Fall colors in Florida and Canada

October was a whirlwind. Just as residents in the Tampa Bay area were cleaning up from the horrible mess caused by Hurricane Helene, another named storm was brewing. Barely two weeks after  Helene,  Hurricane Milton, a category 3 storm, made landfall at Siesta Key, Sarasota Wednesday night (Oct 9). Many towns and cities along the gulf coast suffered yet another blow, this time with more wind damage than storm surge. Milton made it all the way east to Orlando and Daytona Beach, sparking tornadoes that devastated many small towns inland and along the Florida east coast.

We hunkered down at home in Largo, about six miles from the nearest gulf beach. Many neighbors boarded up their windows, and we followed suit. This was our first experience with a major  storm. That evening we lost power. Howling winds tore down branches from an old tree out front and blew them over to our neighbor's yard. It was frightening, but we all survived.

Thankfully the airport opened Friday as we had a flight out to Canada for a happy occasion. The wedding day was a glorious sunny fall day, with temperatures in the 50s. Located in the tranquil countryside, the wedding venue was perfect for some rest and relaxation.

Congratulations to the new couple!

Cheers from our sweet nephews! Shared on Altered Book Lover's T for Tuesday

Lovely wedding venue and beautiful skies

After the wedding we left for Banff National Park. We were looking forward to visit Jasper National Park, but deadly fires had ravaged the park this summer, and the hotel canceled our reservations. Banff was the next choice. We've been several times, just not in the fall. It was gorgeous!

Policeman Creek Trail in Canmore 

Town of Banff

Enjoyed a picnic here until it started raining

Our last visit to Lake Louise was in February seven years ago. The Chateau Lake Louise was undergoing renovations and was opened only to registered guests. Alas, no luck for high tea! The jaw-dropping beauty of Lake Louise and the majestic mountains never fail to amaze us. Every angle seemed to be a good photo op as we meandered around the lake.

Picturesque Lake Louise

Back in town, we walked around and hiked Bow River Trail. An elk was busy munching away, oblivious to bystanders.

View of Cascade Mountain from the Cascade of Time Garden

Bow River Trail

It had snowed in the mountains the night before we went to Johnston Canyon. The trail was about 1.5 miles one way to the Upper Falls, but icy and slippery in many spots. Several in our party of 12 made it all the way. The rest of us returned to the entrance, hoping to sit and warm up in a cafe. Unfortunately, most cafes in the park had already closed for the season. We drove back to Banff town to get our caffeine fix.

Hiking to the lower falls

The gateway to Banff is Calgary, so we got to see some relatives. A huge thank you to Yvonne and Trevor for arranging the get-together and treating us to a sumptuous dim sum lunch! And to our gracious hosts Stephanie and Jonathan; the sushi/sashimi dinner and birthday cake were fabulous. Sweet endings to our getaway!

We left Banff in the nick of time. It snowed the very next day. No doubt snow is beautiful, but what a mess for traveling. We know. We used to live and work in Boston many years ago.

Back in sunny Florida, the cleanup continues. The county and the garbage companies were overwhelmed by all the down trees and debris. Yesterday,  I happened to drive by some of our favorite beaches. Construction trucks and crew are still digging sand or mud from homes and parking lots, trash and debris still lining the streets in Pass-A-Grille, Treasure Island and Madeira Beach. It will take some time and effort to restore America's favorite beaches.

This used to be a beautiful beach! (pink Don Cesar hotel in the distance)

Debris and flooded stuff from the home waiting to be picked up

sand blown into street and parking lots in Treasure Island, St Pete 

These two back to back monster hurricanes created so much chaos and  destruction. It is very sad. But we have hope and people are resilient. It will take some time, but the beaches will be restored and lives will return to normal soon. Y'all come visit!

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and Through My Lens.

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24 hours in Ottawa, Canada

In August of last year, we did a road trip to New England (from Tn), visiting several places for the first time - Gettysburg (Pa), York and Ogunquit (Me), New Bedford (Ma) and Ottawa, Ontaria in Canada. We covered quite a bit as we also made side trips to Cape Cod (Ma), New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal.

While visiting friends in Montreal, we decided to go for a day trip to Ottawa; it's less than two hour's drive from their place. What a charming capital city! It's clean, nicely organized with wide boulevards, impressive architecture and history, and not crowded like Montreal or Toronto. We were impressed. 

Perhaps we were early, parking was a breeze. Our first stop was the Parliament buildings. Apparently, the historic Centre Block Parliament building has been undergoing a major overhaul for a decade, and the massive renovation won't be completed for another eight years. You can read more about the project here. Despite all the construction equipment and cranes photo bombing the picture, the iconic landmark is still majestic.

Centre Block, main Parliament building

East Block

Had we known to reserve tickets in advance, we could've gotten a free tour of the East Block building and learned what life at Parliament was like in the 19th century.

Next stop: lunch at Sansotei Ramen noodle shop. We chose it after reading their rave reviews. Our ramen and pork belly were delicious! We had come early and were seated immediately. When we left, the place was packed, and when we passed the location later, there was a line.

Miso Black Chashu (pork belly) ramen

After lunch, we strolled over to the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Flanked by Fairmont Château Laurier on one side, Bytown Museum on the other, the Rideau Canal connects the Ottawa River to the St Lawrence River at Kingston, Ontario. The Ottawa Locks has 8 locks providing a total lift of 79 feet (24m). Watching the operators crank open the wooden gates (by hand!) at each lock was fascinating. It captivated us for three hours as we followed the boats going through the locks along the Rideau Canal. For more detail information on the Ottawa locks, click here. This attraction is also  popular for bicycling, kayaking and weddings (we saw two on this lovely day).

Rideau Canal viewed from the Plaza Bridge

Boats entering the locks

Map and history of the Rideau Canal

Fairmont Château Laurier

On our way to the Byward Market., we ambled over to the National Gallery of Canada and the lovely Notre Dame Basilica.

National Gallery of Canada

Notre Dame Basillica

The Byward Market is a vibrant market that encompasses four blocks, offering produce, handicrafts, all sorts of goods and goodies. There are eateries, pubs and restaurants galore. By the time we got past all the buskers and outdoor entertainment, our stomachs were rumbling.

We had selected a restaurant, but found it closed for a private party. Thanks to wifi, we found Luxe Bistro, where we had a superb al fresco dinner. 

Crispy duck leg

Steak Frites with a side salad

Moules (mussels)

Ottawa is a wonderful side trip from Montreal. Highly recommended.

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday Through My Lens, Little Things Thursday and Image-in-ing.

  

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Hiking Little Lougheed, Kananaskis, Alberta

Please welcome J.M., my guest blogger for this post. J.M. is my brother, and he lives in Calgary, Canada. Recently he discovered hiking, and got some stunning photos of the Canadian Rockies. He's happy to share them here with us. Enjoy! 

After living in Calgary for 21 years, I am only now discovering the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. I love Lake Louise and Banff National Park, and have visited countless times. They are literally in my backyard, as Banff is just over an hour's drive from my house. But hiking the trails on these majestic mountains is a game changer. I've been bitten by the mountain bug. It is so peaceful and awe inspiring. I appreciate Mother Nature and my surroundings so much more. I am thankful to live in such a beautiful area.

I'd like to give a big shout out to my buddy Mike for taking me under his wings on these awesome mountain hikes. Since mid-February, I've hiked with him every other Sunday.. This is my 10th hike. Initially, we were going to hike Tent Ridge Horseshoe, but did not because there was still a lot of snow on this ridge. I was bummed, but Mike said “Little Lougheed will not disappoint you J.M.” 

That was an understatement. The view at the summit was absolutely breathtaking!

Stunning vista of Spray Lake

These jaw-dropping vistas were our reward for our short but strenous climb. We spent two hours at the summit, reflecting and soaking in the spectacular sceneries of Spray Lake and the surrounding mountains. All that workout and sweat was so worth it.

I was ecstatic! 

Me and my buddy Mike

Little Lougheed Trail is a short trail with a lot of hard climb and loose rocks toward the summit. The length is 5 km or 3.11 miles out-and-back. From the car parking lot to the summit, it took us 2 hours on the ascend, 1.5 hours on the descent. Five and a half hours well-spent and almost 1,600 calories burned, I'd say that's an awesome workout.

What are your thoughts? Was Mike right on the money about Little Lougheed?

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday, Through My Lens and image-in-ing

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Magical winter wonderland in Banff National Park, Calgary, Canada

Updated: 12/1/25

It's March. Most people have already forgotten about winter. Since I was in Canada last month, I thought a post about my trip to a magical winter wonderland would be fitting for a travel/boating blog.

a frozen Lake Louise

Ice Sculpture on Lake Louise

So what kind of a snowbird would go to Canada in the midst of winter? Only for something or someone very special. Like a niece's wedding on Valentine's Day. It was the first such joyous celebration in my immediate family; I couldn't possibly miss it. 

So we prepared for the worst, weather-wise, packing lots of warm clothing. Thanks to El Nino, most of those clothing stayed in the suitcase. The wedding was in Edmonton. Snow flurried on our drive there, creating a beautiful landscape. Every glance of the trees in the distance resembled an Ansel Adam's masterpiece. We had beautiful weather for the wedding and throughout our stay in the area, in the low 30s and mid 40s (summer weather for the Canadians!) We're also thankful that our dollar was worth a lot more this time around, U$1 to C$1.38, the highest we've ever seen.

Congratulations to the new couple!

After several days of meeting and reconnecting with families and friends, we ventured off to the magical winter wonderland of Banff National Park. The drive to Banff took a little more than an hour from Calgary.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

View from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

View from ski lift at Mt Norquay, where my brothers skied

Downtown Banff

While we didn't participate in the winter activities like skiing, snow boarding and the like, we took in the magnificent alpine scenery and basked in the warmth of Banff Upper Hot Springs. 

I'm glad we got the opportunity to see Banff in the winter. If you're curious to see what Banff looks like in the summer or fall, read my previously published article here.

Where's your favorite winter destination?

This post is shared on Skywatch Friday and **Art*Journal*Journey.

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