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UBC viewpoint, The Last AGM?, Diamond Head, Rockies Photo Shoot,
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The Last AGM?
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Diamond Head
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Rockies Photo Shoot
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Prince Rupert, Metlakatla, and Hartley Bay
My friend Chris Cooper has made a number of trips down the coast of B.C. in very large canoes and has been able to visit quite a number of first nations villages along the way. While doing so he has gotten acquainted with some of the people from these villages and has developed a growing understanding and appreciation for them. It has been at least in part because of this that Chris has started to put the wheels in motion to create a self published book of the B.C. coast and the first nations people who live there. In early 2009 Chris asked me if I would be interested in going to Prince Rupert with him to take pictures for this book. ....... click here for lots of pictures of Hartley Bay and the other places we visited. |
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Lynn and I flew to Berlin in mid June to start a month long trip through parts of central Europe. We didn't start out the year planning for another trip, as we went to Italy for a month last year, but with the death of two friends over the last year, along with the death of my father, we decided we should do things when we could. So with the help of our local travel agent to arrange the flights and the Internet and my retirement time to make it possible for me to arrange all of the hotel bookings, we took off. We visited seven cities: Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich. Each were very worthwhile in different ways. Berlin's turbulent and rich history was fascinating to get a sense of, and it was a privilege to walk through the streets of Prague as it hadn't been bombed during the second world was, so unlike some European cities, all of the buildings were original. Krakow gave us a taste of another rich culture and wonderful old city and not far out of town, one of the most infamous places on earth: Auschwitz. Another long train ride took us to Budapest which was a very large city with a long history. It was unlucky to have supported the Nazis during WWII, then the back luck to have been "liberated" by the Russians. Like the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, it had not tasted freedom until 1989 when the USSR fell apart. Budapest was great. Wonderful people, food, and sights. A three hour train ride took us to Vienna. The House of Hapsburg ruled over Austria for over six hundred years! With that kind of longevity, and accompanying power and wealth, theHofburg palace complex is an incredible collection of riches gathered over many years from far and wide. Then there is the opera house, ... the list of worthwhile sights goes on. And the beer! A short train ride takes you to Salzburg on the Salzach river. Salzburg used to be on the salt transportation route, but now it seems that its wealth comes from tourist pockets. Don't get me wrong. It's well worth visiting. It's a beautiful town in a beautiful location if it's a nice day. We arrived by train on a dreary rainy day, and the town didn't seem that attractive, but when we woke up the next day, the sun was shining and we had an absolutely great day touring a town packed with interesting sights, not the least of which was Mozart's home. And the beer garden! Our last stop was Munich. As with all of the cities we visited on this trip, I knew enough about them that I knew they were worthwhile to visit, but I had not built up great expectations. I think because of that, I enjoyed the places more. Munich was no exception. Although it was bombed all to hell during WWII, the older part of town has been rebuilt to look much like it did before the war. Our walking tour of Munich was very interesting and entertaining, and our tour of Dachau, well, how do you put that into words? How do you describe a gas chamber and ovens where thousands of humans were murdered and turned to ash? Suffice it to say that there was more than once all I could do was not cry. Germany is evidently doing a very good job of trying to educate its citizens about what happened during the third reich and to try to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I have been lucky to have visited western Europe a number of times. I have visited various parts of western Europe in 1974, 1975, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, and now in 2009. This trip had a different flavour as both the land and its people have had a different history. I feel extremely fortunate to have made this trip. Did I mention how good the beer was? :-)
- For more images from our trip, go to my flickr site, click on the "Europe" collection, and view away. |
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Ken and Anna kindly invited the McCaffertys and Rajalas up to the cabin on Sheridan Lake at the end of July and we had a great time relaxing. Needless to say we had good drinks and food, and oh yes, a little exercise. :-) |
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We had talked in the spring of another bicycle tour somewhere and we finally decided to do our favourite ride - the Jasper to Lake Louise to Jasper ride. So Ken Willis, Dave Dixon, Chuck McCafferty, and I drove up to Jasper and then realized it was a long holiday weekend and all the campsites were full. We were directed out of town about fifteen kilometers east of Jasper to the overflow campground. Oh yes, on the way to Jasper we went through one of the heaviest downpours and hailstorms I have ever witnessed. And the weather forecast was for unsettled weather. Needless to say it didn't take long for us to decided to make it a supported ride. We would take my CRV along. :-) The ride to the Jonas Creek campground was great. The weather was warm and dry, and the scenery was wonderful.The next day's early morning ride up to the ice field center was typically stimulating - cold and clear with the hill climb just as steep as it always was. :-) Breakfast at the icefield center has taken on a decidedly oriental flavor. Unless you can get into the actual restaurant you have to use the cafeteria. Don't get me wrong, the food is good if not expensive, but you won't find bacon and eggs on the menu.(a picture of Mt. Kitchener taken from the base of the Wilcox Pass hill.) (a picture of the Sunwapta River taken just south of the Jonas Creek campsite. ) The run down to Saskatchewan Crossing is always enjoyable as it is almost all down hill, with gentle rolling sections thrown in for good measure. We had reservations at The Crossing and enjoyed the pub meal and the ice cream at the store. The weather forecast was not good. Rain, low temperatures, and wind were in the forecast. (a picture at the ice field center from our 1998 ride) The next morning we got up at 6:00 am to look outside. What we saw was a very low ceiling. Bow Summit was likely in the clouds. Temperatures had dropped and rain looked very likely. It didn't take long to attach all the bikes to the CRV and drive back to Sunwapta Falls for a nice breakfast. :-) The trip was abbreviated but I for one was glad we did as much as we did for it got us together and we had our usual good time together.
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Greendrop and Lindeman Lake
I had been thinking about this hike for some time as I thought it would be enjoyable and quite easy, so Alan Lizee, Paula Panek, and I headed off in mid August for Lindeman and Greendrop Lakes. It was another dry summer season and campfires had been banned for some time but it made you shake your head to see some people still thinking about making campfires on the shores of Lindeman Lake. The trail to Lindeman is just under an hour long and it is steepish but the trail is good. The trail beyond to Greendrop is just plain rocky. I found in my out of shape state that it took quite a bit of extra effort just because the trail was so rocky. When we got to Greendrop Lake, I found it a bit underwhelming. It's nice, but it is just another small mountain lake without any distinctive or impressive mountain backrop. Lindeman is more picturesque. It has the towers north of Flora Peak as a backdrop and the colour of the lake is very attractive. If people would only clean up after themselves at the campsites!
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Lanny's 60th Birthday
Julie and friends put on a surprise 60th birthday party for Lanny and a number of the Lobsters were able to be there for it. Now Lanny is not an official Lobster, but I'm sure if he lived down in the Fraser Valley he would have been. He has made quite a name for himself in growing high quality grape plants, being on the first board of directors for the VQA, recently creating is own winery and garnering awards for that, and perhaps most importantly, having a wonderful family. It was nice to be part of the birthday celebrations.
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Canadian Rockies Hiking and Photography
In September of 2008 Ken and I had spent a week in Lake Louise hiking and doing photography. It was wonderful. The weather had been good and to have the time to do as one wanted in the Canadian Rockies was a luxury to be appreciated and if possible, repeated. So it was in September 2009 the newly retired Chuck McCafferty joined Ken and I in a repeat of last September. As it turned out, Chuck and I met Ken at Lake Louise giving us the option of doing different things as we had two cars. One of the first things we did was to drive up the Icefield Parkway and do the hike into Lake Helen. It was a fine day and the views were very rewarding. It was surprising to meet so many tourists from other countries even on the trails. Then again, perhaps it is not surprising considering the draw that nature provides. Chuck and I went up to Lake Louise for sunrise, and we also spent part of a day doing photography along the shores of Moraine Lake. After a few days, we moved camp up to Sunwapta Pass near the Icefield Center. We spent part of a day doing photography along Parker Ridge and were disappointed about not being able to get into Wilcox Pass due to blasting on the north end of the trail that goes through the pass. We moved on to Jasper planning to go up to Mt. Edith Cavell to do some photography only to find out that the road up there was closed off for road repair! With that and the good days we had under our belt, we decided to drive to the cabin at Sheridan Lake, enjoy a nearby pub, and then drive home. A great time with great friends and worthy of repeating next September!
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Photography and Hiking in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona
We were all retired, two of our wives were working, we could stand one another's company, we enjoyed hiking and photography, and most importantly we like the same liquid refreshments. :-) So off we went in the CRV on a road trip to explore the wonders of various places like Indian Tunnel and the views from Inferno Cone in Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, the Brianhead Ski Resort where we spent a week in a timeshare, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon where Ken and Chuck did the rim to rim, the natural wonders around Page Arizona, Monument Valley, and Arches National Park. Well somebody had to do it!
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