Gargoyle

We spent a lovely day viewing our front yard on the water. I made the stuffing using a special honey that was produced on the UBC farm in Vancouver and provided to me by one of my customers. A very special honey with a very special flavour. We then sat to table with Scott and Catherine before they drove off with the Vibe. One fewer cars is good for us and one more car for a dad and daughter road trip is good for them! Meanwhile, we look back on the year. I'm very thankful for the many blessings I have received this year.... read more

From Kamloops we took the scenic route instead of the Coquihalla. The Coquihalla is famous for shortening the driving time between Kamloops and Vancouver by one hour. It is also, apparently, a favourite spot for SUVs to burst into flames, ruining other people's holidays and starting forest fires. So we chose to drive the two-lane undivided highway 5A, behind some rather largish trucks going 30km/hr on the downhill. Quite pissing me off actually. One of the trucks had a load of six massive tires (each tire 1.1 lanes wide). These tires must have come from one of those oil sands vehicles, they were that big. The tires were piled in such a way that you had to be committed to passing before you could find out if there was traffic in the opposing lane. Risky passing, ... read more

We are safe. As we were nearing the end of today's travel, we noticed smoke in the distance, presuming it to be a forest fire. As we passed, it was a car on fire on the opposite side of the Coquihalla. Check out Global News: http://globalnews.ca/news/2091445/coquihalla-closed-in-both-directions-due-to-fire-just-east-of-hope/ We are in the hotel and resting after a long drive. More updates later.... read more

Here are the photos from our Winnipeg to Saskatoon portion. It's an important part of every Canadian's education to see these provinces! While just 30 minutes into our trip out of Winnipeg, waiting for a construction stoppage to clear, a train passed by (photo 1). A long train. Three miles long. Do you know how long it takes for a three-mile long train to pass you when you're stopped for construction? Well, it actually takes forever! After we diverted north on the Yellowhead, we noticed that the farms were separated by these unusual trees (photo 2). Previously, I've seen hedges, shrubs, dead tree limbs, and the occasional piles of detritus, but these trees have a remarkable interest to them - as if they are saying, "Go ahead and plant your soup peas, Mr. Farmer. I'm still ... read more

One hour into the day 6 drive we reached central time, and ended up at the same time that we started out at! We crossed the continental divide just north of Thunder Bay. People don't often think of it that way, and in fact, the sign only meekly described it as, “Arctic Watershed”. From here on in to the BC-Alberta border, all the water flows north to the Arctic and splits our continent into the southern and northern pieces. Landscape changed again, from frequent turns and elevation changes, to straighter stretches of road with fewer hills. The forests continue, with occasional grassy patches, suggesting the Shield is loosening its grip on the terrain. Lakes and meadows appear more frequently than before. Near Dryden, the landscape appeared different from back in 1986 (photo 1). I was hoping ... read more