HAPPY NEW YEAR

Drive to Charlottetown December 30th 2012

SO... just to assure you that it's not just the Doctor that has his share of Mis Adventures, here's a case in point.

I haven't seen much of Holly, my eldest, these past several years.  She signed up for an architecture course at Dalhousie University nearly 4 years ago.

After her first two degree years, she has been completing a Master's.

View of our valley from the front deck.

In this time, she has rented her digs in Calgary and lived in Halifax, Germany and China.  Traveling to many European country's and beyond.  Ever the travel bug.

Anyway, even though we now live in the Martimes, its been difficult with her workload to spend any time with her, especially quality time.

Well you can imagine my joy that she has arranged a few days before the beginning of the final semester to stop by on the Island to visit.

Looking West

Yesterday, the 30th... during the blizzard that stopped New England and blanketed Ontario and Quebec with howling winds and dumps of snow, we are on our way to Charlottetown to pick her up at arrivals.  Wasn't the worst driving conditions I've had but ranks in the upper 20%  (see pic above)

Charlottetown 'X' is crowded, two of the three gates buzzing with excitement.   

Having checked flights online prior to our 57km drive in blowing and drifting snow, I see that her flight is showing "on time" 

Pretty soon its been changed to delayed, and just when that changes to "arrived"...  I hear over the PA system that West Jet flight 486... is on its way back to T.O.*

Seems while descending to land, the pilots decided that given the icy runway and cross winds gusting to 50 plus mph, it would be imprudent to attempt a landing.  After making a couple of circuits of the field, they hightailed it back to, you guessed it... Toronto!

Pretty or what!!!

Here it is Sunday, the final day of the year, and the kid is stuck at the Marriot in Toronto hopefully catching up on her missed sleep and some homework.  Her flight this morning was 'cancelled' and obviously nothing today.  Hopefully tomorrow she'll make it here and actually land.

Nice sunny day today... fitting for the end of 2012.

T.O.  The center of the known universe.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!  MAY YOUR DREAMS AND WISHES COME TRUE and you don't take your resolutions too seriously :)

The Garage

 

I was determined to make some space in the garage before the new year.  Snow again both days after Christmas, not great amounts but enough to have to clear the cars and move them.  This is always an issue with wet snow and freezing rain welding the wipers to the windshield. 



Snag was... I needed to clear off a bunch of stuff laying all over the garage floor since our arrival and the subsequent truck load that showed up from Wawa in early December.  For months the garage has been a storage bin.



After clearing the decks again, a quick sixth gear pace up and down the driveway, I was as ready as I'll ever be to tackling the garage.    



A couple of weeks ago, I installed a kitchen counter-top for a work bench and some heavy shelving to hold assorted tools, boxes and lumber. 

 

By 6 o'clock I was ready to call it a day, pretty much beat from this lingering cold and the physical labor of shoveling and dragging lumber around. 



Still lots to do but at least, the Blazer and PT are now inside, cozy as bugs in a rug!



More later...

Snow White...

Sorry... there ain't no dwarfs in this story.  It's nearly 11 PM local time and the white stuff has been coming down for several hours now.  With enough of a full moonbeam making it through the cloud cover, I reckon about 6 " so far, and no let up in sight.  Considering all the news about airport closures and road restrictions in New England and upper Canada, its not surprising.

Reminds me of living on the Island previously.  Only a day or two after a first 'Green' Christmas, we got a pretty good dump.  The outside thermometer at my back door is reading about minus 2-3C, but there is a wee bit of a breeze blowing.  Me thinks the new Cub Cadet will be working in the morning. 

I did a little bit of math in my head a week or two ago and calculated about 3000 square feet of driveway to clear.  Considering the blower blows about 26"... it's gonna take awhile. 

At least I don't have a J O B to go to and no particular schedule, shouldn't be a problem, except all three of us have colds.  Jury is still out on 'who gave it to whom' it may have to go to the Supreme court to decide, not to worry, it won't be a stressful day. 

Had a pretty decent Christmas, other than being sick.  Pretty low key, the home grown tree worked out well, and we kept the gifts to a minimum.  This whole 'commercialized' season just drives me... aren't we missing the point?

Anyway, going to head off to bed, see what the morning brings.

Ciao for now.

WELL it's Boxing day (where did that come from?) the day after "THE BIG FEAST" for many, leftover
 turkey for the next three days...

 

This was our first Christmas in the new home, and given the fact that all three of us were sick with colds or flu's, it was downright low key.  No turkey this year, although I did one for Thanksgiving back in the fall.  Most of the girls closest to me are vegetarians, so not much omnivorous activity at our house. 




Me, I like my turkey or steak or grilled chicken salad or bacon and eggs (in moderation of course)  I'll be baking a ham this afternoon for our big dinner.  





Reminds me of the time my Mother and Father would come visit us in them old days.  She would bring ten pounds of bacon as a gift.  Do you know how long it takes to eat that?

Winter drives on snow packed highways, tight corners, occasional snow slides blocking the road for hours.

 


I remember fondly my second home in Penticton.  My room downstairs with the quirky bathroom my father had installed.  All just memories now...

The house at 186 Phoenix Avenue (ironic as it turned out) now housing some other family. My dad past away long ago in 1989, just as the BERLIN Wall was coming down, my mother having a stroke the week after my heart surgery, dying in 2008... my last ride with her before she was laid to rest in the family plot next to her husband and parents and brother. 

Every year I remember my life.  Every year I shake my head just a little more, what a ride its been... 




Stay tuned...

December 25, 2012

WELL... yup, it's hard to believe, Christmas has rolled around once again.  Where does the time jet to... ?

TO all, I wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, and all the Best for a HAPPY and Healthy NEW YEAR too.

Balmy

Last weekend

JUST last week we had three days of snowfall.  Not much mind you but certainly enough to get people in the Christmas mood.

Today at 4 15 pm

LAST evening and throughout the night, it rained steady.  By 1 AM, the temperature had climbed above zero C.  Today, as we were out selecting a suitable tree from our yard, the sun shone and it was positively warm out.  In fact even now as I write this, it's still showing 10 C on my backyard, shaded thermometer.

Pretty amazing for December 22.

Saturday...

OH WHAT A DAY... 

Remember when you were a kid, Saturday's were for playing baseball or soccer, donning skates for a friendly game around the outdoor rink at 35 below, watching what else... Saturday morning cartoons of Bugs Bunny and the gang.

 

When I was a little older, I gave up hockey (couldn't afford the eyeglasses) and took up MotoX in the summer and ice racing during the winter.

 

Older yet, a day for doing a loop around the Kananaski's highway or the Smith Dorrien trail.



Older yet, cutting the grass, shoveling snow, oil changes on the bike or car, the occasional BBQ.

Driving to Penticton to visit, or over to Moncton for a little 'shopping.'



Yup, Saturday's are a great day.  Still businesslike but laid back. 

Unlike Sunday, which to us was typically 'family day' on Saturday's you could do all those things you missed during the week while slaving away at some j o b!



I would visit with friends or hop on a bike and ride to family in another city or province. 

If it were up to me, there would be fewer Mondays and Fridays, and more Saturdays!

Today, there is some fresh snow coming down in big flakes.  I'm going out shortly to push off the driveway before it piles up too much.

No skating for me but I was scouring the ads for a small snowmobile or ATV.  Something the girls could use around the yard or hood, and perhaps I can double up with a little light duty work, hauling some sand from the pit down below, maybe clearing brush, perhaps even installing a snow blade like in the old days. 

I've worked on my own for most of my life.  At those times I worked for someone else and didn't have Saturday's off, I hated it.

So... what are you doing on your Saturday?  Are you working for 'the man' or spending the day catching up at your office, or doing some overtime at the plant?

Maybe you're on the road for a little Christmas shopping, maybe you're on the road to Baja or Arizona for the winter.

Maybe like me, your just contemplating what to do...

With that said, I'm on my way out there to push some snow and frost my cheeks.

SINCE our first Island snowfall, the other day, it's been pleasantly sunny and even bearably warm.  I remember winters here that were devilishly cold and brutal, and others where Christmas was green and you had a hard time finding snow enough to ride your "Ski-doo!" 

Yup in fact one year there was so much snow, I'd take a Yamaha from my home in St Eleanor's to my shop in Miscouche!  It wasn't until I returned home to Hately Crescent that I realized I'd ridden over a car completely buried on the street, with only the last 3 inches of the antenna visible next to my ski tip!

I think that is the year Rob and I rode Bravo trappers to Toronto!

Old Man winter!

YESTERDAY was a bright sunny, relatively warm day.  The three of us walked all the way to Rte 104, known locally as the Irishtown Road, Anna of course walked on the opposite side of us.  Can't be seen to associate with the parents... uh uh!
 
Once at the corner, she headed to her friend Anwyn's place about 1.5 km south, while Bren and I turned in the other direction to my old friend from Freedom Cycle days, Nevin Murray.

We spent a couple of hours visiting with Nev and Donna, before we arranged for Anna to meet us back at the intersection.  Course, that didn't happen!

Mom and I ended up walking all the way to Anwyn's place and then all the way home.  I would say at least 7-8 km in total.  While on the narrow road, Mike Smith happened by and asked if we needed a lift, but being game, we politely declined.

Today, as you can see, we had a mini blizzard!  About 4 inches of the heavy wet stuff came down and it was an opportunity to try out the new blower I'd brought with me from Calgary.  Not bad, but clearing that massive driveway will be a challenge if we get a foot or more!



Brenda and I had stopped for a chat with Ms. Mo, next door, only to get a call from Queen Elizabeth elementary school in Kensington.  Mrs. Murphy informed us that school would be let out two hours early "on account of the blizzard"

Sure enough the kid was home early.  It was decided (of course I have little input in these matters) to drive over to buddy's place and pick her up for a little snow action over here.  It was coming down pretty good by this time and seeing as the Blz was in 4W/HI, we went off roading, riding around my grass track, the girls alternately giggling (as young girls are wont to do) and shrieking when they couldn't see over the hood going down or up the steeper sections.

FUN stuff!


Anyway, it's dark, the shovels are put away and the blower is back in the lair.  Tomorrow is supposed to be 8 ish, so much of this will melt, but it is a taste of winter for certain.  

I still have the garage to sort, build shelves and put up racks, and of course... my work bench.  If I can do that in the next couple of weeks, at least two cars can lodge inside during the winter.

FLASHBACK... Baja California 1

Craters of the moon!

AFTER a slight detour into Okotoks to fix a sticking brake caliper, the rest of the drive south was rather uneventful.

Anyone having done I 15 south from Alberta knows that until you reach the Bitter root mountains south of Great Falls, the road can be desolate and boring.

Once driving through the range, following the Missouri river and on into Idaho over the Monida Pass, things become far more interesting and actually very scenic.

Sunrise first day.

THE Santa Anna winds picked up as I drove across Utah into Nevada and especially in California.  I took care to park whenever possible facing south, with the sole intention of keeping my door from being ripped out of my hands and off the hinges.  There were reports that winds were reaching gusts of 100 mph across the Mojave.

My fuel mileage suffered tremendously averaging less than 10 mpg and sometimes only half that.

I waste little time to get out and ride

BY the time I reached SO Cal, things eased up somewhat and once into Baja proper, it was once again bearable.  Tijuana is a huge, sprawling metropolis, most famous for cheap booze, underground tunnels into the US and crime.  I never linger in TJ, preferring on most occasions to cross inland at the Tecate crossing.

Ensenada is a pretty port city, the northern terminus of many cruise lines, and a sometimes Universal Studios set.  The Visa free tourist zone runs from Ensenada across Baja Norte to San Felipe, at least on paper, you'll need an entry visa to continue south of here.

Brit couple traveling the world.

I stay south on the trans Peninsular Highway number 1.  Driving through small towns bisected via the major route, its a whole 'nother world out there.

Detour for gas and you are on dirt roads, choked with dust during the warmer months.  Traffic can be intimidating with vehicles driving along side the road and across your path at odd angles.  Cars, buses and trucks abound in the Norte but once you head inland, fewer vehicles will be found.

Typical Baja track

ALMOST always I stop around Cativina, where massive house sized boulders are favorites for climbers and explorers.  There is a very good if little used trailer/RV park right in town on the West side.  Fuel stops can be dicey, so I always keep the tanks full and Jerry cans besides.

As you cross the 'border' into Baja Sur, chances are your papers (and Visa) will be asked for and you will be required to have a 'soak' from a spray tank on someones back to 'detox' the underside of your vehicle.  I'm sure the fine mist is only an excuse to collect a few pesos!

Dry riverbed, but water is just below the surface

THIS trip, the crossing agent, told me I couldn't bring apples that were in my fridge across with me, but after helping himself to a Canadian Macintosh, he let me keep the rest.

Military checkpoints are far less numerous than my first forays south, mostly quick and efficient after a few questions.  Rarely have I been detained longer than minutes.  The road surface is generally good, but shoulders are typically non existent and you have to be careful not to drop a wheel over the side.

You meet all kinds, three French girls and an American

I reached Playa Los Cocos late night after a very long trip fighting the wind and road.  Fortunately the moon was out and I pulled off to the side of the beach and sacked out for the remainder of the night.

It wasn't till the following morning that I set up my camp at palapa number 8, where I would spend the next 7 weeks.

Mooning

I love this part of North America!

It is still vast, sparse and somehow, magical to me.  Since the first time I rode the length of the peninsula, I have returned over a dozen times. 

Now that I live on the east coast of Canada, I'm not sure when I will be next there, but perhaps, on one of my Phoenix trips, I can make the journey across the border once again.

Palapa numero Ocho

IN the mornings, the gentle and warm water of Bahia Conception laps the sand within feet of my rig.  I am at the south end of the Bay, famous for it's seclusion, yet within yards of the highway, and accessible to many great beaches. If there was a stable source of fresh water and power supplied, this place would be full of luxury hotels.

As it is, between Mulege to the north and Loreto to the south, aside from a few fishing camps and ejidos, there is virtually nothing but sand sea and sun!

The Cortez

THE attraction to me is the warmth, the seclusion and the friendly natives, including the regulars that have been coming here for years.  Harold and Judy, Ron and Marilyn and my sister and her husband.

Then of course there is the riding!

Riding the myriad of back trails and roads can be thrilling, peaceful and never dull.  Its a welcome change from the forested Rockies of western Canada and the tight off road regulations of my former home in Alberta.

Chores don't stay at home

AS I settle in for my fall visit, chores don't stop.

Trips into Mulege for groceries, dealing with beach vendors, prepping the bike, scoping out the next ride.  There is always something to do.  Maybe a paddle around to the next cove at Escondido or Santispec, or over to Berthes for lunch.  With power only supplied by your own generator or battery, I spend many a lazy hour catching up on my writing or reading.  Berthe's or Ann's will gladly exchange pocket books.

If you've ever wanted to live on the beach or trade  some of your overtime for down time... Baja is a definite must see destination.