Maximum Overdrive

  Hey! Three days and 2,900 km later, here we are in beautiful Montgomery, MN. A lot of driving? Ubetcha. But what a drive. Saturday we drove through southern Alberta then the length of Montana and into Idaho. Sunday we headed up into Yellowstone National Park and east to Rapid City, SD and Monday we drove to our new home for the next two and a half weeks. If you want to know how all that went, read on! If not, I'm sure there's poker on TV or you can sit by the front window to watch the guy who takes out his garbage wearing only his boxers. Your choice.

  Our first stop after leaving Calgary was a little town named Vulcan. Yes, like where Mr. Spock comes from. Just to prove it, please note the following exhibits:

  The street signs all have little Star Fleet emblems on them so it looks like the town has embraced this whole thing and not just a bunch of Trekkies with time on their hands.

  At the Alberta Welcome Centre, just north of the US border, we encountered some stones that spread some wisdom particularly applicable to my writings. Here's one I'll share with you today:

  Once again we crossed the border, this time into Montana, and the first thing we noticed was the speed limit, 80 mph (130 kph for those not in the US or UK). Since the north of Montana is largely flat with no people anywhere a 140 kph drive was welcome. Of course, with a state population only a little north of one million there's not a lot of people anywhere. The same can be said for Idaho and Wyoming so fast driving was on the menu for the foreseeable future.

  Did I mention there's no one around? No one. Maybe some militia idiots as Montana is known for that but, largely, no one. If you want to be alone like Greta Garbo, this is the place. As we searched for signs of intelligent life we meandered south into Idaho where we started looking for Atlas Obscura thingies. We finally found something noteworthy in a little one-horse town called Dubois.

  Now Penny, who assumes French words are pronounced with the appropriate French accent calls this place "Dubois", like Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. I, on the other hand, know Americans pronounce French words like they're English. Therefore, I'm betting "Dubois" is pronounced "Doo-boys" by the locals. See also, Boise, ID (boyzee), Pierre, SD (peer) and Beaufort, SC (byufurt). To be fair, there are many examples where they pronounce them almost correctly, but I like to pick on them and it's my blog. So there. If anyone knows for sure how the locals pronounce Dubois please pass it along.

  Now back to what we found in Dubois:

  It's an old beacon used for transcontinental air mail service, established in the 1920's. They were used along with a series of bright yellow concrete arrows every few miles to point the way for nighttime air mail flights. Remember the concrete surveillance satellite aiming target in Arizona? If you don't then consider that today's homework. Find it in the Scenic and Scary Episode. By the way, they grow a lot of potatoes in Idaho. Perhaps you've heard.

  After a brief night's sleep we headed into Yellowstone early the next morning hoping to be early enough to miss the crowds.

  Well, we were early but I think we'd have to arrive in May to miss the crowds. Just the same, our quick park overview managed to capture many of the highlights and avoid much of the congestion. Except for the stupid woman with the little dog. But, before I get to her in this chronology, take a gander at Prismatic Spring:

  It's important to note the temperature of the water you see is around the boiling point. No touchie. Of course, there are a TON of stupid people at Yellowstone so I'm sure the burn unit has regular work. This is the busiest park in the system with millions of visitors annually. Just Google "stupid" and "Yellowstone" and you'll see what I mean. They actually sell t-shirts with "Look at the furry cows" with an image of a bison emblazoned on them.

  Speaking of stupid people, there we are at Prismatic Spring getting ready to pull out of our hard-earned parking spot when this woman walks over trailing a little dog on a leash. "Are you leaving?", she stupidly asks as I'm backing up. I told her I was so she promptly walks herself into the middle of the spot to "hold" it until her significant other can drive over to claim it. Trouble is, there's a lineup of cars looking for spots and the first one in line starts pulling in, only to be stopped by the idiot woman. We drove away, laughing, wishing we could have stayed to get it all on video.

  Back on the road, we stopped in at whatever spectacular sight we happened upon, like this:

  I mean, how often do you just happen upon a geyser? "Hey hon, I was coming back from the grocery store and I saw a geyser on Main Street! Oh, and I got the coffee you like and they didn't have any avocados." Like that. Anyway, we saw a lot of stuff but I won't bore you with all of it because some of it is "been there done that" for jaded travelers like us, right? So don't expect photos of elk or mountains or waterfalls or any of that shit because we did that already, remember? Again, homework. See ALL of the preceding episodes.

  Now, remember we are in Yellowstone so we had to stop to see the hallmark scene, Old Faithful. For those of you not familiar with this landmark, it's the largest and most reliable geyser in the world. Oh, and for those of you in South Africa, it's pronounced guy-zer, not gee-zer. A geezer is a decrepit old man (not me) and a geyser is a fountain of superheated water near a volcanic vent. As far as geysers in Yellowstone are concerned, they're everywhere along with bubbling vents and mud pots, etc. The park encompasses the caldera of a super volcano about 40 miles across. It last erupted 640,000 years ago and, if it decides to erupt again, wave bye-bye to most of western North America. Just sayin'.

  So there we are waiting for the scheduled geyser eruption at 11:33 (+/- 10 minutes we're told) and it starts raining. Back to the car for the umbrella and back to our seats to see this:

  It's a short sample because it's a pain to upload three minutes of video. Sorry. It's impressive. I mentioned rain, right? Well, while we were sitting in the rain watching the world's largest hot water tank explode it was hailing a few miles away. Yes. Hail. Lots of hail. When we drove down the road we drove through piles of it like slush after the snowplow has gone by. In case you're reading this in 2037, this took place in August. Brrr.

  It was getting colder (hail, remember) and we (well I) were dressed for warmer climes so not a lot of wandering took place after Old Faithful although we did manage a walk around some mud pots and saw the Artist Paint Pots:

  It's hard to capture but the muddy pool you see is bubbling with sulphur-laced water and the clearer vents contain water of different hues so it's quite spectacular.

  From there we motored out of the park along two lane roads up and down mountains all the way to Cody, WY. When I say "up and down" I mean "UP and DOWN". We painfully ascended to Granite Pass in the Bighorn Mountains at 9,000 feet above sea level only to descend to 4,000 feet within the next ten miles. Yes, our brakes are still good. My nerves? Maybe a bit frayed. They had some guardrails this time.

  Our day ended in Rapid City which has the distinction of having a decent hotel only a quarter-mile from a gas station and a Walmart. Why is this important, you might ask. First, another homework assignment. See the Food, Glorious Food episode re "Hatch chiles". In our search for Hatch green chiles outside of the US southwest I discovered Walmart carries them in all their stores west of the Mississippi. Since we'll be crossing said river here in Minnesota it was incumbent upon us to grab a supply of these little wonders before waving buh-bye to the west. So we strolled into the store, swept the cans from the shelf into our basket, and left. Yes, we paid for them. We're not assholes. And that's why Rapid City is so cool. I'm easily satisfied.

  Monday was the last day of our Long Drive to Minnesota. If you've not been out this way, South Dakota is not the most scenic place in the world. Think Iowa without Shoeless Joe. There's corn and soybeans... and corn and soybeans... and sorghum.. and Penny says there were sunflowers. I think the sunflowers were in Minnesota because I like that state better. You get the picture.

  Oh, and there's Wall Drug.

  All along I-90 for a hundred miles you'll see billboards advertising for Wall Drug. It's a thing. Anyone who's traveled this stretch of road knows about Wall Drug.

  Remember Uranus? If you don't, more homework. Read the On The Road - Day 3 episode. Wall Drug is somewhat similar to Uranus except a) it's not funny and b) there's actually a town called Wall. We skipped it since we saw it during our last visit to South Dakota twenty-five years ago.

  Did I mention South Dakota is BORING? It is. It's so boring I actually turned on the radio which has almost never happened on the entire trip. We sang along to some oldies for a couple of hours and carried on a conversation with the kids over Facebook Messenger which made it all enjoyable.

  Many hours later we rolled up to our temporary lodgings in rural Minnesota. On the way we passed through St. Peter, MN. As soon as I saw the sign I said, "I wonder if there are pearly gates here". There are. I love it when people don't take themselves seriously.

  When I said we were staying in Montgomery I didn't mean "in", but rather "near". We're in a rambling hundred year-old completely renovated house on twenty-two acres surrounded by farmland, woods and a small lake. Did I mention it's a beautiful spot? It is. Today is reserved for exploring and discovering so stay tuned for all that in the next episode. In the meantime, I remain, your Intrepid Traveler.

And Then We All Laughed

   Well faithful readers, we've had a few memorable days in Calgary and we've headed south once again today.

  When last we spoke we had just arrived and spent a wonderful evening catching up with Bryan and Sheila. That was Tuesday. Wednesday was a down day for me as my entire body was undecided whether or not it wanted to be awake. I chose "not" and managed an hour's nap before we headed out with our hosts to see Oppenheimer at the IMAX theatre. Yes, we'd seen it before but knew it was worth a second look.

  On our way we stopped at Major Tom which, apparently, is the "go to" bar in Calgary. It sits forty stories up in an office tower with a spectacular view of the city. It's worth noting that Penny and I met them there as they'd had an appointment at their bank regarding some sort of bureaucratic screw up. Unfortunately, when they arrived at the bank they discovered they were the only ones with an appointment as their bank manager decided he needed to be somewhere else. Not happy.

  Drinks arrived and were duly consumed and we wobbled off to the movie after offering estimates on how long it would take for said bank manager to re-schedule the appointment, with guesses ranging from the next morning to never. The movie, as expected, was great, even on second viewing.

  Now, before we go further, it's important to note that there is some kind of Uno thing going on here at the Urban Cabin (UC). When we returned from the theatre Sheila suggested a "quick game of Uno" which sounded like good fun... until Bryan pulled out the score book that they use for historical purposes. I guess a typical late night discussion around here goes something like:

B: "Remember that time I beat you by 500 points?"

S: "You never beat me by 500 points!"

B: (ruffling pages) "Here it is. November 7, 2020. I beat you by 502 points!"

S: (sound of slamming bedroom door and muffled screaming)

B: (sound of rummaging through cabinets looking for Scotch)

  Since Penny and I are completely non-competitive when it comes to card games... well, kind of non-competitive... well, we're crazy competitive but a book? I don't want to remember when Penny beat me at anything by 500 points. Or 10 points for that matter. Anyway, out came the book and we embarked on a quick game that was repeatedly extended until I was losing by 500 points and we stopped... at 1 A.M. Quick game my ass.

  Thursday was marked by two significant events. First, Sheila, Bryan and I trundled off to Costco to buy "a few things". Who were we fooling? No one goes there and spends less than $400... and neither did we. What was notable about this was how excited Sheila was, like she'd been let out of prison after thirty years and it was her first day back out in civilization. Two hours and a full shopping cart later we emerged into the late afternoon sunshine with our "few things".

  Back home at the UC we enjoyed a nice dinner and followed it up with another quick game of Uno and, before long, I'm sure I was losing by 500 points again. I'd have to check the book to make sure. What did surface during our game was a discussion about Bryan's Belly Button Lint collection. Go back and re-read that last sentence. Yep. That's what you thought I'd said.

  It turns out that Bryan, in an effort to ensure he leaves a legacy behind when his time is done, has amassed a sizable collection of BBL. We may be talking Atlas Obscura worthy in it's scope, who knows. What we do know is, it exists. There was some talk of Sheila having a sweater made from it, as well as he and I comparing the volume of BBL that we each generate. In this regard, it appears I'm once again 500 points behind. Not a good night for your intrepid journalist.

  Now, not wanting to be hard on my dear friend, I'll leave the rest of the discussion to your imagination. Suffice to say, this is an evening that will live on in our collective memories long past the time when we can no longer feed ourselves. By the way, the bank manager didn't call.

  Today was filled with more games. Shiri returned to visit before she leaves on an Alaskan cruise and we headed off to the local board game cafe where we engaged in a couple of hours of Codenames:

  One thing led to another and another game, Monikers, was purchased for tonight's entertainment. By the way, the bank manager finally called. Sheila. Asking for Bryan. Sheesh. The appointment is Monday. I did spend some time pointing out other banking institutions to which they could move their financial instruments. Just trying to help.

  Back at the UC we sat down to a game of Monikers. I'll cut to the chase and tell you the third round of this game is like Speed Charades, ie, how many weird phrases can you guess in sixty seconds! We laughed just a bit. I mean, well, I laughed so hard I almost wet my Depends. Here's an example:

  By the way, the answer was "Catherine The Great's Horse". And, I'll leave it there, until next time.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

  Before I get started let me first thank all of you who were concerned for our safety as we ventured forth into the smoke-filled interior of British Columbia. We, too, were concerned about whether we would actually get to Revelstoke because of the dire warnings I read about avoiding unnecessary travel through the wildfire zones. I had visions of being turned back and having to go south into the US in order to go east but we put that out of our minds and off we went.

  We encountered smoke in the south, around Chiliwack and Hope, then headed north on the Coquihalla Highway expecting Armageddon as we approached Kamloops. Well, nothing happened. No roadblocks. No horror. No smoke! Clear skies all the way. It was so nice we stopped in Kamloops and played nine holes of golf.  Yes, there were wildfires all around us but there was no evidence of them throughout the afternoon until we arrived in Revelstoke, where it was hazy throughout our stay.

  Along the road to Revy we found the site of The Last Spike, a monumental moment in the unification of the various regions of Canada in 1885:

  We arrived at Revelstoke and met Jim and Larry at Jim's house, where Larry lives when he's in town. They've been friends since Larry started spending his winters skiing there five years ago. Like us, he's doing the nomad thing with his belongings in storage and wandering around between ski seasons.

  Jim, retired like the rest of us, was on the local Search and Rescue team, being the guy hanging at the end of the rope dangling below the helicopter when they pull some poor unfortunate out of trouble at the bottom of a canyon. He's also a highly qualified ski instructor and he and Larry both ski some very challenging terrain around seventy days every season. I, on the other hand, have skied about seventy days if you add up everything I've done in the last forty years.

  Anyway, during the day we spent there Jim took us in his 4x4 and drove us up the local forestry roads into some outstandingly beautiful backcountry.

  And this one featuring our guide Jim, as the photographer, with Larry, Penny and I:

  We also took a walk down an art-filled alley in the middle of town... what a cool place.

  He and Larry also spent a fair amount of time selling me on skiing there next winter. Now, it's important to know that Revelstoke receives a TON of powder snow every year and I have never, in almost fifty years of skiing, managed to be able to ski in that stuff. I'm an eastern skier where powder is only an unsubstantiated rumour. Jim has promised to teach me how to handle it properly as well as correct any bad habits that bring tears to his eyes, so I might take them up on it next March.

  Finally, Tuesday morning we headed off to Calgary, through the Rogers Pass.

  We also came upon the Spiral Tunnel which was constructed in 1909 to facilitate trains ascending and descending what, at the time, was a 4.5 degree elevation change. Fortunately for us, a train happened along and we got to see it in action, watching the long line of freight cars snaking their way up and around and back out of the tunnels as they climbed the steep grade easily.

  Upon our arrival in Calgary we met up with Bryan and Sheila, fresh from evacuating Yellowknife. Sheila's daughter, Shiri, was also there and she regaled us with her adventures escaping various wildfires around Fort Simpson and Hay River before heading south last week. We all had a good laugh as she described the route she had to drive using Sheila's arm as a map:

  We had a wonderful evening sharing stories and catching up over dinner. We'll be here until Saturday, when we start the final leg of our odyssey.

On The Road... Again

  Well, here it is, our last day in Vancouver. Tomorrow morning we hit the road again in search of more adventures, having wrung quite a few out of the Lower Mainland. There's lots of ground to cover so let's get started.

  Tuesday night I was reading my news feed and saw the wildfires were closing in on Yellowknife. My thoughts ran to our dear friends, Bryan and Sheila, and how they were coping, so I reached out with a text to Bryan. It turned out they were in the midst of planning their evacuation, expecting the territorial government to issue the order very soon.

  YK is a small community and Bryan had been working with many people helping them "firesmart" their properties, removing trash, clearing brush and installing sprinklers to help with fire suppression should the worst come to pass. He promised to keep us posted on their plans and we wished them luck.

  Wednesday evening Penny, Makita and I headed to Vancouver's Spanish Banks Beach. We hadn't been to any decent sand beaches while here and this one was supposed to be worth a visit.

  I had read that that evening was supposed to be an excellent opportunity to view the bioluminescence display due to what's called a "minimoon", a special new moon that occurs infrequently. Spanish Banks was supposed to be the best local location to see it. We hung around until full dark but, nothing. It was a beautiful evening so we didn't mind and we did get some pics but no blue glowy things.

  That morning brought news that the Yellowknife wildfires fires were within seventeen kilometers of the city and the government issued the evacuation order. Bryan and Sheila  packed up their truck and trailer and beat feet Thursday morning, driving off into a cell phone dead zone amid a long line of vehicles snaking their way south through thick smoke and ash.

  I spent Thursday monitoring cabinradio.ca for updates and checking my phone for messages from the intrepid travelers who reached safety in northern Alberta that evening. It's all pretty scary stuff and no one knows when they'll be able to return. As of this writing the fires are expected to move closer to the city on Sunday as warm, windy weather returns after two days of cool and damp conditions.

  Today we're cleaning and packing as our homeowners return tonight. We'll be heading out first thing tomorrow, which means saying goodbye to Makita. She has been a joy to take care of this past month and we'll both miss her although we won't miss the piles of hair she sheds.  We both agree we would happily have a dog like her if we decided to be dog owners again.

  On this leg of the trip we're heading to Revelstoke to visit Larry, golf buddy and skier extraordinaire. Along the way we're stopping in Kamloops to play some golf and we'll likely skirt wildfires that are burning to the south and east of town.

  After visiting with Larry our plans are unsettled. We planned to stop for a few days in Calgary, visiting Bryan at their condo. Now, due to the evacuation, they may be using it to shelter friends and family who escaped. We'll find out in the next day or two where it all stands.

  We've also booked another house sit for the second half of November, in Sarasota, FL, so our year is pretty much set now. After visiting Calgary we head to Montgomery, MN for two and a half weeks, then home by Sept. 15. In mid-October we take off three weeks in Mobile, AL, followed by two weeks in Sarasota and home early December. Next year? Stay tuned.

A Different Perspective

  Until now we've been experiencing the Vancouver area from the typical tourist perspective. Canada Place, Stanley Park, English Bay and Chinatown have all featured in recent installments. There's nothing wrong with taking in those sights and experiences but there's so much more to this area than what most people squeeze into a week. Since we're here for a month there's no reason to restrict our adventures to the beaten track.

  We began our week of less heralded sights by hiking the Iona Jetty, also known as the Iona Spit. When I say it, "Iona Jetty" sounds better, y'know, like I have a yacht to tie up. Iona Spit? Not so much.

  Anyway, the Jetty (or Spit) is actually the deep water outfall for the local sewage treatment plant. The trail is laid atop a very wide pipe and travels in a straight line for four kilometers out into the Strait of Georgia near Vancouver Airport. I know it doesn't sound sexy but it doesn't smell, the surrounding waters aren't brown and it's a nice walk where you're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and nothing else for a pleasant two and a half hours. When you get to the end there's a lookout with a little cantilevered platform you can walk out on and feel a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio on the bow of Titanic.

  From our vantage point we could also see Mt. Baker, in northern Washington State, peeking out of the mist...

  We followed up our walk with dinner from the local Malaysian restaurant which, although tasty, was a very expensive $75 for barely enough food for two people. Like I mentioned previously, living here is expensive. I started out hoping for Chinese food as we were in Richmond, which is known for the best selection of Chinese restaurants outside Chinatown. Unfortunately, every online menu I saw had us spending $150 for dinner. Not interested. I don't want to sound provincial but, where we come from, $75 usually buys good Chinese food for two with enough leftovers for lunch the following day.

  Now, we had planned to spend Monday on a jaunt up the Sunshine Coast but that got scuttled early on. When I checked the BC Ferries website they told me that, not only were all the available sailing reservations taken but, if I wanted to take my chances and get in line, it was likely we'd be waiting four hours to get on board. Not happening. Also, when I awoke Monday morning my right knee was angry with me for walking eight kilometers on top of a concrete sewage pipe. It's not that I can't walk eight kilometers, it's that I didn't bring my special concrete pipe hiking boots.

  We went to Plan "B" which was Bowen Island on Tuesday. The ferry is only a twenty minute ride, it's fairly cheap and there's no line up. Check, check and check. Off we went this morning and, even with typical Vancouver traffic, managed to drive right onto the ship with minutes to spare.

  Bowen is a small island, only about six kilometers wide, but very scenic. There are small mountains at each end and some very nice beaches with gentle waves scattered around it. It even has a nine hole golf course and we decided to give it a try once we arrived.

  Now, it's important to note that the Lower Mainland is under a heat advisory. I use italics because said advisory was telling us to expect temperatures around 28C. When we were in Arizona we didn't see a heat advisory unless temps were approaching 40C. Piece of cake. We figured golfing on an island in the middle of the Strait of Georgia would involve cooling breezes and so, who cares about a heat advisory, right?

  Wrong. The course is on top of a hill and mostly surrounded by trees. No breeze. Lots of direct sunlight. Not a cloud in the sky. The weather station in the Snug Harbour port area registered 24C. Sure. I'll bet we could have fried an egg on top of the golf cart. No, we didn't bring an egg. Or mayo. Or bread. Or bacon. Mmmm. Why am I hungry?

  Anyway, it was HOT. Hot and HUMID. Did I mention we didn't bring an egg? Or beer. We also couldn't get food before we teed off unless we wanted to wait a half-hour and pay some outrageous price. So, armed with water and a bag of chips, off we went.

  The golf was fine, mostly. It's a pretty course and it was in decent shape but, after six holes, we were HOT. And hungry because we didn't think to bring eggs. And we didn't have any beer. We did get this view on the last tee so that made it all ok, sort of. It's also worth noting that I put two balls into the woods, which I blame on not having any eggs.

  With golf completed we bought ourselves an outrageously expensive lunch, which included beer but no eggs, then headed off to check out Tunstall Beach.

  Of course, we were hot and tired and we'd just finished eating and imbibing so we didn't feel much like jumping into the water. We dipped our overheated toes in the Pacific and turned ourselves around and headed back into port to await the ferry back to the mainland.

  It's too bad that it was so unexpectedly hot there as we'd hoped to do some hiking. Well, we did manage to do a short hike to Dorman Point on our way back to the ferry. By short I mean, we climbed about 50 feet up the steep trail that takes you to the point then decided that it was too steep and our non-hiking shoes weren't suitable and turned around and headed back to the car. We did hike though, and it was beautiful. Sorry, no pictures. Besides, the ice cream we ate instead of hiking was far more satisfying.

  And so, that was our trip to Bowen Island. I heartily recommend a visit if you're in the area, but make sure to bring eggs.

  As our month in Surrey winds down I'm busy lining up our future plans. We've already booked three weeks in Mobile, AL starting in mid-October so I've been trying to line up something in the neighbourhood that runs us into early December so we're back home with plenty of time before Christmas.

  I thought I had one today in Cape Coral, FL which would take us into the beginning of December. When I applied, I explained we'd be in Mobile so it would dovetail nicely for us. I received a response when we returned home this evening. Apparently, we're unsuitable because the homeowners don't want anyone who might have problems with flights or crossing the border. I didn't realize there's a border separating Alabama and Florida. Idiots. They must be Trump supporters. The search continues.

Yes, We're Still Here

  We're now officially into our longest stay, having surpassed the three week sit in Arizona, so yes, we're still in Vancouver. The weather hasn't been great the past couple of days so our activities have been curtailed somewhat. But, before we get into what we've done lately, I need to bring you all up to date on our future plans, specifically Botswana.

  In the last episode I was all excited about our upcoming assignment in Botswana, busy planning day trips into the Okavango Delta and figuring out what to do and where to go during our five weeks in the Kalahari Desert. Until the next morning.

  Now, you should know we spent a half hour on a video chat with the very nice couple who we were to sit for and all questions were asked and answered to everyone's satisfaction. Except I received an email the next morning telling us things they'd forgotten to tell us. No, we didn't care that they didn't have a TV. No, we wouldn't use their vehicle except for trips around town. Yes, we understood we must leave a window open so the cat could get in and out when she wanted. Yes, we will stand over her when she eats as that's what she likes people to do. BTW, we must watch her when she's outside as she can climb over the backyard fence and go onto the road and she might encounter a dog or a vehicle.

  Wait just a cotton-pickin' second. We let her go out when she pleases then have to watch her so she doesn't get into trouble? A cat? I'm not sure I ever did that with my children. "What about when we go out?", I asked. We could be out for hours for a day trip or out to dinner or groceries, etc. Did that mean we had to find her, get her into the house and close the window?

  I received a response almost immediately. They were sorry but we were no longer suitable house sitters. Yeah. I guess flying halfway around the world at great expense to sit in their little house in the Kalahari desert to take care of their cat but wanting to see something of the surrounding area makes us unsuitable. People. Welcome to the weird side of house sitting.

  Anyway, we managed to put that behind us. Well, Penny managed to put that behind her as I continued to grouse about it for most of the day. I'm still pissed and it was five days ago. Well, sort of pissed... more miffed than pissed. Upset. Dismayed. Perturbed. I'll stop now.

  The rest of my miffed/pissed day took us to the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, a short hike up the Sea to Sky Highway on the way to Whistler. This is a relatively new attraction and we were very impressed. It's a fairly long ride to the top of the mountain and Penny's not exactly comfortable hanging from a cable fifty feet in the air climbing a steep mountainside. Full marks for not screaming or puking or closing her eyes. Me? I guess I'm used to ski lifts so I was fine, which you wouldn't expect after my Fly Over Canada experience. C'est la vie.

  At the top there is a selection of hiking trails of various difficulty levels and, if we'd brought our hiking boots, we'd have taken on a fairly challenging one to a mountaintop lookout. As it was, our running shoes couldn't cut it so we stuck with the more sedate jaunts that still afforded us some spectacular views.

  And then Penny wanted a picture of a rock star...

  I mean, when your adoring public demands it you just must make an appearance, right?

  As we were completing our hikes we happened onto an Israeli couple who had just completed the hike to the mountaintop lookout and we got to chatting about our respective travels, which led to lunch at the cafe overlooking Howe Sound...

  While Penny and Dafna discussed family and travels Motti and I worked out solutions to all the political problems currently plaguing Israel. After an hour we decided the only way forward was for us to become benevolent co-dictators and we shook hands on it. Done. I'm getting measured for a uniform next week. With that done we parted ways with promises to visit them in Israel and we headed back down on the gondola. At the bottom, with Penny not even hyperventilating👍, we headed off on the short hike to Shannon Falls:

  Oh, and we just had to stop to see another Big Thing:

  Monday, being a holiday, was a perfect day to head to Granville Island. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the island and checked out the Public Market. After an hour of salivating at the various foods available there we decided that, as good as everything looked, the prices were outrageous. We could easily find similar things away from the touristy zone without having to sacrifice a limb or two to pay for them.

  Last week, after our lunch with Yvonne and her son, David, we were invited to dinner at David's house to meet his wife, Jenn, and their daughter, Katie. Well, that was last night and what a beautiful place they have! Two acres of trees and lawns on a forested hillside away from everything and everyone. Yvonne joined us and we had a wonderful evening sharing stories from the past and tales of travels taken and foods eaten. Oh, and I didn't inspect any of their renovations. Even that bit in the top corner of the wall. Nope. Not a bit.

  Something we've noticed here which surprised us is that everything is expensive. Gasoline is over $2/litre and groceries are much more expensive than we remember from when we left Ontario in May. I know there were additional carbon taxes added since we left but gas in Ontario is still thirty cents less than BC. No idea about groceries but I suspect everything is just more expensive here. It's beautiful here but the cost of living means we'll always be 'just visiting'.

  Yesterday afternoon a fighter squadron flew overhead repeatedly which, I found out, was the Snowbirds aerobatic team doing a flyover of the White Rock Pier just south of us. As a result of my Googling I also found out the Abbotsford Air Show is on this weekend, one of the largest such events in the world! Tickets are sold out but we might just wander over there and see if we can hang out around the airport perimeter to take in the action.

  There is a restaurant offering patrons the chance to watch the show from their patio so I checked out the menu as they'll expect people to eat and drink while occupying tables. Well, the $140 Wagyu steak put me off and we'll just look for a hot dog stand while we take our place along the airport fence. Sounds like a blast 😁.

  The next few days promises another visit with David and Michele and some golf, I hope. Events and weather have conspired to drastically reduce my playing time the past two weeks so a remedy needs to be on the way before I get the shakes. Stay tuned.

Vancouver Meanderings and New Plans

   It's that time again! Yes, more stuff to share with you as we continue our stay in Vancouver. But first, a little note to you kind folk who comment here on the blog.

  For some bizarre reason your identities are hidden from me when I read your comments. Also, unless you tell Blogger that you want to be notified of my replies you won't know I've read the comments and want to continue the discussion. Here's what you should do if you want to comment.

1. Include your name in the actual comment if the screen says you are "Anonymous". Also, there are three couples we know who have been commenting and identifying themselves as "S and B" so, Susan and Bruce, Sheila and Bryan, Sandra and Ben, HELP!
2. There's a checkbox on the comment screen that says "Notify Me". Check it and you'll get an email whenever there's activity concerning your comment. That way, if I, or anyone else, respond to you you'll be able to continue the conversation.
3. If you posted comments on earlier episodes, go back and see if I commented. I'll know if you continue the thread because my comments have the "Notify Me" box checked.

  There, details taken care of. Now, on to today's installment. It's Friday, so there's a whole week to catch up on.

  We started the week with a visit to Yvonne, a family friend who I've known since the age of 5. We touch base occasionally via email and have seen her every few years when she stops off in Toronto on her way home to Newfoundland. She and her family have been living in BC since the 1970's and this was the first time we've been able to visit her since my brother and I saw her in Fort St. John in 1977.

  It was a very nice visit and we got the chance to get to know her son, David, who I last saw when he was eight years old. He's a little bigger now and, it turns out, we have much in common. We've been invited for dinner next week and he's agreed to let me criticize the quality of his home renovations. Not.

  Since we're living in Surrey, which is about an hour's drive to downtown Vancouver, we haven't had much opportunity to explore so this week was our first chance to check things out. On Tuesday we headed to Stanley Park for some walking along the seawall, checking out some food trucks and just general slumming.

  It was a beautiful day at a beautiful spot. We did, however, learn a valuable lesson... no driving in the city! When we were ready to go home it was later in the afternoon and traffic was, well, slow. Not slow like molasses, or snails or postal delivery. Slow, like in geologic terms. Slow, like how long it takes for your tax refund to appear. Yes, that slow.

  Having learned our lesson we promised to use transit next time and booked a Chinatown walking food tour for Thursday with Bob Sung. What a great experience! Bob has spent his life in food as a chef, as well as food supplier through his family business. His family have been in Vancouver for 125 years and he is intimately connected to Chinatown as its unofficial ambassador.

  One of the first questions he asked all of us was, "Do you live to eat or eat to live?" As we're in the "live to eat"... and "travel to eat" group we knew we were in the right place.

  We started at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden in the heart of the city. The Chinese government donated the garden to the city for Expo 86 and brought craftsmen from China to construct it using traditional materials and techniques. At that time it was the only full-size classical Chinese garden outside China.

  Bob spent an hour teaching us about Taoism (balance), Confucionism (structure) and Buddhism (nature) and how they were represented in the garden and structures.

  After a calming hour there we headed out to the streets of Chinatown. Our first stop was the Thinnest Building in the World (according to Guinness), only six feet wide and about one hundred feet long. Below, you'll see Bob standing in front of the end window and you can see where it meets the building next door. It was originally a regular sized structure but, when the city decided to build Pender Street, they expropriated the land underneath. Not wanting to give up the entire property, the owner told them they could take only as much of the building as they needed for the street. The rest, as they say, is history.

  We spent the next three hours touring the area while Bob explained the history and customs and exposed us to herbal medicines and ancestral worship. Fascinating stuff although being on our feet, standing, for three hours became a bit uncomfortable towards the end. Oh, I did say it was a food tour. We ate. "What did we eat?", you might ask.

  Well, we started at Chinatown BBQ with two kinds of BBQ pork, one delicious and the other deliciouser. After that we proceeded to inhale apple buns from New Town Bakery which, in 2017, was featured by CNN Travel as a "must visit" out of all the world's Chinatowns. We did and it was. We went to a tea shop to learn about how tea is brewed and presented. Also great. The conclusion was dim sum at Floata Seafood Restaurant:

  Now, I'm not one to take pictures of food as I'd rather be eating it than worrying if it's Instagrammable. Fortunately for you, dear readers, Penny thought the food was definitely picture-worthy. To say this is the best dim sum I'd ever had is an understatement. I hate to use hyperbole... ok, I love to use hyperbole. This dim sum was better than Fly Over Canada. Much better. If you're reading this blog for the first time, read the previous episode.

  Anyway, we ate and we ate and we ate. And we got a crash course in all things Chinese in Vancouver. Thanks to Bob and, if you're out this way, I heartily recommend taking an afternoon for this tour. He also does one in Granville Market and we might do that too.

  That brings me to today. As this adventure has progressed and we've become comfortable with the way we're traveling we've decided to move further afield. We had a video chat with a couple in Botswana this morning and we've agreed to house sit for them in April. Lots of details to work out in the next couple of months but we're very excited to return to Africa. Who knows where else we'll end up in the coming months. Stay tuned to find out! And don't forget to post your comments like I showed you at the beginning. We're always happy to hear from you.