Gallery Archives - Operation Relocation: West 2 East Coast, Canada

Day 9: Exploring Winnipeg with an old Islander…

Grab a tea or a coffee, because this post is a long one thanks to a great day in Winnipeg, Manitoba!

Good Morning Winnipeg!!! Great start to day 9, Cousin was working from home for the morning. Chris and Moose slept in while Bowie and I got up and played with the kids, the fluffy white cat Kiki and Willow the half husky with the biggest, cutest ears! Who also likes to rub your leg, hand or foot with her paw so you have to pay attention to her. While cousin was working he was even making breaky for everyone (egg sandwiches with sausage, ham, tomatoes and cheese). When he was finished work, we all got ready and headed out for our tour of Winnipeg.

The Forks:

First, The Forks. I was unsure what to expect, maybe a little market by the river…NOPE. A massive 2 story indoor market with food vendors and shops alike. With an expansive outdoor grounds that extends out along the river boardwalk. A gem of a place for Winnipeg. These aren’t just restaurants or fooderies, these are top notch culinary delights. As well as fun shops to explore, many that you won’t find anywhere else. There was families and tourists like us, but also the regulars. People just chillin on the couches in the lounge upstairs. Stroller groups of Moms, getting coffees. Others who came for a beer, oh did I forget to say that. Yes a full beer and wine bar open amongst all the other vendors.

A unique meeting place for all.

We shopped and browsed every store in The Forks. Took the elevator to the very top and had a panoramic view of the whole locale. We went on a walk about down to the dock just steps away from the market on the Assiniboine River. Now, it’s not called the forks because of the amazing food vendors. To find out more, our group hopped on a river tour with Captain Guy. Our first historical stop on the tour was at the legislative building. Here our Captain directed our attention to the statue of Louis Riel, the founder of Manitoba. Riel was an advocate of the Métis for their land and rights and led 2 rebellions before being hanged for treason. Capt. Guy spoke passionately and warmly of the “Father of Manitoba”. He also discussed ‘The Golden Boy’ who stands atop the legislative building. The Golden Boy is modelled after the Roman god, Mercury. In one hand he holds high a flame; to represent the youth who are the future of Manitoba. In his other hand a bushel of wheat; to represent the fruits of labour. The Captain sped us away to many historic places along the rivers. One of my favourite stops was the ‘Esplande Riel’, which crosses the Red River. A foot-passenger bridge that was once a restaurant, unsuccessfully due to NO PARKING in the very cold Winnipeg winters. It is now an IT building. Note: The Red River got its name by an explorer for its reddish-brown colour.

OK, so did you put two and two…rivers together? Yes you got it. The Forks got its name for where the 2 rivers meet: The Assiniboine River and The Red River, in the heart of Winnipeg. Indigenous Elders have said Winnipeg meant “muddy-waters” for how the water appeared when the two rivers met. Both rivers were used as a means of transport, trade and politics for many Indigenous nations and later European fur traders. We all soaked up the sun, the easy breeze and the history until we returned to the dock.

After our tour finished, we walked along the river boardwalk and fed geese and ducks. Moose was one with the goose, hand feeding some corn to one in particular…until it pecked him. We explored the grounds and the Oodena Celebration Circle, a way to view constellations with the naked eye during certain times of the year. Cousin had a quick appointment at lunch time, so we found ourselves at Wienerpeg. Home of the most incredible hotdogs with fun and tasty home made toppings (the Scandinavian for me, the Wienerpeg for Moose and Poutine for Bowie). There is so much to learn and see at The Forks. I highly recommend a visit should you find yourself in Winnipeg, I would spend most weekdays or weekends there on the regular if that was in my backyard.

Assiniboine Park:

Our next stop of the day was to Assiniboine Park, a name that took me half the day to pronounce correctly. Google Maps kept rerouting us to Assiniboine Forrest, attached to the park, but about 10 minutes away from where we were trying to go! So, after getting lost twice and running from an ambulance, we finally found our way to the main parking lot. We met with Cousin and Girlfriend at The Pavilion with all the kids. We wandered the art gallery, which had a Winnie the Pooh exhibit going on. Most of the kids didn’t realize that Winnie was a real bear and that all the stories were inspired by him originally.

There are a lot of attractions at Assiniboine Park, including a zoo, which we decided to forgo today. But we did enjoy the Nature Playground. All the kids needed to run, play and stretch after a busy day at The Forks. We began to walk the grounds, all while enjoying the geese and catching up. The park is very active and lively. Bike riders, runners, walkers and those out for a stroll just like us. We walked and talked with a temporary leave of the park for a surprise. Cousin directed us all across the bridge and across the street to Sargent Sundae. An ice cream store that has been hard a work since 1984 and doesn’t need anything other than its name to attract eager customers. While we all read the menu and ordered, at least 10 people had arrived ahead of us and again after us in a 10 minute period. Whatever your ice cream fancy is, they have it: floats, sundaes, flurries, soft cones, hard cones, malts, milkshakes…and so much more! Sargent Sundae is a Winnipeg staple. Make sure to get in line, it will be worth the wait.

With ice cream in hand we walked back across the bridge and through the forest path over to the English Garden. This had to be my favourite part of the park. Lush garden beds with flashes of colour everywhere. As you follow the brick pathways you find yourself alongside the dense garden beds with blooms and grasses galore. Keep to the paths and you will come across fountains and the cottage. There are many statues in the gardens, including the Queen Victoria Monument which was donated to the City of Winnipeg for her diamond jubilee and relocated to the gardens in the 1960’s. Our final pass through the park was to the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, some of which made Bowie blush. The sculpture garden is met with a large pond full of lily pads and sculptures in every corner, very serene.

We made our way back to the cars. All the kids opted to go with Girlfriend. Chris and I drove…alone…for the first time in a week!!! Back at home we had a quick dinner, then headed outside for an evening fire pit complete with a marshmallow roast!

Winnipeg! What a great day.

Cheers xo Mel.

Day 4: We went to the Zoo!

Calgary Zoo anybody? How about EVERYBODY! Our destination today was obviously the Calgary Zoo. After we got organized for the day and checked out, we headed straight to the zoo, after one pit stop…Bacon Gouda breakfast sandwiches and a Mango dragon fruit refresher for me from Starbucks. The zoo is 12 minutes away from our hotel, so we had time 😉.

We have arrived!!! Parked ✅️ tickets 🎟 ✅️ cameras ✅️ and in to the zoo we go.

You can purchase your tickets outside at an automated ticket booth, or inside at the desk…very busy FYI.

The Zoo is enormous, don’t plan a couple hours…plan a day. You won’t be disappointed. The first exhibit we encountered was the Penguin Plunge. We actually went back to the penguins before we left because it was so spectacular. First part you see is an outdoor enclosure with Humboldt Penguins soaking up the sun and playing in the water. Which ones are those? The penguins we all think of when someone says penguin…unless you are Benedict Cumberbatch, then they are pengwings, or penglings of course. They are the small black and white sleek and speckled pengwings…oops penguins.

Now Enter Penguin Plunge! The Calgary Zoo boasts 4 types of penguins: Humboldt Penguins, aforementioned, Rockhopper Penguins (the dudes with the rad yellow spikey hair), Gentoo Penguins (the shorter cute, kinda clumsy guys), King Penguins (the big, tall noisy ones with the orange chests). Their enclosure is a wee bit smelly, be warned, but its also very interesting and fun. When you pass through the air locked door you can hear them bleating (or calling) and once through the rock formations immediately you see the King Penguins on the rocks ahead. The dome above is white and blue emulating their natural habitat. Now look behind you, there you’ll find the all too cool Rockhopper Penguins, just chillin, no pun intended. Gentoo’s are walking around, swimming and even a couple are tending their nests. There is a tunnel from one side to the other, the penguins are so fast. Now it is a bit crowded on the enclosure path. But give it time, the big crowds move on quickly. Take in the moment, watch the penguins zoom around in the water, listen to them chatter.

From here we headed to the Canadian Wilds saw black bears, wolves, a cougar, some moose and much more. This exhibit was under construction to give the animals more room so not everything was available, but still enjoyable.

Destination Africa! This was definitely Chris’s favourite exhibit, mine 2nd to the Penguins. First impression were jumping cliff rodents…can’t remember their name, but related to elephants! Then we have the meercats and porcupines. But we were looking for the BIG game, so to speak. Turn around…aha there are the giraffe’s, 4 of them. They overlook the hippos, Grandma and Granddaughter. We watched the hippos as they had there teeth checked and received treats. The staff member educating everyone in this area advised us all “If the hippo with the pink face stops and turns at the fence, stand back, she will spray poop at you!” Ahhhh nature, so beautiful (face palm here). We waited to see if they would return to the water after their treat, but the giraffes were getting frisky…so it was time to go! In the safari area we found the Land of Lemurs to Bowies delight! Ostrich and Zebras, sleeping Lions and so much more.

The best part of the day might be the Gorillas. There is 2 ways to visit these beautiful, yet very powerful primates. 1: Travelling through the rainforest and its inhabitants, to the indoor enclosure. Here you see the gorillas play area. And the friendly mice who have found an easy meal. Or 2: At the outdoor seated viewing, which has staff and a volunteer for questions. #1 was where we first saw there troop. The silverback male, who I watched quickly grabbed a banana leaf and slung it over his shoulder. As we watched them, watching us too, one of the females came over and turned around. To our surprise, she was carrying a baby with her. We learned the baby was 5 months old, and beginning to explore on there own! Highlight of the day for sure.

Exploration Asia! Moose was pretty excited about this one. When you enter the exhibit there are hand painted canvas banners along the walls. Some of different animals, and then the continent. Ahead, a red bamboo forest. We came across a large glass enclosure, unsure of who was in there. It was foggy and steamy…and then movement. It was a very large Komodo Dragon He walked though the trees and branches with such purpose. His powerful legs and sharp claws were pretty scary, then he’d turn and flick his tongue. He wasn’t slowing down for anything or anyone, not even for a picture.

Across the hall are a couple of White Handed Gibbons. These 2 were very entertaining. One guy was just hanging around in his hammock, the other…literally hanging; on a hope with one arm. ‘Rope’ began to swing along the rope, switching left to right…then ‘Hammock’ decided to show him up! They briefly chased each other until Hammock returned to his restful spot. Outside we watched a Tapir sleep against the bamboo…until we saw the sign that said “Stay 8ft back, Tapir will spray urine!” Nope. That’s enough for me. Off to the camel and the snow leopard haha.

There was soooo much more honestly. This is already long enough. But The Calgary Zoo exceeded my expectations. Friendly staff you can tell are happy to work here. Different zoo exhibits very easily marked and identified, and ALL THE ANIMALS!!! Plus traveling with kids there are washrooms and restaurants or other opportunities for a drink or snack all throughout the park.

The only negative thing about the zoo I can say is not about the zoo itself, but the way some people allowed their children to behave towards these incredible creatures, whom we are fortunate to have to opportunity to view and learn about. Parents please remember you and your children are guests. Teach your kids to have respect for all including the animals. Don’t allow them to bang on the glass or yell at the animals. Otherwise…leave them at home. Maybe an unpopular opinion…but I don’t care.

Farewell Calgary Zoo. We take fond memories with us as we head to our next stop. We decided not to rush the rest of the day and headed to Strathmore, AB. We booked in at the Travel Lodge. In the parking lot we were bombed by little black beetles, they came and went so fast, anyone know what they are? I almost ran inside haha. But we were very pleasantly greeted by the front desk. We did some homework then headed to the pool. Which was the cleanest pool we have yet had. The waterslide was wicked fast. I happily watched the kids launch out the bottom over and over again.

That’s all for today, I am sure its enough. Tomorrow we head to Drumheller!

Cheers xo Mel

Day 2: Wildlife, Detours and Spectacular Views oh my…

We started the day just as we had planned. A visit to the Kangaroo Creek Farm in Kelowna, BC. We have been there before, however they have made some big changes since our last visit. First we went to visit the Capybaras, which are the world largest rodent. They love veggies and feel like straw when you pet them. They are very approachable and only stand as high as your knee, and if the capybaras don’t want to visit they just walk away. In the same area is a large barn full of birds and reptiles. We really enjoyed this area, especially Moose. A budgie fell asleep nestled into his ear, and we held a large cockatoo who liked being called beautiful while you scratched her head. Now for the lizards, Moose was in his element. He was holding an Eyelash Crested Gecko as I watched. But this gecko was watching me as much as I was watching him…and then it happened…The little lizard LEPT from Moose’s careful hands and launched right onto my chest!!! YES! I did scream and the barn full of people looked immediately to my direction.

Once I recovered from my gecko attack, I say with tongue in cheek, we headed over to see the Emus. Here Moose had his own attack…by a pen guarding rooster! We initially thought ‘How cute, he’s following us’ so Moose went in for the pet and was met by the PECK! At this point we decided it was time to head to the kangaroo pen. Bowie quickly saw an albino kangaroo and immediately fell in love. She is quite convinced we should get one…not sure I agree. The Kangaroo Creek Farm has quite a few species of kangaroos: Red Kangaroos (the largest type), Bennett Wallabies, Common Wallaros and Dama Wallabies. They all wander or lie around free around the farm and you are able to pet their backs and feed them greens provided by the knowledgeable staff. We will certainly be back when our travels take us this way!

We headed on the road again travelling from Kelowna to Vernon, making one stop in Coldstream Valley to take in the view of Kalamalka Lake. Chris always enjoys this spot, as it reminds him of travels with his Mom and Dad through the Okanagan for holidays. Its vibrant green water is an unrivaled sight. From here we travelled on Highway 1 with beautiful BC lakes along the way until we reached the summit of Rogers Pass.

Rogers pass was one of the highlights of the day for me. Not only were we surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, but the sun was shining with the mountain breeze. This is as BC as you can get. Bowie hand fed Steller Jays, Moose rang the bell and I raked the Memory garden, which was made to honour those lost in the 1910 Avalanche. Did you know that the the all-weather Trans-Canada Highway opened over the pass in 1962? I didn’t! Once we finished exploring we descended the mountain until we reached Golden, BC. In Golden signage advised that Hwy 1 was closed for construction and we had to reroute through Radium Hot Springs. Great…that adds 1.5 hours minimum to our trip to Banff, which was already a late arrival.

What was initially a nuisance turned into a wildlife viewing experience. Kootenay National Park is full of beautiful mountains, grassy meadows, creek beds, and wildlife galore. We were so fortunate to stumble across a black bear just as we were entering the park. How exciting!! But there’s more. As we navigated through the red rock cliffs we came across a herd of Great Horned Sheep, something I’ve only seem once before. We watched as they ate at the side of the road, and the mature adults were alert and wary of oncoming vehicles. I could have watched them all day, but time was not on our side, so we carried on.

We saw a moose as dusk was upon us in our final stretch out of the park. We arrived in Banff Late…9pm. We checked into our hotel at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge, ordered dinner and settled in for the night. What a rustic, cozy place. We felt at home with the fire place, exposed beams and claw foot tub. The kids were in bed quickly. I enjoyed a late night bathbomb and facemask in the tub.

Ready to explore Banff today. Talk soon xo Mel

Chris’s solo trip to NS

OK, what guy wouldn’t want to jump in his car and take off on a road trip? If this is you then picture this…you’ve caught the BC Ferry out of Duke Point, Nanaimo. It is now docked in Tsawwassen, Delta. Once you start your engine and drive off the ramp its just you, your Camaro, well not just any Camaro…a 2021 Riverside Blue Chevy Camaro LT1 with a 6.2 V8 engine, and the open road. It doesn’t matter what route you choose, radio station, or most importantly…speed, its all up to you from start to finish.

Well that has been Chris’s week. Thursday morning September 1st he caught the 5:15am ferry and took off on his solo journey. Chris had one job to do on this trip: get his Camaro tucked in safely at Summit Vehicle Storage in Stewiacke, NS. This afternoon after 7 days,8 Provinces and 5,442.0 km he arrived in Digby, Nova Scotia.

Chris has chronicled his trip on Facebook, so I will leave the rest of this post to his original words posted at the end of each days journey.

Day one. 879 KM. Made it to Alberta. Few stops today.

Having grown up on Vancouver Island with the ocean at my door step, I never thought the prairies would feel familiar. Yet the vastness of the fields and the strong breeze feels like I’m standing looking at an ocean of grass. The freight train in the distance makes me think of the cargo ships along the coast. I’ve done a lot of reflection in the last day and a half on the road across the country I call home and am so excited to see what else the Great White North has to offer.

Day two. 878 KM. Canmore AB to Emerald Park SK.

Alberta was very enjoyable. Lots of cows! I love cows. Saskatchewan was good driving. If you like hay, the colour yellow, and 8000 bugs on the front of your vehicle, then SK is the place for you. Either way the Camaro really got to stretch its legs on the hwy 1’s long flat straight stretches.

A moment of reflection while entering Ontario on Day 3:

It’s easily been 25 years since I set foot in the province I was born in and spent the first 4 years of my life. It seems strange but as I neared the border from Manitoba and the landscape began to change, it felt oddly familiar.

Day three. 918km. Emerald Park SK to Dryden ON.

Manitoba surprised me, so green and lush for a prairie province! Made it through fast though. Happy to be in my birth province, it’s been so long.

Day four. 845km Dryden ON to Herst ON.

Not a lot of pics today, still an enjoyable drive though.

Day five. 839 km. Hearst ON to Mont-Lauier QB.

Another quiet day. Missing the family but excited to see NS for the first time.

Day six. 839km. Mont-laurier QB to Grand Falls NB.

Not a lot of pics today, Mel wants to experience Quebec in person so I held back, lots more to come of QB on my next trip. I will attest QB could not be a prettier province, gives BC a run for its money… the drivers though… man o’man they made an art form of tailgating. I did end up staying down the road from the McCains factory which made the giant poo statue with eyes I passed, makes way more sense…. it was a long flat potato ….. I hope… willing to stop and get a picture tomorrow of it if anyone feels they need to see it.

Crossing the border into New Brunswick!

There it is folks. The Atlantic Ocean.

At the Bay Ferries Terminal in New Brunswick: Started this journey on a ferry, may as well end it on one.

Day seven. 536km. Grand Falls NB to Grand Pre NS

That’s all folks! Seven days from Vancouver Island BC to Nova Scotia. Stay tuned for more pics and a more detailed second trip in later Sept as Mel and I travel across with the kids… yes that’s right, for those who didn’t know I’m doing this twice this month!

Thanks to Chris for sharing his “A to B” trip. Look forward to tagging along in a couple more weeks, and really seeing more of each province on our way.

xo Mel and Chris