For our final morning at the Canopy Tower, we returned to Pipeline Road. This time, though, the plan involved climbing an observation tower to view the rainforest canopy. The climb itself turned out to be easier than I expected. The tower swayed a little in the wind, which felt mildly unsettling, but not enough to […]
We woke to the sound of heavy rain. Not the brief tropical kind that blows through in twenty minutes, but the sort of steady downpour that settles over the rainforest and refuses to leave. Water hammered the roof hard enough that spending the morning in the open-backed birdmobile sounded considerably less adventurous than it had […]
Our transition from Antarctica to the Canopy Tower started with almost no sleep in Buenos Aires, followed by an email from Avianca informing us that our connecting flight had been cancelled. The replacement itinerary helpfully rebooked us for December 3. But it was November 29. Were we about to embark on an unplanned trip to […]
Isn’t This Trip Over Yet? After completing the side-quest to Newfoundland, we had to get back to the west coast of Canada for our return flight to Australia. Amazingly, we found a points-booking on Westjet via Calgary. The only problem is that it required a stopover in Calgary. Because of availability, the stopover could be […]
Just fifteen minutes from Elliston sits another excellent puffin location on the Bonavista Peninsula: the cliffs surrounding Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. While Elliston often gets the spotlight as Newfoundland’s best land-based puffin site, Bonavista quietly delivers fewer people and epic close encounters. The lighthouse itself dates to 1843 and stands on dramatic cliffs that jut into […]
After leaving St. John’s, the first stretch north on the Trans-Canada Highway was smooth and easy. We found it slightly ironic, as just weeks earlier we had stood at the western end of the same highway in Tofino. Once we turned onto the Bonavista Peninsula, the potholes slowed us down and the landscape began to […]
From Churchill to St. John’s Our trip to Churchill ended back at Winnipeg Airport. Our Calm Air charter flight arrived at the main airport terminal, which was very convenient. With Andy’s infamous buzzing Waterpik safely left behind with the concierge, our luggage came out quickly. After a night at the Grand Royal, right across from […]
More Summer Adventures in Churchill Before leaving Churchill, we packed in a few more experiences. We spent one morning kayaking with the beluga. After suiting up in farmer-john style wetsuits and life jackets, we boarded two-person kayaks. Tip: paddle backwards for a better view, as the whales seem to follow. The weather was perfect, […]
A Rainy Morning and a Change of Plans Because of the beluga stop on the way back from Fireweed Island, we did not return to the lodge until close to 10 p.m. Our schedule originally had us kayaking the next morning, but with the late night and stormy weather forecast, the plan was switched to […]
Heading Out on the Churchill River After a hearty breakfast, we loaded into the van for a short drive to the marina on the Churchill River. The weather was slightly overcast, and I have to admit, I was a little anxious. Would we see bears? And if we did, would they be close enough that […]