The Masterpiece Unveiled

After 5 years of talking about work, and 2 years of working, my sisters and I have completed a grand project.

My Grandmother loved to cook. Because of this fact she had about a zillion recipes. Since computers were nonexistent for most of her life these recipes were in a paper format, actually, in about a million paper formats with about a hundred different fonts, some of which were even legible.

On my Grandmother's passing my sister inherited these recipes. For my Dad's 50th birthday we said that we would take these recipes and copy them onto the computer to make a cookbook. That was uh... like... 7 years ago.

So, after years of talking and a few years of working we finally finished... uh mostly. We gave Dad a draft last night and after his reviews we will go into production.

Well, it took a while, but good things come to those who wait...

To Sell a Car...

So, I bought Jerusalem in the beginning of the summer. Not the best car, but for what I paid it was exactly what was to be expected. That was ok, it had its safety inspection so it had to be ok. Well, it was. We had a great number of rides in the summer and one big one on the way back home. Now, I need to sell it here.

The snow has impacted things. With summer tires it has made it difficult to get Jerusalem anywhere. Despite that, I have set up an appointment on Monday to get its out of province safety inspection. I hope that nothing goes wrong. It was hard enough to get it to this point. We had to fix the bumper, which was done by creating a steel bracket and attaching it to where my ropes were... I am glad mom had a gardening shovel that she um... "didn't need" slash won't miss... but yeah, that was our steel bracket and now the bumper is fixed.

After that I just needed to get the process which is to go to a registry to get the car in the system and then take it to a mechanic. The weather is improving, so if I am lucky I will get it to the mechanic, fixed, and then test driven and sold all before the weather gets worse again. It is... possible. I have one person who is interested in buying Jerusalem, let's hope that the car is what she is looking for... and let's hope that it doesn't snow... again...

TGTH: The Distance

Just to wrap this off for now, for those of you who are wondering how far we traveled on The Grande Trip Home here are the results:

In Jerusalem: 10,478 Kilometres

In the Jeepaloskaphy: 3,253 Kilometres

Total: 13,731 Kilometres

Yayayayayayayaya!!!

Um... Job Hunting?

So, I am not really really looking for a job yet. I mean, I am starting to, and I have looked at some leads, but I am not knocking on every office building begging for work. I am more worried about my Iaido Grading coming up in two weeks. Sure, I did went through the whole thing in May, but... I did not pass then and I feel like I have a lot to work on. I can do it, but I have much to do before the test. I have been training almost everyday and will continue to do so, I only hope that I can master what I have been taught enough to meet the expectations of the judges. We will see.

If I do not make it again, I will just try again in May, and my trip in two weeks will just be yet another excellent trip for training in an art where there is no such thing as perfection.

Anyways, I am going to go and work on other things for now...

TGTH!

Don't forget, I might not have time to put the photos of the trip in the blog posts, but they are updated regularly and can be found um... HERE!!!

Remembrance Day

Once again we headed out to British Columbia to have our own private Remembrance Day ceremony.

It was not my best playing of the Last Post, but we did what we came her to do.

We Remembered.

To all those who fought for us, and for all who do. We will not forget.

The Last Post

Reprieve

TGTH: Day 39 (November 7th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 0/11,798+

Route: Innisfree, AB to Calgary, AB

The last day. We were up and packed and ready to go. We enjoyed an extra hour of sleep with ye daylight savings time and then headed into Innisfree. At the Cafe, MBHD (My Batter Half’s Dad) cooked us a great breakfast of bacon and eggs, and then after our good-byes, we were on the road.

I have done a lot of driving on this drip. A lot. This was the last of it. The highways were clear, so we were able to just relax and drive. It was quieter than usual as MBH (My Better Half) was in her car while I was in the Jeep, but it was a good way to wind down such an incredible adventure.

We have had some hiccoughs during this trip, and what would a last day be without a hiccough? We were nearly home, driving on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway when the Jeep decided to hiccough. I tried to use the accelerator, but instead of giving the engine more oomph and bringing me forwards the engine quieted down and my RPMS fell. Great. I could still drive at speed, but my acceleration was gone.

When we reached Calgary we were in the special situation where I had to turn on my hazard lights going up hills because the Jeep could not get to the speed limit. Funny... all the power under the hood that I could ever want, but I could not use it. We did manage to get the Jeep home, but I was not impressed.

I will elaborate on this saga a bit. I took the Jeep in to the dealership. Most guesses of family and friends were on fuel filter, and my guess was bad gas, but it seems that we were all wrong. Instead the Jeep needed an electrical overhaul resulting in $750 of “essential” repairs. Yeah... having spent all of my money on this Grande Adventure this was a big hit. I got the Jeep repaired and we were good to go.

Anyways, we were supposed to take the Jeep to BC for Remembrance Day, but when we were packing MBH noticed something important. Turns out that the entire time we have been driving the Jeep the registration has been expired. Oops... so... we did not take it out to BC for Remembrance Day... yeah... oops...

Back to the plot. We made it to Calgary. We made it home.

After 39 Days on the road we made it from Saint John, New Brunswick to Calgary, Alberta.

Wow.

Ladies and Gentlemen, that was The Grande Trip Home.

TGTH: Day 38 (November 6th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 438/11,978+

Route: Innisfree, AB

Toast. Mmm. Nuff said.

So, MBHD (My Better Half’s Dad) had the morning off work so MBH (My Better Half), He, and I, toured around. We went to the stables where MBHD’s horses get trained to become race horses. I have been to Spruce Meadows many times, and they have huge stables, but this place was very impressive. There are 80+ horses there and they mostly belong to one person. Some horses are trained there with other owners, but that is beside the point. What I am trying to say is there they have a huge operation there and it was very interesting to see. We got to see the young horses getting ridden by a man who would take them from being halter broken to being rideable. This was interesting because we were speaking with him and he was just going about his work without a thought. This meant that while we were speaking with him he was in a stall putting a saddle on a horse that did not want a saddle, and walking in circles around him. This horse was not keen on this whole process and it was probably pretty dangerous but Bobby didn’t even notice.

We said hello to one of MBHD’s horses and then headed back to the farm.

We finished the Sculptress which was... creepy. She gets off from the murder, but it is one of those movies where you don’t know if she did it or not. Maybe she was wrongly jailed and is now justly freed, or maybe she just beat the system and is on the loose again.

Now, some point during the day I had the brilliant idea of taking photos of horses so that I could get a silhouette of the horses with the setting sun behind them. This resulted in me hopping over the fence and crawling up to the horses. The dog, Minto, was covering my back as I crawled closer to get the perfect shot. I did get some pretty good shots and I did not get trampled. My flaw in all this was that the youngest horse, Irving, was a bit curious, and instead of posing for my photos she walked over me to see what I was doing. I did get some photos, but when she came over I found that it was more interesting to try and pet her than to take photos. It took some doing. She was very cautious and did not want me to pet her, but after a few minutes she let me pet her. Again, pretty boring if you live on a farm but if you don’t... totally awesome.

We headed over to MBH’s friend’s house where there are two tiny dogs and a kitten (that MBH saved a while back). We went inside and chilled. The three ladies sat on the couch coddling the dogs while I sat on the floor and played with the kitten. The moral of the story is that kitten’s have very very sharp claws, and that it is always good to have a band-aid around. Sure, I might have been bleeding, but it was certainly fun. I had been taught by my mom as to how to play with cats, and using those tricks we had a good time.

Since we didn’t really have much to do we sat and watched the Breeder’s Cup Classic. I don’t know how many of you have been following this buy this race had special significance. The greatest racehorse of all time, Zenyata, would be running her 20^th race. She has won all of her other 19 races. This makes her better than Secretariat and Sea Biscuit. Anyways, this race brought her out of retirement and would leave her in retirement. It was wild. When the race started she was dead last. She was far far behind the group. It was tragic to watch, the horses were running and running, and the crowd favourite, Zentaya was at the back. It was kind of like watching everyone’s heart breaking. But, then, suddenly the jockey saw an opening. He pushed Zentata forwards and she broke into her famous sprint that has made her so incredible. From being far behind the crowd she burst forwards and passed horse after horse. She was gaining on the leader, but running out of track. This was where everyone’s heart broke. The excitement of watching Zentata burst through the crowd gave everyone high hopes that were shattered when Zenyata lost the race... by a nose. Just a few inches and that was all. Her perfect record broke as she entered retirement forever. I don’t think that second is that bad, but I guess when you are on the cusp of history like that, maybe it is. Still... Zenyata is happy.

We had an amazing supper cooked by MBH’s friend’s boyfriend and then sat outside to enjoy the night with a big friken bonfire.

Back at the farm we watched The Lightning Theif and then retired...

TGTH: Day 37 (November 5th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 438/11,978+

Route: Innisfree, AB

So, we kind of did a loop. This was really evident when we go from the flat nothingness of Saskatchewan and the Prairies to the rugged peaks of the Rockies to the flat nothingness of Alberta and the Prairies. Yep... loop... Oh well, it’s a vacation!

I got a quick tour of the MBH (My Better Half’s) farm and then we headed to Vegreville to run some errands. We had to deal with some vehicle registration stuff, and as always it was a big big pain in the... butt. Still, it did not take that long, and on the way back we got to see the World’s Largest Ukrainian Easter Egg. Yep... that was... special...

We got back and had brunch waiting for us (My Better Half’s Dad) made us some eggs and bacon and pancakes which we enjoyed with Gilles and Francine’s Maple Syrup. That was the first time that we got to really try the syrup that we brought home. It was delicious. I do love maple syrup. It is funny that for years and years I would not eat anything other than “fake” maple syrup, but now, real is where it is at.

Being on a farm with horses, it made some sense that we should ride one. So, MBHD told us that they had a very calm and very well mannered horse that the two of us could ride. This horse’s name was Chubby. It took a few minutes to get him away from the others and bridled up, but in no time we were hopping on. MBH was sitting on the front and I was sitting on the rear. We had no saddle, but it should not have mattered too much since we were not going far. We rode at a walking pace down the road, and then back. Chubby wanted to come back. We really had not gone far, but when we were closer to the house he began to buck. MBH says he wanted to gallop but she wouldn’t let him. The result was me getting thrown forwards into her, her getting thrown backwards into me, and the two of us almost toppling off of the horse. MBHD came running out of the house ready to help when Chubby calmed down. He calmed down when MBH fell forwards and was hanging on his neck. The two of them were staring eye to eye... yep, that was an adventure. MBH hopped off and I stayed on for a bit as we walked along.

We did not get to ride long, but I don’t think that Chubby really wanted to take us around. Still, it was fun.

We headed into Innisfree (the town) and I got the grande tour. That took like... 7 minutes. It may not have been a long tour, after all Innisfree is pretty small, but it was great to see MBH’s hometown.

Back at the house we did the chores of feeding the baby horses, which really is not a chore if you are not from a farm. It was pretty fun... way more fun than my chores of taking out the garbage or recycling or whatevs.

MBHB (My Better Half’s Brother) decided that we wanted to take us out for supper (which was very generous of him). We went back into Vegreville and headed to Boston Pizza. There I had pizza... yeah yeah, sounds self explanatory, but I was the only one who had pizza. Apparently people don’t have pizza at pizza places anymore.

Back at the house we were just sitting watching TV, which happened to be The Apprentice. It was probably the best Apprentice episode I have ever seen. I used to watch The Apprentice with my big sister, and I think she would have appreciated the humour in this. The Project Manager of one team had a huge man crush on one of their models, and of course this led to a conversation about if the Project Manager was gay (not that there is anything wrong with that) or not. This would have been fine privately, but this conversation was in the Boardroom in front of millions of viewers. He was not gay, but he sure looked embarrassed when this all went down.

After that we began to watch a movie called The Sculptress. It was about a woman who was convicted of a murder that she may or may not have committed. I say we started to watch the movie because it was hella long, and in two parts. When the first part was over, we went to bed... in a bed... again...

Yay...

TGTH: Day 36 (November 4th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 438/11,978+

Route: Kamloops, BC to Innisfree, AB

Our time in Kamloops had ended. Before we knew it we were on the road with A&W breakfast sandwiches in our hands. We drove north towards Jasper. For the first while it was that same Wild West hilly terrain that surrounds Kamloops, but after that it turned into the rugged Rockies that I know and love. We climbed and climbed and climbed and found ourselves in the midst of snow capped mountains.

In the mountains we took a quick break. There was a Terry Fox Peak, and since we had already seen so much of Terry Fox we thought we should stop. There was a river running through the valley of the peak but it was too far down to get to. Instead we stood, marvelled at the peaks, ogled the largest crow ever, and then continued on our way.

When we made it to Jasper we were delayed by a pack of Bighorn Sheep. They were sitting on the highway, just like they do in Radium. I snapped a photo as we went passed and then we continued. Onward through Alberta, through Edmonton, and then... to Innisfree.

MBHD (My Better Half’s Dad) and MBHB (My Better Half’s Brother) were waiting for us, and when we arrived we had pork chops and mashed potatoes. It was nice to have a basic supper that fits in well with the staples of what I eat. Meat and potatoes. Mmmmm...

Afterwards we mingled some then retired to the bedroom to watch Castle and then sleep... in a bed... Yay bed...

TGTH: Day 35 (November 3rd, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 1,384/11,978+

Route: Kamloops, BC

We slept pretty well, but we were not alone. Sometime in the middle of the night Tika wanted to sleep with us. She is very well mannered so she did not just jump in, but instead waited at our feet. I am a nervous sleeper so I woke up when she neared and gave her the permission she wanted to sleep with us. First she slept at my feet, and then she slept between us, cuddling with me. Later she moved to just by our heads. At 4:00 am when MBHM (My Better Half’s Mom) came down for tea could not find Tika and managed to wake everyone up... good thing we had nothing to do and could sleep in a little longer.

MBHM headed to school again about when we got up. She drove out the driveway and ran into a little trouble. The neighbour was moving some cows and had a rope across the road. Not seeing the road and driving quickly MBHM drove into the rope which slid up the windshield, breaking both the wipers and cracking the glass. Not a good way to start the day.

We had a better start. We got up, packed some water and snacks, and headed to the hills. Kamloops is in the middle of the mountains, but the immediate vicinity is just really big hills. I wanted to climb one, so we did. We ran into the neighbour and he said we could just walk straight up to head to the top, so... we did.

The hike took a surprisingly long time and was quite tough but we did make it. Our greatest difficulty was when we came across the brutal little cacti all over the place. Kamloops is in that dry interior of BC and it is definitely Wild West area. The land is dry and barren and all there is is little grasses and evidently very sharp cacti. I did touch one to see how sharp they were... they are very very sharp... We had some other issues with the cacti as well. If one stood on one it would detach from the main plant and stick to your shoe. Then, when you continued walking it would detach from your shoe as it imbedded itself in your leg! This was not good. We had to remove cacti from legs twice and from shoes thrice. MBH (My Better Half) still has some thorns stuck in her shoe that we could not remove...

Still. The hike was beautiful. We headed up the barren hill and dodge sparse trees. Up and up and up. The view got better and better, the trees remained sparse, and eventually we made it to the highest point on the hill. It was a smooth round hill, but a big one. We sat on the top looking down at Kamloops and we enjoyed some discount Halloween candy and Gatorade.

When we were rested and bored of the glorious nothingness of the summit we headed back down. This proved to be far more treacherous with MBH twisting and ankle, and our downward path taking us through more cacti than before. What a walk. We were lucky that we did not take the dogs with us because, those cacti would have been killer.

We had a little time to rest before MBHM came home. When she did we returned to the river. This time we just took Tika and went for a loooonnnnggg walk on the sand. I was running around with Tika, again enjoying my shoes, when out on the sand I found some interesting things. There were bits of steel sitting rusted and abandoned, there was a tire, and there was one more thing... a door handle. All in all, I think that 50 years ago someone ditched a car in the river and left it there and over time the car has broken up and been deposited along the river. It was interesting to see.

Back at the house we had lamb tacos and watched Children of Men... and Survivor...

Another good day, like they all are...

TGTH: Day 34 (November 2nd, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 1,384/11,978+

Route: Kamloops, BC

We have had pretty crumby weather for most of this trip so it was a relief when we woke up to find it clear. We were able to go for a walk with MBH (My Better Half) and MBHM (My Better Half’s Mom)... oh yeah, and the dog, Tika. MBHM lives on a small farm where there are a few animals and some fields that we could walk through. The ground was frosty but the air was warm enough. We walked by some testy Llamas and then a field of Cows. The neighbour’s dog Louie also came for the trip.

After a meal we took a quick tour through Kamloops on the way to a Superstore. We got gas (after nearly not making it to Superstore for gas...), and then headed back to the house. There was a minor detour to 7-11 for a Slurpee, and oh was it a worthwhile detour! Back at the house we were just a chillin’ when the neighbour (and landlord) came over. We had not been there long but evidently we had already consumed the daily download limit for their satellite internet... this meant that there would be no internet for 24 hours. He was not concerned, since it could have been his kids, but knowing us... it was probably us... oops!

The little farm is sitting on North Thompson River and since we enjoy hiking and exploring it seemed natural that we should climb down the embankment to the river. The dogs came with us (Tika and Louie) as we made it down the steep bluffs and to the sandy shore of the river. It is low season for rivers so the river only filled up a small part of the gully, what filled the rest was a soft smooth sand, like that you would expect to find on the shores of Mexico, or the dunes of the Sahara. It was something interesting to see. The dogs enjoyed the walk and enjoyed the water. Louie was a bit aggressive so I took him with me as we ran down the beach. This was fun, and I was enjoying my new Vibram Five-Finger shoes, but this really highlighted how out of shape I am and how in shape Louie is. It was nuts.

We walked a long way on the sand, which was surprising because you really would expect water on the riverbed, but nope, mostly sand. It was a great walk. After a while we were all tired so we headed back. I ran the dogs back to try and tire them out, but I think that it just tired me out and that they really have too much energy. MBH caught up to me and we went back to the house.

MBHM returned from University and we headed out to Milestones for supper. It was good, very good, but the HST certainly made it a more costly good. This whole trip I have been able to see the crazy differences in tax across the country. More or less it is like this. Everywhere in Canada has outrageous tax except for Alberta, so... don’t buy anything if you have the choice of buying it in Alberta because it costs a fortune!

It was another relaxed night, and when we returned home, the sleeping bags called to us.

TGTH: Day 33 (November 1st, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 1,384/11,978+

Route: White Rock, BC to Kamloops, BC

This trip has been a huge rush. It has always been go go go so it was nice to take a break. We got up, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with the folks at Granddad’s residence. There were a few things that we wanted to do, but there was no hurry, and like the best vacations there was no certainty or need to push it.

Granddad had a slide show that he wanted to use for a Remembrance Day ceremony but did not know how to convert it to a useable format. With a little Google and a blank DVD I was able to convert the slide show to a movie that Granddad could use. We tested it out and it was perfect... I hope that it worked properly on the actual day.

Still at home, we helped Granddad to upload his photos to his computer from his camera. There we got to see some lovely shots of my extended family. We do not all get together very often so it was great to see them all. They really have grown over the years, although... I guess that I probably have too. But... it is hard to see me so who knows!

White Rock sits very very close to the Canada-United States border. So close that while you are in half the town you can actually look across the water and see the United States. Granddad tells the story like this... if you look at a map you will see a black line separating Canada from the United States. This black line is actually Avenue 0 and happens to rest on the Canadian side of the border. It runs along the border letting you see both Canada and the US. We drove to Avenue 0. It was strange to be in Canada and to see, just a few feet away, Americans living their lives. There was no great wall, or trench, or minefield between the two countries... just some survey pegs and a little stretch of grass. There may have been no physical barrier, but if you cross that invisible one it is not long before some well-build gentlemen with big guns and bad attitudes approach you for a few “simple” questions... It is an interesting thing to see, but I definitely did not venture to the other side...

We drove around for the rest of the day and just spent more time with Granddad. It is always a pleasure to be there and though we do not get to see each other often, we always have a great time. That evening Granddad was heading out to a concert with his Step-Daughter so we headed out to a restaurant with a friend of my better half. Supper was good. We ate at a local restaurant on the shore and the company was also good. The friend was from a small town in Alberta (much like my travelling companion) and was now going to school in Vancouver. I had not gotten a chance to meet many of my better half’s friends so this was a great opportunity.

After supper we took a few minutes to walk down White Rock’s well lit pier. It was dark now, but the town had beautiful lights making their way up the hill. It was a lovely sight and not one that I will forget any time soon.

Saying good-bye to the friend and to White Rock we hopped in the Jeep and headed for Kamloops. There was rain leaving White Rock and then Vancouver but once we reached the Coquihalla Highway it was clear. I think that some people find the Coquihalla boring, but the way down I thought it was beautiful and incredible to see the highway twisting through the mountains. This time it was beautiful to see the lights. There were headlights and taillights stretched through the distance making the highway look like a stretched out snake of fire. Because you can see so far, this snake stretched far into the distance, slithering over a long horizon.

Under a starry sky we drove from Vancouver to Kamloops where we went to my better half’s Mom’s house. It was dark, and we drove passed it once, but it was not that that hard to find. We found it. We were invited in and welcomed in. It was lateish, so we did not mingle too much, instead we lay down our sleeping bags and went to sleep...

TGTH: Day 32 (October 31st, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 1,719/11,978+

Route: White Rock, BC to Victoria, BC to White Rock, BC

We ate with the seniors and enjoyed a prepared meal. I could get used to that life, it is pretty relaxing. We quickly visited Helen (Granddad’s wife), who it was great to see, and then started our day. Granddad had to give a small sermon and we got ready. By the time he was back we were ready to go. We did a quick tour of White Rock, including visiting Sherry (Helen’s daughter) and then headed back, hopped into the Jeep, and drove towards the Tsawassen Ferry Terminal. We were going to Victoria and Mile “0” of the Trans Canada Highway.

We had reserved a ticket so we got to get on the ferry first. The ferry was a bit different than the big ones on the East Coast. These ones were coastal ferries and were not meant for the big storms, but... they were brand new and gorgeous. We headed up to the buffet and settled in for lunch. Granddad treated us as we went in, sat at the very very tip of the bow and enjoyed a great meal. This is Vancouver’s rainy season, but we were very lucky. The weather was clear all day. As we sat we could watch the ship as it navigated its way through the islands and towards Victoria. It was a great crossing. It was clear. The view was spectacular. We had excellent food. And we could not have asked for better company.

It was a fast crossing. It took an hour and a half, but as we chatted and munched on lunch and snacks the time just flew by. In what seemed like moments it was time to go back to the Jeep and disembark.

We were one of the first vehicles off of the ferry and on our way towards Victoria. Granddad had been there before, not in a while, but he flawlessly navigated and brought us to where we needed to go. We made it to a large park inside Victoria with a name that I think I should remember. We were out of the car and walking towards Mile “0.” We knew we were going the right way because Granddad asked a police officer which way to go (which I thought was very brave).

Mile “0”

The End.

Uh... not the end of the story, but the end of the trip. Um... not the trip trip, but the end of the Cross Canada part of the trip. As we stood at Mile “0” that marked the end of Canada. We had gone all the way from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia. There was another statue of Terry Fox, representing him reaching the end he never reached, and there was a plaque devoted to Steven Fonyo, who completed Terry’s run.

We hiked down to the waterfront, and put our hands in the Pacific Ocean. From coast to coast...

Wow, what an emotional moment. I took a second to appreciate the gravity of my actions and of our crossing and then was distracted by the biggest piece of seaweed that I had ever seen. I proceeded to pick it up and swing it around like a whip. Yep, I am that mature. Just wait until I get the movies posted... then you will understand the awesomeness of this seaweed.

Back on the cliffs we all headed back to the Jeep. We took some time to tour around Victoria. Granddad showed us the downtown, and the parliament, and the harbourfront, and a huge hotel, and then the fisherman’s warf. He had not been there, but he saw it and told us to pull in. There was a good place to park so we got out and decided to walk around a bit. Evidently the fishermen pull in there and you can buy fish directly from the boats. There are also a number of floating houses that are tied up to the docks. Given my sea sickness problems I thought that I had better not purchase one of these homes, but there were many for sale. Actually... I can think of a number of things that could go wrong with a floating home, namely, it sinking, or it becoming unmoored and you waking up in the middle of the ocean...

Wandering around we saw some people grouped together in front of a small store. There was a seal floating in the water just in front of the stall. Evidently, the seal had found the perfect spot to hang out. The store offered sardines for a dollar each or six for five dollars. People were buying the bait fishes and feeding them to the seal who would gently pull them from the people’s hands. The sea gulls were also keenly watching this and tried to go for the fish, someone had to stand dutifully on guard to squirt the gulls with a water gun to keep them away.

Granddad bought us some fish and we proceeded to try this out. This might well be the highlight of the trip. I have never fed a seal. I have seen lots at a distance, but to watch him up close and to feed him was incredible. I took an exceptional video that will likely capture this moment better than these words, but wow. I fed the seal twice, Granddad once, and my better half three times. Six fish. Five dollars. Experience... Priceless...

We watched some other people for a bit. There was another seal under the dock that one guy fed, and that same guy, trying to feed the seal we fed ran into some trouble. He was alone and did not have someone covering him with the water gun. As he bent down to feed the seal a seagull dove in and grabbed the fish from his hand. The seal never got the fish...

After wandering around by the floating houses and admiring their Halloween decorations we headed back to the Jeep and drove to the ferry. We saw people dressed up around Victoria and Vancouver as we drove back. On the ferry we got a snack and then just rested. It was a very busy day. When we got back to Granddad’s house we spoke for a while and then passed out on the floor... again...

TGTH: Day 31 (October 30th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 1,719/11,978+

Route: Calgary, AB to White Rock, BC

Another day of driving. Don’t get me wrong, I love driving, and I love seeing all that I get to see, but when you are a blogger driving days are like... uh... so what should I say? I guess the trick is taking all that you see and turning it into words, because if you just wrote of what you did my blog would look like this:

Driving.

So, what did I see? The familiar road from home to Castle Junction on the TCH, and then onwards towards Golden. Through heaps of construction and clear roads as we went farther and farther into the mountains (did I use that one right Granddad?). We continued on to Golden (Home of Loggers and Lesbians I’m told...) and then further into the realm of the Rockies that I am less familiar with. Revelstoke. Sicamous. Salmon Arm...or was that Salmon Arm and then Sicamous... either way... lots of places with lots to see.

It was a good thing that we got the Jeep because the roads were... clear... ... ... uh... Well, I suppose that if we had brought Jerusalem there would be a huge blizzard and we would have been stuck, but since we had the Jeep the roads were clear... too bad the Jeep costs so much more to drive, but oh the luxury of heated seats!!!

Where was I? Oh yes, the roads were clear. They were, pretty much the whole way. Even in Rogers Pass the roads were clear. There was a great deal of snow up the mountains, but our road was clear. This was nice, and low stress, and great for driving. It let me focus on everything around me and not just the tires and the road.

We saw many trains as we passed through the Rockies. The tracks run beside the highway for a great deal of the trip and we saw the great freight trains hauling goods from the sea into the heart of Canada. This really helped me to understand how big the Canadian Pacific Railway really is. All across the country we have seen their trucks, their crews, and their trains criss-crossing the nation. They have an enormous amount of staff, and an even more enormous amount of track. Maybe one day NBSR will be that big... one day...

Up the Rockies was the dry boreal forest that I am used to, and then we got far enough in that things changed. For a time it was wet and lush and then at Kamloops it was that same dry forest I know and love. Then on the Coquihala we crossed the peaks of mountains as we snaked our way through to the coast. The highway was amazing. We could see cars in front on twisty roads, and behind. They stretched on as far as the mountains and eye could see.

We went from the dry at Kamloops to the wet of the coast. We skirted around the hordes of cities around Vancouver and to White Rock. The GPS took us to the door of Granddad’s house where we gave him a ring. Just a few seconds later and he was with us taking us into the parkade and then with us on our way to White Rock’s ocean front. We headed to Moby Dick for some fish and chips and enjoyed the fish from the Pacific Ocean... the Pacific... wow...

The seniors in Granddad’s home were having a party. They were all dressing up and having a dance... after supper we were too tired to join them. We passed out on Granddad’s floor while the seniors had a ball...

TGTH: Day 30 (October 29th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 2,656/11,978

Route: Calgary

We were initially going to head to White Rock right away, but my Father was having a rather large retirement party where he was inviting his co-workers so we thought that we could stay in town for the day to help out. Mostly it was a day of running errands.

We had to drop off a shipment of homemade beer from C-Dubs to Chris Sensei and get a gift certificate to drop off downtown for my sister and see if we could get the car fixed and etc. The first two parts went off without a hitch, but getting Jerusalem’s bumper fixed was a bit harder. We tried to go to Sam... he is a guy who fixes cars for cheap. It is not as good as a dealer fix, but it costs much less than a dealer fix. Well, with the construction the road to his house was... uh... missing. It took quite a while to find it and when we did he did not seem to be home. There were some guys in his garage who said they would call me back to see if they could do the work... but they never did. I will call on them when I return.

We headed downtown to drop of the gift certificate and were awed by Calgary’s growth. Bow Trail has been ripped apart and the new C-Train line is rushing up it. There is construction all over as the tracks and stations are being put in seeming everywhere... Calgary’s downtown core is now an immense stack of buildings with the “Bow” now stretching higher than any others. It is an incredible engineering feat, and it is beautiful.

We dropped off the certificate, grabbed some stuff from Safeway on the way home and were ready to help.

The helping took the rest of the day. There was cleaning. There was vacuuming. And then... there was cooking. Dad was hosing the party, but it was a party for him so I was happy to help (and so was my better half). I threw on an apron once we got going and took over the cooking. He did much of the prep, but he got to mingle while I took over cooking the meat, the casserole (ok ok ok heating the casserole), and many of the hor d’ouvres. I was getting drinks for people, sautéing shrimp, and heating up other prepared appys while my better half was delivering them to the guests. It all worked out great... Dad and his good friend Dana did the prep and we took over a good chunk of the execution.

The food was great and I think that everyone enjoyed themselves. As people finished eating we retrieved dishes and started to clean up. It was a wonderful meal of tons of appetizers, then roast beef and beans and casserole and salad and broccoli salad and buns, and then a plethora of desserts. It was incredible.

Dad’s boss gave a speech, then Dad did, and then Dad was presented with a fantastic bottle of wine and a beautiful piece of art for Bella Vista. Overall it was a great night and I think that our helping out made it all the better.

Happy Retirement Dad!

TGTH: Day 29 (October 28th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 2,656/11,978+

Route: Saskatoon, SK to Calgary AB

We were a bit terrified about the roads to Calgary; after all our past few days had been a little rough. We got up and had some fantastic Reese Puffs with Colly-Wally and then headed out. It was a pretty long drive to Calgary, and we did not know how the weather would be. Saskatchewan and Manitoba were covered in ice; it could have been the same. We took dry roads out of Saskatoon and made it onto a dry highway. Dry. Clear. Perfect.

There was nothing wrong with the roads. I mean, they were long and straight, and to some people boring, but there was nothing wrong them. They were perfect for covering a large distance in a very short time. Jerusalem had not been shaken by the storm and the ditch, and being back on firm ground we rocketed across the frozen prairie.

I do not know how many of you have driven across Saskatchewan but wow... it is like the most flattest and most straightest highway that you ever did see. It was like... flat... flat... flat... badlands!!!... flat... flat... flat...

The badlands are so hardcore. We were on the prairies driving flat for at least a zillion miles when you suddenly see the ground open up and the road dive downwards. We were down in a canyon, over the Red Deer River, and back up. I looked hard for dinosaur bones but could not see any. As we drove out of the canyons I was filled with memories of going to the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller with my Granddad and cousins. I will have to go back someday soon...

Back to the flatness of the prairies.

The nothingness of the road and landscape gave it a stark beauty. It also made it impossible to gauge time or space, so before we knew it we could see Calgary on the horizon. It really is becoming a big city! We came in on the Queen Elizabeth II highway and turned off on the new Ring Road. In record time from the airportish area we were home and on the driveway.

Home.

Wow.

Don’t stop reading here. Remember we just decided to pass through Calgary so that we could get the Jeep so that it would make crossing the Rockies a little safer.

We were home for just a few minutes when my Father showed up, coming in from BC. It was a quick and chaotic afternoon of trying to unpack what we could from Jerusalem while keeping track of what we needed to pack up in the Jeep. We unpacked some souvenirs so that people could see, and tried to keep the house as tidy as possible.

A bit later my entire family came over for a big “Welcome Back Almost” supper. We did the supper now because once we actually finish the trip in Calgary everyone will be on vacation in Mexico and the “Welcome Back” party would be a big bust... so... the “Welcome Back Almost” party was great, and we got to see the family, and... yeah... great...

It was great. But it was also tiring. Everyone headed home, and after a very close Foosball game with my Brother-in-Law we headed to bed...

TGTH: Day 28 (October 27th, 2010)

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Kilometres Remaining: 3,272/11,978+

Route: Davidson, SK to Saskatoon, SK

We got up and needed some food before we hit the road. We had gone to a diner the night before and there was also a Subway nearby. We were out of the room and heading out of the motel. The ferocity of the storm truly hit us as we came to the door of the motel and saw that it had been blown open by the wind. A great drift of snow had pushed itself inside and was resting warmly on the carpet of the motel.

Passed the drift we made it to the diner, which was not yet open. There were two people at the door of the diner trying to get in. Evidently, the storm had frozen the door shut and they could not get in. Uh... we decided that it was best to get some food a Subway.

We grabbed some food and then sat by the window for a while. There were more people coming from the motel to the Subway and we listened to their horror stories. They spoke of going off the road. They spoke off the wind. They spoke of the snow and ice. They spoke of how the motel that we had stayed in was full and that people had been turned away (which we knew from seeing a “No Vacancy” sign by the indoor snow drift). They also told us of how the roads were not better, they were still atrocious. We had also heard that from the Subway staff... great...

Finishing our food, we decided to move on even though some of the people in the Subway were debating taking a bus and leaving their cars. We walked back into the motel, where the owner was trying to dig the drift from inside the door, and got our gear. In just a few moments we were on the road.

Visibility was better, but all it really served us in doing was making the drive even scarier because we could see the thick layer of blue ice sitting on the road. Our drive for that first bit, and by bit I mean 50 km, was like walking on a skating rink with old loafers. We were sliding all over. Eventually the road improved (when we changed counties we have been told) and we made it peacefully to Saskatoon.

I have a good friend, Colly-Wally in Saskatoon and he left his key for us. We headed to his place, got in, and rested. We needed it. It did not take long to get to Saskatoon from Davidson, but it took years off of my life. All we did was chill, and get slurpees, and chill. My better half was to head out with friends and I was to chill some more. We blogged and did photos, and when C-Dubs came home I chilled with him.

C-Dubs had a mid-term so he headed out and my better half headed out. I sat in peace with my Sweet Chilli Heat Chips and watched The Legend of the Seeker (which is spectacular by the way (made by the directors of Xena and Hercules!!!)).

Everyone came home and we chilled out some more. C-Dubs and I enjoyed some fine Cuban Cigars and caught up on each others’ lives. Then, we all hit the sack...