!

00819BB3-D539-4816-B2EE-0EE480FBC322 — Taking time for a quick pic, I was a bit of a paparazzi on this trip, not going to lie.

This was a super hot day, we were excited to be on the water.

From the marina, we kayaked for about 50 minutes to get to a small rocky beach area, it’s the perfect place to rest, picnic and swim. There are a few spots along the way where you can pull over and hang.

Here is our fav spot to stop. You will need flip flops or water shoes, it’s rocky.

You can see the water is a nice green, no filters needed for these pics!

I will warn you the water is on the cold side, I was impressed with Lynn, this California girl got in and swam on our second outing. I am Canadian, I have not yet found water too cold to swim in.

Please note this activity is more of a spring and fall thing. It is just too hot in July and August to be outside for any long periods of time. Regardless of when you go, you will need to pack lots of water, snacks and sunscreen.

Cheese! You will notice in most of my posts that if I am outside I have a hat and when on the water, I have a water shirt. I am a blonde Canadian, I burn!

After resting, snacking and swimming on the beach, we continued onward to Emerald Cove. It is about 20 minute from our resting spot. If you keep going down the river, you will eventually hit some hot springs; we haven’t made it that far down, as of yet.

This is the very fabulous Shondra making her way toward Emerald Cove.

To the left of my kayak you can see what looks like a cave, it looks a bit scary from this viewpoint, but it really isn’t. It’s more of an archway, on the other side is a small opening.

This is a better view, there are usually a few kayaks waiting for their turn to go in. Don’t be a jerk and stay in there too long. No one likes a cove hog! lol

I am told that the water is green because of the algae on the bottom.

See! Emerald Green, the water here is a bit more shallow, so when the sun shines, it glows green. The water is crystal clear, the green is on the bottom.

The water is so green exiting the cove. It’s so pretty it looks fake, but trust me, it’s real.

You can see our small resting beach over my shoulder.

Fun fact, Canadians outside of Canada wear Blue Jays hats to meet other Canadians. If you are in the US and you see someone with a Blue Jays hat, you are obligated to say hi and ask what part of Canada they are from. It’s how we find each other.

Lynn riding the current, working on her tan.

From the marina to the cove, you are paddling against the current, but on the way back you can coast and enjoy the ride.

Shondra, who is from New Mexico is rocking a bikini top and I have my water shirt on, but it does have short sleeves! I also kept applying sunscreen every 15 min.

When there is no wind, the water is like a mirror, it’s truly breathtaking! We have seen eagles flying overhead and mountain goats grazing on the cliffs.

If you only have time for one off strip activity, this is the one you have to try!

I was amaze to find out that some of my friends and coworkers, who have lived in Vegas for a long time, had never been to this area. Sometimes you need to be a tourist in your hometown.

To prove how much I like Willow Beach; I bought a kayak…yes a maritime girl moves to the desert and buys a kayak, it does seem a bit crazy.

I bought a kayak and decided to set it up in my condo, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

I hope you enjoyed this post, two more on fun things to do off strip will follow shortly; next will be my camel safari!!

I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog, this is just my third post and I have had over 36,000 views so far! I don’t expect all my posts to go viral, like my previous post did. I am fine with a slow build moving forward.

If you can find my like button, you need to scroll down, trying to fix that; please click on it. And if you really like me, you can subscribe.

Thank you again!

Muah,

Liette

If you hate sandy beaches, friendly people, world class seafood and breathtaking natural views; then I am pretty certain you won’t like N.B.!

New Brunswick, in my opinion, is one of the most overlooked provinces in Canada. If you are not from Canada, it’s the one province that you have most likely never heard of.

It’s situated in the between Quebec, Maine, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It has no bestselling novels with a red headed pig tail girl about it, Sidney Crosby isn’t from here, and Hollywood stars don’t vacation here in million-dollar summer homes. It is a plain and simply a forgotten province which more people tend to pass through on their way to other places.

The goal of this post is to highlight a few of the awesome things about South Eastern N.B. that you probably won’t like one bit.

Here are five random, things about New Brunswick, that you may not like.

#1. It’s way too green!

The landscape is covered in lush green forests and fields. In fact, if you drive 20 minutes in any direction, you will find yourself in the forest; where you can hike and bike beautiful pristine trails for miles and miles or kilometers.

The only thing more annoying than the multi shades of green in the spring and summer are the colours of fall; when all that green turns into yellows, oranges and reds. Make sure not to visit in the fall, it’s too pretty, you won’t like it!

#2. N.B. just has too many beaches!

Everywhere you turn there is another beautiful beach. If you head North East of Moncton, New Brunswick’s largest city, you will hit your first beach in 15 to 20 minutes. Shediac, Cap Pele, Grande Digue, Bouctouche…they just keep coming, all the way up the Acadian Coast. So many sandy beaches with funny names to choose from… too many really.

And don’t expect cold water, nooo; the water in this region is warm! Why? Because it is situated between two land masses; the provinces of N.B. and Prince Edward Island. This body of water is called the Northumberland Strait. It is much shallower than the Atlantic Ocean which feeds into it, so it heats up quickly. It is actually the warmest water North of the Carolinas in the U.S.

There are several public beaches, where you can prance around in your fav speedo; where you can see and be seen. But there are even more private beaches perfect for relaxing away from the crowds of people, ugh, I am fairly certain you wouldn’t enjoy that!

Here’s a hint for finding a nice private beach. If you see a wharf, and you will see many, there is usually a nice beach right beside it; that is where you will find the locals.

If you do run into locals, whatever you do, don’t make eye contact with them, they are so friendly, they will smile and say hi to you for no apparent reason. If this happens, just walk away quickly, before they start talking to you about the weather and asking you where you are from. Be careful, it’s surely some sort of trap!

Growing up in this region, I didn’t really appreciate the beauty of happening upon a lighthouse, fishing boats and colorful buoys, until I moved away. They are plentiful and offer lots of opportunities for that perfect Instagram shot!

#3. Trust me you will hate the Bay of Fundy!

As if all those beaches weren’t enough; next on our list is the Bay of Fundy, where freaky things happen!

The Bay of Fundy has the world’s highest and fastest tides in the world! The tidal range between low and high tide is 16.3 meters or 53 feet.

A great place to witness and experience the tides is Hopewell Rocks. At low tide you will be able to walk on the oceans floor, like literally, you will be walking on the bottom of the Bay of Fundy; but who would want to do that right?

(the image above is a stock image, not mine)

And then, at high tide, you can kayak around the flower pots, that’s what they call the rock formations, because they resemble flower pots; and guess what are on top of these rock formations? More freaking green trees!!!

The tides change every 6 hours; so during daylight you will be able to see one low and one high tide. As if the tides aren’t freakish enough, they create something called a Tidal Bore. Get this, the Petitcodiac River changes directions each time the tides change! Yup you heard me correctly; the rivers water flow changes direction every 6 hours. I am not lying, look it up!

You can be having a drink in Moncton, minding your own business and witness the Tidal Bore come in, it’s basically a wave that sweeps in and changes the direction of the river. If you are very unfortunate, you may also see a surfer or two riding the wave.

(The top image was sent to me by one of my Facebook friends, the bottom is a picture of the Petitcodiac River, taken by me flying into Moncton. Fun fact, it is also called the Chocolate River!)

#4. Too much fresh seafood

This part of the country is just too lobstery! Everywhere you go you are being forced to eat fresh seafood.

Where else in the world can buy lobster from a guy with a cooler in the back of his truck on the side of the road and have it be the best damn lobster you have ever eaten??

They are so cocky about their amazing lobster that they have erected a giant lobster in Shediac, which is; surprise, surprise, the lobster capital of the world. Way to rub it in Shediac!

I just came back from a visit to N.B. and ate lobster 4 out of the 9 days I was there, I mean come on!! I suffered through it, but I am not going to lie, it was difficult.

#5. The people

New Brunswick’s population is mostly a mix of English and French, the French are called Acadians; there is also a strong First Nations presence. It is the only official bilingual province in Canada; this mix of cultures makes New Brunswick very unique and open. The people are naturally warm and welcoming, which is great… if you like that sort of thing?

How warm and welcoming? During 9/11 when Air Traffic Controllers on the East Coast were told to “empty the skies”, NB, as well as NS and Newfoundland welcomed tens of thousands of travelers who were forced to land in Atlantic Canada when the US airways were shut down.

Local communities opened their homes and hearts to these stranded travelers, showing them the meaning of Atlantic Canadian Hospitality.

A more recent example of this hospitality is how the region has welcomed and embraced a number of Syrian refugee families.

I used to joke that my dad would give you the shirt off his back and my mother would feed you; this isn’t uncommon, it’s just how people live their lives. They don’t think, they do, they help; that is who they are.

As you have probably figured out by now, there is nothing to hate in New Brunswick at all; in fact, I am fairly certain, if you give it a chance, you will absolutely fall in love with it! I had to leave to realize how madly in love with it and its people I am. There is a saying once a Maritimer, always a Maritimer; some of us leave, but we always eventually come back.

See you soon New Brunswick!!

Muah!

Liette

If you like this post, please click like. I also welcome comments! What’s your fav N.B. place or thing to do? And if you like me, subscribe! Thanks for reading!

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Tag: Travel

Sober in Vegas!

New Brunswick, Canada! You’re going to hate it!