Ain't no sunshine when I'm here- Vancouver

I'm blogging live from the Amtrak Cascades

train to Seattle. I woke up super early this morning

for the last leg of the trip so I am exhausted.

Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

I traveled by train from Kamloops to

Vancouver on Friday. It was a nice trip filled with

good food and nice scenery. And somewhat

peaceful sleep. We followed a river or 5 for most of the trip.

This is basically what the entire trip looked like.

I did see like 4 or 5 bald eagle's so that was a nice touch.

They did serve me some wine and cheese.

Once I arrived in Vancouver I opted for a run around the seawall.

My legs/body were craving the pavement and I felt

I should listen to them and get them moving.

I'm pretty sure the sun didn't shine the entire 36hrs I was there.

Ain't no sunshine when I'm here?

I did about 6 miles and my legs felt it.

Pain. I'll now be in pain for days to follow.

I did a little city tour to get to know and to get

personal with Vancouver. I saw some nice sights.

The totem polls. I'm part Native American and

I actually like to boast about it pretty often.

So this gives me another reason to brag.

The first narrows lion's gate bridge.

Built by the Guinness family actually.

I made it over to Granville Island for the market

and my own afternoon delight. The produce was beautiful.

And the crepes weren't bad either. This is my kind of

afternoon delight.

I saw some amazing hilltop views of Vancouver. And yeah-

still no sun happening.

I went into what felt like part of the movie Bio-Dome.

It was a tropical rain forest with birds.

And I finished the day with a walk around the seawall

to stretch my legs. And let's be honest- take in the

views. 

Vancouver is a great city. It's actually rated in the top 5

of most livable cities in the world. I can see why.

I could easily be a west coaster since they love

soy/almond milk, they love recycling /saving the planet

and they prefer to walk/bike/run/roller blade to where they're

going. Yeah- I made all these observations in 36 hours.

But be warned- it spits a lot here. It actually rains more than

a foot per year than Seattle. Which brings me to my next

 destination.

Question: Ever been to Vancouver? Seattle? West Coast?

What are your opinions?

Middle of nowhere, Canada

Ok if we are being honest- my eating habits

take a back burner when traveling. It

becomes really difficult to explain that

I refrain from dairy and meat as much as possible.

Yeah- try explaining that in a town where

cows out number people. And they want to 

serve you that cow.

I was supposed to be on a train today traveling through 

the amazing country side but a train derailed and 

blocked the entire track. So- a bus to Kamloops 

was the answer.

Sure there were some beautiful sights like this.

And then there was a lot of this.

 Middle of nowhere Canada. Not to belittle the place

because I am from middle of nowhere America and extremely

proud of it! Just disappointed that my day was spent

differently than I hoped.

We reached the hotel in Kamloops where I buried my troubles

in this.

A tasty quinoa and roasted veggie combo... and some fried

pickles. Well- there is always tomorrow.

But- I did get a work out in. Did it ax out the damage

done today? HELL NO! But it was something to keep

my muscle memory in tact.

Here I am in this little gym getting a sweat on.

A sweat it better than nothing, folks.

Sweet gym. 

I'm a firm believer in working out. Vaca or no vaca.

I like to keep my head clear and body clean. 

Not to lose weight. But because it makes me feel 

good and makes me feel strong.

I'm no bag of bones and honestly, I don't want to be one.

 I workout for me. Not for you or anyone else.

Not for a guy to turn his head, but because when I work

out, I think I am a sex pot. It's much like the LMFAO song- 

I'm sexy and I know it. And my wish is for every woman 

to feel that way. 

I really just wish women would stop bashing themselves.

Shoot, everyone around us already does it for us.

So layoff yourself and start thinking how friggin awesome

you are. And if someone doesn't agree- Screw them.

You are sexy and you know it.

Jasper, eh?

This trip has certainly been an adventure. I made my

way for the gorgeous Banff to Lake Louise

for a hot second. I had a quick meeting.

I got to see the beautiful (frozen) lake from the Fairmont.

After my meeting, it was on to Jasper.

It was kind of long ride and due to the drugs the

doctor gave me, it was near impossible to keep

my eyes open. But, alas, I did! And the sky was doing

whacked out things.

After a few meetings in Jasper, we had some time

to check out some sights. And meet some new friends.

Then we made a trip to one of the many awesome

lakes. Patricia Lake!

To prove I'm really in Canada.

The amazing mountains around the lake.

I even dared to put my toes in the water. COLD!

Then I was so happy because I got to take a short hike.

By myself! Happy face... dancing came later. (Yikes- my

blond hair is actively trying to come back!)

The slot canyons were beautiful. And deep.

The water coming through was straight from the 

glacier and the most beautiful blue ever.

It was unreal.

I clearly love me some nature. And hikes!

Jasper is pretty great. It's no Banff but they've got some

sweet animals, hikes and glaciers. Tomorrow- I take the train

to Kamloops and then finally to Vancouver on Friday! Woop Woop!

Why Calgary Rocks!

After a hell of a day of travel and some stolen money..

I made it Canada. Calgary to be exact. And it's

beautiful here. It's better than I expected. Ok- I don't

even know what the heck I expected. But here

are some reasons Calgary rocks.

They have amazing parks here. Some of the

best outdoor space I've seen. (listen it doesn't look

great because everything is still brown but take

my word for it.)

The downtown area is easy to navigate, is clean

and pretty.

Everyone is so active here. And why wouldn't they be

with all the beautiful running/walking/biking/roller

blading paths? Roll on.

The have the 15+. What is that you ask?

It's indoor sidewalks that connect the entire

downtown area. During the winter you don't

have to take a step outside. The architect who designed

it is a brainiac.

Tim Horton's out numbers Starbucks.

Also- there are a lot of attractive men here. All

the major oil/gas companies are here so people

are constantly coming in and out of the city for business.

This = lots of men. Probably women too if you are

interested.

My hotel leaves snacks in the hallway. I'm pretty

sure I'm the only person taking them. I have a stock

pile in my room for the drive tomorrow.

Calgary is a beautiful, clean and easy to navigate city.

The mountains are only an hour away. The people are

friendly here and they don't even try to run you over

when you cross the street! Visit. You won't be sorry.

But I will tell you I really miss the knucklehead.

But clearly George moves on quickly.

This is his boyfriend, Bruno. Yeah, you read that

right. These two are seriously in love. My parents

say it's getting out of hand. At least he picked a dog

that can easily lift things and protect him.

I also miss this gal. My beautiful niece, Lily.
She is 5!! Can you even believe that? I can't.

Ok- back to the streets to work.

Not in that way...