Canada – Page 5 – OldPlaidCamper

This and that (ce n’est pas la fin du monde…)

Let’s hope so! ACI mentioned that I hadn’t been on much of a rant recently. She’s right, and I don’t know about you, but I really do (I mean, who doesn’t?) enjoy the occasional state-of-the-world-today rant. The thing is, given the current global situation, if I started, I might never stop and just repeat myself on a boring doom loop. You know, like delivering an interminably tedious monologue to Congress…

So instead, let’s keep it light with a bit of this and a bit of that as we head towards spring. Those clocks spring forward this weekend, and that’s a pleasant switch, from dark days to somewhat lighter, isn’t it?

I was chatting with my brother on the phone the other day, covering this and that, and he was sceptical about the amount of snow I was shovelling, so I sent him this from Sunday morning:

Next door mountain – you can see where an attempt on the summit failed

I didn’t mention the use of snow moving machinery – if he thinks it was all my own work, well I don’t want to correct him… Maybe we’ll try for the summit again another day, using oxygen tanks and a snow dog to haul us up?

“That mountain? Forget it! In other news, did I just hear a can of hoppy IPA popping open?”

That Scout – what is she like? We’re easily distracted around here. Where were we? Snow? Springing forward? We’ve kept most of the snow off the back deck, often wondering if it was going to be me or the deck collapsing first. Scout says me. She is hopeful she’ll be sunning herself outside very soon, what with the clock change. I’ve just seen the two week forecast, and I haven’t the heart to tell her…

“Let me know how your mountain trip turns out when you get back. I’ll be out here waiting…”

So, no rant, not from me, and instead, plenty of other stuff to be getting on with or looking forward to! In fact, let’s finish on a very positive, even hoppy, note:

Hoppier news? Glass half full? I sure hope so…

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Small changes

After our desert wanderings last week, it’s back to our more usual everyday northern style for this one. No lemons and lots of snow. This means that we were able to get into the woods and plod along – gracefully, of course – on our snowshoes through the deep snow. Splendid!

With daylight hours lengthening, and occasional almost warmth when the sun reveals itself, we’re seeing some of the small changes that add up to the approaching new season. Realistically, it is distant yet, but we sort of fooled ourselves that spring is (almost) in the air! Yes, the snow was deep, and yes, we were on snowshoes, but we could see change coming in the hints of new buds, birdsong above, and in the slight thaw after a period of deep freeze.

Yes, it all points to the same eventual outcome even if it sometimes seems like it’ll never arrive. Our northern winter will end, in snowmelt, and we’ll begin to enjoy the pleasant anticipation (no matter how much I love a proper winter) of bright green days ahead. No, not yet, not yet, and not until we’ve finished playing in the snow, but spring is coming!

Until it does, we’ll continue on skis and snowshoes, and I’ll complain about (but secretly enjoy) shovelling snow, so we can reward ourselves with an almost well earned dark beer or two at the end of the day – they go so well with the season! (Don’t worry, pale ales, I’ll get back to you soon enough. Another small change…)

I think that is a cheery enough note to end on this week. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

“Spring is just around the next bend? Nope! But maybe the one after?”

Part 2

Where’s Part 1? That was last week (I just didn’t call it Part 1…)

So, to continue with the self indulgent and congratulatory tone sparked by my amazement this blog has lasted ten years, here are a few more photographs that prompt happy (for me) memories. I seem to have chosen quite a few warm and sunny ones this week, probably in response to how snowy it has been here – our snowiest QC week yet – hooray!

Mrs PC and Junior taking in the sun and looking out towards the San Andreas Fault somewhere in sunny CA

Tough, weathered, a touch gnarly, but isn’t the Joshua Tree NP a delight?

Cool off here – West Coast Vancouver Island

Mountain cabin high shared with friends near Pagosa Springs, CO

My favourite classroom – Wizard Islet, Deer Group Islands, Barkley Sound, BC

Favourite view with a pint – cheers! (Eagle’s Nest Pub, Ucluelet, BC)

Enough for this week – there’s always the archive button if you’d like to see more! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Favourite totally quiet camping spot in QC (somewhere in QC – top secret location…)

Why, PlaidCamper?!

I received a WordPress notification earlier this week informing me I’d been blogging here for ten years. Ten years?! Goodness, that’s quite a long time. Curiosity prompted, I went back into the archives to reread the very first post, one entitled “Why Plaid Camper?” It was a not so brief introduction and indication of what I hoped my bright and shiny new blog might be.

Little Bear Sunset (near Bozeman, Montana) – the first photograph on OPC

In the main, I think the vague aims and intentions I mentioned way back when have been met – mostly – and continue to be met all these years later. But then I would say that, even though I am totally unbiased…

Bow Valley beauty, AB – always a happy place for us

Blogging is inevitably somewhat self indulgent, and in that spirit I think I’ll take the next week or two to reflect on ten blogging years and repost a few favourite photographs representing some memorable moments and/or happy places. Like I said, self indulgent!

A fine BC beer in a fine location – thanks for humouring me back then, Wayne!

So here we go, the greatest hits that never were – or, less charitably, just some repeats and reruns. Is it “Why Plaid Camper?” as that first post asked back then, or more “Why, PlaidCamper?!” Or maybe, more simply, why not?

Little Bear Cabin, Montana – tops the list of my favourite cabins!

I’ll end this week (before some more rerun photos) by saying “thank you” to each and every person that has taken the time to read and/or comment here the past ten years. Those genuine connections are the real why. So, shall we carry on for another ten and see where we go? And wonder what that might look like? (Erm, probably like pieces about going for a walk, visits to a campground or two in a pretty setting, and often finishing with a glass of something good by a fire?) Oh, ok – put like that, not too bad, eh? Let’s keep it going – cheers!

Cheers! (Hardknott Bar, Woolpack Inn, Lake District, UK – great beer selection and the best company, even if my brother only drinks Peroni…)

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

“Thanks, friends!” (Taken at Dry Island Buffalo Jump, AB)

A different AB good mood – oh those prairie days out

One of our very best days – thank you, Jet!

Any day out and about with Scout always works for us

Alberta river rush! A day on (not in) the water with friends is a good day

More self indulgent reminiscing next week!

Playtime!

The snow flies and it is playtime! Even when it is flying sideways…

Monday was one of those days where venturing out required an extra layer or two and a scarf over the face. Icy needles. I wore sunglasses, not to look cool (that’s a given, I agree, sunglasses or no) but ‘cos I couldn’t find my snow goggles.

Scout was impatient to get out, seemed she was looking for something:

“Nope! Gosh darn… let’s come back tomorrow?”

Ok. Tuesday was a bright blue sky and deep freeze day, very much the calm after the storm. We tracked into the woods, and we’d have probably done better with snowshoes, but made do breaking new trails and admiring small tracks.

We’ve been more than happy to while away an hour or two most days in the woods. The blanket of sound-absorbing snow is comforting without being constraining, and the blasts of crisp air certainly refresh. We’re happily ensconced in the heart of a real winter, sometimes bitter, maybe (to some) bleak, but certainly beautiful. We will continue to enjoy it, in calm and/or storms and all, before looking forward to spring. As Scout always reminds us, winter, it’s perfect for playtime!

“Can’t find it, whatever it is, so we’ll keep coming back – ok?”

Ok! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Woo-hoo! (What’s going on?)

Not that much. Certainly not on Monday. An alleged billionaire started a new job, a second attempt at a position he has held before but mostly failed at. Maybe he’ll do better this time? I’m not sure he really wants it, since he keeps going on about Canada, something about wanting to join? I can understand that, as it’s pretty great here for all sorts of reasons. Maybe he can apply for citizenship after he’s finished/washed up once more? Don’t tell him – he’ll pout – but I doubt he’d get the warmest welcome…

Speaking of warm – what’s so great about the True North that causes the tangerine hued chap to cast covetous eyes on it? Could it be our wonderful winter? Maybe! We certainly have real winter at last – woo-hoo! Cue a Scout-like jump for joy – the end photo this week, one of our favourites!

A wolf in real winter (Scout, but you knew that)

Last Monday was quite cold, the sort of day that could frighten a wannabe strongman, send him scurrying indoors. (It takes more than a bit of chill to keep a real Canadian from heading out, so if he’s so keen to be a part of Canada, he’s going to have to toughen up…)

Anyway, enough of avaricious/needy populists, wherever they might be lurking. On to more pleasant things. We enjoyed our Monday excursion into the woods, the first properly cold day of the year. Other than pausing for a photograph or two, we kept perfectly warm by keeping moving. It helped that the sun was out, with the winds fairly calm, so we could concentrate on admiring a sparkling white and blue day.

The cold snap, or real winter, has stuck around and promises to be with us through the weekend and beyond. The windchills will diminish enough to make xc skiing a comfortable prospect – I like the cold, but didn’t want to let winter scour a layer of skin from my face as would have happened if we’d tried to ski this week. I’d end up looking like I’d had work done, some sort of weird face peel requiring orange makeup to plaster over the cracks. I don’t know about you, but I can’t quite imagine the necessary vanity to attempt that failed strongman look… Perhaps I could ski later today, another cold one, see what happens? Nah, we’ll stick to hiking speed for now, and embrace the bracing conditions.

A big thank you to Jet for reminding me of the woo-hoo feeling winter can provide – it’s more than a simple distraction from what’s (not) going on more widely in the world – it’s actually the real stuff, the everyday delight that is there when I look for it, right where we are, right now. Shall we say it one more time? Why not – woo-hoo!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Big finish. Embrace winter. Jump for joy!

Des braves?!

Well, we did go xc skiing earlier this week, but I wouldn’t say we were brave…

Black diamond 55? Not that brave (not yet!)

A touch wobbly perhaps, given the course hadn’t been track set very recently, leading to a somewhat uncertain feel underfoot. Or is that under-ski?

Other than the lack of reassuringly recent tracks to follow, we were very happy to be out on skis at last! Compared to our efforts at the start of last winter, we surprised ourselves and the (imaginary) watching hordes with our overall fitness and technique. Yup, we completed a couple of loops and didn’t fall over. A very low bar on very flat terrain, but one we cleared!

It was fun to be out and active on a chilly day where it could have been easy to take one look at the grey skies and think of something else to do… and anyway, doesn’t the beer taste better after? Maybe!

We’re looking forward to getting out on skis a few more times, and, if the current medium term forecast is accurate, that shouldn’t be a problem from a snowfall perspective. Ne vous inquiétez pas, mes braves, nous reviendrons bientôt! Or something.

Swift and brief this week, almost like an OldPlaidCamper on skis – thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Finding winter?

Yeah, it’s definitely out there, it just took us a little while to find! Fortunately, with Scout and her reliable ability and enthusiasm to find most things, we tracked down the good stuff:

After a mild period into the new year, temperatures have dropped, some snow has fallen – and there is a promise of more snow in the forecast – so winter might have arrived!

We checked on the snow conditions for xc skiing earlier in the week, aiming for a gentle start on the Plains of Abraham. We think it is almost good to go, likely Thursday (yesterday) or Friday (today – hooray!)

As we were right outside, we popped into the MNBAQ gallery to take another look at the Inuit exhibits on the top floor. Talk about finding winter! There are numerous wonderful creations on display, carved from basalt, serpentinite, bone, antlers and other materials. Each piece offers insight into a unique culture and community full of myths and stories situated in an amazing and challenging landscape. I particularly love the sculptures where animal/human identities are in transformation from one to another. So fluid, with such skill in their creation.

All the searching for winter can make a person hungry (and thirsty) so we simply had to have a late lunch at Le Billig, a Breton influenced crêperie located a steep and slippery walk down from the plains on Rue St. Jean. I wish I liked cider as much as I like beer or pancakes, because they offer an amazing range of Québécois ciders. Mrs. PC did her best, and I’m always happy with the Boréale IPA du Nord-Est!

And after that light(!) lunch, it was off to catch the fast bus home and get into the woods once more with Scout. If winter sticks around, we could get used to this!

Trolls live here – but we don’t feed ‘em!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful winter weekend!

Looking ahead

I hope you have enjoyed the festive season if that’s your thing. Now let’s extend a warm welcome to 2025 – and dream of a good year?! Nothing wrong with hoping so…

We’ve (I’ve) eaten more mince pies than is recommended, but as they contain fruit, it can’t be that bad, can it? Almost healthy! We’ve tried to get out and about in the rain and slush, but the rain and slush, sigh. Yes, slush more than snow, so our start to xc skiing this winter has been delayed…(although, as I write this, the sleet appears to be turning to snow?)

Ok, instead of skiing or snowshoeing, we’ve been making plans for the spring while we wait. Not much of a plan in terms of detail – it’s mostly, if spring is early, or even if it isn’t, the moment there is a proper thaw (assuming we get a proper winter) shall we, and how soon shall we, hit the road? We shall! As soon as possible! Yes! And will we be tenting along the way? No! We will not!

What’s that? No?! Not tenting? What’s going on, OldPlaidCamper? Good question. You’ll have (not) noticed the lack of tent photographs since late July 2024 and there’s a good – and shiny – reason for that. I’ve been meaning to tell you about our 2024 festive gift to ourselves, one we unwrapped many, many months ago. Why couldn’t we wait?! Here is why:

Yes, we now have a tiny teardrop trailer. A bed on wheels with a small kitchen tucked in the back. The trailer body footprint is smaller than our last tent, yet it sleeps two adults and one medium dog in great comfort. Oh, the comfort. I like tenting, but I love waking up without the cold hard ground seeping into a sleeping bag even more. Turns out we quite like a little extra padding in our early middle age. That’s the mattress, not us. Well, mostly the mattress.

So looking ahead, and once roads and high passes are clear, our plan is to set off with no specific destination in mind – but heading west to start – and see where we might go and what we might find. I’m guessing, in no particular order of preference but determined by geography, open roads, quiet rivers, pristine lakes, mighty mountains, woods and forests, rolling prairies, and some coastline – rocky beaches and sandy stretches. My mince pie beach body is ready. Oh, Canada – watch out, here we come!

Do you have any particular plans for the great outdoors, near or far, for the coming year? Would love to hear about them!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy New Year!

Almost there, so let’s say farewell 2024, and here’s looking forward to 2025!

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts and comments this year – always very much appreciated – and here’s wishing you all the very best for the coming year!

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