So I just spent the last three days in Edmonton with Constance and it was great! I finally got to meet her roommate Bronwen whom I have heard an awful lot about. Also got to see Mike again which was fun cause he is an awesome guy.
We arrived on Wednesday night and didn't get up to much since I was pretty exhausted from having driven 11 hours. We just hung out and chatted which was all I could really manage.
On Thursday Jasper and I were on our own as Constance still had to work. It was about 30 degrees outside and we went for a walk along the river and then went to the legislature building which has a shallow pool out front that you can play in. Jasper went on a tour of the building but 3 just chilled outside in the shade by the pool enjoying the last 30 degree weather I will see for a while I am sure. We headed back to Constance's to meet her after work and broke out the bottles of wine around 4. Thd rest of the night is a mess of wine drinking and playing Apples to Apples which is a pretty awesome game.
On Friday, Constance took us around Edmonton a bit. We went to the Telus World of Science which was a lot of fun. We also went out to her parents place for a bbq. Adam arrived that night and we had another night of drinking and Apples to Apples. That game is so addictive!
Saturday, Adam and I spent the day at the West Edmonton mall which is just insanity. I think we must have walked around looking at things for two hours before we even did any shopping. They have a roller coaster, water park, shooting range, pirate ship, sea lions, casino, submarines, ice rink, pretty much anything you can imagine. Not to mention all the stores! After the mall, we went out for dinner with Constance, Mike, Bronwen, and Jasper. Then we headed out to a hotel by the highway since we were setting off at 6 the next morning.
We actually left at about 5.45 and hopefully we can make good time to yellowknife!!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Saskatchewan to Edmonton
We left the cabin at ridiculous o'clock because I had aspirations of making it to Edmonton by 7pm that day. We blew through Saskatchewan with a few short breaks in Saskatoon, where I waved at the town for Sam, and Lloydminster, where I waved at Wade Redden for my dad. The best thing about driving through Saskatchewan, aside from the divided highway (two lanes!!), was that with cruise control, you're barely driving, its more like steering once every 20 mins or so :P
With only one minor bump along the way - the highway was closed at one point and we had to take a big detour on a gravel country road in order to get back to the highway. This does nothing to negate the stereotypes that Canadians live in the boonies, in igloos and our main highways are dirt. Anyways, it was pretty much smooth sailing from the cabin into Edmonton. we got slowed down by some heavy fog as we left the cabin but when the sun came up it all dissipated.
I got in to Edmonton at about 5.30 and got to see Constance again! YAY! Edmonton is having a heat wave right now so it is about 30 degrees here. So we spent most of the evening sitting on the balcony having some beers and chatting before trying to fall asleep in Constance's sweat box, also known as her apartment with the broken AC.
Good day of driving all around.
I'm in Edmonton now until Sunday when Adam and I are heading to Yellowknife!!
I got in to Edmonton at about 5.30 and got to see Constance again! YAY! Edmonton is having a heat wave right now so it is about 30 degrees here. So we spent most of the evening sitting on the balcony having some beers and chatting before trying to fall asleep in Constance's sweat box, also known as her apartment with the broken AC.
Good day of driving all around.
I'm in Edmonton now until Sunday when Adam and I are heading to Yellowknife!!
Manitoba At Last
For anyone that has ever driven across Canada, or across Ontario, you will know the sheer joy you feel when you see the 'Welcome to Manitoba' sign. It takes FOREVER to get out of Ontario and you start to think that you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel. But you do, and that light is Manitoba. Not the most exciting place, but still awesome since it is no longer Ontario.
We decided to take it easy through Manitoba and do a bit of sight-seeing. We drove down to Winnipeg because I wanted to see the St. Boniface Cathedral. It was mostly destroyed by fire so ther is only the outer shell of the cathedral but it is easy to tell it was pretty amazing in its full glory. They have built a church within the remains of the cathedral that is pretty nice. One of the main reasons that I wanted to go is because they also have the tomb of Louis Riel there. Anyone who studied Canadian history will know the significance of Louis Riel not only for Manitoba but for all of Canada. If you don't, I suggest you look him up. He's a pretty interesting story.
After we visited the cathedral, we walked into the downtown area towards the well-known Forks Market. Its an enclosed market area filled with little shops and eateries and things. We did a bit of shopping and saw a guy making glass jewellery, which was really cool. I also ate real homemade Ukrainian perogies which were heavenly! One of the interesting things for me, probably not for Jasper though, was that we walked by the nuilding site for the new Human Rights Museum that is under construction. It is set to be built in 2012 and is currently about 40 million over budget. Its a little controversial to say the least. They haven't really done much progress on it, but I've seen drawings of what it is supposed to look like and it should be amazing. I plan on going back to visit it once it is built.
After that, we headed out for a little fun and exercise at a corn maze. I don't even know how big it was, but it was HUGE! Jasper and I had a race to see who could complete the scavenger hunt and find their way out of the maze the fastest. Neither of us could complete the scavenger hunt but I was the only one to find the proper exit, so I WIN!!! I also got eaten alive by mosquitoes and covered in mud. A good day over all.
We then headed to Jason and Sam`s cabin in Riding Mountain National Park for the night. It was super nice of them to let us stay there and a very nice place. We finally got to just sit and relax and enjoy a beer. Thanks guys!!
We decided to take it easy through Manitoba and do a bit of sight-seeing. We drove down to Winnipeg because I wanted to see the St. Boniface Cathedral. It was mostly destroyed by fire so ther is only the outer shell of the cathedral but it is easy to tell it was pretty amazing in its full glory. They have built a church within the remains of the cathedral that is pretty nice. One of the main reasons that I wanted to go is because they also have the tomb of Louis Riel there. Anyone who studied Canadian history will know the significance of Louis Riel not only for Manitoba but for all of Canada. If you don't, I suggest you look him up. He's a pretty interesting story.
After we visited the cathedral, we walked into the downtown area towards the well-known Forks Market. Its an enclosed market area filled with little shops and eateries and things. We did a bit of shopping and saw a guy making glass jewellery, which was really cool. I also ate real homemade Ukrainian perogies which were heavenly! One of the interesting things for me, probably not for Jasper though, was that we walked by the nuilding site for the new Human Rights Museum that is under construction. It is set to be built in 2012 and is currently about 40 million over budget. Its a little controversial to say the least. They haven't really done much progress on it, but I've seen drawings of what it is supposed to look like and it should be amazing. I plan on going back to visit it once it is built.
After that, we headed out for a little fun and exercise at a corn maze. I don't even know how big it was, but it was HUGE! Jasper and I had a race to see who could complete the scavenger hunt and find their way out of the maze the fastest. Neither of us could complete the scavenger hunt but I was the only one to find the proper exit, so I WIN!!! I also got eaten alive by mosquitoes and covered in mud. A good day over all.
We then headed to Jason and Sam`s cabin in Riding Mountain National Park for the night. It was super nice of them to let us stay there and a very nice place. We finally got to just sit and relax and enjoy a beer. Thanks guys!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Day Three
We got a later wake up call this morning (which is nice) siince we are only travelling from Kenora to Winnipeg this morning. We are going to Winnipeg to see the basilica and Louis Riel's tomb. We're going to pop into the Winnipeg market as well, its supposed to be pretty good. Then we are going to a giant corn maze! its called 'A Maze in Corn' ... get it? Get it?? Anyways, it will probably be hilarious and I am looking forward to it!
After that, we are heading to Sam's cabin. Its in Riding Mountain National Park and she is so amazing for letting us stay there! It means one less expensive hotel we have to stay in, which I am very grateful for. You're a doll!!
After that, we are heading to Sam's cabin. Its in Riding Mountain National Park and she is so amazing for letting us stay there! It means one less expensive hotel we have to stay in, which I am very grateful for. You're a doll!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Kenora ... finally
Today felt a lot longer than yesterday and was definitely more frustrating!
We travelled from Marathon to Kenora, which according to Google maps is 770km, but since we took a couple side trips, like the Sleeping Giant, it seemed a lot longer than that. We left Marathon at 6am and headed for Kenora, planning on stopping at the Ouimet Canyon, the Sleeping Giant and the Terry Fox Memorial. We managed to hit all three.
The sun was just rising when we left Marathon and the view was beautiful. A light fog had settled over most of the lakes and an orange glow from the rising sun made the early morning drive pretty enjoyable. Well, I enjoyed it, Jasper slept through most of it. I also saw a couple foxes and a bald eagle that morning, but thankfully, no moose. I was pretty glad that I was heading west as the sun was rising behind me and it was BRIGHT! Also, in my sleep deprived state, I discovered that the shadow of my car looked like Shrek. At that point, after I stopped giggling, I decided it was time to stop for caffeine.
Our first stop was Ouimet Canyon. It was beautiful, and made all the more amazing by the fact that we were there at 9am and were the only people there. Its a long steep drive up to the canyon and then a short walk out to the cliff face. Its pretty amazing that these kind of places exist. next we were going to go to Eagle Canyon and walk across Canada's longest suspension bridge but when we got there, the guy was incredibly rude to us so we left ... ass!
Next we headed to the Sleeping Giant which was about 30km off the Trans-Canada. We saw three deer, one of them about 2 feet from the car. Luckily they looked pretty used to seeing cars and didn't make any attempt to jump out in front of me. The Sleeping Giant was cool and we went down to the beach and Jasper made some new friends. We were just standing by the edge of the lake and these two ducks came over and walked right up to him then proceeded to follow him around for the next 10 minutes. It was really very strange, but cute at the same time.
Our final tourist stop was the Terry Fox Memorial ... I did another full post on it so you should really read that.
After, we headed straight for Kenora with a short stop in Dryden for a stretch and to introduce Jasper to Dairy Queen. He was in heaven. I proceeded to have ice cream melt all over me ... sigh!
Tomorrow we are off to Winnipeg! I'm super excited to finally be out of Ontario! YAY!!!
We travelled from Marathon to Kenora, which according to Google maps is 770km, but since we took a couple side trips, like the Sleeping Giant, it seemed a lot longer than that. We left Marathon at 6am and headed for Kenora, planning on stopping at the Ouimet Canyon, the Sleeping Giant and the Terry Fox Memorial. We managed to hit all three.
The sun was just rising when we left Marathon and the view was beautiful. A light fog had settled over most of the lakes and an orange glow from the rising sun made the early morning drive pretty enjoyable. Well, I enjoyed it, Jasper slept through most of it. I also saw a couple foxes and a bald eagle that morning, but thankfully, no moose. I was pretty glad that I was heading west as the sun was rising behind me and it was BRIGHT! Also, in my sleep deprived state, I discovered that the shadow of my car looked like Shrek. At that point, after I stopped giggling, I decided it was time to stop for caffeine.
Our first stop was Ouimet Canyon. It was beautiful, and made all the more amazing by the fact that we were there at 9am and were the only people there. Its a long steep drive up to the canyon and then a short walk out to the cliff face. Its pretty amazing that these kind of places exist. next we were going to go to Eagle Canyon and walk across Canada's longest suspension bridge but when we got there, the guy was incredibly rude to us so we left ... ass!
Next we headed to the Sleeping Giant which was about 30km off the Trans-Canada. We saw three deer, one of them about 2 feet from the car. Luckily they looked pretty used to seeing cars and didn't make any attempt to jump out in front of me. The Sleeping Giant was cool and we went down to the beach and Jasper made some new friends. We were just standing by the edge of the lake and these two ducks came over and walked right up to him then proceeded to follow him around for the next 10 minutes. It was really very strange, but cute at the same time.
Our final tourist stop was the Terry Fox Memorial ... I did another full post on it so you should really read that.
After, we headed straight for Kenora with a short stop in Dryden for a stretch and to introduce Jasper to Dairy Queen. He was in heaven. I proceeded to have ice cream melt all over me ... sigh!
Tomorrow we are off to Winnipeg! I'm super excited to finally be out of Ontario! YAY!!!
Inukshuks
So, as I've been driving along the Trans-Canada, I've noticed a ridiculous amount of inukshuks along the highway. Now, I've been told that inukshuks are supposedly used by native people to mark a path, or a good fishing or hunting site, etc. I'm kinda wondering where these inukshuks came from, who put them there and why. Cause I'm pretty sure that the rocks that line the Trans-Canada are not very good fishing or hunting sights... unless you are hunting moose in the middle of the night with your car. Which thankfully I am not :)
Any insights fellow Trans-Canada travellers??
Any insights fellow Trans-Canada travellers??
Terry Fox
I'm standing at the Terry Fox memorial and feeling a bit emotional. Its just amazing what he did, and at the age of 18. At 18 I was at university and partying, not raising millions of dollars for cancer research by running across Canada. I know we can't all be Terry Fox, but we can all do our part, and his memorial reminded me of that. So courageous, so inspiring and so humble. I hope to be half the human being he was one day. And I'm definitely not going to whine anymore about being tired from driving.
Thanks Terry!
Thanks Terry!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)