Summer recently “officially” slipped away, but not before it gave us a few more weeks of wicked sunshine by way of an apology for showing up so late (if you looked outside today, you’d think it was still going strong). For the Scout crew, more days in June, July, August and September were spent on the road than in the city, taking us as far afield as Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Boise, and though the deserts and canyonlands of the American Southwest. Closer to home, we spent a lot of time in Tofino (split between the Wickaninnish Inn and Wickaninnish Island), Victoria, up and down the Okanagan Valley, and throughout the Gulf Islands (one of us even made it to Sonora Island way up north of the Salish Sea). Anyway, the larger point is that we ate a lot, drank a lot, saw a lot, did a lot, and photographed most of it, and now that it’s all come and gone, we really want to share. Take a look…

THE BEST PLACES WE EXPLORED

1) Valley of the Gods, Utah. 2) Desolation Sound, BC (by helicopter) 3) Wickaninnish Island, BC 4) Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

THE BEST THINGS WE SAW

The best things we saw: 1) The Grand Canyon. 2) Ben de Champlain win Bartender of the Year. 3) Simon Kaulback win his Aprons For Gloves title fight by KO 4) Ocean phosphorescence off the Sunshine Coast.

THE BEST THINGS WE ATE

1) Sloping Hills pork belly with crackling, scarlet beans, chickpeas, fava beans, peas, in a pork hock consomme at Sonora Island Resort. 2) Guanciale with rhubarb and black garlic at The Pointe Restaurant at the Wickaninnish Inn 3. Strawberry gazpacho at Acorn on Main. 4) Sezmu (wine fed) Beef Tartar with whipped dijon cream, tomato brioche, pickled carrot ribbons and a quail’s egg at The Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate.

THE BEST THINGS WE SCORED

1) Old Canadian Mailbox from Duchesse Vintage. 2) Proper wheels for the Westfalia from GoWesty. 3) Used jacknife from a Hastings St. pawn shop 4) Rumpled tea cup found at Nikaido in Steveston.

THE BEST PLACES WE STAYED

1) Goulding’s Lodge Campground, Monument Valley, Utah. 2) The Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, BC. 3) The Waves, Cannon Beach, Oregon. 4) Sonora Island Resort, Sonora I., BC.

THE BEST THINGS WE DRANK

1) Bardstown Breakfast cocktail with bacon-infused bourbon at Wildebeest. 2) Lime margaritas at SOBO. 3) Tofino Brewing Company’s “Reign In Blonde” Ale. 4) The Remedy blend from The Juice Truck.

THE BEST THINGS WE DISCOVERED

1) Sunday Morning Ice Cream. 2) JoieFarm 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir. 3) Roam Mobility (Vancouver company that supplies good, cheap mobile wireless to Canadians in the USA). 4) Chef Terry Pichor at Sonora Island Resort (guy is killing it).

THE BEST THINGS WE DID

1) Neil Young beach fire singalong with whisky on the Sunshine Coast. 2) Cruising Route 66 through the desert 3) Camping with friends at Bella Pacifica outside Tofino. 4) Recklessly go-karting in Penticton.

THE REST OF THE BEST

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Did you have an awesome summer, too? Send your favourite shots to [email protected].