Tag Archives: travel

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Taking off again – Traveling with new technology

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Yesterday I began a new adventure, this time by air from Toronto to Vancouver to visit my daughter. The day started out well. We left home in plenty of time for the drive to Toronto. Traffic was moving well. We arrived at 8:30 and I was checked in by 9:00. I’ve made this trip many times, but this time was different. this time I was using new technology, my iPad, to get me through the process.

A quick scan of the code displayed on the ipad screen at the self-checkin and my baggage ticket was printed. I was told that I needed no paper boarding pass. It was all on my screen. At the baggage counter the code was scanned from the iPad again, and I was told which gate I’d be leaving from. I thought I would remember it. Jim and I enjoyed muffins from home, and bought a new travel case that was on sale at the boutique, and then Jim left. I headed for my gate.

At the first stop on the way into the security area I opened my iPad to the code once more. The young man’s surprise was evident. “Look at you!” he said. I smiled, thinking “not bad for an old lady.”

At the security desk I handed over the iPad once more for scanning. The man receiving it looked sceptical and glanced at his colleague as if in need of help. But his look went unnoticed so he shoved the iPad under the scannner and held his breath, as did I. We both sighed in relief when the scan took.

I took off my shoes as requested, and walked through the scanner with no problem – so far so good. Now what gate was that? I gathered my belongings and checked the board. I saw a flight to Vancouver, Gate C26. Yes that sounded right. Gate 26 was the last one to the left. Without confirming the flight number (I’d had only a few hours sleep and my brain often lets me down when i’m tired), I found a seat and waited. Boarding was to start at 11:00. I had nearly an hour. At 10:45 I made a final pit stop and sat back down to wait. On the board behind the desk I could see the flight to Vancouver listed. I squinted. It looked like flight 475, but I was too far away to make out the time. I looked at my boarding pass once more, but apparently without really seeing it. At 11:10 an attendant at the desk made an announcement about an Ottawa flight that would be boarding at 11:30, but no mention was made of the Vancouver flight. I figured I’d better take a closer look at the board behind the desk again. It said flight 475 to Vancouver leaving 1300! What?! A shot of adrenaline finally woke up my brain.

I opened the iPad once again. This time I looked more carefully at the flight number. It was 465! I was at the wrong gate! I rushed to the monitor and saw that I was to be at C27, but where was that? The only thing that i could see beyond Gate C26 was a Tim Horton’s, but logic told me that C27 had to be past C26, so I walked past C26 and, past Tim Horton’s. I saw a ticket desk for Westjet, but no gate. Panic was beginning to set in. Then I heard the announcement that I hadn’t heard before. “Last call for boarding of flight 465 to Vancouver at gate C27.” Fear froze me. I was going to miss my flight! Then I saw it,the overhead sign at the entrance to a corridor – C27. I started to run in the direction of the arrow! At the end of the corridor another arrow pointed right. How far did I need to go? I rounded the corner and saw the gate just ahead. Thank goodness! I felt even better when I realized that I wasn’t even the last to arrive.

Looking back, I can admit that if I had been really iPad savvy, I would have used it to make note of the gate number when it was given to me. I’ve also been reminded, not for the first time, that technology and a sleepy brain don’t mix well. As for traveling with new technology, it’s amazing! Like anything new, it just takes practice.

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Making Our Way Back Home

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Monday

With some sadness this morning we said goodbye to daughter Sarah, son-in-law Kendrick, and sweet, almost-three year old grandson Callum. They left before us actually, on their way to hike up Jumbo Mountain with three other adults and three other young children! I wish them well.  I’m sure it will be challenging, but exciting. I wish I could be there upon their return to hear Callum’s version of the event.

The weather had started to clear by the time we got away, around nine-thirty. It had been raining for a couple of days, but despite that, we enjoyed several hours at the New Denver Garlic Festival yesterday. We swayed to the music of a local group of musicians, whose name I should have written down because my aging brain has forgotten! Their repertoire included a variety of tunes from many countries and cultures, including many Jewish traditional ones. The brass instruments, accordion and well-blended voices created an amazing and interesting sound. Callum watched intently, before finally joining his mother and others who danced in front of the stage. We were amazed by the number of stalls and the types of garlic, and other products that were available.  It was hard to make a selection for lunch from the many unique and wonderful cuisines being offered.  We settled on homemade crepes that turned out to be an excellent choice. On the way back to the car we stopped to check out the salmon being peddled from the back of a pick-up truck and came away with five or six pounds of fresh Pacific Salmon to put into the freezer.

Today the sun broke through the clouds and the temperature gradually rose. After an hour the extra sweater was discarded; by mid-afternoon, the long-sleeves had to be replaced with short – one of the advantages of travelling in a motor home. When we stopped in Spirit Lake Idaho to get gas, one sign told us it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit; another said 90. Whichever, it was hot.

Our first stop was in Nelson, BC to say hello to Kendrick’s cousin Julia, who was working at a fruit stand there.  We wanted to buy some fruit to take with us, but after our last two experiences crossing the borders we were unsure what we could take.  We settled on some cherries and a couple of pears, which we figured we could eat before reaching the border.

We stopped in Salmo, BC at the Firefly Cafe and stuffed ourselves with yummy grilled Panini then finished the fruit before crossing into Washington State at about 12:45. I figured we were safe with the few fresh fruits and vegetables that remained in our crispers, because they’d all been purchased in the US; but the border-guard came aboard, searched some cupboards and the bathroom and confiscated a green pepper and a tomato! I guess the rule of thumb is: make sure you have used up all of your fresh fruits and vegetables before you reach the borders, because you never know what will pass and what won’t. We had to stock up again in Spirit Lake.

Tonight we are camped at a small RV Park in Cataldo Idaho, just off the highway, but looking onto Latour Creek and another beautiful sunset.

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Everyday’s a Holiday

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Saturday, Day 31

As I begin this blog, we’re driving through some very twisty parts of Hwy 101. The speed limit is between 30 and 35 mph. The road is lined on both sides by towering redwood trees, except for the occasional turn when we find ourselves looking across massive sand dunes along the ocean on our left.  We have just left Eureka, California and will be somewhere in Oregon before we stop for the night. From there I’ll try to finish this and post it. Road signs tell us to watch for Elk.  There is an Elk Reserve in the vicinity.

We found the Elk, at least a couple of them, in a meadow at a National Park. Signs posted also warned us of bear and cougars who inhabited the woods as well. We didn’t venture too far off the boardwalk, but I did pick a few wild black berries. Yumm!

We had our lunch in the park before continuing on. Hwy 101 is a much better road and for most of it the speed limit is 65 mph, so we made much better time. When we reached Crescent City the GPS directed us to turn onto Hwy 199, which would take us easterly to Hwy 5, the fasted route to Kaslo, BC.  However, we hadn’t spent a night at a State Park by the ocean yet, and we’d been seeing so many enticing ones along the way, we decided to stay on 101 for another day. We crossed the border into Oregon around 3:00 and stopped at the Welcome Centre to ask about camping at any nearby State Park.  We were reminded that this was the last long weekend of the summer! We’d forgotten, since we’ve been on one very long, long weekend for a month now! All the State Park sites were fully booked. The attendants at the Welcome Centre made some phone calls and found us a site at a private RV Park, within view of the ocean and a short walk to it. The price isn’t much more than that of the State Parks, and we have all the amenities so we’re happy. We took a walk down to the beach before dinner, and had an interesting conversation with a crab fisher, who explained the process and the regulations. The air is still a little bit cool and refreshing.

Wait for it!

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Yosemite – a Must See to add to your Bucket List

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Monday – Day 27

Ahh, it’s getting harder and harder to remember what day it is! If I didn’t write this blog every few days, I wouldn’t have a clue!

We had a late start getting away from Reno on Saturday, despite setting the alarm clock so we’d get up early. We had a couple of stops to make before leaving town and they took longer than anticipated. But it was a nice drive on another sunny day.

We crossed the border into California sometime late afternoon.  We stopped to eat lunch along the road a short time later.  I’d considered having an apple for dessert, but thought I’d have it later.  I should have eaten it when I had a chance.  Just a few miles down the road we had to stop at an “Inspection Station”.

“Do you have any fresh fruit or vegetables?”

“A couple of tomatoes, some lettuce and some apples,” I replied. I forgot about the raspberries I’d purchased a couple of days ago.

“I’ll have to come aboard and check your fridge,” the attendant said.

Of all the things in it, she confiscated only the apples.  They were the only thing left that we’d brought from Canada.

It was nearly four o’clock when we stopped at the Visitors Centre at Mono Lake, a sparkling blue lake that was very photogenic, and only twelve miles from Yosemite.  While there we learned that there were no camping sites within Yosemite Park that could accommodate us. We decided to camp at the nearby Mono Vista RV Park for the night and go into Yosemite in the morning. It’s a small park, with a few permanent mobile homes and small spaces, but there were several RVs there for the night, either on their way to Yosemite or just out. A very strong wind rustled the leaves of the poplar tree above us, sounding like rain. There was no rain though. How many days has it been since we’ve seen any rain? I can’t think of one day since we left Peterborough.

We were on the road by 9:15 on Sunday morning and a half hour later we were climbing uphill towards Yosemite. If we thought that the drive through Yellowstone was breathtaking, this was more intoxicating and even a little bit scary at times. The road climbed and twisted along the side of the mountains and slightly back down into valleys before steeply climbing up again. By the time we reached the entrance to the park, at Tioga Pass, we were at nearly 10,000 feet and we’d already taken fifty or more pictures. It was a slow climb, but the motor home made it without incident. It was cold up there! People were wearing heavy coats – quite a change from Reno.

We stopped to take a photo of Half Dome, and then we climbed 800 feet up a rocky hill, just to challenge ourselves, I think. It was a marvellous view from the top.

We’d planned to drive to Yosemite Village where we could park the motor home and take the bike up to Glacier Point, but we made so many other stops along the way, to snap more pictures, that it was already four o’clock when we got there. Since we had to be out of the park before we could stop for the night, we reluctantly continued through and out the north exit.

Although we couldn’t camp in Yosemite Park, we did find a spot just outside, within the Stanislau Forest. Our only neighbours were a young couple in a tent several metres away from us.  We hoped to see some animals, but no such luck. I was glad that we were inside, just the same. We had no power or internet for computers so we went to bed at 9:00 to read, but the day’s adventure had tired us out and the books were soon dropped and the light out. What a stupendous day!

Today was a day of travel. Another mechanical problem caused a delay in reaching San Francisco, but fortunately it wasn’t an expensive one. It was 6:30 when we finally got ourselves into the RV Park closest to downtown that we could find. It’s small, and maybe not in the best neighbourhood, just across the river from San Quentin. I convinced Jim to lock all the outside storage compartments. Tomorrow, we hope, we’ll get to explore San Francisco.

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Another Day in Reno

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Friday Day 24

Our day started at 6 a.m. We took the motor home back to the service centre, pulling the bike behind it so we could go get some breakfast while the tank was being dropped and the situation analyzed. When we got back, they had the old pump out and we took it to the Ford parts department to see if we could a new one.  We could.  They’d have it in for us in an hour. We wandered around a local mall to fill in the time. I looked around the Burlington Coat Factory for a bit, but seeing Jim standing at the door looking impatient stifles my desire to shop rather quickly. Now a stop at another Harbor Freight store was a different story! Ha, ha.

When we picked up the new pump, the store manager took pity on us and gave us a cut rate. We dropped it off back at the GM Service Department and came back to the hotel to enjoy a swim and lunch by the pool.  The day had gotten hot again and the water was like that of a tepid bath, but still it was refreshing and it was the only chance we’ve had to make use of our passes.

Back to the service centre again. They were still working on it.  We spent another hour or so in the waiting room.  We began to feel like part of the family. At last it was done and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the labour charges weren’t as high as expected either. So the day ended not quite as badly as we’d thought. We’d saved about $300. Also, the first time that the engine had shuttered, a couple of weeks ago, we thought it was a transmission problem. That could have cost us a whole lot more.

And we’re grateful to Mike at the GM Service Centre and Mike at the Ford Parts department for their sympathy and generosity that got us back on the road as painlessly as possible.

Tomorrow we leave for Yosemite National Park in California.

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Made it to Nevada, Just

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Monday, Day 20

It was a slow start to the day. Jim had four orders to process before we could leave and problems with internet connections and the printer caused further delays. We finally got away around 11:30 but we had to drop an order off at the post office. From there we went to Harbour Freight, the store we’d tried to find on Sunday. It’s a real “man’s store”, similar to Princess Auto back home. By the time we got out of there it was lunch time so I made sandwiches. At 1:30 we actually left Salt Lake City. We headed west, but there was one more stop to be made – Bingham Copper Mine, an hour west of Salt Lake City. It’s an amazing operation, existing for 110 years and has taken a huge chunk out of the mountain. But, the company does have recovery plans and uses “environmentally friendly” practices and strict safety rules. It’s a major contributor to the state of Utah. It was difficult to get Jim away from there. At the gift shop he bought me a sparkling copper and silver necklace. At 3:30 we began our slow descent down the steep slopes to the main road and onto the highway. We kept driving then, stopping only once to take pictures of Salt Lake. The road through the salt flats seemed to go on forever, straight as an arrow. We reached the Nevada border at 7:15 pm. By 8:00 we were installed in the KOA campground in West Wendover. Out of our window we could see two of the five casinos that are in this small city. We walked to The Rainbow Casino to get some dinner. I was too hungry and tired to start cooking at that time of night. Besides our choices are getting limited. It’s time to stock up again. We thought we’d try the buffet, but when we were told that it was closing in fourteen minutes and it would still cost us $17.50 each, we passed. We found a romantic restaurant at the other end of the casino where we enjoyed a delicious salad, prime rib that was 1 ½” thick and cooked to perfection, baked potato and homemade bread, all for $10.00 each and we have the leftovers for another meal.
On the way out we stopped at two of the slot machines and each put in one dollar. We thought we could have a bit of fun, but within a very few minutes we were down to our last twenty cents each. Although they were penny slots, the minimum bet was 20 credits. Jim spun and lost his. I spun and won six credits, not enough to spin again! I kept my six cent ticket for a souvenir.

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The Sun Can’t Shine Everyday

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The wind has calmed down for the moment, but we’re staying indoors. A dark cloud seems to be circling the campground, although there’s been very little rain.

The day started out sunny and hot. We got up early and caught the shuttle bus to the performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. What a performance! The magnificently perfect blend of voices and orchestra caused the hairs to stand up on our arms. When we left the huge auditorium, which seats 2100 people (there were about 5000 there today), we found a guide to give us the tour of the building. It was all very interesting and we now have more insight into the Mormon faith. The tour guides are all volunteers. The shuttle buses are provided free-of-charge by the Church. By the time we’d left there we’d just missed one shuttle bus back to the camp, so we found a restaurant for some lunch while we waited for the next one.

Back at the campground, Jim checked the directions to a store similar to Canadian Tire that he wanted to visit, and then we got on the bike and went in search of it. It looked simple to find, but somehow we took a wrong turn and were heading for the airport. The wind was beginning to rise; the sky was getting black. As we found our way out of the airport compound the rain began to pelt us. It wasn’t a lot of rain; we didn’t get wet. But the wind made it feel like hundreds of needles pounding our skin, and Jim could barely hold the bike up as it drifted across the lanes! Thank goodness we soon rode out of it as we headed back into the city. We decided that it was better to get back to the RV. The cloud was heading our way. We weren’t back long before the high winds and rain reached us in the park. While we sat at the window taking pictures of the trees swaying and blowing outside our window, a warning came on the TV telling us of extremely high winds in the area and expected to hit the city. It recommended that everyone get themselves into a solid building, away from windows. Although the initial wind seemed to have passed, we heeded the warning and walked to the KOA office/store. Along the way we saw many tree branches on the ground. Fortunately they’d fallen into empty sites. We waited in the store, chatting with a fellow camper, until the staff informed us that the warning had been lifted. The winds continue to come and go.

Friday was, figuratively, another day that the sun didn’t shine, or at least not quite as brightly. Jim spent the whole day repairing the bicycle tire and the motorcycle. Those processes included several trips on the one functioning bicycle to a local Firestone and an Auto Supply Store. While he worked on those, I caught up on laundry, and computer work. By supper time Jim figured the only remaining item that he needed to get the bike going was a new battery. So after a homemade pasta dinner, we rode together back to the Auto Supply Store. When we got back it was still very hot and humid. A dip in the pool and a soak in the hot tub, under the stars, was a nice way to end the day.

Saturday we had the motorcycle back on the road. We went back to Temple Square, which is a two block area of the downtown that houses the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the many other beautiful buildings associated with it. We saw a sign for the Family Search Centre and went inside hoping to do a bit of our own family research. When a volunteer told us we’d come in one of the back doors, and she led us to the front lobby, once again our breath was taken away! She told us that this magnificent place had once been a grand hotel, but was about to be torn down when the Church bought it and restored it to house some of their services. Our jaws dropped. The lobby is larger than our whole house. It has green and tan coloured marble columns that are three stories high. The floors and stairs are marble; the wood work is intricately carved around the balconies that overlook the lobby from all three floors. There are a few chapels in the building. It’s a popular place for weddings. We saw three being photographed in various areas of the building and the gardens. We did get to the Family Research Centre to do a little research, with the help of several missionaries who offered their help as well as tidbits about the religious beliefs that have led them to compile these records. We politely declined the offer of help with our spiritual guidance.

There is so much interesting history and information at Temple Square that one would have to stay another week to take it all in, but we decided we’d had enough for one day. We walked down to the Gateway Mall. The entrance to it is through the now unused but maintained historical Union Station, which brought memories back to Jim since he’d been through it many years ago when he worked for CPR at Union Station in Toronto. Outside we watched some pogo stick stunts and children of all ages splashing through the dancing water fountains that sprung up from the sidewalk. We had lunch/dinner at the Sky Box Sports Bar & Grill before heading back to the bike and “home”. Once again we ended the night at the pool and hot tub. We could get used to that! I think we’ll skip it tonight though. As I publish this, the storm seems to have passed and the air is much cooler. Might be a good movie night.

Tomorrow we’ll leave for Nevada.

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We didn’t see Yogi Bear, but we Did See Old Faithful

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Day 14 – Wed

I didn’t think I’d take any more pictures until we got to Yellowstone, but the scenery through the hills of Wyoming were impossible to ignore!

We left the campground at 9:30 am and arrived at the gate to Yellowstone National Park about an hour later. The scenery through the park is impossible to describe. Probably the many pictures we took won’t really convey the magnificence either. The one “black” spot on the beauty was the massive area where forest fires of past years have left nothing but naked tree trunks standing.  There is evidence of new growth beginning, though.

We knew we wouldn’t be able to see even a fraction of the 2.2 million acres of park, so we took the lower half of the circle, catching some of the highlights. Our first stop was at West Thumb Geyser Basin, an area that percolates with geysers, hot springs and mudpots. The steam coming off of one geyser created a sauna effect and steamed up our glasses as we stood over it, on the wooden path. We stopped to photograph a herd of buffalo; we ate lunch beside beautiful Lake Yellowstone. We reached Old Faithful just in time to catch the end of an eruption. We enjoyed ice cream (I think this is becoming a bad habit!) while we waited the fifty minutes for the next one.  This time we had front row seats. It was exciting to see, but we also enjoyed just as much the many smaller geysers and ponds that surround the area. This was our last stop and we made our way out the west side of the park at about 7:30 pm. Along the way we crossed The Great Divide, and the border into Montana.

We stopped at the city of West Yellowstone, just outside the gate, for information. We hoped to find a campsite in the city so we could catch the IMAX film. There were no RV Parks that could accommodate us,  so we continued west for about eight miles to Lion Head RV Park. It was nine o’clock by the time we had dinner, but we had a great day. Tomorrow we’ll continue south-west.

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Plans Derailed Again!

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Day 13 – Tues.

We didn’t travel far today. We arrived in Cody at ten this morning, where we stopped for gas. We had intended to keep on going to Yellowstone, but we saw the Buffalo Bill Historic Museum and it looked pretty interesting. Bronze statues are everywhere in Wyoming it seems, and the path into the museum is no exception. I snapped pictures of conversing cowboys on horseback, a wolf howling at the moon and Buffalo Bill himself. We decided not to pay the $15 each to go into the museum, but looked around the gift shop. We were amused at the notice going into the building that listed the things that would have to be checked at the museum entrance. The list included firearms. You know you’re in redneck country when …

From the museum we went across the road to the Visitors’ Centre and learned of all the things that could be seen in the town, including a rodeo at night. I’d never seen a rodeo and thought I’d like to. We decided to stay. We found a cheap campground at the edge of town, the Gateway Motel and RV Park. It was full hook-up and that’s about it, but that’s all we needed. We unloaded the bike and went to the Walmart, almost next door, to pick up a few odds and ends that we’d needed, and after depositing them back at the RV, we rode downtown to see the sights.

We went to the Irma Hotel for Iced Tea. The Irma was Buffalo Bill’s Hotel back in the day. It still has much of the original decor and atmosphere, but commercialization has made it disappointing. We wandered through a few shops. I saw lots of beautiful clothing but too expensive for my budget. We purchased tickets for dinner and a “cowboy show” at the Cody Cattle Company, and for the rodeo. We toured the Old West Miniature Village and Museum. By then the temperature had reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit according to one sign, 94 by another. Whichever, it was HOT! Time for a DQ treat.

When we got back on the bike it was sputtering and backfiring, so we left it at the campground and walked the half mile from there to our evening venues. The “chuck wagon” buffet consisted of Caesar salad, beans, beef, chicken, baked potatoes, coleslaw, corn bread, applesauce and brownies for dessert. I thought it was good; Jim wasn’t impressed. He was, however, very impressed with the music. It was good old cowboy music, performed by the Martin Family. It included singing, yodeling, and some amazing guitar and mandolin picking by Jim & Jeanne’s son, Ryan Martin. It was a great hour of entertainment.

From there we walked a little further up the road to the Cody Night Rodeo. I enjoyed watching the bucking horse riding competition, until Jim told me how they got the horses to buck (if you don’t know, don’t ask). The calf roping competition had me silently cheering for the calf. I did enjoy watching the barrel races. A few competitors were very, very young, but managed their horses well. The clowns added some comic relief. So now I’ve seen a rodeo. I don’t think I’ll need to see another.

Tomorrow we WILL get to Yellowstone! Stay tuned.

Addendum:

Jim and Jeanne Martin of the Rockin M Wranglers have performed together for audiences all around the US for over 18 years. Their son Ryan Martin has joined them for their current seven-days-a-week gig at The Cody Cattle Company.

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Moments That Take our Breath Away

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Day 12 – Monday
We did sit outside on the KOA deck and watched Close Encounters. Once the sun went down the temperature dropped by about thirty degrees, I think. By the time the movie was over I was shivering uncontrollably. We were both cold enough to turn on the furnace before getting into bed!

Today was sunny and warm again, without being too hot. We left Devil’s Tower with the intentions of heading southwest, towards San Francisco. But after looking at the map and seeing that it would be only about 100 kilometres longer to go northwest to Yellowstone first, we both agreed that it would be a shame to miss it when we were that close, so we changed our route.

We took I-90 to Gillette and on to Buffalo. We thought we might reach Cody tonight, close to Yellowstone, but somewhere between Gillette and Buffalo the transmission made a few hiccups, which concerned Jim. To be safe, we stopped in Buffalo to have it checked. The young fellow checked the fluid and said it was good, but the transmission probably needed servicing, maybe even a flush. He could do the general service for about $150 (but might not get to it today). He suggested we go to Sheridan to a transmission specialist. Because the hills were already starting to slow us down, we’d planned to take the more southerly route to Cody, the one with the lowest grade climb. Going through Sheridan was just the opposite. We debated what to do and drove past the exit to Sheridan. It turned out to be the right choice. We had no more issues with the transmission even during the climb through the high hills of Wyoming. Perhaps it just needed a cool down. We did have to take the hills very slowly though as our motor home isn’t a powerful one. As a result, we’ve stopped for the night in Grey Bull, an hour or so short of Cody. Soon after we were set up in our site, another motor home pulling a big bike trailer parked next to us. Jim got talking to them and learned that they had taken the more northerly route, through Sheridan. The driver said, “I’ll never do that again! I overheated my engine a couple of times!” This confirmed the wisdom of our decision.

Despite the slow drive, the hills were breathtaking; blue/grey and pink rock, high peaks, deep canyons. I thought of the sign that Jim’s daughter had given us and wished I’d brought it with us for the RV: “Life isn’t about the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away.” We are certainly experiencing many of those moments on this trip. We are truly blessed.