Day: February 21, 2009

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Great Cutting Mats for RVers

One of the great products I picked up at the RV show last month was a set of flexible chopping mats.

I had three cutting boards, none of which worked in Miranda’s kitchen. The first was too small, the second one the wrong shape, and the last too big.  I was in the market for a big cutting mat that I could use over the stove cover, which I could stand up in one of the sinks to dry, and which wouldn’t take up much room. I was also in the market for hot pads or something similar, on which to rest hot pots. Can you believe that this is what the perfect solution looks like?

cutting mat/hotpad

cutting mat/hotpad

I had initially planned to roll up the mats and stuff them in a cupboard, but they fit beautifully on the BBQ lighter hook!

A side benefit of these mats is that you can create a sort of funnel with them to trap the food and guide it into the pan without it scattering all over the place.

Tonight was the first time I was glad that they come in a set of two. While I chopped up some melon on one, I was able to rest an extremely hot dish on the other. Both have been in use since the RV show and have been subjected to cutting, burning, and rolling, with no evidence of ill use whatsoever.

This amazing product costs less than 2$. Amazon sells them for 1.95USD, but I picked mine up for 1.50CAD at the RV show (where things were slightly cheaper than retail). What a bargain!

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Lynn Canyon Park

Today promised to be a gorgeous, springy day, with sun and highs in the double digits. Things have started to dry out considerably and I was just itching to get out of the city and enjoy a hike in the woods. My first instinct was to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It’s not a cheap excursion (30$ entrance fee plus 5$ for parking), so I did some research on tripadvisor.com to see if it’s a tourist trap. Apparently, yes, because nearby Lynn Canyon offers a comparable experience at a price that can’t be beat: FREE!

Free sounded especially good since I wasn’t sure I’d actually get across a suspension bridge. I sure didn’t the last time I was faced with one!

Well, it seems that continued exposure to suspension bridges and a gondola ride have made me a little less of a scaredy cat and I wound up crossing the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge no less than THREE times! I will admit that I got across as quickly as possible, didn’t stop to take in the scenery, and shook like a leaf the whole way, but what progress!

Lynn Canyon is situated in the heart of a temperate rain forest and is a world of towering redwoods and pools of clear emerald water. Until today, I’d only seen water that clear and beautiful in Alberta. I spent two glorious hours enjoying the perfect weather (mid-single digits there) taking the first steps to getting in shape for the Chilkhoot hike. I finished my morning with a picnic lunch and then a stroll through the excellent Ecological Centre (2$ suggested donation).

Pictures are on the Lynn Canyon page.

Something wondrous happened today. I don’t know if it was the weather, the minimal GPSing I needed to do to get around, the amazing lack of traffic, nature, or what, but I… Oh, the English language is failing me here. In French, I’d say ‘apprivoisé’, which means tamed, but not quite for this context. I guess I’ll say I made my peace with the GVR, found something about it to love, discovered a little corner of it where I was happy to leave a tiny piece of my soul. The GVR is no longer a big, bad scary urban enclave (shootings notwithstanding), but a place that I will remember as being ‘home’ for four months in 2009.

Good day. 🙂