For most of the trip we had no way of uploading pictures so here we go with a few...
Our first stop after we left Rachael and Rudolph in Pittsburgh was Niagara Falls. Was it cold - take a look at the tree..
I am not sure but the ice is I think frozen spray from the Falls. The night we arrived it snowed fairly heavily and we woke to this from our hotel room window.
I had wondered as we drove in light snow to Niagara, "what happens if the snow gets heavier?" And the answer it seems is, not much - life (as it must I guess) goes on.
We did not move the car the day after we arrived (after the snow fall) but had to the next day to return it.
We cleared the worst of the snow from the windows with our hands and then found the brush supplied apparently for just that purpose...
And here is the Kodak moment as Judy cleared the snow from around the aforementioned underpowered Lincoln (note the already well cleared windscreen).
From Niagara we crossed into Canada and headed up eventually to Quebec via Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. It seemed to me that we would be well served by hiring a couple of bikes to get around - Judy was less enthusiastic about the idea something about her skirt and the spokes...
Actually while we were in Montreal we saw a cyclist fall in front of a car while he was trying to stop on an icy road, only the fact that he slid as far as he did probably saved him from contact with the car which was right behind him.
Our agreed favourite place was Quebec. We had both images of a french speaking enclave with a chip on its shoulder, I am not sure why but nothing could have been further from the truth. They were I am certain very impressed with Phil's proficiency in their tongue. If they weren't they did not show it. Few are not fluent in both French and English and were happy to accommodate us in our mother tongue.
It would be impossible I suspect not to take a few good photos there (I have more than a few - not sure they are all good) but here is one.
This is one of the gates in the wall which surrounded the old city of Quebec, to the right and behind this part of the wall is the Citadel build by the British on high ground overlooking the river.
From Quebec we travelled via Calgary to Banff. This shot shows the view in one direction up a main street - take your pick of which direction you wish to take your photo... they are all tediously the same, nothing but snow covered mountains in every direction!
From Banff we moved to Lake Louise and here too I had trouble with Judy's lack of adventure. We could have gone (as most do I am sure) ice climbing - but no, we walked around the frozen lake and watched...
This by the way is not the steep part of the climb (that bit is vertical).
After one night and "our walk" we moved on to Jasper, the site of our early morning start wildlife watching. And no, no bears; they all have the good sense to be hibernating in a cave somewhere; but we did see caribou, elks, coyotes, wedge tailed eagles and a beaver lodge (they too are taking it easy over winter). We wandered out onto a frozen lake to see the lodge and it is obviously a part of the job the guide enjoys, all six people in the tour this day were Australian and none of us had too much experience walking on water (even when it is frozen). At one stage he walked particularly heavily and the ice started to crack underfoot to the concern of the rest of us. Turns out there was a pocket of water under a thin skin of ice above the metre or so of well frozen lake but the cracking sound did get precisely the response he was after.
Here we are, standing in the middle of the lake.
And here proof we got pretty close to wild animals. For devotees of Northern Exposure Jasper could be the town featured, there were animals right in town just the series suggested.
And another mountain (Diamond Mountain in fact) behind what is a popular boating and aquatic sport's lake but here conspicuously missing any people engaged in any water sports.
Our taxi driver to the airport in Vancouver picked up his mobile phone as soon as we started of and said to the other person (in bangla) "speak in bangla". It was lengthy and we understood little but when he finished I asked him, in bangla; the question Bengalis always ask of each other - "where is your bari" ie where did you grow up - where is your village?" He was a bit taken aback and asked did we understand what he had been saying - a little, we confessed. Not too sure what he had been talking about but he had clearly thought he did not have to worry about us speaking his language.
I have to look closely at the photos and remind myself we have done it. A remarkable experience which stretches credulity all the more as we find ourselves enduring 35 degrees Centigrade today as we enjoyed -20 a few days ago. The heavy coats will stay where they are for the moment - it is too hot to put them away!
