An Uplifting Moment in Time

It has been two years since we last hugged our grandchildren. While we were able to see them however briefly on Skype visits, they did not prepare us for what we encountered on our first face to face meeting. In October 2019 they were children and we interacted with them as such.

 

Who we found in October 2021 were not children anymore but little adults. Our childish ways were no longer cute as their expectations of how grandparents should act had been raised to a new bar. 

Week one resulted in one word replies to our questions, week two, four or five word responses and by the time we departed whole conversations with opinions and ideas that is when they weren’t glued to their cell phones. We have successfully reconnected.

We have now vowed that barring a nuclear war, we will not allow what ever life throws at us to let more than a few months pass between visits. The icing on the cake is that Peterborough is lovely place with lots of things to entertain us and with the kids in school we had plenty of time to explore till we had to pick them up.

 

We spent a lovely morning in the small town of Port Hope on Lake Ontario to watch 20 kilogram Chinook salmon attempting to climb a fish ladder around a small hydro dam. 

It was mesmerizing watching these huge fish make attempt after attempt to reach their spawning beds. It was not a simple leap of faith as some ignored the ladder and tried to make their way up the sluice walls.

 

A round of disc golf closed out the afternoon.

 

We spent a Sunday morning cruising the Otonabee River and on into the Trent Severin Waterway.  The waterway is a 386 kilometre long canal that connects Lake Ontario all the way to Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. Started in 1833, the last section of the canal into Georgian Bay was finished in 1920. There are 44 locks, many over a hundred years that allow boats to avoid the rapids and falls along the way.

 

The waterway served as the super highway for trade and transportation in 19th Century Central Ontario and the early years of the 20^th Century. A wider Welland Canal completed in 1932 replaced it as it could handle the larger ships that had begun entering the Great Lakes system. The Trent Severin continues to operate today as a marine park moving pleasure craft around the many lakes of Central Ontario.

 

The big draw for me was the chance to ride a 117 year old elevator for boats.

 

This lift lock would lift our boat over 64 feet in the air in about 5 minutes. 

At this speed, it would take you over two hours to get to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto.

 

This was all done hydraulically as they hadn’t invented electricity when it was built.  The view from the boat on our return trip was very trippy. 

 

We also shoe horned in a visit to the Canadian Canoe Museum. Can you get any more Canadian?  Our planned 30 minute visit grew into 90 minutes so don’t get me started about canoes unless you have 90 minutes.

 

Between dropping off the grandkids and picking them up from school we made a run out to the Whetung Ojibwa Centre, part souvenir shop/museum on the Curved Lake First Nations Reserve. The Ojibwa (known as Chippewa in the US) are one of the largest populations of Native American peoples. We are always on the look out for a new addition to our aboriginal frog collection. We found nothing of note but we did score some cheap gas for the rental car.

 

As previously stated, we will not allow life to get in the way of frequent visits with our grandchildren so readers, be prepared for more. 

 

 

 

 

The End of the Road

 The start of our latest trip had us spending a few days in Gibson’s on the Sunshine Coast where we were delivering one of Nonie’s baby quilts to the newest addition of our extended family of friends having grandchildren. Nonie has quilts scattered around the world including China, Japan, Europe, USA, Iraq as well as three of Canada’s provinces.

From here we were to travel to Port Hardy then on to Comox on Vancouver Island. 

From Gibson’s we headed north along Highway 101 also known as the Sunshine Coast Highway. Two and one half hours and a ferry later we reached “the end of the road” and discovered it was a parking lot. The parking lot is located in Lund BC, described by the tourist bureau as a “picturesque seaside village located on the west coast of Canada”.

As Joni Mitchell said "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot".  Lund besides being the "end of the road" was also home to the 115 year old Lund Hotel which doesn't look a day over 100.  

We used the rest of the day to explore Powell River. Next morning, another “end of the road”,  a BC Ferry parking lot for our ferry to Comox. The “end of the road” for the next 11 hours. The ferry had been cancelled and they were sailing a replacement up from Vancouver and expected to arrive in the early evening.    Photo: BC Ferries

The dictionary definition of the phrase “the end of the road” is as follows “the point beyond which progress or survival cannot continue.” Over the years we have found ourselves facing a number of “the end of the roads”.  

The "end of the road” can come in many shapes and sizes. On a weekend cycling trip in Manning Provincial Park we found an “end to the road” with our progress blocked by the dozens of pine beetle infested trees that had had fallen across all the trails.

 

We reached the “end of the road” on Haida Gwaia.  No parking lot here, nothing but beach and the Pacific Ocean as far as the eye could see.

A recent bike trip on Mission Creek Greenway in Kelowna, found us at the “end of the road” with no more forward progress due to a flooded Mission Creek.

 

On the Big Island of Hawaii we found the “end of the road” was due to a lava field from a recent eruption of the Kilauea volcano complex.

 

In South America, our “end of the road” was the city of Ushuaia, Argentina, located on the southern most tip of South America. The next stop, the South Pole.  

 

Easter Island is only 16 kilometres wide with its closest neighbour over 2,000 kilometres away. The “end of the road” here is at Anakena Beach, a white coral sand beach guarded by 6 moai statues and 2,000 miles of Pacific Ocean

 

The Gobi Desert does not really have any roads so here our “end of the road” was anywhere the damn camels decided they had had enough and refused to move any more.

 

I expect that we will have more "end of the road" experiences before the "END OF THE ROAD".  At my age, I am starting to think more about that and how my forward progression will come to a halt. If I have any say in it, it will end quickly, respectfully and not in a parking lot.

Image: shirtoid.com

Vancouver's Wild Side

Woman injured in latest coyote attack in Stanley Park

This recent Vancouver Sun headline immediately caught my eye as we had scheduled a trek through the park. Additional research revealed that a number of coyote/human contacts had occurred in Stanley Park and not ended well for either humans or Coyotes as stated in this Time Colonist headline 

Four coyotes euthanized after toddler bitten during walk in Vancouver's Stanley Park

Over the years it has been our sacred belief that “urban trekking” was a safe and stress free source of adventure free from preditors especially in city parks all though before dusk. They were high on our list of safe places to roam. The dangers that now lurk in Stanley Park have some what shaken this belief. Not to be deterred, we decided to continue on with our planned trek. Perhaps the headlines were embellished. 

Photo: Global News

A decision to pack bear spray was considered after a futile attempt to find and purchase “coyote spray”. We did find a product called “Coyote Piss” but it is an odorific used to scare foraging deer away from your flower garden and not to be worn as a perfumed deterrent for coyote attacks. Our thoughts were, if bear spray will scare a bear away, it should be enough to shoo a coyote. Our next question “Could bear spray be legally carried in Vancouver parks?” was answered by this headline from the Vancouver sun.  

 Vancouver police warn of criminal charges for carrying bear spray in the city

It seems that we were to go hiking unarmed.

We began the 10 kilometre journey from Lumberman’s Arch. A log arch structure that was first erected in 1912 at Pender and Hamilton Streets, to honour a visit by the then Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria and was relocated to the park in 1913. 

We chose this as our starting point as Stanley Park is pet friendly and what dog wouldn’t take the opportunity to urinate on this big hunk of wood. Coyotes are a closely related species  so a bladder full coyote might want to hang out here. Not today.   

Our route through the Park was the iconic Stanley Park sea wall, well marked with separate paths for bikes walkers and coyotes. Despite the dangers, the park was very busy. The path has great views of Burrard Inlet attracting unwitting tourists.

 

Lots of  container ships today waiting their turn to load raw goods like sulphur and the much loathed Tar Sands oil.  

 

A busy park meant lots of tempting coyote prey. This played well into our strategy for protecting ourselves against any foraging coyotes.  The plan was to ensure we were surrounded by tourists, specifically those who looked weaker and slower than us. We wore our running shoes so should we be stalked by coyotes, we could out run those slower, weaker Croc wearing tourists.   

The half way point of our hike was Siwash Rock, one of the many scenic photo ops to be found in Stanley Park. The rock was created by burning hot magma from a nearby volcano and forced upwards through a crack in the Earth’s surface creating this interesting stack of basalt. The shape of the rock caught the attention of the local indigenous population, the Squamish who wove a family friendly creation history around the rock. Alas no coyotes yet.

 

Third Beach, Second Beach passed us by again nary a sign of coyotes. We found various piles of excrement evident here and there but neither Nonie nor I are conversant in Coyote scat but were suspicious that what we were seeing was actually left by indifferent and inconsiderate dog owners.  

Photo: coyoteyipps.com 

 

As we reached the popular beach at English Bay, we found the remnants of a whale carcass that could possibly have been picked clean by coyotes.  Perhaps it was lucky that we did not come across a Stanley Park Coyote. 

Feeling less invincible, we decided to exit the park into the equally wild West End of Vancouver. No coyotes here just aggressive vendors hawking Vancouver souvenirs and quite possibly rabid as one seemed to be foaming at the mouth. On a closer look, it was actually residual foam from a venti Starbucks latte. Inukshuks seemed to be the hot seller. 

With not a single coyote sighted, obtaining a trapper’s license for Stanley Park seemed it might be a waste of time. 

Photo: CBC News

So it was back to Penticton and our post COVID19 life or more fearfully a pre COVID19 4th wave lockdown.

For God sake people, get the frigging vaccine. 

Living Virally: Fungi, Ferries and Fingers

 Episode 9 Part II

Nakusp is small sleepy village situated on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake. The town grew from a sawmill serving the silver mining rush in 1892. The lumber industry continues to be the economic mainstay to this day. What drew us here was to hike the Kuskanax Creek Hot Springs Trail.

 

Day 4 and again we woke to a thick fog and 4C. Not the most conducive start to our 8K trek up into the Selkirk Mountains. The weather person did forecast morning sunshine so we headed out with the hope that we would climb above the fog and get to see some of that promised sunshine. 

It took a few kilometres and a some pretty good elevation change before we got above the fog. Sadly too late to enjoy that promised morning sun. At least it wasn't snowing or raining

 

Nakusp is located in the Slocan Valley and just one mountain range east from our home in the Okanagan Valley. The Slocan Valley has a temperate climate with a definite rain forest vibe. 

 

The Okanagan Valley has a semi-arid climate making for a much drier environment than the Slocan Valley and a very different environment for a hike. 

As for example, this picture from our second attempt in June at summiting Nkwala Mountain just above Penticton. No Ewoks to be found here though perhaps they could be found bellied up at a winery somewhere.   

With the wet environment we found an extensive variety of different fungi and mushrooms along the trail. 

All at the same time they looked so tasty and poisonous. 

It was a magical hike. Not many grand vistas but the moss and lichen covered forest floor hid a myriad of mysterious shapes.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you might recognize similarities to the planet of Endor.   "Yub nub" or "party on" for those who don't speak Ewok. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tHOkQ3nV1c

The hike ended at the Nakusp Hot Springs Resort with a well deserved soak in the hot pools. The route was originally a pack horse trail to carry tourists up to the hot springs. We opted for a return trip with Nakusp Taxi. A perfect ending to a wonderful day without the smell of horse. 

 Photo: bchistory.com

Day 5 and another ferry ride that I failed to mention to Nonie. Shelter Bay Ferry is a 20 minute ride needed, to cross Upper Arrow Lake to the city of Revelstoke and a late lunch. Hunger won out over Nonie’s ferry phobia. From Revelstoke we traveled west on the famed Trans Canada to Three Valley Gap for an overnight.

 

Three Valley Gap located deep in the Rockies is a 200 room, resort hotel with a lake, historic ghost town and railway museum. It opened in 1952, with 7 rooms and a 7 seat restaurant. We have driven by it many times but never stopped. As we arrived the sky filled with dark ominous clouds along with a little rain. Checking in, we were told that this was the last day open and that we may be the only people staying in the hotel.

Wait a minute, didn't a couple horror movies start this way.  

It was truly a "Shining" like experience wandering the  empty hallways. Every once in a while we could hear voices droning in the distance but never saw a single person. We had the pool and hot tubs all to ourselves. That night our hotel room door was double locked and chained. But looking at the door, it would probably not cause much of a problem for Jack Nicholson armed with an axe. Just to be sure, skipped the morning showers as well.  

Despite the rain, a visit to the ghost town was necessary as it too was closing for the season. The town consists of 26 historic buildings gathered over the last 50 years from around the province and restored to house the thousands of artifacts collected by the owner.

Photo: Peter Sentjens

My plan for the train museum was to climb aboard the old steam engines. But I discovered that the museum was also home to a former Governor General’s railcar. In 1982, after repatriating the constitution, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau borrowed it for a vacation trip to the Rockies with his three sons. One being a young Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

The car became infamous when Pierre gave the “one finger salute” to protesters while the train was parked in nearby Salmon Arm. It became known as the “Salmon Arm Salute”. 

 Cartoon: Paul Graham

It was reported in the Times Colonist that the protesters deserved the finger.

"They were directing inappropriate stuff about Daddy wasting money. The protesters were yelling at two young boys. I stood by a CBC reporter when a man came to the window and gave the protesters the finger before pulling down the blinds.The protesters were being rude, perhaps meaning the insults for the prime minister, but delivering them to the boys."

The railcar rekindled my own memory of when I first met Pierre. It was June of 1968 and I was walking home from school when I heard my name being called. I turned towards the voices and saw a large stake bed truck pull up to the sidewalk. The back of the truck was filled with cheerleaders and they were yelling at me to jump on. When a truck full of Cheerleaders pull up and yells at you to jump on, you don’t question it, you just jump on.

 

As we bounced down the hill from the high school, I was given an orange tee shirt and told to put it on.  Opening the shirt I found it was printed with a really cool picture of Pierre Trudeau. My pulse started racing, was this excitement my awakening to Trudeaumania?  Perhaps it was the truck load of cheerleaders. 

 Art: Trudeaumania UBC Press

We were headed to the airport. Pierre was arriving for some electioneering. We were his mobile cheering section. Greeting him at the airport, to following him around town, always arriving before him to greet him with loud, lusty cheering and girly screams of “I love you”. Like a scene from the 1964 Beatles film "A Hard Days Night". 

 

One of the few Kamloopsians not wild about Trudeau’s visit was my father. As I walked in the door that night, proudly wearing my tee shirt, he yelled at me to get out and not come back in the house until I had taken off  that GD tee shirt. My Dad was a dyed blue Conservative. I think that was the moment I became a life long "left of centre" Liberal. It wasn't long before the tee shirt mysteriously went missing. 

Day 6 saw us heading home to Penticton and a return to our monastic viral life. It looks like things could  be pretty quiet till 2021. Assuming Biden wins the election, blog worthy events may be few and far between so stay safe and warm everyone.