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July 3, 2022 Sunday Toronto, Canada

Shopping (finally!) and Dinner with Family

Another perfect bright and sunny day in the 70s. We headed south to the Lion’s Farmers’ Market near a shopping area called Square One in Mississauga. Found more of the delicious Mennonite meats and picked up a basket of cherries to give toJim and Kiyomi who we were meeting later for dinner. Then the best part…… a side trip to IKEA! I’m sure I broke a record for speed shopping. I was in and out faster than you can say Swedish meatballs!

After a couple more stops, we were back home trying to finish up all the food in the fridge and on the counter, including leftovers from the Rockies! Then on to packing up the suitcases before Jim and Kiyomi picked us up at 4:30.

We had reservations for 5:00 at a Japanese restaurant in the Marriot hotel called Ginko. There we met up with Jennifer, John and their son Ezra, and Kevin. More food and conversation! Finally, we were dropped off but stood around swapping stories and it was probably 8:30 by the time we went inside. Tomorrow will be a long travel day as we say farewell to Canada!!

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July 2, 2022. Saturday Toronto, Canada

Meeting the Matsuos

Today we drove to Kitchener, about 45 minutes away from our place in Mississauga, to meet up at Greg and Shannon’s home. The navigation system in the car we are borrowing (thanks to Tak and Kaz for letting us use their car) made getting there easy.

We met Sanaye (Jon’s mother’s cousin) and her husband Sam who had driven over earlier from Chatham (another 2 hours west of Kitchener). We all jumped in their van and went to St. Jacob’s Farmers’ Market nearby in Woolwich. This market had your typical outdoor tents but also two big indoor market buildings. This area is in a Mennonite community so many of the vendors were Mennonites in traditional clothing.

I had something called a doner sandwhich, similar to a gyros in pita bread. Jon had pirogis and rolled cabbage. And we would all have had apple fritters but the line was out the door.

After a nice lunch at the market, we drove through Mennonite country. Shannon was quite knowledgeable about the Mennonites and pointed out how homes were expanded in a certain way, and explained all the various sects of Mennonites and how they differ from each other as well as the Amish. I learned quite a lot as we passed churches and schools along the rolling countryside. We stopped by a Mennonite store called Wallenstein General Store where the locals shop. A horse-drawn buggy was in the parking lot and a few Mennonite families were shopping while we were there. I caught glimpses of the families between the aisles, but the cute Mennonite girls in matching dresses didn’t hide their stares. Perhaps we were as unusual a sight to them as they were to us! This was the Walmart of the Mennonite community… everything you could ever need was there including rows of black shoes, suspenders, an entire aisle of many kinds of hats, embroidered handkerchiefs, smocked bonnets, and reams of fabrics in the approved Mennonite patterns. It was if we stepped back into time.

Then back to Greg and Shannon’s home for a lot of hanging around and sharing stories over a table filled with long johns and mini pies from Wallenstein’s, Ontario strawberries and a bunch of other goodies. Afternoon snack time merged right into dinner and then it was time for take-out from a Greek place that serves everything from baby back ribs to fish and chips. More talking, more food until dusk which in Toronto means 9:30 at night! The long hours of sunlight were still throwing off my sense of time. So off into the 10pm sunset we rode finally reaching home at 10:30. A nice end to a nice day spent getting to know the Matsuos.

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July 1, 2022. Friday. Toronto,Canada

Celebrating Canada Day with family!

We had a nice lunch with Naomi, Jim and their daughter, Hannah in an area called the Junction. Then over to their home for a BBQ dinner with Naomi’s parents (Jon’s mother’s cousins) Tak and Kaz who we did meet up with in when we lived in Yokosuka. Felt like we ate continuously for the entire day, traditional foods such as Tim Horton’s donuts haha and a red and white dessert for Canada Day. We could hear the Canada Day fireworks going off somewhere in the distance. We all had a great time sharing family stories and going over the family tree. Didn’t get home until 11 pm!

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June 30, Thursday Golden to Calgary

Woke up at 5:30 am to pack up and prepare for the long drive back to Calgary, 165 miles or about 3 hours. The day was so bright and beautiful so we made a few stops along the way. Tried to stop by Lake Louise to get a photo of the lake in its full sunny glory, but alas, at 8am the lot was completely full already! No wonder their shuttle park and ride lots are so huge.

We stopped by Banff one last time, and as we got closer and closer to Calgary, we watched the mountains get lower and lower until we were driving eventually across a huge flat plain as we entered the suburbs of Calgary. Goodbye Rockie Mountains!

One last breath of cool mountain air in Banff.

The mountains are flattening out as we near Calgary.

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A stroll along the lake….

We got back early today to pack up. Tomorrow is a travel day. We’ll be leaving Golden at about 7am for a long 3 hour drive back to Calgary. Then we board a flight to Toronto at 1:00pm arriving in the evening. Another long day and another time change! So sad to leave the beauty of the Rockies, but I suppose they’ll be here for another million years or so at least.

One last thing before I forget: the Kicking Horse River got it’s name from when one of the explorers, James Hector, fell off his horse and was left for dead along the banks of the river. He survived and he got a river and mountain pass named after the incident. I suppose if he didn’t make it, it woulda been called the Kick the Bucket River?

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A walk on the new floating dock at Cedar Lake. What was most interesting about this lake was the color. It’s green in the shallows then there is a sudden drop off and it becomes a deep black color. This “swimmable” lake would not be my first choice! Imagining Nessie’s sister lurking in the depths (munching on her favorite snack…Free-toes, of course)!

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June 29, Wednesday Golden,BC Canada

Cedar Lake in the Moonraker area of Golden

Next we headed back north up the mountain side behind Golden town to on the, you guessed it, the Kicking Horse Road to Cedar Lake for a quick stroll on the boardwalk and walking path along the lake.

Visitor Center Spin: the gal at the visitor center was quite enthusiastic about recommending this lake today because it’s a swimmable lake because it’s not cold. She mentioned we should swim twice!

Reality: BRRR — it was cold and would be like swimming in the water that comes from the door of your fridge! Guess it depends on where you’re coming from, eh?

Will not be dipping toe-sies into the deep black waters! Nessie can get her Fritos from someone else today!

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June 29, 2022 Wednesday Golden, BC, Canada

We are thankful for another sunny day instead of the forecast rain. 🙏Started off the morning at the Golden Farmers’ Market held next to the Kicking Horse River at Spirit Square. Spanning the Kicking Horse river is the Kicking Horse covered wooden bridge, the longest freestanding timber frame bridge in Canada. In 2001, over 100 members of the Timber Framers Guild came from the US, Europe and all over Canada to help raise the bridge.

Next we drove to Reflection Lake, known as a place to view a diversity of waterfowl. Maybe 2 kinds of ducks were floating, flapping and diving. Though the reflection was not to be today, we certainly have already seen a lot of reflection on this trip.

What’s a roadtrip without a tacky roadside stop? We found it! The world’s largest paddle in the Guinness Book of World records. In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a field.

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June 28, 2022 Tuesday Yoho National Park

Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake

Next stop, Natural Bridge. The Kicking Horse River basically flows through a hole in the rock forming a stone bridge over the flow. According to the park, the bridge will eventually fall so we should stay off it to preserve it. Apparently no one got the memo. People were on the bridge contributing to its demise. Let’s hope no one is taking a selfie on it when it crumbles!

After the roaring waters and cold mists of the Takakkaw Falls, we found ourselves at the tranquil and reflective Emerald lake, taking off layers in the heat of the afternoon. Had lunch along the lake, looking across at the posh Emerald Lake Lodge, watching the canoeists floating by. It was supposed to rain but the sun was hanging in there.

Also drove through the small town of Field, which consisted of just a few of blocks of very quaint homes. There are no grocery stores in Field! We then headed back to Golden, picked up some groceries, and just made it into the house as the rain started coming down with thunder lightening and all!

Natural Bridge (above)

Emerald Lake and some of the interesting flowers in the area.

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Another look at Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park

Feeling the power of the falls! At the base of the falls, the spray was chilly and the wind was strong.

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June 28, 2022 Golden, BC, Canada

Exploring Yoho National Park

This morning we drove about an hour from our Airbnb in Golden town to Takakkaw falls. We were lucky because the access to the falls road just reopened 4 days ago. This year has been especially cold so many of the hikes are still snowbound and not yet open. That means many of the hikes that Yoho is famous for are not yet accessible. Our legs are probably thankful they don’t have to trek up any more mountains!

Takakkaw means “magnificent” in the Cree language, and is the 2nd tallest falls in Canada at about 1,224 feet.

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The most amazing animal sighting award so far goes to: Smokey the bear

A black bear decided to cross the road… right in front of our car!

Thank goodness Jon was quick with the brakes. It really surprised us! So much so that we forgot to ask it why it crossed the road.

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Today’s animal sightings:

Mountain goats at the “goat lick” at kilometer 38 on the Parkway. Mountain goats usually live high on the mountain cliffs, but on the Icefields Parkway they can be found right off the road! They apparently like the mineral rich silt deposits. Hoof lickin’ good!

Doesn’t it look like one goat is bullying the other? We’re calling him/her the Bully Goat Gruff!

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June 27, Monday. The lakes along the Icefields Parkway

This is Peyto Lake. Unbelievably blue! And no, I did not photoshop or edit this photo in any way.

This next lake(pictured below ) is Bow Lake. This lake was also beautiful and because we could walk to the shoreline, I stuck my feet in. The shocking cold woke me up, and the smooth rocks made for a great foot massage!

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June 27, 2022. Monday Jasper to Golden

Today we said farewell to Jasper and headed back south once again along the scenic Icefields Parkway. This time around it was sunny and we were driving in the reverse direction so it was as if we were driving down an entirely different road. Last week, the Parkway was mysterious and moody with all the mountain tops covered in mist and clouds. Today, all the snow topped peaks were shiny against the bright blue sky. I felt fortunate that we were able to experience the Parkway in both kinds of weather.

We stopped at several of the waterfalls and viewpoints that we missed while trying to avoid the rain and snow last week. Took a peek in the Columbia Icefield Center which was very crowded as it’s the boarding point for buses especially outfitted to ride on the glacier. If you want to hear many different languages all in one place, this is the place. And if you want to lose your money all in one place, this is the place, too! Some of the tours are like $200 (Canadian). Meanwhile, you can just park across the street and walk to the toe of the same glacier for free. Guess which one we did? 😂

After 2 more stops to see Peyto lake and Bow lake, we hit the Lake Louise area where we turned east towards the town of Golden and Yoho National Park. Today’s journey took 6 hours!

Photo below: A moose and bear?!!

Bottom photo: the Tangle Creek Falls

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June 26, 2022, Sunday. Jasper, Canada

Dinner at The Raven Bistro

Finally, we had a chance to eat some yummy food in Jasper town.

Started with Bison and Boar Belly Flatbread — ground bison and bourbon candied wild boar belly on flatbread with aged white cheddar, topped with arugula and goat cheese. Served with spliced pear barbecue sauce. It was really delicious, especially the candied boar.

Jon had the Coconut Kaffir Lime Seafood Pot — salmon, cod, snapper, shrimp, scallops and mussels simmered in a kaffir lime coconut tomato broth and served over sweet potato noodles with red peppers and zucchini. Very flavorful!

I had The Three Pharaohs —Beef tenderloin with harissa, schwarma seasoned chicken with garlic tahini, and lamb chevapcici with lemon tahini yogurt on a bed of orzo and served with naan. So delicious… dad would head straight for McDonalds but the rest of us would wish this were in Hawaii.

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Today’s animal sighting:

It’s Lawrence Elk again! Apparently, in Jasper, elk have caused more serious harm and injury to people than any other wildlife. I’m wondering where all the males with the huge antlers are. We’ve only seen females. Don’t males need to eat by the side of the road like the females? Maybe they are all at the a-moose-ment park. 😂