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Gulf Shores, Alabama
This winter, we decided to head east for a trip, rather than our usual west. So when we found a Monaco Rally in Florida we thought that would be a great thing to do. We invited our friends Naomi and Larry Shirey to come along, and travel with us. So we left Houston and Dallas respectively, met for an overnight in Lafayette, LA, then on for three days in Foley, Alabama.
There is a very nice RV Resort there called Bela Terra, where we stayed for three nights. It is a lovely park, nice roomy sites, a beautiful club house, and all the amenities. We enjoyed our visit so much that we think we would like to come back and stay longer.
One day we had to visit the sandy white beaches of Gulf Shores. This is of course on the Gulf of Mexico, and this area has seen some serious problems with hurricanes and oil spills. Now, however, it is booming and we had a short but enjoyable visit to the beach. And not to forget some very good seafood meals…
Dallas Arboretum
So we’re dog sitting for our daughter, who lives close to the Dallas Arboretum. And we have a membership which will expire soon. And the cold weather has magically transformed to warm.. today’s high will be around 75 degrees. Sweet!
So, we went for a little walk through the Arboretum. There wasn’t much to see, the Christmas exhibits are being torn down. And much of the plants are being transitioned from winter to spring, so there was a lot of dead and dying plants as well as new plantings. Nevertheless, there was some color, so we did snap a few images.
Looking forward to later in the spring time!
New Orleans architeture
New Orleans is a wonderful city for food and fun. Bourbon STreet is known for its bars, restaurants and pubs. But it also fun just to walk around the city and look for the interesting architecture. Here are some from our walk today.
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Shiner beer
The Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas has been making beer for over a century. But only in the last decade or two has it gained in popularity. Shiner’s beer (theri product name) is popular all over the US (except Hawaii) and several foreign countries. In fact, it now is the 5th largest brewery in the US.
Since we were parked nearby, we took a brewery tour, along with our friends Jack and Sylvia Napolis. It was an interesting tour, and capped off by a tasting session of the different beers they brew. Yum!
San Francisco, CA
Our ship docked at Pier 35, which was terrific. Right on the major bus lines, and a 15 minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, it was easy to get anywhere in the city. We took a 2 day Hop on Hop off bus which gave us an excellent overview of the city. Although the delays in bus service was very aggravating!
Part of SFO’s reputation is food, and we had some of the best. Far East Cafe for egg foo yong, and Soto Mare for its famous ciopino. Both restaurants lived up to their fame!
I have been in SFO many times on business, and it was great fun to visit the many sights of the city with Romola from a tourist perspective. It is a great city to visit. Some random photos:
Nanaimo, BC
Or first port of call was Nanaimo, a city of some 80,000 on the west coast log Vancouver Island. Originally founded as a coal mining city, there are still miles of inactive underground mine tunnels. Today it is more known as a logging port, and, of course, Nanaimo bars.
Right next to our berth a logging ship was being loaded. Very interesting to watch, the little tugboats reminded us of sheep dogs, gathering up the herd. But it sure looks like dangerous work, running around on those logs!
We had nice stroll around the shore line. It is a pretty city, lots of parks and of course marinas. And the people we met are some of the friendliest anywhere.
We watched the cannon firing, sure reminded me of our days at Fort Vancouver!
We visited the Old Quarter, admired some of the older buildings and of course had a Nanaimo bar at Bocca, winner of the best bar awards. And it was delicious! We also had some excellent fish and chips at Trolleys, right on the dock.
Now on to San Francisco…
They really load the ships up high
Tugboats act like sheep dogs, gathering up the logs
But it’s the guys with hob nail boots that do the dangerous work
A wood Dungeness crab, carved with a chain saw
Spinning alpaca
Gay pride is evident here too
Loading the cannon
A flash in the pan….
The primer goes off….
BOOM!
Bank building
Old Quarter buildings
Old Quarter buildings
Pedestrian shopping
Bocca, winner of ” best Nanaimo bar” award
Fort Steele, BC
Fort Steele was founded in 1864 to support the gold rush of that area. In fact, more gold was mined here than in California. After the gold rush, the city continued to grow. However, the railroad decided to build a new station to what is now Cranbrook, and Fort Steele became a ghost town.
The town was named after famed NWMP Superintendent Sam Steele, legendary lawman who settled a major dispute between town folks and the First Nation people.
In the late 1970’s there was a move to restore the town as a historical center, and it is now open for reviewing life in the 1890’s. It is now one of the premier tourist attractions in BC, attracting millions of visitors.
Below is a collage of some of the images we took on our visit.
Marble Canyon, Ochre Paint Pots
Our drive today took us from the Banff area to Radium Hot Springs. We followed highway 93, which cuts through the mountains of Kootenay National Park. Our first stop was at Marble Canyon. This is an impressive display of the power of water, as the river has cut a deep Canyon through the limestone. The progression of the canyon over time has resulted in some very deep channels and unique configurations.
Our next stop was at the Paint Pots, where the Vermilion River runs through iron rich soil and gains a deep orange yellow. This ochre color was important to the native residents, as the color played an important role in local rituals. In the 1890’s the ochre earth was mined and used as a base for colored paint. Active mining ended in the mid 1930’s. The area is still considered sacred by the First Nation people.
The water starts its journey high in the mountains
The river just before it enters the canyon
The first deep pool starts the erosion process. Note the shadows of the bridge we were standing on.
Down stream in the canyon
The water even made a natural bridge by undercutting
Finally, the water joins another river and heads further downstream.
You can see how the Vermillion river changes to bright orange/yellow which makes the colored soil
One of the pools or pots where the color was mined. A clear creek feeds in giving it the greenish color
There still is a lot of color left on the grounds
Lake Louise, Lake Moraine
On our first day in the BC Rockies we visited Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. These are the icons of the Rockies, and even now.. with the high season over…. it was a chore to find a parking spot. But we did, and it was worth it.
At Lake Louise, we hiked to the Fairview Lookout, a short (1 1/2 mile) but steep hike which ended with a magnificent view of the lake and the Fairview Chateau hotel. At Lake Moraine, we followed the Lakeshore trail where we enjoyed different views of the lake. And also a superb view of the Fay Glacier, high in the mountains.
We were just a little early, but the Larch trees are starting to change color. This is the only evergreen tree that drops its needles, but just before they do they turn a magnificent gold color.
The most photographed view of Lake Louise
Looking back at the Fairview Chateau
Looking north on Lake Moraine
Looking south on Lake Moraine
The colors of the water are worth a photograph
Fay Glacier, high up the mountains
The Larch trees are starting to turn
Vancouver, with Scottish friends
Two years ago, we met Robert and Margaret Hunter on a cruise. They were from Scotland, and invited us to visit with them in Edinburgh when we got to Scotland. We did, and they were excellent hosts.
As it turns out, they were going on an Alaska cruise departing from Vancouver about the same time we would be there. So we were pleased to be able to slow them around my former home city.
We visited Richmond Night Market, Stanley Park, Burnaby, and took the gondola up Grouse Mountain. It was a lot of fun, and the city rewarded us with nice weather. Vancouver is right up there as one of our favorite places to be..
Arriving at the Richmond Night Market
You can buy clothes here……
…. and lots of street food.
Robert and Margaret, a little overwhelmed
Totem poles in Stanley Park
Lions Gate Bridge
At the logging show
Harris hawk
Glad this guy was behind a fence!
Looking down towards Vancouver
Sunset as seen from the top of Grouse Mountain
Another view of the city at dusk
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Laninga's Travel Blog 