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.All Trips / North America / Western Canada / Yukon
The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Canada’s Yukon territory is well know for its natural beauty and abundance of outdoor recreation. It’s a very sparsely populated region (one human for every 2 moose), but there are a few interesting indoor sites to visit including this one, which I think is the best in the territory.
Why was Beringia not covered with ice? Because while it was cold, it was too dry. The coastal mountains of Alaska so sheltered the interior of Alaska and the Yukon from moisture that there was not enough precipitation here to create a glacier. Because of thick ice sheets on the continents, the ocean levels were lowered and a land bridge appeared which allowed migration of people and animals between Asia and North …
Tagged Beringia, Ice Age, museum, Whitehorse, Yukon
.All Trips / Central Canada / North America / Saskatchewan
Murals of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
The Canadian province of Saskatchewan and its city of Moose Jaw are hardly on most tourist maps (though I recall as a kid I thought it very cool that a city was named after an animal’s mandible). As with many things in life, when you scratch the surface you’ll find something interesting underneath.
So it was this past summer when I was driving between Calgary and Winnipeg. Having passed through Moose Jaw many times through the years, without stopping for more than gas, I though I’d head into the city and look around for a few hours. It was an enjoyable break from the day’s driving.
Capone’s Hideaway, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
The city has an interesting array of large outdoor murals depicting its history and development …
“Pic of the Week”, June 14, 2019: The Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal is a 202 kilometer (125 mile) stretch of scenic waterway. It is a Canadian National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire canal connects a series of lakes and rivers, and stretches from Kingston. Ontario (on Lake Ontario), to the nation’s capital, Ottawa.
The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America and its locks are operated today much as they were in 1832. Each lock is unique. Many locks offer the free advice of helpful lock keepers, washrooms, overnight mooring and picnic facilities. In summer the canal is popular with boaters and in winter with ice skaters.
We visited the portion of the Canal that stretches through Ottawa. There are some large flat …
“Pic of the Week”, June 7,2019: Conservation Carousel, San Diego Zoo Safari Park
My wife and I share an affection for carousels. She’s in love with carousel horses (we have one standing in our entryway). I have a greater interest in a larger variety of carousel animals.
So you can see from these images that the lovely carousel in San Diego’s Zoo Safari Park really appealed to me. It’s themed “conservation carousel” and contains 60 mostly rare and endangered animals that can take you for a ride. An appropriate menagerie of critters for this terrific family travel-friendly destination.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
.All Trips / North America / Western Canada / Yukon
Signs of Whitehorse
As many of you know, I like to collect photos of signage during my travels. Looking for signs helps me study the destination I’m visiting more carefully than I otherwise might have, and often tells me a lot about the nature of the city I’m visiting.
Whitehorse is the Yukon’s only city and the center of the territory’s commerce, tourism and government. And while it is a relatively young city, it dates to the Klondike Gold Rush, a most colorful and interesting period in history.
Here are some of the signs I encountered during my recent trip to northern Canada.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Tagged Signs, Whitehorse, Yukon
.All Trips / Car Culture / North America / Saskatchewan
Great Cars Along the Highway: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
One of the more unusual vehicles I’ve seen in years was this Mazda SUV, spotted in the parking lot of a hotel I was staying at in Saskatchewan, while traveling between Winnipeg and Calgary this summer.
The vehicle itself is a generic SUV, but the paint job captivated me. The vehicle belonged to an Army Medic and pays tribute to some of those in the Canadian military who have lost their lives in Afghanistan. A rather nice touch and moving tribute to these fallen comrades, and something unusual for Canada.
I think the photographs are self-explanatory.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance slideshow)
Tagged Afghanistan, Canadian, military, Moose Jaw, SUV
“Pic of the Week”, May 31, 2019: LaFayette, Colorado
The small Colorado town of Lafayette is mostly a bedroom community for the cities of Denver and Boulder. Its roots are related to mining and it has a nice collection of restaurants and shops that we visited recently.
Here’s a few of the sights from a stroll around the town:
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North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington
“Pic of the Week”, May 24, 2018: Trans-Canada Airlines, Seattle
One of the world’s great plane museums is Seattle’s Museum of Flight. We’ll visit the planes inside on another day; today I wanted to focus on a airplane that caught my attention from the collection of aircraft outside the main museum building.
The plane is a Lockheed 1049G Super Constellation. This airplane was delivered to Trans-Canada Airlines — Canada’s national carrier which ultimately became Air Canada — in 1954. It was among the last of commonly used propeller aircraft, with jet engines soon to dominate commercial air travel. This particular plane, after providing passenger and later cargo service, was converted into a cocktail lounge and lunch bar in Toronto before being restored and added to the Museum of Flight’s collection.
It is …
Tagged Air Canada, Museum of Flight, Seattle, Trans-Canada
