Saturday, September 23, 2006
So let me continue, although it won't be for long as we only have 7 minutes left. How to summarise the majority of the holiday in 7 minutes...?
Where was I? I think we'd left the torrential rain of Calgary aside and had headed onto the Dinosaur Provincial park, around 200km away (in the wrong directin for the Rockies!) The Badlands were very impressive and would have been more so had the sun been shining - we're told that we were very lucky to see the rain in the desert! Our little group (Emma, Paul, Nick and I) remain sceptical about that. Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Natural Heritage site, for a few reasons, one is the landscape, the other is the number of dinosaur remains found there (at one site over 300 remains of one species have been found - it's thought that perhaps these dinosaurs died due to a stampede into a river a bit like when the Wildebeest get together and then can't stop, but no real conclusions have been made - except that they all went together!) The third reason has got to be the rain! Just over 1 minute left so I'd better upload this. Until next time!
Where was I? I think we'd left the torrential rain of Calgary aside and had headed onto the Dinosaur Provincial park, around 200km away (in the wrong directin for the Rockies!) The Badlands were very impressive and would have been more so had the sun been shining - we're told that we were very lucky to see the rain in the desert! Our little group (Emma, Paul, Nick and I) remain sceptical about that. Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Natural Heritage site, for a few reasons, one is the landscape, the other is the number of dinosaur remains found there (at one site over 300 remains of one species have been found - it's thought that perhaps these dinosaurs died due to a stampede into a river a bit like when the Wildebeest get together and then can't stop, but no real conclusions have been made - except that they all went together!) The third reason has got to be the rain! Just over 1 minute left so I'd better upload this. Until next time!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
So here we are again, once more in Canada! *Sigh*
We arrived in Calgary to extreme rain, rain, rain, which made a souless place like Calgary particularly miserable. We cheered ourselves up with some retail therapy - well it was so cold I just had to buy a new coat! We even managed to fit in a trip to the Devonian Gardens an indoor paradise of tropical plants. It had plants but it was full of concrete, so although we'd missed it on our last trip, it was no great loss. Still they did offer weddings there, so we wondered current weather prevailing, whether Anita might want to exchange scenic Emerald Lake in the rain for tacky Devonian gardens, concrete walls and dirty waterways plus the general public in the dry! Hmm, perhaps not!
We arrived in Calgary to extreme rain, rain, rain, which made a souless place like Calgary particularly miserable. We cheered ourselves up with some retail therapy - well it was so cold I just had to buy a new coat! We even managed to fit in a trip to the Devonian Gardens an indoor paradise of tropical plants. It had plants but it was full of concrete, so although we'd missed it on our last trip, it was no great loss. Still they did offer weddings there, so we wondered current weather prevailing, whether Anita might want to exchange scenic Emerald Lake in the rain for tacky Devonian gardens, concrete walls and dirty waterways plus the general public in the dry! Hmm, perhaps not!
Monday, September 26, 2005
So here I am on my last night in Vancouver. My last night in Canada ~sob~. The last 5 days have flown by and as I am up to my neck in packing I will try not to go on for too long.
Firstly Nick's dad did eventually arrive back from his birding trip and we made the ferry in good time. The trip over to Vancouver Island (final destination Victoria) was as scenic as we remembered and we continue to harbour a few dreams of having a holiday home on one of the gulf islands (as a second home to our place in Vancouver!) that we passed on route (just missing by a few metres!) Plus the wonderful massage chairs were still on board so that kept me occupied for a while!
So we spent a couple of lovely days in Victoria despite the rotten Ramada hotel, which had illusions of grandeur that it could not live up to (plus the ice machine and other electrickery type stuff conspired to keep us awake each night). Victoria was as chilled out as we remembered, although by this time I had got a bit fed up with shopping and we did spend quite a bit of time doing this! We also visited the BC museum and this time saw the Imax film on Bears. The image that remains in my mind from this film is the bears catching salmon - watching so many bears fishing together is just surreal (especially as they all use the same rods!)
Other Victoria highlights include catching one of the cute little ferries over to the Gorge where all the rich folk once swam and partied in the 1920's - until the local farmers started ditching their abbatoir waste in the water - it doesn't have a source of renewable water and so the waste just rotted there - YUCK! Anyway eventually they sorted the problem and I think the party goers returned.
Finally we made it to our final destination - Vancouver and the Best Western hotel. Sadly the Canucks were playing the night we arrived and as the hockey players have been on strike for the past year, there were no tickets to be had for neither love nor money (both of which would normally work in the area we are staying in, with is 25c peep shows and erm... - anyway it is another excuse to come back in the future! To watch the ice hockey not the peep shows!
Yesterday Nick and I ventured out to the space museum, which had a ride suspiciously like the Klingon one in Vegas! Next we went on to one of my favourite places on Earth - Stanley Park. We walked through English bay and into the park and were hoping to eat in a Fish restaurant that we had vouchers for (through the city passport scheme) only we never found it. It was another of Nick's little adventures into the unknown (I'm really quite fond of them). We did find the lost lagoon - which to be fair I don't think was too lost, and several very friendly black squirrels! Finally we ended up in the White Spot restaurant, which contrary to its name is really rather good!
Today we took a skytrain to METROTOWN the home of the Mall, whilst Nick's dad went on a trip (by all accounts the long way round) to Beaver Lake. After spending all of our hard earnt cash at the Mall and in total contrast we headed on to the sea bus over to North Vancouver and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The Capilano Suspension bridge is an amazing place where you get a treetops view of the forest below, plus the suspension bridge is really wobbly which is most amusing!
We are now back in Vancouver and are packing to go home!
One of the things I find so fabulous about Canada is that we have packed so much in to such a small amount of time and yet all of it was wonderful. Plus I love the fact that there are wild animals living here and I love the Rockies and Stanley Park and oh....everything. However my favourite bit has to be the wooden hut in Canmore with the view of the Rockies and the lovely kitty on my lap - I wonder if he is still there? ~Sigh~
Firstly Nick's dad did eventually arrive back from his birding trip and we made the ferry in good time. The trip over to Vancouver Island (final destination Victoria) was as scenic as we remembered and we continue to harbour a few dreams of having a holiday home on one of the gulf islands (as a second home to our place in Vancouver!) that we passed on route (just missing by a few metres!) Plus the wonderful massage chairs were still on board so that kept me occupied for a while!
So we spent a couple of lovely days in Victoria despite the rotten Ramada hotel, which had illusions of grandeur that it could not live up to (plus the ice machine and other electrickery type stuff conspired to keep us awake each night). Victoria was as chilled out as we remembered, although by this time I had got a bit fed up with shopping and we did spend quite a bit of time doing this! We also visited the BC museum and this time saw the Imax film on Bears. The image that remains in my mind from this film is the bears catching salmon - watching so many bears fishing together is just surreal (especially as they all use the same rods!)
Other Victoria highlights include catching one of the cute little ferries over to the Gorge where all the rich folk once swam and partied in the 1920's - until the local farmers started ditching their abbatoir waste in the water - it doesn't have a source of renewable water and so the waste just rotted there - YUCK! Anyway eventually they sorted the problem and I think the party goers returned.
Finally we made it to our final destination - Vancouver and the Best Western hotel. Sadly the Canucks were playing the night we arrived and as the hockey players have been on strike for the past year, there were no tickets to be had for neither love nor money (both of which would normally work in the area we are staying in, with is 25c peep shows and erm... - anyway it is another excuse to come back in the future! To watch the ice hockey not the peep shows!
Yesterday Nick and I ventured out to the space museum, which had a ride suspiciously like the Klingon one in Vegas! Next we went on to one of my favourite places on Earth - Stanley Park. We walked through English bay and into the park and were hoping to eat in a Fish restaurant that we had vouchers for (through the city passport scheme) only we never found it. It was another of Nick's little adventures into the unknown (I'm really quite fond of them). We did find the lost lagoon - which to be fair I don't think was too lost, and several very friendly black squirrels! Finally we ended up in the White Spot restaurant, which contrary to its name is really rather good!
Today we took a skytrain to METROTOWN the home of the Mall, whilst Nick's dad went on a trip (by all accounts the long way round) to Beaver Lake. After spending all of our hard earnt cash at the Mall and in total contrast we headed on to the sea bus over to North Vancouver and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The Capilano Suspension bridge is an amazing place where you get a treetops view of the forest below, plus the suspension bridge is really wobbly which is most amusing!
We are now back in Vancouver and are packing to go home!
One of the things I find so fabulous about Canada is that we have packed so much in to such a small amount of time and yet all of it was wonderful. Plus I love the fact that there are wild animals living here and I love the Rockies and Stanley Park and oh....everything. However my favourite bit has to be the wooden hut in Canmore with the view of the Rockies and the lovely kitty on my lap - I wonder if he is still there? ~Sigh~
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
So Kelowna. The apartment was fantastic, in a huge complex with swimming pool, jacuzzi and gym - which naturally we used morning, noon and night. To be honest we'd need to, having consumned more than our fair share of muffins along the way!
Kelowna itself is nothing to write home about, so I won't! Haha! It is supposed to be good wine country, although the museum was shut when we went to visit so I cannot confirm that for sure - naturally we purchased some wine in the shop...so the proof will be in the pudding as they say (aggh not more pudding!)
We have just completed a mammoth journey across to Vancouver - around 300 miles, via some rather amusing forestry roads. The forestry roads were a source of great stress and amusement in the car, there came a time when we weren't quite sure if we'd make it out alive (due to the danger within - high stress levels in the car rather than anything else). Sadly I think Nick's mum has developed a taste for 4 wheel drives!
Once out of the forest our drive was a lot less stressful and we managed to stop off in Hope, an old gold rush town that Nick and I visited on our last trip to the Rockies. Somehow it wasn't quite the same as we remembered it, although the cafe where we had coffee was wonderful (no muffins this time fortunately!) It was one of those cafes that you could sit in all day and watch the world go by - it often has jazz artists playing live there, cool man! I also purchased a self published book there, by a local artist - I trust Ian Tait, if you ever visit the U.K you will return the favour!
Finally we arrived in Tsawwassen and we've no idea how to pronouce it - I think that probably explains why there was such a lack of signposts to it! Oh yes, we've finally found a problem with Canada - the maps and roadsigns are useless! Although, I think that adds to the adventure! Tee hee! Tsawwassen is just off the ferry terminals to Vancouver Island, which is where we are headed later - if Nick's dad ever comes back from his latest birding venture, he's been gone nearly 3 hours already!
Kelowna itself is nothing to write home about, so I won't! Haha! It is supposed to be good wine country, although the museum was shut when we went to visit so I cannot confirm that for sure - naturally we purchased some wine in the shop...so the proof will be in the pudding as they say (aggh not more pudding!)
We have just completed a mammoth journey across to Vancouver - around 300 miles, via some rather amusing forestry roads. The forestry roads were a source of great stress and amusement in the car, there came a time when we weren't quite sure if we'd make it out alive (due to the danger within - high stress levels in the car rather than anything else). Sadly I think Nick's mum has developed a taste for 4 wheel drives!
Once out of the forest our drive was a lot less stressful and we managed to stop off in Hope, an old gold rush town that Nick and I visited on our last trip to the Rockies. Somehow it wasn't quite the same as we remembered it, although the cafe where we had coffee was wonderful (no muffins this time fortunately!) It was one of those cafes that you could sit in all day and watch the world go by - it often has jazz artists playing live there, cool man! I also purchased a self published book there, by a local artist - I trust Ian Tait, if you ever visit the U.K you will return the favour!
Finally we arrived in Tsawwassen and we've no idea how to pronouce it - I think that probably explains why there was such a lack of signposts to it! Oh yes, we've finally found a problem with Canada - the maps and roadsigns are useless! Although, I think that adds to the adventure! Tee hee! Tsawwassen is just off the ferry terminals to Vancouver Island, which is where we are headed later - if Nick's dad ever comes back from his latest birding venture, he's been gone nearly 3 hours already!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Friday night was as near to perfection as you can get - I sat out on the deck of our wooden cabin, a hot chocolate in one hand, a gorgeous green eyed kitty sitting on my lap and a view of the snow capped Rockies all around! Phwoar!
Yesterday we set off from Canmore through the Banff National Park and on to Golden. We stopped off for some picture stops at Lake Louise, the Moraine Lake and the Emerald Lake - general gasping was to be heard at these magnificent landscapes. Nick and I have seen Lake Louise before - it's the one you usually see on all the pictures of Canada, with its amazing blue green water, well last time we came it was frozen and I have images of it being grey with a little wooden sign by the side saying "danger ice!". This time it was much more impressive, the water was a kind of azure colour and the detour when we accidentally went up the mountain first and were forced to see the Moraine lake first made it all the more impressive for the Moraine lake is set in a dark and gloomy landscape (and blinking cold too!) The emerald lake was a beautiful colour too but was worth the trip mainly because of the stop off point on the way at some waterfalls where a natural bridge had occured, the water was gushing out from lots of directions and the landscape was like all those pictures where you look and say no that can't be real the trees aren't that green, the water is never that colour etc, etc!
Next we drove on into Golden which sadly gave us our last true views of the Rockies (sob!) - we wove our way around the Kicking Horse river and headed on up to the top of the Purcell mountains to the Grizzly bear refuge. We got the ski lift up to the Grizzly resort and guess what - we saw him! Boo and his brother Cari (sadly deceased) were rescued as cubs when their mother got killed by poachers. The idea of this refuge is the view the behaviour of the Grizzly and learn how to reintroduce young bears into the wild - currently there is no such policy, if the bears are orphaned they are just "euthanised"! We got some glimpses of Boo and then went back down to the bottom of the mountain to catch the Gondola. The gondola took us back over the Boo enclosure and way up into the mountains where we had a magnificent view of the last of the Rockies and the mountains encircling us. We also flew over a wild black bear (I think it was the mountain bikers that had got him cross - there were loads of them!) After a little apres ski (lift) coffee and chocolate, we made our way back down in the Gondola and got to see Boo taking a bath in his pool - he is so gorgeous but Nick wouldn't let me cuddle him!
As if this day couldn't get any better, we then raced over to the Wolf sanctury a few miles out of Golden. The sanctury has been set up to educate people about wolves - that they aren't the evil creatures that prey on Grannie in the fairy tales. They also have Russian Bear Dogs,which are used around the country to encourage Bears to go back into their own territory and not impede into areas that are likely to get them into trouble (i.e anywhere the horrible humans have taken over!). Several areas of Canada have started using these dogs but in B.C it is against the law as they see it as harassing the bears - not as much harassment as just shooting them, which is the current law! These dogs are nuts and they even have a bear cat in their enclosure with them - he thinks he is a dog! The wolves are beautiful - they have a half dog, half wolf female called Aspen who has enable the owners of the refuge to train the wolves - which are taken into schools etc. There is a really shy wolf there called Tuk, he's almost black and is so nervous he only comes out for food when there are visitors to the centre - mmm sounds like a good game to me! The wolves seem well loved and cared for and if the sanctury can convince people not to shoot them and get them reintroduced into the areas where they should be in abundance that can only be good for all the other wildlife and nature that depend on them being there - basically without the wolves the deer population explodes causing small creatures like Beavers to become rare or disappear in those areas, which causes the wetlands and marshes to disappear (the beaver's dams help to produce these), which cause birds to disappear etc, etc. We need wolves - although again Nick would not let me pack one in my suitcase! I'm on the lookout for cougars now!
Finally we arrived in Revelstoke having put our clocks back an hour from mountain time. We are staying in Bates motel - no sign of Norman yet though! Actually it is quite nice for a motel, although we do seem to be situated in Freight Train central!
Off to Kelowna today.
Yesterday we set off from Canmore through the Banff National Park and on to Golden. We stopped off for some picture stops at Lake Louise, the Moraine Lake and the Emerald Lake - general gasping was to be heard at these magnificent landscapes. Nick and I have seen Lake Louise before - it's the one you usually see on all the pictures of Canada, with its amazing blue green water, well last time we came it was frozen and I have images of it being grey with a little wooden sign by the side saying "danger ice!". This time it was much more impressive, the water was a kind of azure colour and the detour when we accidentally went up the mountain first and were forced to see the Moraine lake first made it all the more impressive for the Moraine lake is set in a dark and gloomy landscape (and blinking cold too!) The emerald lake was a beautiful colour too but was worth the trip mainly because of the stop off point on the way at some waterfalls where a natural bridge had occured, the water was gushing out from lots of directions and the landscape was like all those pictures where you look and say no that can't be real the trees aren't that green, the water is never that colour etc, etc!
Next we drove on into Golden which sadly gave us our last true views of the Rockies (sob!) - we wove our way around the Kicking Horse river and headed on up to the top of the Purcell mountains to the Grizzly bear refuge. We got the ski lift up to the Grizzly resort and guess what - we saw him! Boo and his brother Cari (sadly deceased) were rescued as cubs when their mother got killed by poachers. The idea of this refuge is the view the behaviour of the Grizzly and learn how to reintroduce young bears into the wild - currently there is no such policy, if the bears are orphaned they are just "euthanised"! We got some glimpses of Boo and then went back down to the bottom of the mountain to catch the Gondola. The gondola took us back over the Boo enclosure and way up into the mountains where we had a magnificent view of the last of the Rockies and the mountains encircling us. We also flew over a wild black bear (I think it was the mountain bikers that had got him cross - there were loads of them!) After a little apres ski (lift) coffee and chocolate, we made our way back down in the Gondola and got to see Boo taking a bath in his pool - he is so gorgeous but Nick wouldn't let me cuddle him!
As if this day couldn't get any better, we then raced over to the Wolf sanctury a few miles out of Golden. The sanctury has been set up to educate people about wolves - that they aren't the evil creatures that prey on Grannie in the fairy tales. They also have Russian Bear Dogs,which are used around the country to encourage Bears to go back into their own territory and not impede into areas that are likely to get them into trouble (i.e anywhere the horrible humans have taken over!). Several areas of Canada have started using these dogs but in B.C it is against the law as they see it as harassing the bears - not as much harassment as just shooting them, which is the current law! These dogs are nuts and they even have a bear cat in their enclosure with them - he thinks he is a dog! The wolves are beautiful - they have a half dog, half wolf female called Aspen who has enable the owners of the refuge to train the wolves - which are taken into schools etc. There is a really shy wolf there called Tuk, he's almost black and is so nervous he only comes out for food when there are visitors to the centre - mmm sounds like a good game to me! The wolves seem well loved and cared for and if the sanctury can convince people not to shoot them and get them reintroduced into the areas where they should be in abundance that can only be good for all the other wildlife and nature that depend on them being there - basically without the wolves the deer population explodes causing small creatures like Beavers to become rare or disappear in those areas, which causes the wetlands and marshes to disappear (the beaver's dams help to produce these), which cause birds to disappear etc, etc. We need wolves - although again Nick would not let me pack one in my suitcase! I'm on the lookout for cougars now!
Finally we arrived in Revelstoke having put our clocks back an hour from mountain time. We are staying in Bates motel - no sign of Norman yet though! Actually it is quite nice for a motel, although we do seem to be situated in Freight Train central!
Off to Kelowna today.
Friday, September 16, 2005
So where was I? Oh yes we were just about to visit the amazing indoor gardens - hmm they are so amazing that they are shut in the Fall! Whoops! Still their loss was the gain of the Irish Pub down the road - and gain it was for it cost the equivalent of about seventeen pounds for 4 drinks!
So then we drove on to Canmore - just to the edge of Banff. The Rockies still blow my mind, you lose all sense of prospective when you see them (both mentally and physically) they truly are AWESOME!
The cabin that we are staying in at Harvie Heights is basic but gorgeous - a lovely little wooden thing on the edge or the Rockies. The lodge master (sounds like the freemasons!) is a chinese Basil Fawlty - he lost our keys and kept insisting that he'd given them to us, eventually they turned up - in his pocket!
I have made friends with the wildlife - a gorgeous green eyed kitty that must live on the site - a holiday is never complete without a kitty cat! Although we did wonder for a while if Nick's dad might have trumped me by meeting a bear, when he disappeared into the woods for a couple of hours! He did come back, I think he was chased by some locals who caught him peering into their garden (alledgedly at a Woodpecker) with a pair of binoculars!
Today we visited the wonderful Johnston Canyon, full of amazing waterfalls and the long searched for dipper! The scenery was amazing and we even saw a rainbow over one of the falls - perfect. Although I looked very hard I didn't spot a bear or a lynx - much to Nick's relief - we still aren't quite sure whether I would try to cuddle the kitty, even if it could eat me for dinner!
We also took a stop off to look at the magnificent Castle mountain in the sunshine - it still looks staggering, especially with a few dramatic clouds in the backdrop!
That's it for now - we are off to explore, or revisit Banff now.
So then we drove on to Canmore - just to the edge of Banff. The Rockies still blow my mind, you lose all sense of prospective when you see them (both mentally and physically) they truly are AWESOME!
The cabin that we are staying in at Harvie Heights is basic but gorgeous - a lovely little wooden thing on the edge or the Rockies. The lodge master (sounds like the freemasons!) is a chinese Basil Fawlty - he lost our keys and kept insisting that he'd given them to us, eventually they turned up - in his pocket!
I have made friends with the wildlife - a gorgeous green eyed kitty that must live on the site - a holiday is never complete without a kitty cat! Although we did wonder for a while if Nick's dad might have trumped me by meeting a bear, when he disappeared into the woods for a couple of hours! He did come back, I think he was chased by some locals who caught him peering into their garden (alledgedly at a Woodpecker) with a pair of binoculars!
Today we visited the wonderful Johnston Canyon, full of amazing waterfalls and the long searched for dipper! The scenery was amazing and we even saw a rainbow over one of the falls - perfect. Although I looked very hard I didn't spot a bear or a lynx - much to Nick's relief - we still aren't quite sure whether I would try to cuddle the kitty, even if it could eat me for dinner!
We also took a stop off to look at the magnificent Castle mountain in the sunshine - it still looks staggering, especially with a few dramatic clouds in the backdrop!
That's it for now - we are off to explore, or revisit Banff now.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Hmm, not that impressed by Calgary (sorry Calgarians) although to be fair a)we are probably a bit jetlagged and b)it is only a stop off point en route to the Rockies! Whoo hoo!
We spent quite a bit of time walking around the town, visited Princes Island - which is rather pretty - full of sculptures and lovely views of the Bow River. We went to the top of the Calgary Tower - all 500+ feet and stood on the glass floor to look down at the ants, erm people below! Then there were the vast collection of Malls to survey! Finally we dragged our groceries back to the apartment (you are only truly on holiday once you have visited Safeway and dragged your shopping home!)
Off to an indoor garden in one of the Skyscrapers later...should be interesting!
We spent quite a bit of time walking around the town, visited Princes Island - which is rather pretty - full of sculptures and lovely views of the Bow River. We went to the top of the Calgary Tower - all 500+ feet and stood on the glass floor to look down at the ants, erm people below! Then there were the vast collection of Malls to survey! Finally we dragged our groceries back to the apartment (you are only truly on holiday once you have visited Safeway and dragged your shopping home!)
Off to an indoor garden in one of the Skyscrapers later...should be interesting!
After a long 9 hour flight - long in the sense that we didn't have our usual BA individual screens to catch up with the latest films and instead had to make do with the Air Canada shared screens and limited film choice - ahh poor me, we finally arrived in Calgary at about 6pm (English time 1am!)
Haven't seen too much yet apart from the 24 hour shop which was full of local characters. One chap had obviously cashed in his bottle deposit and was busy trying to decide what to do with his $1. He looked at soy sauce, biscuits and when we left I think he was settling on a tin of sweetcorn - the healthy option - although I'm not sure how he was going to open the tin! I thought it best not to ask.
We are staying in a spacious suite in the Regency Hotel - good job as we are sharing with the in-laws....
Right off to explore Calgary.
Haven't seen too much yet apart from the 24 hour shop which was full of local characters. One chap had obviously cashed in his bottle deposit and was busy trying to decide what to do with his $1. He looked at soy sauce, biscuits and when we left I think he was settling on a tin of sweetcorn - the healthy option - although I'm not sure how he was going to open the tin! I thought it best not to ask.
We are staying in a spacious suite in the Regency Hotel - good job as we are sharing with the in-laws....
Right off to explore Calgary.
