Category: travelogues

flee to Coombs, BC

On By Rick McIn humour, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

In Canada, after being caught with (self-prescribed) medicinal marijuana one-too-many-times, you must move to Coombs, British Columbia. Here hippies like you sell antiques (junk) to retirees.

Goats on the roof of the restaurant lure in the tourists. And ladies have trouble departing without buying at least one hand made collectable as a Christmas present for a distant niece.

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more photos of the Coombs market

Actually Coombs is well worth the stop. It’s a piece of west coast culture.

» next travelogue post on this trip – a day with Reg Taylor

Arthur Black – comedian

On By Rick McIn books, humour, McCharles family, travelogues, TVLeave a comment

My Mom treated me to an entertainment by Arthur Black.

He spoke just down the street at the Parksville City Hall. Black was on tour flogging his 11th book, Pitch Black.
Pitch Black

After the late, great, beloved Peter Gzowski, no other personality was more the voice of Canadian radio to me than Arthur Black. He retired to Salt Spring Island, BC 11-years-ago — but he is still in fine form, as sharp and witty as ever.

I had forgotten that Black first introduced the comedian who played Father Guido Sarducci who went on to Saturday Night Live fame. The Stephen Colbert of the 1970s, Sarducci posed as gossip columnist and rock critic for a Vatican newspaper.

» next travelogue post on this trip – flee to Coombs, BC

Parksville, BC in the Fall

On By Rick McIn McCharles family, photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

Grabbed a chance to visit my parents at the new house in quaint Parksville on the east coast of Vancouver Island. We had great weather for the end of September!

This was the start of 5 weeks on the road.

I posted a few photos of the trip on Flickr — click “view as slideshow” to see them.

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» next travelogue post on this trip – Arthur Black – comedian

PEI hospitality

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

Jim and Lea Rand were my most excellent hosts in PEI.

I enjoyed fresh baking, ate surf and turf. We toasted marshmallows and poured Bailey’s into the melted centres. Mmmm.

The family has it’s own beach volleyball court and games were very competitive.

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Jim, spiker right, has been running the gym in Charlottetown for 31 years. He’s 2 years retired from teaching and now can devote himself full-time to gym and home construction projects.

Lea is still working two jobs. : )

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The club is planning their first ever trip to a Japanese gymnastics meet.

This was the last post on this travelogue. It’s back to Calgary after over 4 weeks on the road.

PEI CFAs

On By Rick McIn photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

The CFAs (Come From Aways) after a gymnastics coaches course were taken on tour to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.

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We took in the beach and later visited the home of Anne of Green Gables.

Actually, she was just a character in a novel. This must be the home of the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Actually, Lucy Maud lived nearby. This is a restoration of a farm which inspired the novel — for the benefit of Japanese tourists.

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Anne of Green Gables
33 more photos on Flickr

The best highlight of the trip for me was wandering the quiet seaside village of North Rustico.

» next travelogue post on this trip – PEI hospitality

biking Prince Edward Island

On By Rick McIn cycling, photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

Unexpectedly I found time to bike a day on the new “rails to trails” path on PEI.

It’s an ideal way to see this rustic, rural Province.

A sidetrip took me to the north coast beaches and Dalvay-by-the-Sea, built 1896, in Prince Edward Island National Park.

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26 more photos on Flickr

One day I will return to do bike the entire 470km Confederation Trail.

» next travelogue post on this trip – PEI CFAs

a day in New Brunswick

On By Rick McIn photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

New Brunswick was on “the list” since Rocco raved about the Province. He owns a beach house there.

I mentally drafted versions of this post while standing hopelessly trying to hitchhike to the Bay of Fundy.

Rocco bears the full brunt of my gratitude:

“New Brunswick is a pretty bog infested with mosquitos and profane, obese, chain-smoking, beer-swilling unwed mothers. The public transportation sucks … – disappointed in New Brunswick”

I had hoped to write-up one of the major hikes, especially Fundy Trail Footpath. But I never got there.

Still, I must concede we had one great day in a rent-a-car touring to Kouchibouguac National Park and Shediac.

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24 more New Brunswick photos on Flickr

» next travelogue post on this trip – biking Prince Edward Island

Mike the activist

On By Rick McIn government, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

I visited Moncton, New Brunswick on a failed attempt to do some coastal hiking.

Happily, the town’s first hostel (The C’Mon Inn) opened this summer. I met some very interesting people.

I rented a car and 5 of us took a road trip up to Koochi Koochi Koo National Park (Kouchibouguac) to stroll the Kelly’s beach dunes. It was a nice day.

Even better was scrambling the Shediac Lobster.

It was an education to spend the day with Mike, the first real activist I’ve ever known. Those people on TV protesting globalization — that’s Mike. He was at the Battle of Seattle, the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999.

Mike was badly hurt protesting The Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, 2001, a round of negotiations regarding a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Next Mike was inside the tent for the G8 summit 2002 in Kananaskis, Alberta representing Oxfam.

Right now he is an inactive activist, back at school, earning another degree.

But the passion is there. He is committed to, and very knowledgeable on, many important causes facing this planet. I admire Mike’s commitment and courage. And I wish him well into the future. We will keep in touch.

» next travelogue post on this trip – a day in New Brunswick

St. Paul, MN

On By Rick McIn gymnastics, photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

I’ve visited the capital of Minnesota several times over the years, always enjoying the quiet, picturesque city.

The wide streets, big trees and lovely architechture remind me a bit of Winnipeg, Manitoba, not far to the north.

This time I was here for the USA Gymnastics Championships, hosted at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team. I was impressed. The venue, the city, and the organizing committee (with whom I had drinks) were all fantastic.

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Cathedral of Saint Paul

more St. Paul photos on Flickr

» next travelogue post on this trip – want your corpse posed and displayed?

want your corpse posed and displayed?

On By Rick McIn health & fitness, traveloguesLeave a comment

Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul BODY WORLDS exhibition was packed.

You could join the 200 authentic human specimens, including entire bodies, that have been preserved through the process of Plastination, not surprisingly a German technique that replaces bodily fluids and fat with plastic.

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runner with muscles splayed back

The purported goal of the exhibit is to “educate the public about the inner workings of the human body”. But it is ghoulish fascination which has been drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to this and 2 other touring shows.

I thought it fascinating.

The Human Body is an OmniMax film showing in conjunction with the exhibit.

» next travelogue post on this trip – Montreal has a crappy airport