Category: Travel

Winnipeg and a day of rest

Posted on by

We left Thunder Bay this morning in rain which continued at varying intensities until about 10 AM EDT. This was a time change day. All the electronics automatically changed to CDT but I will have to take a course before I change the car’s clock. Why can’t it change automatically too. It has GPS access and cellular access for the BlueLink remote control but apparently, the clock is too hard to do.

It takes the best part of three days to get out of Ontario. Sitting at 96° 48’ 35” W, situated in the town of Tache, Manitoba, just 30 minutes or so from the province’s capital city of Winnipeg is the Longitudinal Center of Canada. I know many Ontario’s think they own the centre but geographically it’s not so.

Continue Reading →

First Day In The Log Book

Posted on by

Firstly, thanks to those of you who have taken a moment to type reply to the last couple of posts. It adds texture to the journal. Your comments and questions are welcome additions.

I’m pretty sure we have seriously over packed but that’s what happens when you are not required to comply with air line luggage weights. We also have to consider the possibility of cooler temperatures traveling in autumn with stops in higher altitudes. Never-the-less, it all fit nicely into the car.

Today started in Burlington with a cloudy sky but a couple of hours later there was barely a cloud in the sky. We finished the day in Sault Ste Marie, 745 km later. We always pack a sandwich and today we stopped for lunch and fuel in the Canadian Tire parking lot which also featured, what else, a Tim Hortons.

Continue Reading →

The Last Post

Posted on by

Don’t blame me, the title was Gail’s idea. It will likely be the final post of this trip. In summary, it was the coolest and roughest Pacific crossing ever. Three out of four days in Hawaii were great, only the storm on our second day on the islands caused problems. We skipped the port of Kauai, the Captain opting to wait out the storm in Honolulu. As it turned out the weather was bad on all the islands that day.

It was still a lovely way to enjoy the holidays. The food was good as was the entertainment. We encountered quite a few passengers with whom we knew from previous Christmas cruises. Dancing was good, musically, and better when the floor was staying in one place. It turns out that roller coaster dancing is not so easy.

The disembarkation went smoothly and we were off of the ship, with luggage and on board the bus for our transfer to LAX by 8:15 AM. We arrived at LAX Terminal 2 about 9:00 AM. There was no-one at the Westjet check-in counter and we were not charged for our checked bags. I did not challenge that decision. LAX is under construction, again, and what airport is not? After the check-in process in Terminal 2 we were directed to our boarding gate in Terminal 3. It was not a long trek although we did have to walk outside to pass the construction zone.

Now all we can do is wait. Hope the weather is favourable or our return.

Erma Bombeck

Did you ever notice that the first piece of luggage on the carousel never belongs to anyone?

The second step

Posted on by

YYZ Snow just before boardingToday was a big step, about 4,000 km and predicted to be nearly six hours. Our departure was scheduled for 0945 Eastern time with a 1237 Pacific time arrival (1537 Eastern time). According to the airline we departed at 1022 Eastern and arrived at 1353 Pacific (1653 Eastern). The details are more fun.

Having avoided the morning traffic rush by staying at the Airport we were still up at 6 AM. That made for an easy shuttle ride to the terminal and a quick trip through check-in, airport security and US border services, leaving time for a leisurely coffee and breakfast.

We boarded the airplane as scheduled just as a reasonably heavy blast of snow hit the airport. The airline employees continued to call for passengers to voluntarily gate check luggage taking care to remind us that the plane was full and there might not be sufficient overhead room for all of our carry-on baggage.

Interestingly, the reason for the initial delay at the gate was that the ground crew was having some difficulty stowing luggage, meanwhile, inside there was still some space available overhead. Although the airline lists departure as 1022 the plane actually pushed back from the gate at 1040. Then from 1110 to 1125 we were at the anti-icing station and it was actually 1144 when the wheels left the ground. The flight was otherwise uneventful and we met our Princess Cruises representative around 1430 and arrived at the Long Beach Hilton by 1525.

LAX traffic protocols have changed. No longer do multitudes of cabs and hotel shuttles plug the road in front of the passenger terminals. Instead there is a fleet of green busses shuttling passengers and luggage to a transfer point where the taxis form long queues and vie with ride sharing vehicles for customers. The worst part of this system is that it creates an extra luggage handling step, on and off the shuttle and it is not particularly easy to throw a 20 kg (45 lb) on and off the shuttle bus. Otherwise it seems to reduce traffic on arrivals. Later we shall see what happens on the return.

During our search for a dinner venue, which we found, we came across the “Waters Edge Winery” right in downtown Long Beach. A short chat with one of their staff was intriguing and we decided to return after having dinner. Gail enjoyed her glass of sauvignon blanc while I tasted five of their offerings and all were very nice. Apparently, they are a group of franchised “mom and pop” micro winery operations. Yet another interesting concept.