While it would be high drama (and wildly misleading) to suggest our last year was “dangerous”, it was marked by constant change, joy, loss, grief, and now, with Coronavirus dominating the news, “precarious” does not feel like an overstatement. The whole world is precarious. What the heck is going on? If our original plan three … More A Year of Living Precariously
We used to regard RVs and their snowbird drivers as a blight – traffic-obstructing, view-obscuring behemoths that clogged up highways and hogged parking spaces. We would drive by a 40-foot coach hauling a small car, and smugly comment, “their gas bill must be a killer.” Then, our reality struck. After a cross-country trip last summer, … More Making our Escape
The “end of the pavement” is a wild 26-mile stretch of rainforest on the west coast of Vancouver Island, anchored by Ucluelet on Barkley Sound on one end and Tofino on Clayoquot Sound on the other. The main body of water is the open Pacific Ocean which creates changeable, tempestuous weather. In our four days … More Travelling to “the end of the pavement.”
Primordial: “existing at or from the beginning of time” (Oxford Dictionary). Although our friends have assured us that this forest may have sprung up a little more recently, it is easy to imagine we are walking (unsteadily) in the footsteps of our prehistoric ancestors. We have just spent four glorious days with our friends Dave … More Entering the Primordial Forest
Camping can be a crapshoot. Our ideal experience involves shady treed sites, quiet neighbours, a campfire and perhaps a babbling brook. Our less-than-ideal involves all-night parties, little or no privacy, and a cast of characters that we would never otherwise meet (and that’s good thing.) We’re happy to say that 90% of our camping experiences … More Camping: the good, the bad and the ugly
Fernie is a town we have wanted to visit for many years, but it was never on our flight path. Now we’ve finally made it and curiously, Fernie is a lot as we had imagined – a mountain town without pretension. We are staying right in the heart of Fernie Alpine Resort, about 4 km. … More Legendary Fernie
Did you know the Arctic Tern flies more than 40,000 km. from southern Chile to the Arctic and back every year? It is one of more than 250 species of migratory birds that uses Lesser Slave Lake as a major resting point – often compared to Point Pelee (Southern Ontario) in terms of migratory importance. A … More From migrating birds to the Final Frontier
We didn’t have to travel to Alberta to meet up with Ukrainians – we have dear friends in Nanaimo who have proudly brought us into the Ukrainian fold. In fact, Stephen’s background is a mix of Polish/Ukrainian, although he didn’t grow up with any of the food/music/dance accoutrements that define “being Ukrainian.” We knew so … More How the Ukrainians won the West
This pithy summary of Edmonton comes to you from former premier Ralph Klein; one which damns the city with faint praise and doesn’t begin to do it justice. Klein wasn’t lying about the mosquitoes. As for the socialists – yes, it would seem they are here, armed with their bicycles and hemp shopping bags and liberal … More “A fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes.”
We left Fort St. John to drive north to Liard River Hot Springs in search of BIG animals – bear, caribou, moose, bison and stone sheep. Our first stop was Fort Nelson – an easy four hour drive and a comfortable rest stop – renovated Motel 6 with full kitchen and good wifi, and a … More Serengeti of the North
Leaving Ourselves Behind 