Glacier Bay - Alaska

The final part of our amazing Canada holiday was to take a cruise to Alaska. We stopped in 3 towns, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan but the highlight of the cruise was to sail around Glacier Bay. The ship sails, as sensitively as a cruise ship can, into Glacier Bay and has park rangers on board to explain the amazing sites that are revealed as the ship rounds each point in the bay.
The bears feeding on the beached whale were a perfect example of nature in action. There were a number of bears tolerating each other and taking turns to feed because of the abundance of food. The whale would provide enough food for the bear families for a number of weeks.

Grand Pre Winery and The Tangled Garden

We had a beautiful meal at the Grand Pre Winery and tasted the "Ice Wines". The Ice Wines are made with grapes picked and crushed when they are frozen. The grapes are even picked during the night (in the snow) to make sure they are cold enough.
After lunch we wandered through the Tangled Garden just a short drive down the road. The area is rich in history and the story of the English settlement and Arcadian expulsion.

River Runners

We went with Albie and Gill to a near-by adventure called the River Runners. As the highest tides in the world start to come up the Shubenacadie River, rubber boats with outboard motors ride the tidal bore. Sand banks and the narrowing of the river cause turbulence creating waves and “rapids”. The boat drivers take full advantage of the waves to get you as wet as they can making repeat runs through the rapids to add to the fun.

The Bears at Lake Kennisis

The black bears can be found at the rubbish dump. People deliver their rubbish very carefully but the bears are so well fed and busy foraging that they are ignore most of the goings on. The mother bear above was guarding her two babies which she had sent up a tree. There seemed to be another bear wandering around that she was protecting them from.

Niagara Falls - July 1st

Niagara Falls was everything we expected. They were impressive!
We left early and raced all the traffic, spending a good part of the day viewing The Falls from all the different positions in the park like surrounds. Of course we spent time going on the "Maid of the Mist" and "Behind the Falls". The gardens and township surrounding the Falls is beautifully maintained and many families enjoyed the lawns with picnic lunches or just as a place to take time out.

Rocky Mountaineer Day 2

Today was an early start with a 6:15 pickup. We got to the big mountains today and saw alien type rock forms near Kamloops. People living right on the edge of the river with huge mountains behind them. They seem quite remote or secluded.


The lakes were beautiful and over 500 m deep.

The Rocky Mountains shrouded in clouds loomed above us, still layered with snow

We were wined and dined with gourmet food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The service was indulgent and company was great. We arrived in Calgary at 9:30 and unfortunately will be leaving for Toronto early in the morning so we only get a sneak peak at the cowboy city.

The Rocky Mountaineer Day 1

From Vancouver to Kamloops

The Rocky Mountaineer follows the Fraser and Thompson Rivers along trails carved through the "foothills" of the Rocky Mountains. The journey is slow and surprisingly flat which often is an indicator of the amount of work that went into building the railway track. Our day was filled with being spoilt in the dinning car and spotting wildlife along the edges of the railway line or in the river. We saw a number of eagles, osprey, mountain sheep, a bear (well maybe), a deer and otters in the river.
We were amused by the number of Aussies on the trip from Victoria and the couple who sat next to us were from Gippsland. A teacher and ex-dairy farmer! What are the chances of that? We had great company for the trip and the evening out.