2018: The Year in Review

Twenty-eighteen was a hard year for me. Due to workplace stress and not being in a good place physically, mentally and emotionally, 2018 was the most difficult winter of my life. Things actually began to become better when the bottom fell out of my job and I came to the realization that work was something to do and not the thing to do! Thus began my change in outlook.

In the meantime, I had booked the first two weeks of July as vacation. The first week would be spent with my sister in the Regina area, and the second week would be spent with my friend Melinda and her two eldest nieces - ages 14 and 15 - at Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.

Week 1 highlights involved Canada Day celebrations, a football game in the new stadium, learning to play disc golf, and visits to Regina Beach and Condie Nature Reserve. We ate well, rested, played games and completed puzzles, watched favourite old TV shows (now on DVD), window-shopped in malls, and generally hung out. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Week 2 began with driving through new territory as we took the north route into the national park. We stayed right in the park and had easy access to all sorts of fun including a swimming pool, shopping and restaurants. We searched for Parks Canada red chairs, did a kayak tour, tested multiple flavours of ice cream, explored the area on foot and by bike and vehicle, and enjoyed the sunsets.

The first night's sunset was the best!

In the summer and throughout the fall I began group tutoring (teaching English) with the Regina Public Library. It was a great opportunity to get some practice under my belt and see if this is what I might want to do overseas at some point. We'll see...

In August, I began a job search in earnest. A month later I accepted a new position that was a promotion and included a raise. I have been busy wrapping my head around another new position in a different ministry with the government ever since.

Also in August was The Drop Zone. It was an amazing experience, and I honestly feel I can do anything now! Talk about redemption - with my job and my life!

Canada 150: Fisgard Lighthouse and Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Sites

While my mom and I were in Victoria celebrating a big birthday of hers last weekend, we took advantage of the free admission to national parks and historic sites this year and took in Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse.

We tried our best to understand the fort and its history and really enjoyed touring our very first lighthouse. History is not my mom's favourite subject, but she certainly was a good sport!

Canada 150: Waterton Lakes National Park

Welcome to the second national park of our trip - Waterton Lakes National Park!

The townsite, the lake and the view!

Gorgeous! Stunning! Wow!

What a beautiful place! The scenery all around us was just magnificent! And there's so much to see and do in the townsite (shops, restaurants and a natural waterfall!) and the surrounding area.

We did two scenic drives within the national park - one was to Red Rock Canyon and the other was to Cameron Lake. 

Red Rock Canyon

Cameron Lake

We also took a cruise to Goat Haunt, USA! This US border station can only be accessed by boat or by foot - how unique!

Welcome to Goat Haunt, USA!

We loved this national park so much that we spent an extra day here! Of course, it was ridiculously hot everywhere else and Waterton was a tall glass of cool water in our itinerary. What a relief!

Canada 150: Fort Walsh National Historic Site

Fort Walsh was a complete surprise to me - from the road to the scenery to the location - and I loved it! This gem was tucked in the very corner of southwestern Saskatchewan right against the Alberta border.

But first, let me tell you about getting there... We traveled on a narrow road that twists and turns its way through the prairies, alongside a variety of crops, and up and down gentle rolling hills. Then, all of a sudden, you face pastureland and a veritable forests of trees! I didn't think there were any trees in this part of Saskatchewan!

Following that, you then travel up a mountain-like hill with sharp twists and turns along the way. Then you reach a plateau and see cattle grazing! Where were we???

The terrain was not only completely unfamiliar but also it was so unexpected - it seemed there was a surprise around every corner!

Finally, we arrived. We were excited and full of anticipation! The next step was our trek down to the fort!

We arrived just in time for a tour and saw some interesting things as we learned the history of the area.

Because we visited on Canada Day, there were a few extra "treats" as well - everything from the cannon being shot to sun-steeped iced tea and birthday cake!

 

All in all, it was a completely wonderful experience, and I'd return to this stunningly beautiful part of the province any time!

Canada 150: Grasslands National Park

My sister and I have been busy planning a road trip of southwestern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta most of this year. Our goal is to explore the area, see some of the sights and take advantage of the free admission to Canadian National Parks and Historic Sites this year.

On Day 1 of our trip, we visited the first of two national parks we planned to see: Grasslands National Park located in southwestern Saskatchewan.

There was no way we could see all of even one block in just a day, so we chose to drive part of the Ecotour Road in the West Block and enjoyed a picnic lunch along the way.

My sister taking in the view

Now those are grassy plains!

The views went on forever...

The infamous Parks Canada red chairs highlighting one of the best views!

We encountered buffalo, black-tailed prairie dogs and even a mule deer as we drove. Thankfully, we avoided any rattlesnakes out basking in the sun!

Although we only saw a fraction of the West Block, we were wowed by its vastness! It truly is a treasure in southern Saskatchewan's backyard. Why not plan to check it out for yourself?

I've been guest blogging again...

Guess what? I've written another guest blog post for Jenn Smith Nelson's website Travel & Happiness and it's up as of today!

Here's my latest... http://travelandhappiness.com/guest-post-polar-bear-safari/. It's all about the Polar Bear Capital of the World!

Canada 150: Visit all the free sites I can this year!

Canada turns 150 this year! To celebrate, all of its National Parks and National Historic Sites are offering free admission in 2017! Ooh, the possibilities...

It's hard to decide where to go first! I'd like to visit all of Saskatchewan's National Parks and Historic Sites, and that would include the following:

• Grasslands National Park
• Prince Albert National Park
• Motherwell Homestead National Historic Site
• Fort Walsh National Historic Site
• Batoche National Historic Site 
• Fort Battleford National Historic Site

I would also like to visit Elk Island National Park just east of Edmonton and Riding Mountain National Park in southern Manitoba.

Are you ready to explore Canada? Do you have your pass? 

#56 - See the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba!

Done! Cross that one of the list!

On the November long weekend, my good friend Melinda and I went to Churchill, Manitoba, on a charter flight with about 120 other explorers of all ages. It was Part 2 of Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!

We had looked (and looked!) for a reasonable way to get to Churchill, Manitoba to see the polar bears, but it's just not that easy a place to get to! First, there are no roads to Churchill. You either have to take a slow train or an expensive flight. Second, it's a small place and there aren't very many lodging options. Third, because it's hard to get to, there isn't a lot of information available for this unique destination.

One evening while doing more research, I came across this article - the most useful and condensed information I found: http://www.travel4wildlife.com/how-to-get-to-churchill-cheap-fast/

We had pretty much given up on our plans for this cap to Melinda's 40th birthday year, but then out of nowhere came surprise information - from my dad of all people! The phone call went something like this:

Dad: Are you still looking for a way to get to Churchill to see the polar bears?
Me: Yes (hesitantly).
Dad: Well, there's an ad in the paper (Saskatoon StarPhoenix) this week.
Me: Really???
Dad: There's a charter flight from Saskatoon on the November long weekend.
Me: Really???
Dad: It's expensive!
Me: I'm sure! How much?
Dad: $2,000!
Me: Ouch! For how long?
Dad: One day.
Me: One day???
Dad: It's a special one-day charter flight. Everything's included - the flights, three hot meals, approximately six hours of polar bear viewing...
Me: Wow!

And so began our journey. The company that operates the charter flights is Classic Canadian Tours, which is based out of Calgary, Alberta. Once on the ground and out to the tundra in Churchill, we were well looked after by Frontiers North Adventures - the company that does the polar bear safaris via tundra buggies.

Our one-day charter flight to Churchill was the stuff dreams are made of! There were no bright or shining lights, no movie stars, no glitz, no glam. What there was though can be summed up as an amazing opportunity that many do not get or take. You knew you were a part of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

To read the full description of our special day, check out my guest post for Jenn Smith Nelson's Travel & Happiness blog: https://travelandhappiness.com/guest-post-polar-bear-safari/

Our low point of the day was when our tunda buggy's drive shaft pulled apart when we tried to navigate a giant pothole (or slush pond, however you look at it) a little differently than the other tundra buggies had. Oops... We were down/stranded for about 1.5 hours.

Our high points definitely outweighed our low point though. We saw 18 polar bears in total including a mama and her cub. And, because we lost time with out breakdown, we got to stay out on the tundra longer than the other groups had and watch the sun set and moon rise over Hudson Bay. Now that was a wow!

Do you see all three polar bears in this photo?

 

All in all, it was an awesome experience! We made Part 2 of Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip happen and saw all of western Canada along the way this year! Of course, we're both eager to return... The hard part is deciding between the winter tour we did or a summer tour that involves beluga whales!

After all is said and done though, the easiest, cheapest and warmest way to see polar bears is simply by viewing this live polar bear cam. Enjoy!

#19 - Ride my bike in the city

Well, one plus of living just half a block from the bike path in northwest Regina is that I can go for a walk or bike ride just about any time I want to - without having to drive somewhere first!

Years ago a friend from church had given me a second-hand bike. It had sat and sat in my friend's shed. But this year, this was the summer of bike riding in the city!

I quite enjoyed my after work or early evening bike rides, but Saturday morning might have been my favourite time for a bike ride. The air was still cool, the path wasn't busy and I had all the time in the world to explore.

A couple of Saturdays this summer, I rode and rode and rode - about as far northwest as I could because there was a field on the other side of the street! Those remain my favourite bike riding memories.

 

Literally the end of the bike path at the northwest end of the city on Courtney Street. :)

Jill Laycock: Guest Blogger!

Yes, you read that correctly... Today my first guest blog was posted!

So, how did this come about? Earlier this year, while scrolling through Facebook, I noticed a post by a local writer/blogger (Jenn Smith Nelson at Travel & Happiness). She was looking for potential guest bloggers to submit ideas and write posts this summer. I responded and, lo and behold, here is my first ever guest blog: http://travelandhappiness.com/guest-post-north-of-60/.

I'm pretty proud of it. What do you think?

Who knows? Maybe there's more to come...

Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!

When I was planning my Dream 40th Birthday Trip and asked my friend Melinda to join me, I agreed to do the same for her 40th birthday a couple of years later.

Where to go proved to be the hardest part of the planning. For quite a while, South Africa was the destination of choice. I had a really hard time getting into that, but at one point in the planning process we attended a information session put on by a Canadian-based company that does a lot of travel in Africa. That did it... We were pumped! We made a list of everything (yes, everything!) we wanted to see and do on our trip. And then the quote came in... We were looking at $10,000 each! Unwilling to compromise on our "everything" list, we decided to shelf Africa for the time being.

But then what? Where do we go from here? We started thinking back to my 40th birthday trip and how Europe was a dream trip for me. We both still want to return and see the places we weren't able to get to, but Europe in general wasn't a number one location for Melinda. I remember several conversations that began like, "What would make the trip you?" "What do you want to do?" "What's important to you?" "What would be fun for you?" And that's how we came up with Melinda's 40th Birthday Canadian Adventure Trip!

Our itinerary was: Yellowknife, NWT; Whitehorse, Yukon; Tofino, BC; Victoria, BC; and Vancouver, BC! With a flight north via Edmonton, AB, we were basically covering most of western Canada in one trip!

We had a fabulous time visiting a lot of new places, seeing some amazing sights, and crossing a few places off our must-see lists! Here are some of our many highlights...

View from Pilot's Monument in Yellowknife, NWT

Carcross Desert - Yukon

Biking on the beaches near Tofino when the tide was out - way cool!

Enjoying tea at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC

The last night of our trip! (Downtown Vancouver in the background.)

Melinda is far more adventurous, athletic and outdoorsy than I am, but what a privilege it was to be a part of her celebrating. I saw and did things I never would have done had we not gone on this adventurous trip together. When I think of all the territory we covered and new things we tried, I am amazed!

Happy birthday, dear friend! I had a blast celebrating with you!

#22 - Walk a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that I haven't been on before

Sometimes it's just nice to get out of the city, and that's exactly what Melinda and I did on the May long weekend.

After a brief stop at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, we headed to Moose Jaw. We shopped, we ate, we walked and we rested.

We stayed at Wakamow Heights Bed & Breakfast in the Wakamow Valley. I was in 7th Heaven because everywhere I looked lilac bushes were in bloom. I stopped and smelled my fill many times. Mmm...

The Trans Canada Trail skirted the area and, unlike a failed attempt to locate any part of the trail in Lumsden last fall, this time success was on our side. Our afternoon walk led us right to it - tada!

This portion of the Trans Canada Trail was easy and enjoyable to walk. 

Everywhere we looked there were great views!

On the trail with Melinda.

Finally... Success! And much enjoyed at that!

#55 - Attend the Annual Dickens' Village Festival in Carlyle

Attending this festival has been on my to-do list for many years and yesterday it finally happened! One of my website clients is the woman who heads up Women on the Go Tours (day trips by bus across southern Saskatchewan), so I knew who to talk to in order to get a seat. And, turns out Charles Dickens is the favourite author of one of my friends (Patti) - perfect!

We boarded the bus, sat back and enjoyed being chauffeured to Carlyle. Our first stop upon arrival was for High Tea. We donned hats, chose a seat and enjoyed the delectable treats (including Christmas pudding) set before us.

It was an unseasonably warm day, so we were able to easily wander all over the town and see the sights. Many local business owners dressed in traditional costumes - we even met Scrooge and Father Christmas!

  

 

We shopped til we dropped all afternoon, ate outside (smoked turkey drumstick anyone?) and stayed warm by a fire, and then were treated to a light parade.

 

Our last stop of the evening was to attend the annual production of A Christmas Carol. Each year, the play is rewritten, acted and produced by locals.

The day was fun, the town went all out to decorate and act the part, and I am so glad I finally got to experience the annual Dickens' Festival - in it's 13th year!

What are you doing the first weekend in December? Maybe you should go to Carlyle!