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With the first of many epic camping trips on our horizon, J and I decided that a trial run was necessary and made a last-minute decision on the weekend. We packed up the truck and made a run for the border.

Jordy’s first camping trip and first cross-border adventure found all three of us headed through Sumas en route to Silver Lake Park in Washington State.

Located in Whatcom County, Silver Lake is a tranquil body of water nestled among meadows within a valley of giant mountains. After quickly popping up our tent and marinating our New York steak, we hit the trails around the park.

Hunger brought us back to our campsite and J started the fire while I cracked open a couple of beers for us. Sometimes the best parts of camping involve doing a whole lot of nothing.

I found that “whole lot of nothing” to do in the nearby hammock that J had set up for us…

… and I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it.

Following our grilled dinner, we spent the rest of the evening noshing on potato chips, swigging beer, laughing by the crackling fire and feeling awestruck by the sunset over the mountains.

With morning came more sunshine, so wasted time was not part of our schedule. After a quick breakfast of fire-cooked quinoa with cinnamon, raisins and sliced banana, we hopped in the truck and headed out on our day’s adventure.

Heading east on State Route 542, our first stop was Nooksack Falls. These cascading falls plummet more than 170 feet and are fed with ice cold glacier water. Curious as to where the water came from, we continued eastward and climbed the Mount Baker Highway.

Few things are as bliss-inducing as rattling through back country roads with sun splashing across the dashboard while Eddie Vedder’s “Hard Sun” crackles through the radio. After a short journey we found ourselves at Mt. Baker, eye-to-eye with Mount Shuksan. The source of Nooksack Falls, Mount Shuksan reaches the sky at over 4,411 feet tall (not including elevation) and is guaranteed to take your breath away.

As is always the case, the weekend ended far sooner than we were ready for. However, crawling along Highway 1 back to Vancouver would have been a great deal more painful if we didn’t know that we’d be sleeping in the great outdoors once again in only a handful of days. You can view all the photos from our camping trip in my Flickr set.

Hopeful that we’ll spend as much time camping as possible this summer, I’m looking for epic spots to spend our weekends.

What’s your favourite part of camping?

Where are your favourite places to go camping in southwestern BC or the northwestern U.S.?

I’m crossing my fingers that sunshine will splash itself across Vancouver Island on Friday, July 1st because this year’s Canada Day is guaranteed to be a great one! Whether you’re up Island or in the capital city, here’s a run-down of 2011′s events…

Campbell River

This year’s celebrations include a fishing derby for “small fry”, a skateboard competition at Willow Park, incredible live entertainment, a pancake breakfast with local volunteer firefighters, a parade and spectacular fireworks. Ostler Park will be buzzing with activity! [more information]

Photo: SnapShow on Flickr

Mount Washington Alpine Resort

Get your red and ride on! That’s the theme for Canada Day at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. For the first time ever, they will be running the lifts and welcoming patriotic skiers and snowboarders on the hill from July 1-3. Grab a lift ticket for $25 and make sure to stop in at the Thrifty Foods-sponsored free family festivities! [more information]

Comox Valley

Like most years, the Comox Valley is where yours truly will be celebrating our country’s birthday! The fun starts the night before with a free concert of rockin’ ’50s tunes at Simms Park. Canada Day itself kicks off with the 5th Street parade before family fun at Lewis Park, the annual Ducky 500 race and free swimming at the outdoor pool. Don’t miss cultural highlights at the 2011 Aboriginal Festival across the street in Simms Park. [more information]

Photo: Jeff Summers on Flickr. (Carman was one of Jordy’s fellow rescue “siblings” from Furever After Small Dog Rescue! She’s now a certified therapy dog with St. John’s Ambulance.)

Parksville Qualicum Oceanside Region

Staying true to itself, Parksville Qualicum offers something for everyone on Canada Day. In what the region hopes will be a celebration that’s “bigger and better than ever,” the day will be jam-packed! Highlights include the Shriner’s pancake breakfast, an entertaining parade and festivities at Community Park. Don’t miss the Thrifty Foods Fireworks Spectacular after the sun goes down! [more information]

Photo: Alanna@VanIsle on Flickr

Nanaimo

There aren’t enough hours in the day to enjoy all the celebrations in the Harbour City! Nanaimo’s events include an incredible parade, play areas for kids, entertainment and food at Maffeo-Sutton Park along with cultural displays and demonstrations. [more information]

Duncan

One of the City of Totems’ most famed attractions is hosting a Canada Day party to pay homage to one of our country’s founding industries. For just $2 per person (kids 4 and under are free), the BC Forest Discovery Centre is presenting live music, a flag ceremony, face painting, a bouncy castle, delicious BBQ, and Canadian birthday cake! [more information]

Victoria

What would Canada Day be in Victoria if not spectacular? Super-sized celebrations in BC’s capital city include international cuisine samplings, the creation of a community mural at the Legislature Lawns, loads of live music – Fred Penner is slated to perform for the kids! – and a breathtaking fireworks display. [more information]

Photo: Thiago Sanna F. Silva on Flickr

If your Island community has special Canada Day celebrations lined up, let us know down below!

Where will you be celebrating on Canada Day?

This week’s G-ology post is being preempted, but it’s being preempted for cupcakes so there’s certainly no reason to complain.

The idiocy that ran rampant on Vancouver’s streets last week had far-reaching effects and the impact of the riot struck both downtown locals and those whose hearts broke from afar. What struck me and many others was the brave heroics displayed by the City of Vancouver’s first responders, including the fire department, police, medics and even hospital staff. While many of us holed up in our apartments with the windows shut as tear gas canisters and fire ripped up the streets, others were putting themselves directly in harm’s way in an effort to tame the chaos and essentially save our city.

Sometimes saying “thanks” is better shown through actions than words, and if you know me, you know I say it best with food.

My mission? To bake five dozen red velvet cupcakes and deliver them to Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services at downtown firehalls and paramedic stations. At the same time, Smelly Danielly, Alicia Fashionista and their friend Claudia were determined to bring smiles to the Vancouver Police Department. [You can read more about their adventure here!]

I set out by mixing up quite literally gallons of scarlet coloured batter, skillfully poured the batter into pans and then I baked and baked and baked.

Tray by tray and dozen by dozen, I pulled fragrant, soft and perfectly domed cupcakes out of the oven.

It took all of my willpower not to dip my fingers in the batter or the cream cheese frosting. It is as good as it looks!

After all was baked and cooled, I ended up with 58 cupcakes. Frosting all those cupcakes is no quick task.

Before…

… and after!

Half of presenting deliciously tantalizing food is in the presentation. I made a quick trip to the dollar store to ensure that my cupcakes were adorably packaged.

After work yesterday afternoon, my friend and neighbour, Tracy, and I loaded up our arms with cupcakes and set out on foot. Our first stop was Firehall 8 at the corner of Hamilton and Smithe streets. Not surprisingly, two girls with cupcakes were very well received. We’re just lucky we got out of there with our remaining deliveries!

A short walk later, we found ourselves at Firehall 7 on Haro at Thurlow streets as the crew was changing shifts. All of them were beyond appreciated by the fact that residents of this city appreciated them.

Our trip was rounded out by camera-shy Firehall 6 at Nicola and Nelson streets as well as the BC Ambulance station at Richards and Drake streets. While most of the first responders we delivered cupcakes to were working on the night of the riot, whether or not they worked that night didn’t matter. These men and women take risks each and every day for the safety and security of all of us. That in itself is something to be thankful for.

And speaking of thankful, I’m especially grateful for the extra set of hands and feet that Tracy offered up in helping deliver the dozens of cupcakes!

Want to whip a batch of red velvet cupcakes of your own?

I snagged this recipe from a friend’s mom and I have yet to taste a better red velvet cupcake (sorry, Heather and Lori).

You’ll need:

• 2-1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon red gel colour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a mixer, blend the sugar and vegetable oil on medium-high speed for about two minutes. Add the eggs one at a time; mix in colour and vanilla.

Reduce the speed and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating each time with buttermilk. Mix well. Stir the baking soda and vinegar together in a bowl, add to the batter and mix for 10 seconds.

Divide the batter into the lined cups and bake for about 20 minutes. It’s a good idea to rotate the pan at the half-way mark. Cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting, you’ll need:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups cream cheese, room temperature
• 5-6 cups powdered icing sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Beat the butter and cream cheese in a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add the powdered icing sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency and mix in vanilla. Decorate on the cupcakes as you wish!

Sometimes getting cupcakes just right can be harder than it looks. Here are a few tips that work for me…

• Despite what you might have heard, baking is an exact science. Follow recipes to a T!
• Line your cupcake tins no fuller than 3/4 of the way. Cupcakes need room to expand so over-filling them will leave you with sunken cupcakes when you remove them from the oven.
• All-purpose flour is not the same as cake and pastry flour. Always choose and use the latter of the two.
• Maintaining batter temperature is key so make sure your eggs are at room temperature. The same rule applies to frosting ingredients.
• Unsalted butter is always better than salted butter when it comes to baking.

Growing up on Vancouver Island, my virtual backyard wasn’t synonymous with music festivals, but a lot has changed in the last decade or so. The hot summer months call out to music lovers from all points of the globe and draw them to our Island oasis for a number of fantastic festivals.

This summer’s various line-ups, as always, cater to a wide variety of musical preferences. Here’s what you can expect over July and August.

Vancouver Island MusicFest
Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, Comox Valley – July 8-10, 2011
[website] [Facebook] [Twitter]

One of the Island’s longest running music festivals, the Vancouver Island MusicFest has gained a worldwide reputation for featuring some of the most astounding sounds anywhere. This year’s festival features David Crosby, Arrested Development, Holly Cole and the March Fourth Marching Band. A full roster can be found here. Tickets start at $149 for adults before June 30th.

Photo: hanspetermeyer.ca on Flickr

The Kulth Music Festival
Coombs Rodeo Grounds, Coombs – July 16-17, 2011
[website] [Facebook] [Twitter]

New to the music festival circuit is the Kulth Music Festival taking over Coombs for a weekend in July. The eclectic mix of artists includes Stars, Ron Sexsmith, Current Swell, Memphis and Funk the System. One-day tickets start at $70 online for adults and are also available at a number of shops across the Island and the Lower Mainland.

The Filberg Festival
Filberg Heritage Lodge & Park, Comox – July 29-August 1, 2011
[website] [Facebook]

A staple of my summer, the Filberg Festival features much more than music but has become legendary for filling its concert stages with phenomenal talent. This year’s Filberg Festival includes Barney Bentall, Dustin Bentall Outfit, Mae Moore, Michael Kaeshammer and local favourite Sue Medley. One-day tickets are $15 at the gate or can be purchased in advance for $13 online or at Vancouver Island Thrifty Foods locations.

Big Time Out
Cumberland Village Park, Cumberland – August 12-13, 2011
[website] [Facebook] [Twitter]

One of the hottest places to be in August – in every sense of the word – is the Big Time Out. Each summer it takes the village of Cumberland by storm and brings with it a flurry of music to rock you with. This year’s line-up is still receiving its finishing touches, but already confirmed are Bedouin Soundclash, Brasstronaut, Boom Booms and Beats Antique. Stay tuned for more to be announced in the coming weeks. Two-day early bird passes are a bargain $85, so grab yours quickly!

Photo: © Cumberland Village Works

A few things to remember:

• Most festivals don’t allow pets, so leave Fido at home.
• Summertime is a hot time so bring plenty of water in your reusable bottle and fill up at tap stations.
• Pack some snacks but also take advantage of tasty food vendors that will be available. Take your garbage with you!
• Sunscreen is a must. Wear lots and apply often.
• Camping is abundant so pack a tent and get the scoop on whether or not your preferred music fest has camping spots available – most do!
• Carpooling with friends is a great idea to cut down on congestion and give the environment a hand.
• Most of these events are family-friendly so leave the liquor at home.

My home has changed. The neighbourhood that surrounds me has undergone a transformation in the last 48 hours that is not unlike being refined by fire, if you will. Anyone who has opened a newspaper, flicked on the news or clicked onto a blog since the evening of June 15th is well aware of the events that transpired in Vancouver and so going into any kind of detail is pointless.

Everyone has a voice and the impressions and ideals of the City of Vancouver have been stretched thin in the wake of Wednesday evening. It’s quite luxurious for anyone to have an opinion from the comforts of a distance – whether based on one’s biases, their past experiences with Vancouver or even their championing of our fair city.

A far more realistic take, however, will come from those that have witnessed everything with their own eyes from within the eye of the storm.

Downtown Vancouver is my home, it is my neighbourhood and it is the place where many of my friends live. It’s comprised of the streets we walk on to get to work, the corner stores from where we buy gallons of milk and late-night snacks and the parks we walk our dogs to on sunny days. It is “home” by the very definition of the word.

For any group of people to come into one’s neighbourhood and physically destroy everything that surrounds is incomprehensibly heartbreaking. As I made the daily walk to my office yesterday, it took every ounce of me to blink back tears seeing what had been done to my home, to the places and faces I see and greet each and every day.

Whether this happened in urban Vancouver or on tree-lined streets in a tiny interior town matters not. In a few short hours, the morale of an entire community was derailed by thousands of outsiders – people who did not live in the area, pay taxes to the local government or care for even a minute about the responsibility they as citizens of our planet have. As I stepped onto my balcony late that night, as the riot squad was advancing up my street just metres below me, neighbours of mine were on their balconies also shouting “go home!” to the intruders below.

When one’s home, body or rights to safety are being violated, fighting back is a perfectly acceptable response. Not with actions, not by fighting fire with fire, but by banding together as a community. By rising up from the ashes and broken glass and taking a stand against the violation.

Greater Vancouver residents from all walks of life converged on the downtown core as the sun rose yesterday morning and transformed this City. It was restored, it was rebuilt and it was renewed. Not simply by appearance but also in spirit.

Those of us that call Vancouver home will not tolerate or allow anyone to define us by the reckless actions of intruding outsiders. Painting this city’s residents with the same brush is hasty at best. Unless you live in Vancouver, unless you experienced the events of that particular night, your opinion is wholly moot. Those of us that call Vancouver home will not allow our home to be tarnished, but instead will ensure that the beauty and close comfort of our community will shine brightly.

While I may not always adore city life and I may have days where I’m more than ready to throw in the towel, this is still my home. This is still the place that I am proud of. It’s where I lay my head. It’s the streets that I walk to get to work. It’s the corner store where I buy gallons of milk and fulfill my late night chocolate cravings. It’s the parks that I take Jordy to on sunny days like day.

It’s beautiful and it’s mine and it’s ours.

[Thank you, Tony, for encouraging me to share my thoughts on all of this.]

Since opening their Yaletown location in 2010, Bombay Brow Bar has become a virtual mecca for grooming conscious men and women. Last week sisters and founders Ravy Mehroke and Amy Minhas brought their team of arch angels to Vancouver’s West Side with a brand new shop on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano.

Logo design © Amanda Swanlund/Twenty-One Two Designs

Being a natural blonde, my eyebrows tend to disappear into my face. Because of that, I must admit to neglecting my eyebrows more often than not. If I can’t see them, who else can? The ladies at Bombay Brow Bar certainly can.

While I’d long been curious about threading – an ancient Indian technique of hair removal by twisting and rolling fine thread across the surface of the skin – I’d yet to try it. Bombay Brow Bar also offers its clients the options of waxing and tweezing, but threading is their preferred method. It’s much more gentle on the skin, is virtually painless and guarantees you’ll be on your way in mere minutes.

Photo: Cory Dawson

Though above-the-neck hair removal is all they do, Bombay Brow Bar is much more than a place to have your brows shaped into perfection. Bombay prides itself on treating its clients to an utterly fabulous eyebrow experience. Greeted with a friendly smile and a warm cup of chai tea, brow babes start with a “gossip session” about their brows before a brow shaping, a soothing massage with rosewater gel and a complimentary make-up touch-up.

Eyebrows are a funny thing. They’re often too tweezed, too overgrown, too thin, too arched or even give one the appearance of being perpetually surprised. Very rarely are they skillfully perfected but a quick visit to Bombay Brow Bar has made me a believer. When properly shaped, a set of savvy brows can frame the eyes and entirely change the look of one’s face.

Bombay’s arch angels even convinced me to give some eyebrow colour a try with their own line of brow make-up. Reluctant at first, I quickly saw how much of an impact it made on my brand-new “bombshell brows.”

Visit Bombay Brow Bar at their new Kitsilano location at 2206 West 4th Avenue (at Yew Street) seven days a week. You can also still visit them in Yaletown at 1056 Mainland Street. Appointments are just fine but walk-ins are also more than welcome! Become a fan of Bombay Brown Bar on Facebook, follow their updates on Twitter or get in-the-know on their official website.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/2

Always up for exploring parts of Greater Vancouver that I’ve yet to visit, I never hesitate to say yes when J suggests a spontaneous adventure. No stranger to the North Shore, he took me to Lynn Canyon Park and Suspension Bridge. Instead of making our way to the interpretive centre, we rolled down the service road to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve [link].

I was surprised by the number of like-minded hikers and bikers that were also making use of the trails on a somewhat sunny Sunday evening. After a quick descent down narrow steps, we were greeted by Lynn Creek – water that’s run-off from melting snowcaps. The water was so cold that, within a few feet of the creek’s edge, the air temperature dropped noticeably by at least five degrees.

A few steps later we found the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, spanning the east and west sides of Lynn Creek. Heights don’t frighten me much and the view from the gently swaying bridge is breathtaking.

Before making our way back to the truck, we wandered toward to Twin Falls Bridge and even spend a few moments perched on a boulder in the middle of the rushing creek before ascending the staircase. Anytime I’m surrounded by water I’m instantly in my “happy place” and Lynn Creek was no exception.

While my only regret was bringing only my iPhone and not a proper camera, I’ve got good reason to go back again soon – next time with Jordy in tow. Dogs are more than welcome on Lynn Canyon Park’s trails! (What isn’t welcome is garbage… something I found a lot of and picked up as I went. Please remember to keep our parks clean and use the garbage bins provided within the park.)

A few years ago, Rebecca and John visited the park and took some great photos. Rebecca posted some smart tips for those wishing to visit Lynn Canyon Park, so be sure to check out her post if a visit is in your summer plans.

Find out more about Lynn Canyon Park and Suspension Bridge at the official website or follow them on Twitter.

Few things are tastier when fresh out of the oven than soft, fruity muffins with perfect sweetness and tender crumbles. For those of that you don’t bake – or are just learning how – muffins are one of the easiest items to start with. However, they’re also one of the easiest recipes to mess up if you’re not careful.

Growing up, it was Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom, Blythe Danner, that made the family’s best muffins. Decades later, G still craves her mom’s baking and found herself constantly requesting this very recipe when she was pregnant with Apple. This week I departed from stocks and soups and tried this legendary recipe on for size.

What I instantly appreciated about this recipe was that it called for ingredients that most of us have on hand in our kitchens. I had to make a quick trip to the market for some organic blueberries and farm fresh eggs, but everything else I found in my cupboards.

Muffins are one of the only baking recipes for which I will not use my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer (you’ll find out why in a moment). Typically speaking, muffin recipes consist of a bowl of dry ingredients whisked together and a separate bowl of wet ingredients.

In this case, the recipe included milk, eggs and butter that had been melted but cooled. It’s important to let the butter cool completely after melting or it will cause the milk to curdle once you try to whisk them together.

After both bowls have been properly whisked – separately – the best method is to make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold the batter only until the liquid and dry ingredients have made a batter. Over-mixing will cause your muffins to be dry and dense.

Once the batter has been folded, toss in the blueberries and continue to fold but only as little folding is as needed. This recipe would also work deliciously with cranberries and orange zest!

Another lesson I’ve recently learned is to only fill your muffin trays 3/4 full. Muffins need room to rise and if the trays are too full, the batter has nowhere to go. This also applies to cupcakes and will prevent your muffins or cupcakes from deflating after removing them from the oven. (Bonus tip: placing a pan on the bottom rack will help disperse heat more evenly and prevent the bottoms from burning!)

A tiny sprinkle of sugar on each of the muffins tops them quite nicely.

Et voila! Apart from one runt in the back that didn’t rise as well as I’d hoped, the muffins turned out perfectly. They were warm and moist and between J and I, nearly half a dozen was gone within an hour or two! I prefer mine smeared with butter.

While I have stated before that I won’t be publishing the actual recipes throughout my G-ology project for ethical reasons, Self magazine has published the recipe online.

Another habit I’ve picked up recently? Many of G’s recipes make multiple portions which, when you’re cooking for one or two, leaves a lot of leftovers. Freezing soup, stock and even fresh herbs for later use has proven to be really handy. Make sure you date everything and follow a recipe’s freezing instructions if there are any. Most foods will keep for a few months if properly stored in the freezer.

I have a daily habit of combing through Craigslist. Not the classifieds in general, but the apartments for rent specifically. It’s partially because I’m always interested to see what kinds of places people are renting out, but mostly because I’m desperate to get out of my current abode.

Photo: ♥ellie♥ on Flickr

One thing I’ve noticed is that the eye-catching apartments seem to be few and far between. Some words you might find in the initial line of an ad?

• bright
• lots of space
• updated kitchen
• renovated!
• outdoor space
• great location

More often than not, upon clicking the ad you’ll quickly discover that you’ve been deceived into clicking and that none of these descriptions are true. Further, so many of the photos feature over-stuffed studio apartments with one sad window trying its hardest to let a scrap of sunshine in through the bed sheet covering the pane.

My heart would pitter-patter should I just once click an ad with those very same descriptions and be presented with something such as this…

Photo: lucasfoxbcn on Flickr

And in those rare occurrences in which a potential apartment hunter find a gem of a home to call one’s own, the difficulty doesn’t stop there. Many rental ads will read something like this:

“We have a fantastic two bedroom apartment for rent with many updates throughout. You’ll be charmed by the character, the space, bright windows and brand new appliances. We are looking for a quiet, professional, long-term tenant.

Please be aware that there is no laundry on site. We do not accept smokers. ABSOLUTELY NO PETS! There is a great outdoor space but no BBQs allowed.

Thanks – we look forward to hearing from you!”

Do you see the problem?

Having a mortgage helper has become somewhat of an essential part of home ownership in Vancouver. And with that comes an incredible amount of hard-working, honest people who wish to have a place to call home but can’t pony up for mortgage down-payments.

We want a warm, homey space. We’d like to be able to live quietly with our dog or two cats or three parakeets. We’d love to open the back door and have a few friends over for a BBQ in the summertime. We’d love to wash our clothes without hauling sacks of laundry to the corner laundromat. We’d love to be a helpful, responsible contributor to your mortgage and we’d definitely like to stay a while.

When an apartment doesn’t offer any sense of a normal life, it is going to attract the kind of tenant a landlord probably doesn’t want. The solution is simple.

If you want “quiet, professional, long-term” tenants, entice those potential tenants with a truly quality home.

BBQing, beach days, sunscreen, bikinis, margaritas, snowboarding…

The best parts of summertime on Vancouver Island have gained some unique descriptors in recent years.

Photo: Mount Washington Alpine Resort

For the second year in a row, Mount Washington Alpine Resort has extended its ski and snowboard season into what it has affectionately dubbed “Snowmer“. Record-setting snowfall over the 2010/2011 season has allowed the resort to open for summertime riding this June.

“This is starting to look familiar,” jokes Brent Curtain, spokesperson for the resort. “If we can match the picture perfect weather we had during our ski weekend last June, this year should be amazing with all of the snow we have on the mountain.”

Because more than 19 metres fell over the course of this season, the slopes are still rocking a 4-metre base at mid-mountain. Skiers and boarders can take advantage of the epic snowfall when the chairlifts start running on June 18th and 19th between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Lift tickets will set you back just $25.

While Mount Washington still plans to open for summer operations on July 1st, the snowpack has caused the bike park and downhill mountain biking dates to be pushed back to July 15th. The mountain is hosting a handful of stellar events over the summer, so stay tuned for more information.