Fil put together a map journal...take a look. Many thanks to Fil for naming all these files!
Had a fun time at Sharon's in Cambridge (goodbye party #1)
Today my dear friends and family came to my dad's farm to share in my farewell, and wish me happy birthday Oban Hollow, Dad’s farm near Sarnia,Ontario
Left Fil’s place in Ingersoll today.
Tomorrow I hand in my resignation at MCAP and start the drive out to BC with Fil. We are taking two cars and it is going to be a fabulous holiday
Yesterday we had lunch with Dana and Bernie. I am going to miss them!
Last night was a wonderful big dinner party at Fil’s mom’s place. Such delicious food.
We also visited his ex-sister and brother in-laws Mary and Jim and there awesome kids.
Right now I have a really bad headache, which is unusual for
me. I feel like screaming from the
pain. Will write more when I am feeling
better.
Thanks to the universe for the new life ahead and the lessons behind.
Monday, May 2, 2005 - I met Sabrina at MCAP. She feels I have made a good decision both personally and professionally. On from Toronto to Bruce Mines where we met up with my cousin Brian Rawn, his wife Rita, and their kids Saara and Robert. Spent a warm snuggly night in their outdoor guest cabin. There is a quiet peace that I can find when I am sleeping well like this.
Fil, Brian and I took a nice walk and visited with Rita’s parents across the road. Home-made cider and cheesecake were whisked in front of us within seconds of sitting down.
Today we drove from Bruce Mines to Sault Ste. Marie (aka “The Soo”) and did a lot of visiting.
I’ve met some of Fil’s family and friends, and relatives
from his first marriage.. Fiurina &
Franco, Joe & Louise, Maureen…Becky & Josh. I am getting better sleep now and it is making a difference for
me.
With everything behind and everything ahead it feels good right here in this
place – the now.
991.60 km’s travelled.
Leaving Hayden/Soo to go to Wawa now.
In Hayden we had a canoe ride at the Johnston’s.
Sights and sounds:
Chippewa Falls
The Canadian Carver
Alona Bay – beach on Lake Superior
Old Woman’s Bay and Nicoma’s trail. Incredible views and quite a climb.
Overnight in Wawa at the Bristol Motel.
Listening to the Dalai Lama cd “Happiness at Work”, I was challenged to review my views on money and work satisfaction. On the one hand, I could work for a few years in my profession, striving to find a spiritual way to be happy and compassionate at work. Or, I could say ‘enough’, and switch to writing, singing and performing. It’s so hard to know. A spiritual path. What does it mean?
Another sinus headache tonight. What does it mean?
I’m enjoying the trip very much, learning about Fil. And feeling like I can leave the big city life. Prepared to do nothing. It feels good.
1203.9 km’s so far and leaving Wawa in the rain.
Saw a bear.
What a view today!
Visited Lakehead University
Thunder Bay.
1721.1 km’s so far.
Kakabaka Falls –outside Thunder Bay. The legend goes that GreenMantle, an Ojibwa girl led the Sioux who had captured her over the falls, to save her people. There’s a perpetual rainbow over the falls. A bloodstained rainbow. (I’ll use that in a future poem or other publication).
We hiked about 5km on the Mountain Portage and the Little Falls trail. These are very old paths. No sound of traffic. It was a pristine northern Ontario day. Before the bugs. Before the tourists. Uncrowded roads and trails. However, the falls are just tiny streams before they turn on the taps for the tourist season, as they are used for hydro generation.
Around 11 am Central Time, at the Travelodge in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We are gong to the Market, then on to Regina. So today…the prairies!
Just finished the Dail Lama’s Happiness at Work CD’s. They have given me lots to think about. I must follow a spiritual path above all else.
The Forks Market. Shri-Lanken Food, European Victory Ceremony at the leglistature.
2451.9 km’s so far.
Virden, Manitoba. Gassing up the cars. There’s this little laughing buddha figure that I got for my birthday, and he has been tap-dancing back and forth across my dash as my Xtrail rolls along the Trans-Canada highway. He’s been great company, and amuses me by his careening and sliding. One time he popped down into the inset cup holder in protest to the turn I was making.
7:30 a.m. Mountain Time
Dilawri Infinity Nisssan – Regina – time for my 14,000 km vehicle servicing.
While waiting, we walked to the Regina Legislature. This city is beautiful with trees lining the sides of the streets forming canopies. And we saw rabbits that were the size of small dogs. Chilling. Run Away! J
Headed on over to Moose Jaw. Took the two tunnel tours. - The Al Capone and Burrows Coolie Laundries tours. Filip (we are temporarily trying that name out at his request. Note it didn’t last) was dubbed “Doorstop” and I was “Snitch” in the theatrically guided Capone Tour.
On to Swift Current for the night.
The CAA membership is really paying off in hotel discounts.
3270 km’s so far
Leaving Swift Current and on to Calgary to Fil’s friend’s house.
First we stopped at Spruce Meadows, a place I have longed to see all my horsey-loving life. We went into the foal barn and saw baby horses just a few days old. We watched a lesson in progress and Fil was introduced to the concept of dressage. Very nice people.
Joel and Kim had us over for the night. We all went out of dinner at a very nice place, where I entertained them all with a stomach attack. They were very gracious.
3850.40 km’s travelled.
Joel took us for a tour of the Alberta Distillery where he works. He also kindly gave us a few bottles of their whisky.
1 am Central Time
Banff, Alberta.
We arrived and ate at Melissa’s, one of the places I used to
work out here.
At the Bow Falls, under a starry sky, Fil told me loved me, with no “I think”
after it for the first time. WOW.
We went to the Lux Cinema and saw the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
We’ve lucked into a gorgeous condo at Douglas Firs resort. Nature in the back yard, sloping hills out
the back, a fireplace, full kitchen, all the comforts of home and peace and
quiet. Magical.
9:45 PM Central Time.
Today we were outdoors and it was superb. It all started with a pancake breakfast, then a very long wait in line for hiking info. The gentlemen at the des was very well informed about bears and gave us a lesson in what to do in the event of a Grizzly Bear attack. Basically, do not run. Do not make eye contact. Back away and stay away from babies. If they do attack, they will club you and rake you to tell you to go away, then sit back for a few seconds. This is when you are supposed to crawl, walk or drag yourself away in the direction you should, but most people make the fatal mistake of staying in one place. The bear is saying – now go on, git out of here. If you don’t, well, you won’t be cuffed around anymore, you will just be killed. Nice to know.
We went horseback riding with Wildlife Tours on the Sundance Loop – along the Cave & Basin area, Bow River & Sulpher Mountain. March, and back to Marin Stables. It was Fi’ls first time on a horse and he kind of liked it, although he is sore. He road “Idaho” and I had “Moonshine”.
Next, we went on foot to the Cave & Basin to see the hot springs. Amazing
sulphur water. Lunch and a short rest.
Back to the chalet to pick up batteries for my new digital camera. I miss good old film. We drove up to Lake Minnewana and hiked along the Lake, climbing high high – crossing the stream that leads into Stwart Canyon.
So far, we have seen:
Red Squirrels, Martins, Woodpeckers, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Ravens, Unknown Birds, Chipmunks, Tadpoles, some people and bear poo.
We learned more about each other today. Feeling closer.
LONG DAY!
Bow Valley Parkway – gorgeous drive.
Johnston Canyon – a hike that I think almost killed Fil.
Mount Norquay
The Ink Pots
Banff Centre Dining Room – by chance. Happy Birthday to Fil!
The Inkpots are a place I wanted to see since I was in Banff 18 years ago. The ranger had turned my party back because we started too late in the day, and there were bears about. They are seven natural springs, all a different colour of green. The are by a stream, and the water bubbles up through the sand and gravel, forming transfixing underwater bubbles. Not really bubbles, more like circles of sand and, as if a pebble has been dropped onto a watery surface and causes little outward-bound ripples.
Banff May 12 arrival and Friday the 13th of May - Happy Birthday Fil, let's see how strong your heart is!
295.3 km’s travelled since Calgary, with about 120 getting here.
We are going to Golden, BC now.
Today was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
5:30 am up (groan).
6:99 departure – drove up Mt. Norquay to try to catch the sunise, but it was well up by then. On the way down there was a grizzly bear at the side of the road who quickly faded back down into the ditch as the car passed.
7:30 – Lake Louise. Visited the Chateau. Lake is pretty, although still frozen. Said no to the $25 buffet breakfast.
Stopped to see the Spiral Tunnels (train tunnels) in Kicking Horse Valley. The valley is so named because the original surveyor’s horse kicked him hard while he was in the valley. Before the spirals, it was a wild train journey down a very steep hill, with runaway trains going off into special outjuts. The men at switches used to wait until the train was considered under control before switching the track from a runaway outjut to the downward one. The spirals are an engineering feet. You can see the train go in one entrance, coming out the other, and in and out of another, while it is still going into the first one.
10:00 am. Somewhere we missed the sign into BC. We have been stopping at all the provincial boundaries and taking photos at the “Welcome to” signs. It was apparently back in Lake Louise area. This is just a warning of how weird the signage is in BC. But that’s for another day.
We went to Golden for an air tour of the glaciers. It was amazing. We went up in a Cessna 185. Saw the Great Divide and an abandoned Grizzly Bear’s den with tracks, and mountain goats with their tracks. Grizzlies dig their den way up high into the earth, beyond the tree line. In the spring, they dig themselves out and go down looking for yum yums.
The pilot, Steve Neil, took us through some areas that can not be accessed by foot. We saw Baird Inn, Candle Icefiled, State Lodge, Paoto Glacier, Lake Louise, Morraine Lake, Bow Lake, O’Hara Lake (and lodge), Freshfield Glacier, Wapta Glacier, and the Great Divide that divides the Rockies from another mountain range. I’ll leave it to my nieces to look that up in their geography book, as my old memory fails. There is a place called Numatinja Lodge where the Nordic skiing is supposed to be very good.
On to my cousin Billy Rawns place on Shushwap Lake. A little piece of heaven. He lives on “The Hill” where my other cousins live – Doug Rawn (and his family – Pavey, Raquel), Robby. We met Billy’s daughter Dana and his son Derek. Suzi we had met on a previous trip to Vancouver.
Breakfast at the Quout Lodge. An amazing place, and well developed by the natives there for people to come do conferences etc. Restaurant with a view.
On to Doug’s place, on the Hill for a visit. On the way, we stopped at my cousin Robby’s, whom I hadn’t seen since I was tiny. Out came the pictures and he loaned me treasures – photos of some of my ancestors.
At Doug’s more photos, and a thrilling chance to hear his story. His daughter Raquel was a lot of fun, and good company.
I learned a lot about my family, and the amazing determination, strength and spirit that brought them to where they are now. I also learned the whereabouts of another cousin whom I had only known existed by his name, Jimmy.
That night, we went on down to “Roger’s” where some beer and games where the highlight. The Hill is a fascinating place, and maybe I’ll write more about it at some point. They are a wonderful, optimistic, and fun-loving bunch.
4712.2 km’s down. We are leaving The Hill (aka “Chase”, near Salmon Arm). It is the Final Run.
Julia Hoogaveen, a young student headed for Victoria, is joining us for this last day. I really enjoyed her company and we will keep in touch!
6:30 pm, at the BC Ferry on “The Spirit of Vancouver”. A beautiful, sunny perfect cruise. A rainbow greeted us as we set off. Elation. Peace. Rainbow High.
We could see yellow smog over Vancouver, and we merrily waved goodbye to the
Mainland.
On to our new home.
