in British Columbia (where I served my mission).

Flew into Seattle and drove to Vancouver because the airfare was less expensive than flying direct to Vancouver. Figured it would take about 3 hours to drive from Sea-Tac to downtown Vancouver. Took 5+. Traffic in Seattle was horrible even though it was a Saturday. Then, there was a 1 hour wait to get across the border. Next time, I'll fly direct to Vancouver.

Took the family on a hike to Garibaldi Lake near Whistler. While at the lake, people hiking up reported spotting a female grizzly bear and her cubs only a few feet from the trail (about half-way up to the lake). On the way down, we followed some hikers who were carrying pepper spray. Ended up seeing one of the cubs (about 30 feet from the trail) but not the mother.

Took the ferry to Vancouver Island and spent the better part of a day at Butchart Gardens near Victoria. Kids were bored in about 30 minutes but my wife and I didn't want to leave. So gorgeous.

I forgot how beautiful British Columbia is, especially during the summer (when you're on a mission, you're so focused on being a missionary that you don't notice). Truly an underrated tourist destination, especially right now with the favorable exchange rate.