Cold As Ice

Tuesday September 25th

And it was a cold night, Rach was dressed in all clothes to hand and was still frozen, as was my toothpaste again!

To start the day we went and did the touristy thing of going up the Banff Gondola, a cable car that stretches its way up the side of Sulphur Mountain to a summit at 2255m. The day wasn't so clear but we still had great views between the clouds of the Bow Valley below us and the countless peaks around us. We also had an opportunity to throw a slightly icy snowball. After enjoying the views at the top and also a couple of hot teas (you can take Rach and Jon out of England...) we descended back down (again in the cable car, we're on holiday!) and headed into town to book ourselves up for some back country camping that we will be embarking on tomorrow. This may be the last post you see on this blog as we've been warned that there is the possibility of encounters with bears, wolves, wolverines (badgers with attitude!), coyotes and also psychotic long-horned sheep. If they don't get us then the parasites in the water will and if that doesn't do the job then the temperature should finish us off nicely. Anyway, should be a good trip!

In the afternoon we took a good walk on the C-Level Cirque to the east face of Cascade Mountain, again in snow but a good climb and great views from the lookout at the top of the walk.

On our way back to base we came across a couple of herds of elk, showing themselves off nicely for the spectators.

24/7: Very fresh last night, fresher still tonight

Run to the Hills

Saturday September 22nd

So, off to the airport and today was really all about travelling to Calgary. No major dramas apart from the captain having to reboot the aircraft on the runway, something to do with indicators. I think it scared a few people as he had to come on and apologise later with the reassuring words that as we were on the ground he had to do it but if we were in the air he wouldn't have bothered! We're staying in the glitzy Econo Lodge for a couple of nights, keeping Rach in the manner she wants to become accustomed to, and then we're heading west once more. The main difference we've noticed so far is the temperature, from 28° yesterday to 8° today, think we're going to need more thermals.

24/7: Goodbye east side and hello west side

Sunday September 23rd

The day dawns grey, wet and 3°. Enjoy the continental breakfast in the Econo Lodge (not sure which continent it was inspired by) and then hit Calgary...to discover it's shut. Nothing appears to open until 12 and even then only a few places do, mainly the big malls. Not what we'd expected. There is a nice area called Prince's Island that has been landscaped and has walks around it but other than that we can't really find positive things to say about the place. It's a pretty new city and has grown at an alarming rate and I think that has something to do with it. Basically we're looking forward to heading off into the Rockies tomorrow.

24/7: Calgary on a Sunday? Wouldn't recommend it

Monday September 24th

Blue sky and sunshine greet us this morning as we prepare to pick up a new hire car and head to the mountains. Given our experience in Calgary yesterday we weren't expecting Alamo to have a car for us and so it turned out meaning we've got a higher spec one instead, a nice red Pontiac. After stocking up on supplies we were ready to head off to the Rockies with Banff the first destination. On the way out of town we sated Rach's unquenchable thirst for sports with a quick look at the Winter Olympic site and then we were admiring the views before us as we headed towards Banff. The drive is pretty spectacular with the Rockies staring at you the whole way. There'd been a snowfall a couple of days before so we had snowy peaks against a clear blue sky, pretty perfect really. We find ourselves a campsite and set up with the prospect of freezing temperatures overnight.

24/7: Goodbye Calgary and hello snow-capped mountains

Downtown

Wednesday September 19th


Up at the crack of dawn to make the journey into Toronto to drop off the beloved Focus. We'd been told that the 60km should be possible in about 90 minutes even accounting for traffic so an hour later when we'd managed 20 it was up to Rach to navigate us around the back streets to get us to the car hire place in time. And she did it, with 3 minutes to spare.

After that excitement (!) we hopped on the subway and after a hot yomp from the nearest station arrived at our accommodation for the next couple of nights, the relative luxury of the Global Village backpackers right in the heart of downtown Toronto. We'd wondered why there were random people directing traffic at intersections as we'd walked in and as we got to the hostel found out why. A large area of downtown was in the middle of a power cut. The afternoon was spent getting our bearings before the big event of the day, the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox baseball game. We had pretty good seats and the evening was very entertaining. Not so much for the game, complete load of nonsense if you ask me, didn't get exciting until the last 20 minutes and it's not the most energetic of games, but the extra entertainment that they lay on to create an atmosphere is very funny. We had the ball being delivered by FedEx at the start, some random woman throwing the first pitch, shots of the crowd in between each innings which led to some gurning man being the star of the show, and to top it all off a race between 3 grown men in chilli suits in a free-for-all fight/race with different sections of the crowd supporting different chillis. Our guy got slammed into the advertising hoardings and looked pretty dazed. It was 3 hours quality entertainment with some game going on in the background, Toronto won 6-1 by the way.


24/7: It's basically rounders with time for adverts


Thursday September 20th



A good lie-in to recharge the batteries and then off into the big smoke. A beautiful day ahead and we were bound for the CN Tower to do the touristy thing. We got great views from the top as there was very little haze or smog today so Lake Ontario looked grand. On a clear day they reckon you can see Niagara from the top although you'd need telescopic vision I think. Once back on terra firma we did our usual thing of just going for a slow wander and ending up walking miles. We looked around the various districts of downtown and came to the conclusion that despite not being city people in the slightest we actually like Toronto. I think we must have walked a good 8-10 miles again in the day but you do get to see the city for what it is by doing that. The day was rounded off nicely with a fantastic steak dinner and some beers, lovely!



24/7: We will slow down at some point


Friday September 21st


To round off our time in Toronto, and our time on the east side of Canada, we headed for the old town area of the city. There's a distillery site that they've used as a focal point for some actual regeneration, rather than the knock it down and rebuild that seems to happen everywhere else, and it's a pretty cool place. There's restaurants, bars, galleries and workshops and you could happily wander around them all. We also had a look at the waterfront and the gardens there. With the temperatures still in the high 20s it was very pleasant walking through the trees and taking it a bit slower. This is definitely somewhere that we could happily settle if the opportunity arose, it feels very safe and despite its size very easy to get around.


24/7: When I'm hungry I am completely useless!!

Go Wild In the Country

Friday September 14th

The end of another week away and a cracking morning to boot. All the more reason to spend it an outdoors store on our way out of Montreal. The plan, once out of the store, is to head to the outskirts of Algonquin Park. It's a fair old drive and already we're now into our fourth province, Ontario, of the trip. The Focus is still holding out as well, always said what a fine car it is! We'd enjoyed our time in the cities but wanted to get back out to the countryside again and get some fresh air.

24/7: Rach in outdoor shop, pig in muck!

Saturday September 15th

Heavy overnight rain had left the poor old tent a bit wet but we were dry as peanuts in there and once packed up we were headed for the Park. We made our way to Opeongo Lake, the largest of the lakes in the park, and there are hundreds, and got ourselves kitted out for some back country camping. The only way to get to these campsites is by canoe or kayak so we got ourselves a sturdy looking canoe for two. It took us a good while to get ourselves packed up as we needed to take everything that we would need for 3 days with us. Once ready we headed out onto the water which was pretty choppy. Being the intrepid types we headed straight across the lake and found the first campsite we could, which turned out to be a fantastically secluded one with great en suite facilities (see photo). The Park is fantastic and so quiet and remote. We spent the afternoon pottering along the shoreline to see if we could spot any local wildlife and by evening the skies had cleared and it was very still with another frost forecast. The toothpaste is wrapped up warm.

24/7: Quiet enough to hear a pin drop

Sunday September 16th

The night's sleep had been a bit fraught out in back country as on several occasions we'd heard wolves howling away. Very cool to hear but a little worrying as you don't know exactly where they are. It was a cold and misty start to the day but slowly the sun burnt through and it was blue skies all the way. It was still a little choppy on the water but with my renowned nautical skills we made good progress and were able to use in anger for the first time the hand-held GPS that was kindly given to me by the guys at infoLogic http://www.infologic.biz/ - thanks Milton and Richard :-). It told us we'd paddled a good 6km and that our chosen campsite for the evening was westerly facing so we were guaranteed the sun setting on us. Once we'd set up camp we went on a wildlife hunt again and this time came across a family of 3 otters playing in the water. Great to see them up close in their natural environment. We passed the night away with a camp fire and star gazing.

24/7: Squirrels really shouldn't be hoarding that rice

Monday September 17th

Nobody likes the Monday morning commute; the feeling of a whole week of work ahead, the rush hour traffic and the colder mornings. Luckily we were in Algonquin Park, in the middle of nowhere, with a canoe to paddle a few hours back to base. Again I had to bail Rach out on the paddle home with my skills (!) as there was a significant wind. We found a lovely sheltered spot for lunch and a

quick swim before heading back to the store to hand everything back, minus the food rope (used to keep food out of the reach of bears) which we'd left tied around a tree. The weather was still glorious so we found ourselves another campsite in the park to spend the night and again watched stars from the beach of a lake.

24/7: Thank goodness Rach knows how to paddle

Tuesday September 18th

Another beautiful morning in Algonquin Park but sadly our last. This really is a beautiful place and it would have been good to have spent a lot longer here but it's time to move on again with Toronto our next destination.

On the way down we decided that it would be a good idea to add another 250km onto the journey to take in Niagara Falls, as you do. They are a spectacular sight and if you look beyond the touristy bits it's a very beautiful sight. We both didn't feel like we were actually there though, a feeling that we've had a lot recently where we still can't quite believe we're away. A very worthwhile detour though. We camped on the outskirts (well 60km away really) of Toronto ready to head in and drop the car off in the morning.


24/7: It's water flowing over rock, but wow!

Suburbia

Monday September 10th

What a difference a night in a comfortable bed makes. It basically wrote the whole day off as we took a good while to get going. We had a lazy look around Fredericton before relaxing back at Andy & Kath's place again enjoying their fine hospitality.

24/7: We really did nothing at all today

Tuesday September 11th

With our day of doing nothing behind us it was time to pick the pace up again and head onwards. We saw Deryn off on the school bus in the morning and then said our goodbyes and headed west once more. We're enjoyed our time with Andy & Kath and the kids but it was back to camping out for the time being.

We were bound for Quebec City but due to the huge distance from Fredericton we decided to stop just shy of the city and take in another RV park, just can't get enough of them! The sky was looking threatening but there was confidence from at least 50% of us that it would be OK so camp we did only to be caught in a torrential downpour, still at least the tent is good and anyway we're on holiday!


24/7: We'll camp she says, it'll be fine!

Wednesday September 12th

An early start and off we headed into Quebec City and what a lovely place it is. Very European in its styling, unsurprising given its huge French influence. We spent a good while wandering the streets taking in the look and feel of the place. It's so unlike anything else we'd seen and is very un-Canadian. The old part of the city is enclosed by the town walls and contains narrow winding streets and cobbled paths. It celebrates its 400th birthday next year so the whole place is getting a spruce up, which meant it was looking even better. Happened upon a chocolate museum as well that was also giving away some very fine free samples, which it would have been rude to have declined. This is the first major town that we would recommend a visit too certainly. Sadly we had to head onwards in the afternoon with Montreal beckoning, but we'd enjoyed our brief visit.



24/7: Big breakfast, chocolate, baguettes. That's much better

Thursday September 13th

Another day, another city. This time the really big smoke of Montreal. We were booked into a B&B in the centre of town for the night meaning that we could actually go out and enjoy some of the evening entertainment, or just have a few drinks! The B&B was a very strange affair run by a furtive French bloke with a penchant for small red hats. It was a really old townhouse but despite its strangeness, or maybe because of it, it was a really great place and very central. We looked around Old Montreal and the waterfront area again taking in the old architecture on display. One minute you are in shiny skyscraper land, the next old 1800s buildings and the narrow streets seen in Quebec City.

In the afternoon we headed underground to the pedestrian network that is used heavily in the wintertime because the conditions above ground are so cold and snowy. As the weather was actually very good it was strangely quiet but fascinating to see this city below a city. To complete our whistlestop tour of the city Rach nagged and nagged that being a huge sports fan she wanted to see the Olympic stadium, I gave in and agreed and we headed off to have a look. Its a bit of a concrete behemoth but an impressive structure nonetheless. Fascinating too for the fact that the huge tower that you can now go up wasn't completed until 1989, 13 years after the Olympics of 1976. It was completed despite the fact that the project was already way over budget and to this day the city still owes over $1billion for the construction, Londoners take note.


We relaxed a little in the evening and found a good place for some food and some local brews. It rounded off a packed but enjoyable day.

24/7: My French is apparently perfect Quebecois French!

Bring Me Sunshine

Friday September 7th

Already we're a week into the trip and the time is flying by. Still can't believe we're away for 6 months but getting quite used to the routine of waking up and knowing that there's no work to be done. If only that lottery win would come through soon so that we can become even more accustomed to that feeling.

We woke up in the night to the sound of a huge thunderstorm passing through, being in a tent makes these things sound even more fierce but the tent stood up to all that was thrown at it. We headed off in the morning to a place called Cavendish on PEI where there was a huge sandy beach. By the time we'd strolled along this and back the sun was out in full force and so the first swims of the trip were had, although in fairness mine was more of a splash! As the evening was closing in we found a little eatery place on a dockside that was serving lobster rolls so we had these while watching the sun set, all very pleasant indeed. To round the day off we went and took in a drive-in movie. A much better way of watching films as you sit reclined in your car with the sound coming through your radio. Fairly bizarre but enjoyable.

24/7: Rain, frost, lightning. The tent survives all

Saturday September 8th

The morning dawns and it is a fabulous morning so we decide to walk the very short distance to the beach from the campsite and have tea and muffins on the sand. Sadly today is the last day on PEI and we're heading back onto the mainland. It's a very beautiful place and very quiet.

Back on the mainland we headed for a place called Moncton, famous really for a local phenomenon called Magnetic Hill. Here you can drive to the bottom of what looks like a hill, stick the car in neutral and then effectively roll back uphill. I was quite impressed and so we did it twice although Rach was a tad more cynical about it, think it's her scientific trait!

After this maybe not so impressive natural attraction we went to a much more outstanding one on the Bay of Fundy. Hopewell Rocks are sandstone rock formations that are fashioned by the highest tides in the world. At low tide, as it was when we arrived, you can walk around on the seafloor and investigate the rocks, but when high tide comes in (and we're talking about 10m+ tides) you can kayak around the same rocks. After a good scramble around we left and headed for a campsite in the Fundy National Park.

24/7: Now that's what I call a bun!

Sunday September 9th

The day started with a slightly truncated walk around Matthews Head after my calculations on the time it would take failed to take into account a 3km leg. The walk we did manage though gave us spectacular views of the coastline of the Bay of Fundy and the tide was coming in.

Once ready for the off we were destined for Fredericton. The route took us along the main Trans-Canada highway and once again we were amazed by the complete lack of traffic, the two things that still amaze us are the lack of traffic and the amount of trees. The trees are just starting to turn colour so in a week or so's time the views are going to be fantastic.

The point of heading to Fredericton was to meet up with Andy and Kath, we used to work with Andy, and their two kids Deryn and Thomas. We followed them out to their house out of town and what a house. In about 3 acres of woodland it's a great log cabin and we're going to be spending a couple of days here. A night of catching up over a few beers was a very nice way to end the day.

24/7: Good God Andy, this is some house

Into the Great Wide Open

Saturday September 1st

The day finally arrived, after weeks/months of planning and packing we were off to Heathrow. A few tearful farewells and the delights of security control later we were off, or not. The plane sat on the runway for an hour before finally we really were off.

We landed in Halifax to sun and blue skies and the knowledge that we would be flying Air Canada all the way to Oz, which may be fairly traumatic. They certainly don't have the strict selection criteria for their cabin staff as some other airlines. Still the wine saw us through!
Our B&B for the first couple of nights looked very comfortable and the fact it had a couple of dogs there meant Rach was more than happy. A quick trip into town for some food and a drink or two and that was it for day one.

24/7: At last, time to relax and enjoy

Sunday September 2nd

Again another bright and sunny day dawned, could get used to this. We decided to take in the streets of Halifax and I think we must have walked pretty much all of them by the end of the day, anything to justify a good curry and some beers! During our walk we came across the Firefit Championships of Canada. This appeared to be some kind of serious It's a Knockout affair with firefighters from all over Canada competing against each other and the clock. It all looked very serious and in the heat pretty shattering, so shattering in fact that we had to sit down and have a beer to watch!

24/7: 10+ miles in flip-flops? Tender feet!

Monday September 3rd

Well, today was my birthday but at least I'm still in my early 30s! Quick thank you for the birthday texts that we received as well. Today we picked up a set of wheels and the irony was not lost on us as we were handed the keys to...a gleaming silver Ford Focus. The differences between this one and the one that was gleefully handed back a couple of weeks ago are pertty large and it isn't too bad, i.e. it goes!

The plan was to head north to the Cape Breton region of Nova Scotia and get settled into the way of camping and being relatively self-sufficient. For that we would need some food and some gas for our little stove. The first was easy as there are stores in abundance but the second was a little trickier. We decided that maybe trying to buy something as specialised as camping gas on Labor Day weekend in Halifax wasn't the best idea and surely they would have plenty of places to buy it in the National Park. 4 hours later and still light on camping gas we arrived at a place called Antigonish. An investigation of the Wal-Mart there brought home the reality that we had a fantastically light stove but that the propane in North America is not compatible for it. Hey-ho then, we now have a twin burner gas stove that does the job nicely and will be with us for the next 5 or so weeks.

The scenery in this part of the world is stunning and much like New Zealand if you see more than a couple of cars in your rear view mirror you're unlucky. It's forests as far as the eye can see and great ocean roads to wind along.

24/7: Camping gas you say? Not round here

Tuesday September 4th

We entered Cape Breton National Park today and headed off on our first decent walk of the trip, the Skyline Trail. The promise of seeing whales, bears and moose meant that not only were you going to get great scenery but also a chance of seeing some of the local wildlife up close, hopefully not too close in the case of the bears. We'd seen no sign of moose at all on the first part of the walk but had enjoyed some spectacular views out over the Gulf of St Lawrence as we walked along a ridge line, but as we started the second half of the walk we turned a corner to find a gaggle (well 4) of people pointing at a bush and taking photos. Sat down under the trees was a moose, quite happy to be the centre of attention. We saw another couple on the remainder of the walk too, which was great.

Our campsite for the evening was in a fantastic location with views out to sea and forests all around, exactly what we'd hoped to be doing.

24/7: 6pm? That must make it mosquito time!

Wednesday September 5th

The sound of rain on canvas is never a good one, especially when you're under it, but luckily it wasn't a huge downpour and we'd been lucky with the weather so far anyway. It did make for a great drive along the coast though with grey skies and rainbows. We did another couple of walks in the National Park before we headed off on the road bound for Prince Edward Island. A long distance to cover so we stopped en route at an RV park to camp the night. What a place, trailers galore and country music playing non-stop in the washrooms. A must for any tourist!

24/7: If only cruise control was auto pilot

Thursday September 6th

The local radio had been saying that a fresh night was in store but we didn't expect it to come true so when we woke at around 6 and found ourselves looking at our own breath we knew it was a tad brisk. The fact that I crunched my way to the washroom meant that we'd had the first frost of the trip and had put our sleeping bags properly to the test. Rach had added some extra layers of warmth but it all seemed to pass muster.

An hour down the road and we were crossing onto Prince Edward Island via the very impressive 9-mile long Confederation Bridge. PEI looks like a very nice place and again the sense of open space and quiet is not lost on us. You get used to the crammed nature of the UK and when you hit somewhere like Canada it brings home exactly how crammed it is.

We pitched the tent at a campsite on the north of the island planning to spend a couple of nights here before heading to Fundy National Park at the weekend.

24/7: Frozen toothpaste, not good for sensitive teeth!