Toronto

Posted on April 2, 2012 by murray

Every year Debbie and I lay out a household budget that is suppose to include what we expect to spend. It includes everything on tap for the entire year. New carpet, medical expenses, car repairs and gas, food and anything else mundane or exciting. Travel is one of the biggest expenses. Then out of left field an opportunity arises. An opportunity that has to be followed up. That’s why we are headed for Toronto. Toronto isn’t even on our list or in our budget. It’s a big city and there is probably loads of interesting stuff there but there are many places that hold far more interest to us.

This all started about two months ago. I was listening to CKUA http://www.ckua.com, my favorite radio station, and one of the announcers was talking about the band ‘Dead Can Dance.’ http://deadcandance.com A band headed by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry from Australia. They were together in the 1990’s and disbanded. Debbie and I have been big fans for a long time, in fact when we visited Australia in 1998 we kept our eyes open for posters that might indicate an upcoming concert. We didn’t find any. So, when I heard the band’s name my interest was tweaked and I stopped computering and listened. After a 10 year hiatus Ms. Gerrard and Mr. Perry have a renewed interest in playing together and a world tour is in the offing. I thought ‘We’re going.’

When Debbie arrived home I told her what I had heard, the deal was sealed. Her first words… ‘We’re going.’

Now, this proposed trip is not accounted for in our budget so we may have to cut back on something (maybe I won’t have to paint the house this year) but this is an opportunity that will not come again and it must be acted upon.

The first step was to browse the internet and see what we could find. Not much except that on Brendon Perry’s web site it confirmed that a tour will take place and if we left our email address we would be kept informed about the progress of the arrangements. Debbie put her email on the list and we were indeed updated as information became available.

A month ago the dates for the European leg of the tour were announced and we talked about crazy stuff like going to Porto, Portugal or Berlin to take in the concert. Going to Europe would of course mean that not only would I not have to paint the house but I would also be spared the task of moving all the furniture because we would also have to forgo the new flooring. Debbie really wants new flooring so we opted to wait for the announcement of the North American tour dates.

The dates are finally announced and it requires some quick decision making. An email arrives on Wednesday outlining the days and places that the tour will hit. We are preparing to leave on a ski trip on Friday around noon. Tickets are to go on sale March 31. We think we will have a few days to let the information gel in our minds and book the concert tickets when we get back in Edmonton. Thursday morning an update email arrives telling us that because we are on the email list we get first kick at the prime seats for the concert. Both Debbie and I are busy Thursday morning so we do not act immediately. We get home about 2pm and checked the status of the ticket sales. The tickets are selling fast so decisions have to be made.

The Vancouver show dates conflict with the Edmonton Folk Music Festival http://www.edmontonfolkfest.org and since that is a mainstay in our lives that venue is out. We can make the Salt Lake City show and it might be less costly because we would drive and camp, but it would mean a minimum trip of 10 days and we do not know if that would work out. I want to go to New York but that would also be a longer trip. We have not visited NY so there would be a few days there and we would also want to spend some time with our NY friends in Syracuse which would involve at least a week and NY would be very expensive, again getting me clear of all that furniture moving. Montreal is our first choice but when we check out the venue for the concert we realize that it is to be held in a hockey arena. I am not traveling all the way across the continent to watch and listen to music being played in an arena no matter how good the sound system. Toronto arises as the obvious choice. In the time it took us to make that decision one whole pricing tier of tickets for the Toronto show sells out. We immediately put in our request for 2 tickets and that is how we end up with an unbudgeted trip to Toronto.

Before we left for the mountains we had a look at the price of the plane tickets. We left that purchase until we returned and had time to mull it over. The day we returned we brought up the AC website and the ticket price had increase $20 each way.  Again we felt as though we need to decide fast. What day do we leave? What time of the day? Which airline? We leave it over night, think about it all day and book our ride.

Debbie looks at accommodation. The Bond Hotel has a room for $99 a night. We both think that is a good price for a hotel in the centre of downtown Toronto. We look the next day and the price is no longer available. Rats, snookered again a third time. We do a bit more research and book a room through a booking site for $76. The trick is, we book it blind. It’s a great rate but we have to book it without knowing what hotel it is we are booking. The only info offered is the ‘general area’ where the hotel is located. A bit of fun. After we commit, the name of the hotel is revealed. We are staying at the Metropolitan. http://www.metropolitan.com/toronto It looks fine. We’ll see when we get there.

Last piece to the puzzle. The transport from the airport to downtown. The Toronto Airport Express http://www.torontoairportexpress.com is a bus that takes about 1.5 hours and damned if it doesn’t stop at the Metropolitan Hotel. This one is a slam dunk and I book it right away. I’m sure the local bus is cheaper but I cannot imagine how long the ride would be and how many time we would have transfer. Sometimes the convenience is worth the money.

Toronto, not even on our radar, but we’re going and we expect to have a good time. Sometimes you have to follow your whimsies and see where they take you, regardless of the annual budget.

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Utila Photos

Posted on March 30, 2012 by debbie

We got waylaid by a couple of trips to the mountains, but finally I have posted the Utila photos on the blog!

Click on “Photos” on the Menu bar. Click on “Utila, Honduras 2012”. Click on the first photo and then use the “Next” button that appears over the photo to scroll through them. There are 3 pages of photos, so click on the “Next Page” to go the subsequent pages.

Enjoy the fish and sights of Utila, Honduras!!

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raison d’etre

Posted on March 28, 2012 by murray

Most people addicted to the sport of skiing long for the days when it has snowed all night and they can be one of the few folks that are able to leave their signature in the new snow’s smooth pristine surface. I have skied in the mountains about 40 days the last two winters and have skied in no less that 20 cm of untracked snow each time. I don’t think there is much skill involved in my choice of days, I will have to concede to a lot of luck.

About 6 of the days were at resorts. Three of the days were at Sunshine Village. It is not too unusual to ski new snow there, it is quite high and in a snow belt. The other days were 2 at Mount Norquay and one at Nakiska. Both of those resorts are known for their hard, fast, super smooth groomed runs, yet each time I have been in the last two years I have been treated to boot top powder. Two days I was cat skiing at Castle Mountain. One of the draws to riding up the  mountain in a cat is that you have the opportunity to ski virgin snow. Both days I was in the cat it snowed and every run was untracked. The other 32 days were in the backcountry. One of the big appeals of walking uphill for 3 hours is the 1/2 hour run to the bottom in boot top snow untouched by no other human.

Today, again, I venture forth with J and B and skinned our way up to an area known as Crowfoot Glades. We did all the background work and chose it because most of the slope is north facing and will not be affected by the sun that has been so prominent this last week. We stay at treeline and below because the snow in the trees will not have been affected by the wind that has been blowing. And, all our assumptions prove true. This time science and art had as much to play in us being able to ski fresh untracked snow as luck did, but it happened again and we are rewarded for our efforts.

J on the uptrack

J on the uptrack

As we walk up we note that the snow is light and fluffy. A good chance we will be able to ski this kind 0f snow on the way down. The walk up is always somewhat introspective. When we stop to rest we chat ideally and/or talk about the condition of the snow pack we have been crossing over. The time in between rests, when we are making our way up the slope, I turn inward and experience the feeling I call Zen. There is only the surroundings and my thoughts. I am at peace with the world and all is good.

As we trudge up my meditation is interrupted by a huge boom and roar. We all stop and look up. Along the ridge of the mountain we are ascending, a very large avalanche has started and is pouring over the rock face. We stand for several seconds and watch tons of snow careen down the mountain. We have been looking up as we climb and each of us noted that the cornices above where we intend to ski have already let loose. With the warming temperature of spring the cornices that have built up all winter lose their bond and become a likely start for what can be very big avalanches. We are walking far away outside the run out zone of any avalanche that might start directly above us and do not intend to venture close to the bottom of the wall above, so we are OK with what we have just witnessed. It is a reminder to remain vigilant and focus on the task at hand.

B skiing the first run

B skiing the first run

The snow is as good as we thought, soft, light fluffy, unskied, boot-top powder. We find a slope with about 30 turns and decide to take a run before we settle down for lunch. The lighting is only OK but the snow is great and we all sign the slope with our own unique scrawl.

Lunch is amongst the trees out of the wind. The surroundings are serene and lunch is deserved and tasty. Using the existing uptrack we skin to the same place we started our first run, move over a few meters and use up another line of fresh snow.

We have chosen to ski out along a different ridge which means a bit more uphill walking but the run down proves worth the work and all in all we have a wonderful day of skiing. As you may have guessed I like to ski and skiing powder snow is high on my list of reasons for being.

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Mount Shark Ski

Posted on March 27, 2012 by debbie

To get a different view of the mountains we head up the Spray Lakes Road to Mount Shark. Mount Shark is groomed for both classic and skate skiing. There are 2, 5, 10 and 15 km loops. Today we are going to tackle the 10 km loop. Murray and I have skied it before and I recall that there are many hills on the first part of the trail.

We are not disappointed as right from the first corner, we find ourselves staring down a rather steep hill with, you guessed it, a left hand turn at the bottom. Murray, R and J snow plow down leaving B and me at the top. Gulp! I start down, my ski gets stuck on something and I wipe out. “Well, that’s over with for today.” I mumble. I make it down the rest of the way without trouble. B also makes it down with a few stops to check out the snow crystals on the way.

The next three kms are a series of similar death defying downs followed by heart rate topping steep uphills.  Murray commented “Yesterday we got our aerobic training in, today it is anaerobic training!”

Murray and J

Murray and J

We stop for a much needed break and to wolf down a snack, gulp a drink and get our heart rates down. Our legs are feeling the exertion of the steep downhills and uphills.   This trail is not for the faint of heart!

R and B

R and B

The second half of the ski is on more rolling terrain and we actually get to stride. Our wax is failing us though as the tracks are glazed over in spots and it is not sticking. We make a quick stop to apply stickier wax and it helps for the last few kilometers.

We watch as a snow storm approaches from down the valley. By the time we get back to the van, it is snowing and blowing.  We quickly change, stow the gear and drive. R wants to get to the main road before too much snow falls. We park at a spot on the Spray Lakes Road to eat our lunch. Sandwiches, veggies and fruit revive our tired muscles.

We drive back to Canmore, where R, J and B change and then head back to Edmonton.  Murray and I stay in Canmore for a couple days of back country skiing and mountain air and view therapy.

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Glorious

Posted on March 27, 2012 by debbie

Moraine Lake is our destination for the day. Up. J, R, B, Murray and I pile into the van with skis, lunch and extra clothes. It is B’s first ski in the mountains. Her running fitness and sense of adventure will pay off.

We are quiet on the drive to Lake Louise. Everyone is gazing at the mountains, the snow and the cerulean ski. Glorious.

View on Moriane Lake Road Trail

View on Moraine Lake Road Trail

We start up the tracks to the Moraine Lake Viewpoint, 7.9 km on the map. It is a steady climb up and up and up. The snow crystals are diamonds sparkling on a pristine blanket.  There is no wind and the sun, in the cloudless ski, is warm turning to hot on our working bodies. We slowly shed layers.

Temple Mountain

Temple Mountain

We round a corner and Temple Mountain appears in its magnificence. Glorious!

(photo by RM)

There is a definite lack of people on this trail. When we do meet people they are tourists from across the world.  Manchester and Peterborough, England and Boulder, Colorado.

We ski up to the viewpoint and I check my Garmin.  The noted 7.9 kms has turned into a 9 km uphill ski. There is steam rising from Murray’s pate. We stop for a break, a few photos and a snack.

Murray, B, J, Debbie, R

Murray, B, J, Debbie, R

Before everyone gets too cold, we begin our downhill journey.  The tracks are fast and what took us 2.5 hours to climb takes a half hour to descend. My Garmin clocks my maximum speed at 32.7 kph! Pretty fast on skinny skis.

Animal tracks

Animal tracks

We see mystery animal tracks in the snow. Deer? Rabbits? Fox? Birds? Snow falling from trees and rolling down the slopes turns into cinnamon buns that make tracks as they roll.  Each snowball’s tracks is distinctive. The snow is deep and is thick frosting on the side of the mountain. Glorious!

We eat lunch in the sun sitting on the back of the van. We watch a woman ski through the parking lot and run into someone’s truck. A reminder to all skiers to take off your skis before the parking lot!

We pile into the van for the drive back to Canmore, all pleased with our outing.  B’s first ski in the mountains was GLORIOUS!

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Excitement for Africa

Posted on March 22, 2012 by debbie

Murray has been researching where to go and what to do in Africa pretty heavily lately. I am not so patient with investigating, so much of this is left to Murray. I go on the web to look at a couple of tour operators that friends had used and I can’t help but get excited.  I just want to go!  Let’s go!!!  A good sign that this is the right trip to be taking next.

We have narrowed the destination countries down to Tanzania, Botswana. We are talking about doing two safaris. One along the Okavango Delta and into the Chobe National Park in Botswana perhaps and another in Tanzania going through the Serengeti. Some of the prices we are encountering are quite high, so we are also thinking about one tour as part of a larger group (to keep the cost down) and one tour in a smaller, more costly, group. There is so much information on the web that it is hard to digest, and make sense of, it all. We are also going to go to Zanzibar.  It will be at the end of the trip as it is a beach and scuba diving destination.

Murray is working on a letter to send to a number of tour operators that outlines what we are looking for. When it is ready we will send it to about 10 operators and see what we get back.

We have narrowed down the months to either September into October or November into December. We have a time constraint in that our daughter’s convocation for her Master’s is on November 3 in BC and we want to be there. So Africa has to be worked around being back in Canada on that date. The rainy season starts in November, so I am leaning toward the September/October option.

We have discovered a number of miscellaneous items. No visas needed for Canadians to these countries. Yellow fever vaccinations will be required. Malaria meds will be required. There are strict weight limits for baggage on some local airline carriers. We should each carry a pair of binoculars.

We are slowly progressing towards the east and the African continent. I am so excited!

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The Drive Home

Posted on March 18, 2012 by debbie

Murray gets down off the mountain after another awesome day of thigh deep powder. We pile into the vehicle and head north. Murray drives the first leg. As we head onto Hwy 22, we are again amazed at the scenery we have in our province.

Southern Alberta

Southern Alberta

We travel all over the world looking for the unusual and here Alberta has some of the most exceptional landscape we have seen. Mountains sprinkled in snow icing, prairies rolling like swells on the ocean, skies as blue as the Caribbean Sea. The sun is low in the west and the clouds are spectacular.

Southern Alberta

Southern Alberta

We pass through Longview and Black Diamond and decide to have supper in Okotoks. We find the Happy Valley Chinese Restaurant and have mediocre Singapore Noodles and Beef with Black Bean Sauce. We hit the road again with me driving. The drive north on Hwy 2 is Friday night busy. Murray’s two days of skiing catches up with him and he snoozes on and off all the way home.  Ani DiFranco, Steeldrivers, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros and Laura Love keep me company as the miles pass by. Before long we are pulling into the garage. Home once more.

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Pincher Creek

Posted on March 16, 2012 by debbie

Murray is excited about going cat skiing for a second day. I’m heading to Pincher Creek.

Fifteen minutes down the road and I am in another weather zone.  It is dry, sunny and spring. The 45 km drive to Pincher Creek takes about 35 minutes. I take a back highway (507) and the drive is through rolling hills, grazing land with a view of the snow covered mountain far off in the distance. There are wind turbines dotting the horizon. Must be windy here. I chuckle when I see a group of horses lined up nose to tail with their backs to the wind. They know which way the wind blows!

Pincher Creek is a small town with a population for about 3,700.  It is big enough to have a Tim Horton’s, a Rexall Drugs and a few fast food chains. I play tourist and drive around town looking at the houses.  I like to look for old houses and I find one sitting on a prominent hill overlooking Main Street. It was built in 1910 and was owned by a local businessman. It is now an Historical Resource and houses the Applied Arts Council.

Lebel Mansion

Lebel Mansion

As I missed my ski today (and yesterday) I go for a swim at the pool. When I try to pay with a $20, the young fellow tells me all he has for change is a $100 bill so it’s okay, no need to pay. WOW! That would never happen in Edmonton! I thank him, wish him a good day and trundle off to swim my laps.

Feeling refreshed, I head back to Castle stopping to take pictures of some building murals. The windows of the building above also had murals covering them. It gave the building a real artsy appeal.

Pincher CreekPincher Creek is a quiet, slow moving town. Main Street is vibrant and there are people out and about. I drive through town and take an alternate route out back onto the highway towards the snow.

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A Day at Castle Mountain

Posted on March 16, 2012 by debbie
View from our window towards the Ski Lodge

View from our window towards the Ski Lodge

The day starts at 7 am with snow falling from the heavens and the temperature sitting at 2 C Murray heads off cat skiing and I ponder cross country. I decide to hold off and go for a walk around the resort. The snow is heavy with moisture and under the snow it is liquid in spots.

The resort is a small village with housing ranging from holiday trailers to large newly constructed homes to staff acommodations.There are perhaps 200 units. Naming homesteads seems to be the thing here with names like Wind in the Pines, Wild West, The Wright Cabin, Tom’s Place and Snowed Inn. Many houses are right beside the ski runs. The houses range from older small units to brand new architect designed modern abodes.

Out the door and onto the slopes!

Out the door and onto the slopes!

After lunch I decide to head to Syncline Recreation Area, a 10 minute drive away, the local cross country area. I had learned last night that although it is groomed/packed, it is not tracked. I am not sure why go to the trouble of grooming and not track. Thought I would go for at least a shuffle to get some fresh air.  I drive into the parking lot and get nervous about getting stuck, so I do not venture too far in. There is less snow here than up the mountain and with the rain that is now coming down, I decide to bail and just head back to the hotel and watch a movie.

There is another cross country trail that leaves from the end of the housing area at Castle. It is also not machine tracked. My impression is that unless you like to break trail and go for a tramp through the woods, this is not the place to go cross country skiing on skinny skis looking for nice fast tracks.

My day has been a loaf.

I mentioned in my last blog about the relationship between the quality of the driving on the way to skiing and the quality of the skiing. ‘The worse the driving, the better the skiing.’ The roads were bone dry using cruise control on the speed limit all the way. I questioned whether or not the opposite was true. If so, the skiing will not be so good today.

Surprise, I awake this morning to a snow storm and by the look of the parking lot it had been snowing for quite some time. The resort requires that each person that goes cat skiing must sit through an orientation and then a quick run through on the proper methods of using a probe and shovel and how to search using a transceiver. This is not only a requirement it is a good idea, especially if I’m the one caught in a slide, as the hour we spend could be of great benefit. It is hard to concentrate when I know about a kilometer up the road is 40 cm of untracked powder.

We are soon in the cabin on the back of the cat and ascending the mountain. First run seems to be a test run so the guide can see what he has to work with. Knee deep snow with not a track in any direction. Heaven!  As we descend, the snow gets wetter and heavier but it is still virgin snow and the feeling of skiing that kind of snow is not comparable to anything else I know.

We ski knee to thigh deep snow all day. Twice the cat cannot climb the track and we have to bail 1/2 way up and ski the runs lower on the mountain. Our group is very polite and we all take turns going first and last.

All in all it is an epic day on the slopes.

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On the Road to Castle Mountain Ski Resort

Posted on March 15, 2012 by debbie
View of the mountains from QEII, north of Calgary

View of the mountains from QEII, north of Calgary

We leave Edmonton at 12:20 pm to dry roads, winter blue skis and the sun warming us through the front windshield. The drive to Calgary is uneventful and swift. The further south we go the less snow is by the roadside and in the fields. A quick stop at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Calgary and we are off south again.

We had decided to stay on Hwy 2 until Nanton and then turn west towards Hwy 22, then south again. It is 4:30 pm when we reach Nanton so we decide to stop for supper as we are not sure if there will be places to eat once we head further.

We stop at the Sweet Queen Family Restaurant (403-646-2289).  It is left off the highway on 19 Street right in Nanton. It is a pizza and burger bar with an eclectic country/ice cream parlour decor. The owner/cook is welcoming and efficient. The food arrives quickly and is hot hot hot.

A single bacon burger, with lettuce, tomatoes and mayo, including a pile of steak fries and a can of pop (the # 2 special) is $6.50. A mushroom burger with real mushrooms and a peppery sauce plus cheese is $4.00. A chocolate milkshake is $3.25. The food is much needed sustenance and tastes delightful. We would stop there again.

Countryside west of Nanton

Countryside west of Nanton

We turn west toward the sunset. The landscape is open, sandy coloured grazing country with the sporadic herds of cows spotting the low hills. Two octets of deer are sharing the grazing land. A lone coyote is hunting a terrified gopher in its hole. It feels like we are in the African veld and not really heading to the snow.

Getting closer to Castle Mountain Ski Resort

Getting closer to Castle Mountain Ski Resort

As we approach the ski resort, there is more and more snow and the road is a first dry, then snowy and then slushy/icy .Murray muses about his last post adage “the worse the driving, the better the snow” and that today we have had perfect driving, so hopefully the adage isn’t “the better the driving, the worse the skiing”. We arrive to falling snow, a chilly wind and hopes that the cat skiing and cross country skiing will be great tomorrow.

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