Joyce's 2012 North American trip

Here is a brief overview of my trip (16 May to 7 September 2012).

Boston 16 May to 9 June visiting our son, Craig, and his partner, Karen

A great visit with our son Craig, his partner Karen, and her son Max as they made time in their very busy lives for walks, lots of talk and meals together, mainly on the weekends. 

I spent the week days away, mainly camping and enjoying the spring weather and exploring Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard (a large island south of Cape Cod known as a haunt of the rich and American presidents - and for me, an island dweller, the joy of visiting another beautiful island) mainly by bicycle.

Camping near Provincetown on Cape Cod

Roses growing right on the beach

Spring orchids everywhere, with  large turtles in ponds behind the dunes

Martha's Vineyard camp                                                                    Dunes a bit like home - except with oak trees

I flew to Ottawa, saying goodbye to Craig at the airport as he returned from Silicon Valley a couple of hours before I flew out.

 Ottawa Area 9 June to 8 July

First a 5 day beginners Whitewater Kayaking course on the Ottawa River north of Ottawa ,http://www.ottawakayak.com/ where I learned that although I lack the strength and coordination to roll a kayak without a lot more practice (I have always dreamed about rolling a kayak like an Eskimo), I now know how the rolls are done - and enjoyed 4 days running Grade 2 rapids on a beautiful wild stretch of river - with a guide to turn me over whenever I flipped the boat (which happened all too frequently as I slowly learned how to stay upright).

Next a week exploring Ottawa, staying with Jane Wilson, a friend who I met at McGill University in the 60's, and cycling around Ottawa.  I enjoying sharing her love of music (and of life in general), and playing chamber music with some of her musician friends.  I also enjoyed seeing the noisy sea gull colony on the river across from the Canadian Parliament building, and reflecting that both the squabbling gulls and the parliament sounded very similar (Canada and Australia both have disturbing problems with deteriorating quality of parliamentary debate.)

I next spent the next 2 weeks with Jane at the Lake Macdonald Music Centre halfway between Ottawa and Montreal at a bilingual CAMMAC (Canadian Amateur Music) camp  cammac.ca/en/- 1 week focusing on the music of Schubert, and the second on Early Music - where I enjoyed playing recorder with some very talented tutors, singing, listening to some great music, meeting lots of interesting people, canoeing and seeing loons and beavers - and the beautiful bush surroundings of the camp. 

Then sad farewells, and bus and train  with a quick visit to McGill University in Montreal  en route to Toronto.

Environmental art in Ottawa River in Ottawa

CAMMAC in the morning mist

Toronto 8 July to 20 July

A very enjoyable visit with my cousin, Sally Mason, and other Davidson relatives, catching up on family history.  Also with two other friends from McGill, Brenda Birkin, and Cynthia Ng-Littlejohn.  Toronto has grown greatly in the 15 years since I last visited, and now, at over 5 million people, has a very big city feel, with multi-story buildings and apartment blocks reaching far from the downtown area. 

I left Toronto at 1 am by bus for Wawa on the north shore of Lake Superior.  In a city that size, there is nothing unusual about moving around in the middle of the night by subway or bus.

Slate Islands Lake Superior  21 July to 27 July

I had visited Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake in the world, in 1986 on a cross-Canada trip with Craig and Janet, and taken a picture of the clear water - and memories of this water drew me back for a sea kayaking trip on the Slate Islands about 10 km offshore in the very north of the lake www.naturallysuperior.com .  Six of us and 2 guides spent 5 days exploring the islands which are known for their population of woodland caribou which is the most southerly population remaining.  

Lake Superior

The boat which transported us to and from the islands

Campsite close to the water

Woodland caribou - not overly attractive!!!

Indian pipe - an intriguing  flowering plant which is a parasite on a fungus which is attached to roots of another plant, and helps feed that plant.  The host plant feeds the Indian Pipes through the fungus. 

After the trip, I went overnight by bus to Winnipeg, then caught a Via Rail train (which had the same carriages that were in use when I went across the country to McGill almost 50 years ago), and enjoyed a more luxurious trip overnight to Edmonton.  

In Edmonton I stayed with Grant Fisher, Bob's PhD supervisor, and met his wife LaRie, and visited with Mary Spencer, my PhD supervisor and her husband Hank.  I enjoyed walks through the University of Alberta Campus, much expanded since we were students there, and along the Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, plus a most amazing and extraordinary exhibition of large photographs of moths (http://www.moths.ca/) at the Royal Alberta Museum - we had to struggle with ourselves to keep from touching the pictures to feel the velvety surface of the insects.

Then by bus to Calgary.

Calgary and area  1 August to  7 September

In Calgary, I was based with my brother, Alan, his wife Linda, and their youngest daughter, Heather, who have provided me a welcome home away from home several times over the years.  I also enjoyed catching up with their son and daughter, Philip and Jayne, who swept through twice while I was there on their motorcycle trip from Alaska to the tip of South America (www.ultimateride.ca), once arriving from Alaska and heading south in a camper to the Burning Man Festival in Nevada, and then returning from Nevada to pick up (and repair) their bikes to head on south.  I wish them much joy in their adventure.  

In Calgary, I extracted a bicycle from their garage to explore Calgary, and visit several friends from school, university, and previous visits to Calgary.  I enjoyed visits, walks and long talks with Lydia Smith,  Marilyn, Harvey and Betty Johnson, Cathy and Art Sanden and Ruth and Jerry Westland - it is great to be able to renew ties and share experiences of where life has taken us.  I also spent a week in Lethbridge with Patty and Graeme Greenlee, and Patty's 102 year old father Lyman.

Calgary was hosting an international fireworks festival (www.globalfest.ca/)when I was there, and we went to all 6 nights of it, fascinated by the variety of dramatic effects each group achieved in their 20 minute display.  I also hired a car twice for overnight camping trips to the mountains near Banff and Lake Louise, cycling on some of the beautiful trails with my trusty bike, and hiking in the high alpine meadows, first in brilliant full bloom, and a couple of weeks later starting to show their fall colours. Alan and Linda and I closed my trip with 3 days hiking and exploring in the mountains in Waterton National Park, where we were delighted to see several bears feeding on the fall berries.

Then finally, home to Australia via Dallas/Fort Worth.... for the magical jump from fall and the summers end, to early spring with first flowers and birds starting to nest.  It is an amazing world.

Lake Loiuse

Moraine Lake

Mountain meadows near Bow Summit

A pika - a resident of the high meadows

One of many mountain butterflies

Crypt Lake, Waterton, is in the high valley to the right, and reached through a 20 m tunnel starting in the cliff just left of centre - there is a track approaching it across the scree just above the trees. A beautiful 18 km return hike well worth the effort.

I sat on the plane next to a man coming to Brisbane for a conference on Inner Peace - and realised that my trip for me had been a journey to a deeper understanding and discovery of inner peace through the combination of renewing ties and exploring my capabilities more deeply.  

Thanks to the many friends who shared so much with me and helped me on my journey, and the many others who enriched my life during the trip - thanks to you all for being part of my life.