Author: andrewnamespetra

I woke up early to watch the sunrise from the East-facing balcony. Sara, who is still running on Eastern time, was fast asleep. After a gourmet oatmeal breakfast.... ... we dropped the car off at National Transmission and left car-less. That was alright - Calgary's C-Train would take us anywhere (not quite...) in the city! … Continue reading Day 43 – October 14, 2015

After a good breakfast courtesy of the Hostel staff, we hit the town walking. Compared to September (when Kate and I were here last), there are far less tourists - too cold for camping but not enough snow for skiing.  What a shame - Banff is as beautiful as ever at this time of year. … Continue reading Day 42 – October 13, 2015

The morning was bitterly cold - snowflakes drifted down into our campsite every so often. It was a good thing we had rented heavy-duty sleeping bags from MEC, otherwise we might still be frozen in the tent! Here is a cold and grumpy Sara, trying to warm up by the fire: Warm tea makes it … Continue reading Day 41 – October 12, 2015

After a hearty meal of eggs and toast, we left Calgary, driving West on the Trans Canada toward Banff.  Keep in mind that at this point, Sara has NEVER seen the Rocky Mountains. After about 20 km, we passed over a ridge, and I asked Sara, "Hey Sara, what's that in the distance?"  Sara replied, … Continue reading Day 40 – October 11, 2015

To my great relief, my tent was completely dry in the morning.  I packed up quickly and continued on the road through BC. As I approached the towns of Revelstoke and Golden, hills were replaced by mountains. In Revelstoke, I gassed up at a Petro Canada and saw a man with a cardboard sign that … Continue reading Day 39 – October 10, 2015

After a hurried breakfast (cooked by me), I said goodbye to Manraj and departed. I battled rush-hour traffic through downtown Vancouver and got lost near Coquitlam before finding my way onto the 1. I re-stocked my supplies in Chilliwack with the essentials: Peanut butter and Febreze (a necessary purchase according to Manraj). I continued up … Continue reading Day 38 – October 9, 2015

I'm still in the beautiful city of Vancouver! This morning, I met up with a new friend, Xavier.  He and I had met two weeks ago while hiking up Lone Cone Mountain in Tofino.  We had coffee at Breka Cafe and talked about our past travels.  It was cool to meet again in Van - … Continue reading Day 37 – October 8, 2015

The rain was coming down hard and didn't show any signs of letting up.   Therefore, it was a perfect day to do some indoorsy things around the city... starting with the Vancouver Aquarium. Thanks for the guest pass, Mac. 🙂 It felt good to be a kid again and roam around the aquarium, looking … Continue reading Day 36 – October 7, 2015

The Sun was shining in Vancouver, so it was time to accomplish a goal that I had set back in September: ride around Stanley Park on a bike. I rented a Giant Escape (a city/hybrid bicycle), which was nimble enough to navigate the busy Seawall pathway yet still able to pick up some speed on the … Continue reading Day 35 – October 6, 2015

The air was chilly in the morning, but the sky cast a warm glow over the harbour. I met my neighbour, Caroline, the only other tenter in the entire campground.  Coincidentally, she is ALSO road-tripping solo on the West Coast.  We had a good breakfast of oatmeal with raisins and almonds by the campfire.  Coffee … Continue reading Day 34 – October 5, 2015