Cromwell... Central Otago... home of the best (imho) new world Pinot Noir...

Saturday morning - leaving Queenstown district and heading into pinot noir country - Central Otago - a land of vineyards perched vicariously over steep river gorges or on rolling hills at the end of a river valley. Our destination - Cromwell - the centre of this new wine region with some 46 wineries - is quickly becoming the pinot enthusiast's destination of choice.

With cold winters and hot and, generally, dry summers, the region's micro-climes also boast soils and drainage which rival any of the best pinot vineyards world-wide. Although other pinot growing areas in NZ have been producing excellent flavorful wines, it is (and in my humble opinion) arguable that the CO-grown pinot along with the winemakers careful management produces better, more varietal-true wines that stand out among all pinots.

These great PNs will likely never be seen at home... the best are not produced in the quantity which would attract the large buyers (like the LCBO) but a number of the wineries, I found, do have Canadian representatives... just not listings for the good wines. Pricing is another problem... the premium single vineyard wines will be priced in the $60-90NZ range (about $50-70CDN) at the cellar door and I found the prices in wine stores to be only marginally more (<5%). That would price them out of most markets... so, even if you could get these top-end PNs, the prices would undoubtedly by well over $120CDN in most provinces... except, of course, AB.







Enroute Cromwell, we spied a vineyard on the south side of the Kawarau River along which the road ran... and we then saw the sign pointing to the Chard Farm winery tasting room and cellar door. A hard right turn and we were following a single car-width gravel road along and up the side of a steep hill with a sheer drop into the river gorge 70-100m below. Prayers were offered to Bacchus that we would not meet another vehicle coming around the 120-degree turns on this gravel track. Prayers answered, we forgot about the return trip and entered this small but excellent example of homage to the PN. Chard Farm (named from the Chard family - not the grape) has three vineyards in (hotter, dryer) Cromwell and the one on the river through which we passed and all wine is made on this premise - proximity of the river humidity keeps the barrels from losing contend during the aging process.






I won't dwell on the winery - a small, family owned and operated wonderfully warm place... we really enjoyed the tasting and the (retired) concierge behind the counter was yet another Kiwi with Canadian connections... we got along famously; as well, after the vertical tasting, I settled on two of his finest to become traveling companions if and until the appropriate situation arose.

The trip back to the main highway was equally slow and angst-ridden... but this time, we met a car coming into the winery on a 90-degree turn. We both stopped and assessed the situation - after a few monuments we moved closer to the sheer drop and allowed the oncoming car to proceed towards the winery. After a minute user to collect our respective 'thoughts', we continued... without further incident... and only when back on the real road did we relax... a bit.

Several more wineries appeared in rapid succession as we continued east north east through the Gibbston wine area... and a cheesery (probably based on the term 'fromagerie'). NZ fresh cheese - an excellent companion to the baguette and the PN in the trunk... right? Well, so we thought. Pushing on, now to our next stop as time was passing...







Cromwell is like a bedroom community - new, clean (nearly spotless) with manicured lawns and no seriously heavy industry... but it's not a bedroom community - just a nice small town (pop. about 3,500). It is surrounded by vineyards, however, and makes up the largest number of them in the CO area... which can now boast over 75 wineries! The scenery is much more subdued than that which surrounds Queenstown but the scenery isn't the reason people visit Cromwell. It's all about the pinot... and a couple of good restaurants.

Once settled into our comfortable 'self-catering' motel room (a great feature of almost all motor hotels, motels, etc. in NZ) with things 'put-away', we headed out to visit some wineries... unfortunately, for us, it was nearly closing time so we were able to stop for a tasting at only one... Olssens - a small-volume producer of really top-notch pinot noir on the Felton Road, in the Bannockburn area, on the other side of the Kawarau River. BTW, the Felton Road and the Cairnmuir Road are home for 13 wineries and, among them, 4 'world-class' pinot noir producers - Felon Road, Mt. Difficulty, Akarua and Desert Heart... the wine-growing areas of Central Otago include Gibbston (Chard Farm is in this area), Alexandra, Lowburn/Bannockburn and Wanaka... and, no, we didn't vista them all (although it would be an interesting challenge...).






Our concierge at Olssens winery offered to book a reservation at FEAST - one of the few good restaurants in Cromwell - and, she asked, would we like to take a bottle with us to dinner? Why, of course! was the instant reply. Not only that, but if we couldn't finish our bottle, it is perfectly fine in NZ to re-cap the bottle and take what's left home. Even if we purchased the bottle at the restaurant, the practice - VERY REASONABLE practice, I might add - to take your un-consumed wine away from the restaurant, is so civilized... winder what shifts in the political perspectives might be needed to alter our punitive practices at home???

FEAST is an award-winning restaurant noted for its preparation of lamb and beef... we selected the lamb and were not disappointed! Along with the Olssens pinot (brought from winery), we enjoyed a marvelous evening out.








Sunday was clear and windy... about 20C... and a great day to visit wineries. Rockburn was first on the agenda... it was in town on the way to the main highway. Wines were good (first of the day) but we were holding off for some of Bannockburn's specials. Arriving at Mt. Difficulty restaurant and cellar door, overlooking the vine-covered valley below, purely on spec, we asked if there was any chance of getting a seat for lunch... and we were lucky - there was a table available and our server, Maggie, was friendly with a wicked sense of humor; she was also a pinot fan... with every reason to be.








Lunch, as in most wineries with restaurants, was chef-created and replete with 'fresh everything'... my free-range lamb was, unfortunately, a tad less tender than I was expecting. That's when I found out the difference between free-range Merino sheep and the others - Merino are 'tougher'! The Mt. Difficulty single vineyard PN was, however, the start of the meal... along with the view. After the leisurely lunch we made our way to the Cairnmuir Road to Akarua for the final tasting in the area... and it was worth the trip.





In the evening, in the afterglow of such great wines and foods, we prepared for tomorrow's long trip to Christchurch... the longest single drive of the trip.

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Location:Cromwell, South Island

Milford Sound... fiord extrordinaire!

An early start... the bus driver and tour conductor - Russell - stopped outside our lodging at 0720 to welcome us onboard his tour bus and we, along with 12 other stalwarts from various places (AU, UK, Slovenia, India, Poland) were off on the day-trip to (the inappropriately-named) Milford Sound.

**Tutorial warning**It is actually geologically classified as a Fjord (a glacial V-cut into the rock into which sea and fresh water collect - very deep water (300m-400m), very steep sides (60-90 degrees)... you know, like in Norway and western NL) while a Sound is classified as a river opening into the ocean... and, at Milford Sound, there is really no river - just lots of water falling from the rocks surrounding it, etc. No more techie-talk... I promise.










We (or better said, she-who-must-be-obeyed) decided to take the bus tour because it's an all-day drive-boat-drive operation, it's over unfamiliar roads, we don't know anything about the areas and geography through which we were to travel AND there was an on-board 'potty'... the travel agent who sold the trip to my better half thought that would be the clincher for us old-folks. Well, he wasn't right but the other reasons were more than valid and we were very pleased with the results. We arrived and returned safely, we were fatigued but not beat, and we learned a great deal about Otago and the Fjordland World Heritage Site. Thank-you, better-half.








I can't begin to describe all the ups and downs and acrosses and arounds; the scenery was ever changing - we moved through South Island terrain from hill/mountain range to valleys that were desert-like and rain-forest-like... all micro-climes. We learned that when the first europeans arrived to colonize the lands, there were no indigenous mammals on the islands... only birds.... including a number of flightless birds - the most famous of which would be the national animal symbol - the KIWI.








(BTW, This guy is NOT a Kiwi - it's a very intelligent NZ rain forest parrot know as a Kea... and it loves to pick off all the sift rubber on your car!)

We did not see a Kiwi... but they are nocturnal so that shouldn't be a surprise. , Stewart Island - south of South Island - is a Kiwi sanctuary and that's where one would find the majority of them. The Takehe and the Kakapo are also nearly extinct but can still be found on South Island or the off-islands - they are, of course, protected but are prey to a introduced mammals - rats and possums. OK, OK, enough of the lesson-stuff... Russell's monologue on things 'kiwi', including natural history, ornithology, and tall-tales of NZ pioneers were nothing short of amazing and most of us on-board the tour bus were well and truly entertained.










We stopped at several picturesque locations inside the Fjordland territory - reminded my of the drive to Banff and Lake Louise - and then we climbed into the mountains that make up the southern end of the Southern Alps.








After passing through a hand-hewn single lane Homer Tunnel (which took 19 years to 'dig' through a mountain 'saddle'), we entered the rain forest which surrounds the Milford (Fjord) Sound... it really was like stepping back into pre-historic landscape with moss-covered trees and 8 meter ferns - all dripping, all the time.








As we entered the modern dock facilities for the cruise ships, we were met with a vista lifted from a Spielberg movie... the clouds and mist greyed the sunlight above to a dark-shade effect... the walls of the surrounding mountains provide sheer vertical drops to the deep and cold fjord waters (260m) - the aquatic life lives only in the top 40m as the light levels below that are insufficient to support vegetation or other aquatic life.


This Word Heritage Site draws interested visitors from the world over... as can be seen by the presence of a world-traveling Silversea super cruiser which traveled around from the Med. We watched the constantly changing micro-environment as we left the dock and cruised out to the western approaches in the Tasman Sea. I shot many photos... because every turn and each direction provided a panorama of clouds, mountains, water sliding and falling down vertical slopes, sea life and, very now and then, a peek at the sun.








The return trip was considerably more subdued... Russell had either exhausted his seemingly endless supply of anecdotes or he had pity on a bunch of tired puppies who enjoyed the snoozing opportunities afforded by the 300km drive back. For us, it was exactly what we expected and we were not disappointed. After thanking Russell and bidding adieu to our recently acquired tour mates, we packed up to get ready for the next leg of the journey into the centre of Central Otago's best known product - pinot noir!

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Location:Milford Sound, Fjordland National Park, South Island

Queenstown... W-O-W!

Our leisurely shuttle trip to AKL after another 'big breakfast' at the HIEx put us on track for our early afternoon departure. Another wonderful surprise at AKL domestic... auto-checkin (including baggage) - there were no agents standing around behind counters with people queued-up for the simple transactions of receiving a boarding pass and baggage tag - all automated, including weight and size measurements... YYZ - take note!!!!


The second interesting difference, for we NorAms used to DHS paranoia, was the absence of any photo-id requirements... just show up at your departure gate (shown in BIG numbers on your boarding pass, and, when the flight boards (on-time, of course), you walk on and sit... you're ready to go.

The flight to ZQN is about 85 minutes in duration and, if not obscured by cloud, the sights out the windows of the 737-400 are like watching the opening shots from LOTR... stupendous. We missed most of North Island's offerings - including Wellington - due to overcast but the clouds broke up when we reached the Cook Straight just before crossing over Marlborough Sound. The mountains of South Island - aka the Southern Alps - are formed by active plate tectonics and remind CDNs of the Rockies... but compressed stacks and somehow more "emotional"... for those who like mountains, you could really like these a lot!




The rest of the trip followed inland along the Southern Alps to ZQN with the final descent to the airport in hands-on mode as the pilot maneuvered through mountain passes and over vineyards, rivers and lakes onto the runway. You couldn't have asked for a better ride than that one but I wonder what happens in winter (the passes are subject to snow squalls and white-outs)... still - an adventure, none the less.

As we were preparing to deplane, the flight steward announced, with a smile in his voice, "Please watch your steps, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and hold onto the railing while descending the steps; the mountains will still be there when you are on the tarmac." First impressions of Queenstown are hard to describe so I'll just say W-O-W! There are mountain peaks in every direction... the air is crisp and dry... sun hot (lots of UV - NZ and most of AU suffer from weaker ozone layers so the sun's UV WILL burn unprotected skin) and a breeze blowing; perfect Wx! Of course, its not always so... ZQN gets lots of rain, and even some snow, too, but not today, thanks.


After clearing the paperwork for the car, we drove (somewhat gingerly, as most NorAms do when confronted with being on the left side of the road) to the town about 8km distant. We navigated to our motor hotel in town without incident and actually parked the car without damaging it or anyone else's... felt good to NOT ding a local car! Then groceries... necessary evils like food and some wine... and back to the apartment for supper... I crashed a few minutes later and didn't awake for about 9 hours - a much needed rest.




Thursday - time to discover Queenstown.. a town of hills... everything is headed 'up' from where ever you are; its fair to say that there are few folks that live here who are badly out of shape... you can certainly tell the tourists (like US) from the touring hikers, backpackers, bungi-jumpers, luge-riders, para-sailers and all variety of activity-seeking youth - no matter what their age - we're the ones sitting down on benches, fences or anywhere possible to 'catch breath' or relieve aching calves. This is a town where, if you decide to stay, you will need to be in shape! NO OPTION!



But, you will be hard pressed to find a town with more natural beauty... Banff comes close... and I'm sure there are others in the world - we just haven't seen or heard of them. Oh and did I mention the in-shape people? Actually, the residents and merchants are exceedingly polite and friendly (heard that before?) like most Kiwis we have had the pleasure of meeting.




After booking our next-day excursion to Milford Sound (not really a sound - actually a fjord) and strolling the retail mall in the centre of Queenstown, we took the short - but spectacular - gondola ride to the (almost) top of the mountain overlooking the town - it is the best vantage point in the area and from here one can see two of the three arms of Lake Wakatipu as well as The Remarkables (the mountain chain forming one side of the lake). The gondola platform (Skyline) also houses a resto, a bungee-jump, a luge run, parasailing jump point and a helo-pad for sight-seeing hops to the glaciers or around the 100km long lake, and the ubiquitous tourist stuff shop. Very active place... and lots of picture-taker (like us) but a better perspective you won't find.


Once back on the town level, we toured the northern arm of the lake which took us to a really small village of Glenorachy... where all the streets are named after islands of the Western Inner Hebrides... I thought it would be quite alright to sport a street address of Islay Ave., Mull Road or Oban Street... the Scottish diaspora lives!


Also, at this far end of Lake Wakatipu, Peter Jackson filmed a number of scenes for the LOTR trilogy... 'Rohan' was just past the village and the battle of Helm's Deep was filmed on the west side of the northern arm, too. You can certainly see the real country in the mythical film land...

Back to Queenstown and preparing for tomorrow's excursion to Milford Sound...


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Location:Queenstown, NZ

AKL and beyond... well, a little way beyond...

HOW ABOUT THAT... we missed Valentines Day! Somehow, the dateline ate it.... Our Air NZ concierge, Maggie (originally from Canada - you could tell from her accent and the periodic 'EH'), held an on-board competition for those interested in preserving some semblance of normalcy when they lose a day-in-the-life, to pick the most romantic place to which they would travel... no, ANZ didn't provide a ticket for the winners but she did have an extra candy bar for them... nice idea... but we found that the ANZ staff were excellent at their service provision and one can't help but love their accent!





We departed LAX on time, sort-of; it was a tad confusing since the LAX folks had scheduled two wide-body aircraft - Virgin Atlantic to LHR and ANZ to AKL - from the same gate... but we all eventually arrived in our appropriate seats on the correct equipment. Departure from LAX was the beginning of a nearly 11,000 km 13 hour flight until we again would see land. That's a lotta H20 under the fuselage...

Landing in AKL was uneventful... except that it was a 'first' for us. AKL terminal is human-scaled, comfortable and not a great deal of distance from gate to exit... Immigration folks were pleasant... and they SMILED (something our CDN folks might think to do from time to time) and they were exceedingly polite (ditto parenthetic comment above). Once thru the lineups (they actually x-ray baggage on the way out of the customs clearance area - ALL BAGS), we agreed that the #1 thing on the list of to-dos was to enjoy a 'long-white' (a NZ latte-like strong coffee with not a lot of foam)... and we did - just outside exit door at a sidewalk coffee vendor stall.





As we were sipping and awaiting our shuttle bus, a returning 'Kiwi' (self-described) young lady asked if she could join us (we had the empty chair)... and, like a lot of 'Kiwis', she had travelled to and in Canada and knew quite a bit about our land - more, I venture to say, than we knew of hers... and she, again, like most Kiwis, was very proud of her country. Great way to start our initiation to NZ... thank you, where ever you are...

Our hotel, at the end of a short shuttle ride, was really quite nice for a Holiday Inn Express... lush tropical gardens, Maori artwork throughout the lobby and, once more, polite and friendly staff... but we were early for our room. Right! It was still within the time boundary for breakfast... so we enjoyed the 'big breakfast' experience - last one was in Vancouver nearly 2 days earlier; strange things, timezones...






A brief snooze once the room was ready... and then out for a walk. We decided to treck to nearby (2.5km) winery - Villa Maria - for a wine tasting. VM is the third largest winery in NZ and has vineyards inmost wine-growing areas of the country. We were fortunate to have Mark, one of the owners (it's also NZ's largest family-owned and operated winery) as our wine guide... there are so many good NZ wines that are not available to us in many parts of our country and we were able to try a few; a great way to begin the wine-trek part of our journey. Thank you, Mark.





The walk back to the HIExpress was tiring... and we were ready to crash - even though the sun was still hours from setting. That's why God invented curtains... sleep came quickly BUT so did the wake-up part... at about 2300! Bodies were still on NorAm time, I think... but after a bit of acclimatization, I'm sure this too will pass.

Tomorrow (now Wednesday) we're off to Queenstown on South Island to readjust our body clocks and enter the land of the motoring set...


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Location:Auckland, NZ

excitement and anxiety... the next leg

The desk call at 0330 Sunday morning really didn't awaken us - the better half had enjoyed only cat-naps since crashing a few hours earlier - after the suitcases were re-packed, of course! Time to shower, shampoo and shave... and get downstairs to checkout and catch the shuttle to YVR at 0420.... and we were successful! Now we could worry about clearance through Homeland Security's barrier into the United States - the next and final leg of the journey to the green kingdom down-under originated from LAX.









Arriving at YVR before the rest of the world allowed some of the finer features of the airport's ambience to be appreciated - such as Bill Reid's original Haida Gwai - and a chance meeting with Sylvia, a marvelous Air Canada agent, who was truly Zen!








The better half demonstrated all the signs of anxiety due to 'fear of flying' and, Sylvia, in her calm and forthright manner (something she attributed to taking a Landmark course) asked her to contemplate the reasons for her fear... and it seemed to work. Only the DHS angst remained...








We met the enemy and they are us... or something like that. DHS, US Immigration and Customs agents were civil (almost bored to tears), polite, asked a minimum of questions and granted us entry into the country. SIGH! no issues here...

After the long wait (remember, we followed the guidelines by arriving 3 hours before our flight...) in the Starbucks area sipping the first (of many) coffee's of the morning, we finally boarded our LAX-bound E90... good seats for both baggage and scenery watching, too.

Takeoff from YVR at sunrise provided first a grey and somewhat tranquil montage but as we climbed out over the water, it was evident from where the inspiration for so many left coast artists came... almost endless horizontal bars of purple and grey shades with some sunrise peach thrown in for good measure... eye candy, again!








On-top, a sea of white... until it disappeared for a bit; then the Cascade range became visible and, with snow-caps, the mountains were quite a sight from 8km up. As luck would have it, we passed by Mount St. Helens... and, even covered with snow, it was evident that the force of that 1980 blast that removed the northern face of the volcano and turned it into dust remains visible.

An hour or so later, the slightly off-key voice of the itinerant folkie (junior) echoed in my mind as we circled over Santa Monica and then followed the circuit onto 24R... "Comin' into Los Angeleeeees... bringing' in a couple of keys... don't touch my bags, if you pleaseeeee, Mister Customs Man"... and the third leg was behind us.








A seemingly interminable 13 house wait in T2 ensued - bad food, bad air, uncomfortable seats, crowded - even for a Sunday - and no redeeming value! It isn't an experience we want to repeat... and it's not worth space on this page.


Next - the Air New Zealand experience and coming down 11,000km in Auckland.






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Location:YVR, LAX

the sister units and celebrations...

My sisters arrived in Richmond Saturday morning... ready to celebrate - one from Calgary via her favorite airline at YVR and the other from Nanaimo with her husband of many years at the wheel of the family sedan... via good ol' reliable BC Ferries at Tsawwessan. Interesting how quickly those who inhabit the 'Island (Vancouver Island, that would be) and all the many other islands and coastal communities along the left coast have come to rely on the BC Ferry services for far more than transportation to the lower mainland... the ferry service provides the physical connection for and between British Columbians - like the 401 provides for the physical connections of southern Ontarians and the North Sydney - Port aux Basques ferry service connects the 'Rock' to 'the rest of Canada'... and, it should be known, a great deal of what Newfoundlanders can purchase on the shelves at Superstore or Sobeys (food, I mean) depends on those ferries continuing to transit the Cabot Straights all year round. Too bad SWNova was forced to learn what life is like without such a service... but, alas, that is another story.
























Anyway, the sisters and one husband (only one is married) arrived at our Vancouver stopover place in the later part of the morning... hugs were exchanged and celebratory greetings followed. In case you were wondering... we (the sisters and I) have not all coexisted in the same space since our mother passed away in '97... also, this year marked the 'coming of age' anniversary for us all - one rounds the 65 year bend collecting $200 and continuing on to Baltic Avenue, the first sister is being set up for her ascendency at 60 and will be contemplating retirement from the active workforce... while the second sister has just begun living her second half-century. For those keeping count, that's OAS, possible CPP and.. well... still got a few years to go! Pity...












We decided, as such groups of sibling & spouses often do, quite arbitrarily (it was on the side of the street on which we were driving) to stop for a coffee & something at a local Tim's... and for a couple of hours , we caught up on each-other's live stories... and were entertained as we watched half the young families of Richmond all around us enjoy double-doubles and kiddy equivalents with no fries but lots of bagels - a scene no doubt replayed in Tim's all across the country.

Back to the hotel for a glass of wine was next on the order paper... but first, a stop at one of the city's finest wine boutiques was in order.... Found! in a very small suburban mall only two blocks from Tim's... an outlet store. Worst (by far) selection of wines - even BC wines - yours truly has experienced... well, maybe "worst" is an exaggeration... but "really bad" would certainly cover it.













A bubbly (for the better half), a BC gamay noir for us red-ophiles and some crackling apple cider for the Calgary sister... a good start to the evening. After a glass or two, we decided that driving was not an option. OK... its a celebration - lets 'grab a limo' to take us to the restaurant - the Blue Canoe on the Richmond waterfront - for our 1730 reservation. It was a great experience for the 'gang' and a "let's party" mood prevailed.























Won't bore you with the resto details but scenic views, good seafood, warm ambience, friendly service and content celebrants all come to mind.


Next - limo back to the Days Inn... hugs, good nights and early good byes - then off to the room to try to get a few hours of shut-eye before the next leg.











... and the trip back to do the final pack.


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Location:Richmond BC

a rainy Saturday in Van

It's winter, right? everywhere else in our great and vast nation, Canadians are dealing with the white stuff... snow, I mean.... except out here on the left coast. Here, the white stuff is wet; not frozen, just cold and grey. But, once it falls, it takes no time to shovel it off the driveways and plough it off the byways... it has a way of just running off somewhere and disappearing. great stuff, EH?





Saturday morning we met Jit. She is a quiet and smiling person, a mother - maybe a grandmother - who takes care of the breakfast nook at our overnight residence - a Days Inn near YVR. As we made our way down the row of breakfast essentials laid out on the sideboard - you know... cereal, juice from a dispenser, yogurt, bagels next to a toaster... there stood Jit at the end of the line poised over the waffle cooker - "Would you like a waffle, sir?" she smiled at me... just what the doctor ordered on this grey Van morning - made only better with a few slices of banana and a glass of OJ (from the dispenser, of course). As the ubiquitous LCD panel in the corner showing CTV Newsworld continuous coverage of last night's Egyptian 'revolution', as christened by our press, played a background hum, we finished our fuel stop - excellent waffle, Jit, thank you - and agreed we needed a higher octane supplement...







Why cross Bridgeport Road in the rain? to get to the (Starbucks on the) other side.

Two triple grande lattes and a small table by the window... we could dry out and watch the Skytrain on the Canada line pass by - still brightly decorated in 2010 Winter Olympics garb - a fine contrast for the grey-on-grey elevated concrete rail bed against the clouds. At the next table, S, and her adult daughter, P, were sharing their morning caffeine fix before heading out to Costco to shop. The inevitable weather opening ensued... then the "Oh, and where are you from?"... and the follow-through "What do you do here in Vancouver?". turned out that S works at YVR and P is employed by the people... they have lived in ON but never further east... we shared family stories, political perspectives, likes and dislikes (seems we shared like opinions on most of those, too) - what a great way to pass an hour and a half - over strong Saturday morning brew exchanging perspectives and viewpoints with two really interesting people who were strangers an hour and a half ago and with whom we exchanged e-mail addresses as we departed - them to do Costco and us to our Days Inn to await the arrival of the "sister units".







Oh, yes.... the feline presence... that's the Days Inn mascot - she came through the sliding glass doors 6 years ago and decided that mascotting was a good way to earn her room and board; only on the left coast....EH?


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Location:Richmond... east of YVR

... and so it begins

Well, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step - a slight misquote with all due respect to Lao Tzu... in this case, it's fifteen thousand kilometers with an an all-day air trek across our great land. It almost seems like a quest... but one which, so far, has no well-defined grail - except the journey itself.





Morning broke on the right coast yesterday with diffuse golden sunrise light filtered through the high level falling snow as we headed south east into it on the 103 - a sight not often enjoyed.
The remainder of the drive to YHZ was uneventful... except, as my first and only mate reminded, for our rental Kia Rio with ON plates, pounding shocks and insufficient power under the hood to rapidly ascend 103's south-west mountain range; it had obviously been 'ridden hard and put away wet' in it's previous 40K Km lifetime... probably not a bargain...








Halifax - bright, sunny and cold... at least for Halifax. The second most important thing was the eventual loading of the baggage... we could see ours on the ramp and, for the better half, that was warm comfort - our luggage should arrive at about the same time as we do!


Ottawa - or more appropriately YOW - home of SJ and A and the city that had been our home for so many years, welcomed us with grey skies but no snow... from inside the terminal building, it really didn't matter. It was a place to sit quietly, read e-mail, enjoy a cuppa', and call SJ for an update on her life. SJ - a busy 30-something with season's tickets to the Sens (but secretly harbouring a wish for the Flames to take it all... )... still the beloved daughter but with her own life; sometimes hard to remember that...





Sun broke thru just as we scarfed a couple of slices... haute cuisine YOW style; the next leg of the journey beckoned... YVR was a six and a half hour ride - a bit longer than advertised - but that was OK... I had taken the precaution of ordering up seats with extra legroom with the attendant extra cost so I wasn't concerned.





Well... surprise! the seats with extra legroom came with a minor inconvenience - no arm rest on the bulkhead side and no ability to adjust the pitch of the seat-back. Six and a half hours of 'sit up straight' and 'you didn't really need your right arm anyway.

Through the rain clouds and onto the runway... almost on time... YVR's lights in the drizzle... and, once muscles and bones re-animate, the long walk to the luggage carrousel followed by the even longer 'stand' while bags from three earlier flights from somewhere we weren't, came tumbling down the chute.

Ah, relief - two greens and one grey appeared looking none the worse for wear.






Shuttles are great. Even greater when they arrive just as you exit the terminal. For almost 40 minutes, we enjoyed the rain and buffeting winds, huddled next to the terminal wall and watching every bus, stubby and van pull-up, take on passengers and depart into the night... finally , it was our turn. Along with several other couples and small groups, all of whom arrived at the shuttle stand just as the shuttle arrived, we toured the Richmond hotel circuit; each stop lessened the load until we were the only people left on the bus, excluding our chauffeur, of course; out of the drizzle loomed our hotel - the YVR Days Inn - and the first segment of our journey was behind us.

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Location:Maritimes behind... YVR ahead

The next test installment....

Here is in SWNova today.

Snowfall warnings for tonight... again...

but is is winter in this, our great white north, so, as my niece has been quoted, from time to time, "suck it up, Princess!" or, in the vernacular - get used to it, it's the season!

Egyptian experience on this winter day is also heavy on the agenda and the mind... as we sit on this side of the pond and watch, able to do little but wonder how Egypt's citizens will survive this latest assault... on top of so many others in their historical journey to now... the desired outcomes of their protestations are still difficult to determine - beyond the immediate departure of the current head of the regime. We will watch.... and hope that it will soon end... with no more harm inflicted on individual citizens and a political outcome that meets or reflects the needs of the majority of the citizens of this most fascinatingly historical of regions. (photo ctsy. Reuters)

Enough for now... it's upload time.

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