On Northern Lights, Whales & Game 7s

2024 has sunk it’s teeth into me, and it’s not letting go.   I have already resigned myself to the fact that this year- my 50th on Planet Earth - all cards are on the cribbage table. It’s a year to tick off the exotic and the adventurous, from rafting Idaho’s Salmon River to river cruising the Danube and safari in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.   It’s a year to tackle the bucket list with a re-energized gusto, because who knows what’s lurking around the corner?   Judging by the constant barrage of horrendous news – war, political and social crisis, ecological havoc, artificial intelligence – it’s probably not very good.  So best make hay while the sun beams its golden rays, and fortunately for us, its solar radiation particles too. ​

Taken with my iPhone, the northern lights over Vancouver

Nearly a dozen trips up north failed to deliver the Northern Lights magic I’d heard so much about.  When I did eventually see the lights, they were a wispy green glow on the horizon of a freezing November Whitehorse night.  It was enough to convince me the aurora borealis is a real phenomenon and not a mass hallucination, but only barely.  A few weeks ago, Earth got hit with a rare solar storm, promising exceptional northern lights as far south as California.   Even then, you still need clear, dark skies.   I was in bed when my parents, bless them, texted a photo of the night sky from Iona Beach in Richmond, about 15 minutes’ drive from home.  It was enough to get me up, wake up a kid, and scream off into the night.  We could see a green glow from beneath the street lights.  By the time we got to Iona Beach, thousands of other people had the same idea.  We exited the grid lock, parked the car and walked a few feet onto a beach.   And there they were, the northern lights, shimmering in shades of green, blue and red.  The truth is it all comes out way better through a camera lens, and many photos shared from that special night are jaw-dropping.  Still, it’s the bucket list experience I’d chased in the far north for years, and here it was, just a random Friday night, minutes away from home.  

​It reminds me of my experience whale watching.  Just about every time I’ve purposely set out on a whale watching tour has been underwhelming.  Comedian Dimitri Martin described whale-watching, somewhat astutely, as fifteen people on a boat looking disappointed.  Yet I’ve had magical moments with whales in Antarctica, Labrador and Tahiti, all the by-product of simply being on a boat at the right place and right time.  Like life itself, you can’t guarantee anything even if you chase it, but the odds stack in your favour every time you simply show up.

​They didn’t quite stack up for another recent Bucket List experience:  cheering for your local team in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup series.  My brother offered me a rare and highly sought-after ticket to the Canucks vs the Oilers at home.  The atmosphere inside the arena was bonkers, a world away from regular season games I’ve attended in the past.  The Canucks came up well short, leaving 20,000 fans disappointed.   At least Canucks fans didn’t riot like they did the last time they hosted a Game 7 final.   

Universal Studios, all to ourselves

This year kicked off in Florida, where my kids and I explored Orlando beyond the theme parks, (well, almost).  After a quick visit to New York, our ski trip this year was the underrated Silverstar Mountain Resort, where we had a blast.   My daughter and I hit the Belize Barrier Reef, from above and below.  Watching a 10-year-old overcome the challenges of getting a full Junior Open Water Certification was a very proud moment for Papa.  Then came my first visit to Mexico in over a decade, visiting the booming tourist town of Puerto Vallarta, where I explored the idea of adventures versus vacations.  They shut down Universal Studios for a private party at IPW in Los Angeles, a tourism conference to promote travel in the United States.  Having Adventure Await’s Jami Savage guide me to the best rides at Universal was a treat unto itself, even with the motion sickness from the wild Harry Potter ride.   

This month also sees the release of my 10th published book: an expanded, updated and beautifully redesigned second edition of The Great Western Canada Bucket List.   I can't tell you how much work goes into these things, but it's a lot and the team at Dundurn Press are fantastic.  Despite everything going digital, what a treasure to hold in print (especially if a massive solar storm hits Earth one day and wipes out our electrical grid, just saying...) 

​Yes, it’s been a very busy few months on the Bucket List, and the best is yet to come.  I’m inspired by these opportunities, regret more people don’t have them, and am grateful, as always, to share my experiences through my stories and images.