Last days in Canada

Ah, nothing lasts 4ever. Here we are at the end of our glorious time with Kath. Actually, I'm home already sitting at our study table but I'm pretending I'm still Up Over. Second last day Laurel wanted some photos of a beautiful little garden on a block just down the road from kath's flat. Hence the first three above. The last 2 are at the Vancouver airport and shows a very significant bird and frog lady, although I didn't read up on their significance so let's pretend together.

Last day for Laurel was a facial with Kath after work (she started at 5:30am and has 10 straight days of it because her chief cook, Michele, is getting married on saturday).

I played golf with Kath's landlord, Calvin, and his next door neighbour Ron. We played Mountainside, the course not even a stone's throw from Kath's front door. It was a full 18 holes, 72 par and I shot 48-41. Not quite my age, unlike my mate Denis Jenkins' dad Alec, but give me time - if I live to 90 that is. There is NOTHING quite like a four-hour round of golf for sheer pleasure - and no hangover afterwards. I can think of other sources of pleasure, but FOUR HOURS! And it is even better if you have a birdie or two, which is what I managed amongst a couple of four-put greens and a couple of lost balls (Canadian golf balls don't float either). Sorry there's no photos of golf on the last day.

In summary: CANADA - New Zealand on steriods (courtesy of Laurel). Until next time - and there will be one shortly as Laurel goes to Europe and UK with Marian - hooroo folks!

Of barns and dins with cafe owners

Reading left to right: L, Kath, Steph, Mike, Sussan, Doug, Ava

The columns are actually elevators for lowering hay to the basement where the cattle are kept throughout the winter.

This is not your average sized canadian barn. By any standard, it is BIG, said several of the visitors who have or had farms in other provinces.Hi folks, today (Sunday) was different. We went to K2 Ranch on the westside of the valley where Kath helped serve lunch to around 100 folks who had come in from a nature walk organised by Nature Trust, a conservation group responsible for various tracts of land in the valley. Kath's cafe owners had agreed to cater for the group, which is why L made cookies yesterday and Kath made sandwiches along with 3 of the 4 owners, Steph, Mike and Sussan.

They held the lunch in a very large restored barn built originally in 1895 (see first three photos, reading upwards). The owner of the barn (and ranch) only let's it out for charitable purposes.

Then we came home for a while. I watched Tiger (Woods) blow a one stroke lead with 5 holes to play, losing to Y.E. Yang by 3. Kath pretended to watch with me, but fell asleep (her only excuse being that she has started work for the last 2 days at 5:30AM!). L read, and fell asleep. Ah Canada, what a wonderful place in which to sleep and/or watch golf.

That evening we went to "the Hoodoos" Grill and dined with the 4 cafe co-owners Doug & Sussan, Mike and Steph and bubs Ava (top 2 photos - we celebrated Ava's 1/4 birthday).

Tomorrow L and I drive into Invermere while Kath works. Then to Fairmont Hot Springs on 2 free passes that Kath arranged for us. Certainly is a relaxing hol.

PS for Dave Mahoney - our plane lands 8:15 am on Friday. Allow 3/4 hour to get through Customs so expect us to emerge from International terminal around 9am. Flight is Air Canada AC33 from Vancouver. See ya soon.

Hoo Roo for now, DM

Golf, cookies and sandwiches

Good ol' Kath got taking to her next door neighbours and asked if they played golf and lined up a game with them for me! So, while the girls are slaving away on a Saturday making cookies and sandwiches for a function Kath's cafe is catering for Sunday, I'm off to golf with Brad and his son Brent.

First photo above is my lame attempt to photograph the three of us on the first tee. Missed Brad so he appears in the second shot. The other photos are just to show you what great views we had! I shot 49 first nine and 37 second nine. be impressed with the 2-0ver 37; I was!!!

Calgary and back, and back

When we left our heroes they were off to Calgary, threee hours drive north and east to the prairies of Canada. They made it, on the way seeing more mountains on the road to Banff (first photo above) and spending a delightful hour in Banff itself. It was lunch time at the Wild Flour (I ordered a Latte without foam and the Aussie girl at the counter said "so that's a flat white eh?").

The Banff Springs Hotel was a delight to see - its designer ought to get an award for his whymsical spirit and cheekiness because that is what the place looks like (see second photo) and not even the mountain setting (third photo) could detract from its off-beat beauty.

Not photos of Calgary I'm afraid, but L and I overrode on the free tram (I mean light rail transit) while Kath met Jeremiah for dinner. L and I then had cocktails and dins in the hotel before zzzeding off as kath came in the door. On the way out of Calgary we went shopping - first for winter clothes for Kath and then for her cafe restocking. the weather CLOSED in and we drove home almost all the way in rain with clouds down on the mountains (last photo reading upwards above).

Today kath worked and we lazed about. L reading through Kath's bookcase and me playing golf down the hill from kath's place. Then in the afternoon it was more reading for L and watching Tiger Woods in the 2nd round of the US PGA on TV. Its a dirty job, but someone's got to do it! Tonigth Kath cooks some Canadian beefsteak and we while away the time. Hard to believe we are into our last week here!

Golf and Patchwork shops

Al was true to his word. the very next day he and I and a friend of his, Keith, have an 8:20am hit off at the Copper Point Golf Club Ridge course! Every tee saw me looking around 360 degrees at Canadian Rockies. Amazing.

The golf was ok too although my faux par was to beat mine hosts by 1 and 3 shots respectively. Sounds impressive if I say I shot an 84, but that is until I tell you the par was 62 (golfers of all grades and persuasions will know what this means). Because we used carts (believe me I would not have been able to walk the 18 holes pulling a buggy because it was SO up and down) we finished by noon. I then walked home via the golf course that abuts Kath's place not knowing thet laurel had just left to walk to Kath's coffee shop via the road. That meant a quiet afternoon for me and a pleasant coffee-shop afternoon for Laurel.

Tuesday (today) we had turkey lunch at the cafe cooked and 'carved' by Al's fiance Michelle (see photos) before a trip to Invermere with me as driver. Actually, Laurel and I both drove by mutual agreement, but I was the one sitting behind the wheel saying repeatedly "passenger in the gutter" each time I turned right ... I mean, left. Laurel went to one patchwork shop while I hunted out some vacuum cleaner bags for Kath's VC at the local Bunnings (read Homewares) store. Then I hung around at the second patchwork shop while Laurel chatted up the friendly Canadian shop assistant and bought enough fabric to make her day - possibly her week.

Tomorrow Kath has arranged a trip to Calgary for us to see the prairies and for her to have dinner with Jeremiah, brother of Caleb, and his girlfriend. Kath stayed with Jo and Caleb before she came to Canada. Kath met Jeremiah when he was visiting Down Under a couple of years ago. He is visiting Calgary so Kath said "let's go". We drive there, stay overnight, see some sights and then drive home. Round trip 620kms!

Hopefully, I'll have some photos of the trip. By all for now, DMM

A quiet weekend around Fairmont

I am pointing to Bison Pot Roast - it tasted a lot like beef, only stringier. Sunday was also quiet. We met some more of Kath's friends, Michelle who works in the cafe and her fiance Al who suggested we play golf together if and when he gets time off driving the rafters' bus.

We ate Saturday night after the hang gliding with Sally (the journo who "lined up" kath with a job) and her Canadian fiance Aaron.Last hangglidder coming in!

Kath and L at the hanggliding.

Northernmost parts (for us)

Hello folks. Again reading the phots upwards we start at Maligne Lake with the three flags flying (one Canada, one BC, one the lake itself! The lake's name is pronounced mar-ling 'cos its taken from the diary of a Roman Catholic French missionary priest who came originally to bring the gospel to the local Indian tribes (called First Nation people for the PC). he made one particularly bad river crossing in the area and declared it "particularly evil" or 'malignant'.

The 2nd and 3rd photos show how beautiful the lake and surrounds are. On the way back, voila some wildlife (photo #4). Back at Fairmont Hot Springs next day we saw hanggliders landing lakeside at Invermere (up the road from Fairmont) on a sunny, balmy afternoon.

See ya folks. Dennis

Athabasca Glacier

The wildlife in the top photo WASN'T on the glacier! But as for the rest, how breath-taking it all was. Where we are standing the glacier is almost as thick as the Effiel Tower is high. It was also a bit nippy at 12 degrees but the guide said the weather could not have been more favourable. The drive after this was more superlative on superlative. There were a dozen or more named glaciers along the parkway even more spectacular, but not as accessible. Again, Kath had arranged it all for us in advance.

By the way, at this stage we had just left the Banff Nat Pk and were now in the Jasper Nat Pk at the start of the Columbia Icefield which is the source from which all the glaciers in the area "flow". The icefield is permanent because it is above 3000 feet (the snowline differs, Wikipedia tells me, depending on latitude but here 2800 is about "it").

After this thrill it was on to Sunwaptu Falls for the night, driving along the Icefield Parkway with the Athabasca River to our left and mountains either side. No prizes for guessing the source of the Athabasca River. Fascinatingly, the water that flows down it finishes in the Atlantic. Other melting ice from the Columbia Icefield finishes in the Artic Ocean and other in the Pacific Ocean.

Have I said this already: Canada reminds me of NZ only writ-large. See ya, Den

LLouise

Can't resist a commentary after all. I took so many bad photos but no one knew until Kath grabbed the camera to see how a shot of a squirrel in the grounds of the gondola/chair lift turned out. I had taken the pathway! So she said "and he is in charge of the camera"! Cracked me up (as you can see from the first photo above).

The next three photos reading upwards from here are of Lake Louise in some of its beauty and the Victoria Glacier that backdrops it. The top photo? I finally got a squirrel in focus and closeup!

At Lake Louise

I cannot get the photos to load so that tells you about my E-skills eh? But to continue. I don't know what time we arrived at Lake Louise because it stays light until 10pm but we checked in and the Chalet Lake Louise (a pic to come if and when I ...) and ate in the downstairs Glacier Saloon (yee-haar).

The lake and the glacier "behind" it must be one of the most famous tourist spots in Canada because Canada was ther when we arrived, walking around the lake in front of the "chalet". As so often on the Kath Tour, words and pictures can't really express the beauty and the majesty of the scenery. I have come to see the combination of light blue water, forests of fir trees and imposing mountains as quintessential Canada. Glaciers and waterfalls (not at the same location) are just cherries on the top. Many times I found myself exhaling and involuntarily saying "aahhh" at the scenery. The photos, even if I knew how to use the camera, only show a glimpse. I'm afraid it is a sign of aging that I have one set of glasses to see up close, another to see long distance and a pair of sunnies to boot. Needless to say, for me, taking photos is one long glasses-on glasses-off. At least that's my excuse for why the photos are as they are.

Some lessons along the way - Kath taught us how to tip (20%!!), how to drive (gotta keep that Buick symbol on the front of the car close to the inside white line in order to stay in the middle of the lane), how not to ask her a lot of questiona about what we are seeing and about Canada because she's only been here 4 months herself.

Fascinating about Canadian forests. They let bushfires (wildfires here) burn unless people or buildings are threatened because they see them as clearing dense forest, providing fertiliser to the soil and allowing dormant pinecones to germinate (they need 45 degrees of heat). But, because the growing season is short (in some places only 2 months) the forests take decades to regenerate. that is so unlike Oz where regeneration can happen in a few years.

Today is saturday and L and I are "chilling out" while Kath works at the coffee shop. Tonight she has arranged for us to meet the journo who was the link person for Kath to get her job. We are meeting at the local Invermere pub and watching Canadians jump of some high point or other into the bay while we eat and chat.

Guess that's it for now. the next two blogs will be photos only - of Lake Louise and the Althabasca Glacier. In terms of the tour we were still heading north at that stage towards Jasper. See ya. Den

Same day, same tour - en route to a glacier!

The drive north goes through Kootney Nat Pk to Banff Nat Pk where the famous Lake Louise resides. On the way we got our first look at the Rockies up close (well, sort of) as L and Kath pose in front of 'em. Kath, however, preferred to photograph some bees on the flowers immediately behind the stone wall (2nd pic up). Another first is the 3rd pic - mountains with snow and ice still on 'em.

At Lake Louise we first went up the gondola/chair lift where K&L posed with the valley of Lake Louise a bit clouded over as backdrop. I know, where's the lake? Next blog folks - by the way, all things Louise, and notably the lake, are named after Queen Vic's 6th child Louise Caroline Alberta. Since we left Kootney Nat Pk we passed from British Columbia into Alberta. Wonder who that province was named after? By this stage L & I had gotten used to being passengers while Kath drove on the right (wrong) side of the road and to the size of 'regular' in the 'to go' coffee cups.

Kath let her hair down for our accommodation that night... next blog! Love to all back in Oz - Den

Kath's whirlwind tour of 3 National Parks: opening scene

Wow folks, what a tour. I think we packed a week's worth into three days on the road (oops, that's parkway, I mean). But before we begin the highlights of the highlights, first comes two photos (You have to read up the page because I can't work out how to reorder them.) First opposite is Kath's fridge door. It may not be a good shot (more of that later) but all the extended Mahoney clan is up there somewhere (Chris, you are in the sign above Ali's head) and so is Janet Weston. Her poem is also on the door (not in the pic). Second shot is the pfront of the package of quilt patterns Laurel received from a Canadian store. The address you probably can't read is "Kath's Mo c/o Sally Waddington etc etc".

Now, let the tour begin. Start is the canyon we drove through at Radium Hot Springs which is also entrance to Kootney Nat Pk. The first couple of shots are in the canyon and thru 'tuther side.