Wednesday, May 21, 2008: Happy Birthday Mark! Boy what a long day. I was up at 3 am after a restless sleep. I'm not all that excited about this trip in the first place: I couldn't seem to get packed, wasn't really looking forward to it, couldn't even imagine what it was going to be like. Luke picked me up at 4 (and he was on time) and dropped me off at the airport. The place was bustling even at that hour. Met up with the rest of the group (Linda and Darwin Knochenmus, Mitch and Gerry Beaird, Sue May and Charles and Frances Bennett). We had a smooth flight to Houston and then on to Seattle. But a delay there put us back two hours or more. When we finally boarded the plane, it was like the little airport in Hobart,Tasmania: we had to walk the gangway, then downstairs, outside and up the steps to a prop plane. Didn’t know they still had those commercially. It sounded like the scene from Casablanca: “Here’s looking at you, kid!” I had seat #19D on all three flights. Maybe I should play the lottery. Had a small breakfast (cereal, granola bar) on the plane to Seattle but with the time change it was lunchtime once we got there. Most opted for Burger King but I got something called “udon” and it was delicious – when in Rome. . . . The flight to Kelowna was uneventful and I had a hard time staying awake. 19D was the last seat on the plane. We flew over gorgeous scenery – snow capped mountains then green farm fields then beautiful lakes nestle in the mountains. It reminded me somewhat of Tasmania but the locals say it’s only this green in the spring. It’s high dry desert country and once on the ground there are places it looks just like New Mexico. But I digress. We landed safely, cleared customs (after explaining Friendship Force to the agents) and met our hosts and rides. Eileen Timms and Jean Winstanley met us to bring us to our homes in Penticton. The ride there, thanks to our delay, was thru rush hour traffic. It was like being on the I-12 at O’Neil at 5:15 only with traffic lights. There was a bottleneck at the construction of the new bridge (which will open on Sunday) and we had to fight our way onto the floating bridge. However, we got a good look at Kelowna and felt right at home with all the chain restaurants, stores and gas stations that we see in the USA. They do have local shops and restaurants and I spot some Fish and Chips places. I’m hoping that we can get some of those. The road runs right along Lake Okanagan and is really pretty. We passed thru several small towns and villages along the way before arriving in Penticton around 6:30. We stopped at Eileen’s to pick up dessert and got to looking at her quilts – my oh my – she does some nice work. But we need to move on to Marilynn Moriarty’s, my hostess, for dinner. Sue met her hostess, Linda Furer. They were glad to see us as by this time we were about four hours late. We had a lovely meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, corn, vegetable tray, rolls and custard with fresh fruit. It was wonderful and a portent of things to come. After some great conversation we shoved the rest of the dinner guests out the door and settled in for the night. I quickly unpacked, set the alarm clock and fell fast asleep. The weather is such that the windows are open with a slight breeze – probably in the 50’s and quite good sleeping weather. We had rain on the ride from the airport and a double rainbow, another sign of things to come. But it seems to have cleared up for now. Marilynn has a lovely condo that sits next to a nature preserve. I later found out it is part of the Reserve (Canadians way of saying Reservation, as in Indian Reservation – much nicer than our phrase). I had a little trouble getting my luggage up her narrow flight of stairs but now that I’m in, it’s great. She has a living room with gas fireplace and a big picture window overlooking the woods where there are (or could be, or have been): bears, coyotes, deer, moose, raccoons, rabbits and many species of birds. Her dining room is adjacent and has the same view. She has an alcove that serves as a covered patio glassed and screened in to the same woods. My room is on the other side with a view of the other three condos and the Penticton airport beyond that. The bed is the most comfortable I’ve slept in in a long time. There’s a big bathroom for me and a large laundry room. Marilynn’s room is opposite mine and since she’s a smoker, she keeps the door closed. All in all, a really nice place to call home for the week.
Thursday, May 22, 2008: What a wonderful night’s sleep! I was ready and raring to go by 7:30. Marilynn fixed a breakfast of poached eggs, hash browns, toast and orange juice. Linda dropped Sue off and we were on our way. The first stop was the Penticton Mayor’s office where we had a nice talk by Randy Manuel. He was filling in for the mayor that day and is a city councilman, historian, librarian, and a great speaker. He spoke about the formation of the Okanagan Valley and the early history of Penticton. We received Mayor’s certificates and had refreshments. Then it was on to the SS Sicamous for a tour and lunch. It is an historic ship that ran the length of Lake Okanagan from the late 1800’s to 1940’s delivering people and goods from one end of the lake to the other 60 miles away. If you were wealthy, you could board the ship early in the evening, have a lovely dinner and retire to your cabin. When you awoke the next morning for your breakfast, you were well on your way. If you weren’t wealthy, you showed up at around 5 a.m. and purchased a ticket for the ride. The ship was purchased for $1 (along with several others – Randy mentioned that $1 must be the going rate for old broken down lake vessels in that part of Canada). It has been lovingly and beautifully restored by the Gyro Club, a gentleman’s club in Penticton. The ship, a paddle wheeler, is used as a museum, a theater, a restaurant, and for dances, parties, weddings and events such as ours. We had sandwiches, devilled eggs, finger foods and great desserts in the grand parlor along with more history from Randy. It was a delightful start for our exchange.
Our next stop was the Okanagan Valley Visitor’s and Wine Tasting Center. The employees told us there were so many wineries in the Valley that they found it easier to taste and sell all the wines in one place than everyone trying to do it themselves. They were sampling a Riesling that day, my personal favorite, and it was very good. We couldn’t buy any, however, because of several factors: you can’t carry it on the airplane anymore and we heard horror stories of ruined clothes and wet luggage when the baggage handlers manhandled the checked luggage. They can’t ship it to the United States so that was out. They told us most of the wine made in the Valley is consumed in the Valley, so we just decided to drink it all there. The Visitor’s Center also had a good assortment of souvenirs, postcards and maps so I spent most of my time picking out the right one (since they wouldn’t give me any more than two glasses of wine). Charles and Frances found free internet access and since their hosts didn’t have a computer they checked their email. (I think they stopped there every single morning to do so.)
Marilynn and I came home and sat on the veranda and talked for four hours until we finally decided we were hungry and went for Fish and Chips at a place called Joey’s. It was really very good even though their “chips” are still French fries; guess that Crown connection has some advantages. She took me on a drive and Penticton is a beautiful little town at night. We went to Munson Mountain lookout and was going to walk up the little path to the lookout at the top. I happened to notice that there was a sign that said the gate would be locked but I didn’t see the time. Well, Marilynn drove back and it was already after the time the gate was to be locked. We would have felt pretty funny if we had been locked in for the night. So we decided to head back home, passing by her daughter’s and Jean’s house on the way. We were in bed by 10. The weather was partly cloudy, cool and windy. We need jackets sometimes and other times not.
Friday, May 23, 2008: We were up again around 7, showering and a breakfast of fruit cup, poached egg cup, blueberry muffins, coffee and juice. It’s windy, cloudy, cool and drizzling rain but that doesn’t stop us. Our first stop is the Cherry Lane shopping center parking lot to pick up Sue and May (Linda has other plans today). May is the club treasurer and a lovely lady who lives just down the street. We’re off to Osoyoos. It’s another beautiful drive south of Penticton on the highway that runs along Skaha Lake. There are lots of orchards and vineyards along the way and everything is just in bloom. We slowed to a crawl in the town of Okanagan Falls so Marilynn could show us the sights and various houses she lived in. We enjoyed it but the traffic building up behind us was not amused. In fact, one pickup truck with long trailer was so annoyed, he laid on his horn as he gunned around us. Marilynn didn’t seem to notice. The falls are actually gone now as I believe they’ve dammed the lake to control the flow of water. At any rate, it was a cute little town and besides not having the falls anymore, barely changed since Marilynn lived there many years ago.
Our next stop was the Okanagan Gleaners. They are a non-denominational Christian group that processes excess fresh vegetables that would be thrown away and dries them for mixing into a soup base that is distributed to third world countries to feed the poor. Bob was our guide; I didn’t get his last name. He spoke well explaining their mission and how they survive strictly on donations and volunteer labor. People come from all over the country and the world to camp and spend perhaps a day, a week or a month helping to cut, dry, process and mix the vegetables for distribution. They are young, old, rich and poor. It was quite impressive as there were about a dozen seniors there that day processing potatoes and welcoming us with singing as they worked. We all put something in the donation box to help fund this worthwhile cause.
We left there and went on to the Osoyoos Town Hall for meeting and photos with the Deputy Mayor, a nice young man named Allen Carswell. We received a warm welcome, a pin and a pen and a nice talk about the lovely little town of 3000 that swells to 10000 in the summer. He is a geologist with one of the smaller Canadian oil companies also and was very familiar with our heat in the south in the summer as he travels to Houston frequently. This looks like another nice place to live. After photos of the wind-driven flags and the beautiful but haunting wind chime sculpture, we moved on to our next stop.
NK’MIP (pronounced in-ca-neep) Desert Cultural Center: a beautiful interpretive center and resort run by the First People band of Osoyoos. Bob Etienne (I asked if he was Cajun. . . .)was our guide on this lovely journey and he welcomed us with open arms. We watched a very touching movie, “Coyote Moon”, had a presentation from the director of the center before the serving of soup (turkey vegetable made by the director’s mother, Mama Bear) and bannock (native bread that was made by the director’s aunt), fresh lemonade and frozen fruit pops. She (and once more I didn’t write down her name) gave us a little history of the band, their industries, goals and governmental set-up. (Her grandfather was Louie Louie and I found that quite entertaining!) The food was excellent and everyone enjoyed it. But let it be known: Mama Bear doesn’t give out the recipe! After lunch, we were given a tour of the center by Bob who explained the old way of life of the bands of Indians in the area, now referred to as First Nation People. (I also like that better than Native American.) He was also a good speaker, interjecting his talk with some humor and we all enjoyed him. Once again, the terrain is so much like New Mexico and he said that it’s Canada’s only desert, the northernmost region of the Sonora desert starting down in Arizona. I had my photo taken with him in the hopes of getting it published in The Advocate but we’ll see. After his talk, some of us ventured on down the nature trail taking in the flora and fauna along with the wonderful metal sculptures depicting the Osoyoos way of life.
Upon our return, we went to the NK’MIP winery for tasting and a view of the many vineyards surrounding the town of Osoyoos in the valley below. The resort also boasts a championship golf course, several restaurants and lovely accommodations. NK’MIP means “bottom land” and Osoyoos means “narrow land bridge”, just in case you were wondering. Penticton was originally some letters that to me looked unpronounceable but means “place to live forever”. We may not be able to pronounce it but they sure got the gist of it right. The whole region is quite picturesque and beautiful but I bet it can be quite stark in summer – just like New Mexico. (And if you know me, you know how much I love it there. . .)
After leaving there, May directed us to the Black Sage road which took us back thru Oliver where some of our ambassadors are staying. It’s a higher road thru the wine country with orchards and vineyards on both sides of the road. It also has a clear view of the lake and farms down below: all in all, really very pretty. We see many workers in the fields most of them East India Punjabis Sikhs working in the fields or lazing about wearing their colorful turbans and sporting long ZZTop-type beards. What we don’t see are any black people and as it turns out, when asked there aren’t many of them if any. We stopped at a place called Tumbleberries on the way back for ice cream. I had Rolo and KitKat combined and it was creamy and delicious. The shop is located right across from the water and I bet you couldn’t get near it in the summer. They had a little bit of everything – souvenirs, knick-knacks, candy, fudge, sandwiches, drinks and of course ice cream – a real treat! We headed on back to Linda’s house (oh yeah, that’s where she was today – preparing our dinner!). She had a wonderful dinner of carrot/apple soup, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding (I didn’t know what it was – embarrassing to say the least - I've never had it before), mashed potatoes, gravy, peas and carrots. As if that weren’t enough we had coffee, tea and ice wine for dessert. This ice wine is something else. It’s very expensive since the grapes are picked just and only after they’ve been frozen for a certain amount of time at a certain temperature. It makes the wine extremely sweet and it’s normally served in a chocolate edible cup. Right up my alley! Needless to say it was a wonderful end to a wonder meal. We retired to the living room to get to know each other better. I loved Linda’s house: very open, modern small garden home sitting just under these huge cliffs. It sits on the Reserve and the land is leased for 99 years. So you actually own your house but not the land it sits on. Pros and cons to that one I guess. Anyway, after a great meal and some wonderful conversation we made our way home to bed. Another great day!
Saturday, May 24, 2008: Happy Anniversary to Mark and Stacey – 12 years! I got up at 7:30 for a shower and breakfast – this time French toast, Canadian bacon, coffee and juice. The weather looks great today – wispy clouds in a mostly blue sky. We met several of our group at the downtown farmer’s market. They have lovely produce, plants, baked goods and crafts on a closed off street in the downtown area. We were interviewed by a nice young man from the local paper. I hope Marilynn sees it and sends me a copy. I would love to have bought some things but food is hard to transport.
Our next stop is the Trans Canada Trail for a walk from Red Rooster winery down to the town center. The trail will eventually go from one side of Canada to the other. It’s a gravel pathway about 8 feet across that runs along a ridgeline thru beautiful vineyards and orchards. It’s only for horses, bike riders and pedestrians – in that order! We pass by a family of Sikhs pruning their grapes by hand – picturesque. The scenery is lovely and I took many photos. Marilynn greeted us halfway to see if anyone wanted to ride and some took her up on it. In fact, at least four (Duncan’s and Beaird’s) didn’t go at all. What a shame as it was a beautiful experience even for those un-athletically inclined (me, anymore). We met at the Casino (I suspect that’s where Bob was the whole time) for a buffet lunch – tomato soup, salad, rolls, turkey, vegetables, potatoes, lasagna and several types of bar dessert. Yummy. After lunch we broke up into smaller groups and went our own way. Marilynn took us thru the Japanese Gardens (they have a sister city in Japan) which were just beautiful. We walked thru to a sculpture of three kids playing suspended out on the lake. We ambled thru the downtown area (Colourful Front Street), a collection of shops, restaurants and bars to Shanghai Alley – the original Chinese settlement. We walked along and over some sort of creek emptying into the lake. It reminded me of an amusement park ride – white water rafting – as it was running so swiftly. Darwin tried to calculate the flow and volume. He said it was about 10-15 feet per second. It was fast and very impressive. We came home for a short rest. Marilynn had some FF business to attend to and I wrote my diary and postcards. When she got back, we once again sat and talked about FF – conferences, procedures and policies. We had a lovely dinner of salmon, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and cut vegetable tray with crème caramel for dessert. Again we did more talking until 11 or so before we were off to bed. Another nice day!
Sunday, May 25, 2008: Up again at 7:30 (this is getting to be a habit) for showering and a breakfast of eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, toast, coffee and juice. Boy, I’m getting spoiled. Linda and Sue are supposed to pick me up at 9:30 for the Kettle Valley Railway train ride. But at 9:45 we call and they haven’t left yet. She picked me up at 10 and we drove to Summerland about 15 minutes north on the road. After a few wrong turns, we finally found the KVR and purchased our tickets with two minutes to spare. As soon as we were seated, the train started moving and we were on our way. It was a short 14 mile trip by the shiniest black steam locomotive I’ve ever seen. We went thru some more gorgeous orchards and vineyards and thru the mountains looking down on the Kettle Valley and Lake Okanagan. We stopped near a peak called the Giant’s Head and yes, that is what it looked like. There was even a brand new elementary school under his watchful eye called Giant’s Head School. We stopped and the engine uncoupled and passed us. This was disconcerting but certainly a Kodak moment. It was reattached to the other end, and then backed us out over an old trestle that looked down on to a steep ravine. There was a raging river (perhaps the same one as yesterday, although I think the direction was very wrong) and a beautiful view of the valley and town below. The train pulled off the trestle and we were allowed to disembark and take pictures. There was entertainment on board in the form of a banjo playing singer named Felix. Felix was a dapper character – 60ish with white hair and a nicely trimmed white beard. He mentioned he has a website: banjo.ca and sure enough there he is – Felix Possak. He had a bit of an accent and I couldn’t quite place it. He sang very well, played even better. Now I see that’s not the only instrument he plays or style he has. He seemed to latch on to our group (the Harris’s, Sue, Mitch and me) when he found out we were from Baton Rouge. That seems to be an area he’s interested in and I had a hard time escaping his singing and playing. He was even joined by one of the engineers for a few songs – King of the Road, for one – and they were pretty good together. They were very entertaining and I think they were working for tips but I only had twenty dollar bills and they weren’t THAT good! Anyway, I gave him a BR pencil and my business card and he’ll probably show up on my doorstep sometime.
We sat inside on the way to the bridge (the halfway point) but were allowed to change seats on the way back. I sat in the cattle car then as the weather was lovely – mostly blue sky with some clouds and probably in the high 60’s. It was very pleasant! Since we were moving, I decided to wear my little jacket but most were in their shirtsleeves. The weather can change quickly here and by the time we got back, it was mostly cloudy and very windy.
When we left the train, the group decided to go for lunch at a pub in Summerland called O’Shaunessy’s. When we got there it was closed so we went to a lovely place called Zia’s – an Italian owned restaurant in an old stone house built in 1916 by hand. It was beautifully restored with a modern addition. I ordered soup (beef and barley) and Caesar salad. It was marvelous and Linda said she wished she had ordered that. The town of Summerland was under a “boil water before consuming” order due to some sort of water treatment plant problems, so the restaurant wasn’t serving water. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I thought they were just pushing their BC wine. At any rate, we all had iced tea (from a can, the waiter informed us) with ice they had to truck in from Penticton. After dinner, we each had ice cream – mine being white chocolate and quite good, although I think they really mixed it up with the vanilla.
We headed on back to Marilynn’s along the lake road and watched a storm in progress on the other side. Closer to our side there was a flotilla of all-white sailboats. The combination of that and the color of the water from the storm – a combination blue/emerald green not clear but opaque - was quite lovely. We were driving fairly fast and I never got a chance to take any pictures but I still have that picturesque memory.
We arrived back at Marilynn’s as she was putting the finishing touches on her dinner party. She had invited Linda and Sue, along with Jean Winstanley, Anna Proudlock, and Darwin and Linda Knochenmus for dinner at 5. They arrived and we had a delicious dinner of roasted chicken, rice, salad, rolls and dessert – great food and conversation. The evening broke up around 9 but Marilynn and I stayed up later and chatted – what’s new there?????
Monday, May 26, 2008: I woke up to the lovely sound of rain at 4:30. So I turned over and went back to sleep until 7:45. I showered and had breakfast – this time, poached egg, fruit cup, apple-bran muffin, coffee and cranberry juice. We talked until it was time to go to the Greenwood Forest Products tour. The company is one of the last sawmills in the area, is located on the Reserve and does a lot of business. When we got there, we found it had rained so hard the company decided to cancel the tour. Marilynn was furious! Other plans had to be made. We came home and she made chicken soup while I checked my email (nothing important) and knitted. The rain let up a bit and we headed to Skaha Lake for our weenie roast on the beach. By the time we got there, it started raining again. New plans were made to go to Anna Proudlock’s house for our picnic. In the meantime I found a solar timepiece (sundial) on the beach that was fascinating. You stood on a platform on a square corresponding to the date, raised your arms over your head and wherever your shadow fell that was the time. There were 12 pegs in the ground surrounding the platform that were the 12 hour increments. It was pretty neat and I think it really worked. You couldn’t really tell as it was drizzling and the shadow was too faint. At any rate, Darwin liked it just as much as I did. I’d like to see one of those around here somewhere – maybe LSU.
By all accounts, we had a delicious picnic at Anna’s house: hot dogs, buns, condiments, chips, dips, salad and desserts. I spoke at length with Bert Schwarz, the Bennett’s host. He had told me earlier in passing that his son was one of the Ice Road Truckers, a Discovery Channel series that I found fascinating. So I asked him more about that. It turns out that he and his wife Marilyn have 4 sons and 4 daughters, own and operate several orchards and are most recently trying to retire. It was an interesting and educational conversation. The son that drove the Ice Road only did it one year and said never again but wouldn’t give up the experience for anything.
We left in groups to go to the Water Treatment Plant – not something in which I was particularly interested. Jean took me and Marilynn helped Anna clean up and then came home to fix dinner – a nice little respite for her from me!
The water treatment plant is fully automated. They only have five fulltime employees. Bruce was our guide and he was quite good. He spoke very well and explained that they get their water from two sources: Okanagan Lake and Penticton Creek. Right now lake water is the source as the creek was running high, fast and brown right next to the plant. We visited all areas of the plant and I don’t intend to try and describe it all as I’m not sure of the variables. But the gist is they get water from the lake, remove the sediment and flocculation, add chemicals, remove chemicals; filter it and release it into reservoirs for distribution. They don’t have water towers like we do because of the elevation and gravity does the work for them. It was an educational and eye-opening experience and very interesting. The plant was built ten years ago at a cost of $20 million. They are now upgrading. After the tour I gave Bruce a little bottle of Tabasco, a Louisiana pin and some Baton Rouge pencils along with a voodoo doll for anyone who gets in his way. He said he had just recently been promoted to foreman and this was his first tour. He did a fine job.
We walked up the hill to the dam which was flowing freely. It looked more like Niagara Falls than a dammed up creek. We heard rocks (large boulders) tumbling down the creek both on the way up and down the path. I thought there was some construction work on the other side as it was a strange knocking, pounding sound. It finally dawned on me what it was and Jean confirmed it. The creek runs thru the playground of the school she taught at for 30 years and she said that she had never seen it that high before nor had she heard that sound. Eerie!
Our next stop was Jean’s son and daughter-in-law’s quilt shop. The shop, Poppin’s Quilt Shop, is located in the downtown area and is quite large but not the only quilt shop in town. She introduced me to her daughter in law Barbara Winstanley, just a delightful lady, and her employee Kathy, quite humorous. Jean’s son Carl wasn’t there but also works in the shop. The shop is filled with hundreds of bolts of fabric, lots of books, kits, fat quarters, thread and notions of all sorts, to say nothing of the quilts and samples on the walls. I picked up a few yards of unusual fabric, some fat quarters and some fish-themed batik squares. They made me promise to send pictures of whatever I make with these items. I invited them both to Mardi Gras; I think we’d all have a great time.
After the shop, Jean took me up to Munson Mountain Lookout (the place Marilynn and I almost got locked into). A trail leads up to the top with a beautiful view of Penticton to the south and Summerland to the north. I took a few pictures but another storm and rain cut our visit short (I don’t think I’m meant to visit this spot). We came home to Marilynn’s for another great meal consisting of chicken rice soup and rolls (which was quite enough), leftover chicken, macaroni and cheese, spinach and strawberry salad plus dessert of apple walnut cake and watermelon cubes with whipped cream. She’s cleaning out the fridge as she leaves on a trip to England and Scotland four days after I leave. We have more good conversation mostly about Friendship Force. Then it’s off to write this and bed. The rain seems to have stopped for now and the temperature is a little cooler. They keep telling me it’s a desert. . . . . .
Tuesday, May 26, 2008: I slept in until 8 and woke to a cool, crisp, sunny morning. The sun comes up here around 4:30 a.m. and it doesn’t get dark until about 10:00 p.m. Short nights! We had a light breakfast of oatmeal and toast. I caught up on my laundry and re-organized my bags. We went to Summerland for lunch where we met up with the Beaird’s and Enabelle, and Linda and Sue May. We did some shopping (mostly looking) on the main street. It’s a cute little town and reminds me of either Small Town USA in the 50’s (Mayberry) or some of the little towns in Australia and New Zealand. There are a lot of retirees there and many motorized chairs, people with walkers dragging oxygen and handicapped parking places. There’s hope for me yet! We headed on up to Sumac Ridge Winery for lunch. It’s a lovely little Bistro with designer food. I opted for the split pea soup (it had a hint of mint – now I know what I can do with my overgrown mint garden) and “local greens” with berries. It was pretty good but the bread was fantastic and we had an olive tapenade that was very tasty. Gerry kept asking for more but we were all eating it. Mitch ordered wine and we all split the cost. I only wanted a taste (less than I got at the wineries) and I didn’t really care for it – too dry for me – but I got to help pay anyway. Gerry keeps going off on tangents – this day it was about the local Italian restaurant (Zia’s) and why they didn’t have spaghetti – all Italian restaurants have spaghetti – they have “penn-a” – no spaghetti. She drives me crazy sometimes and I don’t know how I’m going to spend 6 more days in close quarters with her. Anyway, lunch was lovely; I ignored her and changed the subject. Marilynn drove to Summerland Sweets for a movie about the place and some ice cream which was fantastic. I exchanged some money at the local bank – not causing too much of a hassle – so that I’d have some for our Rockies trip. We had beautiful weather and a good drive home even seeing some kids riding the channel in their inner tubes. We had time for a short rest before we head out to the farewell dinner.
The dinner was held in the basement of a church hall and catered by a group of seniors to make money for the church. We arrived at 5 and had our pictures with Lori Ann Woods, the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police representative, in her blue skirt and red official jacket. What a delight she was – a sturdy woman, perhaps 40ish with sparkling blue eyes and blond frosted hair. She was quite an insightful thing too. She had most of us “pegged” in just a few minutes. I was looking for Dudley Doright but it wasn’t her. I think I told her I was looking for him, had even married a Dudley but still hadn’t found the one I was originally looking for. I think she thought I was weird! We went inside to a dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, rutabaga and Yorkshire pudding: I could get used to this menu. We also had salad and apple crisp along with tea, coffee and water. It was fantastic: good home cooking!
After dinner we said our little speeches and were each presented with a framed magnetic picture of the host/ambassador with the USA, Canadian and British Columbia flags in the background. It was a very nice memento and something maybe our club should consider since we now have all the flags. The Penticton group did a short skit involving several of their members playing different parts. It was cute and funny. We then did our Second Line complete with Mardi Gras music, masks and plenty of beads. I think they really enjoyed it as they were all up dancing and throwing beads right with us. It was said that maybe we ought to do that right in the beginning of the exchange as it’s a real ice-breaker and everyone gets involved. At any rate, we said many tearful goodbyes that were genuinely felt. We headed home arriving around 9 to finish packing and set the alarm for 4 a.m.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008: Up at 4 and out the door by 4:45. We were the first to arrive and got checked in right away. It’s disconcerting to have it so light out at that time of the morning. I didn’t even need the flash for pictures of the airport. We had a nice flight. It was a small propeller plane; 38 passengers to Vancouver. I think it’s the same one that wakes me up every morning at 6 a.m. and causes disturbing dreams when I try to go back to sleep: visions of old WWII movie scenes and Casablanca memories: Here’s looking at you, kid! I had no window but Sue said it was desolate below. I don’t have a map so I don’t know which way we are travelling other than generally east.
It was a long way from the propeller plane terminal to the jet terminal in Vancouver. But we finally made it. We are on a plane that is mostly full of Japanese tourists and one Middle Eastern family of four young daughters none of whom speak English. I don’t know how some of these people afford to travel. Our seats are in the back of the plane as usual but this time I have a window seat. Too bad it’s cloudy and I can only occasionally glimpse a snow covered mountain top. I hope the skies clear and sure enough they did. It was beautiful flying in to Calgary – how do you pronounce this place: CALgary or CalGARY? It is quite large, much bigger than I thought. We got our luggage and made our Brewster travel arrangements. Then we had some lunch since our bus didn’t leave for an hour and a half. I had Chinese: vegetables, fried rice and noodles. It was very good and not too expensive ($8.39) for an airport meal. We met our coach at 12:30 and loaded up for the trip to Banff - some say BeAwareNothingForFree - BANFF! We had a view of the Canadian Rockies almost as soon as we left Calgary and they are spectacular. We saw an accident: a dump truck ran into the driver’s side of a small car. It looked pretty bad but all of the emergency personnel were actually working – policemen directing traffic. What a novel idea!
The drive took almost two hours but the scenery was beyond words. We arrived at our hotel, the Mount Royal, right on the main street in the center of town. We got checked in but the only room that was ready was Sue and mine. So everyone else had their things brought to our room so we could get in some sightseeing before the end of the day. We took off for the Banff Gondola ride in a taxi van with a comedian for a driver. When he finds out we’re from Louisiana, he claims Lake Louise empties into the Mississippi River. I think he just wants a bigger tip and probably tells some version of that story to every passenger he takes. Turns out he was from Penticton and has been here a year. What a character!
We rode the Banff gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, 7486 feet. The ride was terrifying to Gerry but Mitch and I loved it. We walked all around the top enjoying the view, taking pictures and reading about the sights below and beyond. Click here for some fantastic pictures I found on the internet. Darwin, Linda and I walked up to the crest for more fantastic views and pictures. We had a hard time finding the Hoodoo Peaks but Darwin thought I was well worth the trouble when I was able to locate them. After about two hours up there, we came back down and returned by taxi to the hotel so everyone else could get settled into their rooms. We had a moment of panic when Linda One couldn’t find her wallet but it was in my room safe and sound.
After a brief rest (remember we started this day well before 4 a.m.), we met for dinner. We ate at the Elk and Oarsman Pub – Fish and Chips and a pint of Elk Ale – at 6:30. Then we did a bit of shopping since it was still so light out. We got back to the hotel around 10 for a good rest. The sun was coming up at 4:15 this morning. It’s now 10 p.m. and the sky is still light around here: amazing!
Thursday, May 29, 2008: Sue and I are up early at 7 after a fitful night’s sleep for me. The hotel is old and noisy. Our room has a beautiful view but it’s of the main street. Adding to the fact it stays light until about 10:30 (I somehow can’t get over that), Sue has to sleep with the overhead fan light on. Plus it’s hot in here. Something wakes me at midnight and I see every hour until 7. I showered and got dressed and we went for breakfast at 8 to a place called Evelyn’s Coffee Bar – coffee, lattes, expresso, muffins, scones, bagels, toast, etc. Coffee was great; bagel was OK. I wanted to buy Mom (Evelyn) a cup but they were $15 plus tax – a little steep so I took a picture instead. We came back and did a little re-arranging of our luggage before meeting the rest of our group for a tour of Lake Minnewonka. An 18 wheeler was trying to make a delivery using the turnaround where our bus would pick us up. He was having a lot of trouble and don’t know if he ever made it. Our bus driver this day was Brian (didn’t get his last name), a personable young man from Toronto – I don’t think there are any natives here. We saw a moose and her calf on the way to the boat and he pointed out some other sites including a ghost town ( Bankhead -an abandoned coal mining town) and an airstrip that is only used by the government. He led us to the boat and said he’d be back for us later. (I wonder where they all go when they’re not ferrying us around.) Turns out this will be his last season as a tour driver as he is going to pursue a career as a professional hockey referee. I suppose someday, I’ll see him on TV.
We loaded up the boat and as it was early in the season, we didn’t have a full craft. Our pilot was Thalia, who does turn out to be a native of Banff – a rare breed and a sweet young thing with lovely skin and long dark hair – very attractive. Our tour guide was John, another good looking young man with a charming personality. He was from Newfoundland – a long way from home – and this is his second season here. He gave an excellent presentation telling us about the history of the lake, the geology of the area, some Indian legends and he pointed out some bald eagles sitting high in the trees along the shoreline. He told us to watch for wildlife and if we spotted any, they’d head towards it in the boat. I thought I spotted a moose but it turned out to be an outhouse on the 37k trail that runs halfway around the lake. He told the story of seeing a bear on the trail one day going one way up a hill and two cyclists coming along towards him on the other side of the hill. They were about to meet at the top of the hill so the boat went closer to observe – silently. When they saw each other both parties took off swiftly in the opposite direction. He said the lake had a legend of having a monster that lived in the depths. When First Nation Peoples were overturned in their canoes, they tried to swim for shore but were pulled on by the creature from below and always drowned. They now know that at 4c (39F) the monster’s name was Hypothermia. He also told us about the aspen groves and how they are all connected by their roots. One of the largest organisms in the world, he saysm in fact larger than the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, is an aspen grove located mostly in Colorado and extends into four states. Another unusual fact of aspen bark: take a piece and rub it on your skin. It has a n SPF of 15 – nature’s sunscreen. He also said to take a piece and chew it and it has the same effect as aspirin but very bitter. I spoke with him at length during a lull in his presentation. He was from Eastern Canada near Maine in Newfoundland, a college student studying business. He told me the guides on the Lake go thru rigorous training before they are allowed to tour. He worked last year so he didn’t have to do the studying, testing, 60 hours on the boat listening, boating and safety techniques and engine repair classes again. But until the new guides are trained and tested, he is working 7 days a week with no time off. He was a great young man, well-spoken and I’m sure of two things: his parents must be very proud of him and he’s going to be a great catch for someone! We had a lovely ride with a great presentation and I took lots of pictures and enjoyed myself immensely.
We got back on the bus for our return trip to Banff going across the dam where we encountered a big horn sheep just ambling down the road. He had traffic backed up for quite a while and I got some great pictures as he finally pulled over and let us pass. A little further up the road we saw his herd of friends – about 10 or 12 laying up on a hill at the side of the road not 25 feet from the highway. More great photos as these Brewster drivers are good at spotting wildlife and stopping so we can all see them and take pictures. (Although there wasn't much to "spotting" these...)
We got back and headed to our rooms. Sue and I re-worked our luggage. I wrote all my postcards. We had lunch around 2 at a place Gerry recommended called Melissa’s. It is a big log house listed as a World Heritage Sight. I ordered open faced roast beef with fries and gravy – a favorite of mine from childhood. The beef and potatoes were good but the gravy was canned, too heavy and salty and poured over everything. However, the ice cream I had for dessert was fantastic – butterscotch and quite creamy. They do make good ice cream up here. We did some shopping and people watching and took some pictures of the main street with great and quite different mountains at either end. We didn’t get back to the room until 6. Linda called at that time and said to meet for dinner at 6:45. I wasn’t going to go but when I found out it was $8 for a half hour of internet service, I said I would go eat. We chose Tommy’s Pub which turned out to be a mistake for several reasons: there was a bachelor/bachelorette party going on being the main one. They called it a Steak and Dough party – something none of us were familiar with. They meet at the pub for drinks and appetizers. Then they go off somewhere else for an auction to raise dough for the marrying couple: New custom or different era or area. At any rate, I ordered just the soup bread bowl but she forgot to write it down and I never got mine until everyone else was served and another waitress noticed I didn’t have anything. It just wasn’t my day for eating. At any rate, we finally got back to our room and got ready for tomorrow. We have to be up at 6 a.m. so off to bed.
Friday, May 30, 2008: I slept soundly until about 2 and something woke me up. Might have been Sue in the bathroom or that damn overhead light she insists we keep on. At any rate, I finally got up at 5:30 and tried to go to the bathroom so I could have a “good day” as Lori says. I got back in the bed at 5:55 and the alarm went off at 6. We got up, showered and dressed and finished packing before going downstairs to eat. I thought the price was way too high for the choices of breakfast: $12 for the continental/$18 for the full. I just got coffee but Sue and Mitch had the buffet. I didn’t get charged somehow and considered that a perk. I met a couple originally from Shreveport while waiting for the bus – two of the 5 black people I saw the whole time in Canada – and we had a nice chat. Their families had moved from Shreveport to Sacramento when they were children and they met as adults out there. They were coming back from an Alaska cruise and doing a tour of the National Parks: very nice people.
Our bus came and we were introduced to our driver – Brian Standish. We head out to Jasper and along the way, Brian tells us he is a native of Banff (a real rarity). He is a personable, attractive, soft-spoken man 6 foot with grey eyes, graying hair, a skier’s build and a winning smile. The drive was just beautiful, following the Bow Valley with majestic mountains on both sides of the road. We stopped at several scenic places to take pictures and saw some wildlife. I thought I saw bears two different times but was afraid to say anything after yesterday’s embarrassment with the outhouse. (I told that story to Brian and said he could use it in his touring; I’m sure he will.) We finally arrived at the Columbia Icefield (another adventure brought to you by Brewster Travel) around 12:30. We had just enough time for a bite of lunch and some picture taking before boarding the ultimate off road vehicle that I referred to as the Glacier-mobile. Our guide for this adventure was one Mathieu Lemeui, another personable guide this time from French-speaking Quebec. He was probably in his late 20's, was tall, dark and built like a hockey player. He had a cute little French accent and was quite the comedian. He told us that there are 23 of these vehicles in existence and 22 of them are right here at the Icefield. The other one is at McMurdo Bay and is owned by the government. They cost $1million each. Their top speed is 2 mph. We drove down a huge hill – it reminded me of the first hill on a roller coaster – straight down and out onto the Athabasca glacier for about one mile where we stopped and were able to get out and walk around for about a half hour. I took many pictures. Linda and Darwin ventured up a slope and out onto a different part of the glacier. I thought I could make it up but wasn’t sure I could get back down without sliding down on my butt and into the melting glacier water which was darn cold. So I stayed on level ground. Brian had given me a bottle of Brewster water to drink and/or empty out so that I could take some glacier water with me. The water is so blue as it flows out of the glacier that you’d think someone put food coloring in it. It has something to do with the ice crystals (firn) suspended in the water and all the lakes are this beautiful color. After I got my pictures and my water, I went back to the big ole ice machine to take pictures of and chat with Mathieu (who will most likely visit Louisiana searching out his Cajun heritage). It was cold and windy and Mathieu told me that the glacier generates it’s own weather systems. This day was partly cloudy and the sun was in and out all day but on the glacier the temperature was around 40F and pretty cold. It was the only time I needed my heavy coat and I was glad I had it. We had a great time and saw a family of big horn sheep with two 1 week old calves? kids? babies? walking along the ridge leading to the glacier. Someone told us they come there about twice a year to lick the minerals from some of the rocks in the area, not for the water or snow. It was another Kodak moment. Brian spotted a white wooly mountain goat and a bachelor herd of big horned sheep along with two moose on the way into Jasper stopping each time to make sure we got good pictures.
We passed the Continental Divide where the water runs to the Pacific Ocean on the western side and to the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side. No big deal to me as I’ve straddled the Continental Divide many times down in New Mexico. This one was unique as this is the spot where it not only runs east and west but north. I can’t name the mountain but I know the phenomenon – tri hydro logic apex! Quite amazing when you think about it. Brian had to repeat it for Darwin and me several times before we finally remembered it. Link to Banff sites.
We stopped at Athabasca Falls for another Kodak moment on the way to Jasper. The day would have been perfect if we had seen a bear but alas, we headed on to the Lobstick Lodge for accommodations and a wonderful meal – salmon lasagna. Darwin, Gerry and Linda’s went to the hot tub before bed as Darwin’s knee was bothering him from all the steps we climbed the other day. When we got out, I sat on the deck to dry off a bit before returning to our room. I struck up a conversation with a First Nation People guy who was quite interesting. I never got his name but he was on the tribal council and was there for a gathering that weekend. He told me of meeting the NK’MIP chief, Clarence Louie, and was most impressed with what he has done for his people. The major income of this man’s band was from oil and gas reserves on their land. He was hoping the band could branch out like the NK’MIP had.
I must say a few words about this motel. It was an older one not on the main street but a little off the beaten path. However, we had the most amazing room. It was really an apartment with full kitchen, dining table, couch, full bathroom and two queen size beds in the bedroom. We had two TV’s – one in the living area and one in the bedroom. However, none of the places we stayed in had a/c. They used fans, either overhead or oscillating. We just opened the windows and turned on the fans. I guess their main concern is heating in the winter, not air conditioning in the summer.
It was another day in paradise and I think I have a crush on our driver. Sweet dreams!
Saturday, May 31, 2008: I slept fairly well but Sue didn’t. She was up and down all night long. So I guess I didn’t sleep all that well either or I wouldn’t have noticed. Anyway, we had another early morning – 6 a.m. to repack, shower, dress, eat and be ready for Brian’s Bus – Oolala! We ate at the restaurant in the lodge which it turns out was an award winner. Once again it was really good. We met the rest of the group at the doors and here comes the big Brewster bus. He seemed happy to see all of us too. We were his first passengers. He delivered the sad news that he’s only taking us on tour this morning and we’ll have a different driver back to Lake Louise later. I sat in the front seat in hopes of spotting and photographing some wildlife (he HAD promised a bear or two) but the best any of us could come up with were some bighorn sheep. Brian had the radio on some rock station and we teased him about rockin’ out on that big ole bus all by himself. We picked up four more passengers: two Brits and yesterday’s Brazilians and got on our way. He gave us a short tour of Jasper – the two street downtown area and some of the local architecture – river stone and timber construction. There were many churches of all denominations- too many for this town of 4000. We saw the hospital, police station, RCMP offices and the Jasper National Park office along with all the shops and restaurants on the main street. We headed out then and drove up to a place called Medicine Lake. The lake fills each spring (and it’s a very large one) with the snow melt-off. Thru seepage it drains, mostly drying out by the fall. The First People couldn’t figure this out so they thought it was bad medicine, hence the name. The rivers here run north and that’s disconcerting if you have any sense of direction; to say nothing of the fact that they are this brilliant shade of blue. Brian told us about Mary Schaeffer – what a story – and what déjà vu for me: the more he talked the more I remembered this story. I can only think that I saw her story on the Discovery Channel or something. Although the whole thing would make a great movie and I tried to convince Brian we should write and film it. We stopped at Maligne Lake which she discovered on one of her expeditions. They were selling her book in the gift shop and Brian convinced me to buy it. (He could probably have convinced me to re-write it or go off and discover some other lake or something.) I bought a few other items there and we stopped to look at some of the large photographs on the walls. Mary Schaeffer took most of them and besides being an adventuress, she was quite a photographer. I would like to have met her. I asked who one of the subjects was in one of the pictures: he was a handsome, rugged, rogue-looking character with penetrating eyes. It turns out he was one of the guides she hired, fell in love with and became her second husband. She lived to a ripe old age and had a fascinating life. She discovered many lakes, rivers, waterfalls and peaks and never named anything after herself. Even though she married twice, she never had any children. She wrote at least two books and there are at least two biographies about her life.
(Aside: in looking up how to spell Maligne, I came upon this “blog”:
Canadian Rockies
GoodEvery second is like walking in a postcardLake LouiseMoraine LakeLake MaligneColumbia Icefield GlacierSpirit Island
BadNothing
I guess I’m not the only one to fall in love with the Canadian Rockies!)
We stopped at another spot called Maligne Canyon. It consisted of a lovely walk down a narrow gorge with a beautiful waterfall surprising us near the end of the trail. Brian (and the trail signs) said to watch for fossils along the way. Darwin found some and was looking for more - I didn't think they were that impressive and also hard to spot - so I walked on ahead, taking more pictures and enjoying the flowers with Sue. Brian was waiting to point out some fantastic fossils in the rock on the path back to the bus. I got flustered because I was just walking right on top of them and didn't even notice and therefore didn't take any pictures. I hope Darwin and Linda did because they were fantastic. He pointed out about 4 or 5 that were very large and extremely well preserved. The scenery is just fantastic and Brian is great at pointing out things to us. Of course, that's his job. He pointed out and told us about Mt. Edith Cavell - a story I knew nothing about. Seems she (Edith Cavell) was an English woman who during WWI was executed for being a spy. The country rallied behind her and she became a national hero and the war was won quickly thereafter. Apparently there are many things named after her both in Great Britain and Canada.
We had a wonderful tour and had to get back to our hotel. We never saw a bear (which was at least hinted at if not promised) and I was very disappointed. Brian said that's why the tour isn't called Brian's Bear Tours. I am enamored of him and when we arrive back at the hotel, I gave him my card and told him he should definitely visit Louisiana. I noticed he was wearing the LA pin I gave him yesterday and he said, "Of course". Anyway, I'm sorry to see him go as I think are the rest of our group - Darwin in particular. He has another group to take on tour tomorrow (the same tour in fact) and then home to Banff. It's probably an interesting life but hard on you although he says he likes it as it is different everyday - the people, the scenery, the questions, the wildlife. I have many questions for him but am afraid to ask and I guess that's the last I will see of him in this setting. I really think he will come to visit - perhaps in the fall. At least I hope he will.
We went into the hotel, had a sandwich and internet access for a while and the next bus came. Talk about the difference between day and night. This driver looks like he's from the work release or witness protection program. He never tells us his name, throws our luggage on board and zooms off. He must have had a heavy date for he gets us back to Lake Louise in record time, passing cars left and right. Perhaps he needs another cigarette bad - the last one was two deep puffs after we had all boarded and he pretended to check the lower luggage door right below my window. He's a sleazy character wearing pointy toed high-heel boots, needing a haircut and looking antsy to make a bet - like Hollywood's version of a shady character. Quite a contrast with our last driver to say the least - sigh. I sat towards the back as the bus was a little fuller. Linda and I had a long talk about Connie and other Friendship Force stuff. She has a great idea for a meeting: anyone who has good pictures from an earlier exchange should pick 2 or 3, blow them up to 8x10, mat them and display them at a meeting. She will invite her friend, an LSU photography professor, to come and judge them. Sounds like fun and I might see if I have any talent in that regard.
We made a couple of stops on the way to pick up or drop off passengers - I'm sure "Spike" was happy for the cigarette break. We stopped at the Columbia Icefield, Saskatchewan Crossing and our hotel: The Fairmont Lake Louise Chalet - WOW! Way too fancy for me! It reminds me of Boca Raton or Beau Rivage. We got checked in and go to our rooms. We're all on the same floor close to each other. Again, I have to ring the desk for an extension cord as the plug situation sucks. They send a nice young man named Derek from maintenance to help and I get everything set-up. We met the others for dinner at the “Lounge With A View” as we were being held captive at this place - there was nowhere else to go within walking distance. The only trouble was that Sue and I couldn't see the View as we were seated with our backs to the windows. But I understand it was fabulous, looking out over Lake Louise to the glacier and mountains beyond.
We ordered - I had the quiche and salad and a $4.75 iced tea - perhaps they were under a boil water order too and had to truck ice in from Penticton at that price. My bill for this small meal was $34 and they had tacked on a $7.50 service charge to each of our checks. I'm glad I won't be eating there again. The food was just OK and since I had no view, I was ready to leave. Of course, someone was wearing so much perfume that every time I opened my mouth for a bite, that's all I could taste. Darwin kept apologizing as we seem to be stuck here. The cutesy little village we stopped at the other day isn't within walking distance; the shuttle only runs to the Lake Louise Gondola which costs $25 and a taxi ride is $14 per person. He checked into going back early but we would need to leave at 10 and he didn't think there was much to do in Calgary for just the evening. Darwin, Linda and the Beairds want to attend the brunch tomorrow to the tune of $39 each plus tax, service charge and gratuity. Sue and I opted not to.
So we will have the day to ourselves - we have to check out by noon - but we don't leave until 5:30. We'll come up with something.
We finished dinner, took what I hope are some fantastic photos of the mountains reflected in the lake, shopped in some of the exclusive boutiques lining the bottom floor and headed to the room. We discovered our upper picture window overlooking the front of the building was open and wouldn't close. So up comes Derek again - I'm getting to like this cute little guy - and he fixes it for us. He says it's something that happens frequently due to the wind blowing against the building. He has some sort of special tool to fasten it up again and we're good to go. I take some more pictures from our room. We do have a fantastic view from our 5th floor. If you're not interested in looking at the activity of the bell-persons in their Swiss guide outfits helping with arrival and departures, or the Brewster and other buses picking up or dropping off passengers, there's the fantastic scenery beyond. The mountains are beautiful and still mostly covered in snow. I guess that's how you tell the difference between a regular mountain and a glacier – the glaciers are always white and sort of push everything else out of the way. At any rate, I take a few more pictures to help my memory with all this for later. And I must say that earlier today at Medicine Lake, I had to change the card in my camera which means that I have taken over 750 pictures - amazing! And on that note, I'll sleep on it. Oh, yeah, Linda K. and I decided we must write Brewster about our experience in general and Brian Standish in particular.
Sunday, June 1, 2008: We slept in, arising 8ish and had breakfast in our room - coffee and granola bars. It was just as good as the $39 brunch buffet, I'm sure. I re-packed my suitcase from the inside out so I could have everything ready for our return tomorrow - even though I don't want to go. Darwin called and recommended the Lake Louise walk. So Sue and I decided to do that before checking out. It's a cool but beautiful day with hardly a cloud in the sky and lots of people on the trail. I took many more pictures as we ambled along the trail. We saw some young men who felt the need to take off their shoes and walk barefoot in Lake Louise - that's the water that's 39 degrees. They didn't stay long. I sort of wish I had done that - just to say I did. We also saw lots of hikers heading out. They obviously start at Lake Louise, including one group that had a golden retriever they were using as a pack-dog. The dog didn't seem to mind. We sat and people-watched for a time but it was hard for me to keep my eyes on the people and not the scenery. I'm still looking for that job which will pay me to do that - observe and comment on people. And what better surroundings to do it in than these?
We thought we'd better return and check out and so we did, asking for our bags to be brought down and held for our 5 p.m. Brewster bus departure. They assured me they will be stored.
We looked in some more of the shops - expensive, exclusive and not at all my style (if I even have one, I don't think this is it). We found a little Deli tucked into the hallway leading to the exit and decided it might be time for lunch. I got soup and split a sandwich to the tune of $20 and had to eat on the window ledge as there were no other seats. Guess lots of people had the same idea as us to not spend the money on the brunch because we had to wait in line to get our food. This time though it was pretty good. We had cream of vegetable soup, something neither of us had ever had before - and it was really very good. While we were eating and watching all the activity outside, it started to rain: where did that come from????? People started to pour in from outside and the area became quite crowded and noisy. I saw the Gondola shuttle and decided since the shuttle was free, we'd ask the concierge about it. He wasn't much help except to give us the schedule (in fact, he told us to wait in the wrong spot - he must be new - haha, isn't everyone?). However, the shuttle driver, Tara was a big help. We were the only passengers and she was quite talkative telling us about herself, the area, the Gondola ride and the wildlife (of which I believe she was one) on the 30 minute drive. We made several stops on the way and when we arrived at the Gondola, she gave us about 3 minutes to make up our mind if we wanted to ride up or go back on the shuttle. It hadn't rained here and didn't look like it was going to, so Sue and I looked at each other and said, "Let's go for it!" We hopped off the bus and each got a ticket. It was $25 but was well worth it. We had a brief orientation about the ride, wildlife and bears in particular at The Bear Encounter by a young man from England. I don't think they have many bears in England but I could be wrong. This attraction is one not owned by the Brewster conglomerate so I guess that's why there wasn't much information available on it. There was a really nice lodge that housed a huge buffet, cafe, souvenir shop, restrooms and ski shop. If we had only known, I think we would have come here and had lunch.
The ride was about 15 - 18 minutes to the top and for some reason it kept stopping along the way. It was disconcerting at first but we got used to it. At one point, we stopped right next to one of the support poles and could have actually climbed down. Which I told Sue! She said they were going to have to rescue her some other way just as the ride started up again. We got to the top of Mt. Whitehorn and had fantastic views of the Lodge of the Ten Peaks, our departure point, with Lake Louise and the famous glacier in the background. I'm sure my pictures again won't do it justice. We walked down the hill to the Wildlife Interpretive Center which wasn't very busy (I think we were the only ones there). We looked at and read about all the different wildlife in the area (quite a bit actually – bears of several variety, wolves, coyote, moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, cougar, mountain goats, and eagles to name a few) and then had some nice photos of Sue and I taken by the interpreter (this time from New Zealand). He must have taken pity on us gray-haired/silverbacks and called for a shuttle to get us back up the hill to the gondola. We passed a lot of other much younger people that he didn't stop to pick up. I told them there was some advantage to this old gray head of mine as we passed them by.
Someone, Tara I think, had told us to ride the closed gondola one way and the open one the other so we opted for the open seat on the way down. What an experience! Even though we didn't see any wildlife, the views were spectacular. I take that back: we did see one ground squirrel and I took a picture. Where are these elusive bears that we are warned time and again about? At any rate, the ride was exquisite and I asked Sue for silence. I used the movie feature to record the experience. I hope the movie shows just a little of the beauty and a lot of the sounds of silence that we experienced on the ride down.
We got a drink and a snack, used the loo and waited for the bus to take us back. It was a bit more crowded this time with a lot of the employees using it late in the day to get back to their housing. The shuttle dropped us off in the big circular driveway with all the tour buses. I noticed a couple coming towards me, the man dressed in LSU regalia from head to toe: hat, shirt, jacket, shoes. I had to stop him and ask if he was from Baton Rouge and sure enough he was. "Go Tigers!" He introduced himself as Steve LeBatre (I could be wrong about that name)and said, "You must be the group from Louisiana that our bus driver has been talking about all day". I asked, "Brian?" and he said, "Yes, he's over by the bus now. Go and say hi." His wife took a quick picture of the two of us and I practically ran to the Brewster bus where I found Darwin talking to Brian. I told him that little story and said, "We must have made quite an impression on you" and he said, "You did!" I replied, "The feeling is mutual". We talked for about 15 minutes learning a little more about him (he does have another job - he works at Sunshine Village Ski Resort in the winter). I re-invited him to visit Louisiana and he said he had my card in his pocket and would keep in touch. (One can only hope. . . .) Darwin told him we would all take good care of him if he came to visit. I wish I would have had my picture taken with him but I thought of that too late. He was, however, still wearing my LA pin.
I said one last goodbye and sadly was on my way.
We sat in the lobby waiting for our bus and found that Sue's and my luggage hadn't been brought down. So we had to track it down. They found it in our room and brought it to the bus which by this time was waiting for us. We loaded up and headed out with another of the non-descript drivers that seem to get us from one place to another without much ado.
We made several stops on the way and once again picked up some young employees. One of them was the photographer from the glacier. There was a lot of conversation among the youngsters one of which was concerning Book Crossing – a book exchange and website which I happened to know a little about. So I chimed in on that one. Most of the conversation was perpetuated by the photographer and here are some things I overheard: "you get free Brewster?" "Do you use bear spray?" "People pay $25 each for those glacier pictures. Can you imagine?" "For every cent gasoline goes up, it costs Brewster 1000 more dollars each day to run the Glacier-mobile." Turns out he recognized me from the glacier (it might have been because of Linda's encounter with Mitch "cutting" in line in front of us - or not). I think he was embarrassed by some of the things he had said but who knows? I certainly wasn't. He was fodder for my stories. We let him off at a crossroads where he had to walk 4k to his campsite in a thunderstorm. And hope the bears didn't eat thru his tent at night.
We drove on into the Brewster terminal in Banff (Be Aware Nothing For Free) where we had a one hour layover. The driver said we could go on his rounds with him or stay there and have a coffee. We all decided to stay and by the time we got inside and discovered that there was no coffee or anything else open in the terminal, he was gone. Linda walked on down the road and found a gnice (pronounced nice and a type of striated rock that Darwin is interested in) church which we all visited and then found a gas station to get coffee and a snack from. In the meantime, Gerry latched on to another young man named Matt (who wasn't a Brewster employee but just visiting and passing on thru on the bus). She sat talking with him for an awfully long time - head to head both at the stop and on the bus. It was so unusual and obvious that I took a couple of pictures, possibly for blackmail purposes. . . . .
The bus driver returned and we got back on the road - the Trans Canada Highway, I believe. We saw some pretty cool sights - a herd of elk, a great sunset, a triple full rainbow and downtown Calgary on the way. Darwin thought he spotted a wolf and pointed it out to several passengers but I missed it. We got to the Delta Airport Hotel around 9:30 p.m. and checked in. It was very 'gnice'. And here are some observations about our hotels: The Mt. Royal had the best beds and bedding but I couldn't figure out the shower. The Lobstick Lodge had the best amenities (full kitchen, two TV's, separate bedroom, several hot tubs and a pool and a great restaurant). The Fairmont Chateau was the most pretentious and self-serving. And the Delta Airport had the best shower and was the most convenient.
We went to the lounge for soup (Sue) and salad (me) and drinks (Mitch, Darwin and Linda). I think Gerry was recuperating from her encounter with Matt. We encountered the most rude, pretentious bartender/manager ever and didn't dally after he "presented" our bill: "No hurry folks; I'll take your money now." We went back upstairs for bed at 11:30 and I fell into the bed immediately. Sue was puttering around the bathroom and re-packing and was generally keeping me awake. I suddenly remembered I had an eye shade in my backpack which I used and slept both fitfully at times and soundly at others. It's only taken me until the last night to figure that one out - duh!
I can't believe it's the last night - I want this to last forever!
Monday, June 2, 2008: well, it's coming to an end. The phone rang and woke me from a sound sleep at 8:45. It was Darwin asking us to breakfast. I hurried to get ready; Sue was already in the bathroom. We met him and Linda downstairs in the restaurant (which was the bar last night, eh?) I got ham and egg scramble, hash browns and toast - yum! We had a nice leisurely breakfast and talked by the pool (which Darwin and I would have loved to use but not enough time) before checking out and walking to the airport. It was just about 50 yards across the driveway to the terminal - quite convenient. We met a young man - 30ish - just arriving from London. He had just landed an IT job in Banff so there's hope for me yet. I know there are lots of silverbacks in some back room somewhere counting all the Brewster money and I'd like to be one of them.
Well, anyway, we rolled our luggage to the Continental counter and went ahead and checked in. I was on one last souvenir search for a RCMP/Dudley DoRight shirt for Demetrius (to counter his Puerto Rican side) but couldn't find one here. Guess I'll have to order one on the internet. However, I did buy some Inuchuk earrings to make into necklaces for my "girls" and left my credit card at the counter. The Pakistani clerk tracked me to the next store to return it and I was very appreciative hugging her and trying to find something to give her for being so honest. But I didn't have anything left - all my "Red Stick" pencils, Louisiana pins, Baton Rouge pins, Tabasco bottles, voodoo dolls - were all gone. I could have given her a card but that thought didn't occur to me. So a big thank you would have to suffice.
We returned to the rest of the group where we made our way quickly thru security and customs. My only problem was reporting that I had an apple and they made me throw it away. The airline will handle our bags all the way thru to Baton Rouge. So now, we sit at the gate and just talk and wait on our plane to arrive.
It finally did and it was an almost empty plane to Houston. We each had a set of three seats to ourselves. The flight was uneventful with cloudy skies and a really decent meal: pizza, salad, a piece of chocolate (KitKat) and a drink. This was halfway edible airplane food - pretty good. There was a group of Spanish speaking kids in the rear of the plane and by the elevated level of their conversation, I'm guessing they liked it too.
We arrived in Houston and must have looked be-draggled as a cart pulled up next to us and offered us a ride. Good thing too as we arrived in the International Terminal and had to go not one but two terminals over - on a train, up an elevator, down an escalator, on a moving walkway, thru construction to the end of the terminal, down some stairs, out a door, on the tarmac, and up a little stairway to the plane, boss, de-plane. I finally drew a good seat number 1A. Well, I thought it was a good seat. The plane was so small there was only one seat on each side. And I had the first one on the plane. It was across from the stewardess's jump seat facing me and the refreshments and exit door on my right. I was so close, if I had had Demetrius's "reacher/grabber", I could have touched the co-pilot who appeared to need a booster seat, he was so young. I took pictures for verification. The stewardess, Julianna, struck up a conversation with me and we talked all the way thru take-off and beyond. She was from Ireland, the pilot, Peter, was from Poland and the co-pilot, John, from Germany or some such. They were all young and none had ever been to Baton Rouge before. Now, I don't know if that's a good thing to tell a passenger or not - how do they know where the airport is???? Anyway, they had a fairly good layover and she asked what there was to do in Baton Rouge. I gave her the lowdown and one of my last business cards for future reference.
We arrived without incident, thank God, and I called Luke who was already on his way to pick me up. I only had to wait about 7 minutes after the luggage and there he was in his shiny, bright new crossover-car-SUV. It was just a little after 10; I was home before 11.
Some thoughts and observations on this trip: I wasn't really that excited about going on this trip to begin with. It wasn't that I didn't want to go; it was more that I had lots to do leading up to it and didn't have the usual anticipation and excitement thinking about how great it was going to be. I told Lori this; that it seemed more of a chore to pack and get ready, not doing so until the very last minute; almost not even wanting to go. She said, "You know what that means don't you?" "Well, no, not really. What does it mean?" "That you are going to have a fantastic time - a really good trip. One you'll remember for a long time." She was absolutely right. Everything about this trip was great - we had no hitches in anything (other than a little delay in getting there originally but even that worked out OK). The weather was good; our group was great. Brewster Travel knows how to do things right. The things we did, the people we met, the activities both planned and unplanned: everything was super. I was a little apprehensive about rooming with Sue but that worked out wonderfully. We're now talking about a trip to Albuquerque to see our respective families. You might have to ask her opinion on this but I think we got along fine and made good travelling companions.
Canada, especially those provinces we visited, is extremely beautiful and right in our own backyard. I felt at times like I was "home" and at other times that I was in a completely foreign country. Their people are friendly, knowledgeable, and for the most part good-looking. They drive on the correct side of the road, mostly speak English (with a little French for good measure), will take our American money (at par) and seem to genuinely like us. A lot of them seemed interested in Louisiana: New Orleans/Baton Rouge/Lafayette in particular. I hope all of those that I invited don't all come at the same time but there wasn't a one I wouldn't entertain and extend the same courtesy to as was shown us. I really enjoyed this trip and hope that someday I'll be able to go back and explore more of their country. It was a magical journey into unexplored lands with vistas beyond compare. I renewed old friendships and made many new ones. I have great new memories and at least one deja'vu (Mary Schaeffer) moment. How lucky and blessed I am. If I were young, fit and foreign, I would be applying for any job opening up in that beautiful country and would encourage any young person to do the same. And I hope that someday I'm able to return to and explore more of that beautiful land.
For a link to my pictures:
