A day on the golf course

Our first full day i Victoria was taken with breakfast, getting the car, and heading off to spend some time with Pat.

With the car, we headed to Langford, the off to Bear Mountain to his Disc Golfing course. Disc golfing is like "ball" golf in that you play a set of holes, usually 9 or 18, and there is a par. But you use frisbees instead of irons and a ball, and you throw at a target which (in this case) is a piece of galvanized metal piping hanging from a tree, which gong when you hit it with the frisbee. This would be difficult enough on even and open ground, but the pictures show what you are contending with. So it is a challenge, and fun to play.







Part of the fun of it is trying to gauge how to throw the frisbees to curve through the trees and land close to the target. And there are, like "ball" golf, different tools you use: there is a putter, and one for long throws, and one which is for shorter but more curvier areas. Fascinating to an old codger like me. We had a great time, even though it rained hard at one point, and we thought we might have to abort the game.

And after we had finished, we went off to Sooke and found, surprisingly easily, the Seniors Co-Operative housing area we had been looking for. It is perched on a steep piece of land overlooking Sooke Harbour, with three or four buildings each of which is multiple units. They have a common room, with a kitchen, for meals together, and I gather, a unit reserved for care-givers to be in when needed. It looked fancy and a bit posh, but very beautiful. And the setting was phenomenal. After that, a trip to the Whiffin Spit to watch the waves for a bit, before heading back to town and a dinner at Bodega (a tapas restaurant) before going to see "Room" at the local theatre.

A full day, and a good one.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Johnson St,Victoria,Canada

On to Victoria

Once settled into the Sylvia Hotel (Darlene arrived within an hour of me, both of us using Vancouver's excellent transit system), we headed out again with Cousin Jane to go for a spot of lunch. Over to Denman Street, and up to find a restaurant. Totally unplanned, we ran into Bonnie, Darlene's niece, who was going down the street in the opposite direction. I would not have recognized her: she had lost weight and looked so much healthier than the last time I saw her. So the entire West Coast family was together, and we had a Greek lunch to celebrate. We arranged a schedule for the next few days, and then returned to the hotel. Weather, which had been predicted to be wet, was in fact dry-ish, with the odd bit of sun.

I had a lovely walk along the Sea Wall with my long-time friend Art and his wife, Suzanne. Darlene caught up on some sleep. We then all got together for a drink and some appies in the Sylvia bar, before Art and Suzanne headed off to a movie, and we repaired to our room for an early night.

The following day, surprisingly sunny and not too cold, we walked a bit on Denman, then went to visit Bonnie. She has moved, and is now in a wonderful apartment and a wonderful space. No booze, no cigarettes (except the marijuana type), and really well-put-together. A long visit with her, and the a terrific supper out at Amici Diei, a little Italian place on Denman. Jane was sick and in bed, so she was not seen that day. But the following day, Jane was ready to receive visitors, and we were at her place in the morning for tea. Turns out the tap on her bathtub broke, and she had water flowing and a plumber on the way, so we stayed in her small (650 sq.ft.) apartment to have our tea and wait for the plumber. Still a lovely visit.

Then a long walk over to see a statue inStanley Park that Suzanne had been involved with. It commemorates the role of the Portuguese in the settlement of Vancouver.


That evening, we had a meal at Art and Suzanne's, although Suzanne was under the weather, so we didn't see a lot of her. Again, an apartment which seems quite modest in size, and turns out to be about 750 sq.ft. of space. I am surprised at the ability to manage in small spaces (of course, being able to get out almost all days of the year helps a lot). Lots of food and drink, and then to bed.

Tuesday was a travel day. Jane met us for breakfast at the hotel, and then we started our journey. Raining hard (the first rain we had had in Vancouver), so we taxied to the ferry, and got on in good time for the 90-minute ride to Nanaimo, to be met by Barry with a smile and a hug.

It was a rainy day in Nanoose. Fog settled into the bay itself, so the mountain was not visible. But the house was warm, and the company was warm, so we were happy. Supper, conversation, sitting by a fire, and then to bed.

And the next day, also rainy and quiet, filled with conversation and food, we were off to Nanaimo to catch the bus down to Victoria. Once there, we met up with Pat and had a meal across the street from the hotel before tumbling into bed.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Douglas St,Victoria,Canada

To the West, Day Three

Today was a strange day. Through the night, with a spectacular, almost-full moon in the sky and through my train window, we were stopped for long periods, and rushing frantically and jarringly for hours. We made it to Edmonton ahead of schedule. I woke at six, local time.

And if VIA had wanted to make Edmonton look bleak, they couldn't have done a better job. Temperature was about -16, sky was cloudy and dark, the train stopped at the station right beside a four-lane highway and across from an abandoned piece of land. And the station was bleak, nothing but vending machines and tired people. Why they move the trains out of downtown escapes me. But at least the stop was not too long, just long enough to stretch my legs.

Then off to the mountains. On this route, it takes about two hours to get to the start of the Rockies. We follow the Athabasca River and the Yellowhead Highway. And then the mountains are there. Partly cloudy, and some mist, with a bit of rain. So not as picturesque as they can be, but pretty nice. And again, the joy of this time of year is the lack of crowds on the train, so seats were easy in the Observation Car. I sat up front with a woman from Melbourne, Australia, and we talked a lot about Canada, politics, Australia, rights-to-die, and so on. And sometimes she or I took pictures of the passing trains, mountains, elk, deer, rivers, and so on. As usual, the staff was wonderful, and really make this trip such a pleasure.









Most of the time through the mountains before Jasper, the track was single, so we were obviously the only ones of it for long periods. And the scenery really is spectacular. At times, you seem almost squeezed by the trees and hills; other times, three are vistas which take your breath away.

And then we were in Jasper. It was above zero, and drizzling, so Josh and I set out to find a good place for espresso. We succeeded, and spent time on wifi and sipping espresso, before returning to the train for an on-time departure. More mountains, including Mount Robson (the highest in Canada), and more lovely scenery before it got dark. The train sponsored a wine-tasting, before supper. Our last supper, shared with a roofer from Grimsby and his wife, and the Aussie I had sat with through much of the afternoon.

Sleep was good, unaware of the stops and twists of the train, mostly. And breakfast came early enough to still be dark. And then into Vancouver, down the Fraser. Somehow, we got to be late again. But as I sit writing, we are passing through rainforest territory, with trees covered in moss so that their branches resemble green, pleading arms of "ents". And the ferns, lots of ferns. And foggy areas, and lots of water.



A really nice trip.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kamloops

Going West, Day Two

I remember, or think I remember, from previous train trips, that the second day is better than the first. You have settled in, your space is claimed, the routine is...well, routine. We had dinner in the rocks of Northern Ontario, and breakfast in the plains of Southern Manitoba.

I slept well, even though I had had a good nap in the afternoon. I woke in a panic, groggy with sleep, afraid I had missed supper (not that I needed the calories). But I hadn't and tucked into lovely Prime Rib like I was eating my last supper! Back to my room, read for a while, and then to bed.






And when I awoke, we were in Winnipeg. Breakfast overlooking the Forks, then over to the Museum of Human Rights to see the Freedom Blanket that I had missed seeing when it was in Hamilton. And I was not disappointed. While it is made of wood segments, each segment being 3-6 inches square, they are held together with wire. So the structure moves sort of like a blanket.






And then we were off. We had arrived in Winnipeg ahead of schedule, and left on schedule. The other big accomplishment of the day was to have a shower, somewhere west of Winnipeg. It felt good.

Some characters I have met on this train:
- Josh, a late 20's man who graduated from University of Waterloo in Engineering with a B.A., got a job in Europe working in the development of green buildings, travelled all around Europe for this company, but decide it was not for him, so has moved back to Canada to meet up with his Polish girlfriend in Penticton. He hopes to live off the grid, and grow all his own food, something he says is normal in Germany, but still considered experimental in North America. Had a long talk with him about environmental buildings, the lack of public transit in Canada, and the pros and cons of living in Europe.

- Alan, a retired psychiatrist from Minneapolis who loves trains. He told me early on that he is gay, married to a man who is now in Venice on vacation. But he preferred to come on a trip across Canada (which he has done before), and will get off in Jasper, to go hiking, and then will return to home.

- Bill, a retired bus driver who grew up in Denver, now lives outside Boston, also a lover of trains. He took the train from Boston to Toronto, now on VIA to Vancouver, the ferry to Seattle, and train back to Boston. Does this every year.

- another man, probably sixty, seems to be alone, was with us at the back end of the train (the Cub Car) listening to music. Was wearing a Bob Marley knitted cap, and Montreal Canadiens slippers. And part-way through the performance pulled out his knitting quite casually.

- and the lesbian couple (that's how they describe themselves), who played music for us in the evening. Guitar and fiddle, some nice reels and tunes, a couple of so-so love songs. At one point, the woman playing the fiddle switched to a viola for a while, and what a wonderful sound that was: a violin/fiddle, but a third or more lower in pitch.

So the day ended with music, after beginning with museum culture. A nice day with terrific scenery over the prairies (the Assiniboine Valley), some grain elevators (of course), and an amazing moon.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Winnipeg

Off to the West, Day One

Not a great start: the train we are to be on was coming in from Winnipeg, and was late. So our ten PM start, slid to about eleven. They were nice about it, but had that smile of resignation I have seen before on VIA. Fortunately, the lounge in Toronto is comfortable, and well-stocked with food and magazines.

My fellow passengers are a varied lot, from a young man who seems to be about 23, bearded and probably alone, but friendly, to an older man (probably in his late sixties) with long white hair tied in a ponytail, a long white beard, and a pleasant face. And all those in between, mostly older, mostly white, mostly patient.

We get onto the train, settle into our various cabins, and the silver machine is off. As has happened before, the track we take is something of a zig-zag, going west and north to Keele and the 407, then due east to the 404 area, the north and west again. Up through Richmond Hill towards Lake Simcoe, we passed a hamlet called, simply, "Quaker": maybe three or four houses.

Then I put my bed down and fell asleep, bumping and rocking my way to oblivion. Woke a few times during the night, but generally a good sleep.

And in the morning, we were in Capreol. There is no longer a train coming from Montreal which joins us in that town, but it is still a stop for the train before heading into the vast, mostly empty, Canadian Shield. Lots of snow, lots of trees, lots of rocks.

My first meal was the breakfast, at about 7:30. A Denver omelette, quite nice, with two other men travelling singly. Both characters, as you might expect. One was a man older than myself, the healing scab of a basal cell carcinoma on his cheek, looking a bit sad to be going to Winnipeg. He is moving there from Burlington, to join his daughter and his wife (who, interestingly, moved out a few years ago). A step he knows he has to do, but doesn't want. He had lived in Montreal, Vancouver, and of course Burlington, and preferred them all to Winnipeg. But then, he liked Stephen Harper, so his tastes are suspect.

My other breakfast companion was a man with a pony tail, probably mid-fifties, not the one I saw last night. He is a teacher, interested in native issues, and a lover of museums, on his way to Winnipeg to give a talk. He slept in the economy coach, said it was fine.

Rocks and trees, snow and ice and some open water: these were the elements of the morning out our windows. Black Spruce trees offering on their arms large pillows of snow. Poplars and other deciduous trees cradling the snow in the crooks of their branches, seeming to protect it from...what?






Most of the trees here are second growth at least, not too old. But occasionally you see an area that has been burnt,or one which is older and bigger trees. No animals or tracks seen. The odd solitary house, rarely small settlements, and once a solo outhouse in the forest a ways off the track (are the bears that civilized up here?). And on it goes, seemingly forever. A sceptic would have trouble believing that Canada had any trouble with either lumber or water supplies.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Front St W,Toronto,Canada