Happy Canada Day, July 1

Americas very best friend in the World is our neighbor to the north, Canada. We don’t always treat her with the respect due the second largest country in the world. Rich in resources and diverse in cultures, she is held in high reguard everywhere, yet too often ignored by the United States.

Beginning in 1997 we bicycled the lower provinces over three summers, a total of 15,000 kilometers, or perhaps I should write kilometres. We got a feel for the imensity of the country, but mostly we experienced the warmth, hospitality, and fun-loving ways of the people. 

Someday we will do complete page on our Canada travels, but for now, Happy birthday! We love you.

Eddie McMaster at a firehouse Ceikidh

Motorhome Boondock view of Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada

Kluane Lake, Yukon in late August, 2010 from the window of our motorhome. In Yukon Territory, you can pretty much “camp” wherever you can find a flat spot to park. Our Winnebego View is small enough to park just about any place you could park a van, yet has the essentials of any home. We watched the view morph to mellow evening light. We followed animal tracks in the rock and sand beach, and returned “home” to stir fry vegetables and pasta and a glass of wine. Darkness came quickly and we watched night displace day with billions of stars through our skylight. Simple pleasures are best.

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Kettle Valley Rail and Wine Trail

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail isn’t all remote mountain views and trestles; we rode beside grapevines and past winery doors on a section from Penticton to cute little Naramata. I liked Naramata, lovely by the lake, but also because it reminded me of Australian names, many of which end with …ata, sometimes …atta. Homesick for Australian wine country again.

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Kettle Valley Rail Trail

We got on the, still unfinished, Kettle Valley Railway (rail trail) bypassing Kelona and on to Penticton. The Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park is the most spectacular section of the trail, with 18 trestles and two tunnels in an 8.5 kilometer section.

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