Canada’s prairies have plenty of big sky and sprawling fields of wheat and canola as far as the eye can see. What they don’t have much of is water and shade. This week has been a record-setting heat wave, and it has been a potentially dangerous for the ConnecTour bicyclists on a tour across the […]
Pool party on the prairie: Neighbourly antidote to a heat wave Read More »
The call came out of the blue on a Tuesday afternoon. Our son-in-law, Dax learned there was a liver available and he was told to come to Vancouver General Hospital immediately. Within 36 hours the liver was declared a match and, just like that, Dax was undergoing the 10-hour surgery. This was thanks to someone
Update: Our son-in-law gets the life-gift of a liver transplant Read More »
COVID-19 seemed like the least of his worries when Robb Syre moved from Vancouver to Banff in 2020 to work at a tattoo shop founded by his best friend Ronnie Giesbrecht and an associate, Leighton Gall. “Honestly, at first I thought it (COVID) was total bullshit. It was just the flu, rebranded.” But then life
Banff tattoo business dream derailed by COVID reality Read More »
From the dated, wood-frame exterior, it would be easy to dismiss Hotel Ymir (pronounced ‘why-mer’) as just another ramshackle old remnant of British Columbia’s mining heyday, relying on income from the eerie glow of video gaming terminals to eke out a marginal existence. But stepping inside is a bit like diving down the rabbit hole.
Ymir Hotel an unlikely sanctuary for great Canadian art Read More »
We’ve only been on the road for 18 days of our 110-day ride, but we’ve racked up pannier loads of experiences — most of them fun and fantastic, others more of the physically exhausting and unexpected, crazy-weather kind. From time to time, we’ll compile a list of the highlights and lowlights and some bike-touring tips
Highlights, lowlights and lessons learned, so far Read More »
MOYIE, B.C. – Sherry Parsons lives in a home full of ghosts in an out-of-the way former mining town in British Columbia’s East Kootenays. And she’s OK with that. Parsons, 74, and her husband, Michael, built a house next to the historic St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Moyie, B.C., after struggling for years to gain
Moyie’s muse is content to live with the old mining town’s ghosts Read More »
Folks who live in the interior of B.C. like to joke that this month is “Junuary.” One day, it can be scorching hot and the next day can be deathly cold. Knowing you are at the mercy of the weather can be a pretty abstract concept until you live it up close and personal
A brush with heat stroke and then hypothermia Read More »
ConnecTour is kicking off its cross-Canada tour on Friday, May 28th as planned. However, because British Columbia has extended its travel restrictions until June 15th or possibly later, the team has modified its Stage 1 schedule, and will be leaving from Kelowna rather than Victoria, as originally planned. The team had traveled to B.C. in
Cross-Canada tour begins Friday from Kelowna Read More »
With ongoing uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been many questions about plans for the 2021 ConnecTour cross-Canada ride. The short answer is, we’re ready to go when restrictions lift. The ConnecTour team is optimistic the group will be able to depart Victoria, B.C., on May 28th. This plan is based on the
May 28th new departure date for cross-Canada tour Read More »
ConnecTour Chronicles Five Canadians who call themselves ConnecTour are planning to tour across Canada this summer, discovering how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our lives and our sense of community. Fellow cycle-touring enthusiasts will join with the group at various points along the way. Watch this space for regular reports. April 18, 2021 “Are you
COVID panic? Keep calm and carry on with bike tour planning Read More »
