Lakes District, northern England

June 10

I am not sure if I have explained that we are travelling with Wayne, Shon’s cousin from Vernon, and his wife, Nancy.  Great travel companions!

Our drive from York to Keswick in our Volvo SUV was a rainy one.  We stopped in Richmond, a historic town in the northeast corner of the Yorkshire Dales.  We loved the castle ruins above the town but were not so happy with the parking ticket we received.  (Update:  We emailed the town council to say the parking signs for the 'free' parking were not clear for tourists and they agreed to waive our 25 pound - about $50 - fine.)

The town of Richmond from the castle tower

Richmond castle ruins from castle tower

Wow!  The Lakes District is incredibly gorgeous!  We are staying in an old stone building that has been made into different ‘flats’ – a perfect place as we make our own breakfasts and dinners here and eat out at lunch.  

Our Volvo and our 'cottage' building

Our first day here, we took a ‘launch’ (beautiful old wooden boat) across  Derwentwater  and hiked Cat Bells, a mild hike up a 1482’ summit.  I say ‘mild’ because here in the Lakes, everyone comes to ‘walk the fells’, the hills around here.  Cat Bells is one of the easiest fell walks but, to us, it was a challenge!  Nancy and I quit before the summit but it was still a good workout for us!    Once we were down, it was still quite a walk to the return launch so lunch was very late in Keswick – and boy, did it taste good!!

Nancy on Cats Bell looking down to Derwentwater (lake) where we started.

Shon, Wayne and Nancy - not at the summit yet!

Day 2, we explored south and southeast of Keswick – walked into Aira Force (force means waterfall in local dialect) by Ullswater Lake then had lunch in Windermere, had a walk by a river near the north top of Windermere Lake (mere means lake) and ate gingerbread from Sarah Nelson’s shop in Grasmere.  Sarah developed the recipe in the mid 1800s and the shop has been selling the same recipe’s treat ever since – yummy and VERY gingery!  All the towns/villages around here are delightful – full of stone homes and churches and pubs!  While driving from Ullswater to Windermere, we passed over the 1500’ Kirkstone summit on a single lane (but two way traffic) road lined with stone walls – stunning views and hairy driving but Shon was a great chauffeur. 

Aira Force (waterfall) by Ullswater (lake)

 Today, Day 3 here, we set off in pouring rain, to see Hadrian’s Wall, built by the Romans as the outer limits of their empire – they controlled all of England but not Scotland.  Luckily, the rain stopped soon after we left Keswick.   To get to the wall, we took a secondary highway that wound up and over the Pennine Range, a climb of 1900’.   Today, it was Wayne’s turn to navigate narrow, winding roads.  To our amazement, a cyclist almost beat us to the top (we had a photo stop) and another, almost our age, wasn’t far behind!  Also, we passed a covered wagon pulled by a horse (like a gypsy caravan)and it, too, arrived at the summit café – horse and driver both running up the hills!  We think these wagons are itinerant salesmen, not Romas, judging from the writing on them. There are highway signs occasionally alerting us to the possibility of coming across a horse and buggy around the next corner.  Incredibly expansive views of tundra-like surroundings from the top of the Pennines. 

Hadrian’s Wall with walls of Roman Housesteads Fort in foreground

Aerial shot of Housestead Roman Fort showing excavated parts - officers' quarters and central administration buildings in the middle; barracks in top right; communal latrines in bottom right.  More barracks would have been down the left side and lower right.

School class learning about life as a Roman soldier

Housesteads Fort, along Hadrian’s Wall, is a National Trust site, with the remnants of a Roman fort – stone foundations show where the buildings were and a film tells about daily life at the fort.  Very interesting.  The wall itself was a surprise as it is not even as high as a person – how could it keep people out?  It was situated on a ridge, though, so the Romans would have been able to see intruders arriving in the distance.  Next stop was Carlisle, a larger city near the Scottish border which has been attacked many times in history as the border was often under dispute.  We didn’t tour its castle but did enjoy its cathedral.

Other impressions of northern England – sparsely populated by humans but many, many sheep in paddocks.  The paddocks are all surrounded by low stone fences, some amazingly far up on the hillsides.  We even had sheep for company on our hike up Cat Bells.  Woodpigeons, larger than city pigeons, coo all around the area while bunnies run wild throughout the property where we are staying – I watched 11 young ones scurry down one hole tonight on my evening walk around the farm!  Wayne and Shon are doing a great job of driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road.

bunny by our cottage

In summary, we all fully understand why English people love to come to this area for their holidays – to trek, relax or learn about their country’s history.  Five days is not going to be enough to fully explore the Lakes District but we are doing our best!

London

London

We are loving our visit to London – our feet are not so sure!    Weather has been good to us so far but this morning, we awoke to rain so it will be a soggy day.  So far, the highlight has been a live performance of the hit play, The Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (you younger folk may have to google their music).  What energy and so many great songs!!! 

Cartwright Gardens.  Our studio hotel was located in this row of buildings.  Some of the row is private apartments; others are rental suites and small hotels.

We are very happy with our accommodation, close to the tube but a quiet, clean location with its own kitchenette for our breakfasts.  We travel mostly by underground (the Tube) – so easy to get anywhere.  Yesterday, we toured St. Paul’s Cathedral and climbed the 520 steps inside the dome to the top and wandered the streets of the City of London itself (not Westminster where all the famous places are located).  Much of the city was bombed in WWII so there are many new buildings with interesting architecture, mixed in with old (often restored) churches and small lanes. 

And old church with The Shard, London's tallest building, behind it.

Day 1 we went back to the British Museum to see galleries we hadn’t seen in 2003 – soooo much to see in that building!!  Also browsed antique market stalls in Covent Gardens and got lost walking near Trafalgar Square – so easy with 7 or 8 streets leaving the square to choose the wrong one.  No streets in London are on a grid so it is tough to ‘go around the block’.  Oh, well, when you get disoriented, you see places you might have missed.  We also listened in on a lunch time organ concert in a church – a good way to rest the weary feet!

Off to see the world – more another time!

Another time - we are now in Swindon at Shon's cousin's on June 13.  We are currently experiencing a thunderstorm at 10 at night. 
Back to London - we actually saw the queen as she was transported, in her ornate carriage with a large horse guard entourage, to open the session of parliament.   Even for us non-royal watchers, it was exciting!

Part of the procession and security for the Queen's trip from Buckingham Palace to the Parliament buildings

The Queen and Prince Phillip in their new carriage, a gift from Australia.

Leaving May31

We are gearing up for a British holiday then a cruise through the Baltic Sea to St. Petersberg, Russia. 

Family photos, 2012

Chris and Shon at a Blue Jays game

Michelle and Ben at Lake Louise

Dr. Megan and her parents at UBC grad.

Jamie and Derek, left. Colin and Derek, below

Ixtapa, Mexico 

The kids in Disneyland

A great time with Kynnan!

Neko, 4, by Kal Lake, Vernon

Kynnan's soccer

Kynnan, Grade 4 

Colin, 5, and Derek, 18 months

Just had to add these last two which I just received today - Dec 19th, 2012.  Too cute!

We're Home!!

We are back once again in sunny, beautiful Vernon.  We have a far greater appreciation for the beauty, the vastness and the friendliness of Canada and the United States but there is no place like home.  We arrived home on Wednesday night, two days earlier than planned - more about that later.

heading to the Rockies, first snow of our trip

We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Megan in Calgary in spite of winter creeping up on us that day.  We started with a brisk walk up Nose Hill to view Calgary from above and ended up getting soaked when the rains came.  Next stop was a warming lunch at a 50s-style diner - good food!  We then headed downtown and walked the windy, chilly streets to the Glenbow Museum and Art Gallery for an interesting look at Fairies and Monsters (art) and the history of Calgary and area.  After an even chillier and windier walk back to the truck, Megan invited us back to her place for dinner and the evening.  Yup, a good day in Calgary.

Emerald Lake

Natural Bridge

Late afternoon on the Rogers Pass

We awoke Wednesday morning to snow on the ground, just a skiff but enough to tell us it was time to get home as our trailer is not winterized.  After morning coffee in Banff and a beautiful stop at Emerald Lake and the Natural Bridge in Yoho Nat'l Park, we thought we would stop for a final night at the Canyon Hot Springs near Revelstoke.  A great idea for our final night on the road but, alas, it was closed for the season.  Instead, we had mediocre Chinese food in Revelstoke then drove home.

A huge thank you to all of you who hosted us for a night or two or ten this summer.  It was great to connect and re-connect with family and friends, to meet new family members and make new friends.  And that concludes our epic trip across Canada.  One hundred eleven days and 21,500 km later, we are home!

In Calgary

Now in Calgary on a windy, sunny fall day - wet snow forecast for tomorrow night. Not what we want to hear until we are home!  Will "play' with Megan, Chris' girlfriend, tomorrow and leave for home on Wednesday, taking a couple of days to get there so home on Friday.  Can't believe our adventure is almost over but happy that we will be having dinner at Lisa's on Saturday.  Can't wait to see everyone!!!!!  Kynnan, Neko and Colin, get those hugging arms ready!

Grasslands and Cypress Hills

The last couple of days have been wonderful.  We love the wide open spaces and the many shades of yellow and brown on the fall prairies!   Yesterday, we drove the eco tour road in Grasslands National Park, a wonderful treat that we really enjoyed.  The tour is on a gravel road and has pullouts with plaques pointing out the salient points about the local environment.  Our first stop was a prairie dog town. As we pulled up, the dogs were barking (more like a cheep in their high voices) as a coyote trotted across their town.  Upon closer look, we also noticed a badger sniffing at the entrances to the dogs’ front doors.  Badgers and coyotes are both major predators of the dogs.  We enjoyed a stroll through the town – some of the little guys scrambled into their holes as we approached, some barked (flipping their black-tipped tails with each bark); others just watched us warily as we passed.  Through the binoculars, I watched the badger sniff at prairie dog holes, lie down and dig until he could throw dust over himself, roll over, get up and shake himself off and trot off again, bowlegged.  The coyote disappeared across the prairie.  In the distance, we could see bison ambling along.  A herd was re-introduced to this area a number of years ago and is doing well.  We saw only 6 of the 150 or so in the park.  Our subsequent stops were not as exciting but still interesting – we saw many meadowlarks and horned larks scattering from the sides of the road as we drove, startled a couple of groups of sharp-tailed grouse, heard the wind whistling across the prairie plateau, walked among a circle of stones used to hold down plains Indians tepees (tipis) on a bluff high above the valley, viewed the Frenchman River meandering through a valley below us, walked along the river after descending from the plateau and wondered how the original settlers chose their particular ranchland from such a vast land!!!!  We felt privileged to watch a male bison giving himself a dust bath.  We couldn’t answer the question on the info plaque as to whether the Indians erected their tipis on the edge of the plateau so the wind would keep the insects away or so they could see animals to hunt in the valley below.  This area has to be experienced to be appreciated – words don’t do it justice and photos cannot capture the immensity of the area.  We loved it!!

bison on the prairie

black-tailed prairie dog

 

And now we are in Cypress Hills Inter-Provincial Park, another area that has to be seen to be appreciated.  Many areas are closed due to fire hazard and many of the attractions are closed for the season but it is still worth visiting.  We are camped on the western edge of the park in the beautiful resort (summer cottages, ski cabins in winter) town of Elkwater on Elkwater Lake.  We drove into the park from here and enjoyed fall colours such as you would see around Merritt in the fall but with the added attraction of incredible vistas overlooking the prairies for miles and miles in every direction.  Back at our campground, we enjoyed a late afternoon walk on a very crisp sunny fall day and watched deer browsing, a badger seeking ground squirrels on the local soccer pitch, and  wild turkeys running through the campsites near us.  We have also seen pronghorn antelope along the highways lately.  Life may seem dull when we get home!!

badger on the soccer field

view from Reesor Rd outlook, Cypress Hills Park

Thanksgiving dinner???

From here, we will drive to Calgary and spend a day or so visiting Chris’ girlfriend Megan then head into the Rockies and home via the Rogers Pass.  The temperatures will dictate our pace as we need to avoid snow and cold.  We will be home in a week or so and both of us have mixed feelings about the end of our adventure.  I am sure it will feel good to be home but we have enjoyed the travel and the trailer seems like home to us now.