Amarillo by morning....Wednesday
What a great song...food ol George Straight. I've noticed that alot of country songs about the rodeo...the life described is very similar to that of aviation....I mean you have to replace a few words here and there...but it fits...having nothing...having it...the dream, cost you everything, girlfriends, family, health...long days...I love country music...I expect to catch a bunch of flack for that statement!
So G'day....I'm in Thunder Bay....it was funny, I dropped off a resume at a place called Wiskair....they have a tv there showing pics....and what do I see on there is some pics of Chinooks 206 GNC...turns out one of the low time drivers did his training there..so the gal that showed me around actually knew some of the same people I did...small world. We looked around the hangar and an engineer there.....we shook hands and he says...you look familiar....lol so we said where we worked and figured it was prob back in the Manitoba days...and he knew some of the same people I did....super small world.
So recap of the last few days. The last post was written monday before I met up with Joel. So I met up with him and his gf...we went for a drive around his neck of the woods, got some beverages for the night and went back to his place and made dinner. We had dinner, took the dog for a walk, drank and bs'd and watched a recorded UFC and crashed out. It was great to see him again...it's been a while.
I wanted to get up at 6 and get on the road...but the hangover had other ideas. We got up round 7, Joel made a yummy breaky and I was on the road for 8ish bound for Thunder Bay.
The weather round that area...Port Sydney was cold and snowy so the driving was not great. The Deli performed great as usual. The further north I went the better the weather got...there was a few kinda melty spots but once I hit Sudbury it was clear till later on in the evening.
I made a stop in Salut St Marie to drop off a res and have a meet and greet. It was with Ont Ministry of Natural Resources...nice guy...we had a great chat...talked about how it works with them...he gave me the number of a guy in Wawa...so I gave him a call and later on when I passed Wawa, I found the hangar and dropped off the res in a truck that was left open for me!
Went thru some windy and snowy sections after the but nothing to crazy. I made it to a town called Terrace Bay...it was 1200 by this time, I had been on the move for 16 hrs...with 230km to go...I was done. So I looked for a place to plug in to no avail, so I let the van run all night. It was -14 with the wind chill it was -21...if I shut the van down no way it was starting in the morning. So I shut off everything, hoped in the back and had a great warm sleep!
Woke up this morning and started up to here.....Thunder Bay.
So I grabbed a coffee...I don't need any food...I've still got tons left from what Uncle Geoff and Nicoletta loaded me up with in TO.
So the plan is right now, Winnipeg area tonight...like 8 hrs...nothing crazy...dump out 3 resumes tomorrow then make tracks for Calgary on Thursday. Friday morning sump out 2 more then Kelowna bound. These are realistic goals. I should be home Friday night. Then leave prob Monday for Calgary to hang with Morgan for a day, then zoo lights, the xmas extravaganza, then my Bday, then home to White Rock.
Ok....well that about covers it for now.....to recap, I love country music, the helicopter world is a small one and I've got lots of km's left but I'll be in my own bed Friday night :)
Cheers everyone.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Monday beginning of the last week
Well....once again I don't know when this will get up bit here is the fri, sat, Sunday update.
From my last post I was in the mall....more or less just wandered around Montreal till I met up with Steph later that night. We went to the Engineer pub....well it was a basement in a building in McGill! It was a great time! A bunch of first and second year kids, randomness, guys missing shirts, some drinking games, lab coats.....and 1.50$ Mooseheads!!!!! I had a few of those!
I met a couple of Steph's friends...one dude...I can't remember his name....but a cool dude!he ended up having with us the rest of the night....and he was impressed at the rate I consumed cheap beer!
We hung there for a bit then move back to the dorm, running half cut thru the cold Montreal streets trying not to get hit by cars! There was a floor Christmas party...well we get there and it was kinda quiet....prob about 10 people there just sitting and bs'ing....was actually kinda fun.
Then all of a sudden it was late....time for Pita pit! It's the go to place out there....because it's the only place that's open! We all hammered down some tasty late night fare and went back to the room and proceeded to crash out. I got up @ 6ish and was on the go by 630.....thank you Steph for letting me crash there....it was a great time!
so now it's Saturday and I'm on my way to Ottawa to check it out. From what some people have told me there is not much There except parliament....not so much...it's a beautiful town that I wish I would have budgeted more time for. I did randomly find the aviation museum and went for a looksee. Not quite the Smithsonian but refreshingly Canadian. I saw a some Canadian aviation history. I saw the first beaver....and what remains of the AVRO Arrow.....sad...I got the story of the nose section that survived total demolition. It was 'borrowed' by a teacher for metallurgic research....because at the time this was the most advanced aircraft ever with some exotic materials....so he borrowed it...and never returned it to the scrap yard. In the pictures you can see where it had been blow torched off of the rest of the plane....with a sharpie marker line that says....cut here. Sad.
I also took a tour of their storage/display/restoration hangar...had some neat stuff there. The guy who took us on the tour had great historical knowledge, but lacked technical knowledge. So him and the group asked some questions that I had long answers for lol! He said the museum could use a person with my knowledge base working there lol!
So after that off to the parliament buildings......at this point in the trip I'm giving priority and time to family and friends...parliament and Niagara falls will still be there for my next trip....so I drove by took some pics...very beautiful place....felt very Canadian at that point.
Inbound to Toronto, well Pickering to see my Uncle Geoff and his family whom I have not seen in 4+ years. His 2 sons were there for the weekend so my timing was great!
Alot has changed in that time, Sebastian and Liam have grown tremendously and turned into cool little dudes. And his little girl Bella....wow....she's 4 going on 14! She is just hilarious...a little personality that is full of life and energy. Wow! They are going to have problems with here later on! Lol!
So being the cousin they never see I was the object of alot of attention! Love it, we played Halo, NHL 2K8...we built forts, I drank wine when I had the chance, was a great night. After the kiddie went night I got to hang out with Geoff and Nicoletta abit until we fell asleep lol!
Sunday morning brought a typical wake up with Sebastian and Liam attacking me in my sleep! Lol! So I proceeded to get up and continue the beatings from the night previous! Lol!!! They loved that I could chuck them around! It was a pile of fun! Nicoletta and Geoff made a great breaky that evaporated quickly! Then Sebastian and I went ousted to play some street hockey...great times! Liam joined us later....then the snow started to fall.....and kept falling! Then all of us were playin hockey in a blizzard! Geoff had Bella on his team...she was not a god team mate....she would take a shot and then try to catch snow flakes on her tongue!
After that......we went to the back years to make a snow slide off the deck....we moved alot snow to make this! It went from the top of the deck down the stairs....and after it was packed down...it work not bad! No one took any mega spills on the plastic snowboard! Bella even went down on a sled! Then dinner, more video games and then the boys had to go back to their moms house...so we said good by....I'm gonna miss them.
Bella shows me her moated collection of Cars stuff....the movie Cars....wow...then it was story time for her and Nicoletta so Geoff and I went and sat downstairs and had a good chat...a long overdue chat. It was great to reconnect with him.
We all moved downstairs to watch some tv before bed...and we all fell asleep....3 kids will do that to ya lol!
Now it's Monday morning...shower, chuck everything in my suit case....Nicoletta makes me breaky and they give me a box, 2 soft coolers, and a ziploc bag of road food! Wow.....I'm not going to need to stop for food at all!
I'd like to thank Geoff and Nicoletta for everything. It was great to see everyone again...I just wish I ha more time...and I will make more time in the future. It was truly amazing to be out there and see you guys....thank you for everything.
So next stop is a friend of mine in Muskoka then the long....cold trek home....I have grossly underestimated the size of Ontario tho....there are some long cold days ahead...I'll be lucky to hit Kelowna by Friday...Saturday morning is prob more realistic.
Well that's the update for now. I have to pee...so I'm gonna go do that!
G'day everyone.
Well....once again I don't know when this will get up bit here is the fri, sat, Sunday update.
From my last post I was in the mall....more or less just wandered around Montreal till I met up with Steph later that night. We went to the Engineer pub....well it was a basement in a building in McGill! It was a great time! A bunch of first and second year kids, randomness, guys missing shirts, some drinking games, lab coats.....and 1.50$ Mooseheads!!!!! I had a few of those!
I met a couple of Steph's friends...one dude...I can't remember his name....but a cool dude!he ended up having with us the rest of the night....and he was impressed at the rate I consumed cheap beer!
We hung there for a bit then move back to the dorm, running half cut thru the cold Montreal streets trying not to get hit by cars! There was a floor Christmas party...well we get there and it was kinda quiet....prob about 10 people there just sitting and bs'ing....was actually kinda fun.
Then all of a sudden it was late....time for Pita pit! It's the go to place out there....because it's the only place that's open! We all hammered down some tasty late night fare and went back to the room and proceeded to crash out. I got up @ 6ish and was on the go by 630.....thank you Steph for letting me crash there....it was a great time!
so now it's Saturday and I'm on my way to Ottawa to check it out. From what some people have told me there is not much There except parliament....not so much...it's a beautiful town that I wish I would have budgeted more time for. I did randomly find the aviation museum and went for a looksee. Not quite the Smithsonian but refreshingly Canadian. I saw a some Canadian aviation history. I saw the first beaver....and what remains of the AVRO Arrow.....sad...I got the story of the nose section that survived total demolition. It was 'borrowed' by a teacher for metallurgic research....because at the time this was the most advanced aircraft ever with some exotic materials....so he borrowed it...and never returned it to the scrap yard. In the pictures you can see where it had been blow torched off of the rest of the plane....with a sharpie marker line that says....cut here. Sad.
I also took a tour of their storage/display/restoration hangar...had some neat stuff there. The guy who took us on the tour had great historical knowledge, but lacked technical knowledge. So him and the group asked some questions that I had long answers for lol! He said the museum could use a person with my knowledge base working there lol!
So after that off to the parliament buildings......at this point in the trip I'm giving priority and time to family and friends...parliament and Niagara falls will still be there for my next trip....so I drove by took some pics...very beautiful place....felt very Canadian at that point.
Inbound to Toronto, well Pickering to see my Uncle Geoff and his family whom I have not seen in 4+ years. His 2 sons were there for the weekend so my timing was great!
Alot has changed in that time, Sebastian and Liam have grown tremendously and turned into cool little dudes. And his little girl Bella....wow....she's 4 going on 14! She is just hilarious...a little personality that is full of life and energy. Wow! They are going to have problems with here later on! Lol!
So being the cousin they never see I was the object of alot of attention! Love it, we played Halo, NHL 2K8...we built forts, I drank wine when I had the chance, was a great night. After the kiddie went night I got to hang out with Geoff and Nicoletta abit until we fell asleep lol!
Sunday morning brought a typical wake up with Sebastian and Liam attacking me in my sleep! Lol! So I proceeded to get up and continue the beatings from the night previous! Lol!!! They loved that I could chuck them around! It was a pile of fun! Nicoletta and Geoff made a great breaky that evaporated quickly! Then Sebastian and I went ousted to play some street hockey...great times! Liam joined us later....then the snow started to fall.....and kept falling! Then all of us were playin hockey in a blizzard! Geoff had Bella on his team...she was not a god team mate....she would take a shot and then try to catch snow flakes on her tongue!
After that......we went to the back years to make a snow slide off the deck....we moved alot snow to make this! It went from the top of the deck down the stairs....and after it was packed down...it work not bad! No one took any mega spills on the plastic snowboard! Bella even went down on a sled! Then dinner, more video games and then the boys had to go back to their moms house...so we said good by....I'm gonna miss them.
Bella shows me her moated collection of Cars stuff....the movie Cars....wow...then it was story time for her and Nicoletta so Geoff and I went and sat downstairs and had a good chat...a long overdue chat. It was great to reconnect with him.
We all moved downstairs to watch some tv before bed...and we all fell asleep....3 kids will do that to ya lol!
Now it's Monday morning...shower, chuck everything in my suit case....Nicoletta makes me breaky and they give me a box, 2 soft coolers, and a ziploc bag of road food! Wow.....I'm not going to need to stop for food at all!
I'd like to thank Geoff and Nicoletta for everything. It was great to see everyone again...I just wish I ha more time...and I will make more time in the future. It was truly amazing to be out there and see you guys....thank you for everything.
So next stop is a friend of mine in Muskoka then the long....cold trek home....I have grossly underestimated the size of Ontario tho....there are some long cold days ahead...I'll be lucky to hit Kelowna by Friday...Saturday morning is prob more realistic.
Well that's the update for now. I have to pee...so I'm gonna go do that!
G'day everyone.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday from the food court
Ok....quick update.
I'm calmed down from my angry post yesterday....a good skate was what I needed. Steph and I had a great skate and some food chats. There was a gal out on the ice who was a figure skater...and good...wow. It's crazy to see someone do all that stuff up close...lots of skill for sure!
Then we went back to the dorm, dropped off our skates and headed for the beer store. We stopped at good ol dollarama and I got some decorations for the van and a few other things....beer and back home. I had a few, Steph had a snooze and then I left to go wonder St Catherine's street. Found a brew house...had a beer and a burger...yummy...took some pics...talked to Jay for well over an hour witch was nice...and then...ya...didn't get back till 130.....now at the dorm there are turn styles...and someone watching the entrance. When I came here I had to give a piece of ID for them to keep while I'm here....I go to try to get in lastnight...and the guy is like...you can't come in without your host coming to get you. Shit. I said, my ID is on file, she is sleeping Cus she has class in the morning, my phone is dead...what do you want me to do...and he just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders....what a dick. So.....I ended up sleeping on a couch in the lobby till Steph came down in the morning. Not the best sleep to say the least.
So we had breaky, the girl went off to class and I went up to the room to have a power nap....but first I in-clogged the tub....I think I got out 4 or 5 Bobby pins, at least 3 plastic razor guards and a large pile of hair....ya....yummy...but it works like a hot dam now!
So here I am in the food court of some mall in dt Montreal...stress level elevated...my trackball is broken on my phone...I pay 7$ a month for a plan where if my phone breaks, I get a new one...but...they mail it to me. I thought that I could go to any bell store and they could just give me a new one...but nope. So I'm fucked for now. I can still make calls but I can't check any of my emails txt or bbm msgs. Sigh...
So I'm going to put on some calming music again, go and check out old Montreal and relax....try and de stress....I'm starting to really worry bout money :(
Anyways...cheers everyone....I'm off to the capital of Canada tomorrow and Toronto tomorrow night.
Greg outp
Ok....quick update.
I'm calmed down from my angry post yesterday....a good skate was what I needed. Steph and I had a great skate and some food chats. There was a gal out on the ice who was a figure skater...and good...wow. It's crazy to see someone do all that stuff up close...lots of skill for sure!
Then we went back to the dorm, dropped off our skates and headed for the beer store. We stopped at good ol dollarama and I got some decorations for the van and a few other things....beer and back home. I had a few, Steph had a snooze and then I left to go wonder St Catherine's street. Found a brew house...had a beer and a burger...yummy...took some pics...talked to Jay for well over an hour witch was nice...and then...ya...didn't get back till 130.....now at the dorm there are turn styles...and someone watching the entrance. When I came here I had to give a piece of ID for them to keep while I'm here....I go to try to get in lastnight...and the guy is like...you can't come in without your host coming to get you. Shit. I said, my ID is on file, she is sleeping Cus she has class in the morning, my phone is dead...what do you want me to do...and he just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders....what a dick. So.....I ended up sleeping on a couch in the lobby till Steph came down in the morning. Not the best sleep to say the least.
So we had breaky, the girl went off to class and I went up to the room to have a power nap....but first I in-clogged the tub....I think I got out 4 or 5 Bobby pins, at least 3 plastic razor guards and a large pile of hair....ya....yummy...but it works like a hot dam now!
So here I am in the food court of some mall in dt Montreal...stress level elevated...my trackball is broken on my phone...I pay 7$ a month for a plan where if my phone breaks, I get a new one...but...they mail it to me. I thought that I could go to any bell store and they could just give me a new one...but nope. So I'm fucked for now. I can still make calls but I can't check any of my emails txt or bbm msgs. Sigh...
So I'm going to put on some calming music again, go and check out old Montreal and relax....try and de stress....I'm starting to really worry bout money :(
Anyways...cheers everyone....I'm off to the capital of Canada tomorrow and Toronto tomorrow night.
Greg outp
Thursday from Montreal
Greetings....I would post this quickly but getting my comp hooked up to the Internet is a challenging task here. Steph....who is good with comps tried last night to no avail....needless to say I don't have a clue!
So after my update in Quebec City yesterday I went and drove for abit and the rain kinda slowed down...so I parked plugged a meter and went for a rambling.
Very cool old city...lots of history as well. Neat old churches...tiny one way streets, lots of tiny bistros, shops, and people that smoke....lots of people smoke out here wow. So I'm just looking at stuff, taking pics...windy as all hell...then the rain starts again...great. I've got my hoodie on...so now wet and cold. But whatever....so I keep looking at stuff...I'm already cold and wet! More neat stuff, then I go into a coffee house, have an espresso and a croissant. Back to the van...was gonna go up the St. Lawrence abit....but by this time is was getting dark and still pissing rain. So I make the call and head for Montreal.
Got here and met up with Steph...found a place to park the van for the night...then off we...Stephe room mate as well...go to het some quick tai food. More or less just bs'd for the night...had a skype chat with auntie Sue...thats a neat thing skype...I'll have to get that working on my comp. Then we crashed out.
Her rez is in an old hotel so she gave up her bed for me and is sleeping in Olivia's bed....thanks Steph :) before I go I need to fix the drain in the tub.....2 girls with long hair and lots of girl products = clogged drain!
So go to move the van this morning to find a spot for it to sleep for a few days and there is a ticket on it. Fuck. Great....go and look at it and it's a ticket for being stopped in a place that I supposedly am not allowed to. Ok....look around...where are the signs...there is one but the arrow on it is pointing the other direction...ok...any time limits...nope...ok...make a call to the parking people and bitch. I want someone to come out and tell me why I have a ticket. Nope...that's not happening...so I took some pics and will mail them in with my notice of dispute. Fuck them....wow that put me in a foul mood. I almost wish it was a parking ticket or something that I was at fault for...Cus then hey...I fucked up, I pay. Done. But in this case, I'm not at fault...there was no signage. So...this is what will most likely happen....I will dispute this....mail it in with pics and such...and they will come up with some bs and I will still have to pay....85$ anyway... That's a good chunk of the running jacket I want......I feel like im going to push my thumbs thru my iPhone right now.
Anyway...found a place to park the van till sat am 20$ for 2 days....cheap for parking downtown.
Fuck me I'm spooled up right now......wooosaaaaa.....wooosaaaaa
I feel my stress level going up right now....and I shouldn't be. I'm in Montreal, the sun is now shining, Steph and I are going for lunch and then a skate...should be a nice day...but all I feel right now is rage. Rage against the parking guy, my fitness level, stuff....I know it's all aggravated by the ticket and that I haven't worked out in forever...I'll put on some calming music...
Ok....nothing I can do about it. I will fight it. And when I'm back in one place for more than a day or two, I will start to run and work out again.....I actually feel sick thinking about my fitness level right now. I had grand plans to run and workout every day but soon learned that that was not a practical idea. I have to look at it like....the net gain of the trip for me was worth the loss of the fitness. I can get it back...I will get it back....the trip was worth it...and necessary.
But anyway.....ok....I'm done venting now. Sorry for that.
Steph and I are going for that lunch and skate I mentioned before I went off on an angry tangent....should be fun!
Ok....everyone have a good day, I miss all :)
Greetings....I would post this quickly but getting my comp hooked up to the Internet is a challenging task here. Steph....who is good with comps tried last night to no avail....needless to say I don't have a clue!
So after my update in Quebec City yesterday I went and drove for abit and the rain kinda slowed down...so I parked plugged a meter and went for a rambling.
Very cool old city...lots of history as well. Neat old churches...tiny one way streets, lots of tiny bistros, shops, and people that smoke....lots of people smoke out here wow. So I'm just looking at stuff, taking pics...windy as all hell...then the rain starts again...great. I've got my hoodie on...so now wet and cold. But whatever....so I keep looking at stuff...I'm already cold and wet! More neat stuff, then I go into a coffee house, have an espresso and a croissant. Back to the van...was gonna go up the St. Lawrence abit....but by this time is was getting dark and still pissing rain. So I make the call and head for Montreal.
Got here and met up with Steph...found a place to park the van for the night...then off we...Stephe room mate as well...go to het some quick tai food. More or less just bs'd for the night...had a skype chat with auntie Sue...thats a neat thing skype...I'll have to get that working on my comp. Then we crashed out.
Her rez is in an old hotel so she gave up her bed for me and is sleeping in Olivia's bed....thanks Steph :) before I go I need to fix the drain in the tub.....2 girls with long hair and lots of girl products = clogged drain!
So go to move the van this morning to find a spot for it to sleep for a few days and there is a ticket on it. Fuck. Great....go and look at it and it's a ticket for being stopped in a place that I supposedly am not allowed to. Ok....look around...where are the signs...there is one but the arrow on it is pointing the other direction...ok...any time limits...nope...ok...make a call to the parking people and bitch. I want someone to come out and tell me why I have a ticket. Nope...that's not happening...so I took some pics and will mail them in with my notice of dispute. Fuck them....wow that put me in a foul mood. I almost wish it was a parking ticket or something that I was at fault for...Cus then hey...I fucked up, I pay. Done. But in this case, I'm not at fault...there was no signage. So...this is what will most likely happen....I will dispute this....mail it in with pics and such...and they will come up with some bs and I will still have to pay....85$ anyway... That's a good chunk of the running jacket I want......I feel like im going to push my thumbs thru my iPhone right now.
Anyway...found a place to park the van till sat am 20$ for 2 days....cheap for parking downtown.
Fuck me I'm spooled up right now......wooosaaaaa.....wooosaaaaa
I feel my stress level going up right now....and I shouldn't be. I'm in Montreal, the sun is now shining, Steph and I are going for lunch and then a skate...should be a nice day...but all I feel right now is rage. Rage against the parking guy, my fitness level, stuff....I know it's all aggravated by the ticket and that I haven't worked out in forever...I'll put on some calming music...
Ok....nothing I can do about it. I will fight it. And when I'm back in one place for more than a day or two, I will start to run and work out again.....I actually feel sick thinking about my fitness level right now. I had grand plans to run and workout every day but soon learned that that was not a practical idea. I have to look at it like....the net gain of the trip for me was worth the loss of the fitness. I can get it back...I will get it back....the trip was worth it...and necessary.
But anyway.....ok....I'm done venting now. Sorry for that.
Steph and I are going for that lunch and skate I mentioned before I went off on an angry tangent....should be fun!
Ok....everyone have a good day, I miss all :)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wed morning......from Quebec City.
Well made it here from PEI...think it was around 950km yesterday.....uneventful drive....other than the rain coming into the city. Navigating around a french city at night in the rain...even with a gps sucks!
I made a stop in Fredericton and tried to get new wiper arms at Can tire...but to no avail...so i lubed them up in the hopes that they will work better...i also got a set of those wing thingys...they work not too bad...
no real stories over the last couple days....just been reflective mostly. Thinking bout the end of the trip, the holiday season, friends and family.....stuff.....work as well.
dunno...not much to say right now.....in a bit of a weird mood right now....think the rain has bummed me out abit. I have been so fortunate with the weather this trip and now the driving cold rain makes it hard to go wonder the city.
Tomorrow im off to Montreal to hang out with Steph for a couple days and prob poison my liver abit.
Updating my pics on fb....ya.....thats all i got for now.
Miss everyone.
Cheers.
Well made it here from PEI...think it was around 950km yesterday.....uneventful drive....other than the rain coming into the city. Navigating around a french city at night in the rain...even with a gps sucks!
I made a stop in Fredericton and tried to get new wiper arms at Can tire...but to no avail...so i lubed them up in the hopes that they will work better...i also got a set of those wing thingys...they work not too bad...
no real stories over the last couple days....just been reflective mostly. Thinking bout the end of the trip, the holiday season, friends and family.....stuff.....work as well.
dunno...not much to say right now.....in a bit of a weird mood right now....think the rain has bummed me out abit. I have been so fortunate with the weather this trip and now the driving cold rain makes it hard to go wonder the city.
Tomorrow im off to Montreal to hang out with Steph for a couple days and prob poison my liver abit.
Updating my pics on fb....ya.....thats all i got for now.
Miss everyone.
Cheers.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, beginning of week 5
Ok.....gday! So...I think I left off before the game last night...basically I sat in BP and watched the game...kind of a boring game with an equally boring half time show....capped off by a stupid decision by Durant to end the game. I was chatting on and off with the waiter bout the game and then the Sunday night NFL game. Then off to find a place to park for the night....looked for a place with plug in's...no dice...so I ended up in the Walmart parking lot...slept like shit.
Woke up to an overcast day, and had to make an emergency visit to the Walmart bathroom....got got situation taken care of...then went to wonder and saw some books...one by Kerry Fraiser...the best NHL ref ever...then this woman and her kid look at some books as well...then we started chatting, island life, Canadian politics, my trip, island dialect, finding one's self, and a bunch of other random stuff! Nice people!.....then got a double double, semi planned the route for the day.
I found the oldest lighthouse on the island, red beaches, dunes, tiny little communities, shitty little back roads....thank you Garmin...I made it to the north end of the island and took some nice pics then started the journey south. I was passing Sommerset but not thru according the gps...I'm like...hell no, made a turn and started down main street and saw a bunch of people lining the streets. I park and ask what's going on...Santa Claus parade! I go and put on my long johns and find a spot.....felt good to see a small town Canadian parade! Cold, snow, people and shitty 'floats' lol! It was great!
Made my way outta town and after a few missed turns...I'm not trusting the gps alot right now...I see a flow on the distance...looks like a fire...I'm thinking a slash fire or something...nope...structure fire....I pull up and park...and it's a shed or something...not as big as a house but bigger than a shed...it was half burnt when I got there. So I leave the van to go get some pics. No one really seemed to care so I just looked like was supposed to be there...this is the key. Anyways, I ask a firefighter what happened...he replied that it was a set burn to get rid of the structure Cus is was too expensive to demo. So they did some training on it and then torched it....good times! Got some pics....need a better cam lol! Headed for Charlottetown witch is where I sit now.
And the bar is closing so I must leave...that's the brief update...so I'm going to find a place to sleep tonight better than the walmart parking lot....tomorrow make tracks for Quebec City...bout 1000km...long day tomorrow.
So have a good one every one....Greg out.
Ok.....gday! So...I think I left off before the game last night...basically I sat in BP and watched the game...kind of a boring game with an equally boring half time show....capped off by a stupid decision by Durant to end the game. I was chatting on and off with the waiter bout the game and then the Sunday night NFL game. Then off to find a place to park for the night....looked for a place with plug in's...no dice...so I ended up in the Walmart parking lot...slept like shit.
Woke up to an overcast day, and had to make an emergency visit to the Walmart bathroom....got got situation taken care of...then went to wonder and saw some books...one by Kerry Fraiser...the best NHL ref ever...then this woman and her kid look at some books as well...then we started chatting, island life, Canadian politics, my trip, island dialect, finding one's self, and a bunch of other random stuff! Nice people!.....then got a double double, semi planned the route for the day.
I found the oldest lighthouse on the island, red beaches, dunes, tiny little communities, shitty little back roads....thank you Garmin...I made it to the north end of the island and took some nice pics then started the journey south. I was passing Sommerset but not thru according the gps...I'm like...hell no, made a turn and started down main street and saw a bunch of people lining the streets. I park and ask what's going on...Santa Claus parade! I go and put on my long johns and find a spot.....felt good to see a small town Canadian parade! Cold, snow, people and shitty 'floats' lol! It was great!
Made my way outta town and after a few missed turns...I'm not trusting the gps alot right now...I see a flow on the distance...looks like a fire...I'm thinking a slash fire or something...nope...structure fire....I pull up and park...and it's a shed or something...not as big as a house but bigger than a shed...it was half burnt when I got there. So I leave the van to go get some pics. No one really seemed to care so I just looked like was supposed to be there...this is the key. Anyways, I ask a firefighter what happened...he replied that it was a set burn to get rid of the structure Cus is was too expensive to demo. So they did some training on it and then torched it....good times! Got some pics....need a better cam lol! Headed for Charlottetown witch is where I sit now.
And the bar is closing so I must leave...that's the brief update...so I'm going to find a place to sleep tonight better than the walmart parking lot....tomorrow make tracks for Quebec City...bout 1000km...long day tomorrow.
So have a good one every one....Greg out.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Grey cup Sunday
Ok...I'm not sure when this will get posted but anyway...last few days have seen alot of sights and alot of kms. I think I left off in a Starbucks in Halifax....
So I left there on my way to Cape Bretton and the Cabot trail. Bit of a rainy gloomy day...took the coastal route to the island...nice drive...NS reminds me of alot of places...in some spots Vancouver island...some Manitoba...it's a neat place! Once I hit the island I pulled over, cracked open a can of chicken....mmmm can of chicken....had a pee and continued down the road the remaining 200km to Sydney. Pull into town....quick cruise to see if there was anything going on.....ya...not much! Luckily enough I found a big mall with a future shop...so I got me another SD card....I've taken over 1100 pics so far...I've got some editing to do lol! And I want to make a slide show with some music....a MacBook pro would sure make that easy.....lol! Anyways....got some DVD's on sale and mall rat'ed it up for a bit...then hit up a BP's I saw on the was in. Had dinner, back into town found a place to crash...watched the end of Red October for the billionth time and crashed.
Woke up in the sun, grabbed a coffee, fueled up and of to the trail.
The first part of the trail gave the Delica suspension quite the work out...busted up shitty uneven roads...but this was for the most part short lived....they did improve nicely. So I came up to this ferry....should have been paying attn I guess! 5$....shit no cash...start ashtray mining and came up with the coin....this ferry was from start to finish.....half the distance or less of the Albion ferry....lots of stuff to see down the road...little towns, boats, piles of lobster traps and lots of old houses. Very cool...then I was coming around this corner and saw a beach with a waterfall...bust a righty.....park...time to go explore.
All this will make more sense once you see the pics...this beach had no sand...it was all rocks...and the sound was amazing! It was so different than a sand beach...think of throwing a big round river rock and it landing on a bunch of other round river rocks...that sound only with every wave, a deeper tone and thousands of them! Made my way to the waterfall and started up to it....fin little climb....had to actually think my way up there...climbing is fun! So I made it to the top.....oh....I took some pics before I went up....I did not have the tripod...but with a careful balancing act of a rock outcrop, another smaller rock to level the camera and the camera itself...you can make shot work lol!
So...at the top...wanted to make my way to the other side Cus I saw a outcrop at the top of the falls I wanted to sit on...after much surveying of the rocks across the stream...I made my way up to the bridge and went across...not as much fun but gets the job done. Traverse my way to where I wanted to be...relaxed for abit, took some pics and started my way back....keeping in mind how not fun it was to use the bridge...I found a way across....looked at it...was gonna be a bit of a sketchy landing...plan B...looked better...bit longer of a jump but more landing options! 1...2...3...well not exactly like that! But I made the jump...but misjudged how far I can actually jump and came up short...a little wet no biggie! More fun than the bridge!
Next stop was Meat Cove....lol! S few pic stops along the way...made it there....not much there...some houses a B&B...but spectacular scenery. Made my way back to the trail and lots of driving and sights. Got some fuel in a little town on the west shore...did some time crunching and figured I could be in Halifax that night easily....I could go see the Mellotones again! Boom done. Took the coastal route to the south end of the island and then burned to Halifax from there. Some snow on the way but nothing major.
Go to my parking spot in Halifax from thursday night...and make my way down to where they played before...the guy I asked where they were playing made it sound like it was forever away.....an aside.......I have come across this a few times on this trip....in Boston I was asking directions to get to the Gardens....I asked a bus driver and he's like 'oh, you gatta take the T man ( subway)' so I asked how far it was to walk...1/2 hour...45 min maybe...I'm like shit that's nothing. Are people afraid of walking or are they just lazy? Man.....So, back to the story...it's now getting late...prob 1030 ish...I'm thinking the band is going on @ 1100...get back to the van and find the address of the place...punch it into the gps and it's like a 4 min drive...jesus...so off I go, find it promptly...but all the parking is on a hill...not good. So I go back to my original spot and haul ass back over there on foot...cut across the Citadel park and over to the place.
Go inside......dead....like dead dead. Are they playing??...they are just not till 1200....sigh...I'll have a Keiths please! Opening band came on...not bad, one of the singer gals had a set of pipes on her...dam! She did a Janis Joplin song and shredded it. Finally the Melotones came on....at the last show I had met the bass players gf in the crowd...and I saw her again at this show...so we had a bs and a dance or two...then went out for a smoke and I engaged wallflower mode. Then...the drunkest gal in the bar comes over and grabs me and asks me why I'm not dancing.....eyes half shut and kinda glassy....that kinda drunk lol! We danced for a bit....well...she moved in random directions at random times and it was my job to keep her upright! Lol smashed! So she keeps talking of this guy she has a crush on who was there who she knows from dodgeball....ya...lol! So I'm like go dance with him...so she asked him and he said no....so she comes back to me and I'm like...I need a beer...so we head to the bar, I get a beer and she want a water... There was a jug of water and cups so I filled up a cup...it was not all the way full...I gave it to her...and she wanted more...there is not more! Then she started whineing...and I all of a sudden had to pee...weird! I do not see her the rest of the night!
Met up with the bass players gf again and she was busting a gut laughing at me and the smashed gal! We danced and sang until the ugly lights came on...stood around and bs'd for a bit and then I departed.
Made my way for late night pizza....all the bars had just closed and the pizza joint was packed! There are 3 pizza joints and one street meat hotdog stand in this one little corner area lol! Just packed...lined up outside! Got my za and got back to the ban where I sat and watched family guy, waited for the van to warm up and laughed my balls off! Then off to bed I go.
Wake up today, cold outside, warm in my sleeping bag lol! Sun is out in full force...bout 4 hours to Charlottetown today...should be a nice drive! Gonna find a place to watch the game and then tomorrow drive around the island and then start making my way to Quebec.....that should be fun....winter mode engage!
So....that's it for now...I'd like to write some more and I prob will later today...bit I don't want to waste too much daylight!
So cheers for now!
Ok...I'm not sure when this will get posted but anyway...last few days have seen alot of sights and alot of kms. I think I left off in a Starbucks in Halifax....
So I left there on my way to Cape Bretton and the Cabot trail. Bit of a rainy gloomy day...took the coastal route to the island...nice drive...NS reminds me of alot of places...in some spots Vancouver island...some Manitoba...it's a neat place! Once I hit the island I pulled over, cracked open a can of chicken....mmmm can of chicken....had a pee and continued down the road the remaining 200km to Sydney. Pull into town....quick cruise to see if there was anything going on.....ya...not much! Luckily enough I found a big mall with a future shop...so I got me another SD card....I've taken over 1100 pics so far...I've got some editing to do lol! And I want to make a slide show with some music....a MacBook pro would sure make that easy.....lol! Anyways....got some DVD's on sale and mall rat'ed it up for a bit...then hit up a BP's I saw on the was in. Had dinner, back into town found a place to crash...watched the end of Red October for the billionth time and crashed.
Woke up in the sun, grabbed a coffee, fueled up and of to the trail.
The first part of the trail gave the Delica suspension quite the work out...busted up shitty uneven roads...but this was for the most part short lived....they did improve nicely. So I came up to this ferry....should have been paying attn I guess! 5$....shit no cash...start ashtray mining and came up with the coin....this ferry was from start to finish.....half the distance or less of the Albion ferry....lots of stuff to see down the road...little towns, boats, piles of lobster traps and lots of old houses. Very cool...then I was coming around this corner and saw a beach with a waterfall...bust a righty.....park...time to go explore.
All this will make more sense once you see the pics...this beach had no sand...it was all rocks...and the sound was amazing! It was so different than a sand beach...think of throwing a big round river rock and it landing on a bunch of other round river rocks...that sound only with every wave, a deeper tone and thousands of them! Made my way to the waterfall and started up to it....fin little climb....had to actually think my way up there...climbing is fun! So I made it to the top.....oh....I took some pics before I went up....I did not have the tripod...but with a careful balancing act of a rock outcrop, another smaller rock to level the camera and the camera itself...you can make shot work lol!
So...at the top...wanted to make my way to the other side Cus I saw a outcrop at the top of the falls I wanted to sit on...after much surveying of the rocks across the stream...I made my way up to the bridge and went across...not as much fun but gets the job done. Traverse my way to where I wanted to be...relaxed for abit, took some pics and started my way back....keeping in mind how not fun it was to use the bridge...I found a way across....looked at it...was gonna be a bit of a sketchy landing...plan B...looked better...bit longer of a jump but more landing options! 1...2...3...well not exactly like that! But I made the jump...but misjudged how far I can actually jump and came up short...a little wet no biggie! More fun than the bridge!
Next stop was Meat Cove....lol! S few pic stops along the way...made it there....not much there...some houses a B&B...but spectacular scenery. Made my way back to the trail and lots of driving and sights. Got some fuel in a little town on the west shore...did some time crunching and figured I could be in Halifax that night easily....I could go see the Mellotones again! Boom done. Took the coastal route to the south end of the island and then burned to Halifax from there. Some snow on the way but nothing major.
Go to my parking spot in Halifax from thursday night...and make my way down to where they played before...the guy I asked where they were playing made it sound like it was forever away.....an aside.......I have come across this a few times on this trip....in Boston I was asking directions to get to the Gardens....I asked a bus driver and he's like 'oh, you gatta take the T man ( subway)' so I asked how far it was to walk...1/2 hour...45 min maybe...I'm like shit that's nothing. Are people afraid of walking or are they just lazy? Man.....So, back to the story...it's now getting late...prob 1030 ish...I'm thinking the band is going on @ 1100...get back to the van and find the address of the place...punch it into the gps and it's like a 4 min drive...jesus...so off I go, find it promptly...but all the parking is on a hill...not good. So I go back to my original spot and haul ass back over there on foot...cut across the Citadel park and over to the place.
Go inside......dead....like dead dead. Are they playing??...they are just not till 1200....sigh...I'll have a Keiths please! Opening band came on...not bad, one of the singer gals had a set of pipes on her...dam! She did a Janis Joplin song and shredded it. Finally the Melotones came on....at the last show I had met the bass players gf in the crowd...and I saw her again at this show...so we had a bs and a dance or two...then went out for a smoke and I engaged wallflower mode. Then...the drunkest gal in the bar comes over and grabs me and asks me why I'm not dancing.....eyes half shut and kinda glassy....that kinda drunk lol! We danced for a bit....well...she moved in random directions at random times and it was my job to keep her upright! Lol smashed! So she keeps talking of this guy she has a crush on who was there who she knows from dodgeball....ya...lol! So I'm like go dance with him...so she asked him and he said no....so she comes back to me and I'm like...I need a beer...so we head to the bar, I get a beer and she want a water... There was a jug of water and cups so I filled up a cup...it was not all the way full...I gave it to her...and she wanted more...there is not more! Then she started whineing...and I all of a sudden had to pee...weird! I do not see her the rest of the night!
Met up with the bass players gf again and she was busting a gut laughing at me and the smashed gal! We danced and sang until the ugly lights came on...stood around and bs'd for a bit and then I departed.
Made my way for late night pizza....all the bars had just closed and the pizza joint was packed! There are 3 pizza joints and one street meat hotdog stand in this one little corner area lol! Just packed...lined up outside! Got my za and got back to the ban where I sat and watched family guy, waited for the van to warm up and laughed my balls off! Then off to bed I go.
Wake up today, cold outside, warm in my sleeping bag lol! Sun is out in full force...bout 4 hours to Charlottetown today...should be a nice drive! Gonna find a place to watch the game and then tomorrow drive around the island and then start making my way to Quebec.....that should be fun....winter mode engage!
So....that's it for now...I'd like to write some more and I prob will later today...bit I don't want to waste too much daylight!
So cheers for now!
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