Prince Edward Island, a chunk of red rock and sand cradled in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is one of Canada’s Maritime provinces, but, besides the sea, it also lives on tourism and agriculture. We were up there again in the late fall, nominally to help Dirk close up his cabin for the winter, but he did all the work. Top, fall weather on the north shore. Below, a fisherman heads out on the Midgell River on the north side of the island in search of seed mussels to sell to the commercial operations that have made PEI mussels a presence on menus all over North America; big wind turbines loom above a field of wild blueberries, turned crimson in the fall. Click here for a gallery.
Category Archives: Canada
Nouveau Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Canada’s Maritime Provinces: so close and so different. These are from a recent expedition to parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. When the tide is low in the Bay of Fundy, it is low. Click here for a gallery. As always, use the right arrows to speed up the views, if you’d like.
Also posted in Canada's Maritimes, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island, Canada
Windswept October days on PEI. And a little bit of New Brunswick. Click here for a gallery. (You can click on the right arrow on the photos to speed up the slideshow).
Also posted in October, Prince Edward Island
Wind River, Yukon Territory
The Wind River is a crystal-clear, aquamarine stream that flows fast and cold out of the Wernecke Mountains into the Peel River in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Some friends and I paddled more than 100 miles of it — plus a section of the Peel — in early July. It is remote, untouched, stunning and at the heart of a struggle over whether these wild lands will remain wild or be opened for development (primarily mining), a move favored by the current territorial government and opposed by First Nations and conservation groups. We saw caribou, eagles, grayling, and warblers; the tracks of bear, moose and wolf in the mud along the gravel bars, and the most beautiful riverine landscape I have ever experienced. At a latitude of between 64 and 65 degrees, the sun shone virtually 24 hours. No headlamps needed. Click here for a gallery of images from the trip. (This is longer than usual, but you can speed it up by clicking on the right arrow.) Click here and here for information about the river and protecting it.
Also posted in canoeing, Peel River Watershed, Wind River, Yukon Territory
Ski Tour Canada, Finale
Skiers in a sprint heat on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.
The color, energy and speed of Ski Tour Canada 2016 East, four days of World Cup cross-country ski racing in Quebec, is over, and the racers, coaches, wax techs and journalists are heading back to their home countries around the ski world. Click here for a gallery from the Gatineau, Montreal and Quebec Coupe du Monde races.
Also posted in Coupe du Monde nordique, cross country ski racing, Quebec, World Cup
Quebec, Quebec
Walker, Quebec City. St. Lawrence River in the background below, not completely frozen and with a channel full of bobbing ice and swirling steam. Apparently it’s very unusual for the river to be more or less open in March, another example of how weird this winter has been. Below, the window I had to wedge my shoulders into to get the picture.
Ski Tour Canada #1
A ski skater glides on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec while a freighter passes below on the icy St. Lawrence River.
The best nordic skiers in the world are in Canada for Ski Tour Canada, a week of World Cup cross country ski racing. Two Americans made history on day one when Simi Hamilton (Colorado) and Jessie Diggins (Minnesota), celebrating below, both finished third in the sprint in Gatineau, Quebec. Day two was a distance race in Montreal and today is a sprint in Quebec City. Will post a gallery when the eastern portion of the tour is over. More images on my Facebook page.
Also posted in cross country ski racing, Winter
Canada’s National Gallery
If you find yourself in Ottawa, go to the National Gallery of Canada. It’s downtown, in between the By Ward Market district, the Parliament and the Chateau Laurier, not to far from the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River. Not only is the art collection stunning, but so is the building. Southern light streams into it, changing constantly, and putting you in the mood to appreciate art. Especially when it’s 9 below zero F outside. These were all taken with an iPhone 4s.
Two Things About Montreal
(Aside from the fact that with more 1.5 million people it is considered the second-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris):
1. There are about 300 miles of bicycle trails in Montreal, meaning you can go almost anywhere on a bike. Above, riding along the La Chine Canal. Bottom, crossing the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
2. There are surfers in Montreal, surfing the standing waves of the mighty St. Lawrence River.
