Author: backpackingbill

There were some mighty fine cars on display at the show. I will let the cars speak for themselves.

It was a fun outing, got to talk with a number of friends. And, met some new people.

It has been months since I made a post. It speaks to the mundane life I am living these past few months. That is not to say that things have not been happening:

• We are in the middle of a bathroom remodel. We’ve moved upstairs and left the bedroom and master bathroom to demo guys, plumbers, tilers and electricians.
• Tina is getting a new knee. Hopefully the bathroom project will be completed and she will not have to stay in the Carolina Room. With a new knee, we hope to finally do the Camino in Spain.

But, I am going to post about something that is not nearly as momentous as bathroom renovations, new knee or Camino. It is time for the annual Hampton Hall Car Show. I have been cleaning and polishing the Jeep. It looks pretty good, considering. So, weather permitting, I will post some HHCC photos.

The head of the Car Club encourages me to enter it. It is considered a classic due to its age, built in 2000. It has a fun story and a long history in our family. I believe the lineup is interesting: Mercedes, Porsche, Porsche, Jeep, Ferrari. I can take comfort in the fact that, unlike some of my Corvette friends, I can actually get into and out of my fun car.

I will supply photos during the show.

The head Car Club guy also wanted me to enter the Hilton Head concourse  d’elegance for which our club has some spaces this year. Not ready for that league.

We decided to spend our last full day instead of Calgary, our departure point. It turned out to be a good idea. Calgary is just another large city with its airport outside of town.

The shuttle driver from our hotel to the airport was Spanish from Galicia in northern Spain. He once owned a local restaurant featuring Spanish dishes from Galicia. Taxes and regulations put him out of business. I did learn the proper way to prepare octopus, pulpo in Spanish. And I learned the difference between the Atlantic and Pacific octopus. Unfortunately most of the Spanish population in the Calgary area has returned to Spain. Moved due to lack of opportunities and a government that is just as oppressive as Spain. It’s better to endure it with friends and family.

Returning on WestJet, a Delta affiliate. This is the first plane I have been on in years that doesn’t have video entertainment.

Delay, delay, delay. Spending a lot of time in the Atlanta airport due to delays of our flight. Found out why by checking local news in Savannah. Evidently there was a bomb threat and they cleared the airport.

Getting back to Savannah is turning into an adventure. A bomb threat shut down the Savannah Airport. This delayed our flight. Weather delayed the flights into and out of Atlanta. We boarded the plane and were number 28 for takeoff. The crew timed out on their regulated time to fly. The saga continues.

They let some people off the plane without their stuff. Now they have to deplane all the passengers with all their stuff, have security check the plane then board everyone again.

They got a new pilot. Now that flight attendants have timed out. We are waiting for the new attendants before we can board the plane.

Good thing we don’t have someone waiting to pick us up.

Rolled into the garage at about 2:30 am.

Some good photos Tina sent me of our last day in Banff

Starting the day at a real Canadian place, Tooloulou’s Cajun Kitchen. The breakfast was great.

Next was a hike to Banff Falls.

Before we leave the area we wanted to take the gondola. Neither Tina nor I love heights so this was a challenge.

Lunch at the top was unexpectedly good.

We are both ready to get home

This morning we got up early to start our tour along the Icefields Parkway. This tour and High Tea at the Fairmont Lake Louise were the most highly recommended activities.

The tour started a little after 8:00 am and we got off the bus a little after 5:00 pm. Quit a full day; we covered 400 km (about 250 miles). There were seven on the trip. Beside Tina and me, there was a couple from England, a couple from Singapore and a young girl from Japan. I don’t believe the lady from England had ever experienced an outdoor privvy. That is all that there is generally available in the wilds of Alberta.

The best description of the day is the photos.

The tour included several hikes where we needed to use ice gear on our shoes.

At one point we hiked to the toe of a glacier.

This like all other glaciers is receding. The the toe of the glacier is marked with signs indicating the location and year.

During the trip the guide was hoping to see wildlife. It wasn’t until we returned to Banff that we got a significant sighting. Elk, we learned is an invasive species here. Long ago they were introduced from Yellowstone Park in the USA. The elk eventually pushed out the native caribou.

It was a great excursion. However, it made for a long day.

Woke up to a beautiful view from our hotel window.

One thing that I am going to have to get used to is that prices are in Canadian dollars. When I see a price I have to pick myself off the floor. Then I realize that it’s Canadian; I pull out my exchange rate calculator and find that all is OK.

Came into town for breakfast, a cute coffee shop named Wild Flower.

I usually will leave the name “Rufus” at places where I need to retrieve a food order. I have found that Rufus never gets his order mixed up, Bill often does. This drives family members crazy, yet another reason to do it.

Traveled to Lake Louise. What a spectacular place. I’m afraid that the photos don’t do it justice. In the morning there were many people on the frozen lake. Some appeared to be near the middle of the lake. None in the afternoon. Either people got wise or they were chased off the ice.

Went to high tea at the Lake Louise Fairmont, delightful way to spend the afternoon.

Last night we were up late talking with some people we had met on the Rocky Mountaineer. Others came by and said that the Aurora Borealis was visible outside. There are websites that will give forecasts of Aurora activity in Banff.

Starting the day in the high desert of Kamloops, British Columbia. It doesn’t seem right to use “high desert” in the same sentence as British Columbia but, here we are.

Turned on the television this morning. Canada had a national election yesterday. The liberals won. One of the commentators said that Trump should get the Order of Canada for uniting the nation. I won’t make any more political comments.

We did wake up in time to make the 5:50 am boarding time for the shuttle bus to the train.

One interesting thing is that people all along the way will come out on their porches and patios to wave at the train.

We have come out of the desert terrain into alpine meadows. Also, there are numerous lakes.

Found that they will make us apperol spritzes. Tina chose a Caesar, a popular local drink akin to a bloody Mary.

Site of the last spike on the TransCanada railroad. The pyramid is made from Stones from each Canadian province.

The first day of the trip I was wondering what the big deal was about this excursion. Today the scenery is spectacular,  well worth the trip.

The sun came out early afternoon which added to the pleasure of this part of the trip. The train stopped for a long wait until some freight trains passed. Stopping in a beautiful place is not a bad thing.

Made it to our hotel in Banff. Staying at a place called the Rimrock Resort. The place is beautiful but we turned in after a short walk through. It has been a long day and we are beat.

We made it to the bus that took us to the station; then onto the train. They had a piper to pipe us onto the train.

It seems that we have left the sunny weather in Washington. Today is overcast. The service on the train is great, very attentive. Had breakfast on the train with a very nice couple from Philadelphia.

The scenery is spectacular. It reminds me very much of the time Jim and I brought the Jeep from Wenatchee to Samish Island. We drove through Stevens Pass with a very similar landscape.

Once we get east of the coastal mountains the climate changes to desert, beautiful but in a different way. The Fir and Cedar forests have given way to Ponderosa Pine and Sage Brush. It is easy to see the beauty of the coastal forest but, I believe, it takes one time to see the beauty of the desert. There is certainly beauty here.

The afternoon meal on the train was outstanding. The landscape changes to desert.

Transported to the hotel in Kamloops. Closing this post because we need to meet the shuttle back to the train at 6:00 am. It’s been a long day.

This morning we are leaving Skagit Valley. It was the first cloudy day we have encountered here. We will travel to Bellingham, drop off our rental car then catch an Amtrak train to Vancouver BC.

The Morgan’s dropped us off at the train station. It was sad to say “goodbye” to the people who have been so very kind to us the last several days.

When we got to Vancouver and through customs, we took a cab to the hotel. We got into a conversation with the Iranian driver about politics (we were all in agreement about the state of the world). One notable comment was “When the US sneezes,Canada catches the flu”. I thought that was a great observation.

Went to a great place for lunch, Joey’s. They have a lamp I want for the Carolina room.

After lunch we came back to the hotel and crashed. Having had such an active week in Pugit Sound, we needed some down time. In the morning we are to meet the shuttle to the Rocky Mountaineer at 8:00 am. Fortunately we leave our bags in the hotel room to be transported to the next hotel.

We got to Vancouver the day after a tragic event where a fellow drove his car into a community celebration killing eleven people. It was a Filipino celebration. Our waiter at a restaurant was part of that community. We spoke with him at length about the happening. It seemed to me that he needed to talk about it. The offender had just been discharged from a mental facility. It was a sad and poignant conversation.

On a much happier note. Since I have so many nights at Marriott hotels, I have lifetime “Titanium” status. This gets me into the club room at hotels that have them. So, we went to the club room for a light snack before our evening walk. There was a great view of the city.

Observation for the first day in Canada. When we left the US we were wondering how we would be received in Canada. There had been comments about being the 51st State, tariffs, border enforcement…. We were told by numerous people in Washington that there was a huge downturn of the number of Canadians coming to the US. We standout as being from the US, (we are both wearing LL Bean outerwear, what Canadian would do that). Well, this first day, every encounter was remarkably delightful. From the border officials to wait staff at restaurants, everyone was remarkably kind and nice.

As we were planning this trip I got in touch with my Aunt Georgia. We had not seen each other in many years. I wanted to see her as she is the last remaining relative that I have from my Mother’s generation. Georgia was married to my Uncle Jesse. My contact with Georgia sparked conversations between cousins that led to what turned out to be a family reunion, the first in many years.

We started the day with breakfast at the Edison Cafe. This is a converted filling station where many locals meet before they start work in the fields. Edison claims Edward R Murrow as a native son. His family actually lived in the adjacent community of Blanchard.

We then ventured to Aunt Georgia’s home for the party. Wow, what a gathering. Cousins, their children and their children’s children came. The weather was beautiful, the setting was beautiful and the abundant food was great. I was greatly honored to have been feted in such a grand way.

A couple of my male cousins were not able to attend as they were attending a bachelor party. Here, a bachelor party consists of going to Idaho to hunt bear.