Well I've come home to my own bed and it's awesome to be back.
I've got a few things to take care of before I finish off the posts, galleries and videos so come back soon to see the final product.
Thanks so much for coming with me on my trip!
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Closing the Circle
We've made it back to Thunder Bay, and the end of the western portion of the trip. All that remains it to get ourselves back home. You might be able to tell from our erratic updating, and lover volume of pictures, that we are getting tired. It's not especially comfortable sleeping in a different bed every day. I kinda miss my old, beat-up mattress, with the familiar blanket, and distinctive slope. It's probably only another two or three days away.
As far as crossing the prairies again, not much happened, asides from a long stay in Calgary to rest up for the long journey, and stopping at a pretty cool dinosaur museum on the way. There was also the biggest RPG store in Canada as well. It had a very wide variety of supplies, and sourcebooks for things I've never heard of. Definitely worth the visit. Most everything after Calgary was just passing through.
I really wish I had more to say. I expected to be the funny one on the trip, but Mark seems to be outdoing me at every turn. My humor must be based on abnormal magnetics, or something. I'll get him later once my powers return.
As far as crossing the prairies again, not much happened, asides from a long stay in Calgary to rest up for the long journey, and stopping at a pretty cool dinosaur museum on the way. There was also the biggest RPG store in Canada as well. It had a very wide variety of supplies, and sourcebooks for things I've never heard of. Definitely worth the visit. Most everything after Calgary was just passing through.
I really wish I had more to say. I expected to be the funny one on the trip, but Mark seems to be outdoing me at every turn. My humor must be based on abnormal magnetics, or something. I'll get him later once my powers return.
Okanagan Valley, Calgary and Banff
Heading back east we went through the Okanagan Valley with the hopes to stay in Kelowna, however when we got there we found that the BC games were being hosted there and there was no place to stay. So we headed on to the next town to find a hotel. The valley is really nice and it seems that you can rent these huge house boats to use on the lake. Maby another time :)
We then headed back up the Rockies and on to Calgary were we discovered that OzzFest was in town and again we were scrambling to find a place to stay! The next day we visited with my friend John and got some ideas of places to see in the area.
We went to the Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park the next day and took the really cool trail to see the falls. Sadly we were too tired to go all the way along the trail to see the springs at the very top. Maby next time.
The next day we headed off to Regina but made a stop in to see the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. They have an amazing collection of dinosaur bones to see and you can even see their lab where they are cleaning up new finds.
As always I took a ton of pictures. I hope you enjoy!
We then headed back up the Rockies and on to Calgary were we discovered that OzzFest was in town and again we were scrambling to find a place to stay! The next day we visited with my friend John and got some ideas of places to see in the area.
We went to the Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park the next day and took the really cool trail to see the falls. Sadly we were too tired to go all the way along the trail to see the springs at the very top. Maby next time.
The next day we headed off to Regina but made a stop in to see the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. They have an amazing collection of dinosaur bones to see and you can even see their lab where they are cleaning up new finds.
As always I took a ton of pictures. I hope you enjoy!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Vancouver
The drive through the mountain pass to get to Vancouver was really fun. Especially the downhill section. It's many twists and turns were very exciting.
Due to some construction we ended up parked on the highway for a while before we could get into the city. It's actually quite small and we ended up passing right though to North Vancouver since I was not sure where to exit, but we found a nice hotel there anyway and found that it was quite close to the aquarium and a ferry to the island anyway so it worked out quite nicely.
We crossed the bridge and wandered though some crazy traffic but we were able to get to the aquarium, but not soon enough to make the line to see the Baby Beluga through the underwater windows. We really lucked out in that they had such a rare birth a month ago so we were able to see something quite amazing. The aquarium was smaller than I thought it would be but it was nice to see all the amazing critters they had.
The next day we took the ferry to Vancouver Island and prepared for the last leg of the journey across Canada.
The trip to the west side of the island and the open Pacific was even better than the mountain pass into Vancouver. There was a section with many more twists and turns and it was super fun to drive it. I'll really miss these mountains!
We got to the Pacific Rim National Park and made out way to the beach. I should note that after going through the mountains the sunny weather we had to start the day turned into a completely overcast day suddenly. The mountains have a huge effect on the weather and most of the moisture that comes from the pacific falls on the west side of the island. This does support an amazing rain forest with amazingly huge red cedars that go up seemingly forever. Check the photo gallery to see just how big.
The beaches were fun but without any sun it was quite cold. I got to wade in in order to escape the rising tides that were about to trap us on some rocks but no swimming here! There were a lot of surfers but they all had wet suits to keep them warm.
We found some interesting sea life in some tide pools. Crabs, a sea slug, some teeny tiny hermit crabs and a few other things I'll have to look up to figure out what they were.
All in all is was quite an amazing end to the cross Canada portion of the journey. Now we being the long trip home.
Due to some construction we ended up parked on the highway for a while before we could get into the city. It's actually quite small and we ended up passing right though to North Vancouver since I was not sure where to exit, but we found a nice hotel there anyway and found that it was quite close to the aquarium and a ferry to the island anyway so it worked out quite nicely.
We crossed the bridge and wandered though some crazy traffic but we were able to get to the aquarium, but not soon enough to make the line to see the Baby Beluga through the underwater windows. We really lucked out in that they had such a rare birth a month ago so we were able to see something quite amazing. The aquarium was smaller than I thought it would be but it was nice to see all the amazing critters they had.
The next day we took the ferry to Vancouver Island and prepared for the last leg of the journey across Canada.
The trip to the west side of the island and the open Pacific was even better than the mountain pass into Vancouver. There was a section with many more twists and turns and it was super fun to drive it. I'll really miss these mountains!
We got to the Pacific Rim National Park and made out way to the beach. I should note that after going through the mountains the sunny weather we had to start the day turned into a completely overcast day suddenly. The mountains have a huge effect on the weather and most of the moisture that comes from the pacific falls on the west side of the island. This does support an amazing rain forest with amazingly huge red cedars that go up seemingly forever. Check the photo gallery to see just how big.
The beaches were fun but without any sun it was quite cold. I got to wade in in order to escape the rising tides that were about to trap us on some rocks but no swimming here! There were a lot of surfers but they all had wet suits to keep them warm.
We found some interesting sea life in some tide pools. Crabs, a sea slug, some teeny tiny hermit crabs and a few other things I'll have to look up to figure out what they were.
All in all is was quite an amazing end to the cross Canada portion of the journey. Now we being the long trip home.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Western Expedition
The trip across the prairies were rife with poor internet access and fairly flat. Even up around Jasper and Kamloops we couldn't really get any access. We probably should have done more updating in Edmonton, but one of our Calgary contacts turned out to be an Edmonton contact, so we sorta had to compress time a little to meet our peoples. Also, I'm a slow and lazy updating person.
Still, the prairies were not as flat as expected. It might be that since we took the northern route, there was more terrain. Perhaps when we pass back via Calgary and Regina it'll flatten out some. I'll probably get more of an impression of Winnipeg this time, as it was sandwiched between two 8+ hour drives. Memory kinda fails to hold on to much information under that sort of pressure. Saskatoon seemed a little, well flat. It looked like a respectable town, but there wasn't much life to it. Maybe we caught it on an off day, but I don't think I'll be going back that way. Edmonton is not a friendly place. The highway through runs through the industrial section, and much of the city is devoted to keeping the industries running. They really do need workers out there, to the point of offering benefits and bonuses for even burger-flipping jobs. It's just such a hectic and unfriendly place that I don't think I could be comfortable there. The mall is cool and all, but I couldn't spend every day there.
The Jasper park was a pretty cool place. Got some good shots of animals wandering about and waterfalls and such. If it weren't for the city of Jasper itself being all touristy I probably would have enjoyed it better. I suppose that's what we get for hitting it on a weekend. On the other side of some mountains was Kamloops. The only defining feature I really noticed about Kamloops was the start of the #5 higway, probably the most fun road to drive on in Canada. We experienced pressure changes of around eight thousand pascals during about ten minutes, and the valleys are right pretty. We're really just passing through Vancouver now, on the way to the island. When we come back we'll look it over a bit harder.
Asides from a rotten stomach that won't go away, I'm still in good health, after about a month of travel. It's looking like another two weeks for this travel to finish up. Most of this will probably be the travel back across the prairies and north Ontario.
Still, the prairies were not as flat as expected. It might be that since we took the northern route, there was more terrain. Perhaps when we pass back via Calgary and Regina it'll flatten out some. I'll probably get more of an impression of Winnipeg this time, as it was sandwiched between two 8+ hour drives. Memory kinda fails to hold on to much information under that sort of pressure. Saskatoon seemed a little, well flat. It looked like a respectable town, but there wasn't much life to it. Maybe we caught it on an off day, but I don't think I'll be going back that way. Edmonton is not a friendly place. The highway through runs through the industrial section, and much of the city is devoted to keeping the industries running. They really do need workers out there, to the point of offering benefits and bonuses for even burger-flipping jobs. It's just such a hectic and unfriendly place that I don't think I could be comfortable there. The mall is cool and all, but I couldn't spend every day there.
The Jasper park was a pretty cool place. Got some good shots of animals wandering about and waterfalls and such. If it weren't for the city of Jasper itself being all touristy I probably would have enjoyed it better. I suppose that's what we get for hitting it on a weekend. On the other side of some mountains was Kamloops. The only defining feature I really noticed about Kamloops was the start of the #5 higway, probably the most fun road to drive on in Canada. We experienced pressure changes of around eight thousand pascals during about ten minutes, and the valleys are right pretty. We're really just passing through Vancouver now, on the way to the island. When we come back we'll look it over a bit harder.
Asides from a rotten stomach that won't go away, I'm still in good health, after about a month of travel. It's looking like another two weeks for this travel to finish up. Most of this will probably be the travel back across the prairies and north Ontario.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Rocky Mountain High!
~BounceBounceBounce~!
Wow! They are Awesome! The Rocky Mountains!
We left Edmonton for Jasper and soon the terrain became more hilly and the fields disappeared and were replaced with ever thickening forests.
It took some time but as we were at the top of a hill we spotted some mountains peeking up in the distance. As we got closer we got more excited. We soon realized that the mountains jump right up fairly abruptly with little in the way of foothills.
It was truly amazing to finally see the Rocky Mountains after a month of traveling. We stopped a lot and took tons of pictures.
We eventually got to the Jasper National Park and soon were in the city of Jasper in the middle of the park. This place is a total tourist city with lots of places to buy campy souvenirs. We wandered around the city to look at the various places and got some dinner. There were a lot of Japanese tourists amazingly and we discovered a clue as to why. There are Hot springs in these mountains! We missed them on the way in but there are more in Banff so we will make a stop there on the way back!
We got a room that cost us much more than it was worth and rested from put long exciting drive.
The next day we headed to the Athabasca Falls which are a major attraction for the park. On the way there we found a ton of people pulling over to the side of the road to take pictures of an entire heard of elk that was grazing in the forest right next to one of the camp grounds. Some of the campers must have had an interesting morning! We got to the falls and took a ton of pictures and explored the area. The mountain water is amazing! You have never seen such a colour!
On the way back we stoped at a lake to check it out and found that there were a lot of people swiming there. We ran to get our swim gear and found a place to hang out. The water was COLD! I was dangling my feet in it and they were hurting from the cold on about 30 seconds. As I am not a polar bear I did not go all the way in and instead contented myself with some warm rays from the sun. John did bravely dive in and soon realized his folly! Instead we watched some braver souls cliff diving from what looked to be about a 5 story cliff face.
We left the park and headed off for the British Columbia border. We found the info centre and a surprise. The amazing snow covered slopes of Mount Robson. The pictures don't do it justice but do take a look.
We passed over the head waters of the Frazer River, famous for it's Salmon. We drove into the evening past peak after peak until we got to Kamloops and settled down for the night.
Wow! They are Awesome! The Rocky Mountains!
We left Edmonton for Jasper and soon the terrain became more hilly and the fields disappeared and were replaced with ever thickening forests.
It took some time but as we were at the top of a hill we spotted some mountains peeking up in the distance. As we got closer we got more excited. We soon realized that the mountains jump right up fairly abruptly with little in the way of foothills.
It was truly amazing to finally see the Rocky Mountains after a month of traveling. We stopped a lot and took tons of pictures.
We eventually got to the Jasper National Park and soon were in the city of Jasper in the middle of the park. This place is a total tourist city with lots of places to buy campy souvenirs. We wandered around the city to look at the various places and got some dinner. There were a lot of Japanese tourists amazingly and we discovered a clue as to why. There are Hot springs in these mountains! We missed them on the way in but there are more in Banff so we will make a stop there on the way back!
We got a room that cost us much more than it was worth and rested from put long exciting drive.
The next day we headed to the Athabasca Falls which are a major attraction for the park. On the way there we found a ton of people pulling over to the side of the road to take pictures of an entire heard of elk that was grazing in the forest right next to one of the camp grounds. Some of the campers must have had an interesting morning! We got to the falls and took a ton of pictures and explored the area. The mountain water is amazing! You have never seen such a colour!
On the way back we stoped at a lake to check it out and found that there were a lot of people swiming there. We ran to get our swim gear and found a place to hang out. The water was COLD! I was dangling my feet in it and they were hurting from the cold on about 30 seconds. As I am not a polar bear I did not go all the way in and instead contented myself with some warm rays from the sun. John did bravely dive in and soon realized his folly! Instead we watched some braver souls cliff diving from what looked to be about a 5 story cliff face.
We left the park and headed off for the British Columbia border. We found the info centre and a surprise. The amazing snow covered slopes of Mount Robson. The pictures don't do it justice but do take a look.
We passed over the head waters of the Frazer River, famous for it's Salmon. We drove into the evening past peak after peak until we got to Kamloops and settled down for the night.
Mall Rats
The West Edmonton Mall is big. Really big. It takes up almost 3 city blocks and has things spread from the basement level up to a movie theater that extends above the 2nd floor.
What is truly mind boggling is that the place is so big there are 2 of some stores! In fact I'm pretty sure there are 3 Mcdonalds! Even with all that space they still cram and ice rink, amusement park, pirate ship and an aquarium, complete with a sea lion show. Thankfully the only thing it did not have was a Walmart.
Later that day we visited with my old friend Jeremy. I had not seen him in a few years since he moved out here and I was glad to see him again. He showed us around the city a bit and then we went for some drinks and some bowling. John, it turns out, is a really good bowler. As I had not laid my hands on a bowling ball in about 25 years I was smoked both games. Wii bowling has failed me!
What is truly mind boggling is that the place is so big there are 2 of some stores! In fact I'm pretty sure there are 3 Mcdonalds! Even with all that space they still cram and ice rink, amusement park, pirate ship and an aquarium, complete with a sea lion show. Thankfully the only thing it did not have was a Walmart.
Later that day we visited with my old friend Jeremy. I had not seen him in a few years since he moved out here and I was glad to see him again. He showed us around the city a bit and then we went for some drinks and some bowling. John, it turns out, is a really good bowler. As I had not laid my hands on a bowling ball in about 25 years I was smoked both games. Wii bowling has failed me!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wide Open Spaces
The road to Saskatoon revealed a landscape with gentle hills and endless fields of flax and golden canola. A lot of cattle ranches out here as well but that was more than expected.
We saw some cute ground squirrels of a species we could not readily identify but they were everywhere. We also spotted our first confirmed coyote!
We have begin to see some new species of birds out here, but I will have to stop some time to get a clear picture of them to figure out what they are.
We got into Saskatoon only to find that some festival of some sort was going on and most of the hotels were full of people from all over the region. We ended up staying in this dive that did not even have internet.
We headed on to Edmonton the next day and as we got close to the Alberta border we began to see that many farmers had small oil wells in their fields. Oil is everywhere in Alberta!
We passed a few refineries on the way but the biggest was the Petro Canada one just outside Edmonton. These guys must be making a mint right now!
Everywhere out here there are signs saying help wanted. This place is booming and they need people bad. If anyone is looking for work this is the place to be. Hey wait! I'm looking for work! Well we'll see, I do like what I see out here but I would rather get something closer to home.
We saw some cute ground squirrels of a species we could not readily identify but they were everywhere. We also spotted our first confirmed coyote!
We have begin to see some new species of birds out here, but I will have to stop some time to get a clear picture of them to figure out what they are.
We got into Saskatoon only to find that some festival of some sort was going on and most of the hotels were full of people from all over the region. We ended up staying in this dive that did not even have internet.
We headed on to Edmonton the next day and as we got close to the Alberta border we began to see that many farmers had small oil wells in their fields. Oil is everywhere in Alberta!
We passed a few refineries on the way but the biggest was the Petro Canada one just outside Edmonton. These guys must be making a mint right now!
Everywhere out here there are signs saying help wanted. This place is booming and they need people bad. If anyone is looking for work this is the place to be. Hey wait! I'm looking for work! Well we'll see, I do like what I see out here but I would rather get something closer to home.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Oh Deer! The Long Road to the West
It's OK! She was hurt but she limped away pretty quickly so she should be fine in a few days.
Luckily I was able to spot her coming and slow down in time, but man deer have no idea how to dodge cars. She stopped right in front of me and started to run in the direction I was going! I had managed to slow down to under 10 km/h but I tapped her and she went down. I was so scared that I had killed her but she got up and ran off pretty quickly.
I'm glad the Moose are more sensible. We saw a few more over the past few days and they have been quietly eating on the side of the road where it's nice and safe!
Northern Ontario is so different from the rest that it almost feels like being out in the mountains out east! There are so many little lakes and there are many places where you go up and down the Canadian Shield or where they have cut right through it because the grade would be too much to build a road over it.
The area around Thunder Bay looks particularly amazing, but we are going to save it for the trip back as we will be coming back along this route to get home.
The drives are long as not only the distance is great but there is also a lot of up and down too. This is killing our fuel economy and we have had to fill up a lot.
As we descended down towards Manitoba the mountains stop fairly abruptly and we are treated to a long flat run of forests as we enter Manitoba directly into a provincial park. As soon as we leave the park though it's a sudden change. The fields here are massive and go off so far into the distance it's amazing. The old saying that you can see your dog running away for 3 days out here is no joke!
I know now that Essex county is much more hilly than it may seem!
Just before entering Winnipeg we passed a sign saying we were at the longitudinal center of Canada. We have gone about 9000 KM at this point and we are at about the middle of the time we had guessed it would take us. Still a lot to go though before we can get to the Rockies so we have a few more long drives ahead of us with nothing but endless fields of grain for the next few days.
Luckily I was able to spot her coming and slow down in time, but man deer have no idea how to dodge cars. She stopped right in front of me and started to run in the direction I was going! I had managed to slow down to under 10 km/h but I tapped her and she went down. I was so scared that I had killed her but she got up and ran off pretty quickly.
I'm glad the Moose are more sensible. We saw a few more over the past few days and they have been quietly eating on the side of the road where it's nice and safe!
Northern Ontario is so different from the rest that it almost feels like being out in the mountains out east! There are so many little lakes and there are many places where you go up and down the Canadian Shield or where they have cut right through it because the grade would be too much to build a road over it.
The area around Thunder Bay looks particularly amazing, but we are going to save it for the trip back as we will be coming back along this route to get home.
The drives are long as not only the distance is great but there is also a lot of up and down too. This is killing our fuel economy and we have had to fill up a lot.
As we descended down towards Manitoba the mountains stop fairly abruptly and we are treated to a long flat run of forests as we enter Manitoba directly into a provincial park. As soon as we leave the park though it's a sudden change. The fields here are massive and go off so far into the distance it's amazing. The old saying that you can see your dog running away for 3 days out here is no joke!
I know now that Essex county is much more hilly than it may seem!
Just before entering Winnipeg we passed a sign saying we were at the longitudinal center of Canada. We have gone about 9000 KM at this point and we are at about the middle of the time we had guessed it would take us. Still a lot to go though before we can get to the Rockies so we have a few more long drives ahead of us with nothing but endless fields of grain for the next few days.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thunder Bay, Gateway to the West
I'm a little late on this one, but Ontario is frickin' big. Our last drive from Sault Ste Marie took around nine hours to finally get to Thunder Bay. Didn't help that the local animals felt obligated to wander about the road area as we traveled. Pretty, sure, but bumping into a deer on the road did not make things easier. Check the timelapse when it comes out if you don't believe me. It didn't look hurt too bad. It got up pretty quick and limped off into the woods on the other side. Its back left leg was hurting, but we'd slowed down a lot. I doubt we did any permanent damage.
As we stand ready to take our refuge into the west, I feel obligated too look back over where I've been in the east, and detail some of the better and worse places we'd ended up. I'll start from the bottom, because suspense is fun.
Best Places to be in the East:
3: St. John's, NF- While a very confusing drive, due to a very old street layout, and failure to place traffic devices in effective areas, St. John's does seem to have a little something for everybody. Lots of places to walk, a gorgeous coastline, and even a pretty healthy assortment of small shops. Didn't see much of the big corporate names out there. The scenery in the area is unbelievable. Only real concern about the area is the unemployment problem in the province. Finding work would probably be the hardest part of living there.
2: Halifax, NS- I found Halifax to be an amazing city. The layout, while initially confusing, quickly becomes nature within a few hours of being in the city. Despite its age and size, Halifax still manages to keep green areas within most parts of the city. There seems to be a very trendy culture in the area, though I'll admit to only having seen some evidence of it. I just got a really good feeling from here, and it's worth checking out again.
1: Quebec City, QC- Surprised? I sure was. I expected to not like Quebec City. I expected, Like the other eastern cities, a confusing road system complicated by poor traffic control. It was the complete opposite. Much of the city is on a regular road system, with a fairly effective highway system to carry people across the distances. The "Old Town" of Quebec City is not really expected for drivers, but for pedestrians. There is adequate parking near the area, and there is a great deal more you pick up about a city wandering the streets than passing by in a car. Quebec City's history is probably the clearest out of Canada's big cities. Other cities like Toronto have preserved a few historic buildings, and promptly leveled the rest to make way for progress. Quebec City has somehow found a way to preserve entire districts, and bring them close to the modern age, without destroying it. Even failing to know French was not much of a barrier, seeing as much of the population is fairly good with their English as well. I admit to feeling a little embarrassed at my failure to know the language. That proves to be the only barrier to living in Quebec City. During my time in the area, I notice a great deal of "Help Wanted" signs, and there seems to be plenty of places to live. A couple of French classes later, and I could have myself a place to live.
Worst Places to be in the East
3: North Sydney, NS- I don't have much of a beef with this city, but the fact that the only ferries to Newfoundland in this area all come out of here, I expected a bit more. Much of the local shops and businesses were closed, and there was not many options in places to stay. Having to wait for your ferry to come into port in this city can get frustrating, fast. Our attempts to explore the city were curtailed by a couple of VERY bad roads, and the scenery is flat and uninteresting. In the end it's a place you'll be forced to stay at, and dislike every moment of it.
2: Montreal, QC- For the same reason everyone dislikes Montreal. Bad roads and congestion. The glimpse we had of downtown when our highway suddenly dumped us in the middle of town was inspiring. A very modern city with every amenity you could ask for. Just no way to get to it without spending the whole day getting there. We've never actually stopped in Montreal, and yet we can put about seven hours towards just trying to pass through. Think of how bad it would be to actually try to go somewhere in the city. Even with the satellite maps we had, there was no hope. Satellite maps can't tell you which way the one-way streets go. A bad experience all-around.
1: Saint John, NB- Ugh. Roads so bad, even the locals get lost, Roads with the same name running parallel to each other, within a short distance from each other, and the complete inability to get anywhere you want to go. Seriously, even the locals were having fits as we went through the town, and you probably would too. Having to pay to leave the city seemed well worth it, as trying to go back through all of those streets probably would have killed us.
All in all, an enlightening experience. Looking forward to the see what the West has to offer.
As we stand ready to take our refuge into the west, I feel obligated too look back over where I've been in the east, and detail some of the better and worse places we'd ended up. I'll start from the bottom, because suspense is fun.
Best Places to be in the East:
3: St. John's, NF- While a very confusing drive, due to a very old street layout, and failure to place traffic devices in effective areas, St. John's does seem to have a little something for everybody. Lots of places to walk, a gorgeous coastline, and even a pretty healthy assortment of small shops. Didn't see much of the big corporate names out there. The scenery in the area is unbelievable. Only real concern about the area is the unemployment problem in the province. Finding work would probably be the hardest part of living there.
2: Halifax, NS- I found Halifax to be an amazing city. The layout, while initially confusing, quickly becomes nature within a few hours of being in the city. Despite its age and size, Halifax still manages to keep green areas within most parts of the city. There seems to be a very trendy culture in the area, though I'll admit to only having seen some evidence of it. I just got a really good feeling from here, and it's worth checking out again.
1: Quebec City, QC- Surprised? I sure was. I expected to not like Quebec City. I expected, Like the other eastern cities, a confusing road system complicated by poor traffic control. It was the complete opposite. Much of the city is on a regular road system, with a fairly effective highway system to carry people across the distances. The "Old Town" of Quebec City is not really expected for drivers, but for pedestrians. There is adequate parking near the area, and there is a great deal more you pick up about a city wandering the streets than passing by in a car. Quebec City's history is probably the clearest out of Canada's big cities. Other cities like Toronto have preserved a few historic buildings, and promptly leveled the rest to make way for progress. Quebec City has somehow found a way to preserve entire districts, and bring them close to the modern age, without destroying it. Even failing to know French was not much of a barrier, seeing as much of the population is fairly good with their English as well. I admit to feeling a little embarrassed at my failure to know the language. That proves to be the only barrier to living in Quebec City. During my time in the area, I notice a great deal of "Help Wanted" signs, and there seems to be plenty of places to live. A couple of French classes later, and I could have myself a place to live.
Worst Places to be in the East
3: North Sydney, NS- I don't have much of a beef with this city, but the fact that the only ferries to Newfoundland in this area all come out of here, I expected a bit more. Much of the local shops and businesses were closed, and there was not many options in places to stay. Having to wait for your ferry to come into port in this city can get frustrating, fast. Our attempts to explore the city were curtailed by a couple of VERY bad roads, and the scenery is flat and uninteresting. In the end it's a place you'll be forced to stay at, and dislike every moment of it.
2: Montreal, QC- For the same reason everyone dislikes Montreal. Bad roads and congestion. The glimpse we had of downtown when our highway suddenly dumped us in the middle of town was inspiring. A very modern city with every amenity you could ask for. Just no way to get to it without spending the whole day getting there. We've never actually stopped in Montreal, and yet we can put about seven hours towards just trying to pass through. Think of how bad it would be to actually try to go somewhere in the city. Even with the satellite maps we had, there was no hope. Satellite maps can't tell you which way the one-way streets go. A bad experience all-around.
1: Saint John, NB- Ugh. Roads so bad, even the locals get lost, Roads with the same name running parallel to each other, within a short distance from each other, and the complete inability to get anywhere you want to go. Seriously, even the locals were having fits as we went through the town, and you probably would too. Having to pay to leave the city seemed well worth it, as trying to go back through all of those streets probably would have killed us.
All in all, an enlightening experience. Looking forward to the see what the West has to offer.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Science!
Ottawa is a nice place. It's full of great parks and all sorts of museums and monuments.
We were here for a few days since we needed to do some laundry which took up most of the first day and that night we got some much needed rest. The next day we headed down town to find some parking and then do some exploring.
We found the Locks on the Rideau canal which look like they have not been changed in a hundred years yet still do quite a good job at getting boats up and down.
After a long flight of stairs up a cliff we found the Parliament buildings and the many statues around it.
We used up our time pretty quickly and had to move on to make it to Sudbury with enough time to find a hotel.
The next morning I got to go someplace I had been wanting to return to for 20 years.
Science North is a really cool science centre. It's smaller than the Ontario Science Centre but much cooler in that almost all of the displays are hands on.
I loved the place when I went as a kid so I wanted to see how much had changed since then. They have replaced a lot of the older displays with newer ones and I found them to be a bit less cool than the original ones I saw but overall it's still awesome. I even got to see the flying squirrel show that I had missed the first time around!
Maby I should try to get a job there building displays! That would be awesome!
We were here for a few days since we needed to do some laundry which took up most of the first day and that night we got some much needed rest. The next day we headed down town to find some parking and then do some exploring.
We found the Locks on the Rideau canal which look like they have not been changed in a hundred years yet still do quite a good job at getting boats up and down.
After a long flight of stairs up a cliff we found the Parliament buildings and the many statues around it.
We used up our time pretty quickly and had to move on to make it to Sudbury with enough time to find a hotel.
The next morning I got to go someplace I had been wanting to return to for 20 years.
Science North is a really cool science centre. It's smaller than the Ontario Science Centre but much cooler in that almost all of the displays are hands on.
I loved the place when I went as a kid so I wanted to see how much had changed since then. They have replaced a lot of the older displays with newer ones and I found them to be a bit less cool than the original ones I saw but overall it's still awesome. I even got to see the flying squirrel show that I had missed the first time around!
Maby I should try to get a job there building displays! That would be awesome!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Fundy part Deux and the Rains of Quebec
Ok I lied. Before we head west we want to see more of Fundy that we could not see because of the rain last time so we headed back for more exploring. Check the Fundy gallery to see some more pictures from this great park.
I shot some video as well but my laptop is a bit underpowered to allow me to edit it together into something nice so that will have to wait until the trip is over. Expect video clips even after our trip has finished!
Later that night we went out for dinner. Since we were close to downtown we walked from the hotel and were treated to a most unexpected encounter. Well actually two of them but I'll get to that in a second.
As we were walking we heard quite a noisy bird above us. I thought it was an ill tempered seagull but I had never heard one like that before. I looked closely at the bird and saw that it was a most unusual sight.
A Bald Eagle.
Blink... no way!
Yes it was a Bald Eagle, searching for prey in downtown Moncton. This night can't get any more odd I though to myself, but the night was yet still young.
We wandered around a bit before settling on a Mexican place that seemed really nice. When the food came we were rewarded with a fine meal that I enjoyed greatly.
Now part way through the meal John noticed something happening behind me. Some girls were setting up for a bachlorette party! John was getting a bit worried when he saw some of the...um.. "Unique" party favors being taken out, but not as much as when he saw a scavenger hunt list come out. I think he was worried that somehow he might get caught up in some embarrassing game.
Sadly it seemed that we were not going to be around long enough to see the fun. We did try to stay for longer though. I even got John to try a margarita! I'll get him boozed up yet! :D
The next day we left for Quebec. We were tormented by rain as we entered the province and we hoped that the next day would be dryer so that we could enjoy the city.
The morning started off dry and we got into the Musee de la Civilisation and saw a lot of cool art.
Soon after we left for the Upper town but to our dismay it started to rain and we were left scrambling for cover so that my camera did not get wet.
What we did get to see was quite nice though. I really wanted to see more of Quebec city. The old area of the town is quite amazing and they have their 400 year birthday celebration going on so I'm going to have to return later this summer after my trip to see more.
After getting rained out we headed off back down though Montreal and then on through to the nation's capital, Ottawa.
I shot some video as well but my laptop is a bit underpowered to allow me to edit it together into something nice so that will have to wait until the trip is over. Expect video clips even after our trip has finished!
Later that night we went out for dinner. Since we were close to downtown we walked from the hotel and were treated to a most unexpected encounter. Well actually two of them but I'll get to that in a second.
As we were walking we heard quite a noisy bird above us. I thought it was an ill tempered seagull but I had never heard one like that before. I looked closely at the bird and saw that it was a most unusual sight.
A Bald Eagle.
Blink... no way!
Yes it was a Bald Eagle, searching for prey in downtown Moncton. This night can't get any more odd I though to myself, but the night was yet still young.
We wandered around a bit before settling on a Mexican place that seemed really nice. When the food came we were rewarded with a fine meal that I enjoyed greatly.
Now part way through the meal John noticed something happening behind me. Some girls were setting up for a bachlorette party! John was getting a bit worried when he saw some of the...um.. "Unique" party favors being taken out, but not as much as when he saw a scavenger hunt list come out. I think he was worried that somehow he might get caught up in some embarrassing game.
Sadly it seemed that we were not going to be around long enough to see the fun. We did try to stay for longer though. I even got John to try a margarita! I'll get him boozed up yet! :D
The next day we left for Quebec. We were tormented by rain as we entered the province and we hoped that the next day would be dryer so that we could enjoy the city.
The morning started off dry and we got into the Musee de la Civilisation and saw a lot of cool art.
Soon after we left for the Upper town but to our dismay it started to rain and we were left scrambling for cover so that my camera did not get wet.
What we did get to see was quite nice though. I really wanted to see more of Quebec city. The old area of the town is quite amazing and they have their 400 year birthday celebration going on so I'm going to have to return later this summer after my trip to see more.
After getting rained out we headed off back down though Montreal and then on through to the nation's capital, Ottawa.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Tonight We Dine in Charlottetown!
We took the smaller highway along the eastern side of the huge Bras D'or lake in the middle of Cape Breton to get back to the main part of Nova Scotia. Part way down we stopped at a nice place and enjoyed the water a bit. This is not quite a real lake as it is salt water so it's more like a giant inlet. This place is super nice. If you are looking for a quite place to retire then this is the place.
We went over the Canso Causeway again and headed for the New Brunswick border and then the short distance to the Confederation Bridge. The bride itself is not all that interesting. It's just long. 13km long.
The information centre for PEI has been the best we have seen so far. It's a large plaza with a bunch of shops as well and Anne is everywhere. PEI does a really good job of selling it self here and you come out of the welcome area feeling like you really have come to someplace special.
The land of PEI itself feel's very homey. Flat in some parts an gentle hills in others. But the big difference is the soil. Most of the island is this large layer of red sandstone that we saw a bit of in NB and NS but here it's all over and all of the soil has this red sand in it. It sort of looks like it could be the surface of Mars if it were full of farms. Nowhere is this more evident than the endless fields of potatoes that we kept seeing as we drove along. Perhaps NASA should look to PEI for some ideas about terraforming!
We got a hotel for the night and went over some pamphlets to see what we could see.
The next day we went to see the experimental wind farm at the north-west tip of the island. It was amazing to see all the wind generators that they had. A few small ones of various types. A dozen or more of a medium size models and 4 very large ones.
There has been a lot of debate in Essex county about these things going up in our area. The ney sayers think they will be noisy and ruin the view but even a whole field full of these things are whisper quiet and they do not look at all ugly to me. These people should come to PEI and take a good look before they complain about a project that would supply the whole area with clean power.
With this we have completed all the Maritime provinces. It sure was a cool place to see and there is much more we can do here but it's time to head west and see what they have to offer.
We went over the Canso Causeway again and headed for the New Brunswick border and then the short distance to the Confederation Bridge. The bride itself is not all that interesting. It's just long. 13km long.
The information centre for PEI has been the best we have seen so far. It's a large plaza with a bunch of shops as well and Anne is everywhere. PEI does a really good job of selling it self here and you come out of the welcome area feeling like you really have come to someplace special.
The land of PEI itself feel's very homey. Flat in some parts an gentle hills in others. But the big difference is the soil. Most of the island is this large layer of red sandstone that we saw a bit of in NB and NS but here it's all over and all of the soil has this red sand in it. It sort of looks like it could be the surface of Mars if it were full of farms. Nowhere is this more evident than the endless fields of potatoes that we kept seeing as we drove along. Perhaps NASA should look to PEI for some ideas about terraforming!
We got a hotel for the night and went over some pamphlets to see what we could see.
The next day we went to see the experimental wind farm at the north-west tip of the island. It was amazing to see all the wind generators that they had. A few small ones of various types. A dozen or more of a medium size models and 4 very large ones.
There has been a lot of debate in Essex county about these things going up in our area. The ney sayers think they will be noisy and ruin the view but even a whole field full of these things are whisper quiet and they do not look at all ugly to me. These people should come to PEI and take a good look before they complain about a project that would supply the whole area with clean power.
With this we have completed all the Maritime provinces. It sure was a cool place to see and there is much more we can do here but it's time to head west and see what they have to offer.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Eating at a place that serves "Screech": Bad idea.
Just a friendly warning learned from a roadside eatery in Newfoundland. Worst burgers I think I've ever tried. I've been told what Screech is, but I think I've blocked it out, because I don't remember anymore.
Anyway, Newfoundland news- It's damn pretty. I could not react fast enough to get pictures of the landscape as we traveled. Three, sometimes even four or five times in a kilometer, a lake, or a river, or some other gorgeous feature would roll out from behind the trees or rocks, and there was simply no way for me to get them all on camera. Newfoundland, front to back, is a beautiful place to see. St. John's, the largest city we rolled through, happens to have the same problems a lot of Atlantic cities have: Poor planning. Navigation wasn't too hard, though in a few places, five or more roads would converge in a single spot, leading to much confusion. Tilbury, back home, only has two stoplights, and that's just as many as we found in St. John's. Considering the comparatively tiny size of Tilbury, St. John's could use some automated traffic assistance. The signal tower at the top of the hill overlooking the bay proved to be a good spot for hiking about for photos (specifically off the path to the north). Unfortunately, the wind proved too strong for any good video footage of the bay itself, and the million stair climb back to the top almost killed me. I say it's worth it now, but I probably wouldn't have at the time.
The rest of the province we just kinda breezed through. We stopped over in Grand Falls-Windsor, figuring to get a look at the falls that bear that name. No deal. There were no access roads going near the river at all, and the only bridge across the river was privately owned by the local paper mill. Not exactly a tourist-friendly town. We also spent the night in a park in the area, though I don't remember anything especially memorable about it, asides from waking up in a wet tent again, despite a total lack of rain. The long, long drive to the ferry was more of the same awesome scenery, with a lot more shots being missed then I got. The ferry proved to be more enjoyable than the last, with calmer seas and a much shorter path. Given time, we may consider taking one again.
From the ferry exit, we hauled our way across Nova Scotia, and into Price Edward Island. Interesting note, that within 24 hours, we traveled through 3 separate islands, and only used one ferry (e.plus one causeway, and one bridge). Prince Edward Island strikes me as a fairly rural area. Lots of farms spread out over the interior, and harbors about on the exterior. Driving through felt similar to the country roads at home, but not as flat! Why does everywhere else have contours and features, and back home, it's just flat. Maybe once we start getting into the western areas I'll change my opinion. Asides from the red soil, and a very respectable wind power research facility at the very tip of the North Cape, Prince Edward Island was about done. I am impressed by the way the Island markets itself, though. Anything Prince Edward Island does well, is something that any passerby will notice. There are more things directly associated with P.E.I. than any other province, as far as popular knowledge goes.
We've since taken off again, and are shacking up in New Brunswick. Probably going to be a brief maintenance period while we check our laundry, and inspect the vehicle (5,000 km already, and more to go). Afterwards, off through Quebec again, and probably finishing the leg in Ottawa.
Anyway, Newfoundland news- It's damn pretty. I could not react fast enough to get pictures of the landscape as we traveled. Three, sometimes even four or five times in a kilometer, a lake, or a river, or some other gorgeous feature would roll out from behind the trees or rocks, and there was simply no way for me to get them all on camera. Newfoundland, front to back, is a beautiful place to see. St. John's, the largest city we rolled through, happens to have the same problems a lot of Atlantic cities have: Poor planning. Navigation wasn't too hard, though in a few places, five or more roads would converge in a single spot, leading to much confusion. Tilbury, back home, only has two stoplights, and that's just as many as we found in St. John's. Considering the comparatively tiny size of Tilbury, St. John's could use some automated traffic assistance. The signal tower at the top of the hill overlooking the bay proved to be a good spot for hiking about for photos (specifically off the path to the north). Unfortunately, the wind proved too strong for any good video footage of the bay itself, and the million stair climb back to the top almost killed me. I say it's worth it now, but I probably wouldn't have at the time.
The rest of the province we just kinda breezed through. We stopped over in Grand Falls-Windsor, figuring to get a look at the falls that bear that name. No deal. There were no access roads going near the river at all, and the only bridge across the river was privately owned by the local paper mill. Not exactly a tourist-friendly town. We also spent the night in a park in the area, though I don't remember anything especially memorable about it, asides from waking up in a wet tent again, despite a total lack of rain. The long, long drive to the ferry was more of the same awesome scenery, with a lot more shots being missed then I got. The ferry proved to be more enjoyable than the last, with calmer seas and a much shorter path. Given time, we may consider taking one again.
From the ferry exit, we hauled our way across Nova Scotia, and into Price Edward Island. Interesting note, that within 24 hours, we traveled through 3 separate islands, and only used one ferry (e.plus one causeway, and one bridge). Prince Edward Island strikes me as a fairly rural area. Lots of farms spread out over the interior, and harbors about on the exterior. Driving through felt similar to the country roads at home, but not as flat! Why does everywhere else have contours and features, and back home, it's just flat. Maybe once we start getting into the western areas I'll change my opinion. Asides from the red soil, and a very respectable wind power research facility at the very tip of the North Cape, Prince Edward Island was about done. I am impressed by the way the Island markets itself, though. Anything Prince Edward Island does well, is something that any passerby will notice. There are more things directly associated with P.E.I. than any other province, as far as popular knowledge goes.
We've since taken off again, and are shacking up in New Brunswick. Probably going to be a brief maintenance period while we check our laundry, and inspect the vehicle (5,000 km already, and more to go). Afterwards, off through Quebec again, and probably finishing the leg in Ottawa.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Go West young man!
The west coast of Newfoundland was quite the sight.
As we continued along the Trans-Canada highway we were treated to surprise after surprise. Every turn of the road we would see a new river, lake or mountain. It's amazing how amazing sights will just pop up and you just have to say Wow!
Finally, along the way down the west coast we spotted a moose. We have been seeing "look out for moose" signs all along the roads since Quebec but never saw anything. The moose is not a lie!
The further we went the more rugged the land got and the mountains from Corner Brook to Port aux Basques are very much worth the trip. I wish I could have looked at them in more detail but we had a ferry to catch.
The weather was perfect for the return trip, though it was a bit cold. The ocean was behaving and the ride was much nicer than the first ferry. We were able to watch Newfoundland disappear into the distance and at about midnight the lights of Cape Breton come into view.
The lights of the boat were bright but it was just dark enough to see the Milky Way in the sky again.
After we docked we nabbed a room at the hotel in the port we had stayed in a few days before and got some sleep.
Tomorrow we head off to a new province.
As we continued along the Trans-Canada highway we were treated to surprise after surprise. Every turn of the road we would see a new river, lake or mountain. It's amazing how amazing sights will just pop up and you just have to say Wow!
Finally, along the way down the west coast we spotted a moose. We have been seeing "look out for moose" signs all along the roads since Quebec but never saw anything. The moose is not a lie!
The further we went the more rugged the land got and the mountains from Corner Brook to Port aux Basques are very much worth the trip. I wish I could have looked at them in more detail but we had a ferry to catch.
The weather was perfect for the return trip, though it was a bit cold. The ocean was behaving and the ride was much nicer than the first ferry. We were able to watch Newfoundland disappear into the distance and at about midnight the lights of Cape Breton come into view.
The lights of the boat were bright but it was just dark enough to see the Milky Way in the sky again.
After we docked we nabbed a room at the hotel in the port we had stayed in a few days before and got some sleep.
Tomorrow we head off to a new province.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Its Full of Stars!
We got some good sleep after our ferry ride and then headed out to see some of the sights of St. John.
The weather cleared up completely and we had a perfect day to explore. We got to signal hill and were amazed at the beauty of this the most eastern coast of Canada. My pictures in the gallery do not do it justice but they are a good start! We climbed a lot of steps and rocks and were really tired but we saw a lot of amazing things. The ocean was really beautiful.
We left St. Johns and headed for Terra Nova national park. This place is way out in the middle of nowhere but it is still connected to the sea by a few inlets. We got a camp site and then explored some trails.
That night I took the rare opportunity to do some stargazing in truly dark skies with almost no lights around anywhere.
It was amazing.
I have never been far enough from city lights before to be able to see the Milky Way. All I can say is WOW. I have never seen so many stars before. I even got to see a shooting star which I have never gotten a chance to see before.
Even more amazing was the sheer number of low earth orbiting satellites I was able to spot. If you ever see a star moving slowly through the sky that may be a satellite. Planes will have a flashing strobe but if it's a steady light or a slow blink then that is a satellite.
I saw 13 0f them over the course of an hour.
I would be looking at a star when I would notice a neighbor would be slowly gliding past. I have seen several of them before but never so many in one night.
of course more and more of them are being launched every day so it's not too surprising but a lot of them were quite dim so they could only have been seen in a place like this.
I just wish there had been a meteor shower. Well the trip is still young and there will be more chances later.
The weather cleared up completely and we had a perfect day to explore. We got to signal hill and were amazed at the beauty of this the most eastern coast of Canada. My pictures in the gallery do not do it justice but they are a good start! We climbed a lot of steps and rocks and were really tired but we saw a lot of amazing things. The ocean was really beautiful.
We left St. Johns and headed for Terra Nova national park. This place is way out in the middle of nowhere but it is still connected to the sea by a few inlets. We got a camp site and then explored some trails.
That night I took the rare opportunity to do some stargazing in truly dark skies with almost no lights around anywhere.
It was amazing.
I have never been far enough from city lights before to be able to see the Milky Way. All I can say is WOW. I have never seen so many stars before. I even got to see a shooting star which I have never gotten a chance to see before.
Even more amazing was the sheer number of low earth orbiting satellites I was able to spot. If you ever see a star moving slowly through the sky that may be a satellite. Planes will have a flashing strobe but if it's a steady light or a slow blink then that is a satellite.
I saw 13 0f them over the course of an hour.
I would be looking at a star when I would notice a neighbor would be slowly gliding past. I have seen several of them before but never so many in one night.
of course more and more of them are being launched every day so it's not too surprising but a lot of them were quite dim so they could only have been seen in a place like this.
I just wish there had been a meteor shower. Well the trip is still young and there will be more chances later.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Welcome aboard the M.V. Joseph and Clara Smallwood!
Lots of things have happened since I last had the chance to put some words down in this space. Circumstances of the last few days have made it very difficult to update properly. Nevertheless, an itemized list of events!
1- Bay of Fundy National Park. A fairly beautiful location with many steep slopes, providing a gorgeous view of the park at the peaks and valleys. While some of the trails are kind of boring (The wildlife seemed to be avoiding us), taking the trails near the shore provide the best returns. Though it's a very long trail, the Point Wolfe path, that leads to an inlet, is a very worthwhile path, so long as you don't mind a little off-path wandering. At the end of the path is a beach, with, depending on the tide, a little brook running underneath the pathway. At the head of the brook is a small waterfall climbing a great deal of the way up the steep slope. There are plenty of footrests and climbing spaces, so I heartily recommend climbing up the waterfall. It just gets better the higher up you go. We also went climbing over the rocks leading to the bay itself. Not especially pretty, but a good workout. Sadly, the camping did not go so well. Due mostly to a small oversight on our part, making food over the campfire proved a very long and exhausting task. In addition, light rain combined with the low temperature made for a very wet and unpleasant morning. I'd still highly recommend going, but check the weather beforehand.
2- Halifax. I expected Halifax to be a place very similar to Saint John. Confusing roads, up-and-down navigation, and an overall poor layout. At first, we had great difficulty getting into Halifax proper. Getting onto the bridges leading into the city proved a difficult task, and once in the city, promptly lost us. A little help from some locals got us to a place where we could stay the night, and review the layout of the city for the next day. (Note: the place we stayed was pretty awesome) With a new perspective on the road plan, Halifax became a much easier city to drive in. We found our way to the places we were trying to go with relative ease. On top of that, the city had a very pleasing environment. Lots of trees and parks, and the people on the roads seemed much less agitated than the ones in Saint John. All in all an apparently laid-back city, with roads that take some getting used to, but not overly complicated.
3- Cape Breton Island. I expect in Canada to deal with road signs in English and French. I was a little surprised to learn that a great deal of the signs about Cape Breton Island are in both English and apparently Celtic! I'm not sure how well the pictures of the signs came out, but it did add a feeling of difference to the island. Also, there is no real bridge to the island. There's a pile of rocks with a road over it. That's how you get there. Paved rocks. Again, pretty beautiful scenery, much in the same vein as the Bay of Fundy Park, but a much different local attitude. We were rushing to make our ferry appointment, so we didn't get too much into the local flavor, but we'll probably make another pass once we're finished touring Newfoundland. Accommodations on the island so far haven't been really impressive, but it's not the worst we've stayed in. That prize goes to the next point.
4- The M.V Joseph and Clara Smallwood. The 20-some hour ferry from North Sydney to Argentia. It's not a bad boat by any stretch. It's got food and sleeping quarters, and the like, but none of it seemed to mesh well with us. Rather than roll gently over the waves, it'd go smoothly over two or three, then shudder and shake uncontrollably for the next few. Again, not overly nuch, but it was distracting. There was also not much to do on the boat. With the amazing, all-encompassing Atlantic fog, there wasn't anything to see above deck, and below deck was mostly just seating and meal places. We spent almost the entire ride in the sleeping bunks, which were a feature unto themselves. Pretty much just a metal plate bolted to the wall, with a thin plastic mattress and sleeping kit on top. Not amazingly uncomfortable, but unfamiliar enough to rob us of just about any sleep at all, making the trip after landing exceedingly dangerous. Loading and unloading was fairly painless, so I don't expect our much shorter Port-Aux-Basques to North Sydney trip to go badly. There's probably more story here, but I think I'll leave it to Mark to write that up.
1- Bay of Fundy National Park. A fairly beautiful location with many steep slopes, providing a gorgeous view of the park at the peaks and valleys. While some of the trails are kind of boring (The wildlife seemed to be avoiding us), taking the trails near the shore provide the best returns. Though it's a very long trail, the Point Wolfe path, that leads to an inlet, is a very worthwhile path, so long as you don't mind a little off-path wandering. At the end of the path is a beach, with, depending on the tide, a little brook running underneath the pathway. At the head of the brook is a small waterfall climbing a great deal of the way up the steep slope. There are plenty of footrests and climbing spaces, so I heartily recommend climbing up the waterfall. It just gets better the higher up you go. We also went climbing over the rocks leading to the bay itself. Not especially pretty, but a good workout. Sadly, the camping did not go so well. Due mostly to a small oversight on our part, making food over the campfire proved a very long and exhausting task. In addition, light rain combined with the low temperature made for a very wet and unpleasant morning. I'd still highly recommend going, but check the weather beforehand.
2- Halifax. I expected Halifax to be a place very similar to Saint John. Confusing roads, up-and-down navigation, and an overall poor layout. At first, we had great difficulty getting into Halifax proper. Getting onto the bridges leading into the city proved a difficult task, and once in the city, promptly lost us. A little help from some locals got us to a place where we could stay the night, and review the layout of the city for the next day. (Note: the place we stayed was pretty awesome) With a new perspective on the road plan, Halifax became a much easier city to drive in. We found our way to the places we were trying to go with relative ease. On top of that, the city had a very pleasing environment. Lots of trees and parks, and the people on the roads seemed much less agitated than the ones in Saint John. All in all an apparently laid-back city, with roads that take some getting used to, but not overly complicated.
3- Cape Breton Island. I expect in Canada to deal with road signs in English and French. I was a little surprised to learn that a great deal of the signs about Cape Breton Island are in both English and apparently Celtic! I'm not sure how well the pictures of the signs came out, but it did add a feeling of difference to the island. Also, there is no real bridge to the island. There's a pile of rocks with a road over it. That's how you get there. Paved rocks. Again, pretty beautiful scenery, much in the same vein as the Bay of Fundy Park, but a much different local attitude. We were rushing to make our ferry appointment, so we didn't get too much into the local flavor, but we'll probably make another pass once we're finished touring Newfoundland. Accommodations on the island so far haven't been really impressive, but it's not the worst we've stayed in. That prize goes to the next point.
4- The M.V Joseph and Clara Smallwood. The 20-some hour ferry from North Sydney to Argentia. It's not a bad boat by any stretch. It's got food and sleeping quarters, and the like, but none of it seemed to mesh well with us. Rather than roll gently over the waves, it'd go smoothly over two or three, then shudder and shake uncontrollably for the next few. Again, not overly nuch, but it was distracting. There was also not much to do on the boat. With the amazing, all-encompassing Atlantic fog, there wasn't anything to see above deck, and below deck was mostly just seating and meal places. We spent almost the entire ride in the sleeping bunks, which were a feature unto themselves. Pretty much just a metal plate bolted to the wall, with a thin plastic mattress and sleeping kit on top. Not amazingly uncomfortable, but unfamiliar enough to rob us of just about any sleep at all, making the trip after landing exceedingly dangerous. Loading and unloading was fairly painless, so I don't expect our much shorter Port-Aux-Basques to North Sydney trip to go badly. There's probably more story here, but I think I'll leave it to Mark to write that up.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Green Ferry ~_~
We woke up early to get in line for the ferry. When we got to the car we were surprised to see the humidity reading. 100.2%....IT GOES OVER 100!!?!?!?! Wow.
After going through the toll gates and parking the car in the hold we headed up to the deck to see what could be seen. It was pretty cool, wet out and the wind was starting to pick up so we went back down to see what the cafeteria was offering. Soon after the ferry set sail and we settled down for was seemed like a pretty boring day ahead of us.
Soon though we hit the open water and it started to look like this would be a trip we would like to forget.
The fog got to the point where you could not see more than about 200 metres beyond the boat. IT seems like the chance of seeing any whales in the distance was going to be zero. This kept up all day and did not let up so if we were going to find some entertainment it would not be outside.
As we hit the open ocean the pitching, rolling and heaving of the ship began to take it's toll. I did not feel nachious at all but I did feel ill and uncomfortable. As the hours rolled on the boredom and sickness got to us and we tried just laying down for a while. That helped a lot and made things bearable but still boring.
If I could have slept it would have been better but I just could not sleep in these conditions.
This experience did give me some insight into the plight of those who would have been immigrating from Europe a century ago or soldiers heading off to the world wars. Those ocean trips must have been terrible for some people.
Luckily the trip took less time than we expected but this also meant that we arrived at 1:30 in the morning. It took about an hour to dock and disembark and then we needed to look for a place for the night. All of the towns around the dock were small so we decided to brave the poorly lit and very foggy roads to get to St. Johns which was about 150 km away.
It was slow going at times but we eventually rolled into a hotel around 3:30 and got some much needed sleep.
We had made it all the way east, now we can take things easy for a bit and enjoy the sights.
After going through the toll gates and parking the car in the hold we headed up to the deck to see what could be seen. It was pretty cool, wet out and the wind was starting to pick up so we went back down to see what the cafeteria was offering. Soon after the ferry set sail and we settled down for was seemed like a pretty boring day ahead of us.
Soon though we hit the open water and it started to look like this would be a trip we would like to forget.
The fog got to the point where you could not see more than about 200 metres beyond the boat. IT seems like the chance of seeing any whales in the distance was going to be zero. This kept up all day and did not let up so if we were going to find some entertainment it would not be outside.
As we hit the open ocean the pitching, rolling and heaving of the ship began to take it's toll. I did not feel nachious at all but I did feel ill and uncomfortable. As the hours rolled on the boredom and sickness got to us and we tried just laying down for a while. That helped a lot and made things bearable but still boring.
If I could have slept it would have been better but I just could not sleep in these conditions.
This experience did give me some insight into the plight of those who would have been immigrating from Europe a century ago or soldiers heading off to the world wars. Those ocean trips must have been terrible for some people.
Luckily the trip took less time than we expected but this also meant that we arrived at 1:30 in the morning. It took about an hour to dock and disembark and then we needed to look for a place for the night. All of the towns around the dock were small so we decided to brave the poorly lit and very foggy roads to get to St. Johns which was about 150 km away.
It was slow going at times but we eventually rolled into a hotel around 3:30 and got some much needed sleep.
We had made it all the way east, now we can take things easy for a bit and enjoy the sights.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Halifax and Cape Breton Island
With no chance of drying out our stuff in the 100% humidity and continuing drizzle we wring out our gear as best we can and pack up. We stop for breakfast in a small place in the town of Alma right next to the park and then we head off for Nova Scotia.
We have to take a round about way by going up to Moncton and then across to the border.
We passed by a few sights on the way but we decided to come to these on the way back though in hopes of finding better weather in a few weeks.
We hit the border and stocked up on maps and pamphlets and then headed for Halifax.
A few hours later and we found ourselves in Halifax but with no idea where the hotels were hiding. Thanks to a kind local who saw we were in trouble and directed us to where we could find the hotel strip.
We got a hotel and found ourselves having to do some house keeping. Laundry got done and we tried to dry out some things from the night before.
The next day we visited the Halifax Citadel national monument which is the old fort that the city was built around. It was a cool place. It's hard to see how anyone could get into it using only the technology of the 1800's.
There were many old cannons and they had several examples of the newer muzzle and breech loaded rifled canons.
We stopped at a seaside park and finally got to be at the real ocean. It was amazing to find shells of sea urchins with their spikes still on them and there were so many clam and snail shells. A big wave sent some water flying and I found out just how salty the sea is. Pretty salty!
We then left the city made a long run to Cape Breton island where we stayed the night just past the causeway that bridges the strait.
In the morning we headed to North Sydney to get a hotel so we could be ready for our 7:30 ferry ride. We got there around noon and then headed out to the Cabot trail to kill time for the afternoon. Part of this trip put us over a mountain that went from sea level to 240 meters and then down again. We used this opportunity to watch how the pressure sensor would read as we went up and down. At sea level we were reading about 101800 pascals and at the top of the mountain it went all the way down to 98700, a 3100 pascal difference.
The Cabot trail is a nice scenic drive that heads though the coastal valleys. Later if the weather improves we will take this route all the way to the Cape Breton Highlands national park and camp there.
Tonight we sleep early. Little did we know how much we would need this sleep...
We have to take a round about way by going up to Moncton and then across to the border.
We passed by a few sights on the way but we decided to come to these on the way back though in hopes of finding better weather in a few weeks.
We hit the border and stocked up on maps and pamphlets and then headed for Halifax.
A few hours later and we found ourselves in Halifax but with no idea where the hotels were hiding. Thanks to a kind local who saw we were in trouble and directed us to where we could find the hotel strip.
We got a hotel and found ourselves having to do some house keeping. Laundry got done and we tried to dry out some things from the night before.
The next day we visited the Halifax Citadel national monument which is the old fort that the city was built around. It was a cool place. It's hard to see how anyone could get into it using only the technology of the 1800's.
There were many old cannons and they had several examples of the newer muzzle and breech loaded rifled canons.
We stopped at a seaside park and finally got to be at the real ocean. It was amazing to find shells of sea urchins with their spikes still on them and there were so many clam and snail shells. A big wave sent some water flying and I found out just how salty the sea is. Pretty salty!
We then left the city made a long run to Cape Breton island where we stayed the night just past the causeway that bridges the strait.
In the morning we headed to North Sydney to get a hotel so we could be ready for our 7:30 ferry ride. We got there around noon and then headed out to the Cabot trail to kill time for the afternoon. Part of this trip put us over a mountain that went from sea level to 240 meters and then down again. We used this opportunity to watch how the pressure sensor would read as we went up and down. At sea level we were reading about 101800 pascals and at the top of the mountain it went all the way down to 98700, a 3100 pascal difference.
The Cabot trail is a nice scenic drive that heads though the coastal valleys. Later if the weather improves we will take this route all the way to the Cape Breton Highlands national park and camp there.
Tonight we sleep early. Little did we know how much we would need this sleep...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Fundy National Park
This place is Pretty!
It was a short hop from St John to get to the park. Though once we entered it looked about the same as the all the other roads out here, only with stops for trails along the way.
We walked though one which was quite nice and then headed for the visitors center at the other end of the park.
As we got close we could see this giant patch of fog rolling off the ocean and over the forests at the coast. Something to do with the cold ocean currents according to the info board at the lookout. It shows up on the timelapse for that day quite well.
We got to our campsite and found it very nice an fairly bug free. (although later we discovered many bites, the mosquitoes out here must use stealth technology!) We set up camp and then explored the area.
We descended a long path made up mostly of stairs to get down to a nice beach where a river let out. A little bit of exploring and we found the most amazing treasure of the trip.
We stumbled upon a stream coming down the rocks that was forming a cool little waterfall. We were able to climb up it and it was quite a sight to see. We took a lot of pictures there.
From there we climbed the rocks along the coast quite a way down and that was tons of fun.
The light was fading fast and occasional drizzle was dampening our spirits so we headed back to the campsite to make some dinner.
I really messed up the cooking fire though.
I had read lots of books about camping, but I had only once ever gone and that was a long time ago. I forgot a lot of how to build a proper cooking fire so it took like an hour to boil the water.
Next time however I'll be all set as I have the knack of it now.
As we worked on dinner the drizzle got more frequent and it seems that our night was not going to be as comfortable as we would have liked.
We got to bed and I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I could not get to sleep and when I did I had crazy dreams.
"Oh crap, a bear is right beside the tent! It's cutting a hole in the tent with it's claws! It's reaching in! .. and .. Taking my Wallet??? It's Running away with my WALLET!? That bear stole my MONEY!!!! STOP THAT BEAR!!!"
And to top it all off, we awoke to a coating of dew on everything in the tent. We were soaked! Nothing leaked as far as I can tell but when we got to the car and looked at the weather sensor data we saw the reason. 100% humidity.
It was a short hop from St John to get to the park. Though once we entered it looked about the same as the all the other roads out here, only with stops for trails along the way.
We walked though one which was quite nice and then headed for the visitors center at the other end of the park.
As we got close we could see this giant patch of fog rolling off the ocean and over the forests at the coast. Something to do with the cold ocean currents according to the info board at the lookout. It shows up on the timelapse for that day quite well.
We got to our campsite and found it very nice an fairly bug free. (although later we discovered many bites, the mosquitoes out here must use stealth technology!) We set up camp and then explored the area.
We descended a long path made up mostly of stairs to get down to a nice beach where a river let out. A little bit of exploring and we found the most amazing treasure of the trip.
We stumbled upon a stream coming down the rocks that was forming a cool little waterfall. We were able to climb up it and it was quite a sight to see. We took a lot of pictures there.
From there we climbed the rocks along the coast quite a way down and that was tons of fun.
The light was fading fast and occasional drizzle was dampening our spirits so we headed back to the campsite to make some dinner.
I really messed up the cooking fire though.
I had read lots of books about camping, but I had only once ever gone and that was a long time ago. I forgot a lot of how to build a proper cooking fire so it took like an hour to boil the water.
Next time however I'll be all set as I have the knack of it now.
As we worked on dinner the drizzle got more frequent and it seems that our night was not going to be as comfortable as we would have liked.
We got to bed and I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I could not get to sleep and when I did I had crazy dreams.
"Oh crap, a bear is right beside the tent! It's cutting a hole in the tent with it's claws! It's reaching in! .. and .. Taking my Wallet??? It's Running away with my WALLET!? That bear stole my MONEY!!!! STOP THAT BEAR!!!"
And to top it all off, we awoke to a coating of dew on everything in the tent. We were soaked! Nothing leaked as far as I can tell but when we got to the car and looked at the weather sensor data we saw the reason. 100% humidity.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
St. John
This morning we had an epic breakfast.
We discovered this place called Mikes which is an Italian themed family restaurant. They are all over Quebec and a few places out east and all I can say is WOW. The breakfast menu is amazing.
I had a Frittata which is like an omelet only baked in a unique dish. John had a Breakfast Pizza which he said was really good. I can only imagine what the rest of the menu is like but I will find out soon.
Sadly the only one in Ontario is in Timmins it seems. When this trip is over I'm going to have to seriously look at opening a location in the GTA. I'd be raking in the money if I did.
After we had stuffed ourselves we left for St. John and the Bay of Fundy coast.
We reached there quit quickly and soon found ourselves lost in the maze of twisty turney streets that you get when you build a city at the mouth of a river and on cliffs of every shape and size.
Somehow we got to a lookout that was right on a beach so we headed down to see the sea.
The amount of distance the tides will move the water was quite something. By the rocks on the shoreline we could tell that the water would go up at least 3 metres from where it was when we got there which seemed to be pretty close to low tide. The distance down the beach looked to be something like 10 or 20 metres.
I looked in every tide pool I could see but sadly there were no interesting sea creatures.
We found a hotel and crashed for a few hours and then went out to explore the city a bit more.
We found a little park out on a peninsula that let you drive through a forest which was really cool. The foot paths take you through a charming forest and then out onto the rocks.
There was a lookout where they claimed that seals would frequent the rocks below but sadly none were to be seen. The biggest animal we have seen so far was a rabbit!
Hopefully our next stop, Fundy National Park, will reveal it's animal life to us.
We discovered this place called Mikes which is an Italian themed family restaurant. They are all over Quebec and a few places out east and all I can say is WOW. The breakfast menu is amazing.
I had a Frittata which is like an omelet only baked in a unique dish. John had a Breakfast Pizza which he said was really good. I can only imagine what the rest of the menu is like but I will find out soon.
Sadly the only one in Ontario is in Timmins it seems. When this trip is over I'm going to have to seriously look at opening a location in the GTA. I'd be raking in the money if I did.
After we had stuffed ourselves we left for St. John and the Bay of Fundy coast.
We reached there quit quickly and soon found ourselves lost in the maze of twisty turney streets that you get when you build a city at the mouth of a river and on cliffs of every shape and size.
Somehow we got to a lookout that was right on a beach so we headed down to see the sea.
The amount of distance the tides will move the water was quite something. By the rocks on the shoreline we could tell that the water would go up at least 3 metres from where it was when we got there which seemed to be pretty close to low tide. The distance down the beach looked to be something like 10 or 20 metres.
I looked in every tide pool I could see but sadly there were no interesting sea creatures.
We found a hotel and crashed for a few hours and then went out to explore the city a bit more.
We found a little park out on a peninsula that let you drive through a forest which was really cool. The foot paths take you through a charming forest and then out onto the rocks.
There was a lookout where they claimed that seals would frequent the rocks below but sadly none were to be seen. The biggest animal we have seen so far was a rabbit!
Hopefully our next stop, Fundy National Park, will reveal it's animal life to us.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bienvenue a Nouveau Brunswick!
We really didn't spend much time in Quebec, So I figure I should start with New Brunswick. First point of interest, there's a surprisingly large French population here. For those of you out there interested in learning/practicing French, the North-West region is a good place to try, without the pressure that comes with a majority French population. My French couldn't even stand up to "Yes, I'd like fries with that". Still, I got two sentences in before my ignorance became apparent. I feel justified in earning a B in French class... Was it ten years ago? Damn, that's old.
Still, today's all about New Brunswick, probably one of the lesser-known provinces of the country. Countryside is pretty beautiful. Lots of deep rivers, lots of forested hills and fairly good roads. Also, it's not a very large distance between cities. We stopped at Grand Falls, when we pretty much stumbled upon the falls. After a good photo session (I got to use the big kid's camera for a while!), we hopped the highway to Fredericton, and were there in around two hours.
Not all is rosy in this province however, and the main problem I've encountered is a big one. None of the cities here are well planned. Between waterfalls and their feeding rivers going through the middle of town, or the ridiculous hills that prevent straight and proper planning, getting around in any of cities in the area is a nuisance. Grand Falls wasn't too much of a problem, though there were only two bridges (one of which was out of town) to navigate around. Fredericton has pretty much the same problem, except complicated by a highway system that plows through the town and skews even satellite-guided navigation.
But feet and knees below all else is Saint John. Not only is there few bridges over the bay it's built around, the hills around the city are also very rugged. There is no way to go straight from one place to another, without going around a few bends, and one or two steep grades. In one case, while trying to find a place to eat, on Lancaster street, we found out that the address apparently doesn't exist, although there are TWO Lancaster Streets, running parallel to each other, only two or three streets apart. Even locals appear exasperated with the confusing streets in the city. In addition, all the construction is causing even more headaches, though I expect that'll be gone by the time any readers will visit.
If you can stay out of the cities, however, the natural environment is right keen. If you can find the right beach, you could probably enjoy a couple days of relaxation (the first beach we found was rocky and had lots of sticky clay under the sand, one we found later was much better). We're going to find a place to stick it out in the wilderness of a park soon, and we'll see how that turns out. I'm willing to bet that a day out of the cities will leave me with a very favorable impression of the province before we move on.
Still, today's all about New Brunswick, probably one of the lesser-known provinces of the country. Countryside is pretty beautiful. Lots of deep rivers, lots of forested hills and fairly good roads. Also, it's not a very large distance between cities. We stopped at Grand Falls, when we pretty much stumbled upon the falls. After a good photo session (I got to use the big kid's camera for a while!), we hopped the highway to Fredericton, and were there in around two hours.
Not all is rosy in this province however, and the main problem I've encountered is a big one. None of the cities here are well planned. Between waterfalls and their feeding rivers going through the middle of town, or the ridiculous hills that prevent straight and proper planning, getting around in any of cities in the area is a nuisance. Grand Falls wasn't too much of a problem, though there were only two bridges (one of which was out of town) to navigate around. Fredericton has pretty much the same problem, except complicated by a highway system that plows through the town and skews even satellite-guided navigation.
But feet and knees below all else is Saint John. Not only is there few bridges over the bay it's built around, the hills around the city are also very rugged. There is no way to go straight from one place to another, without going around a few bends, and one or two steep grades. In one case, while trying to find a place to eat, on Lancaster street, we found out that the address apparently doesn't exist, although there are TWO Lancaster Streets, running parallel to each other, only two or three streets apart. Even locals appear exasperated with the confusing streets in the city. In addition, all the construction is causing even more headaches, though I expect that'll be gone by the time any readers will visit.
If you can stay out of the cities, however, the natural environment is right keen. If you can find the right beach, you could probably enjoy a couple days of relaxation (the first beach we found was rocky and had lots of sticky clay under the sand, one we found later was much better). We're going to find a place to stick it out in the wilderness of a park soon, and we'll see how that turns out. I'm willing to bet that a day out of the cities will leave me with a very favorable impression of the province before we move on.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Into Quebec and Beyond
On Monday we left Kingston and started on our way to Quebec.
Not too long after we had started I noticed the sign for the Thousand Islands Parkway which I knew ran right along the St. Lawrence River so I decided to take that for a while to see the sights and then get back on the 401 later.
It turned out to be a very good detour.
There were a series of rest stops/lookouts along the way and we stopped at one a were greeted with just spectacular views. I have posted a bunch of pictures in my gallery so please be sure to check them out.
But the most amazing thing was just how clean the water was! Now anyone in Essex country where I'm from knows that the water is awful all around it. There is not one place where you can see much more than a few inches down. Here, which is supposed to be down stream from all of that mess, the water looks amazingly clean. Like water is supposed to look.
The other amazing thing was just how rocky it got here. It's really cool to see real terrain.
as we got back on the 401 and got closer to Quebec though the rocks petered out and it was back to the flat lands of Essex county all over again.
We headed for Montreal and got stuck in traffic for a while but eventually got through it and continued on to Quebec city.
Now I should note here that we are going to do more in Quebec when we come back on our way west.
Once we got deeper in the terrain returned and we got to see some cool low rolling mountains.
We got to Quebec city and set down for the night but not without a bit of work to figure out the streets here.
The next day we headed out over the bridge and to the east side of the St Lawrence and continued North to get to New Brunswick. The top end of the Appalachian mountain range grew closer and higher to our right and then we turned toward them towards the Provincial border.
The gentle peaks and valleys hid many rivers of all shapes and sizes and we were constantly being surprised by the sights around each twist and turn.
In many places they have cut though the hills to even out the grade and you can see a lot of interesting rock layers. There was an amazing amount of variation in the rocks that make up these mountains. It's like being back in Geology class.
We finally got to the New Brunswick border and loaded up with pamphlets at the information center.
And then we hit an RCMP road block.
They seemed to be looking in cars to make sure there was nobody hidden in them. They must have been after someone in particular as they only just peaked in mine and let me on through.
We followed the St John river route on down to Grand Falls where we were surprised to see that our road led us right to the visitor's center. These were nice and we took a lot of pictures and some video as well.
We had diner and looked for a hotel but did not see much, so we decided to continue on to Fredricton.
Little did we know of the adventure that would await us.
We got to Fredericton and right away got turned around on the streets. After a few laps we found out way to a road with a few hotels on it. It seems however that there was some sort of event and many were full. We wandered around for a bit and finally found a motel just before sunset. With great relief we went to bed. We would plan the next days route tomorrow.
Not too long after we had started I noticed the sign for the Thousand Islands Parkway which I knew ran right along the St. Lawrence River so I decided to take that for a while to see the sights and then get back on the 401 later.
It turned out to be a very good detour.
There were a series of rest stops/lookouts along the way and we stopped at one a were greeted with just spectacular views. I have posted a bunch of pictures in my gallery so please be sure to check them out.
But the most amazing thing was just how clean the water was! Now anyone in Essex country where I'm from knows that the water is awful all around it. There is not one place where you can see much more than a few inches down. Here, which is supposed to be down stream from all of that mess, the water looks amazingly clean. Like water is supposed to look.
The other amazing thing was just how rocky it got here. It's really cool to see real terrain.
as we got back on the 401 and got closer to Quebec though the rocks petered out and it was back to the flat lands of Essex county all over again.
We headed for Montreal and got stuck in traffic for a while but eventually got through it and continued on to Quebec city.
Now I should note here that we are going to do more in Quebec when we come back on our way west.
Once we got deeper in the terrain returned and we got to see some cool low rolling mountains.
We got to Quebec city and set down for the night but not without a bit of work to figure out the streets here.
The next day we headed out over the bridge and to the east side of the St Lawrence and continued North to get to New Brunswick. The top end of the Appalachian mountain range grew closer and higher to our right and then we turned toward them towards the Provincial border.
The gentle peaks and valleys hid many rivers of all shapes and sizes and we were constantly being surprised by the sights around each twist and turn.
In many places they have cut though the hills to even out the grade and you can see a lot of interesting rock layers. There was an amazing amount of variation in the rocks that make up these mountains. It's like being back in Geology class.
We finally got to the New Brunswick border and loaded up with pamphlets at the information center.
And then we hit an RCMP road block.
They seemed to be looking in cars to make sure there was nobody hidden in them. They must have been after someone in particular as they only just peaked in mine and let me on through.
We followed the St John river route on down to Grand Falls where we were surprised to see that our road led us right to the visitor's center. These were nice and we took a lot of pictures and some video as well.
We had diner and looked for a hotel but did not see much, so we decided to continue on to Fredricton.
Little did we know of the adventure that would await us.
We got to Fredericton and right away got turned around on the streets. After a few laps we found out way to a road with a few hotels on it. It seems however that there was some sort of event and many were full. We wandered around for a bit and finally found a motel just before sunset. With great relief we went to bed. We would plan the next days route tomorrow.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The First Leg
After a lot of rushing about to get everything packed an in the car I left Saturday morning and headed to Tilbury to pick up my partner in crime John.
We repacked the car and stuffed all of his things in and even seem to have room to spare.
We then headed off to Toronto, stopping on the way to try and see a few friends of mine. When we go to Toronto we stopped at John's sister's place to stay the night and hang out with friends before we began the real first leg of our journey.
On Sunday afternoon we headed off to new territory; Belleville and Kingston.
Since we had got a late start we got to Belleville in the late afternoon. It's a really nice little city and we got some great pictures from the top of the bridge they have over the bay.
We decided to keep moving on before stopping for the night so by dinner time we headed off again.
We got to Kingston in the evening and we saw some interesting things as we drove through like the Penitentiary and then stopped for the night.
I started to convert some of the pictures from our first day of travel into a test timelapse movie (that you can now see on the left) but had to wrestle with the software for a bit to get it to all come together. While the video converted and uploaded we got some dinner.
We had dinner at the Denny's attached to the hotel and had a deep philosophical conversation about the nature of the Universe. We also talked about why Dr. Who is awesome and Daleks the scariest sci-fi monsters of them all. Does our nerdyness know no bounds?
Next we plow through Quebec to get to the East as fast as possible.
We repacked the car and stuffed all of his things in and even seem to have room to spare.
We then headed off to Toronto, stopping on the way to try and see a few friends of mine. When we go to Toronto we stopped at John's sister's place to stay the night and hang out with friends before we began the real first leg of our journey.
On Sunday afternoon we headed off to new territory; Belleville and Kingston.
Since we had got a late start we got to Belleville in the late afternoon. It's a really nice little city and we got some great pictures from the top of the bridge they have over the bay.
We decided to keep moving on before stopping for the night so by dinner time we headed off again.
We got to Kingston in the evening and we saw some interesting things as we drove through like the Penitentiary and then stopped for the night.
I started to convert some of the pictures from our first day of travel into a test timelapse movie (that you can now see on the left) but had to wrestle with the software for a bit to get it to all come together. While the video converted and uploaded we got some dinner.
We had dinner at the Denny's attached to the hotel and had a deep philosophical conversation about the nature of the Universe. We also talked about why Dr. Who is awesome and Daleks the scariest sci-fi monsters of them all. Does our nerdyness know no bounds?
Next we plow through Quebec to get to the East as fast as possible.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Heading out
I've never really travelled that much before, especially out of province, so when the opportunity arose, I took it. It helps that just about everyone I talk to was pushing me to go along. Mark was pleasant enough to let me come along, so it looks like I'll be operating in an assisting role on the trip. Not that I know a lot about the equipment we're using, or the tech he's put in the car. Or how to use the data we're collecting. Or really have any skills to contribute to the effort.
I guess that really only leaves high-risk henching jobs. Thankfully, government health care ought to cover any damages up to (but not including) bionic prosthetics. I think I need to join the military or something for those.
Still, I'm eager to learn, and see what we've got out in this country. Not having seen much past the surprisingly flat great lakes basin area, I'm pretty excited. We've got just about any sort of landscape here, if we look hard enough, and most of it won't be flat. Even the oceans ought to be all wavy, or something. I dunno, I haven't been there yet. That's why I'm going.
That's about it from me. First few days are probably all going to be getting used to equipment, and trying to figure out what we'll be doing with our time. Lots of pictures, a few video clips here and there, raw travel data obtained from various sensory devices. How we'll turn them all into a coherent and entertaining travel story remains to be seen, though experimentation and experience should have us assembling quality works in no time at all. Failing that, I've got enough low-brow, cheap laugh material to hold us over for at least three weeks. Barring massive equipment failure, the show will go on!
I guess that really only leaves high-risk henching jobs. Thankfully, government health care ought to cover any damages up to (but not including) bionic prosthetics. I think I need to join the military or something for those.
Still, I'm eager to learn, and see what we've got out in this country. Not having seen much past the surprisingly flat great lakes basin area, I'm pretty excited. We've got just about any sort of landscape here, if we look hard enough, and most of it won't be flat. Even the oceans ought to be all wavy, or something. I dunno, I haven't been there yet. That's why I'm going.
That's about it from me. First few days are probably all going to be getting used to equipment, and trying to figure out what we'll be doing with our time. Lots of pictures, a few video clips here and there, raw travel data obtained from various sensory devices. How we'll turn them all into a coherent and entertaining travel story remains to be seen, though experimentation and experience should have us assembling quality works in no time at all. Failing that, I've got enough low-brow, cheap laugh material to hold us over for at least three weeks. Barring massive equipment failure, the show will go on!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Taking the Long Way Around
Last fall, after a round of layoffs at my workplace, I decided that the job I was in was just never going to take off. I felt that it was time to look for something new and I would start looking in the spring. As it happens I ended up being canned as well in January! It was a good thing as I had some family issues that I needed to take care of anyway. In the end it seems that a whole bunch of circumstances came together to pave the way for something interesting.
At the very beginning I got the idea that I should use the time between jobs to take an extended vacation that I would not otherwise be able to do. Somehow the idea that I should drive across Canada came into my head. "What a cool adventure!" I though, so I jumped on to Google maps to see where I should go. After about an hour of rolling across the maps and satellite imagery I had a route plan and some interesting ideas that sprouted in my head along the way.
Now I have not done a lot of traveling at all in my life. I had never even seen Canada outside of my home province of Ontario and where I live is not an all that interesting place to be.
I decided that I wanted to see All of Canada. Everything that I could get to by car anyway. Since I live in Windsor, which is practically the southern most place in Canada, I had a good starting point from which to start out.
I decided that I would go all the way out East through all of the Maritimes to the Atlantic coast. From there I would head back through Ontario and then on out to the Prairies.
Way up North would not be possible as there are no roads, but I could at least get to the Yukon. I decided to go North West though the prairies to get up to there. From the Yukon I could then head down through BC and take the ferry to Vancouver Island to get to the Pacific coast.
I could then take the southern route back across the prairies without backtracking over too many places I had been. This route will take me through every province and one of the territories. Not a bad grand tour!
Now being the technical person that I am, I wanted to do something to make the trip more interesting since I had some time before the summer to prepare for the trip. I had been planning to add a computer to the car for a while now ever since I removed the broken radio. So I finally got to work and built a PC that would replace the radio and provide some more features as well.
I came up with a special idea to add a web cam pointing out the front window and to have it take a time lapse movie of the whole trip. I had never seen it done before for such a long trip so I decided this would be an important thing to try.
Of course I added GPS to this computer and it will log my path for the whole trip but one more idea came to mind as well. Spark Fun sells some cool components like their Weather board so I decided to add it in to have a log of the pressure, humidity and temperature of where we went for the whole trip. It should be interesting to see the pressure drop as we head up into the mountains. I hope that at the end of the trip I'll have some really interesting data.
I'll post another article with the technical details of what I did for all the geeks out there who love that stuff as much as I do.
Tomorrow a friend and I shall set out on a trip of some 20000 Km. It should be quite the adventure and I hope to share some of the highlights of this trip with my friends and family though this blog. Please check back regularly as I hope to have lots of pictures, videos and stories to share!
Tomorrow we hit the open road! Wish us luck!
Mark :D
At the very beginning I got the idea that I should use the time between jobs to take an extended vacation that I would not otherwise be able to do. Somehow the idea that I should drive across Canada came into my head. "What a cool adventure!" I though, so I jumped on to Google maps to see where I should go. After about an hour of rolling across the maps and satellite imagery I had a route plan and some interesting ideas that sprouted in my head along the way.
Now I have not done a lot of traveling at all in my life. I had never even seen Canada outside of my home province of Ontario and where I live is not an all that interesting place to be.
I decided that I wanted to see All of Canada. Everything that I could get to by car anyway. Since I live in Windsor, which is practically the southern most place in Canada, I had a good starting point from which to start out.
I decided that I would go all the way out East through all of the Maritimes to the Atlantic coast. From there I would head back through Ontario and then on out to the Prairies.
Way up North would not be possible as there are no roads, but I could at least get to the Yukon. I decided to go North West though the prairies to get up to there. From the Yukon I could then head down through BC and take the ferry to Vancouver Island to get to the Pacific coast.
I could then take the southern route back across the prairies without backtracking over too many places I had been. This route will take me through every province and one of the territories. Not a bad grand tour!
Now being the technical person that I am, I wanted to do something to make the trip more interesting since I had some time before the summer to prepare for the trip. I had been planning to add a computer to the car for a while now ever since I removed the broken radio. So I finally got to work and built a PC that would replace the radio and provide some more features as well.
I came up with a special idea to add a web cam pointing out the front window and to have it take a time lapse movie of the whole trip. I had never seen it done before for such a long trip so I decided this would be an important thing to try.
Of course I added GPS to this computer and it will log my path for the whole trip but one more idea came to mind as well. Spark Fun sells some cool components like their Weather board so I decided to add it in to have a log of the pressure, humidity and temperature of where we went for the whole trip. It should be interesting to see the pressure drop as we head up into the mountains. I hope that at the end of the trip I'll have some really interesting data.
I'll post another article with the technical details of what I did for all the geeks out there who love that stuff as much as I do.
Tomorrow a friend and I shall set out on a trip of some 20000 Km. It should be quite the adventure and I hope to share some of the highlights of this trip with my friends and family though this blog. Please check back regularly as I hope to have lots of pictures, videos and stories to share!
Tomorrow we hit the open road! Wish us luck!
Mark :D
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