August 31, 2009
Mount Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier
We left before 8:00 a.m. to start down Icefield Parkway a bit to reach the entrance to Mt. Edith Cavell. Actually we had thought that it was 7:00 because we had not noticed that the time had changed to Rocky Mountain Time. The road up to the trail head was windy and seemed to take forever to reach a parking area for our walk. It was close to 5000 feet above sea level. Our first walk led us up and very close to this mountain. It is named for a British nurse who was executed during WWII for helping prisoners of war in Belguim escape. The walk out to the glacier pond and the visions of what is left of the glacier took about an hour. On the way we saw several different ground squirrels and a full grown Marmut stuffing himself with a large bunch of grass. We also some evergreens that had were apparently in a fire and the bottom half of these trees is burned black and the tops are green. We also saw instances of new vegetation peeking up through Rocky(where landslides carried down rock) or burned out areas. I expected it to be very cold by the glacier but it was warm. This glacier and many others in North America formed about 400 years ago during a mini ice age. In 1951 there was still enough of the glacier that snow covered some of the area that were clear for walking today. water runs down the steep mountain as the glacier melts. Angel Pond is the result of melting glacier water running down and pieces of the glacier breaking off and falling into the pond. While we were there, a piece of the glacier right above the pond kept calving and dropping ice into the pond with a big splash which reverberated through the woods like the sound of a gunshot or firecrackers.
The second walk that we took went up much higher and showed us higher views of the mountain and the landscape up there was more meadows with wildflowers as well as the evergreens. On the walk down from this second hike, we walked with this woman that had gone to library school about the same time that I did and we got to talk about the changes that were going on for libraries.
After our hiking we went to the Post Office to mail some souvenirs off to the kids and I was surprised to be handed customs sheets to be filled out for each package.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
On the Road-Victria BC-Jasper Alberta
LEAVING VICTORIA
Saturday Aug. 29th
We were warned that we better not take our car to the ferry too early on a Saturday morning or we would have to wait a long time. So we left in time to catch the 11:00 ferry and managed to get on the 1:00. For one thing there was an AC-DC concert in Vancouver on Saturday and it seemed that every young person on Vancouver Island wa aboard a ferry for this concert. When we landed back on the mainland(near Vancouver) we drove through what appeared to be uninhabited areas for long miles on the road and once in a while there would be a town. We stopped for the evening in a place called Merritt BC. It had very weak Internet connectivity and a Chinese restaurant that was terrible. We began our drive north and east to get to get to Jasper in the province of Alberta. All along the road were trees-a lot were dead- and beautiful mountains with striations of different colors horizontally on the rocks. Peaks of snow were often visible. Lots of reminders for snow tires or chains and gates that close off the road in winter.
JASPER ALBERTA
We drove many hours and we finally reached Jasper which is a national park. Before you enter the park ever one must pay a fee. You pay a fee for each day that you plan to be in the parks until you reach seven days and that buys you an annual pass. We drove into the park and we came upon the city/town of Jasper. Jasper is right in the middle of the park and the ranger station is right in the middle of town. David and I were delighted to see what a beautiful almost magical looking town that it was. All kinds of shops and restaurants line the first couple streets.
I was feeling as though we are doing a very long journey but that was before I met Albert and Marilyn. This couple who lives in Lincoln shire England bought themselves a motorcycle, flew themselves and the cycle to Anchorage, and are driving to Argentina. They have been on the road for just 3 weeks and re having a ball. Also at our hotel are a lovely couple named Gordon and Dorothy and they are in their 8o0's and are doing a road trip all across Western Canada.
Friday, August 28, 2009
;ontheroad-Victoria BC
August 28, 2009
MINIATURE WORLD
Located in Victoria's prime hotel, the Empress(built by some more of those RR magnates) is a museum of dioramas depicting varied things. As you enter, there is a dark hallway that displays in virtual fashion futuristic time travel. Then you proceed down a series of hallways that have the dioramas inside glass covering along both sides of the hallways. The exhibits begin with detailed depictions of past battles which include battlefields and razed civilian buildings. Battles were from WWII, WWI, Civil War of U.S., Revolutionary War of U.S., Napoleonic Wars and replications of pioneer days includeing Indians stampeding buffalo in order to use there meat and hides.; and a working sawmill with everything cut in one inch to one foot scale with machines perfectly cutting , turnikng, and stacking wood. One finally reaches the hallways of fantasy. There is a fine diarama of Snow White and her 7 Dwarves, Jack and the Beanstalk and the Old Woman who lived in the shoe. After that a large sections depicting some Dickens. There is a window for Oliver Ywist, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby, etc. Then there are several large and detailed Victorian Dollhouses. The final museum section is called the Circus and show big top areas, carnival rides(moving and lit), unsrupulous gamers and Wild West Shows.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
Big in Victoria this week is the arrival of the Fringe Festival. This, which we had never heard of is a collection offbeat theater and dance performances. This festival travels around all through Canada, and we were surprised to learn goes even to San Francisco. Many are one man plays. In this festival the performers get all the money from the ticket sales and the whole festival is run on a shoestring budget mainly coming from the $5 every one is supposed to pay to belong to the festival and buy tickets. The show that we saw was called STRAIGHT and was an excellent presentation by a talented young woman. It is about her life, her mother's death, and her repeating her mother's life.
MINIATURE WORLD
Located in Victoria's prime hotel, the Empress(built by some more of those RR magnates) is a museum of dioramas depicting varied things. As you enter, there is a dark hallway that displays in virtual fashion futuristic time travel. Then you proceed down a series of hallways that have the dioramas inside glass covering along both sides of the hallways. The exhibits begin with detailed depictions of past battles which include battlefields and razed civilian buildings. Battles were from WWII, WWI, Civil War of U.S., Revolutionary War of U.S., Napoleonic Wars and replications of pioneer days includeing Indians stampeding buffalo in order to use there meat and hides.; and a working sawmill with everything cut in one inch to one foot scale with machines perfectly cutting , turnikng, and stacking wood. One finally reaches the hallways of fantasy. There is a fine diarama of Snow White and her 7 Dwarves, Jack and the Beanstalk and the Old Woman who lived in the shoe. After that a large sections depicting some Dickens. There is a window for Oliver Ywist, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickelby, etc. Then there are several large and detailed Victorian Dollhouses. The final museum section is called the Circus and show big top areas, carnival rides(moving and lit), unsrupulous gamers and Wild West Shows.
FRINGE FESTIVAL
Big in Victoria this week is the arrival of the Fringe Festival. This, which we had never heard of is a collection offbeat theater and dance performances. This festival travels around all through Canada, and we were surprised to learn goes even to San Francisco. Many are one man plays. In this festival the performers get all the money from the ticket sales and the whole festival is run on a shoestring budget mainly coming from the $5 every one is supposed to pay to belong to the festival and buy tickets. The show that we saw was called STRAIGHT and was an excellent presentation by a talented young woman. It is about her life, her mother's death, and her repeating her mother's life.
Canadianisms
There are not00 many language differences. On the West Coast, as this is called you hear very little French-you hear more at Sharon Green- and not many things are printed in the 2 languages. There seem to be a couple of French tv stations but there are also Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese etc.
WASHROOMS
Canadians so use the term "Washroom" consistently where we would use "rest rooms." There are a few other Britishisms I notice such as "mind your step" and of course there are metres and liters,and spelling with extra "u"s and "re"s instead of "er"s.
LOONIES AND TWONIES
Specific to Canadians are terms for the one dollar and two dollar coins which are called Loonies and Twonies respectively. There is a picture of a loon on the one dollar coin and the two dollar coin makes it rhyme by saying twonies.
POUTINE
You find this on menus and it is a Queebec contribution. What it is is french fries, gravy and cheese on top. Nothing sounds more revolting to me. I have been looking for abaked potato since we entered Canada and they don't seem to eat their potatoes baked.
WASHROOMS
Canadians so use the term "Washroom" consistently where we would use "rest rooms." There are a few other Britishisms I notice such as "mind your step" and of course there are metres and liters,and spelling with extra "u"s and "re"s instead of "er"s.
LOONIES AND TWONIES
Specific to Canadians are terms for the one dollar and two dollar coins which are called Loonies and Twonies respectively. There is a picture of a loon on the one dollar coin and the two dollar coin makes it rhyme by saying twonies.
POUTINE
You find this on menus and it is a Queebec contribution. What it is is french fries, gravy and cheese on top. Nothing sounds more revolting to me. I have been looking for abaked potato since we entered Canada and they don't seem to eat their potatoes baked.
On the Road-Victoria BC
Thursday August 17
BUTCHART GARDENS -over 100 years in bloom
On Vancouver Island in the city of Victoria, (Victoria is the capital of British Columbia) is a National Landmark of Canada call Butchart Gardens. These 55 acres of different gardens is the result of the pet project by Jennie Butchart, wife of a cement manufacturer. Their property was an enormous Lime quarry (lime being what is processed to make cement. The lime excavation created deep barren chasms and Mrs. Butchart set about creating gardens in this area She brought back seeds from all over the world and had many gardeners and access to landscape architects, money being no object. If the limestone was of inferior quality, that area was not mined and this created walls around one sunken garden. There is also a Mediteranium Garden, a Japenese Garden, a Perennial Garden...We had been advised to arrive at the garden in late afternoon so that we could see the garden in daylight and wait around until dark when the garden is transformed with lights. Waiting around was not difficult as sat outside and had a little dinner and then at 7:30 entertainment began on the concert lawn. A large band played music from the 40's and audience members danced quite competently to the waltzes, cha=cha etc.
BUTCHART GARDENS -over 100 years in bloom
On Vancouver Island in the city of Victoria, (Victoria is the capital of British Columbia) is a National Landmark of Canada call Butchart Gardens. These 55 acres of different gardens is the result of the pet project by Jennie Butchart, wife of a cement manufacturer. Their property was an enormous Lime quarry (lime being what is processed to make cement. The lime excavation created deep barren chasms and Mrs. Butchart set about creating gardens in this area She brought back seeds from all over the world and had many gardeners and access to landscape architects, money being no object. If the limestone was of inferior quality, that area was not mined and this created walls around one sunken garden. There is also a Mediteranium Garden, a Japenese Garden, a Perennial Garden...We had been advised to arrive at the garden in late afternoon so that we could see the garden in daylight and wait around until dark when the garden is transformed with lights. Waiting around was not difficult as sat outside and had a little dinner and then at 7:30 entertainment began on the concert lawn. A large band played music from the 40's and audience members danced quite competently to the waltzes, cha=cha etc.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
On the Road-Vancouver-Stanley Park
Wednesday, August 26
STANLEY PARK, THE GARDEN SPOT OF VANCOUVER
Located at the North end of the city, this park is accessible on foot by following the sea wall of False Creek until its end. The park is 1000 beautiful acres surrounded by the water of English Bay and Burrard Inlet. Contained in the park are other lakes such as Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake. The park has three beaches, some playgrounds, many trails, a petting zoo, the aquarium; and most beautiful to me the iconic totem poles and and the community gardens. The park has areas set aside for lawn bowling and croquet. A large group os attractive middle-aged women all dressed in white were socializing as a few set up the croquet path. The park has lots of wildlife and we spent a few minutes trying to get good photos of the friendly raccoons who seemed to love posing for pictures on their hind legs. I only got one shot of them on their hind legs as they were faster moving than our camera could shoot.
TOTEM POLES
The garden of totem poles is representatve of the early peoples referred to as Inuit and Coast Salish. The poles are carved of cedar and stand way taller than I am. They depict either historical or mythological events that the people wnted to proclaim in the front of their houses.
COMMUNITY GARDENS
A large area of formal gardens often set in circular displays of high flowers sometimes containing angular grass designs. Every circle is carefully edged around to separate each flower area from the rest of the lawn.
STANLEY PARK, THE GARDEN SPOT OF VANCOUVER
Located at the North end of the city, this park is accessible on foot by following the sea wall of False Creek until its end. The park is 1000 beautiful acres surrounded by the water of English Bay and Burrard Inlet. Contained in the park are other lakes such as Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake. The park has three beaches, some playgrounds, many trails, a petting zoo, the aquarium; and most beautiful to me the iconic totem poles and and the community gardens. The park has areas set aside for lawn bowling and croquet. A large group os attractive middle-aged women all dressed in white were socializing as a few set up the croquet path. The park has lots of wildlife and we spent a few minutes trying to get good photos of the friendly raccoons who seemed to love posing for pictures on their hind legs. I only got one shot of them on their hind legs as they were faster moving than our camera could shoot.
TOTEM POLES
The garden of totem poles is representatve of the early peoples referred to as Inuit and Coast Salish. The poles are carved of cedar and stand way taller than I am. They depict either historical or mythological events that the people wnted to proclaim in the front of their houses.
COMMUNITY GARDENS
A large area of formal gardens often set in circular displays of high flowers sometimes containing angular grass designs. Every circle is carefully edged around to separate each flower area from the rest of the lawn.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
On the Road-Vancouver
ONTHEROAD-VANCOUVER August 25
Drink in British Columbia
They drink and produce a lot of beer here. There is a chain here called Fogg 'n Suds which has beers aver 100 beers from all over the world. The Fogg is for Phineas Fogg from around the World in 80 days and the Suds is of course beer.
In Iced Teas there is Shaken Iced Tea- a good tea fruit blend from a big coffee chain called BLENZ. In Chinatown there were many signs for Bubble Tea which is an Iced Tea with round fruity candies in the bottom of your glass.
GRANVILLE ISLAND
We took a bus ato get here but it doesn't seem to require a bridge to get there. There is a large portion of False Creek around Granville and many small water taxis to take passengers across the water to parts of the city on the other side of the water. The highlight of GI is the Public Market which seems like an indoor daily farmer's market at which each booth has wonderful products--the food booths we sampled. I got a fabulous scone which had a hint of cheese and salt and no sugar. In the whole state of California I have not found an unsugared scone.
David and I declined to take a ferry in favor of walking along a paved path that follows the creek and atook us into Chinatown.
CHINATOWN
First we visited the Dr. Sun-Yet sun Garden. This is a small type Ming Garden and bult to give a sense of larger space and containing elements of water, Earth, Heaven,nature. There is Ying and Yang all over the place so that opposites which are really complementary can be shone. This is seen in male and female foliage, round stones and skinny rectangular stones, live bamboo and mineral rocks against the bamboo that have an opposite texture from the bamboo. In their temple room they have a view of an Evergreen to symbolize strength and long-life, a bamboo to symbolize flexibility, and a snow cherry (this is a tree that blooms in the China before the snow is gone) to symbolize rebirth.
For lunch we were directed to the Jade Dynasty restauraant for freshly prepared Dim Sum. They were not kidding. You ordered from a menu and then they cooked it and brought it out to you right from the oven in a steamer. You could taste the freshness.
GASTOWN
This was the in place in Vancouver in mid 19th century. It gets its name from a developer here who told long-winded stories. The Original Spahetti Factory is located here and there is old trolley car in the middle of the restaurant that you chose to sit in.
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
David wanted me to get to see the library which is very close to our hotel. It is a block long and 7 stories high. It houses 1.3 million tomes/resources. Even with this gigantic building some collections must be kept on shelves that have no space between one set of bookcases and the next. One must press a button to move the shelves apart and get to the shelves that you need. While some libraries are beginning to have coffee bars in them, this place has a full block long row of little snack stores across from the door where one actually enters to get to the books. Originally, I thought that patrons could eat snacks in parts of the library but a VPL librarian tells me that you cannot eat in the library. When you go through the gates upon entering the book area, they give you shopping baskets like the hand-held kind that you get in food markets. The catalog has my mother's books. They allow non-members to use the Internet for an hour.
Drink in British Columbia
They drink and produce a lot of beer here. There is a chain here called Fogg 'n Suds which has beers aver 100 beers from all over the world. The Fogg is for Phineas Fogg from around the World in 80 days and the Suds is of course beer.
In Iced Teas there is Shaken Iced Tea- a good tea fruit blend from a big coffee chain called BLENZ. In Chinatown there were many signs for Bubble Tea which is an Iced Tea with round fruity candies in the bottom of your glass.
GRANVILLE ISLAND
We took a bus ato get here but it doesn't seem to require a bridge to get there. There is a large portion of False Creek around Granville and many small water taxis to take passengers across the water to parts of the city on the other side of the water. The highlight of GI is the Public Market which seems like an indoor daily farmer's market at which each booth has wonderful products--the food booths we sampled. I got a fabulous scone which had a hint of cheese and salt and no sugar. In the whole state of California I have not found an unsugared scone.
David and I declined to take a ferry in favor of walking along a paved path that follows the creek and atook us into Chinatown.
CHINATOWN
First we visited the Dr. Sun-Yet sun Garden. This is a small type Ming Garden and bult to give a sense of larger space and containing elements of water, Earth, Heaven,nature. There is Ying and Yang all over the place so that opposites which are really complementary can be shone. This is seen in male and female foliage, round stones and skinny rectangular stones, live bamboo and mineral rocks against the bamboo that have an opposite texture from the bamboo. In their temple room they have a view of an Evergreen to symbolize strength and long-life, a bamboo to symbolize flexibility, and a snow cherry (this is a tree that blooms in the China before the snow is gone) to symbolize rebirth.
For lunch we were directed to the Jade Dynasty restauraant for freshly prepared Dim Sum. They were not kidding. You ordered from a menu and then they cooked it and brought it out to you right from the oven in a steamer. You could taste the freshness.
GASTOWN
This was the in place in Vancouver in mid 19th century. It gets its name from a developer here who told long-winded stories. The Original Spahetti Factory is located here and there is old trolley car in the middle of the restaurant that you chose to sit in.
VANCOUVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
David wanted me to get to see the library which is very close to our hotel. It is a block long and 7 stories high. It houses 1.3 million tomes/resources. Even with this gigantic building some collections must be kept on shelves that have no space between one set of bookcases and the next. One must press a button to move the shelves apart and get to the shelves that you need. While some libraries are beginning to have coffee bars in them, this place has a full block long row of little snack stores across from the door where one actually enters to get to the books. Originally, I thought that patrons could eat snacks in parts of the library but a VPL librarian tells me that you cannot eat in the library. When you go through the gates upon entering the book area, they give you shopping baskets like the hand-held kind that you get in food markets. The catalog has my mother's books. They allow non-members to use the Internet for an hour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)