Summertime Tripping

What a summer it has been! 

"Trip the Light" road trip covered 10,000 miles in 2 glorious months. Starting in Boston, Walt and I headed for Montreal, crossed Canada to Vancouver. Spent time in Tofino, Salt Spring Island, Galiano, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado and back to Litchfield, CT. I hope to write a more expanded itinerary and produce a book of this trip over the ooming winter months. Stay Tuned.

We saw an abundance of beauty in every landscape we crossed. Prairies, lakes, old growth forests, precambrian rocks, canyons, mountains and oceans. All of it was magnificent and much of it still glorious and wild and free! It 

made us so grateful to be Alive!

Hiking and Exploring the Rainforests of Tofino, BC

The Rockies

The drive from Calgary to Kamloops is always an exceptional experience. The mountains begin to loom into view as you leave Calgary and slowly they begin to surround you as you enter Canmore. Their magnificent presence always inspires awe. Every time I drive through the Rockies it as if I have never encountered them before and I am always moved by their very existence. It was a joy to share this with Walt who has never been in their presence before.

 A quick stop in Banff and Lake Louise to breath in the mountain freshness and cooler air. Arriving in late Spring is a good time to view the Rockies as there is still snow on the tops and the rivers and waterfalls are full to bursting with the melting snow.

Trip the Light Travels - Day #3

Today we took a break from driving to more fully absorb the beauty around Lake Superior and the Wawa area. I have crossed Canada so many times and never stopped long enough to fully appreciate this particular area. The ever changing light on the water takes you by surprise throughout the day as you come around different corners on the road.


 

We stayed in an airbnb log cabin located slightly east of Wawa and on the shore of Lake Superior. Just sleeping beside this large body of water is a gift in itself. Rhythmic waves break along the shoreline and an almost full moon poured its generous light across the water's surface to create a masterpiece of shimmer and sparkle in the dark night.

We visited Old Woman Bay where the photos don't capture it but the water was turquoise. The cliffs are home to peregin falcons and the water is crystal clear. There is something about being in the presence of such clear water and pure air that seems to make you glow from the inside out. It feels right and natural to feel so alive and in synch with the world around you.

Of course we visited the famous Wawa goose in town which commemorates the completion of the Trans Canada Highway from Sault St Marie to Wawa in 1960. Before this time there was no road access to Wawa and this last part of the highway was called the gap. This stretch of road is by far the most awe inspiring part of the drive.

Silver Falls were just down the road from where we we stayed and they were roaring at their absolute height of power from all the Spring rains. Magnificent to see and hear!

I thought Silver Falls was roaring and then we visited High Falls!! I am a huge fan of falling water. I could stand in its presence for hours and loose myself in its powerful movement and sound. It feels so joyful to me!

   
 An abundance of beauty is to be found here in grand gestures and minuet details. No wonder the Group of Seven were so inspired to paint here. Glen Gould came and stayed regularly in Wawa and claimed to write some of his best music here. The Life Force is potent here.

Long stretches of completely deserted shore line and pristine beaches.

Heart Stopping Beauty on Hwy 99

 

 Spent the day cooking, walking and talking with my eldest girl. Left her behind with a few tears this morning. I have always loved how effortlessly Amy and I can flow together no matter how long we are apart from each other.

Spent our last evening walking in the golden light of the remarkable landscape of Kamloops. The dry climate allows for a remarkable range of dusty colors from ochres to rose to sagebrush greens. I could paint the textures and colors here for a long time.

 

 

Amy sent me to Whistler via Hwy 99, also known as the Lillooet Hwy. What a drive!

The most beautiful vistas and views so far! But first as I exited Kamloops on the Trans Canada I came across Kootenay Lake, utterly magnificent with the shifting shadows and light of the breaking clouds.

 

 A bit further down the road I turned onto Hwy 99 and was given one last taste of that delicious palette of blonde grasses and pink brush, made all the more intense by the brooding dark skies.

 Now I started to really enter the "Rockies". I was happy that it wasn't snowing or raining today as this is not a road for the faint of heart. Some serious hair pin turns and deep canyons looking down into the Fraser River. Unfortunately there wasn't much place to pull over and take photos of this incredible canyon.

 

 Many, many views of lakes, rivers, and creeks along the way. Not much traffic at all and every time I stopped to take a few photos I was greeted with complete silence or rushing water.

 

 

Just before arriving in Pembroke I came across this beauty. A jewel of a lake, quiet and majestic just sitting there in all her majesty. I stopped and sat beside her for quite some time. The silence was deafening.

 This whole drive was so full of heart stopping beauty that I gave up taking pictures after a while as it was impossible to convey it all. This gives a small sampling of that drive but nothing even comes close to the real experience of it. Amy described it best when she said that it is "one of her favorite stretches of earth". Mine too.

Hangin' with Amy in Kamloops

 

So Happy to be spending time with my girl! Kamloops looks like a great place to live and learn. Amy gave me the tour of her school, Thompson River University, where she is studying Geography, Environmental & Aboriginal Studies. The school environment embodies these subjects in its architecture and layout.

View of Kamloops from Thompson River University

Coyote above Learning Center

Doors to circular "Earth" ampitheater

 

 Floor details

Large Paintings adjacent to the "living wall"

The Living Wall which emits humidity and life into the whole space. You can feel it breathing.

   

 

An outdoor study space overlooking Kamloops

Study Area, lots of light, air and space.

 

Amazing gardens and trees throughout.

 

Mama and daughter.

 Amy frolicking in the leaves!

We then went for a great walk along the river in Riverside Park. The sun came out, we met another friend of Amy and Kim's and we walked a Labyrinth.

 

 

Some of the trees are still with leaves in this warm valley.

 Of course, little Maverick, Amy and Kim's new puppy came along on the walk.

 

We came home and made a delicious communal dinner with mom's apple pie for dessert.

I love these girls! They have been so hospitable and fun to be around. I will be ever so sad to leave them tomorrow.