Bridget Jones Diary came out in 2001. And I appreciate that this seems a rather unusual opening sentence. I enjoyed the film (and Colin Firth) and have even watched it again on an occasional rainy Sunday afternoon. But there was one idea that really stuck with me – the idea of the mini-break.

I love spending time planning trips. These are often grand adventure requiring a long flight, and two, or maybe three, weeks to truly explore a distant land. We try to fit in as much as possible. Maybe I think too much about the ROI on the fixed cost of a flight. Or maybe, as I get older, the jet lag wears on me. In any case, my past reasoning has been, if I am going somewhere, I’m going for a while.

There are so many challenges with thinking about vacations in this way:
I have fewer adventures overall and definitely fewer in a single year.
I give myself fewer opportunities to rest my brain, not because it needs sleep, but because it needs new things to think about beyond what happens at work and what’s for dinner
And, I spend less time than I would like with you, the people I love.

So, 2023, let’s try something new – the year of the mini-break!

One month into the year and we are already on our way. Friday morning we were up early. I had one meeting to take, then packed my bags, shoved a few things in the truck, and we were off to Kelowna. We have great friends there, and the wine always beckons.

We have our familiar stops along the way, like The Blue Moose in Hope. It has been a favourite destination since those long ago days of our annual summer camping trip with friends family at Kawkawa Lake. It is also handily located just around the corner from the Tesla charger.

The drive was quite beautiful. There was snow on the mountains (where it belongs, as my mother would say) and the roads were clear.

Part of the adventure is sending regular updates to our friends along the way. “Leaving Hope now.” “At the Coquihalla summit.” “Leaving Merritt.” My favourite: “Crossing the bridge into Kelowna”

Once in Kelowna it was a short journey to our first stop in Lake Country. We were staying the with Jon and Danielle, who we met during my time at BioWare. They made Edmonton a great experience versus a cold and lonely place to survive. Our shared love of food and wine, and working in the video game industry, have been through-threads in our relationship.

A nyvisit with them is certain to be filled food (fondue, homemade bread and homemade pizza on this trip), wide ranging conversation, and some sort of unexpected activity. Our adventures have typically been of the winery sort. I will take this moment to thank them for intros to Meyer Family for their Pinot Noir, Checkmate for their Chardonnay and Painted Rock for my absolute favourite Syrah.

We were up early Saturday, dressed for the sunny -2 weather, and a trip to Okanagan Lake. There is no official name for ‘foolishly running into a freezing lake and standing there for several minutes”. Danielle says they call it “cold dip” or “cold plunge” which is definitely descriptive. While they were in bathing suits and robes, accessorized with warm toques, Rick and I, and their girls, were in our winter coats.

While some of us stayed warm in the truck with heated seats (Rick and #1 daughter), daughter #2 and I were bundled up on the beach. Jon and Danielle charged into the water holding hands alongside a collection of of local humans eager to experience the health benefits of the cold water. Seriously. Its a thing.

Jon and Danielle started doing this after a seemingly endless series of colds, and flus. A cold plunge is supposed to improve immunity; that was the original appeal. It also detoxes the body and improves mental health. And who doesn’t enjoy a good shot of dopamine! In retrospect, I wish I had been bold enough to just give it a go. Next time? I know for certain if I do try it, I will be doing this alone – Rick is not a big fan of anything cold beyond ice cream or a cocktail.

Mission accomplished, we drove back to the house after a Starbucks fly-by for hot beverages. Rick made sourdough pancakes, with the sourdough we had brought with us (doesn’t everyone bring sourdough starter on a holiday?) while Jon and Danielle slowly defrosted.

Next stop, Ken and Cathy’s, our Croatian cycling buddies. We passed a number of tempting wineries along the way, though most were closed for the season or required appointments.

At Jon and Danielle’s recommendation, we drove past the Martin’s Lane winery. We knew we would not be able to do a tasting without a membership but wanted to take a look. We had a quick peak at the impressive architecture and took in the view of the lake from the nearby Cedar Creek winery. And ran into this guy.

They had gifted us 2 bottles of Martin’s Lane wine, including an impressive Sime’s Pinot Noir, shared with Ken and Cathy over our afternoon snack or “second lunch”. It really was spectacular.

We kept a bottle of “Julius” for a future date. It combines the Sime’s Pinot Noir with Fritzi’s Riesling for a love/hate tasting experience that I am looking forward to. We have committed to providing feedback. (This just in – it smells and tastes a bit like crayons – thank you Raquel for that awesome assessment.) Julius is clearly not a wine for everyone.

The Martin’s Lane winemaker has degrees in both mathematics and wine making, which may explain the uniqueness of his wines. I feel confident that any conversation with him would be very interesting. Though I might be inclined to advise him against a future Julius experiment.

Snacks and wine were followed by a delicious dinner with… more wine, and free flowing conversation. Travel has always been a big part of our shared interest and was front and centre for much of our conversation. There are so many places to go! We are already planning a fully land-based, self-guided cycling tour in Bordeaux this fall. It serves as an excellent motivation for training: cycling and sipping.

A number of mini-break opportunities also came up – maybe New York? Rick and I have been there many times and love it. Ken and Cathy have not been yet and just booked a trip so perhaps we could tag along? That could be cool. They are also off to Oceanside (via Sonoma) for a few months of sunshine, cycling and golf. Maybe we should try to get in on that for a few days? Or maybe the Oregn coast and Willamette Valley, especially now that Pinot Noirs and I have become friends?

So much of travel is the anticipation and excitement that come with imagining, researching and planning. One look at our bookshelf reveals all the places we have considered over the years. It is literally bursting with Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide and Rick Steeves books about far flung places. (I just stopped, ran over, and pulled out Fodor’s “Essential France”.)

After a relaxed morning we were packed and on the road. The views were beautiful. There is something intriguing about the sleeping orchards and vineyards.

Mini-break #1 complete. It was a good amount of driving but we both loved it. Special thanks to our thoughtful hosts. We will be back in the spring for round two of wineries to visit, wines to taste, and maybe… a cold dip.