Vancouver

May 21, 2024

We got up and went to the McDonalds for a quick breakfast and then caught the Skytrain to the airport.  It had been a couple of years since I had been in Vancouver and I found myself thinking about my memory. I remember where we stayed and how they had breakfast in the lounge and they had Boursin Cheese (which I love) which I would put on toast.   For the life of me, I could not remember if I took the train to the airport or if I went into a Star Alliance lounge.  I found it interesting on how I could have such a detailed memory about the Boursin Cheese but couldn’t remember if I had taken the train into Vancouver.

We got home that evening and unfortunately, neither of us were feeling good.  The following day, Sophon tested positive for COVID and the day after, my test came back positive.  It is not the way we wanted to end our trip.

Hell’s Gate

May 20th, 2024

It was another day on the Rocky Mountaineer.  I had no complaints, the service on the Rocky Mountaineer was top rate. I had learned about the Rocky Mountaineer from my father who wanted to take a trip on it.  Unfortunately, he never got around to making that happen.  I hoped that he was there along with me.   He was a traveler at heart and would have loved this.

When we got to Vancouver, we were dropped off at the Fairmont Hotel which was across the street from  the Pan Pacific, where we stayed when we started the trip.  We decided to have dinner at the Pan Pacific hotel since we enjoyed it so much.   After dinner, as we were leaving the hotel, we passed the area where we gathered before starting our trip.  I realized that a new group would be gathering the following morning. I found myself wondering how a week could have passed so quickly, we had seen a lot of great things and met a lot of good people.

As with all trips, I found myself sad that the experience was coming to a close but it was also a reminder that time flies, and I needed to start thinking about my next adventure! Continue reading →

Digital Orca

Monday, May 13, 2024

Off to Vancouver to start our Rocky Mountaineer trip through the Canadian Rockies.  Although it was a midday flight, it is considered an international flight, we needed to be at the airport three hours early and LAX is typically busy on Monday morning’s.  It was an early morning!

While getting ready to leave, I turned on the news.  They were paying tribute to Sam Rubin, a well respected entertainment report on KTLA who had passed away a few days before.  He was 64, just a few years older than me. Whenever I take a trip, I find myself thinking that it isn’t the right time, this was a reminder that none of us know how much time we have left and we shouldn’t put off the things that we want to do.

We had done a Rocky Mountaineer tour in the US the year before, and we really enjoyed it.  I was looking forward to this one, I had been to Vancouver but I hadn’t been to Kamloops, Jasper, and Lake Louise which were places we would be stopping at.  This being May, we would avoid the summer crowds but we would still get to see some snow in the higher altitudes.

The three hour  flight from Los Angeles to Vancouver was uneventful.  I noticed there was a guy across the aisle from me working on a script. Vancouver has been called Hollywood North because of the amount of filming that has moved there.  I wondered if he was trying to pitch the script or if he was a working writer.

Continue reading →