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AROUND THE CONTINENT

August - December 2017
A 94-day adventure by Catherine Read more
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  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
    Day 26

    MOUNTAIN TIME

    September 24, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We have spent the last few days in the Rocky Mountains.

    My brother Allin died 3 years ago of hypothermia on a mountain overlooking Lake Abraham which is on the upper North Saskatchewan River. Alice, my sister-in-law, had a picnic table installed by the lake as a remembrance and we met for a picnic there on Sunday along with Allin's son Ian. It meant a lot to me to see the mountain and think about his life and death.

    Since then we have been enjoying a little hiking on mountain trails and some camping. The best camping place was at Lake Louise where the entire campground was surrounded by a six-strand electric fence to keep the grizzlies out. It seemed to work.

    Camping out is getting pretty chilly -- the dogs snuggle together for warmth, and we appreciate our down bags. As long as it stays dry, we are comfortable even with freezing temperatures.

    Tomorrow we meet Jill and Charlotte, my class of '77 medical school friends, for a hike into Skoki Lodge near Lake Louise. After a couple of days of back country luxury, we go to our 40 year medical school graduation reunion. Hard to believe!    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 31

    SKOKI

    September 29, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Skoki Lodge is located in Banff National Park backcountry, a 12 km walk from the nearest road. There is a main lodge and several cabins, the first built in the early 1930's. They are still being used today. There is no running water, no electricity, no cell or wifi. Prince William and Kate helicoptered in and stayed for a few days on their honeymoon (a special bathroom with running water and a toilet were installed, then removed after their visit).

    Tarjei and I hiked in to stay for 2 days with Jill and Charlotte (two of my med school buddies), and Jill's husband Allistair.

    We were lucky to have bright sun and warm days. It froze at night but we were snug in our cabin under warm duvets. The hiking was astonishingly beautiful. The larches turned mountainsides into gold. Tiny mountain lakes were icy cold -- some of us took a very brief dip which was shocking and energizing. The food was fabulous and abundant.

    We laughed so much, argued about politics and wines and whether "larches" and "tamaracks" are the same things (no Mr. Google to check with), and discussed medical practice and retirement and our children.

    Now it is 5 AM. Someone is snoring quietly in the other corner of the cabin. I have just been outside and the sky is filled with stars.

    Today we hike out, pick up the dogs at the kennel, and drive to Vernon for my 40th anniversary med school reunion.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 31

    CLASS OF 77 REUNION

    September 29, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    On Friday we hiked out from Skoki Lodge and drove to Vernon, B.C. for the University of Alberta Medical Class of 1977 reunion. It was held at the Sparkling Hills Spa and Resort in the Okanagan Valley.

    Sparkling Hill is the only 5 star resort we will stay at during our Continental odyssey. It is luxurious and the location is spectacular -- each room has a wall of glass overlooking the Okanagan Valley and Lake or the BC mountains. There is a huge spa with 2 swimming pools, multiple hot tubs, saunas (including a "cryosauna" at minus 166 degrees Fahrenheit), and a Wellness Clinic to "restore the natural balance between body and mind with naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, yoga, botanicals, and crystals." Clients wander the resort in white bathrobes morning to night looking like a sci-fi movie extras. It is a bit comical. When Tarjei came with me to check it out he wore his dark glasses hoping to remain unrecognizable.

    It was really interesting to see our classmates. We had spent 4 years together as a fairly tight-knit group. We all went on to have some sort of medical career -- from family practice to specialty to research to administration. We have changed over the last 40 years. About half of us have retired, although many are still doing occasional locums for fun, or finances, or just because it's hard to change old habits. A few die-hard surgeons were keen to get back to the operating room Monday morning and "get cutting". Most of us are at that stage of life with grown children and grandchildren, but some of us have new young families. We all show signs of wear and tear -- more lines, less hair; more scars (physical and psychological), less raw muscle mass; more skepticism and less naive enthusiasm. However, on the whole we seemed to be relatively healthy and content with our careers and lives. We all had stories to tell -- our careers in medicine have been varied and not boring.

    Every one of us had plans for the future, new interests and passions. We discussed: Cooking, reading, writing, scuba diving, skiing, hiking, traveling, learning new languages, carpentry, yoga. We still have lives ahead of us.

    We meet again in 5 years, location to be determined.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 37

    BC INTERIOR

    October 5, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    We stayed in Vernon for 3 days with my med school friend Anne and her husband. They had a beautiful condo on the shore of Okanagan Lake. We had sunny weather, great for hiking and wine tasting and visiting Okanagan farmers' markets. Anne and I swam in the chilly lake one afternoon -- reviving with a hot tub and glass of good BC wine. It was interesting to talk about old times and how things had changed in medicine and in our lives.

    After Vernon, we picked up the dogs from Hy Country Pet Resort and drove east to Castlegar where Tarjei's sister Ida lives. It was great to see the dogs again -- we had missed them -- they are an integral part of our lives. In Castlegar we spent a fun couple of days with Ida -- she is such a sweet positive person. She also is an amazing carpenter -- she has single-handedly rebuilt her kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms -- tearing down walks, building cupboards, On Thursday night we all created a feast of Coho Salmon with blueberry sauce, yam & kale salad, and apple pie with icecream.

    Now we are on our way to North Vancouver to see friends and son Max for Thanksgiving weekend, and also check out Vancouver Filmfest.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 41

    VANCOUVER: TARJEI GETS HACKED

    October 9, 2017 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    In Vancouver, Tarjei got his hair cut at a small Korean barber shop. He gave his usual request: "Short, but don't make me look like I'm in the army". Unfortunately, the barber spoke little English and heard "...make me look like I'm in the army....". Hair hacked. The barber even created a little bald spot over Tarjei's left ear. Since then, Tarjei has been wearing a cowboy hat everywhere. It looks good.

    We stayed with old friends Anne Marie and Jeff in North Van. They have a cool house and wonderful garden --raised beds in the front where they grow lots of vegetables. This apparently annoys the neighbors whose taste in front yard landscape includes only manicured smooth green lawn and neatly pruned geraniums. We managed to further alienate the neighbors by having Jabba and Boots leap over the fence dragging their tie-out lines, causing damage to a small tree and some geranium pots. This required a contrite confession followed by monetary compensation.

    We walked along the shore of Vancouver Harbour with the dogs. There was a small pond with many ducks and one large swan. Of course, the canine primeval (and evil) hunting instinct prevailed. Boots (off leash) leaped in and paddled madly after the swan. The swan gave her a disdainful glance and sailed effortlessly ahead. Boots surged forward straining every muscle to catch up. The swan swept about the pond in graceful curves, followed by a panting drooling Boots, and then a whole flock of silly quacking ducks providing applause for the victorious bird family. The human crowd of Thanksgiving Day walkers lined the shore shouting ineffectually: "Here Boy! Come on Boy!" and "Someone should call the parks guy. That poor swan!" And "Does anyone own that dog?" To which Tarjei replied "No clue -- I think it must be a stray" as he patted Jabba (still on leash). Boots was nearly drowning when she finally gave up and swam over to our end of the pond where Tarjei had to haul her up onto shore. She slept well that night.

    It was great to see Max and his small apartment -- very neat and clean and "koselig" (cozy) in West end Vancouver. We went walking and ate great food and saw a good movie at Vancouver International Film Fest.

    Now we are leaving Vancouver -- visiting my cousin Ann in Aldergrove for lunch -- and crossing the border. We are feeling some trepidation as we prepare to drive South along the West Coast of the USA. We will see what adventures we can stir up.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 44

    WEST COAST WASHINGTON & OREGON

    October 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We left Vancouver Tuesday October 10th. We spent 4 days meandering along the West Coast of Washington and Oregon. We were amazed by the variety of rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, scrubby beach grass, and always the sea, the waves, the crashing breakers and hissing surf. Along the Oregon coast we hiked among huge sand dunes like the Sahara desert. The spectacular sunsets over the sea were amazing. It was a beautiful drive. We have avoided cities and freeways -- we took a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula, then turned south on the 101. We drove west of Seattle and Portland. We stayed in a smelly el cheapo roadside motel and a fancy luxury upscale chalet with a jacuzzi and a fireplace and a wonderful ocean view. We ate great steamed local fresh fish, and Denny's grilled cheese.

    We hiked each day -- not really far -- (5 - 13 km) but enough. It sometimes rained, mostly at night. It has been unexpectedly exciting to see so much change in coastline as we move South.

    In Port Townsend, I swam in the local swimming pool one morning. The town is a pretty little place with a long maritime history, including a visit from Captain Cook. The pool was great but seemed a little shorter than I expected. I asked the life guard and he explained that it was short because the pool was built by pirates. "You see," he explained, " The pirates didn't use meters --- they use YARRRDS!"

    Now we are off to California and will be dodging the 2017 Wildfires.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 49

    CALIFORNIA -- talk to me of Mendocino

    October 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    When we left Oregon, we had planned to spend a few days exploring the Napa and Sonoma valleys and drinking wine. However, the terrible wildfires foiled our plans. So, with typical meticulous planning, Tarjei asked, "Remember that Kate and Anna McGarrigle song about Mendocino?" And I said, "I love that song! Let's go there instead!" So we did.

    Mendocino is a tiny town and it was Saturday. Hotels and BnB's were expensive and already full. Mendocino Grove Aging Hippie Campground was the solution. You could pitch your own tent but we chose to rent the "Safari Tent" (the "Retrofitted Airstream" seemed TOO decadent). It had a queen sized bed with beautiful duvet, hot water bottles available for those chilly nights (it did drop down to 4 degrees C). There was a view of the ocean and a morning campfire in the meadow with two kinds of hot porridge, lots of toppings (fresh fruit, real maple syrup, nuts, raisins, goji berries, chia seeds and brewers yeast). The only downside was that Jabba scratched a large hole in the screen door while Tarjei and I went to the central bathroom to brush our teeth. I spent a couple of hours sewing on a new piece of screen, which we brought with us on the trip in case of having to sleep in the car. The dogs slept curled up outside after that.

    We stayed two nights in our comfortable tent. We walked around the pretty little town of Mendocino, which is perched on a little spit of land overlooking the Pacific. I window shopped but bought nothing -- it seems to me that we all have too much "stuff" and no room for more. We ate some great food. We drank local wine and beer. We looked at paintings and crafts and home-made toys.

    Yesterday we packed up and drove along the Anderson Valley which is the wine production area of Mendocino County. It looked a lot like the Okanagan with the arid sandy hills interspersed with beautiful green irrigated rows of vines. We tasted --and bought -- some really good Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel, and even a sparkling Pinot Gris. We bypassed the wildfires -- although we could see the smoke. So sad to think that people were killed because the fire spread so quickly in the winds.

    Now we are at Lake Tahoe and tarjei is itching to get going for the day.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 51

    DEATH VALLEY

    October 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Tarjei really wanted to visit Death Valley. It all has to do with watching way too many cowboy shows on TV when he was little. Tarjei’s parents allowed him unlimited TV time, whereas my parents permitted only 1 hour per week — usually Walt Disney, 7 PM on Sunday night. This is just one of the many profound cultural differences between the WASPs and the Vikings. You can imagine how this clash of civilizations affected our own child raising practices.

    We stayed 2 nights in the Panamint (“Gathering of the Peoples” in a native language) campground at the entrance to Death Valley National Park. We slept in a small tent set up with camp cots (a far cry from Mendocino luxury queen size bed, but still very comfortable). The sunny desert sky was slightly hazy from the smoke of wildfires far to the west, but at night it seemed to clear and the stars were brilliant. I had my usual opportunity to see the stars at 11 PM, 2 AM, and 4 AM, as well as the sunrise around 6:30 AM. It was fun to cook on a camp stove again. We made pasta with sauce and salad for dinner, scrambled eggs with onions and cheese and herbs for breakfast.

    The nights were a bit chilly, but by noon in Furnace Springs it was 34 ° C. We did some hiking with dogs in the morning along the rugged desert track towards “Skidoo” — presumably not related to the Canadian Brand snowmobile and more related to the “23 Skidoo” slang phrase). By afternoon the heat and sun made it just too oppressive to walk anywhere except across the road to the campground café for a cold beer. Species discrimination was rampant — there were anti-Dog regulations on many of the trails, but the café did provide bowls of ice water for canine friends at the outside tables.

    We came accross the same Japanese film crew 3 times in the last 2 days. The state police and park rangers stopped traffic and diverted walkers while the crew filmed the stark desert landscape of cliffs and rocks and salt flats. On our third encounter, I finally asked one of crew what it was they were making. He said it was a commercial for Sony Corp —something to do with a new video system.

    The landscape was dramatic — dry, rocky, sandy, harsh, unforgiving. Cliffs. Salt flats. You could easily die here. But we survived and it was beautiful, even though John Wayne and Clint Eastwood never put In an appearance.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 57

    THIS IS THE HOPI WAY

    October 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Tarjei originally wanted to be an anthropologist. He got side-tracked by biology, and never looked back. However, he always maintained a secret interest in the indigenous people of North America, especially the gentle Hopi culture. When our kids misbehaved, he used to say, “But That is not the Hopi Way,” and sometimes they would actually listen. He also pointed out that Hopi women breastfed their babies until age 7 years, and suggested that I might do the same.

    We have spent the last five days in Arizona and New Mexico on an educational expedition with “Road Scholar”. We were in a group of 24 adults, mostly over age 60. We started in Flagstaff Arizona and travelled around in 3 vans. We visited archeological sites abandoned 800 years ago, and pueblo villages built in 1200 AD, which are still inhabited today — stone houses, no running water, no electricity. We climbed up hills, through ruins, and down into canyons. We had music and pottery demonstrations. We heard conflicting views from experts about why settlements were created and why they disappeared. We met really interesting Hopi and Navajo people who showed us their homes. We learned that the Hopi people had been part of the ancient Pueblo culture, but the Navajo were relatively recent arrivals in the American Midwest. The Navajo actually came from the Dene population of Northern Canada — around 1300 AD. We have seen sunrise over the desert It has been great.

    Tomorrow we return to Flagstaff and pick up the car from the parking lot and the dogs from the kennel. Then we continue our journey.    Read more

  • TravelerAROUND THE CONTINENT
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    Day 65

    DRIVING BACK EAST

    November 2, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    It is November 2nd and we have started to head back towards the East. We all (Tarjei, I, Jabba & Boots) have adapted to the gypsy rhythm of packing up every few days, hopping into the car, and driving for 5 - 10 hours, then making camp (or checking into a hotel or BnB) for a day or a few days.

    When we drive, the dogs snooze in the back of the station wagon while Tarjei and I sit up front. The dogs appear perfectly happy to be along with us — providing we stop every few hours for them to jump out, sniff around, and of course heed nature’s call (whether Nature is calling them to pee/poop, or run after a cottontail rabbit which are abundant around here).

    Tarjei usually drives —because he likes to drive and I like to sleep. He is the world’s worst passenger — jumpy, white-knuckled, constantly pointing out the obvious traffic hazards (“Watch for the red truck pulling out ahead”. “That light is going to change color Soon! Look out!”). He is unable to sleep in the passenger seat, even if he is exhausted. The ONLY time that he slept there in last 14,600 km was when I was driving and pulled up to a road construction site in the Rockies. “Sorry, Ma’am, it’s gonna be 15 minutes before you can drive — might as well just sit tight!” I turned off the ignition and — presto, Tarjei was asleep. He awoke immediately when I started the car as they reopened that stretch of road.

    While we drive, if I am not sleeping, we watch the scenery — very different from home. We often talk or drink coffee or consult the map to plan the next part of the journey. Sometimes we listen to music that Tarjei has downloaded from Spotify — classical or road songs or Leonard Cohen. In Canada we often listened to CBC, but in the USA we usually cannot find NPR. Lately I have been downloading Audiobooks — currently we are bouncing between SAPIENS by Yuval Harare (history of humankind — brilliant) and DEATH OF A DUSTMAN by M. C. Beaton — (Scottish Highlands mystery — brilliant but in a different way entirely). I wish I had written either of them.

    After driving we try to go for a long walk, and if possible I swim— either at the hotel or the local community pool. It keeps us from seizing up.

    I like this routine and will miss it when we get home.

    So over the last few days we have explored Flagstaff Arizona (beautiful high elevation university town), hiked the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (dogs are not allowed below the rim), travelled to Santa Fe New Mexico (every building adobe in soft pink, coral, gold, or shades in between), and then visited Los Alamos (where the atomic bomb was developed). We have eaten lots of Southwest food — chili, tortillas, corn, squash, and beans enough to make us roll down windows as we drive.

    Now we are going South to visit Roswell for another type of “Scientific” discovery — the UFO Center.

    PS. Nov 3 today. We spent last night at a very tiny Air BnB — about 4X5 meters, in a tiny New Mexico village. We made spaghetti and drank red wine. It was lovely. Picture below.    Read more

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