TravelBlog » Dawn and Steve

Dawn and Steve - pebbles on the beach

Dawn has a background in health and research, and works at the provincial government. Steve has a background in electronics engineering, and is retired (but busier than ever!). We were married in 2005. We share a love of early jazz and swing music from the 40's, nature, birds, good food, and each other. We discovered that we both wanted to see more of the world, so we are trying to do more of that (working around the boring real-life kind of stuff like limited vacation time and money!). Steve is a photographer, and Dawn does the writing, and this way we thought we could share our travel adventures with our friends and families.

Yellowstone & Black Hills
August 27th 2008 -» September 7th 2008 Mexico Trip 2009
January 26th 2009 -» March 1st 2009 Waskesiu Trip
August 6th 2009 -» August 8th 2009

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Joined on: August 26th 2008
Last Login: August 17th 2009

Blog Entries: 26
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by Dawn and Steve, order by Date newest first.

By Dawn and Steve
August 8th 2009

Waskesiu to Regina North America » Canada » Saskatchewan

16 One of the two main streets in Waskesiu

We had a nice breakfast at the Hawood Inn, one of the nicer hotels in town. Then we stop and grab a couple of sweet buns for later at the local bakery, which is bustling with people getting coffees, papers, and bakery items to go. We are heading home, and plan to take secondary and grid roads to see more of the countryside along the way. We take highway #263, AKA ‘the scenic route’ south through the park and stop at Trappers Lake and Sandy Lake before leaving the park. Trappers Lake is very small, shallow with lots of reeds and [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
August 7th 2009

Trails Around Waskesiu North America » Canada » Saskatchewan » Prince Albert National Park

01 Shady Lake Trail...going down

We hiked several trails today, starting early in the day to see as much as we could. We started with Shady Lake trail, billed as a “moderate terrain 1.7 km loop”. Then there is a 1 km spur trail taking you to a lookout tower called Height of the Land. Sounded easy. Boy was I wrong! I walk every day, and this walk just about did me in! It took us almost 2 hours from start to finish (you couldn’t walk any faster, due to the grade and condition of the trail.) The trail went down a long way using stairs, [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
August 6th 2009

Regina to Waskesui North America » Canada » Saskatchewan » Prince Albert National Park

Abandoned Farm 1

I have a week off of work, and the weather is supposed to be cool and rainy all week, so we decided to get in the car and go somewhere where it is sunny. It seems counterintuitive, but the forecast says it will be nice and sunny in the north. So, we have decided to head north. Waskesui Lake, in Prince Albert National Park is a favorite summer vacation spot for lots of Saskatchewan folks. Neither of us has ever been there, so that is our destination. As soon as we get out of town and start heading north, the land [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
March 1st 2009

Cancun - last day North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Cancun

The beach outside Grand Parnassus

We hopped an early bus bound for Cancun, stopping in Playa del Carmen to stroll the busy and touristy 5th avenue for the last time. It doesn't seem so horrible now, as we are accustomed to the vendors and hawkers and just ignore them. My Spanish is better now too, so I feel comfortable looking in stores and telling them I don't want what they have without feeling afraid or intimidated. They really are agressive though. The crowds aren't too bad in the morning. We are trying to savor every last moment we have here. In Cancun, the hotel has screwed [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
March 1st 2009

Home again North America » Canada » Saskatchewan » Regina

IMGP1817

We are already having taco withdrawal, so we go shopping and buy a bunch of fresh veggies and peppers and make up some salsas. Next day we even go and buy masa flour and a tortilla press, along with a bottle of tequila. This cold is crazy! You can't even take in a deep breath without your lungs going into a spasm from the cold air. People down there asked us how we lived in such a cold place. I am starting to wonder myself....? [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
February 23rd 2009

Akumal North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Riviera Maya

Loggerhead Turtle at Akumal

Akumal is a beach area between Tulum and Cancun where sea turtles nest from May to October, and where the coral reef is fairly close to shore. Usually the turtles are gone by now, but for some reason some of them are still around, feeding on the sea grass in the area. We rented life jackets from the dive shop so we could swim farther and longer, and were able to see and swim alongside some turtles. We spend a wonderful day in the ocean, being amazed at the diversity of life in the ocean, and on this reef, the second [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
February 22nd 2009

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Riviera Maya

Steve floating in a Cenote

Today we went to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve for a birdwatching tour in kayaks. There were just Steve and I in one kayak, and two other fellows in single kayaks, along with our guide, Miguel, in his own kayak. We paddled past mangroves out into the lagoon, which is the largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was windy, from the side, so we fought the wind both out and back. It was worth it though, as we saw many types of herons, pelicans, cormorants, and even roseate spoonbills. We sat in our [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
February 20th 2009

Tulum North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Tulum

Tulum Ruins1

Tulum is much smaller than Playa del Carmen, with only one street - about 10 blocks long or so - of restaurants and vendors. The vendors still try to get you to come into their shop, but they are not as agressive as the ones in Playa. We spent a lot of time walking around the rest of the town, which is mostly very poor. The standard of living here is Mexico is much different than we are accustomed to. It seems like there is little or no middle class. You see big fancy resorts, casitas (small houses) and haciendas (big [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
February 19th 2009

Cozumel - Paradise at last! North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Cozumel

IMGP0773

We finally found paradise in Mexico! Cozumel is what we were looking for in a beach vacation but hadn´t known it. The main square around the ferry terminal is just the same as 5th ave in Playa - crowded with tourists and vendors, but we went towards the south part of the island - about half way down the coast road - to a little place called Playa Corona. You will see from the pictures that it is not a beautiful white sand beach - instead it is rocky and full of coral. There is a little beach bar that has [View Full Entry]

By Dawn and Steve
February 18th 2009

Playa del Carmen North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Playa del Carmen

On our 'balcony' at Luna Blue

Well, our Caravan bus tour of ruins in the Yucatan is already over. Hard to believe. We would recommend this tour to anyone. It was well planned, well run, and our tour guide, Pepe, was very knowledgeable. We are looking forward to relaxing on a white sand beach though, as we have been on the go for the past 8 days. So, what can I say about Playa? It is packed full of drunks, wide-eyed tourists, rude people, loud music at each store and restaurant, all competing to out-blare the next. Vendors, hucksters, police, whooping and hollering, yelling, drums, horns......you get [View Full Entry]

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Dawn and Steve - pebbles on the beach

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