Roadtrip to Drumheller

We took a road trip out to Drumheller a couple weekends ago to check out the badlands, and also to hit up the Royal Tyrrell Museum. The photos are mostly self explanatory, so I'll save you the effort of reading some boring write up...

These sights are an increasing rarity.

Horsethief Canyon at sunset.

Coins + Fish = BAD?!


Seen inside the museum. Kinda gross, but I couldn't stop looking.

Anita shadowboxing an Albertasaurus.



The immature child in me finds this photo amusing... mostly because this is as close as you get in real life to seeing a T-Rex prepare to chow down on some unsuspecting passerby.

Who doesn't like a bit of sunflower action...

Hiking Old Goat Glacier

Third weekend in a row that we drove that crater filled gravel road beyond the Canmore Nordic Centre to get to the Smith-Dorrien for a hike. We chose a shorter trek this weekend, opting for a small 650m elevation gain hike in to see the Old Goat Glacier. As you approach, the glacier looks pretty pathetic from afar, but when you get right up to it, you realize it's far more impressive than you first thought (it extends much further than you can see, as much of it is currently buried under the loose rock).



Obviously, this photo has been heavily edited. I like how it looks like Anita and I were here in 1973, and not just yesterday.

Twelve South Book Book Laptop Case

I ordered a case for my MacBook Air, and it was due to arrive tomorrow. So when UPS showed up with this package one day early, I was giddy like a schoolgirl who just received her case for her Macbook Air one day early. The actual case is designed to look like an old leatherbound book from an era long gone, and is cleverly named BookBook. If you wants one for yourself, go here.

Scrambling Ha Ling Peak

Two scrambles in two weekends. Now that's more like it. Although Ha Ling can hardly be called a scramble, as it's really just a steep-ish hike. But that's not to take anything away from Anita. I'm proud of her for pulling this one out, considering she has the hiking skills of an 87 year old. I mean that in the nicest, most endearing way of course. As nice as calling your wife an 87 yr old can be, that is. Despite her relative lack of mountain prowess (more like NONE AT ALL), we managed to summit in under 2 hrs. And surprisingly, there were many other groups on the trail that turned around before the summit because of the perceived scary factor. So yay Anita! And yay to the taster's selection on the menu at the Grizzly Paw Brew Pub! Perfect way to finish a perfect day.

Unintentionally Humorous

Tytus spotted this not far from where we work. I love unintentionally humorous signs. Especially ironic ones. What's ironic about this? It's above a door to the Global Village English language school. Yup, pure unintentional awesome.

Move

Anyone who knows even the faintest thing about Anita and I would know that we are travel-holics. We yearn for the immediacy of culture shock, the raw emotional highs of touching down at airports half a world away, the sound of foreign languages in regular conversation, the smells of fresh (but not necessarily clean by our standards) fish and produce markets, the forced mental arithmetic of converting prices before deciding to buy kitschy souvenirs, and the frustrating yet exhilarating feeling of getting lost in a maze of cobbled streets that seem to follow no logical city plan. And so, as I sit here transferring files from our old iMac to the new Macbook Air, I find myself waxing nostalgic as I comb through old travel photos of the 25 countries and 70+ cities we've been to in the past 3 years. I feel that stirring to go somewhere exotic again. And it really doesn't help that I just saw this incredibly beautiful video entitled 'MOVE' that captures the visual essence of why I love to travel...

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

Sigh... November and Chile, you can't come soon enough.

And as a quick bonus, here are a couple pictures I never bothered to post from our time in Budapest last year. I love bridges, and this iconic Széchenyi Chain Bridge is right up at the top of my list of favourite ones. Click to view large versions.

Scrambling up the Big Sister

A combination of bad timing, plenty of poor spring and summer weather, and a general lack of motivation to do anything remotely resembling exercise had kept me from a real scramble in the mountains thus far this year... but we more than made up for it yesterday, making a long but awesome trek up the Big Sister yesterday. I now feel ready to conquer a couple more peaks this season. The Big Sister was relentlessly steep from beginning to end, with lots of fun technical scrambling on all fours once you emerged from the tree line. Highly recommend if you're into scrambling and haven't done this one.

























You really need to see this one large (click on it).

Windshield Flyer Dudes

To the dudes peppering my car on a daily basis with flyers on the windshield - I make a conscious effort to memorize your company and will actively boycott your goods or services, eff you very much.

Sincerely,
-Annoyed parking lot patrons.

Passing By...

I've been neglecting this blog in favour of my Tumblr, mostly because I can't be bothered to come up with any words of reading value to you. The past few weeks have been exactly like this photo, a complete blur. I'm finding it difficult to keep track of what day it is, and am slightly shocked to see that it is now August. What the heck did I do during the first 7 months of this year?!



And in the latest episode of 'I've lost my mind and sense of fiscal responsibility,' I'm going to gets me the new fully tricked out MacBook Air tomorrow. Cha-ching.