Blogs from Canada, North America
Vancouver - The FINAL resting place of the car
Published: May 27th 2012North America » Canada » British Columbia » Vancouver
May 27th 2012
When we woke up in Jasper we had every intention of paying to dispose of the car and then either hitch hiking or catching a bus to Vancouver. We went to the towing company that would tow the car out of National Park and were about to pay but had no cash and they did not take debit. We drove to the nearest ATM and pulled our cash out, but on the way back we stopped in an empty parking lot and did a few donuts to say goodbye. After a good slam on the brakes all of the noises suddenly stopped. The brake screeching was gone, and the strut noise was gone as well. We made the decision right then that it was fate and we had to try to drive it to Vancouver. We ... read more
May 26th 2012
Road miles to date: 1133 Our wildlife encounters continued as we were sitting by a campfire on our last night in Denali when a moose and her calf walked right by us. The next morning they were still nearby when a park ranger came around saying that a grizzly had been sighted about 100 yards up from our tent and it was probably tracking the calf. Unfortunately we didn't get to see it but took it as good a sign as any that it was time for us to pack up and leave. We rode North to Fairbanks and after a quick stop for fuel and food we decided to plod on and head up to a place called Chena Hot Springs. The hot springs were discovered (or first developed at least) by the gold miners ... read more
May 25th 2012
It was not an easy thing to pack my luggage under 35 pounds but I did it! A few things had to be left behind but not much can be done about that. In Toronto now waiting for my connecting flight to Amsterdam and then on to Lusaka, Zambia from there. More to follow...... read more
May 25th 2012
hello travel world, well, we have eight months until we leave on our adventure over to Europe. the thought of having to wait 235 days until we can pack up our lives into two backpacks and board a plane to Dublin, Ireland makes me sad. I would like to leave yesterday if that's at all possible. such is life. I can't be too much of a downer considering we're going for an entire year and hopefully longer. in the meantime, we've planned Ireland, UK, Scotland & Wales. the rest of Europe will be done sporatically throughout our summer here. I know, we've started this travel blog eight months too early, but i'm getting antsy. besides, I can read about all the places I want to go to on this website. and if we go on any ... read more
Grenville Channel and Dixon Entrance
Published: May 26th 2012North America » Canada » British Columbia » Prince Rupert
May 24th 2012
Wednesday May 23, 2012 Bishop Bay to Kumealon Island Cove Our itinerary today takes us through Grenville Channel a forty five mile long mostly straight fjiord that carries all the Inside Passage traffic and we felt like we had it all to ourselves. Steep green walls, hundreds of waterfalls, calm waters, and a carrying current were all ours today. When we had had enough we turned into the very back of a pretty little bay and watched the sun set. Thursday May 24, 2012 Kumealon Island Cove to Foggy Bay As we passed the entrances to the Port of Prince Rupert we saw at least five massive bulk carriers waiting to be loaded with some sort of ore, and bound for the orient. One ship, 867 feet long, carried the name Bulk Hong Kong - how ... read more
May 23rd 2012
Awful sleep again. I took a sleeping tablet and wore ear plugs but could still hear the drone of the fridge in our room. In the middle of the night I pulled the fridge out of its cabinet but there was a mass of wires all tangled up behind so I had to leave it. When I woke Ian up this morning he asks me did I sleep well as I had kept him awake all night with my snoring???? After another buffet breakfast we head up to Sulphur Mountain. The gondola takes you so far then there is a wooden walkway should you choose to take it to the top. We were knackered when we got there but great views and a little family of chipmunks playing at the top. They run about so fast ... read more
May 23rd 2012
So yeah, we're home. It’s an interesting concept 'home'. My home in the past 6 years has been where I’ve put my heart, Calgary and New Zealand. Now Guelph, Ontario. We had no idea where we'd come to when we got back, but we knew that it would be in Ontario somewhere. We were ready to be closer to family. So, we threw a dart at the map and it landed on Guelph. But really, we choose this place for a few reasons. Close to Toronto, close to Niagara Peninsula- our mom's, close to Orangeville - my Oma, but mostly because we heard amazing things about this small city. It has a population of 118,000 and it’s rocking. The level of consciousness in this city amazes me. I've asked most people I've met if they like ... read more
May 23rd 2012
Last evening Jeanette and I once again had papers spreadout over our dining table and with two computers running, sought to fine tune a few areas in our planning for our Europe vacation which starts on June 7. Being the only driver, I will have a fairly busy workload in France and to a lesser degree in Spain. Of course in the earlier part of the vacation we travel by coach through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland before ending up in Paris. After a stint in paris we rent a car for both France and Spain. Towards the end of the holiday, we will be in Amsterdam so we are currently ironing out how we will spend our time. We certainly know that we will visit out friends Dorothy and Rens in The Hague while ... read more
Last full day in Banff - probably last blog
Published: May 24th 2012North America » Canada » Alberta » Banff
May 23rd 2012
As it is our last full day in Banff we really should be making the most of it but we are in can't be arsed moods as we had crap sleep again. We head down to the Banff museum, it is not much bigger than the cabin we had at bear ranch! but it is very informative and they have a lot of stuffed birds and animals that have been there since it opened in 1903. I was quite shocked at the size of the cougar, glad we haven't met a real one on our travels. We drive down to Lake Minnewanka and then on to Johnson's Lake. We have been told the walk around this lake is lovely, not too long and no elevation. They lied about the last bit! It was a lovely walk ... read more
May 23rd 2012
Well here goes, my very first blog. Travel has been, and I hope will continue to be a big part of my life, so I figured it was a good idea to keep track of everything going on, so I can remember and draw from my experiences, while sharing them with whoever happens to be interested. I'll be leaving for India in a couple of weeks, for a university exchange in to St. Xavier's College in Mumbai. The program I've been selected to participate in, called the Ontario-Maharashtra-Goa (OMG) Program, organized by the Ontario (a Canadian provice), Maharashtra, and Goa (states of India) governments, with help from involved universities, rather than by individual institutions alone (like the exchange I'll be participating in to Chile right after this one). Ontario and Maharashtra especially are important regions of ... read more
