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!

Hiking Season Has Commenced: 2010

Yesterday we set off on our first "real" hike of the 2010 season. It was raining fairly heavily when we got to Argenta and I was surprised to realize that this was the first time I've ever really been to the community of Argenta, north of Kootenay Lake. It's a small Quaker community with some very interesting people.

We hiked about 5 km (one way) of the Hamill Creek Trail and the creek is pictured here. We had one cable car crossing of the creek and could have done another if we'd wanted to travel further. The showers ended shortly after our departure and we enjoyed a few bits of sunshine, beautiful greenery in the forest, canyon walls, rushing creeks, rockslide debris, old mining operations, and a lovely log cabin, partially collapsed. It was good to have the boots on once again.

The Roads Taken: Getting to and From Work

I'm pretty sure that yesterday was my last day of work in schools and as I drove up the lake to Meadow Creek, I couldn't help but reflect on all the beautiful roads I've taken to work over the years, particularly over the last decade when I began being "green" getting to work. It began with a nearly hour long bike ride over to the north end of Saskatoon from Montgomery Place - about 18 km each way, mostly along the beautiful trail along the South SK River. While working on the west side of Saskatoon I was close enough to walk to and from work even on those bitter winter days and I remember snowshoeing a couple of times. The year in the Isle of Man was magical - I had a 15 minute walk to my rideshare and could see the sun rise over the Irish Sea. If I disembarked at the right bus stop on the way home, I could walk past thatched cottages and views out to Ireland. Yesterday, I was able to drive north on Kootenay Lake, observing Mt. Willett most of the way

(pictured here; photo credit to Dave). I really can't say which have been the "best" of all those routes - every one of them has been special in its own way. The whole business of teaching has been a road taken, too!

Baby, 30

We travelled to Rossland last Thursday to celebrate the 30ieth birthday of our baby, Andrea. Where did that time go? I know my Dad told me that he felt old when his eldest child turned 40. I took this turning 30 in stride; the unease I felt that day was placing my will in a safety deposit box in Trail and thinking that Andrea might be the next person to open this - hopefully not before she is 60!

No GPS, Lots of Common Sense

I had a chance to walk to the headwaters of the Columbia River last Saturday after a long sit at meetings during the day. We parked the vehicle just south of Fairmont Hot Springs and an hour's walk brought me to this view of Columbia Lake and the beginning of the great river. One thing I really like about travelling through the Pacific Northwest (aka Cascadia) is to see where the great mapmaker David Thompson spent a good many days. Just outside Invermere we found Kootenae House, where Thompson spent the winter of 1807, travelling there via Howse Pass with his wife and children. It's a pretty uninspiring place for pictures today, but it's easy to imagine what might have been. He's the most underrated of Canada's explorers, in my opinion. We don't do much to enlighten our population about his travels; I often find we get more information about David Thompson while travelling through the US. He accomplished so much during his lifetime, pretty much mapping most of western North America. He had incredible common sense when it came to the fur trade, too, but he was largely ignored by his "superiors". And to think he did most of this journeying with a compass, canoe, and a few writing instruments.