Blogs from Canada, North America - page 9

Today we woke to sound of rain. Once the curtains were open we confirmed that it was definitely raining, and the view of the mountain from our window was cloaked by a layer of grey cloud. We had checked the forecast yesterday so we weren’t surprised, just a bit disappointed that the forecast was correct! We had planned to ‘do’ Lake Louise today, so we did. The lake is about an hour drive along the Trans Canada Highway, and it was unnerving at times with the massive tandem-rigged trucks thundering past in the rain, at speeds exceeding the speed limit, and with the spray from their wheels obscuring vision for a few seconds. What size engine do these things have to pull such huge loads at such speed?! The Bow River flows along beside the highway ... read more

We both slept quite well last night, but were woken early by the young child next door. Well, I had woken around 06:00 and was reading quietly, but Susan hadn’t stirred before the crying started around 06:30, and was a bit put out that it wasn’t even 07:00! Anyway, we got a reasonably early start, with yesterday’s blog sorted and granola bars and bananas for breakfast. After filling Megan’s fuel tank, we headed off to Johnston Canyon about 45 minutes away. The day was warm and sunny, and we were dressed in shorts and T-shirts. We paid our park fees as we entered the Banff National Park, and drove past signs warning of wildlife on the road and the risk of avalanches. I doubt much wildlife gets anywhere near the road as it has high wire ... read more

Marg offered to take us out to see some beaches within easy access of her house, although she did comment that as it was cool and cloudy it wasn’t really beach weather. We didn’t mind that at all! Susan wanted to cook us a lobster dinner this evening though, so before we went beaching we popped into the local seafood store a few minutes from the house. We asked for 3 live lobsters which would live in the fridge for the next few hours. I thought he’d put 4 in the bag and queried it, but he confirmed after a quick peek that there were indeed 3 lobsters in there. Once they were safely stored Marg drove us over one of the suspension bridges to Dartmouth on the south side of the basin. We then headed ... read more

So the whole point of our outing today was to find somewhere for me to have a dip in the Bay of Fundy (BoF). This has the highest tidal range in the world – up to 16m (52 feet). The Bristol Channel where I live has the second highest tidal range in the world at up to 14m (46 feet). Swimming in the BoF was one of my ‘I’d REALLY like to do this’ things on my trip over the Atlantic. Actually it’s on my bucket list! Marg joined us for the day and after a quick detour to get her new phone we headed off towards Wolfville, a university town about an hour away where we planned to get lunch. We passed signs to Windsor (apparently the birthplace of Hockey) and Chester, drove through some ... read more

We had an early start today. Victoria picked us up at 06:15 to take us to Waterloo regional airport. She was really quite cheery when she walked through the door, certainly cheerier than her mum is first thing in the morning! We were quickly through security, sitting at a table drinking vanilla infused French coffee. Sounds delicious, smells good, tastes average. Ah well. The ground crew came round checking that we had the correct luggage with us. We had both paid for a carry-on bag, except apparently I hadn’t. To be honest she was lovely about it and tagged my bag regardless of the non-payment. Although I had paid and was able to show her proof. Bloody technology! Boarding went well, no hassle. I was in a middle seat of 3 people, but we didn’t have ... read more