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A North American Journey
  • Gustav Vermaas
  • Gustav Vermaas

A North American Journey

“Not all those who wander are lost” 
A 200 day American adventure across Canada and the US Read more
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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    1

    Port Renfrew and Juan de Fuca trail

    August 21, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Did the 230km drive from the east coast to the west coast of Vancouver Island.

    Ended up is Port Renfrew and managed to squeeze in 9km of the Juan de Fuca Marine trail. Similar to the Otter in SA.

    Absolutely breathtaking. This and the Wild Pacific Trail is on the bucket list.

    And we will have to come back.

    Vancouver Island is worth the visit and I'm disappointed that my planning only allowed 4 days 😔

    Life 2.0:  “We have such a long way to go.”
                   “Yes, but look how far we’ve come.”

    Tonight, we are sitting on the patio of our cabin in Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We have reached the most western point of our Canadian Traverse. The 7 116km travelled in the “Super Mobile” does not tell the full story - in the past 28 days we have:

    Flown by plane : 21 423km
    Driven by car : 7 116km
    Ferry ride: 114km
    Hiked various trails: 135km
    Train ride : 84km

    Small increments, day by day….

    As from tomorrow we officially start the journey back to Toronto. Another 6 000km plus to go.

    In his book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”, Charlie Mackesy tells the story of love, hope, friendship and the courage of asking for help.

    This resonates deeply at a time when kindness seems out of reach. At some point the boy is discouraged by the distance they still have to travel.

    “We have such a long way to go.” sighed the boy.

    Sometimes, whether in life, a journey or our project, we must just take a moment to reflect.

    “Yes, but look how far we’ve come.” said the horse    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Pro bass store & Whistler

    August 24, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Made our way to Whistler via one of the biggest Pro Bass stores in Vancouver

    3 days in Whistler to look forward to. Decided to do a 3 day stay in a upmarket hotel and embrace Whisler as one of the best upmarket adventure travel destinations in the world.

    https://www.blackcombspringssuites.ca/gallery

    It is a serious Mountain Biking venue... maybe best in the world.

    https://57hours.com/review/whistler-mountain-bi…

    Super Japanese diner at Sushi Village and Sue bought herself a new pair of running shoes.    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    1

    Cowboy hut at Loon Lake

    August 27, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    A farm stay for two days in a Cowboy Hut built in 1942 near Loon Lake. We are close to the only desert in Canada. The area we drove through is very similar to the Northern Cape and the farm a nice mixture of karoo and lake.

    https://abnb.me/DNM2UfgsSsb

    Kevin the owner has worked the farm for 24 years. The farm is surrounded by Queens Land (State land) and its wild. The hut is used by hunters in season and Kevin has the stories and trophies to match (Mountain lions and bears included)... the realities of a working farm in the middle of the wilderness. Two Ridgebacks run around to protect the house and horses.

    Kevin was a great source of info and our success ratio shot up. On 165km of hiking we have see 3 birds. This afternoon alone Roga pointed, bumped and flushed in excess of 10 birds.

    http://www.thebirdblogger.com/ruffed-grouse---k…    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    1

    Kicking Horse Mountain

    August 29, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    First mess up for our trip.

    We booked Roga into a "kennel" and were supposed to white water raft the Kicking Horse River - the Canadian flagship

    Got Roga checked into Rockies Mountain Pet Resort and Spa....... ask no questions.

    http://rockiespetresort.ca/

    After dropping Roga and on our way to the Kicking Horse Mountain Lodge we got the call. Major accident on Highway 1. Highway is closed for 48 hours. Our White Water Rafting is cancelled.

    https://globalnews.ca/news/9090750/highway-1-cl…

    What a mess 🤕

    This morning we decided to make most of it. If we can't go down the mountain let's go up.

    What a nice morning. Took the Gondola up Kicking Horse Mountain, did the hike to the peak and travelled to Fairmont Springs.

    Not what we planned but what a nice day. Our hearts did go out to the drivers and the cattle in the crash 😔    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Fairmont Hot Springs & the Hoodoo trail

    August 30, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We moved south but to the west of the Rockies for two day.

    A bit of a chill before the next 4 days.
    Back to Kicking Horse for the rafting and then a combination of 3 × 20km plus hikes in Banff and Yoho. Canada's ultimate hiking destination.

    Tonight we are a bit nervous, excited and pensive. The next 4 days will be a blur but it will basically wrap up the Rockies.... for now. Next visit is already a draft 😉

    The Airbnb we rented is an absolute beauty. All the amenities, brand new and on Lake Columbia.

    https://abnb.me/WNBqN9qIVsb

    Started the BBQ last night and luckily Roga was on leash. Next minute he is all upset. We had visitors who wanted to join - 3 x Mule Deer.

    Not sure who was most surprised Roga or I.

    We did some small walks today.

    First the Hoodoo hike and then a 6km walk on the train track. Canadian Pacific did come by at some point but the flat walk next to Lake Colombia was just to enticing.    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    1

    Wilcox Ridge Trail

    September 2, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We decided to do the South part of the Icefield Parkway today and ended up doing the Wilcox Pass and Ridge trail. It was on my original list when we did the North part but we ran out of time.

    What a lovely walk with an unexpected view of multiple glaciers at the end.

    Saw some Mountain sheep and spend some time talking to my couch (Roga) about Life 2.0.

    Sue caught the session on camera 😆    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    12

    Iceline, Whaleback and Twin falls

    September 3, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The last of our big Rockies hikes. Again strapped 3 hikes together. Did 30.2km in 8.4 hours. 1.3km in elevation. Roga did 42km. We are done tonight...in a hotel room and will be in bed by 2100.

    The hike was incredible and the photos does not do justice to what we saw. The last 15kms were on the Iceline. Glacier after Glacier, Emerald lake after Emerald lake.

    We left the best for last

    Tomorrow we leave the Rockie😢    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Calgary

    September 6, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We made the trip to Calgary for three days of R&R before the we start the trip to Torono.

    The hotel is a gem. We picked it as it borders a HUGE park and Roga has some space. But the hotel itself has all the amenities plus a gym.

    https://calgaryexecutiveresidency.com/

    Spend some time at the Military Museum. Very nicely done and segmented per Regiment from Alberta. Had a small section on Canada's involvement in the Ango Boer War.

    And then the biggest surprise....

    Our hotel is near a T&T supermarket. Looks like any supermarket from the outside but everything is from the far east and so is 99% of the customers. It was like going through a teleporter to Shanghai

    We have been eating the most exotic dishes for 2 day. It's an absolute roller-coaster with food from Korea, Japan, Vietnam etc etc

    We have already googled and found the Toronto branch🤭

    https://www.tntsupermarket.com/eng/    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Across the border into the USA

    September 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Life 2.0: “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

    It is day 45 of the Canadian Traverse and we have travelled almost 11 000 km’s since we left Montreal in the east. We hiked Canada's western border - the Pacific Rim, and we are now travelling back to Toronto. Once you leave the Rockies the vast prairies await. We enjoined driving through Saskatchewan and Alberta on our way West, but do we want to see it again?

    To the south the United States was lurking. The road to Toronto via Chicago was a bit shorter, cheaper fuel prices, faster highways, and a new adventure. The two humans in the pack were relaxed - our US visas were valid, but the third member of the pack was stressed. Roga has all his vaccines and international papers, but will the US border watchmen allow him in?

    Why the stress?

    Any border crossing comes with a risk - The US homeland security is well known for flagging individuals and even revoking Visa’s. You have to get it right.

    Should we take the chance?

    You could feel the tension in the 300km journey that started 0630 from Calgary. We have checked, rechecked, packed, repacked and again rechecked. The next minute we are in the queue at the border post and there is no turning back….

    Twenty minutes later we are driving down the US highway. All our stress forgotten and Roga has entered the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our planning, paperwork and hard work paid off.

    Should we take these chances?

    It all depends on the effort and work you put in upfront. Erwin Rommel, the famous Desert Fox, knows more about the art of taking a chance than most:

    “A risk is a chance you take; if it fails you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible."

    We started this morning at 0630 in Calgary with our quest to get over the border into the USA. This is important for two reasons

    1. For Roga to hunt Pheasant with me in Nov
    2. Our plans post Nov

    The plan was to use today as a test and get an understanding of what we miss for an actual crossing.

    All good and we entered the USA just after 1100... a big relief. The nicest guys at the border post. Had a long chat and they helped us to cross the t's

    We then started the trek across Montana

    Harsh country....

    803km and 11 hours of driving 🤦‍♂️

    Tonight we are on Glasgow 2500km to go.    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Minneapolis

    September 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I had my day at the Military Museum in Calgary. Today was Sue's turn for art.

    Roga and I had to solve some logistical problems while Sue was at the Minneapolis Institute for Art. Roga has to get his vaccines by an USA Vet to enable free passage going forward, the Super Mobile after 12 000km needed its 2nd oil change and we had to plan the last stretch to Toronto. Unbelievably how small logistics can consume a day in a foreign country.

    The hotel I booked us into is also not good. Sue summed it up when she saw the room and said: "This room is mean" 🤣
    Our first real accomodation disappointment after 45 days of travelling. Some of the overnight places were basic but still clean and the hosts friendly.

     Looking at the 1st photo I can also see the fast food in the States has replaced the hard work in the Rockies.

    No more supersizes as from tomorrow morning    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    Chicago

    September 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Difficult driving yesterday. What was supposed to be a 6hour trip changed into a 9 hour slog. 5 hours of rain and 3 accidents.

    Today we did a day trip into Chicago. A friendly and beautiful city.... but still a city.

    This morning I did a quick 6km hike with Roga in See Wee Kee park. What a nice walk but park borders some private property. They clearly had some issues with trespassing.    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    The Armory in Napoleon

    September 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    We are close to the end of our Canadian Traverse and have decided to spice it up... again...😉

    1. One night at an Armory

    https://abnb.me/5ZT495Ksitb

    2. One night in an RV on a farm

    https://abnb.me/rJnwcGDsitb

    3. One night in a "Resort Style Basement Retreat"

    https://abnb.me/BW6Nf9isitb

    The Armory was an unexpected delight and I wish we could have left it for last.

    The little (6000 inhabitants) town of Napoleon is well looked after and has a nice small town feel. People were friendly and we had an all American dinner at Spenglers. A pub that was started in 1892.

    We slept in the Armory. This is where the local army was trained in the 1800's. The building was supposed to be demolished. Julie and her partner bought it and converted it into a wedding venue and Airbnb but kept a lot of the old fittings etc.

    Tomorrow we are in a RV on a farm 😉    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler

    RV farmstay

    September 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Last night in the USA....for now.

    Initially we deliberated about a RV vs SUV & Airbnb for the trip. We have also traveled through so many small towns and have seen so many of the smallholdings. This was an oppertunity to experience both....

    You have to spend a day on a smallholding and sleep in a RV to appreciate.....

    Done and ✔️ the box.

    Tomorrow we go back into Canada    Read more

  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyTraveler
    1121

    Top 20 Photos

    September 17, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Life 2.0: "Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."

    We are back in Toronto and the Canadian Traverse is complete. The distance we travelled by car is further than the flight from Johannesburg to Montreal and the hikes would have almost taken us from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein.

    The corporate world created a myth that the only success in life is success at work. If you want to be happy, you only had to have a well-paying job so that you could buy things, send your children to private schools, and have a pension plan. Jobs fill our pockets as per the Jaime Lyn Beatty quote.

    This is important but some of us will agree that a successful life isn’t just about these things.

    I am still amazed at how deep this indoctrination was engraved into my subconscious thinking. We humans need something more to be happy. We need to fulfil our desires to explore, to experience and most importantly to grow. It always fascinated me how crystal clear my thinking was at the office, post an adventure. Only to be clouded by the corporate noise after a week or two.

    Making the decision to seek adventure and feed your soul is not always easy. From pushing your body to extremes, to traveling somewhere new, adventure can and does take many forms.

    Anthony Bourdain who travelled more than most understands this quest:

    “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”    Read more

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