Monday, December 22, 2008
OOPS - forgot to post these....
We did actually make it home. In fact, it is almost Christmas and nearing time to leave for Baja. While getting organized I noticed I didn't post my last entries upon our return home. So, better late than never I guess....
September 22 Thermopolis
On the way to Yellowstone, we decide to take highway 16 and noticed a place called Thermopolis in Hot Springs National Park. They claim to have the largest hot springs in the world! So, we decide to check them out and after spending the night in Buffalo Wyoming (where there were wild turkeys and peacocks) we head out for the 99 mile journey. We have to go over a 10,000 foot pass called “The Powder Peak Pass”. Our journey takes us on a 2 lane road called “The Cloud Peak Skyway”. It’s slow going for our little GMC who goes 100 km max on the flat, lots of gearing down and pulling over for those who go faster than us up this high pass, that would be everyone else.
It’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes. We were in the mountains (Precambrian) with lots of Douglas fir, birch, red rock canyons, and now that we have come down off the pass into Tensleep Wyoming it looks like the high desert. Lots of sagebrush and yellow sparse grass with a few trees around the occasional pond. It’s quite desolate, with the occasional interesting red patches of soil. Like much of Wyoming, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to own a few sections of this desolate land and plant a few donkey engines to pump up a bit of oil, or charge the oil companies a paltry fee to lay some pipe across our land. Don’t see any houses at all but there sure are lots of those donkey engines. Truly, the land around here looks dead! Much more like a desert than the Baja desert, only no cactus that I can see!
I found Saskatchewan to be quite beautiful and interesting, so many complain about how it car flat and boring it is – well they should visit this spot. It may be hilly and twisty but ….
We’ve been seeing lots of prong horn antelope along the way, especially in farmers hay fields! They are such beautiful animals. I’m not so sure the farmers think so – we just saw some in a big field of sugar beets, ripping them right out of the ground!
Thermopolis
Wow! We had a wonderful soak in the free public baths in the State Park. Lorne actually went willingly into a public bathing facility and it wasn’t even a shower!! This facility claims that it has a constant water exchange that is complete every 24 hours. It was a very nice facility; the indoor and outdoor pools were pristine and very well maintained. There are also 2 commercial venues that looked a bit run down at the same site but we only went to the free public soaking tubs. The government purchased the land for a state park (with the hot springs) from the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian Tribes for $60,000 112 years ago. As part of a treaty agreement the government had to promise that the healing waters of the hot springs would be available to the public for free. Quite forward thinking!
There were no State Park campgrounds so we lucked out on finding the amazing Fountain of Youth RV Park; for $30 we had all the connections plus free wireless, and best of all – a huge outdoor hot spring pool. They claim to have the third largest pool in the world and the largest in the state. It was absolutely beautiful, much nicer than the public bath which was nice in itself. The water completely exchanges every 24 hours so it was very clean, plus there were hardly any people there. Those that were there had been coming for many years, some for 30 years. Hence Lorne was in the water again! In the evening the owner entertained us singing and playing his guitar and welcomed any one else to join him on stage. There were about 10 people soaking and listening to him. He was very good. I was in the pool so didn’t leap out to get my guitar…
The original owners of this property were drilling for oil and struck hot springs!! Their hopes were dashed I guess.
September 23 the Grand Tetons National Park
On our way to the Tetons we go through the Wind River Canyon along the Big Horn River, absolutely beautiful. It opens out to the Boysen Reservoir and the Boysen State Park. There were dozens of great campsites right along the water and we would like to stay awhile. Looks to us like a great place to come for September, good camping, warm, good fishing and very beautiful, plus close to the hot springs.
We cross the Continental Divide 8,000 feet; being sea level creatures we are both feeling a little sick from the altitude.
We were both relatively unimpressed with the few peaks that make up the Teatons. I guess we are jaded having magnificent mountains and pristine forests in our own neck of the woods. It made me nostalgic for the Banff/Jasper area and how much we enjoyed our brief visit there this trip. I would like to return and spend more time hiking and biking in the Banff/Canmore area that’s for sure.
September 24 – 25 Yellowstone
We were able to visit the sites we missed last time we were here. The weather was spectacular and all the roads and passes remained open. Last time we were here we entered by the only pass open due to the snow and had to leave in a blizzard! We found a beautiful spot to swim in the Firehole River, however, it was almost sunset, past dinner, plus it wasn’t warm enough for Lorne so we passed. Next time though! It was pristine and not another person swimming.
Yellowstone is truly an incredible place to visit. Being able to safely observe these mud pots, hot springs and geysers is truly an amazing opportunity. The huge park is so beautiful and offers such great hiking opportunities as well, over 950 miles of trails.
Reflection
I realize now – Lorne has been trying to get me engaged in the market since before I retired – his latest technique: encapsulate me inside the motor home and play Sirius radio – his choice of stations: Bloomberg, CNBC the whole time he’s driving, and in the evening too. I listened to my MP3 player at first but now I’m listening to Sirius. The presidential race and debates, the analysis of the market particularly in light of the collapse of so many financial institutions, the proposal to resolve the state of the US economy; all very interesting. Our discussions about what’s going on in the US and how it affects Canada and us have also been very stimulating. I guess his plan is working….
September 22 Thermopolis
On the way to Yellowstone, we decide to take highway 16 and noticed a place called Thermopolis in Hot Springs National Park. They claim to have the largest hot springs in the world! So, we decide to check them out and after spending the night in Buffalo Wyoming (where there were wild turkeys and peacocks) we head out for the 99 mile journey. We have to go over a 10,000 foot pass called “The Powder Peak Pass”. Our journey takes us on a 2 lane road called “The Cloud Peak Skyway”. It’s slow going for our little GMC who goes 100 km max on the flat, lots of gearing down and pulling over for those who go faster than us up this high pass, that would be everyone else.
It’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes. We were in the mountains (Precambrian) with lots of Douglas fir, birch, red rock canyons, and now that we have come down off the pass into Tensleep Wyoming it looks like the high desert. Lots of sagebrush and yellow sparse grass with a few trees around the occasional pond. It’s quite desolate, with the occasional interesting red patches of soil. Like much of Wyoming, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to own a few sections of this desolate land and plant a few donkey engines to pump up a bit of oil, or charge the oil companies a paltry fee to lay some pipe across our land. Don’t see any houses at all but there sure are lots of those donkey engines. Truly, the land around here looks dead! Much more like a desert than the Baja desert, only no cactus that I can see!
I found Saskatchewan to be quite beautiful and interesting, so many complain about how it car flat and boring it is – well they should visit this spot. It may be hilly and twisty but ….
We’ve been seeing lots of prong horn antelope along the way, especially in farmers hay fields! They are such beautiful animals. I’m not so sure the farmers think so – we just saw some in a big field of sugar beets, ripping them right out of the ground!
Thermopolis
Wow! We had a wonderful soak in the free public baths in the State Park. Lorne actually went willingly into a public bathing facility and it wasn’t even a shower!! This facility claims that it has a constant water exchange that is complete every 24 hours. It was a very nice facility; the indoor and outdoor pools were pristine and very well maintained. There are also 2 commercial venues that looked a bit run down at the same site but we only went to the free public soaking tubs. The government purchased the land for a state park (with the hot springs) from the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian Tribes for $60,000 112 years ago. As part of a treaty agreement the government had to promise that the healing waters of the hot springs would be available to the public for free. Quite forward thinking!
There were no State Park campgrounds so we lucked out on finding the amazing Fountain of Youth RV Park; for $30 we had all the connections plus free wireless, and best of all – a huge outdoor hot spring pool. They claim to have the third largest pool in the world and the largest in the state. It was absolutely beautiful, much nicer than the public bath which was nice in itself. The water completely exchanges every 24 hours so it was very clean, plus there were hardly any people there. Those that were there had been coming for many years, some for 30 years. Hence Lorne was in the water again! In the evening the owner entertained us singing and playing his guitar and welcomed any one else to join him on stage. There were about 10 people soaking and listening to him. He was very good. I was in the pool so didn’t leap out to get my guitar…
The original owners of this property were drilling for oil and struck hot springs!! Their hopes were dashed I guess.
September 23 the Grand Tetons National Park
On our way to the Tetons we go through the Wind River Canyon along the Big Horn River, absolutely beautiful. It opens out to the Boysen Reservoir and the Boysen State Park. There were dozens of great campsites right along the water and we would like to stay awhile. Looks to us like a great place to come for September, good camping, warm, good fishing and very beautiful, plus close to the hot springs.
We cross the Continental Divide 8,000 feet; being sea level creatures we are both feeling a little sick from the altitude.
We were both relatively unimpressed with the few peaks that make up the Teatons. I guess we are jaded having magnificent mountains and pristine forests in our own neck of the woods. It made me nostalgic for the Banff/Jasper area and how much we enjoyed our brief visit there this trip. I would like to return and spend more time hiking and biking in the Banff/Canmore area that’s for sure.
September 24 – 25 Yellowstone
We were able to visit the sites we missed last time we were here. The weather was spectacular and all the roads and passes remained open. Last time we were here we entered by the only pass open due to the snow and had to leave in a blizzard! We found a beautiful spot to swim in the Firehole River, however, it was almost sunset, past dinner, plus it wasn’t warm enough for Lorne so we passed. Next time though! It was pristine and not another person swimming.
Yellowstone is truly an incredible place to visit. Being able to safely observe these mud pots, hot springs and geysers is truly an amazing opportunity. The huge park is so beautiful and offers such great hiking opportunities as well, over 950 miles of trails.
Reflection
I realize now – Lorne has been trying to get me engaged in the market since before I retired – his latest technique: encapsulate me inside the motor home and play Sirius radio – his choice of stations: Bloomberg, CNBC the whole time he’s driving, and in the evening too. I listened to my MP3 player at first but now I’m listening to Sirius. The presidential race and debates, the analysis of the market particularly in light of the collapse of so many financial institutions, the proposal to resolve the state of the US economy; all very interesting. Our discussions about what’s going on in the US and how it affects Canada and us have also been very stimulating. I guess his plan is working….
Sunday, September 21, 2008
September 14 - Milton - Port Huron
This morning as we headed out it was 78 degrees with 90% humidity - Lorne’s glasses were fogged up! It felt so hot our freshly showered bodies were covered with a sheen of moisture!
Following at least an hour wait at the border we made it into Port Huron and right into Hurricane Ike. Yike! What rain!! We located Margaret and Ken Guske where we picked up our new window coverings. Delightful people! Of course GMC owners as well; we met with a handshake and left with a hug! We decided to stay in Port Huron at their local rv park as the rain was pelting down and looked like it was just going to get worse making for very unpleasant driving.
September 15 - Michigan
Stayed at Warren Dunes, a beautiful state park on Lake Michigan. Michigan has 145 state forest campgrounds providing over 3,000 campsites spread out over nearly 4 million acres of designated park, many of these parks also allow hunting. One must be 12 years old to hunt. I think Michael nabbed his first rabbit with his air gun at 9. We had a nice bike ride down to the lake and ran up and down the huge dunes. It has been so rainy here that there has been much flooding, enough that the road down to the lake was closed to vehicles. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my bathing suit and towel so didn’t get to swim in Lake Michigan (it was also cold, rainy, and rough looking water, plus we are also very near Chicago but I am sure they don’t dump their sewage into Lake Michigan…).
Illinois
As I write this we are inching our way into the center of Chicago along with a multitude of very large transport trucks. There has been so much flooding in the area that we have been rerouted to alternate freeways and then stuck on them right into Chicago!! The worst part is that Lorne is driving and its way past his lunchtime. He is not happy….. Really, the navigator has done the best she can!!
Chicago
Well, we did it, we drove right through downtown Chicago. I made lunch and we ate while we were driving along! We got some teasing comments from those inching along beside us wishing they had their lunch with them! We saw one of the tallest buildings in the US; the Sears Tower. Quite impressive. Other than that we saw a great deal of traffic. So much for Chicago. I would have liked to get off the freeway and explore but in a motor home and with no clue as to where we were going….. not going to happen! Saw a sign saying Frank Lloyd Wright; home and museum, our favourite architect, and the inspiration for our house. Dang! No courage, we kept on driving. We were going to look up his houses on the internet before this trip so we could see as many as we could, forgot…
Wisconsin
We were informed by the Information Office upon entering Wisconsin that close to Madison, Wisconsin is Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and the summer campus of the still operating architectural school founded by Wright in 1932. Our lucky day, just like we knew what we were doing and where we were going!! We decided to stop in and visit. We found a spectacular state park, Governor Dodge State Park, 19,753 acres of managed forest, beautiful forest campsites, a wonderful lake for swimming and fishing, and many very nice trails for hiking, biking and of course cross country skiing and snowmobiling as it snows here big time. The following day was a great one spent touring Wright’s fantastic architectural displays. We got some ideas for things to build. His architecture definitely inspired Arthur Ericson and certainly both of these brilliant men inspired us when we built our home.
We drove a big 60 miles today!! We stayed in Mirror Lake State Park where there is a cabin designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Unfortunately we couldn’t get into see it as it has a locked gate and is not visible from the road. It is rented virtually 365 days of the year and only one day a month is it open to visitors, today wasn’t the day.
Off to Michigan
We finally get on our way about 11:30, after a nice little bike ride, a fill up with gas and a stop at a cheese shop for a taste and purchase of some famous Wisconsin cheeses. It was a family run operation for over 100 years and the young man waiting on us certainly knew a lot about cheese having grown up with the business all his life.
We pass lots of lush green fields with miles and miles of corn and what looks like soybeans. Mexican cows would love to come here for a holiday! A big 213 miles today, we will be staying at Myre-Big Island State Park just outside Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Friday, September 19
Hopefully we will be well into South Dakota today. We are 585 miles from the Badlands, at this rate I don’t think we have a hope of getting there today, we are on the road at 9:30 though so we should cover a lot of miles today. Nothing to see but miles and miles of corn relieved only with some soybeans. On a positive note these were all family run farms that looked very prosperous. As opposed to the big business operations in California.
Myre State Park was nice; it covers 1,596 acres and is basically surrounded by 2,600 acres of water (Albert Lea Lake) and prairie agriculture, predominantly corn. It is a glacial lake formed with the retreat of the glaciers long ago. It is located within the Bemis Moraine, a moraine complex traced all across Minnesota. It has lots of oak trees and prairie grasses. There are lots of birds here, including the white pelican. Apparently lakes like this gradually fill in over time but humans have accelerated this natural process through siltation from the farms and commercial and industrial waste disposal. This increases the mineral and organic content of the lake, favouring plant life and choking out much of the animal life. While they are working at protecting this area, and returning it to its original vegetation pattern the water looks very muddy to me and while I would have loved a swim it just didn’t appeal to me.
The stock market has been going crazy this past while, causing Lorne some angst as we are so disconnected from the internet, hence interfering with his ability to watch what our stocks are doing. We do have Sirius satellite radio though so we are listening constantly to what the analysts have to say about the market and to Bush today as he presents his solution to the economic problems presented. His solution is bad news for us that’s for sure!
The Badlands
We actually made it in one day – all 585 miles! We arrived in time for the sunset show on the spectacular formations! The Badlands are so hauntingly beautiful, and very difficult to really capture on camera. Much like the Grand Canyon the formations change with the light, bringing shadows to accent them. We had a great bike ride the following day in the cool of the morning and then roasted in the afternoon while we installed the new windshield curtain. The evening brought the promised thunder and lightening show with intermittent huge drops of rain. Today is our first overcast day, however it is still warm is we head out towards Yellowstone.
September 22
Driving along, crossed the Cheyenne River and are heading towards Rapid City listening to Old 70’s tunes. Remembering old cowboy movies and musical memories of the 60’s and 70s! Feelings, activities of a time when emotions were raw and often painful, hormones were high, love was everywhere and nowhere, babies, people, places, events. Nothing but grasslands, antelope, buffalo, cows, some horses…
This morning as we headed out it was 78 degrees with 90% humidity - Lorne’s glasses were fogged up! It felt so hot our freshly showered bodies were covered with a sheen of moisture!
Following at least an hour wait at the border we made it into Port Huron and right into Hurricane Ike. Yike! What rain!! We located Margaret and Ken Guske where we picked up our new window coverings. Delightful people! Of course GMC owners as well; we met with a handshake and left with a hug! We decided to stay in Port Huron at their local rv park as the rain was pelting down and looked like it was just going to get worse making for very unpleasant driving.
September 15 - Michigan
Stayed at Warren Dunes, a beautiful state park on Lake Michigan. Michigan has 145 state forest campgrounds providing over 3,000 campsites spread out over nearly 4 million acres of designated park, many of these parks also allow hunting. One must be 12 years old to hunt. I think Michael nabbed his first rabbit with his air gun at 9. We had a nice bike ride down to the lake and ran up and down the huge dunes. It has been so rainy here that there has been much flooding, enough that the road down to the lake was closed to vehicles. Unfortunately I didn’t bring my bathing suit and towel so didn’t get to swim in Lake Michigan (it was also cold, rainy, and rough looking water, plus we are also very near Chicago but I am sure they don’t dump their sewage into Lake Michigan…).
Illinois
As I write this we are inching our way into the center of Chicago along with a multitude of very large transport trucks. There has been so much flooding in the area that we have been rerouted to alternate freeways and then stuck on them right into Chicago!! The worst part is that Lorne is driving and its way past his lunchtime. He is not happy….. Really, the navigator has done the best she can!!
Chicago
Well, we did it, we drove right through downtown Chicago. I made lunch and we ate while we were driving along! We got some teasing comments from those inching along beside us wishing they had their lunch with them! We saw one of the tallest buildings in the US; the Sears Tower. Quite impressive. Other than that we saw a great deal of traffic. So much for Chicago. I would have liked to get off the freeway and explore but in a motor home and with no clue as to where we were going….. not going to happen! Saw a sign saying Frank Lloyd Wright; home and museum, our favourite architect, and the inspiration for our house. Dang! No courage, we kept on driving. We were going to look up his houses on the internet before this trip so we could see as many as we could, forgot…
Wisconsin
We were informed by the Information Office upon entering Wisconsin that close to Madison, Wisconsin is Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and the summer campus of the still operating architectural school founded by Wright in 1932. Our lucky day, just like we knew what we were doing and where we were going!! We decided to stop in and visit. We found a spectacular state park, Governor Dodge State Park, 19,753 acres of managed forest, beautiful forest campsites, a wonderful lake for swimming and fishing, and many very nice trails for hiking, biking and of course cross country skiing and snowmobiling as it snows here big time. The following day was a great one spent touring Wright’s fantastic architectural displays. We got some ideas for things to build. His architecture definitely inspired Arthur Ericson and certainly both of these brilliant men inspired us when we built our home.
We drove a big 60 miles today!! We stayed in Mirror Lake State Park where there is a cabin designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Unfortunately we couldn’t get into see it as it has a locked gate and is not visible from the road. It is rented virtually 365 days of the year and only one day a month is it open to visitors, today wasn’t the day.
Off to Michigan
We finally get on our way about 11:30, after a nice little bike ride, a fill up with gas and a stop at a cheese shop for a taste and purchase of some famous Wisconsin cheeses. It was a family run operation for over 100 years and the young man waiting on us certainly knew a lot about cheese having grown up with the business all his life.
We pass lots of lush green fields with miles and miles of corn and what looks like soybeans. Mexican cows would love to come here for a holiday! A big 213 miles today, we will be staying at Myre-Big Island State Park just outside Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Friday, September 19
Hopefully we will be well into South Dakota today. We are 585 miles from the Badlands, at this rate I don’t think we have a hope of getting there today, we are on the road at 9:30 though so we should cover a lot of miles today. Nothing to see but miles and miles of corn relieved only with some soybeans. On a positive note these were all family run farms that looked very prosperous. As opposed to the big business operations in California.
Myre State Park was nice; it covers 1,596 acres and is basically surrounded by 2,600 acres of water (Albert Lea Lake) and prairie agriculture, predominantly corn. It is a glacial lake formed with the retreat of the glaciers long ago. It is located within the Bemis Moraine, a moraine complex traced all across Minnesota. It has lots of oak trees and prairie grasses. There are lots of birds here, including the white pelican. Apparently lakes like this gradually fill in over time but humans have accelerated this natural process through siltation from the farms and commercial and industrial waste disposal. This increases the mineral and organic content of the lake, favouring plant life and choking out much of the animal life. While they are working at protecting this area, and returning it to its original vegetation pattern the water looks very muddy to me and while I would have loved a swim it just didn’t appeal to me.
The stock market has been going crazy this past while, causing Lorne some angst as we are so disconnected from the internet, hence interfering with his ability to watch what our stocks are doing. We do have Sirius satellite radio though so we are listening constantly to what the analysts have to say about the market and to Bush today as he presents his solution to the economic problems presented. His solution is bad news for us that’s for sure!
The Badlands
We actually made it in one day – all 585 miles! We arrived in time for the sunset show on the spectacular formations! The Badlands are so hauntingly beautiful, and very difficult to really capture on camera. Much like the Grand Canyon the formations change with the light, bringing shadows to accent them. We had a great bike ride the following day in the cool of the morning and then roasted in the afternoon while we installed the new windshield curtain. The evening brought the promised thunder and lightening show with intermittent huge drops of rain. Today is our first overcast day, however it is still warm is we head out towards Yellowstone.
September 22
Driving along, crossed the Cheyenne River and are heading towards Rapid City listening to Old 70’s tunes. Remembering old cowboy movies and musical memories of the 60’s and 70s! Feelings, activities of a time when emotions were raw and often painful, hormones were high, love was everywhere and nowhere, babies, people, places, events. Nothing but grasslands, antelope, buffalo, cows, some horses…
The Eastern Family
Hamilton
Prior to leaving Victoria we arranged with Dick Paterson (a GMC specialist in his field) for a rebuilt engine and for Frank Gorrman to install it in his shop near Hanover, Ontario. We dropped the Motor home off at Frank’s to have its “heart transplant” and drove to Hamilton in his car. Good to have a smaller vehicle to drive around the city!
We arrived at Lorne’s dad’s in plenty of time for dinner and Sandy (Lorne’s sister in law) and husband Steve joined us at the Mandarin, a Chinese buffet restaurant with an amazing amount of choices. Lots of things I didn’t need to eat but had to taste anyway… Art really enjoys this restaurant; it is a welcome change from the institutional food he receives at Shalom Village. Art lives in a small apartment in Shalom Village, which is a remarkably nice facility. A bedroom, living room and small kitchen plus bath constitute his apartment. It is a small apartment but very comfortable and the furnishings are his own. The caregivers are excellent and provide good care for him. Lorne and I stayed at Shalom in a guest room they have downstairs and spent the days with Art in his apartment. Art is doing amazingly well physically and mentally for 96, unfortunately he is not a cheerful man.
The next day I had a great swim in Sandy and Steve’s pool with the great nieces and nephew, Raina (5), Daisy (3) (Geoff and Simona’s girls), and Barry (4) (Jordan and Marnie’s son). Such sweethearts they all are. Little Daisy smiles with her entire body! It was great to make a connection with these children; a difficult thing to do when we live so far away and don’t get to visit often. Dinner was at Sandy and Steve’s and Art had a bad fall off his chair – he bent over to pick up a pill he dropped – as if he could see it! He has macular degeneration, and is quite blind. We had to call 911 as he was bleeding quite profusely from wounds to his head, arm and hand (being on blood thinners certainly contributed to this bleeding). An ambulance brought him into Emergency where he was kept from 8pm – 2am before they finally treated him; by merely changing the bandages applied by the ambulance attendants! In my opinion it was quite cruel to leave a 96 year old man on a gurney for so long. It also seems very inefficient to keep 3 ambulance attendants and their ambulance out of commission for such a long time – the policy is that they can’t leave until their patient is treated.
Toronto
Lorne, Sandy and Steve and I drove to Toronto to have dinner with Karen. Lorne returned to Hamilton with Sandy and Steve to continue his visit with his dad. I stayed in Toronto with Karen for three nights. Karen’s kids Jordan and Marla came by for a visit; it was just so great to see them! Marla is expecting her first baby in March – this is such good news and absolutely thrilling for Karen who has needed some happiness in her life for some time. Karen continues her struggle with ovarian cancer; she has had a multitude of surgeries, two chemo sessions and now is on her second session of tamoxifin. The doctor says if she doesn’t respond to this she will have to have another session of chemo. As if this wasn’t bad enough she is in the midst of divorce proceedings and needless to say a generous settlement is not on the table. All of this is entirely too much stress! Karen continues to present her cheerful capable self in spite of it all; I don’t know how she does it. It is very fortunate she has a supportive family and many friends who love her.
The County
I took the train up to Bellville on Sunday, my niece Lorren picked me up at the train and we went back to her and Jamie’s for dinner with their sons Nile and Jackson. Jody, Caelan and Maya joined us for dinner too. I went back to Jody’s to stay overnight as Lorren was leaving early Monday for Toronto to help Micha move from one apartment to another in Toronto. I returned to Lorren’s Monday in the late afternoon as the plan was for Lorne to pick up the repaired motor home and drive to Lorren’s. Unfortunately the motor home had a few more problems than we anticipated (so what else would we expect?) so Lorne didn’t arrive until Tuesday night. Lorne was held up on the 401 for about 2 hours due to a homicide. Apparently a man was shot in a Lexus and tossed out of the moving vehicle onto the highway while he was still alive! Needless to say emergency crews were out in full force and traffic was backed up for miles!
Lorren and Jamie’s farm is developing nicely. They now have pigs, cows, chickens, huge vegetable garden, plums and apples, and pinot grapes. They have participated in a work program with Mexico and have two male farm workers working for them and staying on the property until the middle of October. They have accomplished a great deal with the help of Louis and Andres. Still in the planning stages are a pub and restaurant and another house. Jamie clearly loves the farming life which also supports his whole animal and sustainable and seasonal food ideology. Needless to say we ate very well.
Jody has done an amazing amount of work renovating her farm and farmhouse. She has such vision! Maya and Caelan are doing very well. Maya is such a bright little character! Caelan is a very pretty teen and is doing very well at school and sports. Mark is working at a top restaurant in Picton for some very nice people and really enjoys that. He is also helping Jody with the farm.
Brockville
We left Thursday morning for Brockville to enjoy a few days with Duane and Marg. We drove over to the US for a visit to the Remington museum and gallery. Such an amazing artist he was. We left Saturday morning with a plan to stop in Toronto for a quick visit over dinner with Karen, her mother Auntie Bunnie, Marla and her partner Shawn, and Karen’s friend Pam. I was also able to pick up the beautiful jewellery I had ordered from Karen through her website: anoccasionalpiece.com We continued on for a few hours after dinner, stopping in the pouring rain at a nice campground near Milton, west of Toronto. We seem to be hitting the tail end of hurricane Ike.
It has been all too short of a visit everywhere we have gone; wish we could stay much longer everywhere along the way. We are so fortunate as to have such a wonderful caring family and many friends, unfortunately they don’t live close to us, dang.
Prior to leaving Victoria we arranged with Dick Paterson (a GMC specialist in his field) for a rebuilt engine and for Frank Gorrman to install it in his shop near Hanover, Ontario. We dropped the Motor home off at Frank’s to have its “heart transplant” and drove to Hamilton in his car. Good to have a smaller vehicle to drive around the city!
We arrived at Lorne’s dad’s in plenty of time for dinner and Sandy (Lorne’s sister in law) and husband Steve joined us at the Mandarin, a Chinese buffet restaurant with an amazing amount of choices. Lots of things I didn’t need to eat but had to taste anyway… Art really enjoys this restaurant; it is a welcome change from the institutional food he receives at Shalom Village. Art lives in a small apartment in Shalom Village, which is a remarkably nice facility. A bedroom, living room and small kitchen plus bath constitute his apartment. It is a small apartment but very comfortable and the furnishings are his own. The caregivers are excellent and provide good care for him. Lorne and I stayed at Shalom in a guest room they have downstairs and spent the days with Art in his apartment. Art is doing amazingly well physically and mentally for 96, unfortunately he is not a cheerful man.
The next day I had a great swim in Sandy and Steve’s pool with the great nieces and nephew, Raina (5), Daisy (3) (Geoff and Simona’s girls), and Barry (4) (Jordan and Marnie’s son). Such sweethearts they all are. Little Daisy smiles with her entire body! It was great to make a connection with these children; a difficult thing to do when we live so far away and don’t get to visit often. Dinner was at Sandy and Steve’s and Art had a bad fall off his chair – he bent over to pick up a pill he dropped – as if he could see it! He has macular degeneration, and is quite blind. We had to call 911 as he was bleeding quite profusely from wounds to his head, arm and hand (being on blood thinners certainly contributed to this bleeding). An ambulance brought him into Emergency where he was kept from 8pm – 2am before they finally treated him; by merely changing the bandages applied by the ambulance attendants! In my opinion it was quite cruel to leave a 96 year old man on a gurney for so long. It also seems very inefficient to keep 3 ambulance attendants and their ambulance out of commission for such a long time – the policy is that they can’t leave until their patient is treated.
Toronto
Lorne, Sandy and Steve and I drove to Toronto to have dinner with Karen. Lorne returned to Hamilton with Sandy and Steve to continue his visit with his dad. I stayed in Toronto with Karen for three nights. Karen’s kids Jordan and Marla came by for a visit; it was just so great to see them! Marla is expecting her first baby in March – this is such good news and absolutely thrilling for Karen who has needed some happiness in her life for some time. Karen continues her struggle with ovarian cancer; she has had a multitude of surgeries, two chemo sessions and now is on her second session of tamoxifin. The doctor says if she doesn’t respond to this she will have to have another session of chemo. As if this wasn’t bad enough she is in the midst of divorce proceedings and needless to say a generous settlement is not on the table. All of this is entirely too much stress! Karen continues to present her cheerful capable self in spite of it all; I don’t know how she does it. It is very fortunate she has a supportive family and many friends who love her.
The County
I took the train up to Bellville on Sunday, my niece Lorren picked me up at the train and we went back to her and Jamie’s for dinner with their sons Nile and Jackson. Jody, Caelan and Maya joined us for dinner too. I went back to Jody’s to stay overnight as Lorren was leaving early Monday for Toronto to help Micha move from one apartment to another in Toronto. I returned to Lorren’s Monday in the late afternoon as the plan was for Lorne to pick up the repaired motor home and drive to Lorren’s. Unfortunately the motor home had a few more problems than we anticipated (so what else would we expect?) so Lorne didn’t arrive until Tuesday night. Lorne was held up on the 401 for about 2 hours due to a homicide. Apparently a man was shot in a Lexus and tossed out of the moving vehicle onto the highway while he was still alive! Needless to say emergency crews were out in full force and traffic was backed up for miles!
Lorren and Jamie’s farm is developing nicely. They now have pigs, cows, chickens, huge vegetable garden, plums and apples, and pinot grapes. They have participated in a work program with Mexico and have two male farm workers working for them and staying on the property until the middle of October. They have accomplished a great deal with the help of Louis and Andres. Still in the planning stages are a pub and restaurant and another house. Jamie clearly loves the farming life which also supports his whole animal and sustainable and seasonal food ideology. Needless to say we ate very well.
Jody has done an amazing amount of work renovating her farm and farmhouse. She has such vision! Maya and Caelan are doing very well. Maya is such a bright little character! Caelan is a very pretty teen and is doing very well at school and sports. Mark is working at a top restaurant in Picton for some very nice people and really enjoys that. He is also helping Jody with the farm.
Brockville
We left Thursday morning for Brockville to enjoy a few days with Duane and Marg. We drove over to the US for a visit to the Remington museum and gallery. Such an amazing artist he was. We left Saturday morning with a plan to stop in Toronto for a quick visit over dinner with Karen, her mother Auntie Bunnie, Marla and her partner Shawn, and Karen’s friend Pam. I was also able to pick up the beautiful jewellery I had ordered from Karen through her website: anoccasionalpiece.com We continued on for a few hours after dinner, stopping in the pouring rain at a nice campground near Milton, west of Toronto. We seem to be hitting the tail end of hurricane Ike.
It has been all too short of a visit everywhere we have gone; wish we could stay much longer everywhere along the way. We are so fortunate as to have such a wonderful caring family and many friends, unfortunately they don’t live close to us, dang.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Water Water everywhere
August 29, Ontario
We crossed into Ontario at Kenora, some 100 km or so north of the 49th parallel. This region is called Northern Ontario. Considering that Ontario goes clear up to the Hudson’s Bay this is confusing to me. It’s not so very far north as far as north in Ontario goes I don’t think, however, that is what this region is called in the parks books. Perhaps anything north of Toronto is considered Northern Ontario? Lorne says when there are no more Birch trees we will be in Southern Ontario.
The area just after the Manitoba border is nothing but water, its like we are island hopping there is so much water! We have been driving by one picturesque lake after another and the trees grow lusher the further south we go. We stopped for lunch on Lake Superior and I had a glorious swim. Lorne played lifeguard. The water is so clear and clean I could see a long way underwater. So far Ontario is not so terrible.
The street names here are very practical, Old School House Road, Railway track Road, Mine Road, Bridge Road and Church Street, different from Old Stone Church Street to name a few. Then of course there is Squirrel Town Road, Slash Road, and Wobanganada Road.
The Provincial Parks are numerous and beautiful, and of course all of them so far have been on a lake. We are now behind schedule so are hustling along as quickly as possible, dang. Long hours of driving with no exploring time. Some of those hours in darkness!! (We have an appointment to get a rebuild engine from a GMC specialist just outside Hanover)
Lorne was having a wee rest while I was driving when suddenly we were spewing blue smoke!! Yikes – stopped by the side of the road, gave it a quart of oil, drove down the road to where we could really stop, and checked the transmission fluid, seems ok. Decided to drive on down the road in search of a gas station to load up on oil…. The blue smoke is spewing on deceleration….. Lorne thinks that means rings…. Guess it’s very good that we are getting a new engine on the 2nd – hopefully we can drive there and don’t have to get a tow!! The transmission seems to be slipping. Perhaps we have two problems??? Yikes.
Yup our mistake, we are loosing transmission fluid. We think from the cracked pan that we had welded last year when we cracked it on a big rock coming back from Torquart bay last year. Hopefully our relatively new transmission installed by Mannie is not broken!!
Stopped in Sault St. Marie for dinner along the St Mary’s River. If there are locks there we didn’t see them. We’re heading for Chutes Provincial Park just outside Massey along Lake Huron. We should get there after dark, about 9:30 or 10. We will have 144 km to get to the ferry in the morning. We need to be in Hanover by tomorrow night for our engine replacement and we are concerned that the ferry may be busy on this long weekend.
We crossed into Ontario at Kenora, some 100 km or so north of the 49th parallel. This region is called Northern Ontario. Considering that Ontario goes clear up to the Hudson’s Bay this is confusing to me. It’s not so very far north as far as north in Ontario goes I don’t think, however, that is what this region is called in the parks books. Perhaps anything north of Toronto is considered Northern Ontario? Lorne says when there are no more Birch trees we will be in Southern Ontario.
The area just after the Manitoba border is nothing but water, its like we are island hopping there is so much water! We have been driving by one picturesque lake after another and the trees grow lusher the further south we go. We stopped for lunch on Lake Superior and I had a glorious swim. Lorne played lifeguard. The water is so clear and clean I could see a long way underwater. So far Ontario is not so terrible.
The street names here are very practical, Old School House Road, Railway track Road, Mine Road, Bridge Road and Church Street, different from Old Stone Church Street to name a few. Then of course there is Squirrel Town Road, Slash Road, and Wobanganada Road.
The Provincial Parks are numerous and beautiful, and of course all of them so far have been on a lake. We are now behind schedule so are hustling along as quickly as possible, dang. Long hours of driving with no exploring time. Some of those hours in darkness!! (We have an appointment to get a rebuild engine from a GMC specialist just outside Hanover)
Lorne was having a wee rest while I was driving when suddenly we were spewing blue smoke!! Yikes – stopped by the side of the road, gave it a quart of oil, drove down the road to where we could really stop, and checked the transmission fluid, seems ok. Decided to drive on down the road in search of a gas station to load up on oil…. The blue smoke is spewing on deceleration….. Lorne thinks that means rings…. Guess it’s very good that we are getting a new engine on the 2nd – hopefully we can drive there and don’t have to get a tow!! The transmission seems to be slipping. Perhaps we have two problems??? Yikes.
Yup our mistake, we are loosing transmission fluid. We think from the cracked pan that we had welded last year when we cracked it on a big rock coming back from Torquart bay last year. Hopefully our relatively new transmission installed by Mannie is not broken!!
Stopped in Sault St. Marie for dinner along the St Mary’s River. If there are locks there we didn’t see them. We’re heading for Chutes Provincial Park just outside Massey along Lake Huron. We should get there after dark, about 9:30 or 10. We will have 144 km to get to the ferry in the morning. We need to be in Hanover by tomorrow night for our engine replacement and we are concerned that the ferry may be busy on this long weekend.
Mountains, Friends, Family, Prairie
August 25, 2008
Tabby, Patti, and Boo joined us at Dan and Freela’s in Calgary. Such a nice visit and a nice meal, thank you Freela! We had a great sleep under the trees in their back yard. We got caught up on what was happening for all present, and a few who were not of course… particularly our old friend Gayle. Thank goodness for Tabby – we should all be so lucky to have such an advocate! Gayle is now safely (and happily) living in a care facility close to her daughters so hopefully that will resolve many of her care issues and give all who love her ease of mind. Gayle has certainly been through a great deal since her stroke(s) several years ago.
Bob, Patti’s husband, was hit by a car in a crosswalk a few weeks ago, on his way to work. He broke his hip so is at home recovering. Big hugs to Bob!
Off to Strathmore in the morning to visit my cousin Kate. We mistakenly took the Trans Canada through Calgary – good grief. A journey that should have taken little more than half an hour turned into hours! We finally had to stop for lunch! (there was a lot of construction so it will be bigger and better I guess – who knew?) Good visit with Kate, she has such a lovely home right on a small lake in Strathmore. I thought she would have moved out to Victoria by now but she seems completely settled in Strathmore. My cousin Dennis (Kate’s brother) dropped by for a visit after dinner, so nice to see him. He and his wife Olga live in High River, so not such a long drive away.
Off to Bassano in the morning to enjoy a nice visit with cousin Brian (Kate and Denis’s brother). We also stopped by to visit mom and Auntie Kay’s grave who are buried in the Bassano cemetery. Unfortunately I lost my silver and pearl bracelet at some point, dang, I really liked that one! Made it to Medicine Hat for dinner and a sleep over with cousin Loreen.
August 27
Well that’s it for family and friends to visit until Ontario. Off to an early start – about 11 am - for our trek across the prairies of Saskatchewan.
We spent the night at an RV park in Moose Jaw, the campers next to us were Celtic musicians called Damanta from Ireland (except for the guitar player who was from Vancouver). They were playing in a pub in town. Unfortunately it was too far to walk and we didn’t bring lights for the bikes, so we didn’t go into town to hear them, however, I did buy their cd. Not bad, nice people. They were on their way west to play in Creston, Vancouver, and Victoria at the folk club and the Irish Pub. They left Cape Breton Island on Sunday, this was now Wednesday – they have been driving Hard!! They drive in shifts I guess.
Next night we camped west of Winnipeg in a beautiful Provincial park called Spruce Woods. There were excellent bike trails and we had a nice ride in the morning before heading out.
Tabby, Patti, and Boo joined us at Dan and Freela’s in Calgary. Such a nice visit and a nice meal, thank you Freela! We had a great sleep under the trees in their back yard. We got caught up on what was happening for all present, and a few who were not of course… particularly our old friend Gayle. Thank goodness for Tabby – we should all be so lucky to have such an advocate! Gayle is now safely (and happily) living in a care facility close to her daughters so hopefully that will resolve many of her care issues and give all who love her ease of mind. Gayle has certainly been through a great deal since her stroke(s) several years ago.
Bob, Patti’s husband, was hit by a car in a crosswalk a few weeks ago, on his way to work. He broke his hip so is at home recovering. Big hugs to Bob!
Off to Strathmore in the morning to visit my cousin Kate. We mistakenly took the Trans Canada through Calgary – good grief. A journey that should have taken little more than half an hour turned into hours! We finally had to stop for lunch! (there was a lot of construction so it will be bigger and better I guess – who knew?) Good visit with Kate, she has such a lovely home right on a small lake in Strathmore. I thought she would have moved out to Victoria by now but she seems completely settled in Strathmore. My cousin Dennis (Kate’s brother) dropped by for a visit after dinner, so nice to see him. He and his wife Olga live in High River, so not such a long drive away.
Off to Bassano in the morning to enjoy a nice visit with cousin Brian (Kate and Denis’s brother). We also stopped by to visit mom and Auntie Kay’s grave who are buried in the Bassano cemetery. Unfortunately I lost my silver and pearl bracelet at some point, dang, I really liked that one! Made it to Medicine Hat for dinner and a sleep over with cousin Loreen.
August 27
Well that’s it for family and friends to visit until Ontario. Off to an early start – about 11 am - for our trek across the prairies of Saskatchewan.
We spent the night at an RV park in Moose Jaw, the campers next to us were Celtic musicians called Damanta from Ireland (except for the guitar player who was from Vancouver). They were playing in a pub in town. Unfortunately it was too far to walk and we didn’t bring lights for the bikes, so we didn’t go into town to hear them, however, I did buy their cd. Not bad, nice people. They were on their way west to play in Creston, Vancouver, and Victoria at the folk club and the Irish Pub. They left Cape Breton Island on Sunday, this was now Wednesday – they have been driving Hard!! They drive in shifts I guess.
Next night we camped west of Winnipeg in a beautiful Provincial park called Spruce Woods. There were excellent bike trails and we had a nice ride in the morning before heading out.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Not Another Baja Trip
Not another Baja Trip
This time we are traveling from Victoria to Ontario via the Trans Canada with a return to Victoria via the US Interstate 90. We will visit friends and family along the way there, hopefully have a few pleasant adventures, meet some nice people and see parts of Canada we have never seen before. Returning we will once again visit the Badlands and Yellowstone.
Will it be the shop across Canada trip? Will we find interesting things to see and do along the way or will we just drive drive drive? Is the Trans Canada really as bad as Mexicali One? Is the highway through Saskatchewan truly boring? Is Ontario really Onterrible? Will we find good swimming in the Great Lakes? Will Summer be over by August 28, our expected entry into Ontario? Did we bring the right clothes? Will we long for our kayaks?
Day One
Tuesday August 19, 2008
Caught the early ferry – for us – 5:00 (pm that is). There are always so many last minute things to do that just have to be done – have the grandkids over for a sleepover and play, celebrate Natasha’s and Lindsay’s birthdays, clean the house, get the mirror on the pocket door in the master bathroom, get the watering system done for the deck plants, figure out the lyrics for some songs, stop at the clinic for antibiotics for my wasp sting(s) on my toe which has predictably blown up. Important stuff.
A little nap on the ferry and we’re good to go! Put the steaks back in the fridge and had dinner at McDonalds in Chilliwack – I really really really have to find some kind of fast food that I can eat on the road. I really can’t do McDonalds, enough said. Open for suggestions – please please please….
Drove through what we know is beautiful country in the dark and ended up exhausted in Kamloops around midnight. After some rumbling up and down side streets looking for a level spot we found a great camping spot in front of some beautifully manicured little houses. Wish I had brought my niece Renee’s address in Kamloops with me and we could have surprised her in the morning when she opened her curtains! Oh well, next time. Off to Salmon Arm in the pouring rain complete with thunder and lightening in the am.
Day 4
Friday August 22, 2008
Off to Canmore after having a great time visiting my long time wonderful friend Miranda in Salmon Arm! Played music till our fingers were sore. Listened to some fabulous tunes she has written, recorded some and learned some. Ate the freshest, most delicious organic vegetables from the local market. Enjoyed a great evening walk with Bella (the dog) visiting beautiful horses along the way – Percherons, Warm Bloods, and some perfectly lovely, friendliest of all, no name brand. Our pockets should have been full of apples if we had been planning more carefully. While there had just been some super hot days before we got here it was relatively cool so no swimming this time.
Looking forward to seeing Wanda and Tim this evening and being in the mountains.
Day 7
Sunday August 24, 2008
Feels like I am home, some wonderful memories of living in Banff and hiking every day with Laura, Bill E., Herbie…. OMG these mountains are so very beautiful, they are definitely part of my soul. Great Visit with Wanda and Tim, Suzie and Bob! Had a nice little hike up to Grassie Lakes. Beautiful aqua lakes, we sat and watched some rock climbers for awhile. It was all we could do to keep Lorne from roping up!! Hahaha. Grassie was a very interesting man, he was responsible for the building of many trails in the area, all by hand. Apparently there is a book about him, I would like to read it sometime.
Had a yummy dinner that night with Wanda, Tim, Suzie and Bob and Suzie’s brother from Australia. Shrimp, steak, fabulous salad and excellent company! Suzie is amazing – her recovery after her near death experience has been miraculous indeed. She looks her old self for sure. What a relief.
Had a great little bike ride along the river today with Wanda and Tim. So beautiful, its part of the trans-Canada trail system and part of it was paved so very easy riding and very pleasant indeed. Unfortunately we had to cut it short, head home for a quick lunch and now we are off to Calgary to Freela and Dan’s and hopefully to visit a few other old friends of mine.
This time we are traveling from Victoria to Ontario via the Trans Canada with a return to Victoria via the US Interstate 90. We will visit friends and family along the way there, hopefully have a few pleasant adventures, meet some nice people and see parts of Canada we have never seen before. Returning we will once again visit the Badlands and Yellowstone.
Will it be the shop across Canada trip? Will we find interesting things to see and do along the way or will we just drive drive drive? Is the Trans Canada really as bad as Mexicali One? Is the highway through Saskatchewan truly boring? Is Ontario really Onterrible? Will we find good swimming in the Great Lakes? Will Summer be over by August 28, our expected entry into Ontario? Did we bring the right clothes? Will we long for our kayaks?
Day One
Tuesday August 19, 2008
Caught the early ferry – for us – 5:00 (pm that is). There are always so many last minute things to do that just have to be done – have the grandkids over for a sleepover and play, celebrate Natasha’s and Lindsay’s birthdays, clean the house, get the mirror on the pocket door in the master bathroom, get the watering system done for the deck plants, figure out the lyrics for some songs, stop at the clinic for antibiotics for my wasp sting(s) on my toe which has predictably blown up. Important stuff.
A little nap on the ferry and we’re good to go! Put the steaks back in the fridge and had dinner at McDonalds in Chilliwack – I really really really have to find some kind of fast food that I can eat on the road. I really can’t do McDonalds, enough said. Open for suggestions – please please please….
Drove through what we know is beautiful country in the dark and ended up exhausted in Kamloops around midnight. After some rumbling up and down side streets looking for a level spot we found a great camping spot in front of some beautifully manicured little houses. Wish I had brought my niece Renee’s address in Kamloops with me and we could have surprised her in the morning when she opened her curtains! Oh well, next time. Off to Salmon Arm in the pouring rain complete with thunder and lightening in the am.
Day 4
Friday August 22, 2008
Off to Canmore after having a great time visiting my long time wonderful friend Miranda in Salmon Arm! Played music till our fingers were sore. Listened to some fabulous tunes she has written, recorded some and learned some. Ate the freshest, most delicious organic vegetables from the local market. Enjoyed a great evening walk with Bella (the dog) visiting beautiful horses along the way – Percherons, Warm Bloods, and some perfectly lovely, friendliest of all, no name brand. Our pockets should have been full of apples if we had been planning more carefully. While there had just been some super hot days before we got here it was relatively cool so no swimming this time.
Looking forward to seeing Wanda and Tim this evening and being in the mountains.
Day 7
Sunday August 24, 2008
Feels like I am home, some wonderful memories of living in Banff and hiking every day with Laura, Bill E., Herbie…. OMG these mountains are so very beautiful, they are definitely part of my soul. Great Visit with Wanda and Tim, Suzie and Bob! Had a nice little hike up to Grassie Lakes. Beautiful aqua lakes, we sat and watched some rock climbers for awhile. It was all we could do to keep Lorne from roping up!! Hahaha. Grassie was a very interesting man, he was responsible for the building of many trails in the area, all by hand. Apparently there is a book about him, I would like to read it sometime.
Had a yummy dinner that night with Wanda, Tim, Suzie and Bob and Suzie’s brother from Australia. Shrimp, steak, fabulous salad and excellent company! Suzie is amazing – her recovery after her near death experience has been miraculous indeed. She looks her old self for sure. What a relief.
Had a great little bike ride along the river today with Wanda and Tim. So beautiful, its part of the trans-Canada trail system and part of it was paved so very easy riding and very pleasant indeed. Unfortunately we had to cut it short, head home for a quick lunch and now we are off to Calgary to Freela and Dan’s and hopefully to visit a few other old friends of mine.
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