Edmonton Vacation - Day 9

It was a very early start to the day as we were up well before 6.  We took a cab to the airport with the two Sudbury ladies.  Once again we flew to Winnipeg then London where we safely landed in the early afternoon.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 8

Heather spent the last full day in Edmonton attending more meetings. Left to my own devices, I did my best to stay away from the casino. While there, I did manage to catch the final of UEFA Champions League final contested between Barcelona and Manchester United.

Shortly after the game ended, Heather joined me and we went for supper in the hotel restaurant with a few of her colleagues. Then it was off to bed as we had an early wake up call tomorrow.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 7

Today was another uneventful day as Heather was in more meetings while I spent a couple more hours in the casino. In the evening, however, the majority of Heather’s fellow Association members went to Tap 25, a bar located in the casino, for supper. The only problem with the place was that nearly every TV was turned to a hockey game which I had little interest in. The bar staff was nice enough though to accommodate my desire to watch the Blue Jays game as they changed a couple of TVs in my viewing range to the ball game.

After supper the ladies went to the casino where they got a few lessons on how to play craps and blackjack. Heather also played some slots and it wasn’t until after 11pm that we made it back to our room.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 6

The Association conference started full-on ahead with a day of meetings so I had to find alternative ways of keeping myself busy. First, however, I had to return the rental car which we only had for 24 hours. I left for downtown Edmonton just after 8am. Edmonton is a simple city to navigate as majority of its streets are numbered which made it easier for me to get to Thrifty’s at the corner of 102 Avenue and 105 Street.

After returning the car I set off on an epic walk through downtown Edmonton to Kingsway Mall to pick up some souvenirs for a certain family member. From the Kingsway Mall I made my back towards downtown. The whole trek around downtown must have been at least an hour and a half of walking but it was worth it as it allowed me to see more of the city including the Ukrainian museum (closed at the time I was there) and Chinatown.

It was then back to public transit as I took a bus to the stop closest to the Marriott which is still at least a kilometer away. At the hotel, I spent more time at the casino while the Association meeting was still going on. In the evening, we ate the hotel restaurant which featured a seafood buffet. Heather and I opted out of the buffet and instead had sandwiches from the menu.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 5

It’s moving day! Heather and I checked out of the Crowne Plaza in the morning and while she waited in the lobby with our luggage, I walked to a nearby Thrifty’s to rent a car. I wanted to have a car today so that at least we’d have a place for our luggage while we were transitioning between hotels. After completing all necessary paperwork, we ended up with a Suzuki SX4, a small hatchback.

Our rental car.

Once we were all packed up, we went for another breakfast at Denny’s. Again, I asked for grits and again I was warned by our waitress. After breakfast, we went back to the West Edmonton Mall, mainly because Heather wanted to exchange a shirt she bought the day before. To waste some time, we pointlessly wandered the mall. At 2:30pm we decided we’ve had enough and drove to the Marriott on the outskirts of Edmonton.

The hotel is technically located in Enoch on an Indian reserve thus its full name is Marriott at River Cree Resort and Casino. Yes, the hotel has a casino which we’d visit later in the week. The hotel caters mainly to business travelers as it has numerous conference rooms, which is one reason why the Association chose to have its annual meeting here. I found the Marriott to be less desirable for my needs – it is located in a remote area, nearly 20 minutes walking distance from the closest civilization of west Edmonton; Wi-Fi in rooms costs an outrageous $16.95 per day although there is business centre with free Wi-Fi on the main floor of the hotel but it consists of two computers, a single Ethernet cable for those with laptops and a printer.

Marriott at River Cree.

Once we were checked in, Heather spent most of the evening with her Association colleagues in the hospitality suite while I explored the hotel and the casino.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 4

It was finally time to see Edmonton’s most famous attraction, the West Edmonton Mall. Once again, we used public transit to get to and from the mall. This time, however, we didn’t have to transfer as there were a couple of bus routes that went from downtown right to the mall.

We arrived at the mall just before 10am and had breakfast at Crepe Works. After breakfast we went to Galaxyland which is an amusement park. There were rides, rollercoasters and other attractions for people of all ages. While we didn’t do any rides, we spent a few minutes at an interactive shooting game.

Galaxyland.

From there, Heather and I walked the mall end to end, up and down and then did it again. Despite the massive amount of stores, we kept our spending very reasonable. West Edmonton Mall also features a water park as well as a sea lion show. We watched the 2pm show and then continued walking around the mall. We finally decided to head back to the hotel around 4pm after another long day of walking.

WEM sea lions.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 3

Monday turned into a very gloomy day. The temperature was barely above freezing in the morning and there was no indication it was going to get better. Our plan for the day was to spend some time with fellow VROCer Craig who lives in Edmonton. I contacted him before leaving on Saturday and this morning we ironed out the details of our get-together.

Craig picked us up at the hotel at 12:30pm when the temperature was a crisp 3C (37F) and it was spitting rain on and off. He drove us through various parts of Edmonton while looking for a restaurant. However, most were closed because it was either still early in the day or it was a holiday Monday.

We made a quick stop at Starbucks and then made our way to the famous Whyte Avenue. While there we chose to eat at a diner but because it was very busy, we went to a nearby Mexican restaurant Julio's Barrio. The food was excellent. Craig was even generous enough to pay for our meal. He said he'd claim it as a business expense as he's a real estate agent and we spent a few minutes discussing houses.

When we left the restaurant well past 3pm, I felt a noticably warmer air around us although it was still overcast. The reading in Craig's car confirmed that it was now 13C (55F). Craig drove us back to the hotel and we spent the rest of the day unwinding from the last two very hectic days. Thank you, Craig!

Edmonton Vacation - Day 2

We charged into our first full day in Edmonton with both feet on the ground, literally. We left the hotel at 9:30am and walked nearly 20 minutes to Denny's for breakfast. Being an American chain, they had grits on the menu so of course I ordered it as a side to my omelette. But since we were in Canada, I was asked by the waitress if I knew what I was getting. Apparently, a lot of people confuse grits as some form of hash browns.

From Denny’s we walked south along 109 St in the general direction of Crowne Plaza while admiring the sights of downtown Edmonton. After 20 minutes or so of walking in the morning heat we reached a very distinct building that proved to be the Alberta Legislature. From a distance we saw a group of about 10 people walking up the stairs and the door closing behind them. It appeared as though the 11am was about to start. We hurried towards the door but it was already locked. Fortunately, after a knock or two, a security guard opened the door and let us in to join the tour.

Alberta legislature.

The Alberta Legislature is a building that was started in 1906 and will celebrate its 100 birthday since completion in 2012. The indoors featured a lot of marble and columns. The tour guide took us through three floors of the building including the gallery from which people can watch the Alberta government at work.

We walked back to the hotel right during the noon hour and the sun wasn’t letting up but the Crowne Plaza was only 10 minutes or so from the Legislature. After regrouping for a few minutes, we decided to head to Fort Edmonton Park. Using Google Maps’ very helpful feature of providing public transit options, I devised a plan for us to get to the park.

First point of business was to find a place to purchase tickets for the ETS (Edmonton Transit System). We found an LRT (light rail transit) station a couple of blocks from our hotel. I planned to take a bus (with a transfer) to the park but, while underground, we decided to ride the train. We bought all-day transit passes and took a train that took us about halfway, then took a bus and finally an ETS shuttle that took us right to the park entrance.

Fort Edmonton.

Fort Edmonton Park is a snapshot of Edmonton from its beginnings. We took a train to the other end of the park and walked back to the gift shop at the entrance. The attractions included a replica of the original fort, 1885 Street, 1905 Street and 1920 Street which were lined with buildings from their respective time periods. Most buildings were also occupied by park employees who each played a part from a given time period. These people would tell us about their jobs and the general feel of their era. The Fort Edmonton Park is also home to a very elaborate model train layout.

1885 Street.

It was overcast when we got the park, then rained for about minutes before the sun came back out in full force. During our tour, I even managed to play a game of pool with a resident of the 1885 Street. We finished touring Fort Edmonton Park at 5:30pm and took a bus and a train back to the hotel.

1920 Street.

Edmonton Vacation - Day 1

As part of being on the national board of AAA, Heather attends the annual general meetings which are held in different locations from year to year. This year's meeting is being held from Thursday, May 26th to Saturday, May 28th. And since Heather's flight and hotel for those three night was being covered by the Association, she convinced me to join her and make a vacation out of it by leaving a few days earlier.

We were scheduled to fly out of the London airport at 1:30pm but we left Woodstock at 10:30am. The drive to the airport took about 40 minutes and we were there fairly early. That gave us a chance to check our bags in (we checked in for the flight online the night before) and have an early lunch at Tim Horton's. We cleared security and entered the boarding area around noon. The next hour was spent waiting, making last minute Facebook status updates etc.

Did I mention that I haven't been on a commercial airplane in almost 19 years? That long time has definitely added to my fear of flying but I normally don't let my fears stop me from living. We boarded the plane after 1pm and I chose to have a window seat. Our trip to Edmonton was made out of two flights with a stopover in Winnipeg. At least that way each flight would be under two hours.

Heather spent the entire flight to Winnipeg talking to Jillian, a recent graduate from Western University. On the other hand, I spent the flight staring at the little screen in front of me, tuned to the GPS channel, and listening to my iPod. I was happy just watching the little map and anticipating the landing in Winnipeg. The plane landed in Winnipeg at about 2:15pm local time which meant almost three hours of waiting for the 5pm flight to Edmonton.

During that time, Heather bought us some head rest things while I worked on past posts for the blog. I was only writing those in Word as Wi-Fi at the Winnipeg airport was $10 for the first hour. As an FYI, it cost only $5 to purchase an additional 23 hours of Wi-Fi.

It was raining in Winnipeg throughout our whole stay there. Conversely, it was clear and sunny back in Ontario when we took off. The flight to Edmonton was pretty much as uneventful as the first one, although this time the aisle seat in our row was empty. The plane landed in Edmonton just before 6pm local time.

Edmonton downtown.

Once we recovered our luggage, we looked for a shuttle as the airport is about 30 minutes from downtown Edmonton. Heather phoned Crowne Plaza where we were staying and they told us to use the Sky Shuttle for which it cost $18 per person. After checking in at the hotel, we went for a walk downtown to look for a place to eat. By the time we found The Rose and Crown Pub and each ordered fish and chips, it was already 8:30pm (10:30pm in Ontario). While at the pub, I ordered Moosehead but apparently it is not a popular beer in these parts and it's only offered in a couple of places in Edmonton. It was a very long day to start our vacation.

Friday the 13th in Port Dover, ON

Today marked the 51st edition of Friday the 13th motorcycle rally in Port Dover, Ontario. It started in 1981 as a small gathering but has now grown into a rally attended by thousands. Heather went to her only rally in July 2007 but I missed the first 50. With this year’s only rally in May we decided to go hoping the weather would co-operate.

We woke up very early in the morning as we wanted to avoid the bigger afternoon crowds. We left our home in Woodstock at 7:30 in the morning. It was a very warm day but cloudy with a threat of thunderstorms.

The ride to Port Dover was a very lonely one until about Delhi which is closer to Port Dover than Woodstock. There, we could see many groups of bikers heading to Port Dover. We made another stop in Simcoe for some cash and made it to our destination at about 8:30 am. It amazed me that Port Dover is only an hour away from Woodstock. It used to take us nearly twice as long when we used to live in Waterloo.

Port Dover main street.

Once in Dover, we parked only a block away from the main street and from the lake. Leaving early definitely paid off. The rally proved to be pretty much what I expected. Motorcycles parked in every corner, bikers from various walks of life and thousands of vendors peddling anything from food, shirts, patches, motorcycle equipment and gear. There was also a trailer with a display of Indian motorcycles. Something about these motorcycles always makes me stop in awe. Sadly, the day may never come when I own one as they are among the most of expensive of motorcycles and their history of existence is patchy at best.

One of the most interesting motorcycles found in Port Dover.

We walked up and down the main street while taking in the scene. For an early snack, we chose to get some pulled pork sandwiches. Up to this time, I’ve never encountered a bad experience but that streak wasn’t going to continue. For some reason, I didn’t enjoy the sandwich I had and that pretty much left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the afternoon.

While in Port Dover, we also picked up a couple of patches, a shirt for Heather. A couple of hours into our adventure, we decided to leave. Just before leaving, we chatted with a couple from Kitchener who were here on their 30th anniversary. Both husband and wife were riding and they were even accompanied by their son who also rode. We finally left Dover at 11 am. Since the day was still young and the weather hadn’t turned for the worse, I led Heather through some roads we’ve yet to travel.

The ride led us west along Lake Erie, then towards St. Thomas where we stopped for a couple of minutes for refreshments and to snap a picture of the local water tower. From St. Thomas we rode to London and then finally to Stratford. In Stratford, we went to a local motorcycle dealer. The reason for that was a massive Suzuki recall to replace a regulator/rectifier assembly. Oddly enough, only Heather’s bike needed work even though we bought our motorcycles at the same time. Just another thing that better be left unexplained.

Heather's bike under repair.

The repairs took only about 15 minutes and we were heading home shortly after 3pm. We arrived home before 4pm and we even managed to stay dry all day. The experience in Port Dover was something that I really wanted to do just once but it’s not something that I would attend regularly. All in all it was a great day.


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WATER TOWERS

A Short Ride On a Sunny Day

Owning a house has definitely made it more difficult to just drop everything and ride our motorcycles. With today's temperature in mid-teens we took a short ride in search of water towers. The ride took us through Ingersoll, Thamesford and Belmont. Every road we took was the first time we've taken it on motorcycles. We were home around 12:30pm which allowed me to spent the rest of the afternoon working on the Adirondack chairs we bought for our porch.

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WATER TOWERS