Prince of Whales N. Heritage Ctr
Only in Canada (and the North!) would an integral part of the building be a place to dock your canoe!

Exhibit Halls
One of the exhibits depicted a project taken on by G'wichin Women to re-learn the art of traditional sewing techniques.

Traditional Dress
Hunting clothes made from cariboo hides and adorned with dyed porcupine quills. Amazing detail!!

Traditional Dress (G'wichin)


G'wichin Sewing Project Exhibit


Mining Equipment
These pieces would have been from Yellowknife's Days of Gold... now it is all about the Diamonds!

Gallery of the Mindight Sun
The largest of Yellowknife's many art galleries featuring native and local art and crafts.

Lois Lane
The actress who played Super Man's on again/off again love interest in the movies was born in where, Yellowknife!

Log Cabin - Old Town


Bullock's Bistro!
A Yellowknife Institution. The Arctic Char and Whitefish is reknowned. As is the "when it's ready" service...:).

Pilot's Monument
A view of the New Town Skyline from pilot's monument - a tribute to local bush pilots/rich Northern aviation history.

View from Pilot's Monument II
Great Slave Lake is seen here. The monument is a top a hill which features 360 degree views.

View from Pilot's Monument III
Another arm of Great Slave Lake! It is huge!!!

Float Plane Base
Air Tindi is one of Yellowknife's largest float plane operators. Float/Bush Plane is a frequent mode of travel in NWT.

Still A Top at the Monument
c'mon, it was a great view!

Wild Cat Cafe - the Original
There is a repro in the Canadian Museum of Civ. This is the real deal... a bush pilot and local fav!

Lunch Time!
Old Town Landing... outdoor deck, delicious salad, and a great view. One of many pleasant surprises in YK!

My Berth/Roomette
What you see is what you get folks... That is the total sqaure footage. But a bed, sink, and toilet fits in here! Cool!!

And away we go...
On the outskirts of Vancouver.

Sharing the Rails...
A CN freight train passes by on another set of tracks.

Sharing the Rails II
It was a long train! :).

And it Begins!
I was smiling the whole time... as the scenery started to take shape.

Fraser River


Crossing the Fraser


Meadows and Rolling Hills


Sun Starting to Set...


Landscape I
Beautiful!

Landscape II


Landscape III


Landscape IV


Only Seen By Rails...
The only way to see a lot of what one sees on this journey is by rail!

Enter the Rockies
My first shot that really captures the distinctive shape and size of the rocky mountains.

Dense Forest
The forest grows right up to the tracks.

Countryside
Never a dull moment on Leg 1.

Towns Whisk By...


Jasper
The train stops in Jasper for 20 minutes or so before heading on to Edmonton.

Rail Yards


View of the train...
Taken from the Dome Car, this shot was trying to give you a sense of the size of the train.

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DSC002610024.JPG 2007-06-20

Rolling Foothills beyond Jasper
The landscape started to flatten...

Green Hillsides
Everything looked so lush...

Rolling Hills
But then it started to climb...

Rockies I


Rockies II


Rockies III


Rockies IV


Foothills
Soon we were no longer in the snowcaps... but making our way through foothills en route to Edmonton.

Rocky Landscape


Lakes and Foothills
Beautiful!

Leaving the Mountains Behind
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Pulp and Paper Mill


Corridors
Narrow Corridors of the Double and Triple Rooms

Roomette
Another view...

Bullet Lounge
One of the three lounges in the Dome Car. Check out the fresh flowers... VIA goes all out on the Canadian.

Train from the Dome
View of the train from the Dome as we rounded a bend.

Whistler Mountain
Hidden by what look like menacing clouds... but I swear it is there!

View from Whistler Cay


Ski Runs/Mountainside


Ski Runs
Skiing is KING here in Whistler. Up above the clouds, they were still skiing on the glaciers (it is late June!)

Welcome To Whistler!


Nestled in the Mountains


Creeks and Waterfalls
A lot of creeks and waterfalls run through the Village and surrounding area. Some natural, some helped out by humans.

Whistler Village
Quite modern... but still not bad little place to hang your hat!!

Another Shot of the Village
Quite pretty and the place is bustling both in Winter and Summer.

Leaving Vancouver Behind...
The Ryndam hits full speed...

Coastal Mountains


Vancouver Island


Island shots...


Tree-lined Passage Walls
So interesting to watch the landscape change from trees, to rock/moss, to ice!

First day of Cruising


Inside Passage


Inside Passage Part Deux


Ketchikan


Streets of Ketchikan


En route to the Pier


On the Floatplane...


Up, Up and Away!


Ships in Port
Obviously from above...;).

Entering the Misty Fjords...


Island Group


Remote Lakes and Forest
There are 3,000,000 lakes in Alaska. Some are so remote and relatively untouched. So cool!

View from the sky...


Up in the clouds...
Our plane was flying just below the ceiling... very cool to fly through whips of clouds like this one.

And then there were mountains...


Fjords
Glaciers carved the rock to shape the fjords below...

A closer look...
The Walls of the Fjord.

Glaciers


More Aerial Shots...


Waterfall


Misty Fjords


Misty Fjords - Aerial View


Dense Forest
The old growth forests are surprisingly lush and dense.

Carved Fjords
This shot really shows how the glaciers carved through to shape the landscape.

Leaving the Misty Fjords...
Our plane circled back with a snowbird worthy turn about... quite exhilarating!

Floatplane Dock
These Beaver Bush Planes are Canadian made, eh?!?

Mountains of Juneau


Mendenhall Glacier
Perhaps the most famed of the glaciers in Alaska.

Mendenhall
A view from one of the trails.

Another view of Mendenhall


Partial View of the Mountainside
Check out the ice in the water...

Glacier and Lake
This shot really shows the blue tinge to the glacier ice and the ice chunks still left over from the winter freeze!

Visitor Centre
The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Centre's rotunda overs stunning views and interesting exhibits.

Whale Watching...
Water is clear... for now!

Mendenhall Trail
Their may be ice in the water still, but the forest is in full bloom!

View from the Whale Boat...
Back on the water... we return to seas of green!

Bald Eagles and Mountains


More Eagles and Mountains


Views of Glaciers


Wildlife Abound
Whales were indeed spotted on this trip, YAY! As was a lot of other wildlife - sea lions, birds (including Eagles).

Mountain in the Clouds


Glaciers, Glaciers, Everywhere!
It seems everywhere you look in Alaska, there is a glacier to be found...;).

Lighthouse


More Glaciers...
I think in this shot... seconds before, there may have even been a whale!

Sea Lions
Hanging out in the sun... these guys bark, growl, grunt, and play with each other... much like dogs.

Waterfall
This waterfall was down the trail from our Salmon Bake.

Salmon Bake
We enjoyed a feast of fresh salmon baked on an Alder plank over an open fire. Tasty!

Gnome at the Mine
Hi Ho, Hi Ho...;).

Old Mining Bed
The salmon bake was in an old mining bed.

Mining Equipment


City of Juneau


In Port...


Surrounded by Mountains!
Every port we stopped in was surrounded by mountains! Just beautiful!!

Streets of Juneau


Streets of Juneau II


Skagway Mountains
Again with the Mountains people!

Glacial Crust
I thought it sort of looked like meringue... yes?

Views of the White Pass


From the train...
The White Pass Railway takes you a long the route that prospectors would have taken in the days of '98 (Yukon Gold Rush)

Bridge
One of the many bridges we went over in our journey through the white pass. Amazing how high up we were!

Views from the Rails...


Mountainscape!


Mountains Blend with Forest
Amazing how the landscape melds together to form the walls of the pass.

A River Runs Through It...


More Mountainscape!


Liarsville!
Journalists 'eye-witness' accounts of the 'easy' life of the gold rush were written here, miles away from the gold!!!

Liarsville Town Recreation
It was a little Walt Disney, but interesting history for sure!

Waterfall in Liarsville


Skagway Port
Ships in Port...

Mountains All Around!!!


Red Onion Saloon...
Home of the Brothel museum that we visited. A huge industry at the time of the Gold Rush.

Streets of Skagway
I think I liked Skagway the best of our three Ports of Call.

Glacier Bay
Oooh....

Glacier Bay II
Ahhh....

Glacier from afar...
This is still the ocean... but check out the colour and stillness of the water!

Getting closer...


From the Sky Deck
I am at one of the highest points on the ship. On-deck it was a little chilly, but we were warmed by Dutch Pea Soup...

Mountains of Glacier Bay


Glacier Walls


Walls of Glacier Bay
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Water
I couldn't get over how still the water was.

Glacier
Hence the name glacier bay...;).

Rocky Landscape
If not a glacier, it was landscape carved by glacial movements.

Glaciers


Perspective
I was trying to give a wider view of the landscape. I was wishing I could take panorama shots for sure...;).

Heart of the Bay


Another shot...


And another...
Aww struck in a way, I couldn't help but continue to take pics!

On-deck...
I thought it was a cool shot!

Ice Fall


Glaciers...
You can see some of the chunks of ice floating in the water.

Reflections
The water was so still, it was like glass!

Shades of Blue


Mountains
Even though it is the Ocean, in parts the water takes on colours we often associate with fresh water glacial lakes.

Glaciers, Again! ;)


Fruits of My Labour...
I took a quick glacier time out for a cooking class. Check out what we made!!!

Sun!
The skys cleared as we moved through Glacier Bay... lending to even more spectacular hues!

Mountain Skyline
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Shot from the Stern


Sea to Sky...


On our way out of Glacier Bay...
The landscape was shifting back to rocks and snow.

Snow, Mountain, Trees....
Further transition.

Glacier Bay Outskirts
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One last look....


Chocolate Extravaganza!
The Ryndam Chefs produced their own spectacular scenery.

Ice Carvings
Many of the chefs and sous chefs are charged with creating these beautiful carvings.

Gastronomique!


Chocolate Castle
I would like to live here please...

Chocolate and Ice Sculptures
Just amazing! And delicious...:).

College Fjords
Scenic Cruising

College Fjords II


Crusing through the Fjords
AS we moved further into the Fjords, the water colour began to mirror that of Glacier Bay.

Fjord Walls


Return of the Glaciers


Spectacular Scenic Cruising!
Not a bad way to spend an afternoon...

And the water went still...
Once again, it was as if we were travelling on a lake at dawn. It is the Ocean around 6:30 p.m.!

Johns Hopkins Glacier


More Glaciers in the Fjords


Exiting the College Fjords...
We caught another glimpse as we turned around.

Sunny Reflections


Ryndam Atrium


Explorer's Lounge/Library
It was about 11:00 p.m. when I took these shots. Not the light from the windows!!!

Explorer's Lounge Library II
This was a great place to read, relax, and take in the scenery! They even had a coffee shop...

Art Work
The Ryndam had an art collection valued in the millions...

Antiques
Antiques/Relics were on display from all over the world!

Lido Deck/Terrace Grill
This was an indoor/outdoor deck with a retractable roof. You could also enjoy a drink or a light meal/snack here.

The pool!
One of the pools... the roof is retractable, so it can be used rain/shine, hot/cold. It is 11:00 p.m... so light out!!!

Sun Deck
One of the places to catch a few rays or take in the sights like Glacier Bay. Once again folks, it is after 11:00 p.m.!

Fort Langley
Fort Langley was originally established as an HBC trading post and is said to be the 'birthplace' of BC.

At the fort...
Aunt Marg, Aunt Myra, and Me.

Three of Four
Three of the four sisters on my mom's side. Mom, Myra, and Margaret.

Fort Langley Grounds


Shopping at the Vineyards


Walter C. Gage Towers - UBC
Where I lay my head in Vancouver...

UBC Grounds


Chan Centre for the Arts
A performing arts centre on UBC campus. Apparently, it is host to quite a number of plays and concerts...

Museum of Anthropology - Outdoor
Totem style carving outside of the Museum of Anthroplogy - UBC.

Carving at UBC
Another totem style carving outside the Museum of Anthropology.

Clever!
I spied this inside the museum...

Bill Reid Carving...
The Beginning....

Tapestry


A workng museum...
This is just one of the storage bays/rooms at the museum. You can see all the artifiacts, even if not in display cases.

The totems...
Totem style carvings/poles at the Museum of Anthropology - UBC.

Totem Room
?I love the architecture that surrounds these amazing totem poles - Museum of Anthropology - UBC.

Exhibits
Special exhibit at the museum.

Cermamics at MoA UBC
There was a European Ceramics exhibit on at the UBC Museum of Anthropology. Cool piece, eh?

The path to town...
Most of us would consider this nature... not in Port Alberni, it is just the path to town!

First Nations Monument


View from the Clam Bucket...
This is the view from the restaurant that I ate in my first evening in Port Alberni.

The Somass River


Port Alberni Waterfront


Port Alberni Mural
Chemainus isn't the only place on the Island with murals!

A Shout Out to Southgate!
Southgate Road in Port Alberni... I lived on Southgate with 3 wonderful housemates in Ottawa. Miss them...:).

At the foot of Southgate...
This wasn't at the end of my street in Ottawa...;).

Port Alberni Marina


Waterfall - St. Andrew's Creek
A waterfall in Fossily Provincial Park.

Storm Damage
Evidence of the massive storms which caused land slides, creek swellings, etc. throughout the region.

Sproat Lake in the Morning...


Sproat Lake
Ahh....

Sproat Lake II
Double Ahh...

Namint Lake/Mountain
This is where we stopped to have lunch. There are camp sites... I thought about it...;).

Namint II


Old Growth Forest near Namint
At the lake... you turned around, walked 5 feet and this is what you were in!!!

Dense Forest!


Nameless Falls
Along a logging road outside of Port Alberni... resulted from one of the slides caused by the storms of Winter 06/07..

Namint Mountain - Upclose
We drove out from our lunch spot to get a better look....

Namint River
The water is SO clear! In order to get this close, I had to cross a ravine on a log!!

Mountain - Down River


On-board the Lady Rose
We are still in port.... but just getting ready to set sail on the mail/supply freighter.

Landscape
This shot gives you an idea of the terrain and just how dense the forest growth is in the area.

Alberni Inlet


On-deck
Spectacular sights... well in the background anyway...;).

The walls of the Alberni Valley


Alberni Valley from the Inlet
You get a really good view of the Vancouver Island Mountain foothills from the water.

Logging
You can see that one part of this mountainside has been logged...

Trevor Channel
We are just about to make our way into Trevor Channel... not kidding!!

The Broken Islands
Kayakers are about the only ones who can really explore this arm of Pacific Rim National Park.

Along the Channels
One of the many channels we sailed through along the way to Ucluelet...

Open Water...
Leaving the Broken Islands behind the ship made its way into the open water towards the Ucluelet Inlet.

View from on-board the Malahat
This is from atop of Mount Malahat...

Another view from the Malahat...


Whippletree Junction
En route to Chemainus... these heritage building cast offs were moved to here from Victoria and Nanaimo.

A view from Gold Stream...
En route Victoria to Chemainus

Welcome to Chemainus
A wooden sign welcoming visitors...

Old Water Wheel...
A working model of one of the water wheels from the early mills of Chemainus... Does Disney know about these guys??

Chemainus Look Out
A view of the water from "New Chemainus"... Old town is below.

The Mill Waterfront...


Chemainus Museum
One room... FULL of artifacts and displays.

Murals of Chemainus...
One of the 38 murals on the streets of Chemainus...

First Nations Mural


General Store and Bootleg Goods
Oh Chemainus....

The Mill
Chemainus' 5th mill is the industrial cornerstone of the town economy...

Bandstand


Carey House
A pic of the B & B I stayed at in Nanaimo...

Nanaimo Waterfront
Not too shabby....

Morning on the Waterfront...


Low Tide
Low Tide along the waterfront in Nanaimo.

Shiver me Timbers...
A pirate themed fish and chip place on Commercial St. in Nanaimo... Angela (the owner) is a pirate fiend!!

Nanaimo Heritage
See... there is a walk and everything!

Old City Quarter - Nanaimo

Entrance to Inner Harbour
Whale watchers and a plane coming into the inner harbour...

Inner Harbour from Afar
You can sort of make out the dome of the legislature in the distance.

Sea Plane!
Just one of the cool sights on the inner harbour.

View from the Foot of the Bridge
View of downtown just before crossing the Johnson St. Bridge.

Legislature


Legislature II
This view is from down by the water of the inner habour.

Wooly Mammoth
This guy graces the entrance to the Climate exhibit at the Royal BC Museum.

Natural History Gallery
One of the many displays at the Royal BC Museum.

Century Hall
This is a re-creation of a derrick used during the gold rush.

Another view of Century Hall


In Bloom...
Beacon Hill Park

The Lagoon...
Beacon Hill Park

Postcard?
Nope. A nice shot of the old stone bridge in Beacon Hill Park.

Entrance to the Legislature


Lower Rotunda
A shot of the lower rotunda at the Legislature Buildings.

Stained Glass Abound
One of the many stained glass windows found throughout the Legislature Buildings.

Upper Rotunda


Murals/Cieling - Upper Rotunda


The Empress Hotel
The grand CPR hotel of Victoria, well known for its High Tea Service

Gardens of the Empress


Gnome Overlooking Inner Harbour


Bastion Square
Artists/merchants are often found here, this square is lined with cool pubs, shops, etc.

Market Square

Island Escapes
This is the Outdoor Store/Outfitter that I stayed above in Ganges.

Saturday Market


Saturday Market II


View from the Park/Market
This is what the park/market overlooks. Not bad?!?

One of the many marinas...


Marina


Boardwalk to Grace Point
You can walk along the board walk around a private marina and out to Grace Point for a great view.

Grace Point
Nice view!

Out for a sail...


Welcome to Ganges!
Complete with town gazebo... Ganges is a very picturesque place!

Boat Naming Piper
Members of the town/tourists gathered for a boat naming ceremony. There was even a piper!

Rare Book Store Window
Perhaps one of the coolest bookstores I have ever been in.

Entrance to one of the shops...
This stairway leads into one of the many antique stores found in Ganges.

Ganges Harbour


Beachside Flat - Main Room
Pretty sweet, eh?

Beachside Flat - Kitchen
It was really quite narrow and the ceilings sloped like you were in a cave!!

Beachside Flat - View
This place definitely lives true to its name.

Oyster Catcher
Mmm... gathered greens, apples, goat's cheese, chicken, and walnuts. Very tasty dinner!

Treehouse Cafe
Taking in some New Bluegrass!

Fulford - Salt Spring Island


Ferry views...
This is a shot taken from the Ferry - Salt Spring (Fulford) to Swartz Bay (Victoria).

Another ferry shot...
Salt Spring Island - Ganges 0220022.JPG 2007-05-27

Salt Spring Island Ferry
Beautiful scenery like this for the entire ride!

Galaxy Diner
Our first breakfast stop... funky place, eh?!?

Unimpressed Tanya...
Apparently she doesn't like to be photographed before her first cup of tea...

Mmm.. Breakies.


Double Bubble Comic
No mints... just bubble gum at the Galaxy Diner. Fun!! That and I wanted to try the macro lens.

View from Horsehoe Canyon
The Alberta Badlands...

Taking it all in...


Strike a Pose!


Royal Tyrrell - Wall Hanging
An interesting wall hanging in the entranceway to the Royal Tyrrell.

The Badlands


Attack of the Killer Beaver


The Discoverer
Apparently, Mr. Tyrrell didn't even study dinosaurs... now he's famous for them!

History in the 'Making'
Fossil preparation lab at the Royal Tyrrell.

Dinos!


Display at the Royal Tyrrell
A dinosaur... go figure!

More Dinos...


Water Lily
This flower is one of many in the Crestesous Garden at the Royal Tyrrell.

Exhibits
I was trying to give you a sense of the place... this is just a portion of one of the main halls!

A View of the Valley
This is the valley where many of the initial dinosaur discoveries in AB were made.

A Saloon!
A real live saloon on the streets of Drumheller!

Oh what a life...
Check out this little guy. This is what he does ALL day... the view's nice too!

Tipis & View
The view from the top of Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump.

The Jump...
The Blackfoot would lead the buffalo over the jump so to have food, hides, etc.

Trevor the Interpreter
Outside the interpretive centre... It is built right into the rock face!!

Another Shot of the Jump...


Frank's Slide/Crowsnest Pass
A piece of the pictured mountain fell off causing devastation below.

The Rubble
There is enough to make a wall 6M high and 1M thick coast to coast!!

Frank's Slide/Crowsnest Pass 2


Calgary Skyline


Stephen Avenue
A pedestrian mall in Calgary.

Dutch Pancakes...
Mmm... it is like a cross between a crepe and an omelette.

Calgary Farmer's Market


Farmer's Market

Quail's Gate Estate Winery


The Vines (Quail's Gate Estates)
Quail's Gate is considered a med. sized winery and is family owned.

Mission Hill - Valley View
Mission Hill is one of the largest wineries in the region. There are 96 total.

Mission Hill


Mission Hill Cellar
This apparently is only one section of the huge cellar!

Mission Hill Cellar 2
The wine maker insists the cellar be kept at 13 C to ensure optimum results.

Wine and Oil Jug Collection
These pieces are meant to symbolize the timelessness of wine making.

Mission Hill Shop
Just gives you a sense of the business aspect of things... neat little store!

Mission Hill Terrace
Outdoor archway/terrace inspired from Tuscany.

Mission Hill - The Vines/View
Beautiful!

Vines at Mission Hill


Kasugai Gardens - DT Kelowna
This Japanese Garden blends both local and int. vegetation to create a n oasis.

Kasugai Gardens Part II


View from City Park
Yep, it's right downtown!

My accomodations...
Pretty nice digs, eh?