Category Archives: North America

“Pic of the Week”, January 7, 2022: The Manitoba Maritime Museum, Selkirk

Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised by things you didn’t know existed.
So it was when I came across all these beached ships off the bank of the Red River in the town of Selkirk, slightly north of Winnipeg. I’d lived in Manitoba for the first 24 years of my life and had no idea it was there. My dad and I were on a drive exploring the local roads when we spotted it — dad can’t drive a car anymore but still loves to go for a ride, so I try to take him around as much as possible when I visit. The scene was surreal, these ships crowded together as if warming themselves on this cold snowy day.
This is …

Karl on Jan 6, 2022 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, December 10, 2021: The Duck Pond, Winnipeg

The duck pond is a popular gathering spot in Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park. The character of the pond changes greatly with the seasons. In the summer it’s home to lots of ducks and geese, but with the coming of winter (when the wise waterfowl head to warmer climes in the south) it becomes a popular place to skate.
When I visited with my father a few months ago we drove through the park on a cold day and came across these scenes of people skating on the pond — everyone from kids just learning to people very experienced and fast on the ice.
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Karl on Dec 9, 2021 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, November 5, 2021: Fresh Snow, Victoria Beach

My family owned a small cabin in Victoria Beach when I was young, located on this very lane. We spent a lot of time here in the summer, enjoying the quiet of the place, fishing, riding our bikes, hiking, and swimming at the beach.
When I visit my elderly father in Winnipeg, we enjoy going for rides to visit places that touched our lives. This past winter we revisited this holiday community after a fresh dusting of snow had covered the roads and pine trees. I thought the soft light of winter made the scene quite pretty.
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Karl on Nov 4, 2021 | Comments Off

“Pic of the Week”, October 1, 2021: Fall Colors, Birds Hill Park

There’s a nice deciduous forest in a small park just north of Winnipeg known as Birds Hill Provincial Park, which only covers about 8300 acres (3400 hectacres — tiny by Canadian standards). It’s rich in aspen and birch, and even has some oak trees, so when the leaves change color the scenery can be very nice. While it’s not nearly as dramatic as the colors one sees in eastern North America, where maple trees add beautiful shades of crimson and reds, the scenery is pretty nonetheless.
Birds Hill is a small park but because it’s so close to Winnipeg it’s quite popular, receiving about a million visitors a year. Besides a small lake, it has opportunities for camping, hiking, picnicing, horseback …

Karl on Sep 30, 2021 | Comments Off

Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Alberta

Karl on Jul 26, 2021 with Comments Off

The Bar U Ranch is located just south of Longview, Alberta, on the scenic Cowboy Trail. The area consists of a long stretch of mostly undeveloped prairie where it abutts the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
The Bar U Ranch sits on the eastern slope of the Rockies. It’s a nicely preserved and interesting ranch that provides a look at life on Canada’s great prairies more than a century ago, before the land became fenced off. At a time when the bison had nearly been exterminated from the plains to be replaced by large cattle herds that roamed freely.

A wagon shuttles you from the visitor center to the ranch

The Bar U back then was one of the largest and most successful ranches in Canada, covering 160,000 acres (65,000 ha). It had 30,000 …

Tagged Alberta, Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Calgary Stampede, cattle, Ranch

“Pic of the Week”, July 23, 2021: Benny Benson Memorial, Seward

The story of Alaska’s state flag is an interesting one, well worth sharing. Additionally, the Alaskan flag is elegant in its simplicity.
A contest was held in 1927 to select a design to be used for the Alaska Territory’s flag (up to that point, only the US flag was flying since the territory was purchased from Russia). The winning entry was from Benny Benson, a native Alutiq orphan. Benny designed the flag when he was just 13 years old and in the 7th grade, and he won a $100 prize. Benny was living in an orphanage in Seward, his mother having died of pneumonia when he was 3 years old. Alaska was not to become the 49th state for another 32 …

Karl on Jul 22, 2021 | Comments Off

.All Trips / Alberta / Car Culture / Central Canada / North America

Great Cars Along the Highway: 1964 Austin Healey 3000

Karl on Jul 21, 2021 with Comments Off

The Austin-Healey 3000 was a popular British sports car built from 1959 to 1967. The 3000s were often used as racing cars. Most were exported, the majority to North America.
This beautiful car was spotted in Calgary.
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Tagged 3000, Austin Healey, Calgary

“Pic of the Week”, July 9, 2021: Storm over Salt Lake City

We were shopping in an outdoor mall in Salt Lake City when the previously clear sky begin to get dark to the north. A storm was approaching and it moved on us rather quickly.
In a matter of minutes, the heavens opened and buckets of water drenched the area. A few minutes later the storm moved on and a rainbow emerged.
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