Canada: Part 4

After a short hiatus to spend time with family, I picked up my Canadian adventure in Ontario. I crossed the border in Detroit and then drove south to Point Pelee National Park. It is the southernmost point of mainland Canada. I walked through the marsh on the boardwalk (spotting a beautiful painted turtle along the way) and then headed down to the point. Most of the time, there is a long sand spit "point" reaching out into Lake Erie which you can walk on. However, the lake level is unusually high this year, so I had to settle for a walk to the southern "nub" instead.

My next stop was Niagara Falls. I had made a stop at Niagara Falls in 2009 when I was on my USA Road Trip and now I was back. The view from the Canadian side of the Niagara River is more expansive and gave me a fantastic rainbow over Horseshoe Falls on the afternoon I was there.

From Niagara Falls, I headed north around Lake Ontario to Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence River. I decided to splurge and take a ride on Rockport Boat Line to get a closer look at the islands and the unique homes that occupy these islands. The trip included Zavikon Island and Boldt Castle.

Such a beautiful day to be on the water!

That afternoon, I crossed into Quebec. Then, the following day, I headed to La Mauricie National Park. I took a short hike on the Les Cascades trail.

I completed the drive through the park, stopping at a couple viewpoints over Lac Wapizagonke and spending a couple hours at the beach on Lac Edouard.

I continued east along the St. Lawrence River to the Gaspe Peninsula; making my next stop at Forillon National Park. The weather was a little drizzly, but the sights and wildlife were still spectacular. I started in the North Area at Cap Bon-Ami.

Then I drove to the trail for La Chute. The red chair was beckoning.

My time in Forillon National Park ended with a hike in the South Area out to the Cap Gaspe Lighthouse. I was losing light quickly as I made my way back to the trailhead. I was the only one out there and it was very quiet and peaceful. I was able to hear a few whale blows off the cliffs out in the water and even saw one as it came up to breathe. Then suddenly, I saw something big cross the trail up ahead. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but as I slowly approached, I saw what I thought I had seen... a moose! A very large moose at that. I stood at a distance for quite some time, watching him eat from the plants lining the trail. It was getting darker and I had to move closer in order to see him, but when I did, he must have heard me (or saw me or smelled me) and so disappeared in the trees. Super cool!

The next day, I finished my time in Quebec by driving along the southern edge of the Gaspe Peninsula.

I stopped at a strawberry farm where I bought a 1.5L bucket of strawberries to enjoy. SO delicious! There was no way I could finish them all myself, so I did the most logical thing... I picked up a couple hitchhikers to help me. Good conversation, checked another item off my bucket list, and emptied the strawberry bucket; I call that a success :)

I said goodbye to Quebec and Ontario for the time being. I was ready to experience the Atlantic provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.

Click here to see more photos of my Canadian Road Trip.

Canada: Part 3

There was a lot of driving and not much sightseeing while I was following the USWNT around Canada. However, since the quarterfinal and semifinal games were played so close to each other, I had an extra day in the Ottawa area. I spent much of my time on Parliament Hill in Canada's capital city.

I also crossed the Ottawa River into Quebec to explore Gatineau Park.

The World Cup final was in Vancouver and I got a chance to see more of the city and its surrounding area this time. After picking up Niki from the airport, we headed straight for Granville Island.

We also spent some time in Stanley Park

and Lynn Canyon Park.

The next morning we walked through Chinatown and the Sun Yat Sen Chinese Garden.

She also wanted to check out the downtown Vancouver Public Library. The architecture made for some good photography.

The afternoon was focused on the World Cup final and the pandemonium that surrounded it. To read more about that experience check out my post entitled "World Champions".

With the World Cup over (but never forgotten), it was time to see more of what Canada had to offer. The Canadian Rockies were next on the list. Niki and I took off on the long drive from Vancouver to Golden, BC. We made a few stops at turnouts along the way.

In addition, we drove up the Meadow in the Sky Parkway in Mount Revelstoke National Park.

The next day started in Yoho National Park with Wapta Falls, Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake, and Takakkaw Falls.

It ended in Banff National Park with a stroll through the town of Banff and hiking in Johnston Canyon.

Day 2 in Banff National Park was all about the lakes. Moraine Lake in the morning.

Lake Louise in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to go on a pretty hefty hike up to Little Beehive and the Lake Agnes teahouse. Then, coming down at the far end of the lake so I could walk along the length of the lake shore.

Next, we drove up Icefields Parkway. It's a pretty spectacular drive filled with lakes, glaciers, and waterfalls.

The drive ends in Jasper National Park. We made a pit stop in the town of Jasper and with no concrete plans for the afternoon we followed the recommendation of the waitress to go to the beach at Edith Lake. I took a quick dip in the refreshing (AKA colder than desired) water.

Unfortunately, there was a forest fire that had just started very near to our location, so that ended our day in Jasper National Park.

The Canadian Rockies were just as the books described. There was beauty in every direction!

Click here to see more photos of my Canadian Road Trip.