Convalescing in Calgary

Congrats to Will & Kate!  Pro royal or not, it's great to see two young folk that have managed to expose and restore some of the "great" that makes Great Britain. It seems like most bods got out there and celebrated in true British style. Millions going into London to cheer the happy couple on.  Some choosing more local celebrations at organised street parties and impromptu afternoon tea gatherings. All bringing families and like minded friends together for a right old knees up. Which is all good. The extra day off work also sounded a winner too, especially as the  arrival of spring seems to have brought some great weather with it.

For us it was Calgary, which seemed a typical North American city. We've decided that you don't really come to Canada for it's cities as the real beauty of this country is most definitely within it's wilderness.  Most Canadian cities merely act as gateways to these huge mountainous playgrounds and Calgary tops the list of these average Canadian cities for being, well average.

The name Calgary, meaning 'clear, running water' in Gaelic, comes from Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.  Originally a cowboy metropolis it exploded into a brand new city of steel and glass in the late 1960s due to the discovery of oil which has been found in vast quantities across Alberta.We were more than happy to just kick back in average Calgary, especially following our recent rumble in the Rockies. Fe with a sore head and me with the beginnings of a cold, ahh rubbish.  It was time to drop down a gear, cook up some good food and generally take it easy.

Shame though that our chosen hostel for these next few days wasn't all that great. Far too many bods permanently living at the place, which from experience totally changes the mood of hostel from traveller hub to student digs style accommodation, minus the obligatory damage deposit.  Here the majority of the residents seemed to be comfortably over sized Brits who were constantly talking a good game of trying to make a fresh start in another country, but failing miserably.  Probably due to the fact that they were carrying on just as if they were back in there home country. In keeping job hunting to a minimum and drinking themselves stupid every single night of the week. All making for a pretty dull fellow hostelers. 

What we could hear the same conversions going round and round. Nobody had any money and that it was soooo difficult to find work at the moment because of the late season weather change. Surely if some of this lot actually left the common room for a while it might be a start at getting something fixed up.  Although with a job secured I can only imagine how much more drinking would then be achievable!  I think Jeff, the owner of this place, who even puts laundry on for guest if they leave it outside the laundry room, better start increasing his building repair budget as this place was being used, heavily, day in day out.

 

Thursday to Saturday marks the trading of Calgary's newly built farmers market. Only this year it moved to new permanent premises at the Blackfoot Centre after spending 6 temporary years at the more accessible downtown location of Currie Barracks. The ABC Farmers' Market Society was founded in April 2003, as a non-profit society. The "ABC" in the society's name is for the "Alberta" and "British Columbia" farmers who make up the society.  The society consists of an 80 per cent majority of vendors who either make it, bake it or grow it. This is one of the many ways the society maintains its status as an Alberta approved farmers' market.The original downtown market opened in 2004 and had been a great success. The market prides itself on providing a venue where Calgarians and worldwide visitors can get the best local food and products available. 

We had mixed views after our visit to this large barn style operation.  There were plenty of plastic being used for most packaging and carrying. The food on sale all seemed local enough but most was being used to produce the more typical American fast-food style dishes. There were plenty of free tastings to be had but everyone only needs so many meat patties and nacho style chips whether their locally produced or not!  And then there was the new out of town location. Transport links that run direct to the new venue do not run at weekends all resulting in a very over crowded, hi-viz jacket managed carkpark, with most customers arriving, two up in the biggest gas guzzling 4x4 trucks this side of Toronto.

A night on the buses

With a towel placed over a pillow to catch any bits and bobs along with some strong pain killers Fe managed a good nights sleep although awoke feeling like she had done 9 rounds with Muhammad Ali.  As for the hair, we had strict instructions not to get the glue wet for at least 24 hours, she wasn't looking the best!

We laid low, Fe didn't feel up to much and we had a late night bus journey ahead of us. At 11pm the hostel kicked us out and we had to wait in town for our 2.50am bus. Alas the bus station was closed so our only option was the pub that stayed open till 3am.  Amazingly we made one pint last 3 hours! Are we now officially over booze?

2:50am sharp, our bus left Jasper High Street. Brutal we know, but the rice was right.  Even at this time of day no bears were hanging around the bus station so we were all good. Where are those bears? For the next 5 odd hours the height of fun was a endless game of trying to get comfortable enough in seats 29 & 37 so that a small bit a shut eye was possible.

At around 8am we pull into Edmondton. A place where everybody seems to refer as 'if you're going to Edmondton, don't bother'. So thankfully our time here was a simple lay-over, bus change and morning coffee to then complete the final leg of the journey South down to Calgary.

For the next 4 hours the route east to Edmondton brought a different landscape. The mountains gave way to dead flat scrubbed out plains from yet another hard winter. The snow piles finally melting under blue skies and a steady temperature of about 13 degrees. What most ex-pat Britains or Canadians say if they've lived and working in the UK, is the thing they miss the most about the UK is the green rolling landscapes and of course the true to form good old countryside "public house"!


Most rivers now flowing fast with the odd bobbing blocks of ice acting as a reminder of how cold the source of these rivers really is.  But then two hours further east we reach oyster grey skies loaded with snow. A thick covering already on the ground, blizzard conditions and the temperature had dropped to 1 degree!

Thank heavens for insurance!

Ok, so we were all set. Car hired. Us and 3 like minded Europeans go hiking-sight seeing for the day.

All started well when we pick up a great sized hire car to accommodate us all, many thanks to Candice at National Car Rentals Jasper for the good banter and an understanding of all things traveller minded. We headed off east to Pocahontas, a place we nearly stayed at prior to booking the hostel. Lucky we didn't as though this collection of log cabins looked lovely it was easily 40kms out of town. We stopped at various great looking spots on route as the flowing Alabaster River opened up into many frozen lakes. Jasper Lake being the lake with the wow factor.

On reaching Pocahontas we spotted a small trail. Pocahontas was previously a mining area. We found a sign heading to Pocahontas Falls so with that we were off. Still a bit of snow and ice on the ground but mainly mud. On reaching the top, great lookout point which gave grand views over the Rockies within Jasper National Park, no falls could be found. So the next best thing whilst at this point was to stop for coffee.

With a brief chat with a local hiker and coffees done it was off back down to the car, a ten minute walk, max, around 100 metres in gradient. That's when the day took a terrible turn. Fe was leading the pack when suddenly she picked up speed, kind of like the sort of downhill running you used to do as a child. You know, too fast whooping and hollering with our arms going all over the place. At first it just seemed a bit of fun then she disappeared to the right down a steeper section she went out of sight. At this point things didn't seem funny anymore. I then dropped the backpack and camera and quickly chased after her, not before falling over myself. I reach Fe as she was lying in a ball not looking too good. Once close up she rolled over and it was quite apparent that she had hit her head on something pretty hard. There was a LOT of blood! And it sounds obvious, but it was real red blood too. A red deep red blood. As the others caught up it was at this point that Lal, from Germany, turned out to be a doctor and Niels and Eva, from Denmark, were student doctors! Eva went straight into action applying pressure to Fe's head to try and stop the bleeding. Niels and Lal went off to raise the alarm with the park ranger. Me, I just tried to keep Fe focused whilst trying not to keel over myself. Let's just say I had two large moments that could have gone either way. Lucky for me I managed to hold it together but I'm not too sure I would have if I was doing Eva's job!

Although she didn't lose consciousness she was shaking badly thus managed to get blood everywhere. The lads returned with the park ranger, John. Nice guy, who happened to be wearing a super pair of cuban-styled heeled hiking boots that looked like they'd seen some rescue action. In moments John had an ambulance called and rescue helicopter on it's way as he'd deemed the location where we were now at too slippy for him to instruct any others to tread or for us to get Fe safely down to the waiting ambulance.

Before we knew it mountain rescue, Colin & Patsy, plus one other who's name I forget but what we do know is that he definitely wasn't the navigator of the team as he'd been wandering around for quite a while trying to find us! All had climbed the hill with all their kit, tales of slipping as they reached as. As the sleet started to fall, not great timing, they assessed Fe via the normal procedures and fitted her with a neck brace and gave her oxygen just in case. At this point things looked straight out of Michael Burke's 999 show. Fe had been led on the wet ground for over an hour and was getting pretty cold. She was strapped to a state of the art vacuum rescue board and on the count of thee the eight of us grabbed a handle and carried her up, slipping and sliding, to the waiting helicopter that had just landed only a few feet above from our earlier coffee stop just over a hour before.

She wad swiftly locked and loaded into the helicopter, pretty vocal at this point as we've chosen not to do various single engine helicopter rides in the past. Although travelling the world she still doesn't enjoy aircraft of any description, especially ones with single engines. Me on the other hand I was disappointed that mountain rescue Colin had bagged the only other spare seat, so I not only had to trek back down on a very slippy slope, I'd also missed out on a ride in a Magnum PI styled mode of transport. Ranger John and I simply became ground-crew and head of photography. So as we struggled to get off the hill Fe was flown effortlessly down to the carpark were waiting ambulance paramedics Dan & Tim took over.

Dan's first question to Fe was to assess if she knew what day it was. Mmmm not a good start. For some time now both of us haven't had a clue what day it was. Not sure she replied correctly. Not a good start to the 'are you still with us' questions. From here I think they moved onto more straight forward questions! It was a 30km ride to Hinton A&E Hospital. Me up front with Tim who had totally assured me Fe was fine and although we were moving pretty swiftly there was no need for the bells and whistles - blues and twos - or whoop whoops as paramedic Ian back home calls them. At the back though Fe was in a huge amount of discomfort and all the safety equipment wasn't helping too much either. She was one unhappy bunny. On looking back from the cab though the rear space of the rig would be perfect for a campervan base.

On arrival at A&E, still no bells and whistles - blues and twos, so my panic had now eased a little, she was wheeled off into an examination room whilst I gave the reception desk some vital statistics. On asking Fe's address I of course responded UK, which was greeted with a chorus of groans, oh the paperwork they all cried, all done through half-smiles though. I had a quick check in my backpack and unbelievably had our insurance documents (at least I had those, unlike the first aid kit was all dry and untouched back at the hostel!). Fe, now shaking uncontrollably, had to endure a series of x-rays and lots of prodding whilst I hunted for a strong cuppa, that was never found or offered. The mood lifted though as would you believe the radiographer was a "Feona". The exact spelling with an 'e' not a 'i'. Ohh had we laughed.

Eventually the neck brace was removed and a proper examination, by James a 3rd year medical student, of her head could start. He struggled with the amount of congealed curly hair hampering him assess the situation and originally thought he glimpsed a sight of her scalp. At this point I popped out outside just to see if the the Rockies were still surrounding us and to get some vital fresh-air into the lungs and brain area. A gentle shower was suggested to remove some of the blood but actually helped little as we weren't allowed to get the spray of water on the wound in case it provoked more bleeding, Fe could hardly stand up at this point as the nausea had now kicked in.

Eventually Dr Sorenson dug deep and felt that the wound could be glued and Fe was saved from head shaving and the dreaded human stapler! Which at one point one of the new shift nurses seemed way too keen to use! Again as the conversion picked up I popped out again to check on those Rockie Mountains as I'd figured they didn't need two Brits conking out on beds getting mud everywhere, which by now at this point we seemed to have done pretty well.

With the high-tech super glue now on the wound and a cautionary tetanus jab given Fe, very wobbly legged, headed out of the hospital with an epic headache and a hairdo to match. Even Vidal Sassoon would struggle with this one. Amazingly we were still messing around. I felt the worst was over, as with a deep breath I checked in again on the view of the scenic Rockie mounts.

Our fellow Europeans had been so great! Again we felt like a bad situation had been eased. And hey if you're gunna have an accident have it with three medics in tow. Not only were they great medics, they'd even bought the patient flowers (albeit plastic) and a get well soon card. We felt lucky to be all laughing in the grounds of a hospital. It was time we left.

Fe being Fe she was adamant she didn't want to spoil everyones day, so with a hairdo like no other it was down with a few pain killers from Lal, favorite hat placed on the bonce, so as not to scare the locals, and we were back on the road continuing our day trip as it doesn't get dark till gone 9pm. Even with the 5 hour 'situation' we still managed to spot a roaming wolf, antlered elk. possibly moose, but doubtful, (our fav). Big horned sheep, deer and frolicking eagles high above Medicine lake (our seconded fav) all mixed in with some absolutely wonderful scenery. But where are those bears (not even the mass of blood Fe left on the mountain or now the stained fleece, jacket, hat, gloves, camera-bag, oh yes, camera bag looks like it's been through a massacre, didn't even tempt out those bears). Where are those bears?

Any bears?

This wilderness hostel runs shuttle bus into town each morning, so we jumped on the 9am ride. Jasper had a really nice mountain/small little village feel so deserved a stroll round. Pretty sleepy sort of town where its hard to believe that it's steady population of around 5000 swells over 20000 in the peak summer season.

After a energy boosting coffee and cake in the fantastic "Bear Paw Bakery," (where are those bears) we started our hike around the many scenic lakes that surround Jasper. Still no bears but we saw deer, elk and possibly a mouse, we say this as a sighting of these creatures in Canada are pretty scarce now, and red squirrels but sadly no bears. I say sadly but not sure what the heck we would do if one came wandering along the track we were on. When hiking some locals carry small bells in their pockets so that it frightens any bears away prior to them actually getting close to them. Not quite sure how effective a system this is. Is it still so cold so maybe, as it's been such a heavy winter, they're not ready to emerge from their winter hibernation dens.

Though famously considered hibernators, bears do not go into "true hibernation". Its more of a deep winter sleep state where metabolic rates are much less than with smaller animals, so it can survive for much longer with the lack of food that comes with harsh winter conditions. The timing of the end of each winter is key for the survival of these animals as a few weeks either way of the abnormal conditions can greatly affect the life of a bear.

The final 3km trail back into town runs parallel with the unfenced trans-continental rail line that runs right across Canada, Toronto to Vancouver. A goods train carrying shipping containers was passing. We counted 186 carriages so a quick bit of maths, working on average container size results in a single train that well over a 1 km long! It was almost the length of the entire town.

Back at the hostel is was a quiet evening by the huge log fire, toasty.

Jasper from above

Mountains are Jasper's calling card. Deep in the Alberta Rockies, peaks crown the horizon in every direction. The vast majority are pristine and will remain that way, preserved under the aegis of Canada's national parks system. The well camouflaged mountain sheep, bears, wolves, elk and mountain goats certainly do have a secure home here.

After spending 11 hours sat in seats 26 & 27 the now not so brightly chromed Greyhound rolled into a very cold and dark Jasper, but it was 6:20 in the morning.  Lucky though for us two and Eva, a Czech girl who was also heading in our direction, was the welcome sight of a taxi just pulling up at the bus compound as we unloaded our rucksacks from the bum numb-mobile. He deposited us at our wilderness hostel, which was positioned in the middle of a beautiful forest, where of course everyone was asleep.  We had to wait a few more hours for reception to open and then our room to be available.  This day was all about sitting and waiting.

To stretch out  our legs and un-numb the bums we took a easy stroll up to the Jasper Tramway.  Canada's highest and longest aerial tramway, and the only guided aerial ropeway in the Canadian Rockies. Unprecedented views of six mountain ranges, glacial fed lakes, the Athabasca river (Alberta’s longest) and the scenic J shaped mountain town of Jasper where a train was positioned at the main station. It's total length seemed to stretch the entire length of the village. We counted, roughly, 156 container carriages long plus 3 engines. That's around a kilometre in length for one train!

The tramway ride starts at an already impressive height of 1304 metres (4279 ft) above sea level in the safety of an enclosed Tram cabin. Travelling at 6 metres per second this 1960s twin wire tramway soon had us up top which was 2277 metres (7472 ft) above sea level.  The hiking trail at the top, across to India Point, was closed due to very heavy snow conditions which was a shame. I mean it's nearly May! If this snow does start melting soon it will be soon reloaded with next seasons.

A very happy Easter

Our five days in Whistler were absolutely fantastic. The conditions were the best we've ever skied, our digs were perfectly placed with easy access to everything required all with no or very little effort at all. Which is pretty much a perfect mix for a good ski break. And to improve things further, if this is physically possible,  all shared with the most polite race in the world.

You hear people constantly say that Whistler is sooooo expensive and over the top.  Read in a local news article that even the locals are fed up with the hype of Whistler being too much of a party town and that everyone is just out to make as much money in the shortest space of time.  Some say it's taking away the real Whistler vibe.  We have found it fine though, more than fine actually. What people forget is that anywhere you go can be dead expensive if you're out every single night from 5pm drinking and eating until 3am. And as for the cost of the lift pass. Well yeah maybe it's a little on the high side, but gives you access to one of the biggest ski fields going.  It gets you on two huge mountains with access to over 200 world class, some ex-olympic runs, that are so wide you're not sure if you're in alpine bowls or off piste. There are runs cut through and between monster trees giving you the most varied and fantastic rides to the valley floor where you can chose to party it up or just kick back and take it easy.  It's all good.

As the afternoon spring sun shone down on Creekside we sat shooting the breeze drinking iced coffees and looking up at Whistler mountain knowing that Tom and Greg were still going at it, not wanting to let the season end. For us, well, we just couldn't stop smiling making for a very Happy Easter indeed.
HAPPY EASTER!

How are we ever going to readjust? Maybe if this keeps up we never will !

At Creekside on the opposite to the mountains lie a set of woodland trails which are home to some stunning lakes. In the summer the locals swim in these to cool off after a day in the saddle. Mountain bike saddle that is. As once the snow finally melts away Whistler-Blackcomb transforms itself into one of the largest downhill parks going. Maybe nice to give it a go one year.

Skiing all done for us it was a morning of walking under clear skies around these unbelievably still and tranquil lakes, acting as giant mirrors to all surrounding landscapes. Nestled within the trees are the most huge log cabins you're ever likely to see. All in the valley of fantastic ski resorts.

Mid-afternoon brought a very different type of experience. It was time to leave the calmness of Creekside and climb aboard the Greyhound that would take us up to Jasper. Unfortunately this route was via Vancouver, some inconvenient mountains were in the way stopping us from going direct. So after a two and a half hour journey back to where we started from 5 days prior, plus a three hour lay-over it was was back on the road to Jasper.  Our route that took us up into high country. Through seemingly sleepy and very neat Abbotsfield, the raspberry capital of Canada. A spot where just south of the city Canada meets the USA. Sitting to the north the Coast mountains and to the east the gargantuan Mount Baker both seemed to be doing their best in surrounding the entire city as if on guard. Their great height was visible from every turn the bus made. Even at dusk they were a pretty imposing sight.

Around midnight we stopped off at a roadhouse diner that was typecast straight out of the American movies. 1970s style seating, poor lighting, basic menu where everything came with fries. Local radio provided the back ground sounds "sweet child of mine" and "afternoon delight" causing the sound of the approaching midnight hour silence to be broken. A old school pinball machine rang out in the corner itching for someone to play it. Like at other times on this trip, our previous calm location we'd only just left now seemed, and was, a distant memory.

Last day on the piste

Two major differences to this day. After a few days of sunny weather and no new snow fall conditions were slushy and it was Good Friday and suddenly we were sharing our slopes with the masses and having to queue at lifts, shocking!

Mid afternoon was the half pipe final round so we enjoyed some time sunning it up whilst the youth did some pretty amazing moves on skis. After the final 900s were laid down in the half pipe it was time for one final run down to Whistler village for ski and boot returns and to check in on Broken Social Scene, a band who were on stage playing as part of the end of festival.
To end a great few days of skiing we exposed the budget to some après ski with some lads from the hostel at the diner below the hostel and sank a few pitchers whilst discussing the days activities and our love for Whistler.

First Tracks

Great start, 3 of us managed to get first tracks. It was a real beauty of a morning. Low cloud burning off at such a rate you could actually watch it making way for crystal ultramarine blue skies. Clearly not everyone fancied the early start so we relished the clean, seemingly untouched mountains as tomorrow could be different story as tomorrow was Good Friday.

With the sun fully up and on we were headed for another trip across to Blackcomb via the Peak to Peak gondola, but the normally 11 minute slick ride was more like 20 as for some reason it came to a halt half way across the valley. Assuming you like heights and don't mind swaying from three ropes it was great in two ways. One, having more time to take in the vast Fitzsimmons valley views and two, to rest up those burning quads.

We got a chair lift to Blackcomb's outstanding 7th Heaven, a south-facing alpine zone for sun-loving skiers which we managed to ski non-stop six times without even meeting another sole at the Heaven express chair lift! Quads now fully on-fire!

A few more lifts in 7th Heaven we prized our way out and across to the aptly named showcase t-bar lift. The t-bar completed with no dramas, we had made it to the highest ski-able point on the mountain, the Blackcomb Glacier. To reach the very top it was skis off and a short hike. The reward, unprecedented views across the mountain valleys and an 11km continuous run taking you right to the centre of Whistler village. The hike to the top was right into the sun so it was hot. We couldn't wait to stop the walking, get our skis back on and hurl ourselves down hill. Initially mogal-tastic which then ran into deep powder. The blood wagon was right behind us on the way down scooping up an unlucky female who obviously wasn't enjoying it as much as we were! A third of the way down this guy floats by on a parachute having just jumped from the peak. Snowboard strapped to the feet ready to board!

As he landed under many cheers he actually managed to board for awhile until the parachute pulled him off his board facedown into the snow, too busy looking, I then went a pearler off my skis! The burn that this 11km run gave us will be remembered for some time. We almost collapsed on reaching the village.

As we sat sipping a rewarding coffee looking up at these vast snowy peeks and couldn't help but smile. From long boarding in Waikiki to skiing in Whistler, all within the same month - this trip is the best! Coffees done it was back to the Whistler gondola for the final speedy ride up 3,800 vertical feet to the Roundhouse Lodge where we leisurely cruised to Creekside. Great day had by all.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Breaking news........just read that this season, Whistler-Blackcomb has had over 15 metres of snow fall. Making this seasons snow fall the second largest since stats began......……another great day on the slopes was had.

On the last slope home we stopped, easier said than done because it was pretty steep, to climb up onto the Olympic rings on the Dave Murray downhill.

Back at the hostel Tom from Leicester and Miles from Medicine Hat, Alberta joined us in the dorm which resulted in one hot night. Hot in the sense of the heat that was generated from 4 bods within such a small place, it was quite unreal. No one really going for adjusting the thermostat or cracking a window. Sometimes politeness of the highest order can bring on tough times!  Fe was surprised with the tidiness of the boys and even better the lack if smells! Although her bed was the only one made each morning although Tom's was a close second!

Each morning across from the hostel was Whistlers only fuel station. The most battered old utes with high end ski-dos (check spelling) loaded on the back would be filling up for another days mountain sliding. This is why Miles was in town as his mates, sorry buddies, had gone off sliding and as he doesn't own one the next best thing was for him to do some large plank back country skiing in and around Whistler Creekside. It was a shame Miles wasn't staying longer as he seemed a good Canadian lad with some real funny tales.

Just Greg and us two

We woke to a fresh dump for our first day on the piste.  Twas the week of Good Friday, egg week. Easter no less. But where was everybody ? We had slopes and lifts literally to ourselves. Just us, Greg and the mountains. Greg was a fellow hosteler at Creekside from Australia.

Whistler BC boasts the largest and probably the most well known and loved area of ski terrain in North America covering a whopping 8171 acres containing over 200 trails.  For day one we were all over it like a rash. Huge wide slopes and lifts you could just ski right up to for your next lift up. No queue, zero people.

Linking Whistler Mountain with it's neighbouring mountain, Blackcomb, is the mighty world record breaking 'Peak 2 Peak' gondola. Riding this gondola was some experience. Unusual in it's construction as it spans this mega valley completely unsupported for a distance of 3.024 kilometres (1.88 miles), the total distance between the gondolas two main supporting towers!  With no towers it certainly made for a smooth ride. At the highest vertical point, directly over Fitzsimmons Creek, a distance of 436 metres (1,427 feet) stands between the passengers and the valley floor – the world’s greatest distance above any valley floor. Spanning over 4 km (2.73 miles) of alpine terrain in a swift 11 minutes.

This monster was completed on time for the opening of the 2010 winter Olympics. It really is a stunning piece of engineering excellence.

We hadn't been skiing since a lovely week we spent back in 2009 in Austria. Thankfully it was like riding a bike or as the locals say it's like swimming, you never really forget how to once you know. As soon as our skis hit the snow we were right back into it but all the while keen to improve by putting in as much skiing as we could. We'd had such a great first day both of us forgot that we were still actually travelling!

Living so far away from the practice ground of your chosen sport doesn't really improve your technique or muscle strength much. The same could be said for surfing, when you've travelled two hours to your nearest break and the conditions are all wrong. But here this time the conditions were spot on which really can make you fall in love with skiing. The feeling of being in a seemingly sound proof zone, clear blue skies, pure white snow, white as icing sugar, tree lined mountains, floating cruisey blues, stopping off every now and again for a coffee and a swig from the hip flask, makes for perfect days and great great people watching! The sport can't help it but it does attract a certain type of person and Canada was no exception to this rule.

Having only skied in Europe we soon found a few differences that seemed to give Canada the ski destination crown.

Pros:-

• Slopes, so wide and so empty.
• Sniffle stations at the lifts for those cold running noses.
• Washroom so big, and so clean, sweet smelling. Little baskets on the backs of each door for your gloves when in that moment of need. It's the little things.
• Tools neatly stored at mountain based stations just it case you need to give the bindings a odd tweak.
• Then you meet the staff! On only 9 bucks an hour these seasonal staff are more than friendly and really helpful and so happy that you have chosen this spot to ski. They even take your skis from you and put them right into the kit rack of the gondola as you climb aboard. All sealed up with "have a great day guys" Again it's the little things that make you smile and think yeah, that's nice.
• Glove warmers near the washrooms. Fe especially loved this little gadget.
• Yes the eateries are very big and maybe a little sterile but again oh so friendly and everything is just geared to getting you in, feed, watered, back out skiing again with as little grief as possible. You can bring your own if you should so want to and it's met with "yeah no problem' 'you gonna need a plate dude?' Don't get us wrong though those ever so small timbered, low roofed, boiling hot cosy mountain lodges in Europe are part of skiing in Europe but the Canadian way does bring a fresh approach.

Cons:

• Lift pass was pretty 80s. Just a piece of cardboard on a length of string that was manually scanned. No proximity cards here at every lift. It only gets scanned the once on entry so at least it removes one obstacle to overcome at the chair lifts.
• No vin chaud! What's that all about. Surely some attempt could be made to warm up some sort of wine.
•  In the mountains we even spotted a small building purely dedicated to "customer satisfaction". A building where feedback and complaints are welcomed with smiley faces.

 Is this quite possibly ski perfection ?

Up into the mountains

Our ride out of Vancouver up to Whistler was just incredible. The views of the mountains were phenomenal. The first section we hugged the many river ways that wind their way down to the vast inlet known of the Strait of Georgia, the stretch of water we crossed from Vancouver Island some 3 days previous. The road constantly twisted with hairpin bends. Banked steeply on the otherside side of the river ways stood huge pines running right to the edge of the tarmac.

On boarding at the rather grand Vancouver Pacific Central station, photo ID's were required. We were questioned by the driver if we'd ever been up to Whistler before. Nope, we replied. 'Left hand side of the bus for you two then'. Was this some sort of weird first timers initiation process? No, the conversion continued, it's just the left handside would deliver the best views. Today's driver, Noel, nice guy.

We were welcomed into Creekside by a couple of wild deer who were loitering roadside. Our hostel, with diner below, seemed so close to the gondola, a mere 200 metres, if that. We dumped our bags and got a lift from Iva, the hostel manager, to a local 're-use it' centre. A recycling shop in the name of charity. We have come to love thrift stores, but this one topped the league. It felt like going into oxfam in say Primrose Hill! We got kitted out with salopettes (Fe got a pair of Spyders!) and Scott goggles all in and under 20 quid, so cheaper than hiring. There was a boat load of great branded ski stuff that had probably only seen a season or two at the max. All given up in a drive for next years latest colours or fashion. We could have bought a lot of kit here but we had to show restrain and left pretty swiftly as at one stage we were contemplating buying stuff we already had! Anyone arriving in Whistler with no real gear, as we did, this place is a must.

Next stop was into Whistler village to collect our skis and those oh so comfortable boots. John, a London lad and Mattias from Spain, who Fe was more than happy to have a boot fit session with, sorted us out. Chocolate doughnuts included as part of a heavily discounted hostel owner set up deal. Squeezing our feet into these boots after over a years break didn't feel too bad. Almost comfy! The words comfy and ski boots rarely go together so we grabbed them tightly and headed for the door. We were good to go.

We had a quick look around Whistler village. There was a big party feel as the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival was just kicking off. http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/twssf/index.htm
A week long end of season party theme with a music stage and skiing and boarding shows in the mix. This was gunna be a great week!

Finishing that popcorn

As we walked the suburbs the coastal mountains rise steep just beyond the downtown blocks. The place feels very clean and efficient, city life running seamlessly into massive, pure outdoor playgrounds. Given Vancouver's surroundings it's easy to see why Greenpeace was founded in this very city.

Our walking tour of the city was via the bus station to collect tickets for our jaunt to Whistler and beyond. A tour which took us through the ex-Olympic village. The village looked a little unkept, unloved you could say. Most of it up for sale or rent but not much really being re-used now that the Olympics roadshow had  reversed out of town. All this emptiness in one of the most desirable spots to live on earth? Food for thought London.

It was cinema night to try and finally see off the bin bag of popcorn we picked up at the mariners game back in Seattle. Like us this popcorn had travelled some distance to reach tonight's screening. I was in auditorium 6, Fe was next door in 5. Oh yeah, spot the two who couldn't decide on one movie. So we split into bunches of ones to get maximum viewage!  Since being away we've become really intoxicated with going to the cinema. Something that we never really used to do at home. We always wanted to but never seemed to get on and actually go. Maybe by going so infrequently makes the times you do go really enjoyable.

The only sobering thing about leaving the cinema, and this goes for many downtown areas we've been in around the world, is that when the sunsets and the street lights come on, all sorts of colourful characters come out of the shadows looking like they've just got out of the pit. All just hanging around looking down on their luck doing their best to make you think their just up to no good, and their next act of no good could just well be on you. But it's the same the whole world over.

Let again!

After only two days of re-marketing our house
has been re-let for another 12 months.
The journey continues!

Hop across to Horseshoe Bay

Francis Drake was propably the first European explorer to spy mainland Canada during his round the world voyage of 1579. Spanish from California and Russians from Alaska explored this coast almost two centuries later but it was fellow Briton, our man Cook who recorded the first landing on 1778.

Over the last 30 years immigration has dramatically increased making the city more ethnically and linguistically diverse; 52% do not speak English as their first language and almost 30% of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese heritage! Vancouver has ranked highly in worldwide "livable city" rankings for more than a decade and it was acknowledged by Economist Intelligence Unit as the first city rank among top-ten of world's most liveable cities for the five straight years!

A short bus ride from the hostel got us to Departure Bay, an apt name for a island ferry port no doubt you'll agree. Never been on a ferry before where they'd had to grit the decks and walkways to stop them freezing over. It was around 5 degrees but as we got off the bay a toe curling wind marched it down to around zero. I managed a brief chat with Mike Briganza, the ship's captain, who seemed, though I couldn't bring the conversion round to actually ask him outright, to be a proud Welsh/Indian/Canadian! He was as equally interested in our trip as I was his daily job. Mike gave us some great tips for our up and coming mountain adventure round the Rockies. Must ski runs, to must trek trails. You just can't beat the inside track from a local.

The ferry ride itself was only 1 3/4 hours and was no doubt no where near as dramatic as Drakes back in 1579. The crossing gave all passengers great views of the mainland mountains, dusted with powder, due to recent cold spells. A great tonic to get the ski legs a twitching. We braved the 'sun' deck but soon turned blue and retreated inside to the warmth of the Sea West Lounge. Marketing a little misleading here as it was promoted as 'oceanview dining'. An ocean view goes without saying being on a ferry and all. But what it certainly wasn't was dinning in an elegant Lounge!!

After cruising for only 30 minutes you could see the skyscrapers of downtown Vancouver sat as if cradled by towering alpines and snowcapped mountains. As we docked an otter swam through the shallows no doubt enjoying the warmer shallower waters of the marina. The bus ride into town gave rise to great views across fine looking English Bay, the Lions Gate Bridge and onto Stanley Park. The place felt instantly different to the island. For one the Friday afternoon traffic was murderous but also the wind was not so biting on the back of the neck.

Reunited again

Love it or hate it, a small deli in Namaino brought us back together. It's the simple things in life.

Island to mainland

Our 3 days in Nanaimo were relaxed to say the least. A pretty quiet small ish harbourside town that we lapped in about 30 minutes.

Nanaimo began as a trading post in the early 19th century. By 1853 the town was chiefly known for the export of coal. At the end of our street, where we'd chosen to call home for a couple of nights, stood the Nanaimo Bastion. An historic octagonal shaped fortification. The Hudson's Bay Company, which then held a royal lease on all of what was then the Colony of Vancouver Island, built it in 1853 to defend its coal mining operations in Nanaimo. Through the summer months the original cannons from within the bastion are fired daily at noon.

For us it was the ferry departure point for Canada mainland. We had walks along the harbour front, where I managed a find a good guy running a small old school barbers. Visited the library, where me and my credit card momentarily decided to be separated after it was left under terminal one's keyboard. But that was about as exciting as it got. This island certainly lives up to the fact that it's the preferred spot for Canadians to retire to.

Our original plan was to venture out West again to the coast where a nice sounding town called Tofino sat, but timings and below seasonal conditions just didn't pull on us enough to complete the 8 hour mountainous round trip to a west coast we'd already eyeballed down in the good old USA. My latest barber of choice had mentioned that the current temperature was 10 degrees below last years which made him stop instantly barbering my bonce to wildly laugh out loud. As he then explained "this time last year the winter Olympics were really struggling for snow as it was just too warm"!

This downtime in Nanaimo gave us time to take stock and sort a few mundane things out for the coming future and more interestingly to do some research on the next leg of our trip, three and a half weeks exploring the mountains of BC and Alberta states, mainland Canada. With a bit of skiing and trekking thrown in the mix to break up the bus journeys! Given the geographical locations and the sheer remoteness of these parts we'd opted to completely rely on the driving skills of the Greyhound. But as with every public transport system much planning ahead was needed.

Non stop to Nanaimo

This morning we caught the number 50 to the central bus station. Once safely onboard the Greyhound it then cruised right by our motel and the bus stop where we were stood not 20 mins ago. Not sure if it would have stopped to pick us up, and we daren't asked knowing that we didn't really want to know the answer, just it case, as it may have saved us the very overcrowded twenty minutes stood on the 50! Either way though on the 50 Fe did meet a lovely but slightly dotty Asian lady that was dead keen to know all her  fellow passenger's life story and age which made for some very odd fun.

The greyhound transported us north to Nanaimo, a 2 hour journey up the east coast of the island. With a chirpy driver, if a little short for such a large bus. The 2 hours seemed to pass pretty quickly with the journey taking us past remote farmland, rivers running to huge, huge lakes and homes with massive log piles and ute's outside, some as big as the house.

We drove though a town called Ladysmith.  Roberts Street is the exact location of the 49th Parallel – the northern latitudinal boundary that marks the US/Canada border from the BC mainland to Manitoba way over on the East side of Canada near the Hudson Bay. These imaginary Circle of latitudes run East to West. These circles connect all locations on our planet.

It ain't cheap being green

Monday, a crisp clear day and for us a two wheeled tour of Victoria and around via Sport Hire who hire out everything outdoors. A couple of Norco Hybrids for us. Helmets over bobble hats all the way as the clear skies had bought a real lazy chilly wind.

Fishermans Wharf is home to a small floating village of house boats and a number of friendly seals. The water so clear you could see them swimming through the houseboat jetties.

By pure chance we'd stumbled across the world's tallest free-standing totem pole! On June 30, 1956 it was erected in Beacon Hill Park. Carved by a team led by Mungo Martin, Kwakiutl tribal chief and renowned carver, it stands majestically overlooking the strait of Juan de Fuca. The Bald Eagle perched ontop was an added bonus for us. At first sight it looked part of the pole but as it twitched in the breeze this was no fake. This bird of prey found in North America is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. He was huge!

Our last sight was Craigdarroch Castle. It was constructed in the 1890s as a family residence for the wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife Joan. Robert died in April 1889, more than a year before construction on the castle was completed.  Personally we thought it looked more like a nursing home! These guys just can't do 'old'. 

On downing a well deserved and warming long black we worked out that the cost of hiring our bikes was more than our Dodge cruiser back in Seattle. And they say bike is best. Clearly not if you're hiring .......

Waiting for our bus ride home involved standing in a very large bank cashpoint lobby avoiding the cool zero degrees breeze swirling around the bus stop. As we peered through the one inch thick glass a lad stood defiant at the stop, with shorts on. One thing came to mind, he's not a loony but a Victorian local.

Picturesque, peaceful Victoria

Being Sunday, peaceful yes. Picturesque, hmmm not sure on this one as yet, as downtown Victoria has a lot of grey-buff looking buildings which seem to be trying to create a Victorian type seaside look. Not too sure that it's worked.

A place where they've heard of the "big one" but just couldn't care less. Where most homes have a recycling 'room'. Where most locals do not leave home without an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses. Anything above 5c is thought to be warm, anything above 25c is, well, far too warm.

BC's Museum is regarded as the best in Canada. We bought a combi ticket which included a showing at the Imax cinema which is housed within the museum. Screening first, to watch Born to be wild. True to form it was total brilliance. Imax technology giving it the umph that made for even bigger smiles but none bigger than when the voice of oscar winning Morgan Freeman delivered the opening lines, what a voice, what a narrator! The film documents orphaned orangutans in Borneo and elephants in Kenya. We can't recommended it enough. A must see....

http://www.imax.com/borntobewild/

The museum was also great. In the entrance you're met with John Lennon's Yellow Submarine Rolls-Royce Phantom V standing proud within a ring of 'keep kids young and old off' ropes. It's modified so the back seat folds into a double bed. There's a telephone, fridge, TV (Sony no less), custom sound system and a loud hailer installed in the front. Sounds like a perfect camper but at $1.4 million maybe not.

Through unique galleries, the museum showcases the human and natural history of British Columbia. Authentic artifacts and specimens are displayed in highly realistic settings. The afternoon just passed us by as we wandered round the 2 floors.

Post match anaylsis

This morning's Seattle Times heavily reported on the fact that the recent Mariners game was their worst ever opening performance.  With comments like:

"by the fourth it was 6-0 and everything we (the Mariners) tried to do couldn't stop the bleeding and come to think of it the more we tried to stop it (the high run rate) the more it actually turned into a gasping hemorrhage".


"my (Tom Wilhelmsen) fastball was up and I didn't have control over it"

"when you live off it, you die off it, if you can't throw it for strikes you're going to have to find something else". Whatever that means!!

"timing is everything and unfortunately we are still looking for it".

Amazing really as when we looked back at both of us sat there clapping and cheering at everything, popcorn everywhere bar in the mouth, we understand the real reasons behind all the odd looks we were getting!

Back to island life. BC style.

Another benefit of cold weather, it lightens the backpack as basically you're forced to wear more and more of your summer based gear!

Our hostel in Seattle had such a nice feel to it, leaving almost made us almost home-sick! The place had managed to creature a real home- ambiance which you really don't get with many lodgings whether it's a top hotel or a basic room only spot. This is great achievement that they've managed to pull. Great when you're staying put but pretty damn rubbish when you checking out at 6:30am.

With the feeling we'd just got up in the middle of the night, we shuffled down to the harbourside to edge further north by ferry at a swift but steady 30 knots. In doing so crossing the boarder into British Columbia (BC) Canada. The ride was smooth but unfortunately a non-scenic one due to low snow threatening looking clouds. Not even the exposed straits of Juan de Fuca, known as the edge of nowhere, raised a swell worth talking about, it was a flat as.

BC is going to have to be on best behaviour to get one up on New Zealand, our fav destination so far on this wee road trip of ours. Well Canada is supposed to be one of the most desirable places on earth to reside, so maybe.

Seattle had served us very well. We came to America's 42nd state with no real expectations as it's tagged as a gateway to places elsewhere but we really enjoyed our time there as both in and around Seattle there's a lot to see and do on the Northwest coast other than just fly in and out and ride round on the city's very slick ferry and metro systems.

Smoked salmon for breakfast. Not exactly the fine dinning experience you're now probably picturing but I was sat in seat no 4 on a public ferry. Mustn't grumble though as what I was assured of was that the salmon I was about to dine on, for this fine start to the day, was from the deep waters we were now actually riding on. Hopefully not caught too close to the docks. It's said that Alaskan salmon is, and will always be, under the shadow of pacific salmon. But given my present surroundings I was more than happy with my breakfast catch. Plastic cutlery was a little on the bendy side but way easier to use than to look for our stainless set located 'somewhere' in a stowed 65 litre backpack.

Docked and through the obligatory customs, thankfully no drama, we found ourselves sat at bus stop 70 Douglas Road, Victoria, Canada BC. The midday chimes rang out from a 60s looking tower next to the parliament building with a certain big-ben characteristic. Must be time for another coffee, surely.

Needles and baseball bats

Much like Auckland, Seattle have their own spaceship-topped high tower type thing. 41 seconds of lift travel gets you to the top. The difference to Seattle's tower is that you could actually go outside and walk the entire circumference. No need to panic though there are plenty of suicide barriers in place keeping even the most unstable type safe side. As you walked the rim 'Up on the Roof' by the Drifters played out softly in the background whilst you absorb the 360 degree view over Puget Sound and a glittering metropolis that is downtown Seattle, all framed by the Olympic Mountains. Even the normally hidden Mount Rainer was out today which by seeing other folks reactions on the view deck this was quite a rare occasion. At one stage there were so many people on the eastside facing this illusive mountain it was surprising that the tower wasn't lopsided !

Back in 1962 at a cost of $4.5 million this 602 foot tower was completed. The tower just managed to open in time for the city's World Fair that made the front cover of LIFE magazine. With inspirations from Stuttgart's soaring broadcasting tower, also topped by a restaurant, Seattle had thoughts that the building of such a tower could do what the Eiffel Tower had done for Paris. Each morning during the World Fair delegates would ride to the top of the tower for breakfast all served in the revolving restaurant, which still exists to this day, now known as the 'O' deck. All served up by hostesses in gold coveralls. Sadly, though the gold coveralls no longer exist.

Three-story foundations support this mega structure measuring 30 feet deep 120 feet wide. Labourers worked continuously for 11 days to dig it out which was then loaded with steel and concrete. A concrete pour that even to this very day goes down as is the worlds longest pour where 467 concrete trucks worked for 12 hours, solid, excuse the pun, to fill the mass hole with 5,800 tons of the stuff.

Following hearty, warm, stew like fodder we walked, dressed like mummies, in single figure temperatures, the 9 blocks East to the Safeco Field. The home of The Seattle Mariners major league baseball team. This was their home opener of the new season. We had no clue of the rules but figured it flowed something like cricket but in way way colder conditions. Oh how I can see the sunset over the Countryground now. Spectators even bring their own blankets (Oh Fe was jealous), Seattle Marrier team coloured blankets of course. Us, we'd packed the trusty flask and some good chocolate.

This is a high calorie intake spectator sport at it's very best. Hot dogs, garlic chips and all you can drink soda being the fav order of the night. We bought a 3 buck bag (more like a bin bag) of popcorn. It was clear that this bin bag size of p'corn was going to last us at least a week. However we did tried to make a dent in but it just stayed full! The locals though seemed to have nailed it in the first hour and then moved on to h'dogs and fries. The waft of garlic from the stand was pretty high especially when the cheering really got going.

At some point in the game the pitch, we think that's what it's called, was overhauled by a dozen or so guys and girls that ran out and swept it clear of what, who knows. Then mid-clearance session, on comes a dance track, and they were off, brooms tossed aside, straight into a well rehearsed dance routine. The crowd went absolutely crazy and that's pretty damn crazy as tonight's a sell out at the Safeco a cool 47,500 all up off their very cold seats all going absolutely nuts for it.

When the ball is actually hit by the thin round sticky bat thing it more than flies, well it would with the average bowl speed being around 95mph, and if the batsman gets it on that sweet spot it's crowd destined for sure. The hit of the night went to the visitors, The Clevedan Indians, pulling off a hit that resulted in a three-run homer! The hit nearly reached the upper third-deck of the stands. Around a 650ft hit the graphics informed us. This well struck hit was by a guy that was probably more than happy that the kit these guys were wearing weren't on the close fitting side. Let's just say he was carrying a few extra pounds for a 'sportsman'. Luckily not many batsman were goofy hitters so we were pretty safe from having a big hit land in our direction ! With every big-hit the tunes fire-off as again the crowd try to compete with seeing who can be the loudest. If you catch the ball in the stands it seems it's yours to keep as most of the balls are only used for five hits.

The Seattle folk we discussed baseball with seemed to think the pace of the game is paired with that of test cricket but with names like Chone, Travis, Carlos and Milton that was where the baseball/cricket similarities ended. These team sheets were no ECC team sheets!

I had never seen such neat ball-grabbing grass at a ball sports venue before. The field seemed to keep it's shape throughout the entire game. But I guess you could say it doesn't get used much during the game!

What we couldn't work out was that come the end of the night the Mariners hadn't played well for their first opening game of the season, but that didn't seem to stop the Friday night party atmosphere infecting the entire ground. But like with most live winter sport viewing back home the pub becomes a bigger draw than the actual game itself and people start to file out early to head to a far warmer seat near the bar. As we filed out of the ground it was great to hear die-hard fans, ever optimistic, giving comments like 'you never know tomorrow maybe our day'. These matches are much like cricket and play over a number of days. One cold night was certainly enough for us!!

Mariners, we bid you farewell and all the best for the rest of the season. May your bags of popcorn always stay over sized.

We jumped on the back of a trike to get home. This Eco green warrior had set up his own business. Pevcab is bringing pedal and electric vehicle transportation to the people of Seattle.  The trikes are motor powered by a 21st-century green chemistry battery!  We even got a blanket to protect us from the chilly breeze.

Even after just 6 days we have a list....

Miss/won't miss:


Miss:
D- the city hostel, the distant sound of American train horns, urban coolness
F- the hostel bed (sooooo comfy), drinking coffee in the original Starbucks, Pike Market

Won't miss:
D-dodging elks in the road, village police
F-the rain