This may give away the end of my tale – for those who haven’t figured it out yet – but I just had to share. Having no home really isn’t all that bad. I fell asleep next to Dozer, petting him while listening to Silent Night. His adorable face was the last I saw on Christmas Eve and the first I saw on Christmas morning. I even woke up to…
Since I had no job in Canada, it was time to move on. At my parents’ suggestion, I decided to take the train through the Rockies from Edmonton to Vancouver for a few reasons: Unless I chose to take the Rocky Mountaineer for ~$830 (Ha!), relaxing on a train was about the same price as flying. I’d never been through the Canadian Rockies before. By riding the train through the…
Ahh, Banff. It’s one of those places that’s surrounded by gorgeous mountains but a little difficult to explore without your own wheels. In my opinion, Banff should have the slogan Framed by Nature as per the photo above. As much as it’s nice to try seeing as much as possible while on the road, vacation really shouldn’t be a constant go-go-go adventure. So yes, I did sleep in while staying…
Whew! Since I only took off a couple days from the Riverboat this summer – one for a wedding and one to run/walk the Equinox Marathon – it seemed like I should see the Canmore/Banff area and enjoy myself as part of a mini-vacation. With days to kill before leaving Canada, my first adventure came in the form of a free ride to Banff and Lake Louise. Flo, a woman…
This has absolutely nothing to do with recent events, but it’s a story I want to share because of the memories. Back when I was in Middle Earth, I traveled solo an awful lot, which was perfectly fine by me. I had the freedom to do whatever, whenever, with the help of my loyal steed Shadowfax. I hoped he’d lead me to Gandalf, but we never quite caught up to…
A dilemma may be defined as a problem involving a difficult choice. Yes, that indeed sums up the situation I faced. Last time I mentioned I was offered the assistant kennel manager position rather than guide at Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours. Since I had heard absolutely nothing from the Conservation Canines (CK-9) program, it would have made sense to just accept the offer rather than potentially get stuck with…
Where was I? Oh, right Canada, eh! The land of snow, hockey, beer, Tim Horton’s, and curling. I jumped on the convenient Banff Airporter bus in Calgary and jumped off in Canmore. Luckily a friendly couple gave me a ride to The Hostel Bear, where I unloaded and showered before heading over to the Snowy Owl office for my “interview.” I was happy it was one of those informal interviews…
For the record, The Hostel Bear in Canmore, Alberta is fantastic! Why, you ask? Because it has unlimited free wireless, unlike 97% of hostels in NZ and Oz!! (By the way, the rooms, kitchen, and common areas are also spacious and clean.) I’m actually not staying there right now, as I’m in little ol’ Banff, but I had to give it a shout-out. Last Sunday I landed in Calgary, Alberta,…
Hello world! Now that I’m back on the road – this time in the Northern Hemisphere, which is far less exciting… seriously, where’s the fun in driving on the right side of the road? – I thought I should update what the heck is going on in my life. In late April I got back from about 10 months in New Zealand, 3 weeks in Australia, and 8 hours in…
On my 4th time off the kiwi island, which occurred back in September, Rose’s and my trip did not go as planned. This was also when everyone in Fairbanks began classes again, making me a real human being rather than a student for the first time in my life. Weird, eh? For those (such as my mom) who has or used to have thoughts of my ferry to the island,…