The West, in Pictures

Painted Canyon, in the badlands of North Dakota

We would have hiked the one-mile trail into the canyon,
but time demanded we press forward to get to our hotel...

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep."
--Robert Frost



Above: a bald eagle watches the highway from a dead tree near Browning, Montana.
Right: Cattle wander across the highway at the entrance of Montana's Going to the Sun Highway.



(This is the kind of sunset that cowboys are supposed to ride into.)

Guess how Hot it is Here?

Tuesday, Day 21

While we were measuring, the temperature reached a peak of 43 C (110 F) !
That's the highest any of us here Canucks has ever seen.

No really--guess:
25 Celcius?
Higher.
30?
Higher.
40?
That's more like it...

When I saw "severe heat warning" on the lobby television at our hotel in Minnesota this morning, I thought it would be an isolated thing. But we're in North Dakota now, and it turns out I was wrong!

Otherwise today we just dro-o-ove along, watching the oaken woods of Minnesota...

...Change into the sunflowered prairies of North Dakota.

"If My Lips Moved to Duluth..."

Monday, Day 20

Today my brother and I are getting behind the wheel for the first time on highways that are measured in miles instead of kilometres! We entered the USA again last night, crossing the International Bridge outlined in blue and red lights over the black waters of Sault Ste. Marie.

The clear waters of Lake Superior are perfect
for rock skipping contests.
Dad wins every time.

I actually forgot we were in the US this morning, until I saw “American Standard” on the hotel sink faucets and encountered sausage and gravy at the breakfast again. :) But here we are, back in town, taking turns driving on the maple-bushed highways of the Upper Peninsula between Lakes Michigan and Superior.



From History: the Upper Peninsula was actually given to Michigan as a consolation prize after the Toledo War, fought between Michigan and Ohio. Michigan gave up the city of Toledo, but became its own state and got the Peninsula. While then considered to be a worthless wasteland, the Upper Peninsula—rich in copper deposits and lakes scenery—is now esteemed to be a national natural gem.
 

"If my lips moved to Duluth, left a mess and took my tooth that'd be too bad. I'd be so sad."   

--Larry the Cucumber

                      




(This is Duluth, Minnesota)

On the Road Again...

Sunday, Day 19

8:30 PM

Driving here is the best kind of driving there is. I had the chance to navigate about 180 km of Canadian Shield highway today, steering the family van across what Mom calls the “Ribbon of Road” that winds and undulates its way along the east end of Lake Superior.

These forested hills, lake-filled valleys and red granite rock cuts form a driver’s paradise as it is. That low sunlight reaching across the landscape certainly doesn’t take away from the scenery either.

 

While my brother drives along this next stretch of highway, I'll take the opportunity to catch up on writing what’s been happening…

Ontario: The Great Outdoors

 

Sunny slabs of pink granite, tangles of tree roots and clear water singing over the river rocks makes for an invigorating combination. I find this out every time we visit this local waterfall, used by many as a natural waterpark. I just want to say that waterfalls make excellent foot spas.

Paddler's Paradise:
these narrow channels,
floating grass mats and
playgrounds of sunken forest
were developed by a couple
of industrious rodents.
The kind that build
exquisite houses and dams...

Wild Blackberries
found near the pond

Wild Wintergreen Mint
grows on the esker on the property where we're staying

 

These scenes are from hiking the esker, a long, narrow ridge of deposited gravel. Access to the esker trail involves an intriguing trek across a boardwalk that transects a giant fen!For more on the Lochlin Esker, or to find out how to see it for yourself, please visit http://lochlinesker.com/.

Haliburton

Friday, Day 17
9:10 PM
Written in Timmins, Ont.,
after spending the week in Haliburton.



Haliburton, its highlands and its lake, as seen from lookout at Skyline Park

 

We just spent seven days beautiful days near Haliburton, Ont., a small town set in hilly cottage country. You know you live in a nice place if its main industry is tourism: your backyard is everyone else's vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where`s Waldo?
Hint: try looking above one of the wheels.

 

A restored train parked in town has been a favourite climbing haunt for my brother and me for as long as I can remember. This time we figured out how to climb into the underbelly of the engine...

A strange new world opened up before us, forming a veritable jungle gym of crisscrossing bars, bolts and platforms. It made for a sort of spelunking experience which would not have been appreciated by the particularly claustrophobic. But we had fun.

Another amazing thing about this country is the canoeing. These scenes are from a river we paddled that extends from the lake right in town.

Falling Star Night

Sunday, Day 12
Acreage near Haliburton, Ontario

The moon had already risen low over the pine trees when I, my brother and (with some convincing) my dad got up to watch a scheduled meteorite shower. With city lights miles away, the stars apparently felt that it the area above us was a safe place to hold a huge gathering. I hadn't known that you could fit so many stars in one place!

As we watched, seeing one slip from its place every so often and trail fire across the sky, the conversation went something like this...

In Toledo: What Dad Calls 'Adventure'

Friday, Day 10

Written from McDonalds in Orillia, Ontario
8:55 PM Eastern Time

 I just made my dad's elbow bleed, but I really didn't mean to. We pulled over here so that he could nap after our looong day on the road, but when I went back to the van to get this laptop he jumped awake and sustained minor injuries. Sorry, Dad.

The Golden Arches are once again maple leaf-studded

 

But now that I have my laptop, I should probably get talking about what happened today...

Evacuated from the Twilight Zone

The Creation Museum is a wonderful place during the day. Carefully designed, multimedia exhibits reveal what happens when the church and culture abandon the Bible, challenging Christians to holdfast to God’s unchanging word over what anybody else says. The scenes you encounter grow more and more exquisite as you walk through the displays, with waterfalls, life-scale depictions and even interactive animatronic characters around every bend.

 

 

But in the dark, with the displays dimmed and the screens paused, with recorded voices echoing and with alarm lights flashing, you can imagine that the museum experience grows considerably different. How would I know? Heh, heh.

Kissing Camels in Kentucky

Wednesday, Day 8

Camel hair leaves a terrible aftertaste.

 

I wouldn't know this--although I might have guessed it--except we met an incredibly amicable dromedary at the Creation Museum today. The curly-bearded beasty came right over to our group and let us pet it like a horse. Mom insisted I kiss it (a few trips ago I started a collection of such photo opps, including kissing a 10-foot boa, a baby alligator and a small sea turtle. As to why, I haven't the slightest.) but kept missing it on camera. Hence: aftertaste. Nevertheless, meeting a camel up-close--and having it knock my hat off--was definitely a highlight of my trip.

But to start at the beginning...

As we crossed the Ohio river into Kentucky, the brown water, the tall, vine-covered trees and the misty, forested hills gave me a definite "jungle" impression. Or maybe I just spent too long at the Rainforest Café a couple days ago.

Airborne: my brother`s favourite part of the day was the 3 hour zipline tour

 After we arrived at the museum, to our utter amazement we discovered friends of ours, also vacationing in the US, had picked the very same destination and visiting dates!

 

Three States Later...

Tuesday, Day 7

Farmland scenery in Wisconsin,
made of gently rolling hills and scattered forests

 

If we were to close our eyes right now, I’m sure we would still see an illusion of glowing white highway stripes zipping past us. Now don’t get me wrong—I like long days on the road, personally. And this is no exception: we left Minnesota just after 6:00 AM this morning, rolled our way across the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, and now are still on the highway at the time of this writing: 9:16 PM, Indiana. (Our crossing another time zone accounts for one of those hours. Various stops at box stores, gas stations and cheese factories accounts for a couple more.)

 

 

Over the course of the day we watched the scenery change
from the undulating landscape of Wisconsin...

Indiana so far seems fairly flat. Like Alberta, only with more trees. Above, the wide gray sky, hanging low over the cornfields, is growing darker and darker. The glow of my laptop has become the brightest light source in sight, save for the fluorescent road signs beside us and the taillights of the semis ahead. But dark though it may be, we still have another 20 minutes to go before reaching our hotel!

 

...To the perfectly horizontal horizons of Indiana

Well, we’re almost at Indianapolis now, and this screen is becoming blindingly bright. So I better pack up. Thanks for travelling with us! Good night for now; we’ll see you bright and early for the trek into Kentucky tomorrow. ;)

 

Sunset in the Twin Cities

Tuesday, Day 7

 

When we first pulled into Minneapolis after days on the road, I admit that I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself for three whole days in one place. But my brother and I were saying this morning as we walked a lap around the block under the sunrise how we we’re going to be sorry to leave this place. It’s been a full weekend!

 Before we go—we’ve got to be out of here by 6:00AM—let me share with you these cities we’ve just begun to know: the Twin Cities, as we saw them.