INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 25)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … North of Superior

After with our brush with the "law" and our passage into Ontario, we enjoyed a fitful sleep. Up early the next day, we were ready for the breath taking beauty of "North of Superior"! Unlike the start of our trip we were now going to be able to take our time. We had no appointments booked for the rest of our journey. As we drove along the Trans Canada Highway, we passed Fort Frances, Atikokan, Quantico Provincial Park (which we visited briefly) and Fort Williams. It was a long drive, but fortunately, it was a beautiful sunny day. As we traveled along the Trans Canada, we marveled the passing scenery, Lake Superior, birch trees and wildlife. We finally stopped at Pukaskwa National Park to eat and then sleep. After visiting the park's visitor centre, we were back on the road, Midway we stooped off in Sault Ste. Marie to shop and eat. Our night's rest was in the Village of Killarney. We had hoped to stay in the Killarney National Park, but must to our disappointment, it was full. The next stop in our homeward journey, was Parry Sound and then Ahmic Lake. Ahmic Lake was where Judi and her family had spent many happy summers. We stayed at Ahmic Lake for two days. Here Judi was able to recount her childhood memories and to show me where she and her sisters swam and played. It was a very relaxing time after so many days of continuous travel. During our time at Ahmic Lake, Judi was able to take the time to sketch and paint. While she was busy with this, I took the time to walk along the lake and to explore the area. Before leaving on our trip, we had arranged to meet our friends Henry and Debbie Kole (it was Henry who had introduced us to Cobourg and our new home) in Algonquin National Park. Fully relaxed, we left Ahmic Lake and headed for the park.

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 24)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … The Police, again!

In Ontario, we have the Ontario Provincial Police (aka the OPP). In Manitoba, the province is policed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (aka The Mounties). It was quite late and rather dark as we traveled northward from Winnipeg to the Ontario border. It was a long stretch of road and there were few other vehicles in view! We were traveling along, minding our own business, when much to my surprise I saw "flashing red lights" in my rear-view mirror! I said, incredulously, "Where did they come from?" She just glared! I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and rolled down my window (a crack - remember Winnipeg!) as the officer approached my vehicle. I said, in my most innocent voice, "Hello, can I help you?" The officer immediately asked me, "Do you know how fast you were going?" I didn't know the answer, so I stole a quick glance at Judi. Her eyes were still "glaring"! With no quick or witty (not even half-witty) answer to the question, I sheepishly said "No". I said this with a "forlorn" look on my face, hoping for mercy! He said, "You were going 15 kilometers over the speed limit." I gulped and said "Are you sure, it didn't seem that fast?" Like Judi, he just "glared" at me! So much for sympathy! With that he handed me a ticket! I "thanked" the officer and bid him a "good night"! Frankly, I'm not sure why I bid him a "good night" because I was hoping that the rest of his night wouldn't go too well! So much for Canadian politeness! With a wave, I cautiously pulled back onto the highway and handed the ticket (unread) to Judi. She asked me how much it was for. I just shrugged my shoulders (a perfectly good male response) and said I didn't know because I hadn't looked at it! After a few minutes my curiosity got the better of me and I asked her, reluctantly, how much! She turned the interior light on and glanced at the ticket. With that, she started laughing! Annoyed, I asked why she was laughing! I told her that I didn't think getting a Speeding Ticket was a laughing matter! She just laughed harder! Finally, between breaths, she was able to blurt out that it wasn't a traffic ticket at all, but rather, a "courtesy" warning, to keep my speed down! It also told me to "drive safely and to have a nice day"! We finally entered Ontario and passed through Kenora. The "glare" was gone and we were both in good spirits! North of Superior awaited us!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 23)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … Exploring the Prairies

We had stayed overnight in Medicine Hat. As we drove down the foothills, Judi and I were amazed by the views! One such view caused us to stop the car on the side of the road for a better look. We both stood there in awe. Finally, we grabbed the camera and started taking photographs! In front of us lay a "sea of yellow"! There were fields of sunflowers as far as the eye could see! Reluctantly we climbed back into our vehicle and resumed our journey. Our next stop was at Cypress Hill Provincial Park in Elkwater. After touring the park, we continued on to Moose Jaw, where we had a meeting scheduled with the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. Business had once again dictated our traveling plans. After a great meeting with the Federation, we drove to beautiful Regina, Saskatchewan's capital. As we drove through the city, we passed big old homes with lush lawns and gardens. In Regina we took the opportunity to visit the Saskatchewan Museum of Natural History. The interpretive displays inside the Museum were amazing and very informative! Before leaving the area, we visited the Motherwell Homestead National Historic Park. On the way to our next destination, we were able to tour Riding Mountain National Park. Like all of the National Parks we visited on our trip, Riding Mountain was showplace of Canada's rich natural heritage. The park is a beautiful and well maintained with flowers galore, a scenic lake, horses and, of course, lots of wildlife. We even had a "close" (but not too close) encounter with a large black bear! From there we wearily motored on to Winnipeg. This time there were no escaped prisoners interrupting our sleep! We had pre-book a hotel room, so we had a quiet restful sleep and a hot shower in the morning! So much for "roughing it"! The next day there were several meetings to attend, the Assiniboine Zoo, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation and Ducks Unlimited.  One of the highlights of our stay in Winnipeg was an "up close and personal" tour of the Assiniboine Zoo with one of the main zookeepers! What an experience! Tired, but happy with the day's events, we headed off to Ontario and the Town of Kenora. Who knew that we would have another encounter with the POLICE!

 

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 22)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … Saying Good-Bye

Our western trip was winding down, but we still had a few activities that we wanted to accomplish. Going back to the Stampede and Balloon Chasing were certainly on our "to do" list. A return to Banff and a visit to Kananaskis Country Parks were also in order. Along with these "fun" activities, we still had business to attend to. In these last few days, we had meetings arranged with Trout Unlimited, the Calgary Zoo and the Glenbow Museum. The whole adventure, to this point, was bitter sweet. "Bitter", because we were saying goodbye to two very good friends. We had had a wonderful time with them but it was time to start heading home. The "sweet" part was the new adventures waiting for us, more interesting places to visit and a new life waiting for us in Cobourg! When we left Calgary, I think that the weather reflected our mood! It was cloudy and rainy! We traveled north on our way back to Edmonton. We passed through Red Deer and reached Edmonton in the early afternoon. Our final destination, for that day, was the small town of Vermilion and Vermilion Provincial Park. From Vermilion we continued on to Drumheller. The Town of Drumheller is located within the Red Deer River Valley (often referred to as Dinosaur Valley) and is considered as "The Dinosaur Capital of the World". One of the main reasons for visiting this area was the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Here is an excerpt from the Museum's website "The Royal Tyrrell Museum is Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the science of paleontology. In addition to housing one of the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs, the Museum offers a wide variety of creative, fun, and educational programs that bring the prehistoric past to life." After visiting the Museum, all I can say is that it was amazing! The size and scope of the displays were mind boggling! The Royal Tyrrell Museum is certainly a place that everyone should visit! From Drumheller we set off for Medicine Hat. Our stay in Alberta had been excellent, but it was now time to explore the Prairies!