Greetings loyal minions! How are we all doing on this fine week before the holidays? I'm getting myself ready for a long weekend of studying (more on that in a future episode) and relaxing in front of my computer. It won't be until next week that I actually make it back home to celebrate with my family.
What I'd like to talk about this week came from a conversation I had with Dad just recently. He's interested in doing a camping trip in the Spring, and since he's considerably more on the ball than I am he's already thinking about getting some preliminary planning in place. You see, the issue that so frequently pops up with a trip to Killarney (which is what's were thinking of) is that they've placed a maximum time limit for how far ahead you can book a camp site. (I believe the time limit is 5 months, though I could be off by a month on that.) This makes it so that people can't book up sites years in advance, but what it also does is make a definitive date for when you MUST book a site if you're planning on heading to a popular lake at a popular time of year. Now, the said, we tend to enjoy camping slightly outside of the main camping season just to enjoy a bit more peace and quiet, but that doesn't mean that we can relax on booking a lake. This means that if we have a specific plan in mind to be camping in May we should actually be reserving our preferred lake sometime next month. You see now how organized you have to be in order to get a successful camping trip to Killarney in order; if you're not thinking about things well in advance it's possible your camping trip will fail at the reservation phase.
So yes, even though we're currently experiencing the kind of weather that makes me want to be anywhere BUT a tent, it's time to start considering the options. We had a really smooth run for our Fall trip in September, with a single, medium length portage that went incredibly smoothly thanks to some good packing and organization. I think this has emboldened Dad to try for something a little deeper into the park. As with all things natural the harder it is to get to a lake in Killarney the better it's likely to be. The other suggestion I made was something that we've been discussing for a couple years now as a backup plan in case we weren't able to get our first choice of lakes, but have never ended up doing - going for one of the camp sites in the channel between the mainland and Philip Edward Island in the Georgian Bay. I've always thought that sounded like a neat trip, but we keep coming back to the fact that we enjoy camping in Spring and Fall when rough weather are genuine concerns, and if ever some nasty weather was to roll into the area it's likely to come in off the Bay, which means those sites would likely be the hardest hit. It's a possibility that's always relegated those sites to Plan B or even Plan C.
Whatever the case may be, we already starting the preliminary planning for a trip sometime in May. Anyone with some input on this proposed trip, or an interest in attending should probably speak up sometime soon since I'm sure the discussions will begin in earnest when I'm home for New Year's Eve. Also, keeping in mind the lengthy advanced booking requirements, if anyone would like to do a summer trip to Killarney it might not be a bad idea to start getting the ball rolling sooner rather than later.
For now I think I'll stick to my nice, warm house away from the wind and snow. Still, it can never hurt to think about these things. I hope that you're all cosy and warm wherever you happen to be right now, and getting ready to enjoy the holidays. This will be the last post before Christmas, so I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I will talk to you again next Tuesday for the final post of 2010! How exciting! Until then be well, eat lots of good holiday foods, and enjoy the company of friends and family as much as you possibly can. See you next week!
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Back In Action
Okay, looks like I've got my computer back in a more stable working condition. I had a video card go on me, but it looks like I was concurrently experiencing issues with some RAM I'd recently installed, which were much harder to diagnose. Anyway, my screen has stopped randomly flickering, and my computer hasn't recently rebooted for no apparent reason, so I think I'm okay... for now.
News reports are coming in that cleanup of the highways near Sarnia is underway. Glad to hear that everyone back home is doing okay. That was a bit of a shock to see "near Sarnia" come up in the headlines on my news RSS feed on Monday. Even more shocking to click the link and see a place that I recognized in the picture. It's not every day that I visit a news site and see the Godfather's Pizza in Petrolia.
Well, with all that excitement past, here's what I'd intended to talk about yesterday: motorcycles. Yes it's be a very motorcycley (yeah, I just made that word up) week for me here. Last Tuesday I went to an invitation-only launch event for the new CBR250 at Honda's brand-new facility just North of here. They were sending out invites to all the owners of the CBR125 to come see their latest offering in the sports bike space. As the name implies the CBR250 is a 250cc bike, and hence has twice the displacement of mine. This doesn't mean that it's twice as fast though. In fact, most 250cc bikes are still classed as entry-level machines, and the 250 probably wouldn't be a significant enough step up for me. Still, it was really cool to get a tour around their state-of-the-art facility and see the new bike. I was even first in line to sit on the demo model they brought out. Given that this bike is new to the North American market and they only received it the day before the launch event I'm pretty sure that makes me one of the first people in Canada to sit on a CBR250. Now if only they'd left the keys in the ignition...
This event was followed up by the motorcycle show on Saturday at the convention centre. That was a lot of fun! There are just tons of bikes sitting out that you can throw a leg over. It's great to actually sit on the bikes and see how they feel. It was a bit discouraging though, as I've been really set back in my hunt for my next bike. I had a handful of candidates that, on paper, looked like excellent bikes for me to move up to. The number one contender was the Kawasaki Versys, and so it was the first bike that I sought out when I got to the show. I hopped on the bike and immediately felt the comfortable, up-right seating position, and relaxing ergonomics. I also felt a big empty space beneath my feet since I couldn't touch the ground. Almost every bike that I was interested in yielded the same results. I wanted a lower powered sport touring machine, something with around 600cc but a comfortable riding position, and it turns out that these tend to be taller machines... too tall for me. Mind you, I could usually touch the ground with my toes, so theoretically I could still ride the bike, I'd just have to put a slight lean on it at stop lights. Problem is that I'm just not comfortable with that. When I come to a stop I want the bike upright and completely under my power. If I have to lean over and can only get one foot on the ground I'm just not going to be in a happy place... especially if there's something loose or slippery on the ground below me.
So, it was very much back to the drawing board for me in terms of figuring out where I go from here. The simple answer may be to enjoy another season on my current bike and see where that takes me. I had a seat on the Honda Shadow while I was there and found it to be immensely comfortable to sit on. In terms of sheer comfort the big cruiser might be exactly what I'm after. I'll have to take one out those and see how it handles. If it can't do a reasonable job of carving corners then I'm just not interested. Also, I'm not sure I want to grow the massive beer belly and equally massive beard necessary to be riding a cruiser.
Well, that's all I have to report this week. My search is, thus far, completely inconclusive, but since the riding season is still 5(ish) months away I think I'll be okay. Hope everyone back home is enjoying all that snow, and I hope everyone out West is enjoy not having any at all. Have a great week everyone.
News reports are coming in that cleanup of the highways near Sarnia is underway. Glad to hear that everyone back home is doing okay. That was a bit of a shock to see "near Sarnia" come up in the headlines on my news RSS feed on Monday. Even more shocking to click the link and see a place that I recognized in the picture. It's not every day that I visit a news site and see the Godfather's Pizza in Petrolia.
Well, with all that excitement past, here's what I'd intended to talk about yesterday: motorcycles. Yes it's be a very motorcycley (yeah, I just made that word up) week for me here. Last Tuesday I went to an invitation-only launch event for the new CBR250 at Honda's brand-new facility just North of here. They were sending out invites to all the owners of the CBR125 to come see their latest offering in the sports bike space. As the name implies the CBR250 is a 250cc bike, and hence has twice the displacement of mine. This doesn't mean that it's twice as fast though. In fact, most 250cc bikes are still classed as entry-level machines, and the 250 probably wouldn't be a significant enough step up for me. Still, it was really cool to get a tour around their state-of-the-art facility and see the new bike. I was even first in line to sit on the demo model they brought out. Given that this bike is new to the North American market and they only received it the day before the launch event I'm pretty sure that makes me one of the first people in Canada to sit on a CBR250. Now if only they'd left the keys in the ignition...
This event was followed up by the motorcycle show on Saturday at the convention centre. That was a lot of fun! There are just tons of bikes sitting out that you can throw a leg over. It's great to actually sit on the bikes and see how they feel. It was a bit discouraging though, as I've been really set back in my hunt for my next bike. I had a handful of candidates that, on paper, looked like excellent bikes for me to move up to. The number one contender was the Kawasaki Versys, and so it was the first bike that I sought out when I got to the show. I hopped on the bike and immediately felt the comfortable, up-right seating position, and relaxing ergonomics. I also felt a big empty space beneath my feet since I couldn't touch the ground. Almost every bike that I was interested in yielded the same results. I wanted a lower powered sport touring machine, something with around 600cc but a comfortable riding position, and it turns out that these tend to be taller machines... too tall for me. Mind you, I could usually touch the ground with my toes, so theoretically I could still ride the bike, I'd just have to put a slight lean on it at stop lights. Problem is that I'm just not comfortable with that. When I come to a stop I want the bike upright and completely under my power. If I have to lean over and can only get one foot on the ground I'm just not going to be in a happy place... especially if there's something loose or slippery on the ground below me.
So, it was very much back to the drawing board for me in terms of figuring out where I go from here. The simple answer may be to enjoy another season on my current bike and see where that takes me. I had a seat on the Honda Shadow while I was there and found it to be immensely comfortable to sit on. In terms of sheer comfort the big cruiser might be exactly what I'm after. I'll have to take one out those and see how it handles. If it can't do a reasonable job of carving corners then I'm just not interested. Also, I'm not sure I want to grow the massive beer belly and equally massive beard necessary to be riding a cruiser.
Well, that's all I have to report this week. My search is, thus far, completely inconclusive, but since the riding season is still 5(ish) months away I think I'll be okay. Hope everyone back home is enjoying all that snow, and I hope everyone out West is enjoy not having any at all. Have a great week everyone.
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Going To Be Late
I've been dealing with some serious computer hardware issues these past few days, and only just barely got my computer into a working state this morning. Sadly I don't have time to write a proper blog entry right now. Hopefully I'll have things running smoothly tonight and I'll be able to get a post up. If not I'll shoot for tomorrow morning.
Heard there's a big snowstorm happening back home, hope everyone is okay!
Talk to you all soon.
Heard there's a big snowstorm happening back home, hope everyone is okay!
Talk to you all soon.
Tuesday 7 December 2010
What NOT to do in Toronto
As I'm sure you're all painfully aware, I really like The Gourmet Food and Wine Expo... and have been known to go on and on about this fact. It stands out as a shining example of something incredibly fun to do in Toronto that only comes around once per year. Given my great affection for this event it's no great surprise that I was pretty excited to find out about a Tequila Show taking place at the Convention Centre a few weeks after my beloved Expo. Gray and I, ever your intrepid reporters, went in search of information and drunkenness last Friday. I am unhappy to report that the Tequila Show provided us with neither of those things.
I went in envisioning the Food and Wine Expo (which covers the entire main show hall in the South Building) only with a higher proof. We found ourselves instead in one of the side meeting rooms, a region not much larger than most people's back yard. A quick tour of the room revealed two private importers offering samples of unique tequilas, both of whom we'd visited at the Food and Wine Expo, and then a handful of booths being operated by the likes of Jose Cuervo, El Jimador, and Cazadores. In other words, it was almost entirely composed of drinks that we could have just hopped across the road and picked up at our local LCBO. I looked at my esteemed brother in dismay as he declared to me in a voice heavy with his customary rage "I have literally tried every single tequila in this room." Gray is not normally inclined toward hyperbole, and this was no exception; there wasn't a single beverage on display that he hadn't sampled either on his own time, or at the Food and Wine Expo.
It's now worth mentioning the matter of cost. The Food and Wine Expo cost something in the neighbourhood of $15 to attend. It is also awesome. The Tequila Show cost $45. It is not awesome. At all.
Take that inflated cost and under-delivered experience and add to it the fact that I woke up 3 hours early that day to ensure that I could get off work in time to make it downtown for the show, and I did not leave a happy camper. So that particular event is going to get a rating of "Not Recommended."
On a positive note, Gray and I went to Duggans for dinner before we went to the show and it was, as always, amazing. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Duggans is a brewpub that's serving up beers that they are crafting themselves on site alongside some really fantastic food. If you are in Toronto that restaurant gets a rating of "Highly Recommended."
Well, I'm off to work. I hope you are all having a lovely day, and I will check in again next Tuesday.
I went in envisioning the Food and Wine Expo (which covers the entire main show hall in the South Building) only with a higher proof. We found ourselves instead in one of the side meeting rooms, a region not much larger than most people's back yard. A quick tour of the room revealed two private importers offering samples of unique tequilas, both of whom we'd visited at the Food and Wine Expo, and then a handful of booths being operated by the likes of Jose Cuervo, El Jimador, and Cazadores. In other words, it was almost entirely composed of drinks that we could have just hopped across the road and picked up at our local LCBO. I looked at my esteemed brother in dismay as he declared to me in a voice heavy with his customary rage "I have literally tried every single tequila in this room." Gray is not normally inclined toward hyperbole, and this was no exception; there wasn't a single beverage on display that he hadn't sampled either on his own time, or at the Food and Wine Expo.
It's now worth mentioning the matter of cost. The Food and Wine Expo cost something in the neighbourhood of $15 to attend. It is also awesome. The Tequila Show cost $45. It is not awesome. At all.
Take that inflated cost and under-delivered experience and add to it the fact that I woke up 3 hours early that day to ensure that I could get off work in time to make it downtown for the show, and I did not leave a happy camper. So that particular event is going to get a rating of "Not Recommended."
On a positive note, Gray and I went to Duggans for dinner before we went to the show and it was, as always, amazing. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Duggans is a brewpub that's serving up beers that they are crafting themselves on site alongside some really fantastic food. If you are in Toronto that restaurant gets a rating of "Highly Recommended."
Well, I'm off to work. I hope you are all having a lovely day, and I will check in again next Tuesday.
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Itchin' For A Roadtrip
Do you ever just get fixated on a particular vacation idea? Lately mine has been roadtripping. Every time I'm in my truck heading somewhere I want to just keep on rollin'. I'm not sure exactly what it is that's got me so keen to go for a drive. It could be just the simplicity of it all; when I'm driving down the road it means that I'm listening to good music (by my standards) and I'm not doing whatever it is that "needs" to be done at that particular moment. I'm just driving. It's also a very personal means of travel. Don't get me wrong, I'm still keen on flying, but only because it can get me to far-away locations in a hurry. The actual process of flying isn't very fun at all. Driving on the other hand lets you see each and every mile you cover while it whistles past your side windows.
This is, of course, a perfectly awful time of year to be having yearnings for a road trip. The weather is just starting to turn foul, and even if I drove South I'd be murdering my winter tires. Also, my bike's in storage, so I couldn't just throw it in to the back of the truck and go somewhere with twisty roads. I think I'm just going to have to put these roadtrip desires on hold for a little while... but sometimes getting an idea out of my head can be a difficult thing.
I should probably also get a tonneau cover for my truck if I want to bring anything more substantial than a backpack with me. Of course, who needs anything more substantial than a backpack?
Okay, I know it's a short post this week, but I just wanted to share my daydream with everyone. Have a great week and I'll talk to you all next Tuesday.
This is, of course, a perfectly awful time of year to be having yearnings for a road trip. The weather is just starting to turn foul, and even if I drove South I'd be murdering my winter tires. Also, my bike's in storage, so I couldn't just throw it in to the back of the truck and go somewhere with twisty roads. I think I'm just going to have to put these roadtrip desires on hold for a little while... but sometimes getting an idea out of my head can be a difficult thing.
I should probably also get a tonneau cover for my truck if I want to bring anything more substantial than a backpack with me. Of course, who needs anything more substantial than a backpack?
Okay, I know it's a short post this week, but I just wanted to share my daydream with everyone. Have a great week and I'll talk to you all next Tuesday.
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Food, Wine and Travel
How do you like the title of this post? Can't think of what more you could want from life!
This past Saturday I attended the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in sunny downtown Toronto. It's an annual event that takes place every November and I highly recommend that anyone who can get themselves to GTA check it out next year.
The show floor is divided into sections, each of which has it's own booths. There are collections of booths serving food everywhere, but the wine booths tend to be grouped into the country of origin, which makes for really interesting sampling. Also starting to make their presence known a little more this year were the beer and liquor booths. It's our third or fourth year attending the Expo, and it's interesting to see the shift in what's being offered at the show as it diversifies away from just food and wine. The other type of booth that is starting to become more prevalent is the travel booth. It's a sensible thing really when the wines are already being divided up by country; a tourism representative for each country just nestles in amongst the wine vendors and reminds everyone that if they're enjoying that wine there's a place where it can be found in abundance.
While I was visiting France (the section... sigh) I was able to pick up a package of tourism information for Gray and Susan who are in the process of planning a European Adventure. Also I drank some French wines, which failed to upset me in any way.
I sampled a 1985 Port while I was in the vintages section, which I think may be the oldest thing I've ever drank.
It seems like I can't attend the Expo without making some startling discovery, and this year was no exception. For the first time at the Expo there was a massive representation from The Republic of Georgia (that's the one near Russia, not the American State) which came as a huge surprise to me. Even more surprising than finding out that Georgia makes wine was discovering how good it is! I was told by one of their representatives that the region has been producing exceptional wines for centuries, but that in recent years the entirety of their stock has been exported to Russia; the demand was there and it was close so why not? Now that relations with Russia have soured however they are looking for new markets and have been kind enough to bring their wines to North America. They're right in the midst of a major marketing push to get the word out about their wines, and I'm here to help spread the good word. Well worth checking out.
In a couple weeks Gray and I will be attending The Tequila Show downtown, which should be interesting. If it follows the same format as the Food and Wine Expo (buy tickets, trade tickets for booze, drink booze) then I think the Show may last about 20-30 minutes for me before I fall over. 2oz samples of wine can be consumed for a long period of time without the effects getting too distressing... tequila? Hmmm....
Well my friends the time has come once again for me to get out there and find some adventure. I'll report in again next week on whatever I come up with. Until then, be well.
This past Saturday I attended the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in sunny downtown Toronto. It's an annual event that takes place every November and I highly recommend that anyone who can get themselves to GTA check it out next year.
The show floor is divided into sections, each of which has it's own booths. There are collections of booths serving food everywhere, but the wine booths tend to be grouped into the country of origin, which makes for really interesting sampling. Also starting to make their presence known a little more this year were the beer and liquor booths. It's our third or fourth year attending the Expo, and it's interesting to see the shift in what's being offered at the show as it diversifies away from just food and wine. The other type of booth that is starting to become more prevalent is the travel booth. It's a sensible thing really when the wines are already being divided up by country; a tourism representative for each country just nestles in amongst the wine vendors and reminds everyone that if they're enjoying that wine there's a place where it can be found in abundance.
While I was visiting France (the section... sigh) I was able to pick up a package of tourism information for Gray and Susan who are in the process of planning a European Adventure. Also I drank some French wines, which failed to upset me in any way.
I sampled a 1985 Port while I was in the vintages section, which I think may be the oldest thing I've ever drank.
It seems like I can't attend the Expo without making some startling discovery, and this year was no exception. For the first time at the Expo there was a massive representation from The Republic of Georgia (that's the one near Russia, not the American State) which came as a huge surprise to me. Even more surprising than finding out that Georgia makes wine was discovering how good it is! I was told by one of their representatives that the region has been producing exceptional wines for centuries, but that in recent years the entirety of their stock has been exported to Russia; the demand was there and it was close so why not? Now that relations with Russia have soured however they are looking for new markets and have been kind enough to bring their wines to North America. They're right in the midst of a major marketing push to get the word out about their wines, and I'm here to help spread the good word. Well worth checking out.
In a couple weeks Gray and I will be attending The Tequila Show downtown, which should be interesting. If it follows the same format as the Food and Wine Expo (buy tickets, trade tickets for booze, drink booze) then I think the Show may last about 20-30 minutes for me before I fall over. 2oz samples of wine can be consumed for a long period of time without the effects getting too distressing... tequila? Hmmm....
Well my friends the time has come once again for me to get out there and find some adventure. I'll report in again next week on whatever I come up with. Until then, be well.
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Winter Fast Approaches
Good morning my friends! The date today is November 16th, and it's a beautiful sunny day out today. The sunshine and warm(ish) weather make it pretty hard to get motivated to prepare for winter, but we all know that it could strike at any moment, so that's what I was doing this past weekend. My dear truck has gone in to the shop and had some winter tires put on (BF Goodrich Winter Slalom KSI for those who are interested) as well as some mud flaps. Of course now the weather, which was getting colder by the day, seems to have levelled off and is holding right around the maximum recommended temperature range for winter tires, so I'm constantly concerned about driving and causing unnecessary wear on my tires. Oh well, better than being caught in the snow unprepared.
After getting my tires installed I headed over to Canadian Tire to pick up an ice scraper for my windshield. It's the kind of thing that so common that you don't really think about it, but it would have been very embarrassing to be caught without.
There's a hotdog stand outside of my local Canadian Tire, and I stopped there to grab a hotdog on my way out. I was just standing there soaking up the warm sunshine, enjoying my lunch, and it occurred to me that there wouldn't be many chances to do that left in this calendar year. It's funny how we begin to savour these simple, summer activities when we know that winter is almost upon us. I've grabbed many a hotdog from that stand in my day, but for some reason the impending cold and gloom just made it taste that much better. I guess it's just part of living in a part of the world with rapidly changing seasons; you learn to enjoy what you've got while you've got it.
Of course, it doesn't have to be cold outside for me to get excited for Vegas! I'm getting pretty pumped to head South. I know that it's not going to be tropically warm down there in January, but it'll be a lot warmer there than it will be here in January. I'm sure I'll be very happy to get whatever weather Vegas throws at us.
We have been examining another potential activity for our trip down there, which may seem like a bit of a strange holiday adventure. We're thinking about hitting a gun range. Yup, that's right. Firearms. It may seem like an unusual thing for me to be seeking out, but I'm viewing this as an opportunity to try an activity that just isn't available to me here in Canada. Las Vegas' aptly named The Gun Store (http://www.thegunstorelasvegas.com/) features a firing range in which you can rent weapons from a massive catalogue. Everything from James Bond's famous Walther P99, to the infamous AK-47. They advertise that you can come shoot a real machine gun, appealing to the fact that machine guns aren't exactly commonplace items. However, for me handling any gun would be a unique and exciting experience. I've asked some enthusiast friends around here and they've assured me that, while The Gun Store will rent me a pistol to fire off a couple rounds, here in Ontario that would be quite against the law. So, as strange an activity as it may be, I think I'm going to jump on it just because it's an opportunity to do something that simply isn't available as an activity in my area.
Well my friends, that's about all for me this week. Here's hoping that you're all having a great day, and that wherever you are right now, it's still free from winter's grasp.
After getting my tires installed I headed over to Canadian Tire to pick up an ice scraper for my windshield. It's the kind of thing that so common that you don't really think about it, but it would have been very embarrassing to be caught without.
There's a hotdog stand outside of my local Canadian Tire, and I stopped there to grab a hotdog on my way out. I was just standing there soaking up the warm sunshine, enjoying my lunch, and it occurred to me that there wouldn't be many chances to do that left in this calendar year. It's funny how we begin to savour these simple, summer activities when we know that winter is almost upon us. I've grabbed many a hotdog from that stand in my day, but for some reason the impending cold and gloom just made it taste that much better. I guess it's just part of living in a part of the world with rapidly changing seasons; you learn to enjoy what you've got while you've got it.
Of course, it doesn't have to be cold outside for me to get excited for Vegas! I'm getting pretty pumped to head South. I know that it's not going to be tropically warm down there in January, but it'll be a lot warmer there than it will be here in January. I'm sure I'll be very happy to get whatever weather Vegas throws at us.
We have been examining another potential activity for our trip down there, which may seem like a bit of a strange holiday adventure. We're thinking about hitting a gun range. Yup, that's right. Firearms. It may seem like an unusual thing for me to be seeking out, but I'm viewing this as an opportunity to try an activity that just isn't available to me here in Canada. Las Vegas' aptly named The Gun Store (http://www.thegunstorelasvegas.com/) features a firing range in which you can rent weapons from a massive catalogue. Everything from James Bond's famous Walther P99, to the infamous AK-47. They advertise that you can come shoot a real machine gun, appealing to the fact that machine guns aren't exactly commonplace items. However, for me handling any gun would be a unique and exciting experience. I've asked some enthusiast friends around here and they've assured me that, while The Gun Store will rent me a pistol to fire off a couple rounds, here in Ontario that would be quite against the law. So, as strange an activity as it may be, I think I'm going to jump on it just because it's an opportunity to do something that simply isn't available as an activity in my area.
Well my friends, that's about all for me this week. Here's hoping that you're all having a great day, and that wherever you are right now, it's still free from winter's grasp.
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Who Was That Masked Man?
It's not every day that I see a news headline that I feel applies to the average traveler, but I couldn't help feeling like this latest piece of news just might apply to us all. On October 29th a young man was taken into custody in Vancouver after arriving there on an Air Canada flight from Hong Kong. The reason that this young Asian man was arrested was that he boarded the plane as an elderly Caucasian man. Frankly, I'm just incredibly impressed with the quality of his mask! He really put some serious effort into this! I wouldn't dream of re-posting a news agency's photos, but I will link you to today's CBC article which has a couple great shots of this mask:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/08/masked-man-immigration-panel.html?ref=rss
So, what does this mean for the rest of us a travelers? Probably nothing. Hopefully nothing. But...
Do you remember that case a few years back where a guy tried to blow up a plane by sneaking explosives on board in the soles of his shoes? Anyone who has flown recently remembers that story very well as they march barefoot through the metal detectors so that their shoes can be subjected to a more thorough examination. It's this "well we'd better be careful about this one specific thing" sort of a reaction that I'm the most afraid of right now. As soon as I read the first article about this fellow that everyone is calling "The Masked Man" my immediate reaction was a mental image of a security guard pulling on some poor elderly man's jowls screaming "I know you're a Chinese kid! Why won't this mask come off?" Hopefully that's just a side effect of having watched Austin Powers a few too many times.
In other news, the plans are still taking shape for Vegas. Mom, who sadly seems to have difficulties posting on this blog (I really need to get my own site that I have more control over) has made a suggestion about a spectacular light show. I believe that was called the Fremont Street Experience. Looks to be well worth checking out. I've managed to procure some really excellent seats to see Penn & Teller's magic show while we're there, so I'm very happy about that.
One of the sights that I am particularly keen to visit is Red Rock Canyon. It's just on the outskirts of Vegas, and a great place to go for a desert hike. My quest to find transportation out there has lead me to a really interesting option: http://www.dreamcarrentals.com/ These guys rent out luxury cars, but you don't have to break the bank for a 1-day rental. Yes, it's true the Lamborghini Gallardo would cost me $1,350 for the day, which is slightly out of my price range, but a much more reasonable $189 would get me behind the wheel of a BMW Z4, which I think would be a lovely way to get out to the canyon. If I'm feeling really adventurous I could even drop $159 and get on the back of a Honda CBR600... essentially the big brother of my little motorcycle. Oh decisions, decisions.
Speaking of my esteemed little CBR125, Yoshi has sadly had to go into hibernation for the winter. I put him in storage on Saturday... the same day I went and purchased winter tires for my truck... blah. Winter is nearly upon us my friends. Time to start thinking a lot more about trips to the desert.
That's all from me this week. Tune in next week for more exciting tales from the trip-planning department. Have a great week everyone.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/11/08/masked-man-immigration-panel.html?ref=rss
So, what does this mean for the rest of us a travelers? Probably nothing. Hopefully nothing. But...
Do you remember that case a few years back where a guy tried to blow up a plane by sneaking explosives on board in the soles of his shoes? Anyone who has flown recently remembers that story very well as they march barefoot through the metal detectors so that their shoes can be subjected to a more thorough examination. It's this "well we'd better be careful about this one specific thing" sort of a reaction that I'm the most afraid of right now. As soon as I read the first article about this fellow that everyone is calling "The Masked Man" my immediate reaction was a mental image of a security guard pulling on some poor elderly man's jowls screaming "I know you're a Chinese kid! Why won't this mask come off?" Hopefully that's just a side effect of having watched Austin Powers a few too many times.
In other news, the plans are still taking shape for Vegas. Mom, who sadly seems to have difficulties posting on this blog (I really need to get my own site that I have more control over) has made a suggestion about a spectacular light show. I believe that was called the Fremont Street Experience. Looks to be well worth checking out. I've managed to procure some really excellent seats to see Penn & Teller's magic show while we're there, so I'm very happy about that.
One of the sights that I am particularly keen to visit is Red Rock Canyon. It's just on the outskirts of Vegas, and a great place to go for a desert hike. My quest to find transportation out there has lead me to a really interesting option: http://www.dreamcarrentals.com/ These guys rent out luxury cars, but you don't have to break the bank for a 1-day rental. Yes, it's true the Lamborghini Gallardo would cost me $1,350 for the day, which is slightly out of my price range, but a much more reasonable $189 would get me behind the wheel of a BMW Z4, which I think would be a lovely way to get out to the canyon. If I'm feeling really adventurous I could even drop $159 and get on the back of a Honda CBR600... essentially the big brother of my little motorcycle. Oh decisions, decisions.
Speaking of my esteemed little CBR125, Yoshi has sadly had to go into hibernation for the winter. I put him in storage on Saturday... the same day I went and purchased winter tires for my truck... blah. Winter is nearly upon us my friends. Time to start thinking a lot more about trips to the desert.
That's all from me this week. Tune in next week for more exciting tales from the trip-planning department. Have a great week everyone.
Tuesday 2 November 2010
The Ball Is Rolling Again
Happy Tuesday everyone!
I'm happy to report that my internet service was restored shortly after my last blog post, and I am now writing this post comfortably on my home computer instead of trying to punch it out on my BlackBerry.
Since my camping trip with Dad at the end of September I haven't had any trips on the books, which is always a painful situation for me. I'm happy to say that I've remedied that situation. I believe I had alluded to the possibility of visiting Las Vegas earlier, but I can now officially say that that trip is booked!
I'm heading out on January 8th and staying until the 12th for one of those common 4-day Vegas excursions. I'm heading out with my friends Richard and Baseet, and we'll be staying in The Luxor, which should be pretty cool. It's funny because that hotel is very close to The Excalibur, which is where I stayed when I was in Vegas as a kid.
My next mission is to procure tickets to Penn & Teller's live show, which I've always wanted to see. Hopefully I have no issues completing that mission. Graydyn has also found a really awesome looking place to go zip-lining, which I'd like to check out. I couldn't find any mention of price on their website (http://www.bcflightlines.com/) so that could be scary... another thing I'll have to inquire into before we leave. Other than that, we have no specific plans, but I'm quite certain that three guys in Vegas are perfectly capable of finding adventure.
The zip line adventure would be a nice opportunity to get out into the desert, which is really all I want to do while in Vegas. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to visit Red Rock Canyon at some point too.
I love this phase of the "Vacation Lifecycle"; the flights and hotel are booked, we're definitely going, and now we just need to decide what to do while we're there. Of course, it being Las Vegas the options are limitless! It's very exciting!
Well, I need to godaydream about Vegas to work, so I'd better be off. With Vegas as such a popular destination though, I'm sure lots of you have suggestions for leisure activities, and I'd be happy to hear your suggestions. Just keep it clean folks, I know I'm heading to Sin City, but my Grandma reads this blog!
See you all next week!
I'm happy to report that my internet service was restored shortly after my last blog post, and I am now writing this post comfortably on my home computer instead of trying to punch it out on my BlackBerry.
Since my camping trip with Dad at the end of September I haven't had any trips on the books, which is always a painful situation for me. I'm happy to say that I've remedied that situation. I believe I had alluded to the possibility of visiting Las Vegas earlier, but I can now officially say that that trip is booked!
I'm heading out on January 8th and staying until the 12th for one of those common 4-day Vegas excursions. I'm heading out with my friends Richard and Baseet, and we'll be staying in The Luxor, which should be pretty cool. It's funny because that hotel is very close to The Excalibur, which is where I stayed when I was in Vegas as a kid.
My next mission is to procure tickets to Penn & Teller's live show, which I've always wanted to see. Hopefully I have no issues completing that mission. Graydyn has also found a really awesome looking place to go zip-lining, which I'd like to check out. I couldn't find any mention of price on their website (http://www.bcflightlines.com/) so that could be scary... another thing I'll have to inquire into before we leave. Other than that, we have no specific plans, but I'm quite certain that three guys in Vegas are perfectly capable of finding adventure.
The zip line adventure would be a nice opportunity to get out into the desert, which is really all I want to do while in Vegas. I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to visit Red Rock Canyon at some point too.
I love this phase of the "Vacation Lifecycle"; the flights and hotel are booked, we're definitely going, and now we just need to decide what to do while we're there. Of course, it being Las Vegas the options are limitless! It's very exciting!
Well, I need to go
See you all next week!
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Mobile Posting #20101026
If you're reading this then I'm horribly jealous of you. This is because in order to read this post you must have the internet, something I've been without for five days now. FIVE! That's an eternity in my world. Let me regale you all with the tale of how this all came to pass:
There's a company out the called TekSavvy Solutions who offer internet and telephone services and very competitive rates. However, since Rogers controls all of the cable lines, and Bell all the telephone lines, they are really just reselling those other companies services. The other companies are obliged by anti-monopoly laws to allow this. That said, there's nothing in the law books that says they need to be helpful about it, and companies like TekSavvy are, to an extent, at their mercy.
I had arranged that last Thursday my internet service with Rogers would terminate and I would be picking up service with TekSavvy. Rogers was quite punctual in cutting off my services with them, however the setup of my TekSavvy account is also handled by Rogers, and for some reason they haven't got around to it yet. Believe me, in this household you could cut the frustration with a knife.
There you have it folks. A gripping tale of terror just before Halloween.
In other, more exciting news, Gray, Susan, and I all participated in the CN Tower stair climb on Sunday. That was great fun! We were meeting the rest of the Computershare team at 9:00 that morning, and so we made our way to the subway around 8:00. Fun Toronto Travel Tip! Don Mills Station doesn't open on Sundays until 8:45. Write that down, it could be important someday. As it was raining quite steadily we were pretty wet by the time we got back here and jumped in the truck to drive down. Fortunately that was the only hiccup in the morning's adventure. It was still early enough in the day that Toronto's traffic was slumbering and we had a smooth drive down, managing to arrive on time despite the delay.
We met up with our team, got checked in, and lined up to get to the tower all very smoothly. In the end I was very impressed with how well organized the whole event was. Pretty technically impressive too; we were all given disposable bracelets with an electronic I'd tag in them. At the start of the stairs you passed your arm through a small scanner, the twin of which was that the top, and together they recorded the time it took you to climb. I was extremely happy with my time of 19:19 given that I'd been quoted half an hour as the average. My only regret is that Gray managed to post a time of 19:16, and I'm certain that I'll never live down this embarrassing loss.
It had been many years since I'd visited the CN Tower, and it was unfortunate that the weather was so poor; with all the rain and low cloud cover the view from the top was just a swirling sea of fog. Another Toronto Travel Tip! If you'd like to visit the CN Tower, ensure that you've got a few days in your trip that free so that you can afford to wait for clear weather to go up the tower. Also, visit in the summer so that actually stand a chance of getting the aforementioned good weather. A really nice, clear winter day might be interesting too, I may have to test that theory this winter.
Well my friends, with my computer deprived of an internet connection I'm typing this out on my mobile phone and my typing speed isn't particularly great. The time has come again for me to get to work. I hope you're all doing well, and I'll talk to you again next week.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Show Me Your Camera
Hello there my friend, how is everyone on this fine day?
As promised I attended the Digital Photography Show this weekend to gather more useful information for myself and all you other enthusiastic photographers out there. The show was hosted by Henry's Camera, so their sales counter dominated a significant section of the room, and was a major focal point for a lot of the hustle and bustle. They've got a lot of knowledgeable sales staff, and since I was with Richard, whose father works for Henry's, I was able to get a bit of face time with one of their gurus.
One piece of advice that my new pal Brian was able to offer was really a confirmation of something we'd discussed earlier: point-and-shoot cameras and DSLR cameras really do fall into the "apples and oranges" category. They are two entirely different types of machines with very different niche markets. So, when presented with my dilemma of wanting the ruggedness of my current little camera but the extraordinary quality of an SLR, he told me that what I really need is both cameras. Given that I'm already in possession of an adventurous point-and-shoot, I should keep that for when I'm in situations where I'd be afraid to have the more fragile SLR our, and have an SLR for the times where it can be safely and conveniently carried so that I can capture some really stunning photos. It was a fairly obvious conclusion, and one that had already been suggested to me, but it's still nice to have a professional tell you that you aren't missing a significant piece of data in your analysis (i.e. "BEHOLD! This is the new fully waterproof DSLR coming out in June...")
This brings me to another serious debate that I'm having. Assuming that I'd like to break into the SLR market, what one do I buy? I had actually thought that I had the answer to this question already prepared, but I may have been mistaken. You see, Nikon has just released it's new D3100 to replace the ageing D3000 as it's entry-level DSLR. This means that, predictably, the price of D3000s is dropping as the D3100 becomes the more desirable camera. I present to you Exhibit A, the price of some entry level cameras from Henry's website as of the time of writing:
Nikon D3000, no lens: $419.00 (assume more like $550 after you've got an 18-55 lens on there)
Nikon D3100 w/ 18-55 lens: $699.99
Canon Rebel XS w/ 18-55 lens: $579.99
Given those price points, and the little bit of information I'll impart in a moment, it's easy to see why Brian, when asked about the D3000, told me to buy the Canon Rebel XS. You see, the D3100 has burst on to the scene with a host of incredible features and specs which make it an incredible camera for something that's been priced as an entry-level offering. I was of the opinion that I didn't really need those extra megapixels, or cool little features and that I would be well served by a cheap D3000. However, the D3000 uses what's called a CCD sensor to capture the image. As you can imagine, the image sensor in the camera is, from a digital hardware perspective, everything. (Note, from any other perspective the lens is everything.) Well, most modern DSLR cameras are using a CMOS sensor which, without getting too technical, is apparently a LOT better. What Brian mentioned as being specifically damning of the CCD sensor is a tendency to perform very poorly in low-light situations. I'm sure that all of you who have used a simple point-and-shoot have noticed a lot of graininess in low-light shots, and I was told that you can expect the same thing from any camera, be it point-and-shoot or DSLR that's using a CCD sensor.
That said, the Canon Rebel XS, which was always in competition with the D3000, features a the more desirable CMOS sensor and isn't really that much more money.
In the end this is all just interesting food for thought, since I'm not really in a position to be buying a new camera right now, but you can see all the considerations that go into a purchase of this magnitude.
Getting away from the DSLR world, I was also eyeing up the "rugged" cameras. In other words, the ones that feature limited waterproofing, shock proofing, and freeze resistance. Olympus, who has been making a line of "tough" stylus cameras for years now, is still making a pretty big deal out of this tech. They had their booth setup with an aquarium for storing their cameras underwater. The other manufacturers seem to be creeping into this market a bit more quietly, and one camera grabbed my attention in it's own understated way. Sitting at the end of a shelf at the Fuji booth was a little point-and-shoot with all the "proofs" that attract me to that kind of camera. It didn't have many bells, and was a bit short on whistles, but it was solid, durable, and (I'm told) capable of taking a photo. What really jumped out at me was the $179.99 MSRP, which I thought was incredibly low for one of these tough little cameras. It was thin, the buttons and menus were easy to use, my only real complain was a lack of image stabilization. Still, for anyone with steadier hands than mine who happens to be in need of an adventuring camera, this may be a good option.
Lastly, just as we were leaving a cool little camera caught my eye. Actually, that's not true. It was actually a Honda CBR1000 (picture my bike on steroids) that caught my eye. They just happened to have a cool little camera attached to it. It wasn't the first time I'd heard of a GoPro camera, but it was my first chance to get a look at it. It's a brilliant little device that would fit neatly into my palm, and comes encased in an underwater housing. This housing is equipped with a variety of mounting options which allow it to be securely affixed to your bike helmet, handle bars, car dashboard, really just about whatever you could want. It then takes still shots, video, or timelapse video of whatever insanity you happen to be engaged in. It's marketed at the outdoor sports crowd, and I personally found their suggestion of using the suction cup mount to affix to the front fairing of a motorcycle quite appealing.
Well, I am once again running out of time my friends, and so I must bring this post to a close. I hope someone out there has found this information at least moderately useful. See you next week.
As promised I attended the Digital Photography Show this weekend to gather more useful information for myself and all you other enthusiastic photographers out there. The show was hosted by Henry's Camera, so their sales counter dominated a significant section of the room, and was a major focal point for a lot of the hustle and bustle. They've got a lot of knowledgeable sales staff, and since I was with Richard, whose father works for Henry's, I was able to get a bit of face time with one of their gurus.
One piece of advice that my new pal Brian was able to offer was really a confirmation of something we'd discussed earlier: point-and-shoot cameras and DSLR cameras really do fall into the "apples and oranges" category. They are two entirely different types of machines with very different niche markets. So, when presented with my dilemma of wanting the ruggedness of my current little camera but the extraordinary quality of an SLR, he told me that what I really need is both cameras. Given that I'm already in possession of an adventurous point-and-shoot, I should keep that for when I'm in situations where I'd be afraid to have the more fragile SLR our, and have an SLR for the times where it can be safely and conveniently carried so that I can capture some really stunning photos. It was a fairly obvious conclusion, and one that had already been suggested to me, but it's still nice to have a professional tell you that you aren't missing a significant piece of data in your analysis (i.e. "BEHOLD! This is the new fully waterproof DSLR coming out in June...")
This brings me to another serious debate that I'm having. Assuming that I'd like to break into the SLR market, what one do I buy? I had actually thought that I had the answer to this question already prepared, but I may have been mistaken. You see, Nikon has just released it's new D3100 to replace the ageing D3000 as it's entry-level DSLR. This means that, predictably, the price of D3000s is dropping as the D3100 becomes the more desirable camera. I present to you Exhibit A, the price of some entry level cameras from Henry's website as of the time of writing:
Nikon D3000, no lens: $419.00 (assume more like $550 after you've got an 18-55 lens on there)
Nikon D3100 w/ 18-55 lens: $699.99
Canon Rebel XS w/ 18-55 lens: $579.99
Given those price points, and the little bit of information I'll impart in a moment, it's easy to see why Brian, when asked about the D3000, told me to buy the Canon Rebel XS. You see, the D3100 has burst on to the scene with a host of incredible features and specs which make it an incredible camera for something that's been priced as an entry-level offering. I was of the opinion that I didn't really need those extra megapixels, or cool little features and that I would be well served by a cheap D3000. However, the D3000 uses what's called a CCD sensor to capture the image. As you can imagine, the image sensor in the camera is, from a digital hardware perspective, everything. (Note, from any other perspective the lens is everything.) Well, most modern DSLR cameras are using a CMOS sensor which, without getting too technical, is apparently a LOT better. What Brian mentioned as being specifically damning of the CCD sensor is a tendency to perform very poorly in low-light situations. I'm sure that all of you who have used a simple point-and-shoot have noticed a lot of graininess in low-light shots, and I was told that you can expect the same thing from any camera, be it point-and-shoot or DSLR that's using a CCD sensor.
That said, the Canon Rebel XS, which was always in competition with the D3000, features a the more desirable CMOS sensor and isn't really that much more money.
In the end this is all just interesting food for thought, since I'm not really in a position to be buying a new camera right now, but you can see all the considerations that go into a purchase of this magnitude.
Getting away from the DSLR world, I was also eyeing up the "rugged" cameras. In other words, the ones that feature limited waterproofing, shock proofing, and freeze resistance. Olympus, who has been making a line of "tough" stylus cameras for years now, is still making a pretty big deal out of this tech. They had their booth setup with an aquarium for storing their cameras underwater. The other manufacturers seem to be creeping into this market a bit more quietly, and one camera grabbed my attention in it's own understated way. Sitting at the end of a shelf at the Fuji booth was a little point-and-shoot with all the "proofs" that attract me to that kind of camera. It didn't have many bells, and was a bit short on whistles, but it was solid, durable, and (I'm told) capable of taking a photo. What really jumped out at me was the $179.99 MSRP, which I thought was incredibly low for one of these tough little cameras. It was thin, the buttons and menus were easy to use, my only real complain was a lack of image stabilization. Still, for anyone with steadier hands than mine who happens to be in need of an adventuring camera, this may be a good option.
Lastly, just as we were leaving a cool little camera caught my eye. Actually, that's not true. It was actually a Honda CBR1000 (picture my bike on steroids) that caught my eye. They just happened to have a cool little camera attached to it. It wasn't the first time I'd heard of a GoPro camera, but it was my first chance to get a look at it. It's a brilliant little device that would fit neatly into my palm, and comes encased in an underwater housing. This housing is equipped with a variety of mounting options which allow it to be securely affixed to your bike helmet, handle bars, car dashboard, really just about whatever you could want. It then takes still shots, video, or timelapse video of whatever insanity you happen to be engaged in. It's marketed at the outdoor sports crowd, and I personally found their suggestion of using the suction cup mount to affix to the front fairing of a motorcycle quite appealing.
Well, I am once again running out of time my friends, and so I must bring this post to a close. I hope someone out there has found this information at least moderately useful. See you next week.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Long Weekend Stay-cation
Good morning everyone!
I'm just coming off the Thanksgiving long weekend and getting ready to head back to work. I actually made a conscious decision not to go anywhere or do anything with my long weekend. I believe the new term for that is a "stay-cation." Some people are really promoting the concept of spending your vacation exploring your own home town, cutting out all the hassle and expense of travel. This weekend though I was taking things a step further. I didn't vacation in Toronto as much as a I took a vacation in my living room.
Gray and Susan went to Boston for the long weekend. Apparently they managed to consume all of the lobster and Champagne in the entire city, so if you're planning a trip there I recommend leaving enough time for them to restock.
Jay went home to Sarnia to visit family, and Paul headed the opposite direction, visiting his family in Kingston.
All of this left a quiet house for me to occupy, and I did so with gusto. I love being on the go, and I crave adventure, but sometimes you just need to recharge your battery. Some people love a good movie, or a good book. Some people garden or knit. Me? I play video games, and oh did I play video games. Call it a wasted weekend if you will, but I whole-heartedly disagree. I think that there is great value to be found in setting aside time to pursue our hobbies with single-minded purpose. I may not have any great, lasting legacy left behind from this epic tribute to digital entertainment, but I feel rested and ready to face a new day. In the end, I can't think of anything more that you can ask from a long weekend.
Unfortunately all of this rest has slowed my natural pace quite a bit and it's looking like I'm in serious danger of being late for work! Time for me to hustle. The Henry's Camera camera/photography show is this coming weekend, and I'm hoping to report back next week with some fresh and interesting info on all things photographic. Wish me luck, and have a great week everyone.
I'm just coming off the Thanksgiving long weekend and getting ready to head back to work. I actually made a conscious decision not to go anywhere or do anything with my long weekend. I believe the new term for that is a "stay-cation." Some people are really promoting the concept of spending your vacation exploring your own home town, cutting out all the hassle and expense of travel. This weekend though I was taking things a step further. I didn't vacation in Toronto as much as a I took a vacation in my living room.
Gray and Susan went to Boston for the long weekend. Apparently they managed to consume all of the lobster and Champagne in the entire city, so if you're planning a trip there I recommend leaving enough time for them to restock.
Jay went home to Sarnia to visit family, and Paul headed the opposite direction, visiting his family in Kingston.
All of this left a quiet house for me to occupy, and I did so with gusto. I love being on the go, and I crave adventure, but sometimes you just need to recharge your battery. Some people love a good movie, or a good book. Some people garden or knit. Me? I play video games, and oh did I play video games. Call it a wasted weekend if you will, but I whole-heartedly disagree. I think that there is great value to be found in setting aside time to pursue our hobbies with single-minded purpose. I may not have any great, lasting legacy left behind from this epic tribute to digital entertainment, but I feel rested and ready to face a new day. In the end, I can't think of anything more that you can ask from a long weekend.
Unfortunately all of this rest has slowed my natural pace quite a bit and it's looking like I'm in serious danger of being late for work! Time for me to hustle. The Henry's Camera camera/photography show is this coming weekend, and I'm hoping to report back next week with some fresh and interesting info on all things photographic. Wish me luck, and have a great week everyone.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
CN Tower
Well it appears to be Tuesday, I'm up and ready for work, and I believe that means it's time to get back in to my regular blogging routine. I do miss having something noteworthy to write about every day, but I'm pretty sure you'd all get fairly bored with a detailed description of my daily life when I'm not on vacation.
It may not be travel, but I do have an interesting adventure on the horizon. I've decided to participate in the "2010 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way" at the end of this month. I'll be ascending the CN Tower in lovely downtown Toronto, but instead of taking the leisurely elevator ride up to the top I'll be climbing to the 346 meter high Main Deck via the staircase which is normally reserved for emergency exiting of the structure. I believe that I will be using 1776 steps to accomplish this goal. Apparently 2579 steps would get us to the Sky Pod, but I don't think that's on the menu... sadly.
Basically this is one of those fundraisers where the participant is meant to put themselves through something physically gruelling while their friends and family pay money to encourage this suffering. It's a fairly long-standing tradition amongst fundraisers I believe. I see a slight problem with this logic, unfortunately. I actually WANT to climb the stairs of the CN Tower, and have in fact been quite interested in doing so for some time now. I'm not sure if that makes me a lunatic, or just a bad fundraiser, but there you have it. If you'd like to get back to the old traditions and think of this as some sort of torture for me I will mention that they won't let me bring my phone, camera, or MP3 player on the climb. Not being able to photographically document my fun, and having no music to help propel me up the tower seems a bit inhumane to me. So there you go, I'll suffer for your amusement, please give generously.
All joking aside, the cause is worthy and I'd appreciate the support if any of you would care to sponsor me on this venture. Please click the following link to donate electronically:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2776475
I'm afraid that the time has come for me to head in to the office, so I'll bid you all a fond adieu for the week. For those of you in Canada please have a lovely Thanksgiving long weekend, and for my American friends have a happy Columbus Day. I will see you all again next Tuesday.
It may not be travel, but I do have an interesting adventure on the horizon. I've decided to participate in the "2010 Enbridge CN Tower Climb for United Way" at the end of this month. I'll be ascending the CN Tower in lovely downtown Toronto, but instead of taking the leisurely elevator ride up to the top I'll be climbing to the 346 meter high Main Deck via the staircase which is normally reserved for emergency exiting of the structure. I believe that I will be using 1776 steps to accomplish this goal. Apparently 2579 steps would get us to the Sky Pod, but I don't think that's on the menu... sadly.
Basically this is one of those fundraisers where the participant is meant to put themselves through something physically gruelling while their friends and family pay money to encourage this suffering. It's a fairly long-standing tradition amongst fundraisers I believe. I see a slight problem with this logic, unfortunately. I actually WANT to climb the stairs of the CN Tower, and have in fact been quite interested in doing so for some time now. I'm not sure if that makes me a lunatic, or just a bad fundraiser, but there you have it. If you'd like to get back to the old traditions and think of this as some sort of torture for me I will mention that they won't let me bring my phone, camera, or MP3 player on the climb. Not being able to photographically document my fun, and having no music to help propel me up the tower seems a bit inhumane to me. So there you go, I'll suffer for your amusement, please give generously.
All joking aside, the cause is worthy and I'd appreciate the support if any of you would care to sponsor me on this venture. Please click the following link to donate electronically:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2776475
I'm afraid that the time has come for me to head in to the office, so I'll bid you all a fond adieu for the week. For those of you in Canada please have a lovely Thanksgiving long weekend, and for my American friends have a happy Columbus Day. I will see you all again next Tuesday.
Monday 27 September 2010
Clearsilver
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have returned from the wilderness unscathed! Well, semi-scathed, but a few bumps and bruises are to be expected.
The weatherman had been varying his predictions throughout the week leading up to our voyage, so we really had to idea what to expect. The weather when we got in was looking a tad grim:
That's a shot from the balcony of our room at the Sportsman on Friday night. Now let us never speak of it again.
The forecast was calling for a little rain on Saturday and then clearing Sunday and downright beautiful on Monday. This was a welcome prediction as the plan was for us to hike Silverpeak on Sunday and we were really hoping for some clear skies to aid in our photographic expedition.
We started out on Saturday morning with a breakfast at a little bakery called The Gateway. It was a great place to have a meal, and a good breakfast we very welcome. Dad had been fairly sick the previous evening since the Sportsman attempted to poison him with the "steak" they offered up. Fortunately a proper meal got Dad on the proper footing for a voyage and we set out for the park. We started our trip on Johnnie Lake under cover of cloud and expecting a bit of rain.
We had a brisk wind coming out of the North, and a substantial cloud cover, but no rain as we set out. Continuing on the weather held for us, and we even got a few breaks in the clouds:
The paddle through Johnnie Lake was spectacular. The wind didn't get strong enough to pose a serious issue, and while the cloud cover muted the colours a bit, the views were still stunning:
There had been significant rain before we got into the park, and it was causing impromptu streams and waterfalls to crop up. As we got close to the portage into Clearsilver Lake we came across on of these little waterfalls running into Johnnie that stirred up this really interesting pattern in the water:
The portage was a fairly straightforward affair. It had a slight rise at the beginning and end, but was largely flat and ran uninterrupted for about 830 meters. That's half a mile for my American pals. Even the portage was pretty, with the damp weather causing all manner of mushroom species to show themselves along the trail. I was snapping macro shots all over the place, but I won't burden you with the reams of fungi photos I took. Still, lots of mushrooms:
Also, the little streams and waterfalls flanked the portage trail almost the whole way:
It was still cloudy when we got our first view of Clearsilver Lake, but at least it wasn't raining.
There's only one campsite on Clearsilver Lake, and it's a great one. There were a couple of really flat spots clearly marked off where we could set up our tents, and plenty of trees to suspend our tarp from. It didn't take us long to establish a really comfortable camp:
The weather forecast wasn't calling for rain past the afternoon, but we're big believers of the old adage about not believing everything you hear on TV, so we got the new tarp setup early. This proved to be the course of wisdom as the rains started fairly substantially after the sun set. Dad had put some fresh waterproofing on both of our tents before we came up here, and it held up beautifully! The rains came down but we stayed dry the whole evening.
Unfortunately, while I did stay dry, I didn't stay warm. It was a VERY cold night, with high, cold winds. I've never had problems with my gear before, but I think the big issue was that I'm used to sharing my tent with Gray, which adds a lot of extra body heat to the tent. Alone in my tent with my old (very old) sleeping bag I just didn't have the heat or the insulation to keep warm and I FROZE. Oh well, it's a learning experience. Now I understand the limitations of the gear that I have.
In the morning we made a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then got out on the lake. It was a very quick paddle to the trailhead to Silverpeak. The trail was very we after all of the rain they've been having, so it ended up being a bit treacherous. Lots of standing water and mud made for a slippery walk, and there were times when we just had to walk through to bush to avoid the sections of the trail that had become small streams:
A lot of mud and one wrong turn later we found our way up to Silverpeak. At 539 meters it doesn't quite compare to the mighty peaks of the Rocky Mountains, but it's still the highest point in the entire La Cloche Range and offers an incredibly impressive view out over the park:
I may have maligned the La Cloche Range a bit there. They're only shorter than the Rockies because they're much, much older. Wind and erosion have taken their toll, and given us a view of what the Rockies may look like in half a billion years... give or take.
Despite the clairvoyant assurances of that wretched liar The Weatherman, there was a persistent cloud cover the entire time we climbed. It made for some slightly muted colours in our photos, but I still think that the end results turned out to be beautiful:
Surprisingly there were actually A LOT of people up on the peak! I think that there may have been a tour group up there because there were huge numbers of howlingchimpanz teenagers cavorting amongst the rocks. It's sad that the tour guides couldn't properly explain that certain proprieties are expected in a park setting, and as such we had to listen to the frequent inarticulate screams of the adolescent humans.
Fearing that we would end up stuck behind a slow-moving caravan of larva we took our photos and made a hasty retreat back down the mountain.
We got back to camp with a few hours left of daylight, and the weather was kind enough to actually provide us with day LIGHT. Just as we were preparing dinner the clouds began to break up and we had our first view of blue sky:
Fearing that the sunlight would become a thing of purely oral tradition I decided to photograph it:
I think it may have been the sudden addition of warmth from the sun that caused it, but just as the last rays of sunlight were disappearing over the horizon we got treated to a real treat as the mist started to swirl and dance on the surface of the water. It was hard to photograph accurately, but it was an incredible display:
While it was frustrating to see the sunlight so soon after we got back from Silverpeak, it was still a welcome sight and we ended the day in high spirits. The winds had died down, and the air had warmed, and we spent a pleasant night sitting by the campfire. With a little extra warmth, and some slightly heavier socks I had a much better night's sleep and woke up feeling refreshed.
We had a good breakfast broke camp quickly and easily this morning and were on the water by 10:45. Despite earlier predictions the sky was still full of clouds this morning. However there was no trace of a breeze as we set out and the water was like a sheet of glass. This made for some spectacular photographic opportunities:
I love catching the reflection of the trees on the water.
With no rain or wind to impede us we had a quick paddle back to the Johnnie Lake access point. In the end while the weather threatened a bit, we got really lucky with how everything turned out. It was a great trip, we had a lot of fun, and took a ton of photos. Still, it was really nice getting to the Lodge and having a hot shower.
We had a really nice dinner tonight and now I'm in the bar where I can a Wi-Fi signal so that I can update all of you good people on my progress. It's just about time for me to call it a night, and tomorrow we'll head back home. Since I'll be on the road I may have to forgo the usual Tuesday blog posting, I sincerely hope that you'll forgive me for the injustice. I'll be back to my usual routine next week. Until then, be well my friends.
The weatherman had been varying his predictions throughout the week leading up to our voyage, so we really had to idea what to expect. The weather when we got in was looking a tad grim:
That's a shot from the balcony of our room at the Sportsman on Friday night. Now let us never speak of it again.
The forecast was calling for a little rain on Saturday and then clearing Sunday and downright beautiful on Monday. This was a welcome prediction as the plan was for us to hike Silverpeak on Sunday and we were really hoping for some clear skies to aid in our photographic expedition.
We started out on Saturday morning with a breakfast at a little bakery called The Gateway. It was a great place to have a meal, and a good breakfast we very welcome. Dad had been fairly sick the previous evening since the Sportsman attempted to poison him with the "steak" they offered up. Fortunately a proper meal got Dad on the proper footing for a voyage and we set out for the park. We started our trip on Johnnie Lake under cover of cloud and expecting a bit of rain.
We had a brisk wind coming out of the North, and a substantial cloud cover, but no rain as we set out. Continuing on the weather held for us, and we even got a few breaks in the clouds:
The paddle through Johnnie Lake was spectacular. The wind didn't get strong enough to pose a serious issue, and while the cloud cover muted the colours a bit, the views were still stunning:
There had been significant rain before we got into the park, and it was causing impromptu streams and waterfalls to crop up. As we got close to the portage into Clearsilver Lake we came across on of these little waterfalls running into Johnnie that stirred up this really interesting pattern in the water:
The portage was a fairly straightforward affair. It had a slight rise at the beginning and end, but was largely flat and ran uninterrupted for about 830 meters. That's half a mile for my American pals. Even the portage was pretty, with the damp weather causing all manner of mushroom species to show themselves along the trail. I was snapping macro shots all over the place, but I won't burden you with the reams of fungi photos I took. Still, lots of mushrooms:
Also, the little streams and waterfalls flanked the portage trail almost the whole way:
It was still cloudy when we got our first view of Clearsilver Lake, but at least it wasn't raining.
There's only one campsite on Clearsilver Lake, and it's a great one. There were a couple of really flat spots clearly marked off where we could set up our tents, and plenty of trees to suspend our tarp from. It didn't take us long to establish a really comfortable camp:
The weather forecast wasn't calling for rain past the afternoon, but we're big believers of the old adage about not believing everything you hear on TV, so we got the new tarp setup early. This proved to be the course of wisdom as the rains started fairly substantially after the sun set. Dad had put some fresh waterproofing on both of our tents before we came up here, and it held up beautifully! The rains came down but we stayed dry the whole evening.
Unfortunately, while I did stay dry, I didn't stay warm. It was a VERY cold night, with high, cold winds. I've never had problems with my gear before, but I think the big issue was that I'm used to sharing my tent with Gray, which adds a lot of extra body heat to the tent. Alone in my tent with my old (very old) sleeping bag I just didn't have the heat or the insulation to keep warm and I FROZE. Oh well, it's a learning experience. Now I understand the limitations of the gear that I have.
In the morning we made a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then got out on the lake. It was a very quick paddle to the trailhead to Silverpeak. The trail was very we after all of the rain they've been having, so it ended up being a bit treacherous. Lots of standing water and mud made for a slippery walk, and there were times when we just had to walk through to bush to avoid the sections of the trail that had become small streams:
A lot of mud and one wrong turn later we found our way up to Silverpeak. At 539 meters it doesn't quite compare to the mighty peaks of the Rocky Mountains, but it's still the highest point in the entire La Cloche Range and offers an incredibly impressive view out over the park:
I may have maligned the La Cloche Range a bit there. They're only shorter than the Rockies because they're much, much older. Wind and erosion have taken their toll, and given us a view of what the Rockies may look like in half a billion years... give or take.
Despite the clairvoyant assurances of that wretched liar The Weatherman, there was a persistent cloud cover the entire time we climbed. It made for some slightly muted colours in our photos, but I still think that the end results turned out to be beautiful:
Surprisingly there were actually A LOT of people up on the peak! I think that there may have been a tour group up there because there were huge numbers of howling
Fearing that we would end up stuck behind a slow-moving caravan of larva we took our photos and made a hasty retreat back down the mountain.
We got back to camp with a few hours left of daylight, and the weather was kind enough to actually provide us with day LIGHT. Just as we were preparing dinner the clouds began to break up and we had our first view of blue sky:
Fearing that the sunlight would become a thing of purely oral tradition I decided to photograph it:
I think it may have been the sudden addition of warmth from the sun that caused it, but just as the last rays of sunlight were disappearing over the horizon we got treated to a real treat as the mist started to swirl and dance on the surface of the water. It was hard to photograph accurately, but it was an incredible display:
While it was frustrating to see the sunlight so soon after we got back from Silverpeak, it was still a welcome sight and we ended the day in high spirits. The winds had died down, and the air had warmed, and we spent a pleasant night sitting by the campfire. With a little extra warmth, and some slightly heavier socks I had a much better night's sleep and woke up feeling refreshed.
We had a good breakfast broke camp quickly and easily this morning and were on the water by 10:45. Despite earlier predictions the sky was still full of clouds this morning. However there was no trace of a breeze as we set out and the water was like a sheet of glass. This made for some spectacular photographic opportunities:
I love catching the reflection of the trees on the water.
With no rain or wind to impede us we had a quick paddle back to the Johnnie Lake access point. In the end while the weather threatened a bit, we got really lucky with how everything turned out. It was a great trip, we had a lot of fun, and took a ton of photos. Still, it was really nice getting to the Lodge and having a hot shower.
We had a really nice dinner tonight and now I'm in the bar where I can a Wi-Fi signal so that I can update all of you good people on my progress. It's just about time for me to call it a night, and tomorrow we'll head back home. Since I'll be on the road I may have to forgo the usual Tuesday blog posting, I sincerely hope that you'll forgive me for the injustice. I'll be back to my usual routine next week. Until then, be well my friends.
Friday 24 September 2010
Mobile Post #20100924
Greetings minions!
I'm afraid that I don't have much to say this evening, but I wanted you all to know that I'm safe and sound in Killarney with my dad.
Our usual haunt at the Killarney Mountain Lodge was booked up for a wedding this weekend, so we've decided to try the newly renovated Sportsman Inn. It's an ancient inn that has been given a complete facelift, transforming it into a hip, modern accommodation while still managing to hold onto its distinct exterior silhouette. The room is really stunning, and I think we'll have a good night's sleep here. The only drawback is, sadly, a major one: there is no trace of organization to be found in this building. I have lost track of the number of times I've heard "I'm sorry" directed at myself, my dad, or some other guest. This manifests itself most clearly in all aspects of the dining experience, and dinner was a long, unpleasant experience that I will refrain from going into any great detail on. Needless to say, while the room itself is considerably more luxurious than anything that can be found at the KML, the Lodge still wins hands-down for it's hospitality, efficiency, and phenomenal food. That's setting aside any bonus points that it gets for good ol' homey charm. I'm incredibly pleased that we were able to secure a room there on Monday for our return from the park.
The Sportsman has attempted to provide free Wi-Fi throughout the building, but I'm sadly at the opposite end of the hall from the wireless router. (I know this because I saw it on the wall in the hallway.) This means that my signal strength is poor. Combine that with a strange SSL error from Blogger and I seem to be incapable of posting to my blog from my netbook. Hence I am using my phone to write the post. Hence the lack of details surrounding dinner. Suffice it to say that they managed to put a steak in front of Dad that he was completely unwilling to eat. Just picture the piece of steak that would dismay my father, I dare you.
At any rate, we head into the park tomorrow morning. We're faced this evening with high winds, and the forecast, while not threatening, is far from welcoming. Please wish us the best my friends. I will, of course, be out of touch until Monday. If all goes according to plan I'll be nicely settled at KML and documenting our adventures by Monday afternoon.
Until then my friends.
Tuesday 21 September 2010
What Is This "Toronto" You Speak Of?
Hello again my friends!
I arrived, safe and sound, back in Toronto on Saturday afternoon, and since then I've been just settling back into my normal life. It's been a strange adjustment this time out. I normally return from vacation and just pick right back up where I left off, but this time I'm feeling a bit disoriented. I woke up this morning and it took me quite awhile to figure out what day it was and why I'd been so foolish as to set an alarm. Total confusion. Oh well, probably just a bit of jet lag, and a whole lot of me missing the West coast.
Fortunately I've got a few more days to get adjusted before I'm heading up to Killarney. Hopefully I'm back in fighting form for that trip since it, as a canoe/camping trip, will be somewhat physically demanding, and I should probably be awake and alert for that. The timing is a bit poor on this trip, since I don't even have a full week back at work to catch up before I'll be gone again. Still, we planned this camping trip in May, and my trip West was just squeezed in where I could fit it, so I'll just have to put up with the inconvenience of work being a bit stressful these next few days. Believe me, I'm not complaining, I wish all of my problems could fall under the category of my vacations being too close together.
I'd like to segue (gracelessly) into a discussion on cameras (again) if you'll all allow it. No complaints? Smashing.
I went fairly wild with the photography this trip, and I received quite a few comments from all of you suggesting that I've produced some quality pictures with my little point-and-shoot. That inspires me to make an attempt at raising the bar and improving on whatever skill with a camera I may have come by naturally. I know that my local community college offers a course on the fundamentals of photography which I think could really help. I believe that any natural talent in probably just a good artistic sense of composition, which is probably why I've got a few compliments on my photos. However, the fact that I got a few good ones is just down to the fact that I took hundreds of pictures, whether or not the photo actually turns out is still pure chance with me because I don't understand the technical side of photography.
So, in theory, a course on photography could be of immense benefit. There's still a problem with that concept though. You don't get in to the world of precise, controlled photography with a point-and-shoot camera. The course that I was looking at requires each student to bring their own SLR camera. No auto-focus allowed. So now I come back to the same circular discussion that I inevitably find myself in. I want to to take better pictures, but I love the fact that my camera fits in my pocket, and is very nearly impervious to harm. I'm just not sure I would enjoy lugging around one of these big, fragile SLR cameras. So I'm constantly torn between better pictures, and portability. I'm honestly not sure which way I'm leaning at this point.
We had an interesting discussion on this at work yesterday, as it just so happens. Chris suggested to me that perhaps there's a compromise to be made... well, actually it's not really a compromise at all, he's just saying that I should own two cameras. His notion was that there are certain trips where you need to be light and mobile and you're only going to be happy with a snappy little point-and-shoot, and so you should have one available. Then, when you're going on that different sort of vacation where the game plan involves long hikes through scenic terrain you can break out the big guns and carry the SLR, essentially dedicating that particular trip to the fine art of photography. Like I said, not technically a compromise, but possibly the best solution.
I'll leave you all now to ponder the best approach to camera ownership, as I must make my way to work. As I mentioned previously my next adventure starts this very Friday, so I'll be back soon. I'll be in the woods Saturday and not emerging until Monday afternoon, so it'll be all silence for that portion of the trip, but I'll still get the netbook up there so that I can report on the trip during the portions of it that we spend in town. Until then, have a fantastic week my friends.
I arrived, safe and sound, back in Toronto on Saturday afternoon, and since then I've been just settling back into my normal life. It's been a strange adjustment this time out. I normally return from vacation and just pick right back up where I left off, but this time I'm feeling a bit disoriented. I woke up this morning and it took me quite awhile to figure out what day it was and why I'd been so foolish as to set an alarm. Total confusion. Oh well, probably just a bit of jet lag, and a whole lot of me missing the West coast.
Fortunately I've got a few more days to get adjusted before I'm heading up to Killarney. Hopefully I'm back in fighting form for that trip since it, as a canoe/camping trip, will be somewhat physically demanding, and I should probably be awake and alert for that. The timing is a bit poor on this trip, since I don't even have a full week back at work to catch up before I'll be gone again. Still, we planned this camping trip in May, and my trip West was just squeezed in where I could fit it, so I'll just have to put up with the inconvenience of work being a bit stressful these next few days. Believe me, I'm not complaining, I wish all of my problems could fall under the category of my vacations being too close together.
I'd like to segue (gracelessly) into a discussion on cameras (again) if you'll all allow it. No complaints? Smashing.
I went fairly wild with the photography this trip, and I received quite a few comments from all of you suggesting that I've produced some quality pictures with my little point-and-shoot. That inspires me to make an attempt at raising the bar and improving on whatever skill with a camera I may have come by naturally. I know that my local community college offers a course on the fundamentals of photography which I think could really help. I believe that any natural talent in probably just a good artistic sense of composition, which is probably why I've got a few compliments on my photos. However, the fact that I got a few good ones is just down to the fact that I took hundreds of pictures, whether or not the photo actually turns out is still pure chance with me because I don't understand the technical side of photography.
So, in theory, a course on photography could be of immense benefit. There's still a problem with that concept though. You don't get in to the world of precise, controlled photography with a point-and-shoot camera. The course that I was looking at requires each student to bring their own SLR camera. No auto-focus allowed. So now I come back to the same circular discussion that I inevitably find myself in. I want to to take better pictures, but I love the fact that my camera fits in my pocket, and is very nearly impervious to harm. I'm just not sure I would enjoy lugging around one of these big, fragile SLR cameras. So I'm constantly torn between better pictures, and portability. I'm honestly not sure which way I'm leaning at this point.
We had an interesting discussion on this at work yesterday, as it just so happens. Chris suggested to me that perhaps there's a compromise to be made... well, actually it's not really a compromise at all, he's just saying that I should own two cameras. His notion was that there are certain trips where you need to be light and mobile and you're only going to be happy with a snappy little point-and-shoot, and so you should have one available. Then, when you're going on that different sort of vacation where the game plan involves long hikes through scenic terrain you can break out the big guns and carry the SLR, essentially dedicating that particular trip to the fine art of photography. Like I said, not technically a compromise, but possibly the best solution.
I'll leave you all now to ponder the best approach to camera ownership, as I must make my way to work. As I mentioned previously my next adventure starts this very Friday, so I'll be back soon. I'll be in the woods Saturday and not emerging until Monday afternoon, so it'll be all silence for that portion of the trip, but I'll still get the netbook up there so that I can report on the trip during the portions of it that we spend in town. Until then, have a fantastic week my friends.
Saturday 18 September 2010
A Final Day In Beautiful Victoria
Well my friends, the last day of my vacation draws to a close. Tomorrow I will arise, disgustingly early, and board a plane back to Toronto. Needless to say, I am substantially less than thrilled by this concept. Still, there are certain comforts that only home can provide, so my spirits are still high. I've had a fantastic trip, and I'll soon be home to the warm, loving... hmmm.... well, at least I'll be able to sleep in my own bed.
I spent today just trying to soak up the atmosphere of Victoria. I went downtown with Aunt Jeanette and just meandered about, popping into interesting looking stores, and taking photos at every available moment. One of the first stores that I came across was this gem:
I just loved "TOBACCONIST" in big letters on the front of this cool looking building, so I popped in. Apparently there was a huge controversy surrounding this very old building when the government demanded that the sign be taken down because it was illegal to publicly advertise tobacco. Fortunately this lovely old building was saved from being defaced when it was declared a historic site.
As we made our way closer to Victoria's inner harbour we came across the Empress Hotel, which demands to be photographed.
It's a stunning old building, and I spent a fair bit of time wandering around inside. Close by the hotel is another exceptional piece of architecture: the British Columbia Parliament Building:
That's another building that I got to explore of a fairly limited basis. Oddly enough it's not very impressive inside. Actually, that may be misleading; the building is impressive in terms of pure size, and the importance it plays in the governing of the province... it's just a bit ugly and utilitarian is all. Still, check out that exterior!
After leaving the government to take care of itself we continued shopping for awhile before retiring to Aunt Jeanette's place for a bit of lunch. Having eaten we continued on our whirlwind sight-seeing tour. We drove down to the beach which fronts the lagoon behind Hatley Castle. It's a beautiful beach, but what was most striking about it was... drum roll... the sun came out!
After a week of questioning its existence, I finally saw the sun. What's particularly funny about that is that the weatherman assured us that today was going to be the worst of it, a guaranteed festival to the rain gods. Sometimes it's really lovely when he's wrong. I wandered around pointing my camera at anything that would hold still for a moment, and some things that wouldn't.
I've always been amazed by bull kelp, and so I took a photo of some:
That piece is probably about 12 feet in length. I don't know why that surprises me; trees get much larger than that, but for some reason I expect aquatic plant life to be smaller. Don't know where that mindset is coming from, but there you have it. Kelp blows my mind. Moving on.
After all this sunshine-and-kelp-induced excitement I had to chill out for a bit:
It's so nice when driftwood is accommodating.
From the beach we returned to the downtown area of Victoria and resumed looking around. We came to my Dad's favourite store: Ocean River Sports:
In addition to a spectacular array of outdoor wear, the bulk of which I was tempted to purchase, they also have a couple of kayaks:
Might be why Dad likes the place. I'm not sure.
After continuing with our mission to meander we made our way back to the inner harbour. We walked, taking our time, around the harbour in the general direction of dinner. However, I still stopped on numerous occasions to make war on my camera's battery. There were a lot of sea planes coming and going, which I thought was pretty cool:
Also the weather, if not fantastic, at least continued to be less threatening than it had be the bulk of the week:
We eventually managed to reach our destination: Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub.
We spent a great deal of time here eating of their food and drinking of their beer. I'm a huge fan of restaurants that are making their own beer. It means that even the drinks are an exciting, new, and unique part of the dinning experience. Also, it seems like these places feel the need to prove that they aren't JUST a brewery, and so they go out of their way to make the food exceptional.
On a completely unrelated note, I think I may have put on some weight this trip.
By the time we left the restaurant it was getting dark and the rain, after a lazy afternoon, had decided to get back to work. Still, undeterred by the weather we made our way back to the Parliament Buildings for one last photo op:
After that we began to make our way home. One final note on Victoria though: they have double-decker buses!
So cool! The journey back to Aunt Jeanette's was also my first trip on the second story of a bus! (At least that I remember, none of this "well, when you were 2 years old..." nonsense.)
Following that exciting ride I've found myself back here and ready to wrap up my day. I'm going to do my best to get to bed promptly as I will be up at 3:45 a.m. local time in order to catch my flight home. I'm sure I'll manage to comment on the return voyage at some point, and at the very least you can count on me to chime in on Tuesday as usual, but I'd still like to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading about this trip as much as I've enjoyed writing about it.
Be well, and I'll talk to you all again soon.
I spent today just trying to soak up the atmosphere of Victoria. I went downtown with Aunt Jeanette and just meandered about, popping into interesting looking stores, and taking photos at every available moment. One of the first stores that I came across was this gem:
I just loved "TOBACCONIST" in big letters on the front of this cool looking building, so I popped in. Apparently there was a huge controversy surrounding this very old building when the government demanded that the sign be taken down because it was illegal to publicly advertise tobacco. Fortunately this lovely old building was saved from being defaced when it was declared a historic site.
As we made our way closer to Victoria's inner harbour we came across the Empress Hotel, which demands to be photographed.
It's a stunning old building, and I spent a fair bit of time wandering around inside. Close by the hotel is another exceptional piece of architecture: the British Columbia Parliament Building:
That's another building that I got to explore of a fairly limited basis. Oddly enough it's not very impressive inside. Actually, that may be misleading; the building is impressive in terms of pure size, and the importance it plays in the governing of the province... it's just a bit ugly and utilitarian is all. Still, check out that exterior!
After leaving the government to take care of itself we continued shopping for awhile before retiring to Aunt Jeanette's place for a bit of lunch. Having eaten we continued on our whirlwind sight-seeing tour. We drove down to the beach which fronts the lagoon behind Hatley Castle. It's a beautiful beach, but what was most striking about it was... drum roll... the sun came out!
After a week of questioning its existence, I finally saw the sun. What's particularly funny about that is that the weatherman assured us that today was going to be the worst of it, a guaranteed festival to the rain gods. Sometimes it's really lovely when he's wrong. I wandered around pointing my camera at anything that would hold still for a moment, and some things that wouldn't.
I've always been amazed by bull kelp, and so I took a photo of some:
That piece is probably about 12 feet in length. I don't know why that surprises me; trees get much larger than that, but for some reason I expect aquatic plant life to be smaller. Don't know where that mindset is coming from, but there you have it. Kelp blows my mind. Moving on.
After all this sunshine-and-kelp-induced excitement I had to chill out for a bit:
It's so nice when driftwood is accommodating.
From the beach we returned to the downtown area of Victoria and resumed looking around. We came to my Dad's favourite store: Ocean River Sports:
In addition to a spectacular array of outdoor wear, the bulk of which I was tempted to purchase, they also have a couple of kayaks:
Might be why Dad likes the place. I'm not sure.
After continuing with our mission to meander we made our way back to the inner harbour. We walked, taking our time, around the harbour in the general direction of dinner. However, I still stopped on numerous occasions to make war on my camera's battery. There were a lot of sea planes coming and going, which I thought was pretty cool:
Also the weather, if not fantastic, at least continued to be less threatening than it had be the bulk of the week:
We eventually managed to reach our destination: Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub.
We spent a great deal of time here eating of their food and drinking of their beer. I'm a huge fan of restaurants that are making their own beer. It means that even the drinks are an exciting, new, and unique part of the dinning experience. Also, it seems like these places feel the need to prove that they aren't JUST a brewery, and so they go out of their way to make the food exceptional.
On a completely unrelated note, I think I may have put on some weight this trip.
By the time we left the restaurant it was getting dark and the rain, after a lazy afternoon, had decided to get back to work. Still, undeterred by the weather we made our way back to the Parliament Buildings for one last photo op:
After that we began to make our way home. One final note on Victoria though: they have double-decker buses!
So cool! The journey back to Aunt Jeanette's was also my first trip on the second story of a bus! (At least that I remember, none of this "well, when you were 2 years old..." nonsense.)
Following that exciting ride I've found myself back here and ready to wrap up my day. I'm going to do my best to get to bed promptly as I will be up at 3:45 a.m. local time in order to catch my flight home. I'm sure I'll manage to comment on the return voyage at some point, and at the very least you can count on me to chime in on Tuesday as usual, but I'd still like to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading about this trip as much as I've enjoyed writing about it.
Be well, and I'll talk to you all again soon.
Friday 17 September 2010
Why Is My Camera Battery Running Low?
Good evening everyone!
I'm writing now from my Aunt's house in Victoria where I will be staying until my triumphant return to Toronto Saturday morning.
I left Saltair with my Grandparents this morning and we made our way down to Victoria. Aunt Jeanette had gone ahead of us earlier and was waiting for us when we got into town. Since getting ready and driving to Victoria took the better part of the morning we decided to begin the adventure with lunch. We headed to the Four Mile Pub which, like many of the pubs I've seen on the island, was in a stunning old house:
Sadly the skies were a bit grey, so you can't see the exceptional stained glass in the upper-story windows.
After a nice lunch we drove up to Butchart Gardens, a massive series of floral displays that has been in operation since 1904. In honour of the incredible amount of work that went into establishing these gardens, and has continued to go into maintaining them, I present to you this sombre piece, which I call "Hamming It Up."
And now for something completely different.
Actually, the gardens were an absolute playground for my camera and I. I love taking landscape shots, and delight in the beautiful, sweeping vistas, mountain ranges, calm lakes... anything that makes for a scenic shot, and this place provided me with opportunity after opportunity. I have actually succeeded in the course of this one day to double the number of photographs I've taken since arriving in British Columbia. I will spare you all the excesses of my effort, and just give you a handful of photos.
I actually took this next shot more for Graydyn than anyone. I'd never before seen an entirely black plant, but I was certain my esteemed brother would want a yard full of them:
I looked it up, it's called Capsicum. Just in case anyone is interested...
We also came across this fountain, which was constantly shifting and would have made for an excellent video if I'd had enough wherewithal to bring my video camera:
Oh, something that not all of you will be aware of, but I have been known
on occasion to enjoy taking
macro mode close-up shots
of cool looking flowers. I'll have to show you all sometime. (Tip of the iceberg there, but I'm sparing you all...)
At any rate, as we continued to move through the gardens, only moderately hampered by my insistence on pointing my camera at anything bright or shiny, we came to a small harbour. Apparently you can access the gardens by boat, which is how Grandma and Grandpa had got there in the past.
I thought that sounded like a great way to arrive, and if you ever find yourself in Victoria with a boat, I'd highly recommend it.
The harbour was attached to the Japanese Garden, which was really nice. I'm particularly fond of the Japanese gardening aesthetic, and even though I've visited Japanese gardens that were actually in Japan, I found this one no less beautiful.
Just look at that. You can feel yourself getting more serene just looking at it, can't you? CAN'T YOU? Ahem... excuse me.
Just as were were making our way towards the exit it started to rain quite heavily, so I'll say that the day was timed perfectly. We made our way back to Aunt Jeanette's place where, unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa had to take leave of us to return to Saltair. It was sad to see them go, and I hope it won't be nearly as long between visits this time. They flew me out here, put me up for the week, fed me, and drove me around. A huge thanks to my dear Grandparents for making this trip happen.
Aunt Jeanette and I still had some afternoon left, and we decided to go for a short walk to see Hatley Castle. This huge house was originally the property of someone with entirely too much money, until it eventually became a military college, and is now part of a university campus. The walk up to the castle starts with a hill which offers a stunning view all the way to the Olympic Mountains in Washington State, and is my Aunt's all time favourite view. Sadly we'll all have to just take her word for that:
Yes, unwilling to break with the tradition that it has set, the sky has remained grey and rainy for the evening.
Still, we were able to get a good look at the castle:
It's a castle with a long history, but what caught my attention was it's recent staring role in the X-Men movies as Professor Xavier's school. Here's a shot from the back:
Please excuse the strange flare above the tent, I was doing the best to keep the rain off my lens, but I must have missed that one.
On our way back we swung by a nearby sushi restaurant. Apparently my Aunt had never tried sushi, so I was quick to remedy that. As expected, I think we have another convert. Who doesn't love sushi?
Well, the hour grows late, and I (as usual) have no idea what tomorrow holds, so I'd better wrap this up. I shall talk to you all again soon.
I'm writing now from my Aunt's house in Victoria where I will be staying until my triumphant return to Toronto Saturday morning.
I left Saltair with my Grandparents this morning and we made our way down to Victoria. Aunt Jeanette had gone ahead of us earlier and was waiting for us when we got into town. Since getting ready and driving to Victoria took the better part of the morning we decided to begin the adventure with lunch. We headed to the Four Mile Pub which, like many of the pubs I've seen on the island, was in a stunning old house:
Sadly the skies were a bit grey, so you can't see the exceptional stained glass in the upper-story windows.
After a nice lunch we drove up to Butchart Gardens, a massive series of floral displays that has been in operation since 1904. In honour of the incredible amount of work that went into establishing these gardens, and has continued to go into maintaining them, I present to you this sombre piece, which I call "Hamming It Up."
And now for something completely different.
Actually, the gardens were an absolute playground for my camera and I. I love taking landscape shots, and delight in the beautiful, sweeping vistas, mountain ranges, calm lakes... anything that makes for a scenic shot, and this place provided me with opportunity after opportunity. I have actually succeeded in the course of this one day to double the number of photographs I've taken since arriving in British Columbia. I will spare you all the excesses of my effort, and just give you a handful of photos.
I actually took this next shot more for Graydyn than anyone. I'd never before seen an entirely black plant, but I was certain my esteemed brother would want a yard full of them:
I looked it up, it's called Capsicum. Just in case anyone is interested...
We also came across this fountain, which was constantly shifting and would have made for an excellent video if I'd had enough wherewithal to bring my video camera:
Oh, something that not all of you will be aware of, but I have been known
on occasion to enjoy taking
macro mode close-up shots
of cool looking flowers. I'll have to show you all sometime. (Tip of the iceberg there, but I'm sparing you all...)
At any rate, as we continued to move through the gardens, only moderately hampered by my insistence on pointing my camera at anything bright or shiny, we came to a small harbour. Apparently you can access the gardens by boat, which is how Grandma and Grandpa had got there in the past.
I thought that sounded like a great way to arrive, and if you ever find yourself in Victoria with a boat, I'd highly recommend it.
The harbour was attached to the Japanese Garden, which was really nice. I'm particularly fond of the Japanese gardening aesthetic, and even though I've visited Japanese gardens that were actually in Japan, I found this one no less beautiful.
Just look at that. You can feel yourself getting more serene just looking at it, can't you? CAN'T YOU? Ahem... excuse me.
Just as were were making our way towards the exit it started to rain quite heavily, so I'll say that the day was timed perfectly. We made our way back to Aunt Jeanette's place where, unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa had to take leave of us to return to Saltair. It was sad to see them go, and I hope it won't be nearly as long between visits this time. They flew me out here, put me up for the week, fed me, and drove me around. A huge thanks to my dear Grandparents for making this trip happen.
Aunt Jeanette and I still had some afternoon left, and we decided to go for a short walk to see Hatley Castle. This huge house was originally the property of someone with entirely too much money, until it eventually became a military college, and is now part of a university campus. The walk up to the castle starts with a hill which offers a stunning view all the way to the Olympic Mountains in Washington State, and is my Aunt's all time favourite view. Sadly we'll all have to just take her word for that:
Yes, unwilling to break with the tradition that it has set, the sky has remained grey and rainy for the evening.
Still, we were able to get a good look at the castle:
It's a castle with a long history, but what caught my attention was it's recent staring role in the X-Men movies as Professor Xavier's school. Here's a shot from the back:
Please excuse the strange flare above the tent, I was doing the best to keep the rain off my lens, but I must have missed that one.
On our way back we swung by a nearby sushi restaurant. Apparently my Aunt had never tried sushi, so I was quick to remedy that. As expected, I think we have another convert. Who doesn't love sushi?
Well, the hour grows late, and I (as usual) have no idea what tomorrow holds, so I'd better wrap this up. I shall talk to you all again soon.
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