A turn in the weather whistled a bolt of cold over my body, goose-fleshing as we journeyed towards Jasper and Banff in Canada’s Alberta province. Cold inquires at first investigated the tips of my fingers, chin and nose, feeling their sharp little claws sink in when my gums were no longer warm. What did I expect from alpine towns—amid the snow-capped Canadian Rockies—revelling in their own microclimates.
Canada
15-21 Aug 2016 – Ice magic, making tracks out of Alaska and a story about Wanda
“Oh look, thar she blows.” Far out in the distance a whale blew, and a pillar of water fountained up. My eyes widened at the calm beauty. Ferrying for the best part of two days from Juneau, Alaksa to Prince Rupert, Canada became our third cruisey foray into exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage, courtesy of its Marine Highway. Taking the slow ferry gave us the flexibility to experience life and logistics as the typical family might along this coastal connection of communities: bring your vehicle, bring your dog (or “marvellous other”), and enjoy what is essentially a poor man’s cruise.
20 Apr-19 May 2016 – “Come on Lisa—better get going while we only have 20 hours of daylight left.”
Having reached the outskirts of Portland at a pretty spot in Oregon by the name Lake Oswego, we dropped into Radioman’s place, a moto-friend’s house full of ‘Life Improvement Specialists’: guys that thrived on selling Harleys for a living. Their warm hospitality and sharing in the complementary ground of two wheels left us refreshed as much as raring to go on the next leg.