North of 60

I recently returned from my first land visit north of 60 degrees N. I spent a week in Yellowknife. This is truly Canadian Shield country. Pictured here is the Cameron River, part of a big-time canoe route in the north. It is gorgeous country and seems to me to be the most typically "Canadian" of all possible landscapes. Flying into Yellowknife, I could see a land of lakes and rivers and the sight lines go on forever. I wouldn't call it a paradise for gardeners, but those who love the life on the land, this area is perfect. The bugs are pretty fierce and insistent but I was lucky in that we had reasonably windy weather to keep everyone from going insane. I loved the midnight sun!

Roadside B.C.

I've always felt that British Columbia roadsides are the nicest in Canada - the exception could be NS and PEI when the lupines are in bloom. On our recent trip to Lilloet and Pemberton, the case was proved once again in the example here. I collected these flowers in the Thompson Canyon just north of Lytton. Pretty smart of me to bring along a vase. While in NZ I used one of our very few cups as a container for the roadside bouquets. This is one thing I really like about having a camper van - flowers are always a part of home.

These Boots Are Made for Hiking

Wanted to get a blog going for June and didn't mention yesterday that I hiked in my new boots purchased at REI in Spokane. I wore them around the house quite a bit, but decided a week or two ago that I'd keep them. They are a women's Asolo hiking boot and I did like how they performed on Sunday. I am keeping the "high" tops for ankle support and spent the bucks on another pair of Superfeet - my feet felt great throughout the hike. The waterproofing stuff seemed to have worked well, too, and it got tested on Sunday. Happy Hiking, everyone!