Monday, June 29, 2015
Total Distance Traveled
Total Distance Traveled = 3,976.6 kilometres
Average Fuel Consumption = 9 litres per 100 kilometres
That's equivalent to 0.9 L/km or 11 km/L for a total fuel usage of 357.894 litres.
Equivalently that would be ... 6.835 miles / 0.264172 gallons, or 25.87 MPG.
I think that's pretty decent considering the terrain I was travelling through.
I am home ...
Well, I'm home. I've actually been home since Saturday afternoon around 3pm MDT.
I ended up leaving the Dream Catcher Inn just after 8am. Breakfast was suppose to be served at 8am, so I waited until then to go into the dining room. What I found was about 10 people already eating - well actually, they looked like they were almost done - and the only food on the counter was two slices of white bread and boxed cereal. Disappointing.
So rather than have toast on bread that didn't look appealing, I left and went into town to find coffee and something to eat. I ended up finding this Swiss bakery that had a ton of cars outside of it and was really good. I got a coffee to go and two ... danishes, although I bet they aren't called danishes in Switzerland. Then I was on my way.
From Valemount you drive north a short way before turning east onto highway 16 (Yellowhead highway). You go up into the mountains and finally get back into nice scenery. At one point the highway travels uphill into the mountains and is sort of heading south-east, then turns east around a corner.
Now, that turn east around a corner was something I was NOT expecting. I actually read about it in a book I bought about the natural history of BC along certain highway routes. That book warned me about this, but I still wasn't ready. You turn this corner and then ... BOOM ... there's Mount Robson directly ahead of you in all its glory. It actually takes your breath away.
The highway is straight and level for some time as you drive towards Mt Robson, so you get a really good view of it for some time. Then you turn again and the mountain is on the driver's side of the car as you pass by the visitor's centre and view point. It looks just as cool from that perspective, but that road towards it before the visitor's centre is even better.
After that you drive through Mt Robson Provincial Park, as you're still in BC. I've driven this area several times before, so this wasn't new to me, but still beautiful. Eventually you get to the Yellowhead Pass where you cross the continental divide and the border between Alberta and BC. The time change also happens at that point, and you enter into Jasper National Park. So basically four major things happen all at one point!
About 10-15 minutes after the border you get to the gate for Jasper National Park. There was a decent line-up at the gate when I got there, as only one booth was open. But they opened the second booth while I was in line and I got through faster. I was also one of the few in line with an actual park pass, so I didn't have to stop at the booth. It's too bad they don't have a line just for folks with park passes so you can get through quicker. I know they do at the Banff National Park entrance from Canmore, but no where else that I've been.
Another 10-15 minutes along, after the gate, is the Jasper town site. I drove into town and wow - it was insane busy! It was at this point that I remembered it was a Saturday! I drove through town and stopped at the Visitor's Centre gift shop, then I stopped at the Bear Paw Bakery, then I drove back to the Petro Canada for gas, and then finally I stopped at the bathrooms. I stopped at way too many places!
Jasper only has an Esso and two Petro Canada stations. I don't go to Esso, so I stopped at Petro Canada, which I also don't normally go to, but had no choice. As I pulled in I started to wonder where Petro Canada gets their fuel. I haven't heard of Petro Canada being an actual mining company, so I don't think they produce their own fuel, but it occurred to me that I didn't know where they bought their fuel from. I need to find out.
I was surprised, however, at how much cheaper gas was in Jasper than in all the places I stopped at in BC. About 20 cents/litre cheaper! Crazy!
I then planned to drive straight out from Jasper to home without stopping since it's the world's most boring drive. Although, after driving through the Plateau, I'm not wondering if it really is the world's most boring drive. Maybe the world's second most boring drive.
When I got home - around 3pm - I ran in to see my babies - and boy were they happy to see me!!! I only unpacked a couple things and then went to have a nap with my babies! They seemed to appreciate that. They were super cuddly. After my nap I unpacked the rest of the car and started laundry. I have a LOT of laundry to do.
I also inspected my outdoor plants. The front pot is doing exceptionally well - I was actually quite shocked. But after seeing my backyard pots I think my neighbour was watering my front pot for me while I was away and that's why it's in such good condition. While I asked Lori to water the backyard pots I mentioned she really only to do that if it didn't rain. Unfortunately it appears the rain alone wasn't enough. Everything was alive except my fuchsia hanging basket - which was completely dead. Damn. I wonder if it's too late to buy another one? I watered everything else while I was outside, but I desperately need to weed too. And I need to refill my bird feeders.
I took it easy the rest of the day on Saturday and then did a lot of chores on Sunday. And now I'm back at work. And it's hot as hell here in Edmonton. I am not pleased.
I ended up leaving the Dream Catcher Inn just after 8am. Breakfast was suppose to be served at 8am, so I waited until then to go into the dining room. What I found was about 10 people already eating - well actually, they looked like they were almost done - and the only food on the counter was two slices of white bread and boxed cereal. Disappointing.
So rather than have toast on bread that didn't look appealing, I left and went into town to find coffee and something to eat. I ended up finding this Swiss bakery that had a ton of cars outside of it and was really good. I got a coffee to go and two ... danishes, although I bet they aren't called danishes in Switzerland. Then I was on my way.
From Valemount you drive north a short way before turning east onto highway 16 (Yellowhead highway). You go up into the mountains and finally get back into nice scenery. At one point the highway travels uphill into the mountains and is sort of heading south-east, then turns east around a corner.
Now, that turn east around a corner was something I was NOT expecting. I actually read about it in a book I bought about the natural history of BC along certain highway routes. That book warned me about this, but I still wasn't ready. You turn this corner and then ... BOOM ... there's Mount Robson directly ahead of you in all its glory. It actually takes your breath away.
The highway is straight and level for some time as you drive towards Mt Robson, so you get a really good view of it for some time. Then you turn again and the mountain is on the driver's side of the car as you pass by the visitor's centre and view point. It looks just as cool from that perspective, but that road towards it before the visitor's centre is even better.
After that you drive through Mt Robson Provincial Park, as you're still in BC. I've driven this area several times before, so this wasn't new to me, but still beautiful. Eventually you get to the Yellowhead Pass where you cross the continental divide and the border between Alberta and BC. The time change also happens at that point, and you enter into Jasper National Park. So basically four major things happen all at one point!
About 10-15 minutes after the border you get to the gate for Jasper National Park. There was a decent line-up at the gate when I got there, as only one booth was open. But they opened the second booth while I was in line and I got through faster. I was also one of the few in line with an actual park pass, so I didn't have to stop at the booth. It's too bad they don't have a line just for folks with park passes so you can get through quicker. I know they do at the Banff National Park entrance from Canmore, but no where else that I've been.
Another 10-15 minutes along, after the gate, is the Jasper town site. I drove into town and wow - it was insane busy! It was at this point that I remembered it was a Saturday! I drove through town and stopped at the Visitor's Centre gift shop, then I stopped at the Bear Paw Bakery, then I drove back to the Petro Canada for gas, and then finally I stopped at the bathrooms. I stopped at way too many places!
Jasper only has an Esso and two Petro Canada stations. I don't go to Esso, so I stopped at Petro Canada, which I also don't normally go to, but had no choice. As I pulled in I started to wonder where Petro Canada gets their fuel. I haven't heard of Petro Canada being an actual mining company, so I don't think they produce their own fuel, but it occurred to me that I didn't know where they bought their fuel from. I need to find out.
I was surprised, however, at how much cheaper gas was in Jasper than in all the places I stopped at in BC. About 20 cents/litre cheaper! Crazy!
I then planned to drive straight out from Jasper to home without stopping since it's the world's most boring drive. Although, after driving through the Plateau, I'm not wondering if it really is the world's most boring drive. Maybe the world's second most boring drive.
When I got home - around 3pm - I ran in to see my babies - and boy were they happy to see me!!! I only unpacked a couple things and then went to have a nap with my babies! They seemed to appreciate that. They were super cuddly. After my nap I unpacked the rest of the car and started laundry. I have a LOT of laundry to do.
I also inspected my outdoor plants. The front pot is doing exceptionally well - I was actually quite shocked. But after seeing my backyard pots I think my neighbour was watering my front pot for me while I was away and that's why it's in such good condition. While I asked Lori to water the backyard pots I mentioned she really only to do that if it didn't rain. Unfortunately it appears the rain alone wasn't enough. Everything was alive except my fuchsia hanging basket - which was completely dead. Damn. I wonder if it's too late to buy another one? I watered everything else while I was outside, but I desperately need to weed too. And I need to refill my bird feeders.
I took it easy the rest of the day on Saturday and then did a lot of chores on Sunday. And now I'm back at work. And it's hot as hell here in Edmonton. I am not pleased.
Friday, June 26, 2015
Lake Lillooet to Lillooet to Clinton to 70 Mile House to Lone Butte to Little Fort to Clearwater to Valemount
 |
| One of the world's most boring drives! |
Today's drive was WAY TOO LONG. Not too long in terms of time, but too long in boring areas where I got annoyed because there was nothing to look at. I've discovered that the whole 'Interior Plateau' - between the Coast and Rocky Mountains - is extremely boring and not at all to my liking. Definitely not a place I will be moving to. It's very dry - actually it looks like Arizona except there aren't any cactuses. It's mostly farm and ranch land as there are two massive rivers that run through the Plateau - Fraser and North Thompson.
However, the drive from the B&B to Lillooet (the town) was AMAZING! Now that's what a mountain drive SHOULD be! I LOVED that part and wished the whole way was like that. In fact, it took me about 2 hours to travel 80 kms! Now, I admit, I did stop at a provincial park called Joffres Lake to do a short walk to take photos of a glacier - but otherwise I was driving that whole time. Once you get to Lillooet you're in the Fraser Valley and the Plateau and everything is pretty boring.
As you can see from the map, I took the northern route, but there was also the possibility of going across through Kamloops and then driving up to Valemount via the foothills. I'm wondering if that would have been a nicer drive. Next time.
I got up 30 minutes before breakfast and discovered that was way too early. It takes me like 10 minutes to get ready on trips like this. Tomorrow I'm only getting up 15 minutes before breakfast. Breakfast was nice. The lady who runs the B&B - Martha - made some hot cereal thing that had all sorts of nuts and grains in it. It was okay. I didn't think it was outstanding, but there was nothing wrong with it.
I also discovered that Martha's neighbour, who had been at her house when I arrived the night before, claimed to have met me somewhere before and called her this morning to get her to ask me if I had a twin! Obviously I do not, so they he asked if I had ever played piano on a cruise ship through the Panama Canal. Let me think ...... um, no. So it must just be a doppelgänger! Ironically when I used that term the couple from Australia had never heard it before and asked me what it meant. According to Wikipedia doppelgänger is:
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger or doppelga(e)nger (/ˈdɒpᵊlˌɡɛŋə/ or /-ˌɡæŋə/; German: [ˈdɔpəlˌɡɛŋɐ] ( listen), literally "double-goer") is a look-alike or double of a living person, sometimes portrayed as a paranormal phenomenon, and in some traditions as a harbinger of bad luck. In other traditions and stories, they recognize your 'double-goer' as an evil twin. The word doppelgänger is often used in a more general sense to describe any person who physically or behaviorally resembles another person.
It's not a North American term, but maybe it's never made it to Australia?
While eating breakfast I watched at least 3 Rufous hummingbirds fight over the feeder on the deck. OMG they were so cute. And I've never seen Rufous's before, so that was a treat. Although being as they're so small, it's hard to tell their details anyway, but they definitely didn't have the green iridescent head and red throats of the Ruby-throated hummingbirds I'm use to.
For those who care, here's what each looks like:
 |
| Rufous hummingbird |
 |
| Ruby-throated hummingbird |
And by the way, also for those who care, they're about the size of ... geez, I can't think of anything that size to use as comparison .... I think it might be fair to say they're the size of a big toe.
Oh, that reminds me. I noticed a photo on the wall of last night's B&B that had a label saying "Algonquin B&B" so I asked Martha about it. Turns out her and her husband are from Ontario and only moved to BC when they retired. It seems this is their third B&B and one of their previous ones was in Huntsville. Cool.
OMG - TRAIN WHISTLES!!!!!! I LOVE TRAIN WHISTLES AND I MISS TRAIN WHISTLES.
I don't really have a lot else to say about the drive itself. It was HOT so I had the a/c on the whole time and feared getting out of the car. I saw no wildlife along the road, so I was disappointed. I encountered several transport trucks on sections of the highway that had no passing lane, so you had to play leap frog to get around them. Only I did that once and then ended up having to pull over to check my bike rack and lost my place in line. So after that I decided just to stay behind the caravan until a passing lane appeared. Then I got stuck behind 3 bikers who couldn't keep their speed consistent even if they were paid. Holy shit. I tried to set my cruise control about sixty million times. No joke. And every time I thought I had it set alright, they'd slow down again and I'd get too close. And then, at the one and only point I had to pass them, they sped up and I didn't have time to get around them before oncoming traffic. That just made me mad! Ironically they got off at the exact same place I did and I prayed they weren't staying at the same place as me.
Valemount is ... not what I was expecting. It's smaller than I thought it would be, and it has a lot less things than I anticipated. I have no idea where I got my expectations from, but that's what they were. The B&B I'm staying at tonight is just outside the main town area in a wooded area (thank god) and is actually quite neat. The woman who runs it has a house that she's turned into a lodge, and several separate cabins. She lives in another house on the property, so you're not actually in her house like other B&Bs. So there are quite a number of rooms, and the dining area where she serves breakfast is quite large with seating for maybe 30 people or more. There's also a living room downstairs with 4 or 5 couches and a large TV. While the room is small, it has everything I need and is very nice - plus I have the only balcony in the place!
After checking in I ended up driving back into town (don't blink, you'll miss it) and trying to find this place called the Cariboo Grill. It was no where near where the GPS said it was. When I went inside I specifically asked for a table "out of the way" as I always do. Apparently my definition of "out of the way" and the hostesses definition of "out of the way" are not the same. She ended up putting me at a table in the middle of the dining room. I HATE that when I'm alone. Grrrrr. I even pointed out a booth off to the side and asked if I could have that and she said no! I've never been told no before when I've asked for a specific table, so I was very unimpressed.
I also discovered that I wasn't that hungry so I ordered a salad and an appetizer - spinach and artichoke dip. Wow, it was gross. I've eaten a lot of spinach and artichoke dip in my time, and this was nothing like ANY of the ones I've had before. Another unimpression.
THEN, because the table and food weren't enough, my waitress forgot about me. She probably had too many tables on the go, but she saw me sitting there - finished - and kept walking right by me. After about 10 minutes of this I got up and went to the bar to ask for my cheque. When she say that, then she came to give me my bill. Nice. Too little too late. But she then noticed I hadn't eaten the dip and asked if I didn't like it, and I told her it wasn't good, so she did take that off my bill. But 1 positive point doesn't make up for 3 negative points. They're getting a bad review.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up falling asleep early, I'm exhausted. Boring drives will do that to me. And I did try to nap in the car earlier, but I had to keep the windows open to prevent myself from melting, and mosquitos ended up trying to eat me alive.
Tomorrow it's only about 123 kms or 1.5 hours to Jasper via the Yellowhead Pass. And that takes me past Mt. Robson. So at least I know part of my drive will be nice tomorrow. I'm definitely stopping in Jasper for bear claws and then I'll continue on home which is another 365 kms or 3.5 hours. I can't wait to see my babies!!! I hope they don't think I'm dead or that I abandoned them!
=^..^=
Tofino to Nanaimo/Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay to Squamish to Whistler to Pemberton to Lake Lillooet
[Typed on June 25th but posted June 26th due to lack of internet!]
I think today is Day 20. That makes sense, tomorrow is Friday and
it'll be a full three weeks since I've been away, and 7 times 3 is 21.
It's 7pm and I checked into this B&B
about an hour ago. It's really nice
here. The only downside is that there
are a lot of mosquitos, so I can't really sit outside and relax. The B&B has 2 rooms and there's an
Australian couple in that room. I have
no idea how old they are, but I'm guessing around the same age as my parents,
or older. The woman who runs the B&B
is probably in her 70s. All three of
these folks were all surprised to find I was travelling alone. They said things like "good on you"
and stuff like that, like it's some sort of accomplishment. I really don't get that. Is it that rare to see a woman travelling on
her own? I wouldn't have thought
so. The way one of them made a comment I
couldn't help but wonder if they thought I actually had a husband and/or kids,
and I was taking a vacation away from them.
[redacted - see note 1]
Let's talk happy things now ... my day.
I left Tofino around 9:30am this
morning. The resort has free Starbucks
coffee every morning, and I grabbed a cup.
I've been impressed with a specific dark roast they serve. It's the first time I've actually liked Starbucks coffee. The drive from
Tofino to Nanaimo was fairly uneventful.
I didn't get stuck behind too many morons this time. But I did encounter 3 separate areas of
construction where the road was down to one lane. One of those areas was the spot alongside the
cliff over some water - so it was nice to know that no transport trucks would
be coming at me from the other direction!
I did stop in Port Alberni for gas
(completely forgot to fill up before I left), the ATM machine and food. I ended up going to the 'city centre' looking
for something nice, but it turns out that Port Alberni's downtown is a
dump! I ended up at a Starbucks right on
the main highway. Ironic.
I arrived at the Departure Bay Ferry
Terminal around 12:30pm. There was a
12:50pm sailing, that seemed to leave on time, but I was told I'd be on the
1:20pm sailing. But there's not normally
a 1:20pm sailing - it was a ship that had been delayed for some reason. I'm just not sure what its normal time should
have been. I guess it doesn't matter; it
left at 1:20pm like they said and arrived at Horseshoe Bay at 3pm. I did explore the ship a wee bit, but spent
most of the time in the car reading.
 |
| The ferry from Departure Bay to Horseshoe Bay is actually about 1.5 hours. I have no idea why it says 2 hours and 38 minutes! |
Then it was onto Whistler. In 2005 we only spent a part day in Whistler and I have no idea where we were that day. And I'm pretty sure in the last 10 years the place has changed significantly. I do remember that it has various neighbourhood off the highway, each with their own name. But I had no idea which one it was that we visited in 2005. I tried to use my GPS to find a place to eat and discovered that the way things are laid out is weird and you can't actually drive to anything. The place is basically a huge maze. I actually got pissed off at one point. It's like they're purposely trying to trap tourists inside the maze so they can't get out. But in reality it's probably just bad design.
I ended up stopping for sushi further down
the road, in an area without a crazy maze.
And yes, I have somehow become addicted to sushi in the last few
weeks. I took the sushi to go and
continue onto the B&B. Pemberton is
only a short distance from Whistler, maybe 30 kms. And then Mt Currie is another 10 kms or so
from Pemberton. About 10 kms after Mt
Currie is a turnoff that doubles as a regular road and a forest service
road. If you drive south on this road
for 7.5 kms you get to the B&B. It's
apparently part of a 'residential' development on Lake Lillooet. And note that Lake Lillooet isn't actually
near the town of Lillooet! I think
Lillooet the town is another 80 kms or so from the turnoff.
The B&B is really cute, and right on
the water. The 'basement' area is the
guest section, with a living room, kitchen and dining area. There's a walkout to the deck which then goes
down to the dock. They're completely off
the grid out here, they have septic, a well (or the lake, not sure) and
solar. Must be nice not to have bills
for those things each month. The lake is
huge. And an opaque green colour - very
silty. I'm not sure if that's because of
mountain runoff or something else. It's
windy outside, but not too hot or too cold, just right. There are, however, lots of mosquitos. There weren't any mosquitos, or at least not
many, in Victoria or Tofino so this is an unpleasant surprise.
There's another couple here for the night
as well, from Australia. I think I
mentioned that already. They mentioned
they had spent 3 nights in Victoria and 2 nights in Nanaimo and had been on the
ferry over from Nanaimo today as well, but I didn't ask them which one. Probably an earlier ferry than me since they
were already here when I arrived.
Breakfast is at 8:30 tomorrow morning, and
if all goes well I'll leave around 9:30am.
I had a plan to leave each place at 9:30 each morning, that way I'd
arrive at the two B&Bs just after dinner.
And if I leave at 9:30am Saturday morning I might be home by
mid-afternoon.
I have noticed that the further east I
travel, the hotter it's getting. I'm not
impressed with that. Being on the island
made it so much easier to spend time outside and see/do stuff because there was no
overwhelming heat to worry about. Back
in Edmonton it's going to be insane and I'm not going to want to go outside. :-(
That reminds me, I should set my thermostat to have the a/c come on
before I get home so it's nice and cool when I arrive.
=^..^=
Note 1 - The whole thing with the comments to me about travelling alone really got to me, a lot. I actually dwelled on it way longer than I should have. The problem is that I'm very sensitive to comments like that and I wrote this whole section as to why. But after reviewing it I decided not to bore everyone with the details and instead just mention that I'm really sensitive about comments like that!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Movie Reviews
Movies I Watched:
Pacific Rim - 10 out of 10. I love this movie, have no idea why. Since I was on/in the actual Pacific Rim, I thought this would be a good movie to watch!
Saving Private Ryan - 10 out of 10. Great story, great movie, great actors (mostly), great ending.
The Imitation Game - 8 out of 10. Another slow starter, but loved the ending. My only complaint is that they kept going between three time periods - when Turing was a child, the 1940s and 1951. It got a little confusing.
Reign of Fire - 10 out of 10. Same as Pacific Rim, I just love this movie. I think it's the accents!
Godzilla - 8 out of 10. The best Godzilla movie yet (modern movie). And I like whats-his-face, the father, in it. The dude from Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad. This was another movie that seemed necessary to watch while I was on the west coast.
Interstellar - 5 out of 10. Started slow, sped up and became really interesting, then turned weird and I didn't like the ending. Worth watching, but not worth paying for to see in a theatre.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - 10 out of 10. Every Hobbit or LOTR movie has to be rated 10 if you ask me. You just can't get any better than them.
Jupiter Ascending -
I, Frankenstein - never got around to watching, will have to download it at some point.
Previews:
Terminator: Genesis - I'm not sure that's how they spelled it in the movie, but it looks awesome. When I first read about it I thought they were just remaking the first Terminator, but it has a very cool twist. On my 'to watch' list.
[can't remember the name] - a natural disaster movie about tornadoes and storm chasers, but it has the actor who plays Thorin Oakenshield in it (I'm forgetting a lot of names tonight). It looks interesting, but it's already out on DVD and I never heard of it being in the theaters.
[can't remember the name] - but Mark Wahlberg plays a gambler. Doesn't seem to be his best work.
San Andreas - looks very cool, I love natural disaster movies like this, it hopefully reminds us how insignificant and powerless we are.
Pan - another Peter Pan movie? and they claim this one is "the untold story" of the story. Give me a break.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - not sure that's going to be any good.
[missed the name] - a new movie with Will Smith as a con man. Honestly doesn't look that great.
Mad Max Fury Road - the trailers actually make this movie seem kind of stupid, but I've heard a lot of good things about it, it's on my 'to watch' list.
Pacific Rim - 10 out of 10. I love this movie, have no idea why. Since I was on/in the actual Pacific Rim, I thought this would be a good movie to watch!
Saving Private Ryan - 10 out of 10. Great story, great movie, great actors (mostly), great ending.
The Imitation Game - 8 out of 10. Another slow starter, but loved the ending. My only complaint is that they kept going between three time periods - when Turing was a child, the 1940s and 1951. It got a little confusing.
Reign of Fire - 10 out of 10. Same as Pacific Rim, I just love this movie. I think it's the accents!
Godzilla - 8 out of 10. The best Godzilla movie yet (modern movie). And I like whats-his-face, the father, in it. The dude from Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad. This was another movie that seemed necessary to watch while I was on the west coast.
Interstellar - 5 out of 10. Started slow, sped up and became really interesting, then turned weird and I didn't like the ending. Worth watching, but not worth paying for to see in a theatre.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - 10 out of 10. Every Hobbit or LOTR movie has to be rated 10 if you ask me. You just can't get any better than them.
Jupiter Ascending -
I, Frankenstein - never got around to watching, will have to download it at some point.
Previews:
Terminator: Genesis - I'm not sure that's how they spelled it in the movie, but it looks awesome. When I first read about it I thought they were just remaking the first Terminator, but it has a very cool twist. On my 'to watch' list.
[can't remember the name] - a natural disaster movie about tornadoes and storm chasers, but it has the actor who plays Thorin Oakenshield in it (I'm forgetting a lot of names tonight). It looks interesting, but it's already out on DVD and I never heard of it being in the theaters.
[can't remember the name] - but Mark Wahlberg plays a gambler. Doesn't seem to be his best work.
San Andreas - looks very cool, I love natural disaster movies like this, it hopefully reminds us how insignificant and powerless we are.
Pan - another Peter Pan movie? and they claim this one is "the untold story" of the story. Give me a break.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - not sure that's going to be any good.
[missed the name] - a new movie with Will Smith as a con man. Honestly doesn't look that great.
Mad Max Fury Road - the trailers actually make this movie seem kind of stupid, but I've heard a lot of good things about it, it's on my 'to watch' list.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Expert Fire Starter!
Seriously, I'm getting good at this whole fire thing. And I have a fireplace at home that can be for wood fires. I might have to consider setting it up for this coming winter. This is too much fun.
I can't believe my time in Tofino - and on Vancouver Island - is getting close to ending. This is the kind of place I could live forever. I think my long term life goal is to move to Vancouver Island. Now how do I make that happen??
Today was another not-really-long long day. Today I went sea kayaking for 4 hours! And it ... was ... awesome. More awesome than whale watching by far. And maybe that's because I've been whale watching many times and it's hard to beat seeing a super pod of killer whales in Antarctica (over 100 of them all in one bay). We didn't see any whales on our kayak trip today, but that's okay, the trip itself was fun.
I went with the Paddle West Kayak outfitters. They're connected to Jamie's somehow - and if you know anything about Tofino it seems Jamie's has one of everything - a hotel, a restaurant, a whale/bear watching tour, and more. They also seem to be the biggest tour operator here. Oddly, the prices per tour are pretty much all the same no matter where you go, which makes sense. If one guy lowered his price, all the others would follow, so they probably keep the prices at a decent rate that helps them make at least a minor profit.
Our tour was suppose to leave at 9:30am, but the previous 9am tour was late leaving, so we were delayed a little bit too. Normally I guess only one guide goes on each tour, but we had two, Mitch and Spencer. Spencer is new to Paddle West so they wanted to send him out with a guide whose been with the company a while. However Spencer wasn't new to either sea kayaking or Tofino, so he really didn't need a "supervisor." However Mitch just paddled along with us and was fun to have along, he really didn't act like a "supervisor"! In addition to myself there were 4 others on the trip. A newly retired couple from San Francisco and a young couple from Quebec. So it was a very small group.
They don't require any experience for their tours, and they teach you everything. So the first thing they did was put us in our kayak skirts and life jackets. Then they taught us how to paddle. Then we got into our actual kayaks. And they load and unload the kayaks on a dock, so you aren't getting into an unstable floating kayak. It's really weird being in a kayak so close to the water while you're paddling by big docked ships! But I guess the marina traffic is so use to all the kayakers that they're always on the lookout for them and pretty much always slow down when passing us - so that was good. Everyone knows each other, so I guess it wouldn't be good for business for one boat to swamp a kayaker!
I'm going to have to post our route because it was pretty cool. But the big thing about kayaking in this area is the currents, and the fact that the tide was going out when we left. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can get caught in a current and pushed in the completely wrong direction! (This only happened to me once!) I also noticed that while my left arm didn't hurt, I think I was compensating for the weakness of it by using my right arm more and I had to keep correcting my direction as I tended to turn left a little! And kayaks have rudders but I'm so use to canoeing that I kept forgetting to use it.
We (obviously) stayed in the inlet, in between the various small islands. And unlike our whale watching skipper, Spencer pointed EVERYTHING out. The names of all the islands, the stories behind the names, the mountains we saw, etc. We saw things like jellyfish and the water spouts from creatures like oysters spraying out of the sand. And Mitch found a massive star fish that he brought out of the water so we could get a closer look (and then he put it right back where he found it). I didn't touch it, but another lady on the tour held it for a while. Yuck!
Part of the trip was a stop at Meares Island to go on the ... something trail. The name is escaping me right now. But Meares Island is actually owned by a local native tribe, but they allow people to take the trail on it to see the old growth trees. They ask for a payment of $3 which is simply so they can keep the trail operational. But there's no one actually on the island doing anything. The whole trail is a boardwalk made from fallen trees along the path! So it's not even or completely level, but it's pretty cool. And the newer sections smelled really nice!
We saw two massive trees. One that is estimated to be 800 years old and the other is older, possibly 1000 years old. It's the older tree that's referred to as the Tree of Life because back in the 80s a logging company was given rights to log 90% of Meares Island and the locals wanted to stop it (obviously). They had a local children's choir pose for a photo in front of the tree and then they circulated the photo. While it wasn't in the same method it would happen today, the photo went viral and the tree became so popular worldwide that the logging company was forced to leave Meares Island alone. And I guess since then the ownership has transferred back to the native peoples. I have a photo of Spencer and Mitch hugging the tree that I'll post! I specifically asked them to do that and they LOVED it!
Once we left Meares Island we happened upon a bald eagle sitting in a tree and were there in time to watch him dive for the water in an attempt to catch a fish. Unfortunately he didn't catch anything - but it was an awesome show! We also saw a lot of robins. I've noticed that Vancouver Island is full of robins. I find that so odd because to me robins are such a .... non-exciting, everyday, neighbourhood-type bird.
At this point we basically headed back to the dock, via a different route that required us to hop from small island to small island. We do this to keep out of the main channels where the big boats are, but as I already mentioned, most of those boats slow down for us anyway. And the crossing from Strawberry Island back to the dock is harder than you'd think. It's only maybe 200-300 metres across, but the weird currents push you the wrong way so you actually have to head sideways to where you're going so you end up in the right place!
Getting into the kayaks is easy, getting out of them ... not so much. You're tilted backwards, and the kayak shifts left to right and back because of its shape, so trying to stand up is interesting. Both times Mitch had to help me. I'm going to use the excuse that I also couldn't use my left arm that well because it's still weak.
After kayaking I drove down to the Inn at Tough City where they have a sushi restaurant and had sushi on the patio overlooking the harbour. It was the perfect temperature. The sushi was good and the view was awesome. I saw a Kingfisher hover in the air (one of only two types of birds who can do that) scoping out a fish, and then drive and catch the fish. And he was successful, unlike the eagle. I also saw another bird circling the area a lot, I think it might have been a type of swallow, but I have to look it up. The area where this building was is closer to where the float planes take off and land, so I saw quite a few of them come and go.
After sushi I walked the 'downtown' and checked out the shops, although I didn't buy much. I did, however, find some Christmas presents for my family!!! I also went into one shop - the only shop - which looked familiar. And when I mentioned to the lady I was there 10 years ago and this place was familiar she did say they're the oldest gift shop in town and were definitely around 10 years ago. I can't believe I remembered that. I think it's because they're on the 2nd floor so you have to climb stairs to get to the shop, so it's a bit more memorable. There are a LOT of surf shops. I have no recollection of seeing a surf shop the last time I was here, but I also wouldn't have been looking for one. They must have existed ....
At this point it was getting close to 5pm, so I decided to head back to my cabin for a nap. And to skip the ecology course. There was no way I'd be able to spend 4 hours awake in such a class, even though it would be interesting. Instead I stopped at Tofino Chocolates and got a gelato, which to me tasted exactly the same as an ice cream. What's the difference?
My nap was awesome! I love naps, I don't think I've mentioned that enough yet. But I'm starting to feel the soreness. Not so much in my upper body, but in my lower. I'm not use to the position of sitting in a kayak. And my bike ride yesterday didn't help. I really need to start bike riding regularly when I get home. I think I'm going to wake up tomorrow pretty stiff, but it was worth it.
I also managed to get some colour. I had sunscreen on, but it was sunny and we were on the water, so colour is bound to happen. I didn't burn thankfully. My arms are definitely tanned, but I forgot to pull up the sleeves of my t-shirt, so I have a farmer's tan. And I'm sure my face has colour on it too ... but I haven't inspected that yet. I was wearing a ball cap, but I remembered to put sunscreen on my ears!!! I've had burnt ears far too many times to want that again! The downside to kayaking is that you're entire lower body is inside the kayak with a "skirt" to hold out the water, so you get absolutely no sun down there. So my legs do not match my arms anymore.
Over the last few nights I've managed to watch 3.5 movies - Pacific Rim, Saving Private Ryan, The Imitation Game and Reign of Fire. But I'm only half way through Reign of Fire. I love that movie. You can't go wrong with Christian Bale AND Gerard Butler in the same movie with their awesome accents. I went back to the office and got some more movies ... Jupiter Ascending (because I'm curious, but I don't have high expectations), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (because why not), Godzilla (the new one that I have found to be quite interesting - and takes place on the west coast), Interstellar (again, because I'm curious, but have no expectations) and I, Frankenstein (because how bad can it be with Aaron Eckhart). I doubt I'll watch them all, but at least I have options!
It's 10pm and I haven't had anything for dinner yet ... I think it's time to eat. How about a nice bowl of cereal!
=^..^=
p.s. Each firewood box has a hatchet to chop wood with, but I haven't used it. The pieces are large, but I've managed to find small enough pieces to get a fire started. Ironically I hear the men at other cabins chopping wood. I think they're doing it just so they can wield a hatchet!
I can't believe my time in Tofino - and on Vancouver Island - is getting close to ending. This is the kind of place I could live forever. I think my long term life goal is to move to Vancouver Island. Now how do I make that happen??
Today was another not-really-long long day. Today I went sea kayaking for 4 hours! And it ... was ... awesome. More awesome than whale watching by far. And maybe that's because I've been whale watching many times and it's hard to beat seeing a super pod of killer whales in Antarctica (over 100 of them all in one bay). We didn't see any whales on our kayak trip today, but that's okay, the trip itself was fun.
I went with the Paddle West Kayak outfitters. They're connected to Jamie's somehow - and if you know anything about Tofino it seems Jamie's has one of everything - a hotel, a restaurant, a whale/bear watching tour, and more. They also seem to be the biggest tour operator here. Oddly, the prices per tour are pretty much all the same no matter where you go, which makes sense. If one guy lowered his price, all the others would follow, so they probably keep the prices at a decent rate that helps them make at least a minor profit.
Our tour was suppose to leave at 9:30am, but the previous 9am tour was late leaving, so we were delayed a little bit too. Normally I guess only one guide goes on each tour, but we had two, Mitch and Spencer. Spencer is new to Paddle West so they wanted to send him out with a guide whose been with the company a while. However Spencer wasn't new to either sea kayaking or Tofino, so he really didn't need a "supervisor." However Mitch just paddled along with us and was fun to have along, he really didn't act like a "supervisor"! In addition to myself there were 4 others on the trip. A newly retired couple from San Francisco and a young couple from Quebec. So it was a very small group.
They don't require any experience for their tours, and they teach you everything. So the first thing they did was put us in our kayak skirts and life jackets. Then they taught us how to paddle. Then we got into our actual kayaks. And they load and unload the kayaks on a dock, so you aren't getting into an unstable floating kayak. It's really weird being in a kayak so close to the water while you're paddling by big docked ships! But I guess the marina traffic is so use to all the kayakers that they're always on the lookout for them and pretty much always slow down when passing us - so that was good. Everyone knows each other, so I guess it wouldn't be good for business for one boat to swamp a kayaker!
I'm going to have to post our route because it was pretty cool. But the big thing about kayaking in this area is the currents, and the fact that the tide was going out when we left. It's pretty amazing how quickly you can get caught in a current and pushed in the completely wrong direction! (This only happened to me once!) I also noticed that while my left arm didn't hurt, I think I was compensating for the weakness of it by using my right arm more and I had to keep correcting my direction as I tended to turn left a little! And kayaks have rudders but I'm so use to canoeing that I kept forgetting to use it.
We (obviously) stayed in the inlet, in between the various small islands. And unlike our whale watching skipper, Spencer pointed EVERYTHING out. The names of all the islands, the stories behind the names, the mountains we saw, etc. We saw things like jellyfish and the water spouts from creatures like oysters spraying out of the sand. And Mitch found a massive star fish that he brought out of the water so we could get a closer look (and then he put it right back where he found it). I didn't touch it, but another lady on the tour held it for a while. Yuck!
Part of the trip was a stop at Meares Island to go on the ... something trail. The name is escaping me right now. But Meares Island is actually owned by a local native tribe, but they allow people to take the trail on it to see the old growth trees. They ask for a payment of $3 which is simply so they can keep the trail operational. But there's no one actually on the island doing anything. The whole trail is a boardwalk made from fallen trees along the path! So it's not even or completely level, but it's pretty cool. And the newer sections smelled really nice!
We saw two massive trees. One that is estimated to be 800 years old and the other is older, possibly 1000 years old. It's the older tree that's referred to as the Tree of Life because back in the 80s a logging company was given rights to log 90% of Meares Island and the locals wanted to stop it (obviously). They had a local children's choir pose for a photo in front of the tree and then they circulated the photo. While it wasn't in the same method it would happen today, the photo went viral and the tree became so popular worldwide that the logging company was forced to leave Meares Island alone. And I guess since then the ownership has transferred back to the native peoples. I have a photo of Spencer and Mitch hugging the tree that I'll post! I specifically asked them to do that and they LOVED it!
Once we left Meares Island we happened upon a bald eagle sitting in a tree and were there in time to watch him dive for the water in an attempt to catch a fish. Unfortunately he didn't catch anything - but it was an awesome show! We also saw a lot of robins. I've noticed that Vancouver Island is full of robins. I find that so odd because to me robins are such a .... non-exciting, everyday, neighbourhood-type bird.
At this point we basically headed back to the dock, via a different route that required us to hop from small island to small island. We do this to keep out of the main channels where the big boats are, but as I already mentioned, most of those boats slow down for us anyway. And the crossing from Strawberry Island back to the dock is harder than you'd think. It's only maybe 200-300 metres across, but the weird currents push you the wrong way so you actually have to head sideways to where you're going so you end up in the right place!
Getting into the kayaks is easy, getting out of them ... not so much. You're tilted backwards, and the kayak shifts left to right and back because of its shape, so trying to stand up is interesting. Both times Mitch had to help me. I'm going to use the excuse that I also couldn't use my left arm that well because it's still weak.
After kayaking I drove down to the Inn at Tough City where they have a sushi restaurant and had sushi on the patio overlooking the harbour. It was the perfect temperature. The sushi was good and the view was awesome. I saw a Kingfisher hover in the air (one of only two types of birds who can do that) scoping out a fish, and then drive and catch the fish. And he was successful, unlike the eagle. I also saw another bird circling the area a lot, I think it might have been a type of swallow, but I have to look it up. The area where this building was is closer to where the float planes take off and land, so I saw quite a few of them come and go.
After sushi I walked the 'downtown' and checked out the shops, although I didn't buy much. I did, however, find some Christmas presents for my family!!! I also went into one shop - the only shop - which looked familiar. And when I mentioned to the lady I was there 10 years ago and this place was familiar she did say they're the oldest gift shop in town and were definitely around 10 years ago. I can't believe I remembered that. I think it's because they're on the 2nd floor so you have to climb stairs to get to the shop, so it's a bit more memorable. There are a LOT of surf shops. I have no recollection of seeing a surf shop the last time I was here, but I also wouldn't have been looking for one. They must have existed ....
At this point it was getting close to 5pm, so I decided to head back to my cabin for a nap. And to skip the ecology course. There was no way I'd be able to spend 4 hours awake in such a class, even though it would be interesting. Instead I stopped at Tofino Chocolates and got a gelato, which to me tasted exactly the same as an ice cream. What's the difference?
My nap was awesome! I love naps, I don't think I've mentioned that enough yet. But I'm starting to feel the soreness. Not so much in my upper body, but in my lower. I'm not use to the position of sitting in a kayak. And my bike ride yesterday didn't help. I really need to start bike riding regularly when I get home. I think I'm going to wake up tomorrow pretty stiff, but it was worth it.
I also managed to get some colour. I had sunscreen on, but it was sunny and we were on the water, so colour is bound to happen. I didn't burn thankfully. My arms are definitely tanned, but I forgot to pull up the sleeves of my t-shirt, so I have a farmer's tan. And I'm sure my face has colour on it too ... but I haven't inspected that yet. I was wearing a ball cap, but I remembered to put sunscreen on my ears!!! I've had burnt ears far too many times to want that again! The downside to kayaking is that you're entire lower body is inside the kayak with a "skirt" to hold out the water, so you get absolutely no sun down there. So my legs do not match my arms anymore.
Over the last few nights I've managed to watch 3.5 movies - Pacific Rim, Saving Private Ryan, The Imitation Game and Reign of Fire. But I'm only half way through Reign of Fire. I love that movie. You can't go wrong with Christian Bale AND Gerard Butler in the same movie with their awesome accents. I went back to the office and got some more movies ... Jupiter Ascending (because I'm curious, but I don't have high expectations), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (because why not), Godzilla (the new one that I have found to be quite interesting - and takes place on the west coast), Interstellar (again, because I'm curious, but have no expectations) and I, Frankenstein (because how bad can it be with Aaron Eckhart). I doubt I'll watch them all, but at least I have options!
It's 10pm and I haven't had anything for dinner yet ... I think it's time to eat. How about a nice bowl of cereal!
=^..^=
p.s. Each firewood box has a hatchet to chop wood with, but I haven't used it. The pieces are large, but I've managed to find small enough pieces to get a fire started. Ironically I hear the men at other cabins chopping wood. I think they're doing it just so they can wield a hatchet!
Wednesday Lazy/Rainy Wednesday
Today has been a "do very little, if anything" day. Yet I still managed to wake up at 8:30am. What the hell?
I finished Reign of Fire last night. And started Godzilla but didn't finish it before I fell asleep. That's one thing I can say for sure about this vacation, I've managed to fall asleep extremely quickly every night. I finished Godzilla this morning but fell asleep at the end. Since I've seen it a million times already it doesn't really matter. I woke up again around noon, because I'm not going to willing get up at 8:30am if I don't have to, and had breakfast while watching Interstellar. Hmmm ... I started off impressed, then got really impressed, then ended unimpressed. Overall I'd rate it a 6 or 7 out of 10. It could have been better.
Now it's almost 4pm and I've started on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Interstellar lasted way longer than I anticipated. I don't like it that the dragon in The Hobbit talks. Somehow I think the dragon should be silent. And it didn't help that when I watched The Imitation Game the other night that all I could see was a dragon whenever Benedict Cumber-whatever spoke!
I think there's a good chance I'll have a nap now. What the hell!
**********
It's not cold outside today - but it is damp and raining. I've had the fire going since I got up at noon. But I have several windows open at the same time - it keeps the temperature perfect inside the cabin. I love the sound and smell of a wood fire.
Tomorrow I start my 3 day trek home. I have B&Bs booked for both nights to be safe. It's getting closer and closer to the high season and I was worried that things would be booked everywhere, so I made reservations. I've planned out my 3 days as best I can. Tomorrow it's almost 3 hours to Nanaimo and Departure Bay where the ferry is. Then about an hour and 40 minutes across to Horseshoe Bay. There are several ferries all day, but I'm not aiming for a specific one. My luck so far - oddly - has been to arrive at the ferry terminal just as a ferry is boarding. Since this the 4th and last time I'll need to take a ferry on this trip, my guess is that I'll arrive just after a ferry has left!
Once across the strait it's about an hour and 45 minutes up to the B&B where I'm staying the night. But the drive is up the Sea-to-Sky highway and through Whistler. I had hoped to stop in Whistler since I haven't been there in 10 years and the Olympics happened there in the meantime.
Hey, it was the 2010 Olympics. Exactly 5 years after I was there the last time, and 5 years before now. That's weird.
Friday I'll drive from the Mount Currie area to Valemount via 100 Mile House. That should be around 7 hours, not including any stops, which I do hope to make because the scenery should be amazing. Then it's only a little over 5 hours from Valemount to home through Jasper. I plan to stop in Jasper - at the very least - to get a bear claw from the bakery! And I plan to stop at the famous rest stop where I broke my shoulder to take photos ... just because. I won't fall again (I hope) because there shouldn't be any ice. But I did want to double-check if there were any signs - since I don't remember any.
By dinner time I should be home to see my babies - and to see if they love me still or not! And Sunday will be my last do nothing day before I have to go back to work. :-( I don't want to go back to work.
**********
I'm watching The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The big war scene just started. There's something about fighting wars this way that is ... more reasonable. People against people - face to face - no bombs, no planes, no tanks, no guns, just muscle and hand-held weapons like spears, swords and bows. Weapons made by hand, and wielded by hand. And even though quantity might determine who will win, it doesn't always. It's all about strategy.
It's interesting, don't you think, that so many of the really popular games - board and video - are based on these types of wars. Not all, but quite a few. Maybe because those games aren't about the fight, but about the strategy?
Anyway, I think the world would be an interesting and quite different place if current armies fought this way again.
**********
So ... in my quest to organize the car I discovered something. The roof leaked again. Last summer I had to take the car to an auto body shop to have the rear passenger door panel fixed and replaced. But apparently on Subarus, taking certain panels off to re-paint mean you have to practically take the whole car apart. They had to take the rear passenger side fender off to re-paint, which meant they had to remove the roof panels, which meant they had to remove the roof racks. Technically there was nothing wrong with the roof or roof racks, but to access the area they wanted, they had to remove it anyway.
Somewhere in the process when the put the roof panel and roof racks back on something happened. What happened exactly, I'm not sure. But whatever it was caused some water tight area to not be water tight anymore. Last summer, while camping, the roof leaked the first time, only a week after I got it back from the auto body shop. They took it back and attempted to fix it, but claimed they couldn't find anything wrong. They double-checked all the bolts, etc., to make sure they were sealed properly. But it looks like they weren't able to fix it as it leaked again, in the exact same spot.
Both times it leaked it happened while I was away on vacation. But I'm not sure that's the connection entirely, I think it's just a coincidence because I go into the trunk way more often when I'm away than when I'm at home. Especially immediately after a rainfall. So it's entirely possible it's been leaking over the past year and I just haven't noticed.
But I also noticed today that both times I've seen it leak the car has been parked with the rear facing west, out in the open. Unlike at home where west is my backyard and my house is only 20 feet from the car, so storms coming from that direction, and that's the direction most storms come from, are slightly blocked by the house. I wonder if that's not a coincidence. I'm wondering if maybe the leak is somewhere in the back - maybe by the hatch, or back window, rather than directly on the roof.
I just hope they're able to come and get the car, rather than me having to drop it off, and that they give me a loaner. Well, I don't hope this, they'd better do this. I also hope it doesn't take too long to fix, and that they do fix it this time. I should tell them to give it to their most inquisitive worker, the guy whose a perfectionist who likes to solve problems. Maybe he'll figure it out!
**********
Today's post has turned into an interesting variety of thoughts and comments. I guess because I haven't done anything but be lazy, watch movies and tend to my fire ... speaking of which, I'll be right back .....
I'm back.
I'm extremely perplexed. I had a lip balm - brand new - that was really good. On Monday evening I took it out of my jeans and put it aside to bring with me on Tuesday. But Tuesday morning I couldn't find the damn thing - I still can't. I've looked everywhere - in every bag, on every surface, I've even crawled on my hands and knees to look under the bed. It's gone. It shouldn't be - but for the life of me I can't remember exactly where it was that I placed it on Monday night. I thought it was on the bedside table, but I checked everywhere around that table and it's not there.
It's actually really bothering me. A lot.
As for another un-related topic ... I have my water bill through Epcor. It includes water usage, sewage and garbage disposal. Garbage stays the same, but sewage is based on water consumption, and my water consumption has doubled in the past 4 months. It can't possibly be a real increase, so I must have a leak. I emailed Epcor about it and they sent me links to instructions on how to check my toilets, so I'll check those when I get home. But I also want to know how to read my water meter so I can test if things are working or not. Another annoying thing to worry about when I get home.
The Hobbit is done now. I personally think the song associated with the 2nd movie was the best - by Ed Sheeran called I See Fire. Best song ever. Gives me shivers every time I hear it.
Oh ... I didn't know that ... Andy Serkis was the 2nd unit director for the The Hobbit. He had such a small part in this trilogy, so I guess he had more time on his hands!
Makeup was provided by M-A-C.
There's such a thing as a "swing team."
I wonder how many of these names were spelled wrong. And I wonder how many are listed that shouldn't be and vice versa.
Geez ... even if you count all the extras in the battle scenes, there were more people working on this movie from behind the scenes than in front of the camera. Insane.
I finished Reign of Fire last night. And started Godzilla but didn't finish it before I fell asleep. That's one thing I can say for sure about this vacation, I've managed to fall asleep extremely quickly every night. I finished Godzilla this morning but fell asleep at the end. Since I've seen it a million times already it doesn't really matter. I woke up again around noon, because I'm not going to willing get up at 8:30am if I don't have to, and had breakfast while watching Interstellar. Hmmm ... I started off impressed, then got really impressed, then ended unimpressed. Overall I'd rate it a 6 or 7 out of 10. It could have been better.
Now it's almost 4pm and I've started on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Interstellar lasted way longer than I anticipated. I don't like it that the dragon in The Hobbit talks. Somehow I think the dragon should be silent. And it didn't help that when I watched The Imitation Game the other night that all I could see was a dragon whenever Benedict Cumber-whatever spoke!
I think there's a good chance I'll have a nap now. What the hell!
**********
It's not cold outside today - but it is damp and raining. I've had the fire going since I got up at noon. But I have several windows open at the same time - it keeps the temperature perfect inside the cabin. I love the sound and smell of a wood fire.
Tomorrow I start my 3 day trek home. I have B&Bs booked for both nights to be safe. It's getting closer and closer to the high season and I was worried that things would be booked everywhere, so I made reservations. I've planned out my 3 days as best I can. Tomorrow it's almost 3 hours to Nanaimo and Departure Bay where the ferry is. Then about an hour and 40 minutes across to Horseshoe Bay. There are several ferries all day, but I'm not aiming for a specific one. My luck so far - oddly - has been to arrive at the ferry terminal just as a ferry is boarding. Since this the 4th and last time I'll need to take a ferry on this trip, my guess is that I'll arrive just after a ferry has left!
Once across the strait it's about an hour and 45 minutes up to the B&B where I'm staying the night. But the drive is up the Sea-to-Sky highway and through Whistler. I had hoped to stop in Whistler since I haven't been there in 10 years and the Olympics happened there in the meantime.
Hey, it was the 2010 Olympics. Exactly 5 years after I was there the last time, and 5 years before now. That's weird.
Friday I'll drive from the Mount Currie area to Valemount via 100 Mile House. That should be around 7 hours, not including any stops, which I do hope to make because the scenery should be amazing. Then it's only a little over 5 hours from Valemount to home through Jasper. I plan to stop in Jasper - at the very least - to get a bear claw from the bakery! And I plan to stop at the famous rest stop where I broke my shoulder to take photos ... just because. I won't fall again (I hope) because there shouldn't be any ice. But I did want to double-check if there were any signs - since I don't remember any.
By dinner time I should be home to see my babies - and to see if they love me still or not! And Sunday will be my last do nothing day before I have to go back to work. :-( I don't want to go back to work.
**********
I'm watching The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The big war scene just started. There's something about fighting wars this way that is ... more reasonable. People against people - face to face - no bombs, no planes, no tanks, no guns, just muscle and hand-held weapons like spears, swords and bows. Weapons made by hand, and wielded by hand. And even though quantity might determine who will win, it doesn't always. It's all about strategy.
It's interesting, don't you think, that so many of the really popular games - board and video - are based on these types of wars. Not all, but quite a few. Maybe because those games aren't about the fight, but about the strategy?
Anyway, I think the world would be an interesting and quite different place if current armies fought this way again.
**********
So ... in my quest to organize the car I discovered something. The roof leaked again. Last summer I had to take the car to an auto body shop to have the rear passenger door panel fixed and replaced. But apparently on Subarus, taking certain panels off to re-paint mean you have to practically take the whole car apart. They had to take the rear passenger side fender off to re-paint, which meant they had to remove the roof panels, which meant they had to remove the roof racks. Technically there was nothing wrong with the roof or roof racks, but to access the area they wanted, they had to remove it anyway.
Somewhere in the process when the put the roof panel and roof racks back on something happened. What happened exactly, I'm not sure. But whatever it was caused some water tight area to not be water tight anymore. Last summer, while camping, the roof leaked the first time, only a week after I got it back from the auto body shop. They took it back and attempted to fix it, but claimed they couldn't find anything wrong. They double-checked all the bolts, etc., to make sure they were sealed properly. But it looks like they weren't able to fix it as it leaked again, in the exact same spot.
Both times it leaked it happened while I was away on vacation. But I'm not sure that's the connection entirely, I think it's just a coincidence because I go into the trunk way more often when I'm away than when I'm at home. Especially immediately after a rainfall. So it's entirely possible it's been leaking over the past year and I just haven't noticed.
But I also noticed today that both times I've seen it leak the car has been parked with the rear facing west, out in the open. Unlike at home where west is my backyard and my house is only 20 feet from the car, so storms coming from that direction, and that's the direction most storms come from, are slightly blocked by the house. I wonder if that's not a coincidence. I'm wondering if maybe the leak is somewhere in the back - maybe by the hatch, or back window, rather than directly on the roof.
I just hope they're able to come and get the car, rather than me having to drop it off, and that they give me a loaner. Well, I don't hope this, they'd better do this. I also hope it doesn't take too long to fix, and that they do fix it this time. I should tell them to give it to their most inquisitive worker, the guy whose a perfectionist who likes to solve problems. Maybe he'll figure it out!
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Today's post has turned into an interesting variety of thoughts and comments. I guess because I haven't done anything but be lazy, watch movies and tend to my fire ... speaking of which, I'll be right back .....
I'm back.
I'm extremely perplexed. I had a lip balm - brand new - that was really good. On Monday evening I took it out of my jeans and put it aside to bring with me on Tuesday. But Tuesday morning I couldn't find the damn thing - I still can't. I've looked everywhere - in every bag, on every surface, I've even crawled on my hands and knees to look under the bed. It's gone. It shouldn't be - but for the life of me I can't remember exactly where it was that I placed it on Monday night. I thought it was on the bedside table, but I checked everywhere around that table and it's not there.
It's actually really bothering me. A lot.
As for another un-related topic ... I have my water bill through Epcor. It includes water usage, sewage and garbage disposal. Garbage stays the same, but sewage is based on water consumption, and my water consumption has doubled in the past 4 months. It can't possibly be a real increase, so I must have a leak. I emailed Epcor about it and they sent me links to instructions on how to check my toilets, so I'll check those when I get home. But I also want to know how to read my water meter so I can test if things are working or not. Another annoying thing to worry about when I get home.
The Hobbit is done now. I personally think the song associated with the 2nd movie was the best - by Ed Sheeran called I See Fire. Best song ever. Gives me shivers every time I hear it.
Oh ... I didn't know that ... Andy Serkis was the 2nd unit director for the The Hobbit. He had such a small part in this trilogy, so I guess he had more time on his hands!
Makeup was provided by M-A-C.
There's such a thing as a "swing team."
I wonder how many of these names were spelled wrong. And I wonder how many are listed that shouldn't be and vice versa.
Geez ... even if you count all the extras in the battle scenes, there were more people working on this movie from behind the scenes than in front of the camera. Insane.
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