Day 23, the end of this trip

Day 23, June 16, Portage La Prairie to Winnipeg, km 2603-2717, 114 km today.

We left Portage a little after 7 and made our way through town via 1A to 1. The TCH had a nice wide shoulder all the way into Winnipeg. There was no wind and it was sunny with temperature going from 11 to 27C in the afternoon. The road was so straight and so flat that I spent time trying figure out how far it was to the visible horizon. The crops by and large seem to be planted and doing very well. The canola gets yellower by the day. We also saw potatoes and sunflower. One thing that was unusual was a few fields that had rows and rows of large rectangular bales of hay just rotting away. There had to be thousands of them. Got to Nicole and Curtis' around 1 pm. We made from Nanaimo to Winnipeg with 19 days of cycling on our route, a side trip to the Cypress Hills, and three rest days.

Average speed for the whole trip 18.22 kph; through BC it was the slowest at 14 kph, and from Banff to Winnipeg 19.32.

Day 22

Day 22, June 15, Brandon-Portage La Prairie, km 2471-2603, 132 km today.

We left Brandon around 8 this morning, going up the hill to the TCH. On the way, we filled the tires at a gas station. One of the people at the motel told us that there would be a hill(s) around Carberry otherwise, when we got there we found a few minor ups and downs but nothing like we have been over already. Today we encountered the first roads that did not have a paved shoulder; some of this was east of Carberry and some west of Portage La Prairie. Fortunately, this was not problematic for us. Almost all the drivers gave us lots of space, especially the long haul truckers. An indication of the light level of traffic was the fact that they still have a railway crossing the TCH in this section. There was a lot of highway work going in today's section with both west- and east-bound lanes being repaved. This was great for us because we had two full lanes to ourselves while the trucks and car were diverted to the left lane. Another thing that we noticed was the maturity of the crops and grasses beside the road. The roadside Brome grass was well over knee height, and if it had been in a field, it probably would have been harvested. Just before getting into Portage La Prairie, KN had another flat rear tire.

Day 21

Day 21, June 14, Moosomin to Brandon, km 2312-2471, 159 km today.

Got up very early and left by 6 in an effort to beat the wind which was forecast to be 10-15 kph from the SE- right in our faces. It was a warm sunny day and made for pretty easy riding. The major excitement of the day was in Brandon when we tried to find a motel. We went to about 5 before the clerk told us that the construction workers have them tied up. We finally found one after making a loop of the city which is slower on a bicycle than by car. This is first time that we have had difficulty in finding a motel room at this time of year. In any case, we plan on Portage La Prairie tomorrow and Nicole and Curtis' place the next day.

Day 20

Day 20, June 13, Regina to Moosomin, km 2080 to 2312, 232 km today.

We had a very nice breakfast in the university residences this morning- fruit, cereal, eggs, bacon, blueberry pancakes, orange juice and coffee. The sun was out, it was warm but not hot and the wind was negligible. The road was excellent with a good paved shoulder all day; in some places it was a bit rough but it was a safe place to ride. Much of the wild life we saw today was lifeless, being hit by highway traffic. Nevertheless we saw a coyote and muskrat in addition to the usual prairie dogs, prairie falcons and other birds. With no wind the ride was quite easy so we found ourselves passing Indian Head, Wolsely, Grefell, Broadview and Whitewood before stopping for the night in Moosomin. Had the riding conditions not been so ideal, it would have been difficult to cover 232 km. The book says that Regina to Moosomin is 222 km, so I figure that the extra 10 km was due to getting from the university to the road plus the fact that I don't ride in a straight line. Susie pays more attention to the road surface while I (KN) like to gawk at everything, which takes me from one side our lane to the other. Most of the TCH has a shoulder that is a full lane wide.

Day 19

Day 19, June 12 Regina 0 km today.


Got up at 4:35 to get Nicole to the race course for officiating. After getting back Gabriella wanted only Gramie; so guess who was the babysitter? At 8 Gabriella went down for her nap. It was a nice day for the regatta- with no rain and little wind. We didn't make to the course for Nicole's first race a heat, but we did get there in the afternoon to watch her in the quad and double finals; her boats won both races. We got to talk to some nice people while watching the races; one couple's daughter is now a coach but filled in to complete a double and rowed against Nicole. Nicole was busy the whole day with her three races and doing umpire duties from a motor boat. Nicole, Gabriella and two of Nicole's team mates left for Winnipeg around 7 pm.

Day 18

Day 18, June 11 Regina 0 km today.

Today we are waiting in Regina for Nicole and Gabriella to arrive. Nicole is booked into the University of Regina residences, so that is where we are staying too. The University is beautiful and new. The buildings are modern and interconnected so that you can move from building to building without going outdoors. The room we have is one of four in a grouping, which also has a common area with two bathrooms, a sitting area and kitchen with range, microwave, fridge and chest freezer. It is very clean and well laid out. This morning we started walking the Wascana Centre which includes the university, legislature and the area around Wascana Lake. It has been well designed for people with lots of areas for activities such as jogging, walking, cycling, baseball, soccer, rowing, paddling etc. they have done a great job of landscaping. The only thing that is a little out of kilter is the population of Canada Geese; you really have to watch where you are walking because of their droppings everywhere. We saw families of over a dozen goslings. After walking to the far northwest end, we spent hours in the Royal Saskatchewan Museum; it is really well done. The displays are perfect with so much attention to detail. It starts with geological history, then goes on to fossil records, animals, the first humans up to the present. It is really interesting and kept us occupied until lunch and for an hour or so after lunch. After that we walked through Wascana Centre on the south side of the lake, and ended up at the former Campion College, now Regina Christian School.

Campion is where Kanji went to high school for grades 11 and 12, prior to going to the University of Alberta. Susie took a picture on the front steps and then the principal of the Christian School, Rod, took us on a tour. While much of the building has been altered by various iterations of purposes since it stopped being boys high school, there was a lot that was familiar. Even after 49 years, some of the classrooms looked a lot like they did way back when.

Nicole and Gabriella arrived at about 8 pm.  Since then she has kept Gramie busy walking around our unit.  She is not so sure about Boppa yet.  Nicole is out helping with the boats, and dropping two other rowers off where they are staying.

Day 17

Day 17, June 10 Moose Jaw to Regina km 2007-2080, 73 km today


Today is a different day. We need to slow down so that we can meet Nicole and Gabriella in Regina on Friday evening, and babysit Gabriella while Nicole rows in a regatta on Saturday. So we took in the Tunnels of Moose Jaw this morning. The Al Capone tour was entertaining and the story of Chinese immigrants was educational. They were treated really badly- poor pay, poor living conditions and the hated head tax. After the tours, we picked up our bikes and bags from the motel room where they had let us have a late checkout. The city is clearly doing its best to rejuvenate its downtown. Many buildings are being redone, and a new arena/convention centre is under construction. The road out toward the east is nicely landscaped and attractive.


The ride toward Regina started out sunny and warm with no wind to speak of. That did not last long as the predicted 25 kph head wind materialized and stayed with us all the way into Regina. It really slowed us down because it took almost 6 hours to cover the 73 km. When we turned north off the TCH in Regina, it felt as if we were flying because it got so much easier. Today we didn't see much in terms of animals; the fields adjacent to the highway were recently worked in many cases so there wasn't much grass for wildlife. Interestingly there was a lot of standing water in the fields, indicative of a wet spring. West of Regina there is a large industrial operation with large pile of white material adjacent, and spur line filled with hopper cars. I'm assuming that this is a potash operation because the road leading into it is called Kalium Road.

Day 16

Day 16, June 9 Swift Current to Moose Jaw km 1828-2007, 179 km today

We had the complimentary continental breakfast at the motel, the left for Moose Jaw at 7:15. The sun was shining, there was no wind and the temperature was about 10C- perfect biking weather. In a little while we started to feel the wind in our faces but not enough to slow our progress. Then about 10 a.m. the wind picked up and was about 25 kph directly from the east. It blew like this until 5 p.m. and made it difficult to move forward. As a result it took us almost 12 hours to cover the 179 km to downtown Moose Jaw. Other than the wind, it was perfect biking weather. Along the way we encountered more rolling hills than we remembered from driving this road a year ago. Maybe it was the wind, but it seemed like we gained a significant amount of elevation from Swift Current to Chaplin.

Our sights for the day included the country side, which is beautiful with it lush grass and horizons that go on forever. We also saw more antelope, making it 36 in total. We also saw a coyote and a live jack rabbit. There we re several dead jack rabbits on the road amongst the hundreds of prairie dogs. The majority of the cattle were black Angus, quite a few Herefords and some Charolais. Near Reed Lake, we saw many hawks, light brown with with very bushy legs. Near Herbert, we saw a herd of alpacas.

Day 15

Day 15, June 8 Maple Creek to Swift Current km 1685-1828, 143 km today

We left at 7:30 in dry cool air. The wind was strong and from the northwest making the jaunt from Maple Creek to the TCH slow being into the wind and uphill. The initial part of today's ride was really fun with the wind at our backs and not gusty. We saw lots of prairie dogs, cattle and a single antelope. They have also installed a wind farm south of the highway. About 50 km from Swift Current it started to rain, got colder, and the wind started shift toward the northeast. When the wind was directly from the north, it was very gusty and every time a truck passed, it blew us around. It wasn't the fault of the drivers because they shifted over into the left lane as they passed to help us as much as possible. We also saw some huge grain elevators today; rather than being made of wood they seem to be all concrete or steel. By the time we got to Swift Current, we were very hungry and cold; it felt great getting into the motel and having a warm bath.

Day 14

Day 14, June 7 Maple Creek- visit to Fort Walsh, km 1571-1685, 114 km today

Just as we were ready to have a nice dry ride to Fort Walsh, it started to rain. So we waited until the shower went through and then left. The road to Fort Walsh rolls a lot, and is quite rough where they have added tar and gravel. We thought from the brochures that the vertical would be only 200 m but it felt like more so I checked on the internet after getting back. The net vertical is 700m from Maple Creek plus all of those ups and downs, and drop into Fort Walsh at the end. On the way out we saw lots of cattle, including a herd of bulls that look like they are set to sell as breeders. We also saw herds of steers and heifers. Most of the cattle were black angus, which makes sense because they command a premium now. We also saw a shot out of the movies- a herd of cows with calves was being moved for branding, shots, tags and castration (we learned later) by three cowboys; in the background were two antelope. We also saw 9 deer today. There were lots of birds including great little blue bird; beside the road we saw many prairie dogs. At Fort Walsh, we had our lunch and then lucked out with our visit to the Fort. It was meti day, so there was a series of special activities including dancing, NWMP drill show, canon shot, singing, Louis Riel speech and Red River cart drive by. Other than the shower in the morning, the day was dry with a mixture of sun and overcast with temperatures in the high teens.

Day 13

Day 13, June 6 Medicine Hat to Maple Creek, km 1393 to 1502, 109 km today. Plus side trip to Cypress Hills Park Centre Block. To 1571 for a total of 178 km.

We left Medicine Hat around 8:30, and very quickly had to shed some clothes.  As the picture shows, there wasn't a cloud in the sky this morning.  Today was dry and warmer than the previous days. Along the way we saw 6 more antelope. The TCH had gentle rolling hills with one longish hill after the Saskatchewan border. We continued to have the wind in our favour along the highway. We stopped at the visitor centre just before Maple Creek and got information about accommodations and Cypress Hills park. After checking into the motel and getting some supplies, we headed south for the Centre Block of the park. This time the wind was against us as were the hills. After getting into the park we made a loop around the lake and had a bit of a look around. As it was around 6 pm we thought that we should head back to Maple Creek. The trip back which was downhill with the wind took us about 50 minutes.

Day 12

Day 12, June 5 Brooks to Medicine Hat, km 1278 to 1393, 115 km today. 5 hours.

The day started out cool and wet, but dried out and warmed up as we went along. The ride was as easy as you can get with flat roads (gentle rolling hills) and a wind at our backs of up to 25 kph. About 25 km east of Brooks we started to see antelope beside the road. We saw 20 in total including 3 babies. We also saw a red large deer; from a distance we thought that it might be a horse but when it raised its head, it was clearly a deer. It's red colour was unusual as was its size. As we entered Medicine Hat we saw lots of dead prairie dogs on the road. After getting a motel, we showered and will walk downtown to be tourists. There were lots of people around some event right down town.

Day 11

Day 11, June 4 Calgary to Brooks, km 1078 to 1278, 200 km today. 11.5 hours.


Monica made us a wonderful omelet for breakfast; she made sure that we have the necessary fuel for our ride today. We left via their back alley and got on 29 St NW which we followed down to the bike path that runs along the Bow River. The bike path was quite busy as there were a number of other cyclists using it to commute to work. We stopped to take pictures in the city and got some of turkeys at the zoo. We got on 17 St SE and headed east. It was quite comfortable because it is 4 lanes for long way and when it became 2 lanes there was a paved shoulder. We followed 17 to 1 through Chestermere. The ride down 1 was very pleasant; we could see the Rockies from well past Gleichen. The animals we saw today were mostly cattle, birds and prairie dogs. As hard as I looked for antelope none appeared. This area must be full of gas and oil because we saw lots of “nodding horses” and gas well heads. We arrived in Brooks a little after 6, so our ride today was about 11 and half hours. There was no wind at our backs or in our faces.

Day 9

Day 9, June 2 Banff to Calgary, km 942 to 1072, 130 km today. 7-8 hours.

We booked our flights home before leaving Banff, then headed down Banff Ave to #1. On the way to Canmore we saw a nice healthy buck elk by the railway tracks. We went through Canmore and stopped at Shoppers for tome carbolic acid salve. Then we stopped at the Borrowman's pottery shop. Katie and Lynnie were there so we had a nice visit, and ordered a French butter dish and coffee mugs. They will bring them in September. The ride into Calgary via 1A was easy easy. With a gentle grade down and a tail wind we were going 25-30 kph often without peddling. The only work of the day was the climb out of Cochrane about 2 km and 20 minutes of slogging up an 8% grade. We entered Calgary on the Crowfoot Trail, which became quite hair-raising so bailed out at Shaganappi. From there it was a matter of winding our way to the Nicholson's through the University of Calgary. It was so nice to see Stu and Monica again. We had so much to catch up on. After looking at the maps and our schedule, we accepted their invitation to stay longer. The extra day will be good for our bodies.
 
Day 10 spent in Calgary visiting with the Nicholson's and taking it easy.

Day 8

Day 8 Golden to Banff, km 799 to 942, 143 km today.
Left Golden via the eastern access road at 7:45 MDT; this was the steepest hill of the day as it turned out. Temperature 9 C and overcast when we left. It didn't rain until about 2 today. The first hill out of Golden is called 10 mile hill for a good reason; it is 16 km long and gave us the largest vertical of the day. They were working on the road- part of the project to make it 4 lanes all the way through. This is a massive undertaking 10 Mile hill is actually a hill up then down and up again. The Upper part has been moved well above the old road with a few large rock cuts and two bridges. As we approached the first bridge, there was a single sheep standing by the road. We stopped and saw a flock of about 8 or 9 including one lamb. Later on I saw a cow elk by the road. We stopped in Field to pickup an accommodations guide for Alberta and a map. The mountains are just beautiful. Then we went up the big hill as far as the spiral tunnels viewpoint. It was perfect timing because long freight train came along very soon thereafter allowing us to watch it enter the lower tunnel. Our next stop was at the continental divide which was not marked well. At the Jasper interchange, we had to wait about 30 min because they are blasting for the new road. The road the rest of the way into Banff was an easy, albeit wet, ride. We arrived in Banff 5-6 pm; we were wet and hungry but not tired like on other days. We should have taken pictures on our arrival but the rain and cold made us postpone them until later in the evening. The views of the mountains from downtown are just spectacular.

Day 7 Rogers Pass

Day 7, May 31 Revelstoke to Golden, km 646 to 799, 153 km today.

We left Revelstoke at 6:40 using the access road from the east end of town; it was the steepest hill of the day. The road from Revelstoke to Rogers Pass summit was surprisingly easier than anticipated; also the rain stopped and the sun came out just as we approached the summit. That's when we started to get some really nice views.   Here's a shot of Susie at the Rogers Pass summit arches; eat your heart our McDonald's. We saw black bear today just beside the road; he took off as soon as car from the other direction slowed down. At the summit there were lots of ground squirrels around the summit rest stop. After the summit it was a quick ride through the snow sheds down. After getting down into the next valley the road goes up again about 240 m before descending gently toward Golden. We arrived in Golden about 5 PDT which was 6 MDT. This was a satisfying knowing we had made it over one of our longest and greatest elevation gain legs of this trip.

Day 6, May 30 Sicamous- Revelstoke km 646, 77 km today.

It started out cool and remained so all day; overcast with light rain. The Trans-Canada follows the Eagle River for most of the way to Revelstoke; generally the grade is good. Just as we got to Craigalachie the skies opened up and it poured. So we got under cover at the rest stop at the “Last Spike” and had a snack. While we were there a tour bus pulled in and we talked to an Australian couple who had just competed in a triathlon in Germany. They said that it was cold and damp there as well with the water temperature being about 16 C. We also talked to a couple of birders who were participating in bird survey. We took pictures at the monument. While we were there the rain stopped making the ride nicer. We also stopped at Three Valley to take pictures. This the place where Grandpa Nakatsu was sent during World War II to work on the road. His gang's job was to blast out the roadbed on the south side of the lake just across from the CPR mainline. His task was to look after the dynamite cache, which is kind of odd because he was sent to Three Valley as a threat to national security. The road continues to climb gently until Summit Lake, about 10 km from Revelstoke. We checked into the Revelstoke Lodge for the night. It was an easy 5 hours from Sicamous so we will be well rested for the Rogers Pass tomorrow. Elevation at Sicamous 331 m 1139 ft at Revelstoke 443 m 1453 ft.

Day 4, May 28, Cache Creek-Kamloops, 85 km

So what else is new; the temperature is cool with a forecast of showers during the day. From 97 it's a left turn onto the TransCanada (1) and steady climb out of Cache Creek. For the desert part of BC, it is surprisingly lush this year. As we crossed innumerable streams, we knew why. They have had a lot of rain recently and the streams are full and muddy. The road is busier now but it is easier to ride. The hills are not as steep, and there is a paved shoulder all the way. About 10, we got hungry and ate our lunch. There were several nice long runs that got us going over 40 kph; of course that meant making climbs to get them. The open country is very pretty although I could imagine what the heat must be like in the middle of summer. After crossing the Thompson River at Savona, we had great views across Kamloops Lake. The lake was mirror smooth and reflected the barren hills perfectly. About an hour put of Kamloops, it started to rain; after that it was get hot- take off the jacket and get cold- put on the jacket. At Kamloops, we stopped at Costco to pick up some supplies and add to our lunch. Called and talked to Shirley to let her know that we had arrived. After that we went to the Visitor's Bureau and got motel information, and the directions to a bike shop. We picked up brake shoes for Kanji's bike and road to Valleyview to sign in at the most easterly motel, TransCanada Motel ($60). Kanji lubricated the brake cable on Susie's bike, and changed the brake shoes on his. Shortly after Danny, Shirley, Shelley, Devon and Mya arrived. We went to the Oriental Garden for dinner; a great meal of Japanese and Chinese style food. The we got some ice cream and went back to the room for dessert and talk. Mya entertained us with her energy. We plan to get up early have breakfast and then head off in our own directions.


Day 5, May 29, Kamloops-Salmon Arm-Sicamous km 469, 137 km today.

Danny knocked on the door at 6, so he, Shirley, Susie and Kanji went for breakfast at Harold's Family Restaurant. We had their special of 4 French toast, two eggs, two sausages, and bacon. With all the food last night Kanji had to get Susie to help finish breakfast. After returning to the motel, we packed and said our goodbyes. It was raining and about 12 on leaving; eventually the rain stopped for a while. The road to Chase was perfect- flat smooth- which allowed us to make good time. We arrived in Salmon Arm at about 2 so we decided to continue on to Sicamous. The ride to Sicamous was up and down but generally very good; the traffic was steady but considerate. Susies bike started to act up along the way. A dose of chain oil help one problem but she started to have difficulty shift her front derailleur into low. Kanji spent about an hour getting instructions from the internet, and then adjusting it. He had to raise the unit, adjust the stop screws and let out the cable a bit. After showers we went for food and then back to have a rest.

Bike Trip 2010 May 27

Day 3, May 27, Lillooet-Cache Creek, 91 Km (331 km on Susie's bike)

It was raining and about 10 C when we woke up so we did not rush out on the road- got going at 9:30. During the night Kanji got up to do some computer work and repair the inner tube from Susie's bike. Susie had a nice nap after breakfast. After breakfast Kanji got the password for WiFi and sent a bunch of e-mail. We stopped at the pharmacy on the way out of town, crossed the muddy Fraser River, then turned north on 99. Following the east bank of the Fraser took us up and down many times, also crossing the CNR. A lot of the land that we passed through seemed to be Indian reserves; here is an interesting headwood?. Eventually we left the Fraser and climbed into a small valley on the east side which meant more climbing, and some pushing. After reaching the summit, we made better time with long runs down and short runs upward. Along the way the Ts’kw’aylaxw Band has a Graymont mine operating where they are taking limestone for concrete. About 2 hours out of Cache Creek it started to rain so we put on more clothes. We took a room at one of the first motels we came across, Sage Hills Motel. It was $60 for a nice clean room. There aren't a lot of stores in town so we will have to pick up brake shoes in Kamloops. The hills have taken their toll on them. The trip on the back roads has been tough physically because of the hills and some less than perfect highways; on the other hand, it has been great to ride on relatively quiet roads with very considerate drivers. After we got on 97, we were shocked back into reality with the traffic.

Bike Trip 2010

Day 1, May 25, Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay-Whistler, 107 Km

Caught the 6:30 a.m. Ferry. Brother Don dropped us off. Rained lightly on and off all day, temperature was cool, we're guessing 10C. Left Horse Shoe Bay at 8:15 and had a flat tire within an hour. The ride along Howe Sound was flat on average, with a coast down following every uphill. The road itself is excellent with a nice bike lane all the way to Whistler. Nevertheless the experts are right; wherever there is a bike lane, the drivers tend to drive closer to you than they would on a road of the same width with no white line. Squamish has really changed; it used to be a small village with gas stations and couple of restaurants on the main street which was also the highway. Now it's a bustling place with a controlled access highway running through it. The ride from Squamish was a steady climb especially the 6.5 km through Cheakamus Canyon, but you have to make up the elevation at some point. The coasts downhill were a welcome break, but you always knew that you would have to pay with an equivalent uphill ahead. Whistler has changed a lot since I ski patrolled here in 1969-71. Now it's as you see on TV but then it was an unorganized group of buildings around the original ski lift. I was able to recognize the main runs on Whistler plus a few that have been added. After we checked in a the hotel and were walking around town, we saw two black bears eating grass on a Blackcomb run. The Whistler Inn and Suites is very nice with a covered locked area for bikes. The village is interesting to walk through with everything the tourist would need and then some. This is the slow season; it must alive during ski season or summertime.

Booked the room 69 plus tax 81 through the visitor centre. Nice large clean room with hot bath; there was a sauna which we didn't use because Susie had no bathing suit. Bought a few food items at the IGA and ate at around 7.

Day 2, May 26, Whistler-Pemberton, Lillooet, 132 Km

Overcast and 7 C, 7:30. Ride to Pemberton was unexpectly downhill to 670 ft then it was 17 km along 99 to the start of 15 Km up a lot of 15% grade. We walked a lot today, taking 4 hours to cover the 15 km from the start of hill to the summit. We reached the Duffy Lake Summit of 4300 ft at 2:00 where we fixed a flat on Susie's bike. It started raining at the summit and only letup when we got to Lillooet. Going down was great at first, with gentle slopes that pushed us along. When we got closer to Lillooet, we encountered some ups and downs especially through Cayoosh Canyon. Going down the 13% hills forced us to use our brakes quite a bit. Booked into the First Canada Inn, a little tired. The road after Pemberton was very rough places. Lilloet seems like a nice little town with services for tourists like us. There are a number of hotels and motels and a few restaurants.

Mar 5, last day

Couldn't sleep so I got up and read about things to do in christchurch, which included a hike up Mt Cavendish beside the gondola. After breakfast, we organized our luggage and tried to call Nicole and Blair. We then drove to the base of the gondola and hiked up to the observation deck, and got a picture of Christchurch.

We also got a picture of Christchurch's beach.

There we found a souvenir shop at which we bought 2 T-shirts, a sheep doll with sound and a fleece jacket. After returning from the hike we went back to the hostel and called again. This time we got Blair. After lunch,we filled up the car with gas and returned it, and were dropped off at the airport. Whew made it through driving on the wrong side of the road.

                                          Here is Susie at Christchurch Airport just before leaving.
The flight home was long particularly because of the transfer in San Francisco where we had to clear US security; they required us to collect our baggage and re-check it. We got to Toronto just before 9 p.m., and cleared customs seamlessly. We took the Go Bus to Scarborough and stayed overnight with Kanji's aunt. We had to leave on the 8 a.m. bus to Kingston because GL's funeral was at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
It was a great trip but we were happy to be home.

Mar 4

Susie got up very early and started to organize our things for the flight home. After breakfast we drove toward the ocean and Akaroa, and saw more venison farms. At the saddle between Little River and Akaroa, we took the turn left and travelled along the summit road for about 300 m and stopped at the parking lot for Montgomery? Track. The weather was sunny and quite warm. We took this trail past the large tree with an 8 m circumference trunk, then to the first peak lookout. There was evidence that these mountains used to be covered with large trees at one time.

After that we continued along the ridge over a number of stiles to the first big peak. The trail went around it so we had to find a way up through the prickly stuff; 2:15 h up. The return was a treat because the gentle slope made for a very easy walk. We took the alternate way to the road and the walked the summit road back to the car.

Here is a picture with Akaroa in the background.










We drove to Akaroa, we walked through the town. We took SH75 to Christchurch ending up on Lincoln Road, i.e. Jailhouse so we knew our location. We stopped at the Pak n Save to buy some chocolate bars, and then went to the Old Country House hostel. After showers we walked downtown for supper and then bought a T-shirt for Kanji.

Mar 3

It had rained overnight and the mountains were shrouded in clouds. As we drove toward Arthur's Pass it started to rain, and it rained right into the settlement of Arthur's Pass although there was some blue sky showing. After visiting the DOC there, we decided to hike the Bealey Spur trail and started hiking at about 11 a.m.. We reached the hut in 1½ hours, and after a quick bite, we continued to the top of the ridge stopping at the bump that was definitely higher than the ridge behind it.

On our return hike we talked to a couple from Toronto whose three children had gone to Queen's. Then we ran into the couple that we had met at the top of Roy's Peak in Wanaka. This was a very nice hike with no rain; we could see heavy clouds to the west so it was probably raining in Arthur's pass. We stopped at Cave Stream and went through the cave again. This time I wore a bathing suit and carried our valuables high in my pack. We drove on to Methven to stay overnight; along the way we saw more venison farms.

Mar 2

This morning, we drove to the Frans Josef Glacier parking lot and started walking toward the glacier. It was cool but in bright sunshine. Along the way Susie combed for rocks. The views of this glacier were better than at Fox Glacier. There we saw scads of people walking in groups with gear for the on glacier walks; some had crampons but most just the coats, pants and boots. On the way out we must have met well over 200 tourists in these groups. In addition, the air over the glacier was continuously covered by between 1 and 3 helicopters. Obviously the tourist industry was making up for the time lost to yesterday's rain. All this rain ensures that the rain forest on the west coast gets the water it needs.

The drive to Hokitika was mostly in sun, and we checked into the Jade Factory hostel, which was very nice. We made a tour of the greenstone (pounamu/jade) shops and bought two for the granddaughters and a pendant for Susie. We walked around and then down the beach; there a nice local lady gave Susie a piece of raw greenstone. Later that evening we went to the glow worm dell and saw thousands of glow worms, and a hedgehog.

Mar 1

Today we are off to the west coast. After starting into Haast Pass it started to rain and rained all day. Nevertheless we stopped to look at a couple of water falls, one of which had a lot of flat rocks that people had piled up to make markers; we made an inukshuk which was the largest structure in the area. Later we stopped in Haast for fish and chips. While there, our German friends from Wanaka came in and we sat together. They had stopped at the same falls and saw our inukshuk. While we were talking about it the waitresses overheard us, and said that they were from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. During lunch we heard a loud cheer from a group of clients and asked what it was all about. They told us that Canada had just won the gold medal in men's hockey. Then we cheered. After saying goodbye to Christian and Annika, we walked to our car and saw Heather whom we had seen in both Te Anau and Wanaka.

From there we drove until we found a beach that had white polished stones (which Susie brought home), and did some beach combing.

After that it was on to Fox Glacier to walk up to the tongue. All of this was done in the rain so that by the time we checked into accommodations in Frans Josef; we were wet and cold. This was helped immensely by their sauna.

Feb 28

I think we are getting tired because we decided to take it easier today with a hike up a small mountain (Iron Mountain) and another along the lake and river. This allowed me to catch up on our internet messages. We shared quad room with a nice couple from northern Germany. This picture is of Wanaka from Iron Mountain.

Feb 27

Today we hiked up Roy's Peak and then decided to continue over Alpha with great views all around.

The trail to Mt Alpha had to circumvent some interesting rock formations.

                                            Here is Mt Alpha from the town of Wanaka.

We walked out to Cardona Valley and hitched a ride with a Swiss fellow who has been living in New Zealand for three years; he took us right back to the original parking lot. We then drove to into Mt Aspiring National Park to the Rob Roy parking lot, and hiked into the base of Rob Roy Glacier to the right.


The views in the valley were great but the road was rough- washboard like I have never seen before, plus lots of cattle guards and about a half dozen ford stream crossings. On the way back we saw lots of elk and deer farms.

Feb 26

We got a bit earlier start today and drove to Queenstown stopping to take pictures along the way, including one at the entrance to Kingston which is community of a few houses and a gas station.

In Queenstown we then headed to the trailhead along the lake for Ben Lomond. 

Unfortunately the trail was a bit confusing with multiple herd paths in one place, which made us backtrack and go up Skyline Road. From there it was a nice walk through beech and pine forests until we hit the open at less than an hour from Thompson Street. We reached the saddle in 1:36 h and the peak in 2:21 h.

Ben Lomond summit.

After taking pictures we walked down via the complex at the top of the gondola ride. Along the way we saw parasailors and “luge” riders.

Feb 25

Got up and had a huge breakfast starting with cold foods followed by a full hot breakfast. Then they took us on a complete tour of the Sound and out into the Tasman Sea a bit. This gave us some good views of waves hitting the rocks. 

We got a bit of water too, when the waves splashed in through the drain holes at foot level.

On the way back to the dock we saw some seals.

Milford Sound enveloped in mist was absolutely beautiful.

On the way back to Te Anau, we encountered a flock of about 1000 sheep being moved along the road, so we stopped and let them run around us.

At Te Anau we checked into the Barnyard then hiked from Rainbow Reach to the control gates; return time 4 hours. This completed the Kepler Track from the hut on Lake Manapouri to Mt Luxmore; this is about half of the Kepler Track.