While staying at my sister & brother-in-law's place,
I've been able to do some surfing and some 1-800 calling to determine the
nature of my next month or so.
I'm planning to visit some family in the Edmonton area
while enjoying the imminent arrival of a new niece or nephew. Edmonton's
only 2 hours away, so a few trips are probable.
Once everything is stable at the expanded Gearns household,
I'll continue on to the west coast. The focus was never really clear
as to what I would do, but since I'm travelling in Nov and Dec, I might as
well take advantage of the snow that I'll be driving through. So, I've
decided to be a snow bum for the next month and visit a few of the west's
snowiest resorts and slopes.
The main problem with a starting time is snow. Right
now there's none in Cold Lake, and very little on any of the ski hills.
So, I need to wait for the slopes to open. Since that varies
from hill to hill, I'm still working out when I'll be headed farther west.
That said, I'm planning to leave Edmonton mid- to late-Nov
and head through the scenic Banff Nat'l Park. I may stop off for some skiing
at Jasper, Lake Louise or Banff. I may also head a little east and hit Nakiska
or .
From there (look out Tim) I'll head to Kelowna. There
are a few ski hills in the area (Big White and Silver Mountain) so I'm sure
to enjoy myself there. There's also Sun Peaks near Kamloops to ski, so I'll
probably hit there along the way, visiting my aunt and uncle as well.
Next major stop is Vancouver and the Big Island. I'm
not sure if I'll hit Whistler/Blackcomb or just head straight through. In
either case, I'm sure the scenery will be quiet enjoyable.
I've sent out some email soliciting information on the
state of whale watching in December. I'm not expecting much of a positive
response, but hey, even a tour to see the coastal mountains from a distance
would be nice. I'll also hit most of the major tourist sites, once
I figure out which ones pull me most.
Finally, we reach one of the more definite parts of the
journey. On Dec 14th I'm planning to take the ferry from Port Hardy
on Vancouver Island up to the port of Prince Rupert. The trip is a day and
a half, but I'm sure I'll be enjoying the scenery most of the day or night.
A few more ski areas await in the mountains near Prince
Rupert. Between hitting those and a possible ferry crossing over to the Queen
Charlotte Islands, I'll probably not notice the cold weather.
From there, the long journey back to Cold Lake begins. I'm
thinking of hitting a ski resort just east of Mackenzie (hmm, that place
sounds familiar for some reason...) and a quick tour through Dawson Creek
and Slave Lake. The plan is to be back in Cold Lake in time for Christmas
Eve.
After a journey to Edmonton on Christmas Day and some
probable shopping on Boxing Day (if the stores are open) I'll start the trek
back to Oshawa. I hear there's a big New Year's party in the works.
For those of you there, I'll see you then.
As expected, all the exciting details will be available online as soon as I can type them and upload them. ;)