Montreal, Canada

Jan 19th - 23rd. A visit to Montreal in the dead of winter is an interesting and cold experience. After visiting Jackson Hole last week, I thought I was prepared for the cold, but I was poorly prepared. Snow, wind and ice in a big city combine to produce a frozen experience. Cold aside, Montreal is a wonderful city.

The beginning of the trip did not start well. Driving in a new city covered with snow, most road lanes missing and most road signs in French is difficult. Added to that, I was given the incorrect address to my customer, and then my GPS unit did not have the new address. A couple of hours late, with the aid of hand scribbled maps I finally reached the customer site. Later that day, my room key broke at the hotel, locking me out of my room for a while. I was finally able to go to bed after they had replaced the door electronics. Usually, the travel aggravation on the first day sets the tone for the business week, but so far my fears have been for nought as my customer has been a gracious host.

On Tuesday night I went out into the city with my customer Daniel. We drove up and around Mount Royal (Mont Royal) when I had a great view of the city at night - finally it wasn't snowing and the skies were clear. Back in the city we had dinner at a great little and warm bar call Baton Rouge (The Red Bat). While we were there I could see that the Atlanta Thrashers were beating Montreal in Ice Hockey being played back in Atlanta (3 - 2 when I left). After ribs and chicken, we drove to Old Port Montreal. Sand stone buildings line the streets and port, transporting you to any European city across the pond. Reminded me of the Rocks in Sydney, or Salamanca in Hobart.

Leaving the snow pack cobblestone streets, I returned to my hotel, where once again, my keys didn't work.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jan 12th - 16th. I visited Jackson Hole and surrounding area for the first time during the winter season while working for Jackson Hole Airport. I had last been to Jackson Hole during late fall where I experienced some stunning weather allowing me to tour the area and take advantage of day light savings time and drive up to Yellowstone National Part after work.


A totally different vista now with the winter landscape. Everywhere was covered by at least 2 feet of snow which apparently was a low year. I was fortunate to be working with a great bunch of people that took me cross country skiing one lunch and night time skiing at Snow king another time. Cross country skiing was difficult. Instinct had me trying to 'run' over the snow rather than the gliding action that was required. The different snow types encountered also changed the experience, from ice impacted snow to soft powder - each requiring a different action to cross over with the long narrow skis. While the rest of the group made it look easy, sweat was pouring off me. I was happy with my first attempt at six miles.

Snow King is one of Americas oldest ski resorts, with base in Jackson Hole city. With free ski lift tickets and rental equipment I got to enjoy a night of skiing. A very different experience at night with limited viewing of the obstacles ahead, though my lack of down hill speed did not cause a problem. After a few slow and bad runs, I finally got the hang of it and was able to get down the slop without falling and with more confidence.

Driving around the area I saw thousands of Elk and Moose as they huddled around rivers taking advantage of the soft snow to dig for grass. Also prowling around the Elk, I got to see a pack of wolves.


The dining experience at Jackson Hole is always enjoyable with a Wild West feel. I ate a couple of nights at the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill. Old west bar made famous for the 2500 Silver Dollar coins that comprise the bar. Enjoyed a Elk Gyro. Delicious meat. One of my favourite day places would be Dobins which is north of the airport towards Yellowstone but still within the Teton National Park. Excellent fresh food, pizza and salads with plenty of local brews to wash it down with. In the warmer months there is a rooftop seating area with an amazing view.

The Swinging Bridge - Blue Ridge, GA

One day during our Christmas vacation we decided to venture out for a hike. We decided to find the swinging Bridge that we had read so much about. The swinging bridge is a part of the Benton McCaye Trail and was originally built for logging purposes.


Rod will elaborate here.

Our Cabin in Blue Ridge

In 2008 we purchased a cabin in North Georgia. Our cabin is nestled along side a creek that is about 7 miles north of Blue Ridge, Georgia and about 3 miles from the Tennessee state line.

We were able to get our cabin all ready for the family so we could enjoy it together for Christmas 2008.

We look forward to many future trips to our cabin with family and friends in 2009.

Cloudland Canyon Camping - November 2008

Our final camping trip of 2008 was at Cloudland Canyon just south of Chattanooga Tennessee. We arrived at dusk which made locating our walk in campsites extremely difficult. After hiking around for about 40 minutes, we realized that most of the sites here had quite a hike and it would make hauling all our gear in difficult. We are comfort campers... air mattresses, coolers and gas stoves are all requirements. We found a nice large site that was a reasonable distance from the parking lot. Instead of the 3 sites we paid for, we all stayed at one spot. (We were not able to determine the location of many of the other sites, much less find 3 close together)

All the sites at cloudland canyon offer privacy, so its not the ideal location for group camping if you want multiple sites together, however since the sites are so large, it is possible for a group to stay on one site and still enjoy privacy.

The best part of this campground was the hiking. On Saturday our group enjoyed a 3 hour hike around the canyon and were able to enjoy some amazing views.