Thursday 11 May 2023

In Distant Lands

Well the figures, brushes and paints are packed away. The wine stock is secured so that the house sitter isn't tempted and on Saturday evening we flew off to the northeast...quite a way northeast actually...fourteen flying hours in fact...close to Stew and Jonathan. I use the term 'close' loosely because Vancouver is a damn sight closer to California and Washington than Auckland is.

We had planned (and paid for) this trip  2019 - a return to my homeland to visit family we haven't seen for 22 years - for  travel in 2020 and then the plague hit. So now that all the travel restrictions have been restored (albeit that airfares and hotel prices remain high). I had booked a Hyundai Elantra rental car but was rather pleased when they gave me a Audi Quattro A5 because they didn't have another vehicle with a SatNav available - it  makes driving on the opposite side of the road quite bearable!

The planned trip began with a road trip from Vancouver to Banff, with overnight stays at Hope (in a motel so dodgy that we expected to find the taped outline of a body on the floor) and Rossland enroute. We were a little alarmed to hear on our arrival from my cousin that there were floods in Southern British Columbia, the area were due to drive through two days later. Thankfully the floods, while they were evident in some areas, did not close the roads or affect our travel, although some pockets of rain did limit what we could see in a couple of places.

There are only a few pictures here as the chief photographer was using the DSLR camera, for which I don't have an iPad adaptor.

A road stop in the EC Manning Provincial Park

The Spotted Lake just west of Osoyoos. An unusual small alkali lake where pockets of different minerals pool and cause the spotted appearance. 

The morning view from our room at the Red Mountain Resort near Rossland.

Above and below, another roadside stop in the Kootenays.


Above and below the views on the drive near Windermere, just before the rain struck



The United Church in Banff, with Tunnel Mountain behind.



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23 comments:

  1. Neil Scott11 May 2023 at 05:19

    Beautiful countryside

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 07:55

      Thanks Neil...every corner seems expose another beautiful view.

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  2. rross11 May 2023 at 05:58

    Some great photos there Mark! Hope you continue to have a great trip and that the weather improves for you.

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 07:57

      Thanks Keith. The weather is good today and supposed to be even better in the next few days...better than at home I see.

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  3. caveadsum147111 May 2023 at 07:32

    Nice photos, sounds like a great road trip!
    Best Iain

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 08:04

      Thanks Iain. There are still a number of spectacular places to go yet.

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  4. Lawrence H11 May 2023 at 08:22

    Looks like a great trip already Mark, and well done on scoring the Audi.

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 09:03

      The Audi is great except bring a European the indicators are in the wrong side for me, so the windscreen wipers have had quite an unexpected workout!

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    2. rross12 May 2023 at 09:26

      Hahaha...and we know your (and most people's) image of an "Audi Driver" Mark! I did think it was quite ironic when I read that bit 😀

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    3. Mark Strachan12 May 2023 at 10:44

      Yes I am the exception to the Audi driver rule...!

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  5. Gunnery Sargent Rock11 May 2023 at 10:19

    aha a chance to catch up to your painting output , safe travels

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 14:43

      Don't slacken too much mate...once get back I'll be ordering the Perry FPW French and powering into them!

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    2. Gunnery Sargent Rock18 May 2023 at 07:30

      even if I match you unit for unit I'm still behing behing you by 40-50 % as all my guys are 15mm, i need to come clean and reveal buying 2nd hand painted armies and refurbishing them. I have 30 battalions of prussians, 1 wurttembergers , 12 soon to be 16 of bavarians , 25 prussian cannons , 26 battalions of french....

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  6. Dai11 May 2023 at 10:43

    Gorgeous views sir, thanks for sharing. Hope the trip remains a memorable and pleasant one!

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    1. Mark Strachan11 May 2023 at 14:44

      Thanks Dai. Some gorgeous scenery today with more expected tomorrow.

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  7. Steve J.12 May 2023 at 06:19

    Even thought the weather has not been the best, some simply stunning countryside you've been driving through already. Glad to hear the weather is likely to improve for you:).

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    1. Mark Strachan12 May 2023 at 10:46

      Thanks Steve. It certainly is stunning and the next post will show even more stunning views.

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  8. Stew12 May 2023 at 15:34

    That is ‘somewhat’ closer indeed. But you’re still safe from accidentally running into me on the street. 😀
    Nice pics. Have a nice trip.

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    1. Mark Strachan13 May 2023 at 00:30

      Thanks Stew. The views and pics just keep getting better.

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  9. Aly Morrison12 May 2023 at 18:35

    Beautiful views Mark…
    What a splendid holiday.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Mark Strachan13 May 2023 at 00:32

      Thanks Aly...the holiday had been a long time coming

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  10. Jonathan Freitag13 May 2023 at 13:32

    Superb landscape scenery, Mark. Yes, you are right. You are much closer to Stew and I than ever. Keep the travelogue going. I look forward to seeing where you are exploring.

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    1. Mark Strachan13 May 2023 at 14:44

      Thanks Jonathan, many more stunting scenery to report yet. We head out of the mountains tomorrow.

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