It has been some time since we last blogged but we had a week in Vancouver just doing mundane things like sight-seeing, drinking, geocaching and eating. Although, we did spend one morning having eye tests with Dr Meghan which diagnosed all good and it was all free. Meghan is Blairs partner.

Last Saturday we began a road trip to the Calgary Stampede. We left Vancouver late afternoon heading for Kamloops, a distance of 350kms. Great roads here, often 2 lanes each side of a serious median, sometimes a green belt 40 metres wide. With Blair driving it was great to be able to relax. Even on a Saturday afternoon in light traffic it took the best part of an hour to clear the city limits.

Our first nights accommodation was difficult to find and ended up in a motel with two double beds in one room. Character building I heard mentioned. All fine for those still wishing to build their characters but for me, and the character already built, I slept like a log.

Out of Kamloops our next destination was Jasper where we had booked 3 nights in a lodge. We signed in and drove a few extra kms to walk near Maligne Canyon. It was a misty evening and an ideal time for spotting wildlife. Not too difficult when they come right up the road edge. Evening twilight lingers here for hours so while at 8.00pm it is starting to get dark, it isn’t completely dark until around 10.30pm.

Our second day in Jasper National Park started with rain and we had to reschedule our schedule. We reconvened at noon while it was still raining and a threat of cabin fever the day turned into a layday. We did manage a quick trip into the metropolis, similar to Hanmer Springs, Woodville type size. Filled our “growler” with a local Fire Engine red which didn’t put out any fires for me but was dispatched in short time anyway.

Fires don’t seem to be the problem around Jasper but the Mountain Pine Beetle certainly must be. He has destroyed approximately 50% of mature lodgepole pine trees in Jasper National Park. Quite a concern really, to see nature doing its work. The beetle also attacks other pines but not so much the valuable species such as Douglas-fir. Temperature is a major factor and it is estimated the beetle has impacted more than a billion cubic metres of merchantable timber in British Columbia. 

Although the following day was heavily overcast we had to get out and about. First the Athabasca Falls right near the highway but then into the woods for the Five Lakes walk. The rain stayed away and we got a lung full of fresh air and saw a large wapiti stag in velvet and two bears foraging for their dinner.

After three nights we left Jasper heading south toward Banff National Park and toward sunshine and clear blue skies. We took another walk in the woods up “Parker Ridge”, a steep elevation in a short distance, to a lookout over the Saskatchewan Glacier. Meghan (whose hometown is Saskatoon) got a bit homesick there I think. 

We were pleased to see that the beetle hadn’t yet begun destroying the forests this far south. It is about 300km between Jasper and Banff so quite close in terms of distance for Canada. 

We took some time to visit the Columbia Icefield which covers an area of 215 sq.kms. We rode in an all-terrain Ice-Explorer vehicle up onto the ice field proper and also did a skywalk which was impressive. A giant walkway that is constructed out over a valley so you look through glass at your feet to the valley floor some 1000 feet down. Diana didn’t spend too long out there.

We managed to get to our apartment in Canmore late in the evening after one last walk to Lake Peyto. Canmore is a small town with a lot of accommodation and services for summer time adventurers and sight seers and in winter the ski bunnies. We see people on the paved walkways skating with two poles, practicing for cross country skiing I suppose.

Our first day we drove back into the park where we had to pass through a toll gate and pay $20 for the experience we hoped to have. New Zealand have to do this somehow. $20 didn’t seem too much for our car and four passengers. We walked to Lake Agnes from Lake Louise, magnificent scenery at every turn. Lake Agnes is a tarn in a hanging basin which reminded me of my days in Fiordland on deer recovery in the 1970’s. Although there were no deer to be seen only enormous numbers of humans, I did scan the sloops for a big horn sheep. None to be seen. We were pretty stiff and sore after the hike up to the lake so pleased to get horizontal in the evening.

But not for long. Blair and Meghan had previously ridden the Goat Creek trail and thought that Mum and Dad would really enjoy that. A 20km taxi ride into the high country and we extract our hired mountain bikes from the back of the V8 Ram ute. (makes my Hilux look like a puppy!) Helmets on we set off tentatively down the trail toward a back road into Banff. Holy bejesus we haven’t done any of this. A 19 km trail where a moments lapse in concentration and you’re on your nose grading gravel. Pleased to say that we didn’t break any bones, or draw blood, but very pleased to be back on tarseal albeit with a numb posterior.

Lunch in beautiful sunshine and 28 degrees in the town of Banff was most appreciated. Then another 20km ride along a cycle expressway from Banff back to Canmore. This is a two-lane route near the highway for cycles only. Diana and I were pleased that we had done some preparatory cycling and walking prior to leaving Blenheim and this I think helped us through some of our adventures. We rolled into Banff at 6.30pm now numb from knees to belly button!

We have had a great look at the two of the major wilderness attractions in Canada and are getting set today to head to Calgary and the Stampede where I’m still tossing up whether I should try the bull ride or the bare back buck jumper.

The drive through to Gold River was quite spectacular. Racing through avenues of 80 metre high Douglas fir trees from the road edge to the mountain top only broken by small interesting lakes, good habitat for bears but we didn’t see any. The temperature was over 30 degrees so we had the windows down and the breeze on our faces. We stayed in Gold River so that we could board the MV Uchuck (locally known as the Upchuck much to Diana’s horror) first thing in the morning for a day out on Nootka Sound, delivering goods and picking up full rubbish bins from resorts and forest camps. We had a great day. The Uchuck is a WWII minesweeper rekitted out to carry up to 100 people for this tour. It was done very well. 

While driving, and from on the water we pass numerous logging sites and sawmills. The locals seem to consider that the heydays of the timber industry are well past but to us there was a lot of logging trucks and numerous clearfell areas on the mountain sides. Where possible they seem to get their logs to the waters edge in as short as distance as possible then use the water to transport them. We were entertained by a wee tug type boat herding logs in Gold River. The operator had it almost tipped over much of the time. The water would be an efficient way of moving huge rafts of logs in one operation but from what we saw a few of these logs get loose. Some beaches have stacks of logs, more than enough to frame 1000 homes in Auckland. The environmental rules don’t seem quite as stringent as ours, yet. 

The Gold River road finishes at the West Coast so the next day we started heading back through Campbell River and to Powell River on the mainland. Problem there is they don’t have any roads in and out, a few local roads but we have to ferry across from Vancouver Island and then take ferries to get back down the coast to the mainland proper where there is a road.

Powell River was once the site of the largest pulp and paper mill in the World but that commodity doesn’t have quite the appeal any more. Their latest claim to fame is that they were contracted to make special paper for the book “50 Shades of Grey” to be printed on. The town has some wonderful buildings built around 1910-1925 but much of it is in decline. We stayed in the old Courthouse, now converted to a lodging arrangement.

We slept in the judges chambers! The hotel was filled with knick knacks from a bygone era in keeping with the building. It was such a lovely change from some of the ‘austere’ characterless places we have stayed.

One interesting thing in Powell River is the breakwater for the mill cargo; logs in and wood products out. There is no natural harbour of any sort, it is just a town and a wharf on the seaside. They have 19 ex WWII concrete hulks lined up 200 metres out to sea, end to end to act as a breakwater. We took some photos and moved south. 

Tomorrow we will be back to our highrise bedroom in downtown Vancouver geared up to watch the All Blacks at half past midnight with Blair. Interesting team for this 3^rd test so we are getting excited about that.

Walking in the woods

We walked almost every track in the Tofino/Ucluelet area of the country, saw some massive trees and rugged coastlines. People come here in winter to watch the storms rolling off the Atlantic and smashing onto the west coast. I think that would be great but we’re not sticking around just to get a wet bum.

Fallen 'Nurse' tree

From Ucluelet we had to go east as the roads north were “forestry roads”, which I thought sounded a challenge but doable. The wee lass in the Information Centre seemed to think I should be assessed if I was to continue with that train of thought… so I shelved it. Smart move I thought to myself. Funnily enough those that matter seemed to think so too.

We found lodgings on the east coast at Qualicum Beach and decided to head out for a walk, in a suburban park, can’t be too difficult. A good walk and we tip toed over a very fragile looking railway bridge 500 feet above a creek only to find ourselves lost. The Westpac Rescue helicopter was mentioned and we did offer a small donation a year ago so we had that up our sleeve. After walking into someones back yard, fortunately they didn’t have a rottweiler, we made a hasty decision to go north and fortunately we found a road with a 5 km walk back to our lodgings. Short walk complete. 

On the move again in Blairs generously lent Mazda 6 and we see a sign to Hornby Island. Diana had never been there and I hadn’t as far as I could remember so why not, we’ll never be closer. Out on the ferry and we’re off, but hey there is another chunk of land in our way (Denman Island) so we drive over that and board another ferry and finally make Hornby Island. The local Hornbyites consider this the Hawaii of Canada. Yea right! We set off on another walk in the woods (on a well defined trail) which had some great ocean views, we took pictures. 

 Walking done and time to find some lodgings. The island is busy and there is no space so out with the tent, brought along for such occasions. It was cold and uncomfortable, we were in bed before the 10 year olds as we didn’t have anything else to do. Very little light and the bugs liked us. It was a long night and we were up and out of there before any of the Canuks had awoken.

Finally we are in Campbell River where we have an AirB&B which is very much appreciated. More walks in the woods, but no bears in the woods, or large animals but I did see a snake on the track this afternoon. When I spotted him he was no more than 50 cms in front of me. I lifted both feet in the air immediately but was surprised at the short time it took them to head back to the earth. Fortunately the 40cm long snake had decided he had seen enough and wriggled his way into the undergrowth. A rush of adrenaline pushed me along the track for the next 15mins so no harm done. Google told me he was a garter snake, very common, not dangerous and make good pets, I could buy one $49.95. Another day perhaps.

So we have had an eventful week, ended by celebrating our 40^th wedding anniversary. Nothing over the top, we had dinner out, no rubies, no fizzy wine, just a couple of crafty beers and dinner at a Greek restaurant. Diana did buy a dozen oysters for $9.00 ... not sure why! On to Gold river in the morning, must pack my pan and my prospectors hat.

12-6-18 When Right is Wrong

Tricky driving conditions in this country, how the hell did Henry Ford get it so wrong, or was it Karl Benz in Germany a few decades previous. Fortunately there isn’t too much traffic on Vancouver Island and by the time we realise that we are on the left side (the wrong side) we can get back into line and haven’t put any dints in Blairs car, to date. The size of the 4x4's is pretty over the top here though. 

We left Victoria a few days ago and headed up the west coast of Vancouver Island mostly along the seaside to Port Renfrew. We stopped so many times between Sooke and Pt Renfrew we only managed 90 kms for the day. So many photos had to be taken. We ventured up a valley to look at some “old crop” trees. Old crop is a term used in New Zealand for the radiata that was first planted back in the Depression, most all cut now but generally the trees would be 60 years – 80 years. Here they are 500-1000 years old! Some are 2 metres in diameter so very impressive but hard to get a photo at 80 metres tall. The scenery along the coast was worthy of any jigsaw or biscuit tin lid but not a road all the way North. We turned inland and went across the island to Nanaimo, a busy little port town. Interesting seeing all the logs rafted together floating on river sides and lined up at mills. They tell us that the boom days of the timber industry are over but that is hard to believe seeing the number of trees and the tonnes of logs floating.

While travelling north along the east coast we came across an interesting little town, a bit smaller than Blenheim. Every blank wall in the town had a giant mural painted on it. We must have seen 20 at least. Mostly scenes from the past depicting early settlers and their industries. Brightened up what would have been just another non-descript little settlement (was going to write Blenheim in there but thought better of it!)

 

Our night in Nanaimo was memorable for the wrong reasons. We stayed at the “Value” motel. I didn’t fully understand what the definition of value was. They gave us the option of a smoke free room…but that was a ruse. It stunk, maybe P, who knows. Rubbish bins not clean, plastic cups for a quick beverage before heading out for dinner, a bed similar to a half full wool pack, we were pleased to move on.

We stopped at Coombs for coffee and discovered that almost all the other travellers on Highway 4 had stopped too. Not because the coffee happened to be better than any on this island (and it wouldn’t have to be very good) but because the coffee shop has goats grazing on their roof! Simple attraction, grow grass on the roof, throw a couple of nannies up there and in come the tourists…think I spotted a billy as well. Further along this highway we came across Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park. Somehow a small grove of trees dodged the axe and the chainsaw. I stood beside an 800 year old, 76m tall D.fir tree. This was a magnificent tree in a very impressive stand of massive trees.

 

Following a showery night at Port Alberni we headed back to the west coast to Ucluelet, pronounced as it looks (U-clue-let), Indian I think, or “First Nations”, as the tribes are known here. Great wee spot we have here, a holiday home on the seaside, like Book-a-Bach at home. Nice to be able to cook our own meals for a change. Ucluelet and Tofino North of here are very popular weekend destinations from Vancouver in the Summer. It was interesting today that we had to buy a $15.00 48 hour pass to park in the National Park. We have been walking and driving, taking a guided walk in the woods, all the touristy stuff but haven’t seen another Kiwi yet – nor a bear wolf or cougar! The rainforest has similar ferns, moss and creeks but the trees are very different.  A couple more nights here, then we will cross the island again and travel North to Campbell River… driving carefully on the wrong side of the road – the right side.

First jottings from North America

We have now left Vancouver after a fantastic week with Blair and Meghan in their downtown apartment. It has been wonderful to see where they live and work amongst the hustle and bustle of that beautiful city.

It was lovely to have a meal out with some of their friends to celebrate my 60^th birthday. That was a surprise as I thought I had planned it to be very low key!! We used their bikes to explore the surrounds as there are safe dedicated cycle lanes and it gave us a chance to slowly get used to the ‘right’ side of the road.

Meghan works Saturdays so Blair drove us up Mt Seymour ski-field and then we walked up Dog Mountain. It was a 6km return easy walk made a little more difficult by snow! They had a late snowfall a few weeks ago and it has not all melted so not quite what we are used to.

Now we have ventured forth in Blairs car for a trip around Vancouver Island. Our first stop was very special. We spent 2 nights with a new ‘cousin’ of Rob’s who he has found through his DNA matches. Lesley and Ron live just out of Victoria in a lovely 2 hectare property. Lesley is a passionate gardener but also a very talented fabric artist with an incredible purpose-built studio. Ron is retired but very active in local sailing competitions anywhere around the Island. We enjoyed a walking tour in Victoria with the history of the BC capital city and Chinatown. Our next visit today was a lovely lunch with the parents of Kirsten a Canadian friend of Hayden’s who has done the opposite to Blair and has residency in NZ.

The weather is very pleasant here and getting better every day. The days are long starting at 4.30am to 9.15pm. We are heading up the West Coast but have to criss-cross a few times. We will keep you posted as we explore.

Just the missing photo maybe

The Girl from Ipanema

Our last day of touring South America...seems like it has been 3 months, so many things we have encountered, discovered and experienced.

Yesterday was our only all day free day with nothing scheduled by Williment, our travel company. But we did have an evening excursion, more of that later. We filled half of our day visiting Rochino favela, a slum. There are several in Rio de Janeiro housing 2 million or so people and this is the biggest one with 250,000. What an experience....south Auckland looks a bit depressing but this favela takes slums to a new level. The living area is so small and there are no green areas or play areas, I would imagine if one person caught a cold or got chicken pox, then they all get it. We were told that there are 80% employed, 10% unemployed and 10% are criminals. Drugs are a problem, mostly marijuana and cocaine, they had not heard of Methamphetamine or "P". The people though are poor but happy. When some of the shanties were knocked down and an apartment block built, the inhabitants built another shanty further up the hill. It was a very interesting half day tour and certainly makes us appreciate what we call home.

Put this in for Blair and any other electrically minded people. All the shantys have power, and running water and we were led to believe they have a waste disposal system. On further questioning about how that works the answers became more and more vague so I left it. Who knows what happens.

 

 

 

 

 

We didn't find time to visit "the girl from Ipanema" but she does exist and has become famous because of the song. She is now in her 50's and is reputed to be still quite beautiful. Ipanema is the next beach south of Copacabana, it is not as big and not quite as popular but still beats Castlecliff or Woodend on a good day. The are reports of a song called "the girl with Emphysema" to the tune of the popular song but not sure if it is modelled on a real girl. Not a lot smoke here which was a bit surprising. 

We are sitting in the Rio airport right now awaiting a boarding call to Santiago, Chile, a 2 hour lay over then 13 hours to Auckland. Pleased to be heading home but I would happily stay touring for another month.

Until next time, see ya.