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HOLIDAY 2010 Mail Replicated by BLOG 164 or read a quality article on the subject NORTH AMERICA HELLINGER TRAVEL RECORDs for HOLIDAY 2010 Intro WELCOME TO THE HOLIDAY 2010 SITE As an overall introduction to my Holiday 2010 travel website for North America I would say this is split by both country and time, it covers our family trips in Holiday 2010 to both Canada and America. We have been from one side of Canada to the other mostly in our HOLIDAY 2010 travels, which was from Edmonton in Alberta to Labrador and the start of the Trans Labrador Highway, and back in 1999 from Vancouver as far east as Edmonton where our pals live, so joining up from East coast to West. For America we visited in 1997 for the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World in Florida with our boys when they were 15 and 13, again on this 2010 trip when we crossed over into Upstate New York and Maine briefly, again in 2018 for our 40th wedding anniversary which was a cruise where we visited states Louisiana, South Carolina and Florida , that trip is not featured here on this website but you can read all about it by clicking HERE and finally in 2022 for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney world again back in Florida but this time with Craig, Leanne and our grandchildren Edie & Tate, 3 generations, finally beginning to look old though I will always like Peter Pan feel young. So all in all we have visited 5 States of the United States, quite a few more to go then eh for us Brits. Right on with the rest of the site, lets initially focus on Canada. Get the rest via the dropdown menu, thanks as always for looking, best KeefH Web Designs x ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 1999 & 2010 Plus USA: Florida,Upstate New York,Maine (2010) and Florida (1997) In 2010 We were in Canada between 18th May and 25th July 2010. Stayed with our friends David & Cathy in Edmonton for 5 days but visited Lesser Slave Lakes, then picked up our campervan / motorhome (Canadreams) in Calgary and travelled for roughly 9 weeks across to the east seeing all provinces (apart from Yukon, North West Territories & Nunavut) plus dropped across the US border into upstate New York & Maine including the wonderful Bar Harbor, so combined with our 1999 trip when we were essentially in British Columbia and the Rockies region as well as Vancouver Island and a brief sojourn to visit our pals in Edmonton, Alberta we have now crossed from one side of Canada to the other (it is the 2nd largest country on earth) At the end of our 2010 trip we flew back from Halifax Nova Scotia ​ One of the comments from David in 1999 when we camped about 300 miles away from his home was "you were just down the road, you should have come here instead of camping there"... just gives you an illustration of how vast the wonderful Canada is when Canadians mentality suggests 300 miles is a hop, step and a jump away, for us Brits thats almost a 1/3 rd of the country. 😉HOLIDAY 2010 was a fun experience. ​ HOLIDAY 2010: 92 Days travel - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles Edmonton to Halifax, west to east, including Newfoundland & Labrador, Prairies, Ontario & Quebec, Maritimes. This is also repeated under Blog 164 ​ 1999: 25 Days travel - 11th August - 4th September 1999, 1863 miles travelled in our Classic 2000 3 berth hired motorhome. Poor Doug who often said "are we there yet" was only 15 and a better immitation of "Kevin" by Harry Enfield I have not seen 😉. However Doug did love fishing and making real camp fires. So now been across whole of that part of North America if one includes our 1999 trip (also covered by Blog 166 as well as here) covering Vancouver island, British Columbia and into Edmonton, Alberta. ​ We travelled at the time by Air Canada I believe via Iceland to Calgary and then on to Edmonton but I could be wrong, I have some dim and distant memory of an airline called Canada3000. So wish I had taken a picture of the plane. 280510 hard to believe xmas nearly june, high river campsite Alberta keef with the mountie bear Saskatchewan cape canaveral 97 Florida USA 1997 280510 hard to believe xmas nearly june, high river campsite Alberta 1/14 front bar harbor van parked up at red bay united reform church 1/39 120610 camp park resorts niagara falls 070610 camping at elliot lake, ontario 1/28 Provinces Etc Highlights Campsites Flags Full Slideshow Collage Canada Intro Holiday 2010 Site Full Diary For HOLIDAY 2010 part CANADA 2010 we went ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus States New York & Maine in the USA in 2010, it was such fun and quite an achievement. In summary HOLIDAY 2010 consisted of 87 Days travel Canada - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles, the Highlights were Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Seeing the Harveys (dear friends), Dauphin, Wrestling with the badly sorted Steering wheel on the very windy Prairies, Maid of the Mist on Niagara Falls, Red Bay Labrador, Canada day in Fredericton, Gaspe peninsular, Mounties museum in Regina, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, seeing Moose plus potentially more importantly achieving travelling from one side of Canada to the other - all provinces (Canada does provinces, America does states-BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland (Newfie heaven) & Labrador. In sequence during HOLIDAY 2010 we visited Alberta is one of the 3 Prairie Provinces. We spent 11 Days in Alberta, Canada - 18th - 29th May 2010, 219 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, we have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous country Medicine hat, head smashed in buffalo jump world heritage site, snow at high river end of may, the campsite said happy christmas (smile) when we arrived, 2 caravans were ruined by falling branches weighed down by weight of the snow, plus cardston, high prairie, staying with dear friends david & cathy and family, west ed mall, dawson bridge, perogies, tyrrell heritage centre, fort ed, winterton lakes np, bow river, border with montana glacial park, red deer, calgary, brand new motorhome, hoo doos at willow creek, blackfoot tribe and many more gems, we have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous country. Why not have a look at the Prairies Provinces talkies video whilst you are about it, it shows all our spoken word highlights in those 3 provinces. Worth a listen I promise you. Now to the second prairie province, Saskatchewan during HOLIDAY 2010. We spent 5 Days in Saskatchewan, Canada - 29th May-2nd June 2010, 79 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, amongst others we covered saskatchewan landing, saskatoon, regina, visiting the RCMP "mounties" academy, chapel and museum in regina , goodwin house, red river cart, wanuskewin heritage centre, heritage, prairies, railways, swift current, elbow, davidson, we learnt about the cree, matis and lakota tribes, hudson bay company, meewasin park plus we saw bears and we have now been right across canada in a motorhome and we loved it #FACT Then we visited the last of the Prairie provinces, Manitoba, we spent 3 Days in Manitoba, Canada - 2nd-4th June 2010, 67 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective covering macgregor, duaphin, dryden, winnipeg , winnipeg beach, riding mountain national park, clear water (lac) lake, assiniboine river, shellmouth reservoir, steinbach, bears, moose , Mennonite heritage village @ steinbach and all ports in between. In case you missed it haha we have been from one side of canada to the other #fact We then moved onto the central provinces for HOLIDAY 2010, firstly Ontario, including Canada’s capital Ottawa. We spent 15 Days in Ontario, Canada between 4th-20th June 2010, we took 372 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others nipigon, wawa, elliot lake, new liskeard, musselmans lake, toronto, niagara falls – just fab, 1000 islands boat trip from Gananoque and we did learn how to make that famous dressing on board, percy lake, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake& beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay, the great lakes-superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them, niagara on the lake, Sinclair cove, mounties on horses and foot, ottawa, aguasarbon falls, lake superior national park, Latchford where annie’s uncle and family once travelled as nearby and indeed their street was named such, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park, stouffville, niagara botanical gardens, floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, st Lawrence river, gananoque town and harbor, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market and saw some fascinating street food, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies and found some nice folk who had indeed been taught by him at the Hailbury museum (we joined their mailing list for a bit with respect to genealogy) and all ports in between. It may be worth having a look at the HOLIDAY 2010 Central Provinces spoken word videos at this point which act as a type of audiobook. It was then on to that most 17th French speaking province during HOLIDAY 2010 and the final one in the central region Quebec. This is most distinctively THE French Province, the McGarrigle sister are a huge plus as is Celine Dion but they are in our humble opinion somewhat just too parochial, we noted as we crossed the border how it instantly felt like English was verboten. Our pals find it odd as well since it was the Quebecoise who insisted that all road signs are written in dual language yet Quebec is the only province that doesn’t do that tee hee, David said if geographically they were on either edge of Canada they could easily be awarded independence, still that won’t happen. We spent 11 Days on HOLIDAY 2010 in Quebec, Canada - between 10th June & 13th July 2010, taking 178 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others montreal, quebec city, fort quebec, the queen’s governor’s residence, chateau Frontenac, wow what a grand hotel almost a French chateau , saguenay fjord, tadoussac, trois pistoles, gaspe,saw the city bike race, the citadel,the fab st lawrence river, lac timiscaming, les escoumins, bardville, ferry, grande grave, campsite juneau, cap de rosier, forillon national park, camping baie de gaspe where sadly as I dished out our cooked brekkie on the outside wooden table it collapsed and spread hot food over both of us – not good but on reflection funny, it was caused by me sitting on the same side of the wooden bench as Annie and sad to say it couldn’t cope with my extra weight tee hee, riviere au renard, basilica notre dame du quebec, rocking chairs, kayaks, l’heritage 1, light houses, boardwalks, musicians, rooftops, skyscrapers, robbie burns in montreal, maison maillou, point a la recommee, dolphins, possibly whales, sunsets, provisional and national parcs & all ports in between. All very french "trois service sil vous plais" For HOLIDAY 2010 It was then onto the first of our Maritime Provinces, namely New Brunswick which still had in most parts a French feel. We spent 14 Days in New Brunswick, Canada - between 24th June & 25th July 2010, 78 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others alma, campbellton, lighthouses, miscou island, lamere island, kouchibouguac np, bay of fundy np which is world famous for the tidal change in height, fantastic to see, provincial parcs, butland’s lobster (yummy), beaver tails which was a distinctive fast food chain across Canada as indeed is that dead ice hockey player Tim Hortons which is now in the UK along with that other North American stalwart Taco Bells (we always assumed it wouldn’t be long before each invaded our shores haha), art and art galleries, music, arcadians, micmacs, mcadam station, cape jourmain, confederation bridge, sea dogs ice hockey, covered cedar bridge tunnels, hopewell rocks, grand anse, baseball, bog walks, plant life, harbors, sun and rain in equal measures, magnetic hill, magic village, bathurst, val-comeau, cap egmont, moncton, saint john (as opposed to st johns in newfie) looking for Annie’s rellies, petit codiac river, possum in the road kill cafe, fredericton for canada day 1 July, Japanese tourists asking to see inside our van (they were fascinated bizarrely… I guess like China which we do know about from Phoenix’s parents camping is just not a common occurrence) , and lots of places in between. It may be worth looking at the HOLIDAY 2010 Maritime provinces talkies video which acts as a spoken word audiobook of our time in the Maritimes, such lovely provinces, indeed there isn’t a bad one from one side of Canada to the other. Then it was HOLIDAY 2010 time in Prince Edward Island (PEI) the 2nd of the Maritimes, a holiday island, we went twice, Charlotte town is just lovely, it’s the capital. We went once on our touring journet and then returned when David & Cathy were on holiday there, they flew from Edmonton Alberta across. We spent 7 Days on Prince Edward Island, Canada, between 27th June & 25th July 2010, we took 90 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others PEI a holiday resort or as some people unkindly refer to it "spud" island, summerside, anne of green gables house @ cavendish, charlottetown, many heritage buildings, crossing the fab confederation bridge arriving at borden-carleton, meeting up with friends - the lovely Harveys,we made 2 visits here ,saw live music, the bottle house, tigish, cape egmont and lighthouse, north cape, north point lighthouse, victoria, georgetown, spud radio, lobsters, energy institute, queens wharf, lucy maud Montgomery (yes here of anne of green gables fame , huge with Japanese school kids it seems) , sand sculptures and cedar cladding plus saw a lot of other places on the island. Then it was onto the third of the HOLIDAY 2010 Maritime provinces, Nova Scotia, yes it does sound Scottish, and it definitely has a lot of that character, whiskey and highland games being 2 of the times to that ancient mainland origins . Remember many Scots migrated to Canada to avoid crofting law changes and indeed starvation, through out history folks have moved continents for a chance of a better life, including my rellies who escaped from “beyond the pale” or in escaping greater Germany / Russia from Latvia “pale of Settlement” … a quick definition is “From pale (“jurisdiction of an authority, territory under an authority's jurisdiction”), suggesting that anything outside the authority's jurisdiction was uncivilized. The phrase was in use by the mid-17th century, and is a reference to the general sense of boundary (outside of the palisades), but is sometimes understood to refer specifically to the English Pale in Ireland, as well as the Pale of Settlement in Imperial Russia. In the nominally English territory of Ireland, only the Pale fell genuinely under the authority of English law, hence the terms within the pale and beyond the pale. In Russia, Jews were relegated to living in the Pale, and mostly forbidden to live or work “beyond the pale.” We spent 11 Days on HOLIDAY 2010 in Nova Scotia, Canada, between 8th & 25th July 2010, we took 294 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective visiting amongst others the wonderful bay of fundy, many heritage buildings especially at annapolis royal & lunneburg, highland games at antigonish, watching someones awning bend in high winds at the campsite, wolfville, crossing the fab confederation bridge near mayfield (NB) ,cape breton National Park, the truly magnificent peggys cove at st margarets bay inmour humble opinion a place that could join the elite wonders of the world indeed definitely in our book the 1001 places to see before you die, they are listed on the site with all the ones we have been to and the ones we are yet to visit… note to self-please! , halifax and KEITH’s beer (got the t-shirt) ferry from sydney to newfoundland, far too much fizzy pop in fast food joint (free refill - never again!), cap le moine, cheticamp, cape breton, cabot trail with views to die for, pugwash, bog walk, pictou, glenora distillery the only single malt in canada, ingonish, broad cove campground, joe’s scarecrow visited by billy connolly and us (sadly closed in 2011), the highlands national park, louisbourg and the fortress, wolfe and the french, halifax, murray-mackay bridge, pier 21 a very interesting museum which so much about migration to these new lands, prospect, shelburne, port maitland beach, cresent beach, yarmouth, digby, lockeport and more Now onto our HOLIDAY 2010 4th Maritme province and maybe one of the oldest with the weirdest accent derived from the fisher folk who came over from the oh-ah counties of England, i.e. Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, after all Newfoundland is “just across the water” maybe haha. We love the Newfies and their scenery and moose. We spent 6 Days in Newfoundland, Canada, between 11th & 16th July 2010, took 158 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others l'anse au claire, st johns (as opposed to st john in NB) fab harbour views here, moose by the roadside,the wonderful gros morne national park, gander, bonavista, conception bay, st mary’s, icebergs floating past, st anthony museum and the size of a polar bear, just see that picture of annie standing next to one standing on its hind legs and you will see how dwarfed she was, , ferry at st barbe to labrador and a very early morning sailing in rain and mist, we parked in the ferry carpark overnight so as not to miss it, port aux basque,deer lake, grand falls windsor, corner brook, fab whale museum and houses at scilly cove (now winterton) home of annie’s rellie john masters, indian harbour, steady brook,3 mile rock, long beach, pynns brook, springdale, grate cove, gambo, the perlican,nymph island, portland creek,little hearts ease (such a lovely name),red rocks, noddy bay, st lunaire-griquet, the arches National Park ,the ship the SS ethie, bonne & shallow bays, gunners cove, cape ray and wreck house brook. Then onto our final HOLIDAY 2010 Province, Labrador which sadly is mostly impassable except in the height of winter when the perma frost TLH or Trans Labrador Highway allows passage between the many remote and sparse towns and settlements. The capital of Labrador is Labrador City which in fairness is not really a city nor a capital. Labrador and Newfoundland often act as one due to the very low population numbers. We were really only able to go along the coast road as far as Red Bay and the start of the TLH. We spent 2 Days in Labrador, Canada - between 12th & 13th July 2010, 51 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others the ferry apollo departing st barbe newfoundland at an ungodly hour and arriving at blanc sablon, l'anse au clair (where we camped overnight), forteau, travelling the jersey trail, l'anse au covert, l'anse amour, red bay including the museum and look out at old whaling station, saddle & capstan islands, start of the trans labrador highway (gravel and permafrost) oh and black fly galore on the pinware river bridge. That’s all folks for HOLIDAY 2010 Canada 2010 at least but now onto the 2 HOLIDAY 2010 American states we popped over into in 2010 and our earlier visit to British Columbia in 1999 with Doug in a hired motorhome, he was 15, and then our family visit to Florida back in 1997, this was car and motel, no motorhome involved. So to HOLIDAY 2010 Upstate New York , the bit basically around the River Niagara but so glad we did it, crossing Lewiston-Wellesley, we spent 2 Days in Upstate New York (NY), USA - between 14th & 15th June 2010, 28 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others a fraught crossing at lewiston into the states because of the hired motorhome, and on return "mam I've told you to remove those sun glasses, I want to see the whites of your eyes" (smile), niagara falls (both canadian and us sides), rochester, banal local tv about geese "sh***ting on boardwalk", oh and trash can episode at the very nice campsite on the lake edge, watertown, apples & cherries,country stores, hummers plus crossing back to canada near wellesley island, youngstown & the boss i.e. mr springsteen, one of my fave he and the east street band tracks, oneida lake. Maybe have a listen to the HOLIDAY 2010 American state talkies videos 2010 which act as a sort of audiobook of our time there. Then when in HOLIDAY 2010 New Brunswick we crossed over into the US state of Maine, we were naughty and tried to find a completely out of the way border crossing as after the fiasco and hassle at the Lewiston border control, officialdom gone nuts, we wanted an easy crossing, sadly even though we were in the middle of the woods which seemed to be nowhere we were heavily checked again, maybe sensible I suppose with some of the border issues the States faces. We spent 3 Days in HOLIDAY 2010 Maine (ME), USA - between 4th (Independance day) & 5th July 2010, 69 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others bar harbor, lincoln, bangor, crossing the border at a small centre near mcadams, lubec, west quoddy lighthouse, shopping for milk "near the guns, rifles and bullets, sir!", that was a walmart in Lincoln where we also bought some warmer clothing now sadly all gone (2022), the staff were amazingly polite, 4th july at campsite near bar harbor, flags, burgers and beers, plus crossing back to canada , lobster rolls (yummy) from gas stations, miles not kilometres and cheap gas. We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in case you didn’t guess haha and visited quite a few states in America. #tick So now back to HOLIDAY 2010 British Columbia, Vancouver Island and Edmonton, Alberta and visiting friends. In summary our trip to Canada in 1999 was between 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome, we started in Vancouver, went to see the Rockies, then across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching, actually saw a pod of Killer Whales better known as Orca's, it was just magical, then back to see more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears! 😉but not the long drop loos. Then it was HOLIDAY 2010 Florida (FL) USA with the boys, including Kissimee, Tampa, the Keys, Everglades, Cape Kennedy Space Station, we returned again in 2018 on our 40th Wedding Anniversary cruise, you can read our motorhome-travels blog https://www.motorhome-travels.net blog number 125 for further details if you are interested. We spent 15 days holiday between 26 July and 9 August 1997, highlights were Family Time at all these, Clearwater Beach, Tampa and West Palm Beach plus of course Disney & Miss Piggy #sigh, we stayed at apartment 126, The Villas of Somerset, Kissimmee, Florida, USA, 34746, and here's a summary Initially stayed in Kissimmee for 2 weeks and visited ALL the theme parks & water parks. Going back into Universal after 7pm is a good call as it saved the queues. Saw central Orlando. We then travelled across to the west, Tampa, Busch Gardens park, clearwater, sanibel, sarasota, venice , naples, then back to the east via the Everglades and down the Keys: Largo, Marathon, Bahia Honda National Park (NP), Key West then back up via Fort Lauderdale, Miami (although didn't go in here in 97 but did in 2018) to Orlando plus Kennedy Space Station , Cocoa beach, River Country, Cracker Barrel, 25 Disney Anniversary, Typhoon Lagoon, Sports World, River Country, Universal, Water World, MGM Studios, Pleasure Island, Blizzard Beach, Tower of Terror, Backlot , giant heavy video cameras & animation tours. So that really is all folks from HOLIDAY 2010. Feast your eyes on all the wonderful You Tube videos and image slideshows that accompanied that wonderful experience we now call a Big Trip holiday. Note there is more inividual diaries available under each Province or State, maybe have a look there as well. Best wishes KeefH Web Designs. Big love, hugs and best wishes to you all hope you enjoyed HOLIDAY 2010 Full Diary Diary Audiobooks Visitors CONTACT KeefH Web Designs, Sandiacre, Derbyshire, UK on +44 (0)7843962729 Please help out by taking our KHWD Survey (less than 1 min), thanks email KeefHWebDesigns@outlook.com Mail Contact KHWD Alberta Maine Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec New Brunswick Upstate New York Pre Travel Summary USA 1997 Newfoundland Canada 1999 Labrador USA 2022 SEO Page Links Travel Photography Trailer

UPSTATE NEW YORK ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus New York State & Maine in the USA in 2010, this page is the Upstate New York bit basically around the River Niagara but so glad we did it 2 Days in Upstate New York (NY), USA - between 14th & 15th June 2010, 28 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others a fraught crossing at lewiston into the states because of the hired motorhome, and on return via wellesley island Annie was greeted with "mam I've told you to remove those sun glasses, I want to see the whites of your eyes" (smile), kind and welcoming eh? not! niagara falls (both canadian and us sides), stella niagara, US highway 18 better known as the lake ontario state parkway, towers corners, roosevelt beach, wilson, olcott, collins landing, somerset, 4th july flags everywhere, braddock bay wildlife area, syracuse , rochester with its zoo and museum of play, banal local tv about geese "sh***ting on boardwalk", we took interstate highway 490 onto the 90 out of Rochester along to syracuse, via farmington, clifton springs, montezuma (fab name) , weedsport and jordan , oh and the trash can episode at the very nice campsite on the lake edge near syracuse, we were camping by oneida lake shores, watertown, back to canada via cicero & pulaski on state highway 81 (sometimes referred to as the great indian warpath) , apples & cherries, country stores, hummers plus crossing back to canada near wellesley island, youngstown & the boss & 3 time superbowl winner Dallas Cowboy Daryl "The Moose" Johnson who was born here. We have been from one side of Canada to the other and in the states a few times, FACT See the American States Talkies Video about to cross back into canada at collins landing oneida lakes , onondaga county, ny state 1/14 Slideshows Talkies Images Map Overview Summary: We spent 2 Days and one night in Upstate New York We took 28 Photos, many of which are included in the summary slideshows. We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever. We dropped over the border twice once into upstate New York around Niagara Falls on Lake Ontario and once into Maine around McAdam. For Upstate New York the following were some of the highlights, a fraught crossing at Lewiston into the states because of the hired motorhome, they impounded it for a while, presumably thinking we had stolen it, amazingly officious handed us a form to complete which we did but when I tried handing it back to them they purposefully ignored me, not nice, we were there for hours. On return to Canada it was via wellesley island Annie was greeted with "mam I've told you to remove those sun glasses, I want to see the whites of your eyes" (smile), kind and welcoming eh? not! I can only conclude as old hippies we look dodgy ha-ha. Anyhow we also visited Niagara falls (both canadian and us sides), stella Niagara, US highway 18 better known as the lake ontario state parkway, towers corners, roosevelt beach, wilson, olcott, somerset, 4th july flags everywhere, Braddock bay wildlife area, syracuse, rochester with its zoo and museum of play, banal local tv about geese "sh***ting on boardwalk", we took interstate highway 490 onto the 90 out of Rochester along to syracuse, via Farmington, clifton springs, Montezuma (fab name) , Weedsport and Jordan , oh and the trash can episode at the very nice campsite on the lake edge near Syracuse, we were camping by Oneida lake shores, this lake is named after the Iroquois tribe, its 21 miles long by 5 miles wide and is the largest lake in NY state, it feeds into lake Ontario via the river Oneida I believe but could be wrong, we had some nice paddles and walks along the lake shore whilst camping there, then it was onto watertown, back to canada via cicero & pulaski on state highway 81 (sometimes referred to as the great indian warpath) , apples & cherries, country stores, hummers plus crossing back to Canada near Wellesley island, Youngstown & the boss was special one of my fave tracks. It also famous for & 3 times Superbowl winner Dallas Cowboy Daryl "The Moose" Johnson who was born here. So glad we popped over the border despite the hassle of getting there and back, travelling along Lake Ontario’s shore on the Stateside was special. Nice Memories. Diary Audio Diary Trailer

CANADA 1999 CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 1999, Britsh Columbia & Vancouver Island Plus Alberta to Edmonton to stay with Friends. This Family Trip is also replicated on the motorhome-travels blog as BLOG 166 Introduction This page covers our trip to Canada in 1999 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome and initially a hire car, we started in Vancouver, went to see the Rockies, also across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching, actually saw a pod of Orca's just magical, also saw the magnificent Pacific Rim National Park, then back to see more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears! 😉 In summary some of the highlights and places visited were Victoria , Vancouver Island, Vancouver City, West Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park, Inside passage by ferry, Prince Rupert, Highway 16, Prince George, the BC ferry Tsawwassen thru US waters and various Islands to Swartz Bay, on Vancouver island we visited Nanaimo, Sidney, Cassidy, stayed in Duncan, Crofton, Swartz Bay, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Nanoose Bay, Port Alberni , Beaver Creek, Sooke, Long Beach, Tofino and then returned to the Islands Capital Victoria which is just such a lovely place with the historic Empress Hotel (by 2022 known as the Fairmont Empress), plus Patricia Hotel, North Saanich, Cordova Bay, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Esquimalt, Millstream, Squamish, Whistler, Banff , Pemberton, Mount Currie, Yoho National Park, Radium Hot Springs, Ice Explorer on the Columbia Ice field, Athabasca Glacier, Lillooet, 70,100,150 mile house, Quesnel, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park, Hazelton, Seven sisters provincial park, McBride, Jasper National Park, Kamloops , Kelowna , Vanderhoof , Moose Highway 99, Capilano suspension bridge, Sulphur Mountain, Calgary and a whole lot more. Overview Calendars Family Time in a Motorhome with Doug aged 15 August 1999 calendar created by KeefH Web Designs colourful calendar to show 1999 month of August Canada 1999 trip plan for August mostly British Columbia created by KeefH Web Designs Day by Day August 1999 travels with Doug Canada 1999 trip plan for September mostly British Columbia created by KeefH Web Designs Day by Day September 1999 travels with Doug August 1999 calendar created by KeefH Web Designs colourful calendar to show 1999 month of August 1/4 Slideshows Images williams lake BC wildlife just outside banff 1/93 Map Canada 1999 Mostly British Columbia , Some Alberta to Edmonton and back Summary: We spent 25 Days in British Columbia and a bit of Alberta We took 185 Photos, all of which are included in the summary slideshows. Our trip to Canada in 1999 was from 11 August to 4th September, 25 days in our hired All Drive Classic 3000 3 berth motorhome combined with a hire car at the beginning for use to get around Vancouver Island and do the Inside passage loop from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert and then back down to Vancouver to swap the car for the camper van, when we had the car we stayed in B&B’s mostly and some motels, clearly once we had the van we stayed at campsites. Initially we started in Vancouver downtown in what was definitely not a nice area but was cheap and afforded us the opportunity to see the City of Vancouver quite easily, then across on the ferry to Vancouver island where we went to Tofino to do some whale watching in the Salish sea, actually saw a pod of Orca's just magical from our boat that left Telegraph Cove, after returning from Victoria, Vancouver Island and picking up the motorhome we went to see the Rockies, then much more of British Columbia eventually travelling up to Edmonton in Alberta to visit our pals David & Cathy & family, magical times with Doug who was 15 at that stage, fishing and chopping logs for our wild camp fire cooking was a true highlight. We stayed in some very remote campsites and managed to avoid the bears! In summary some of the highlights and places visited were Victoria, Vancouver Island, Vancouver City, Burnaby, West Vancouver, Cypress Provincial Park, inside passage by ferry, Prince Rupert, we drove much on the fab remote Highway 16 thru BC back down through some fabulous scenery to Vancouver swapped car for motorhome and then across to friends in Edmonton, plus we saw at various stages and in no particular order, Prince George, the BC ferry Tsawwassen thru US waters, and various Islands to Swartz Bay, Tsawwassen terminal is a 36 km drive from downtown Vancouver and is located at the southwest end of Highway 17 in Delta. Sailings departing from Tsawwassen provide service to Swartz Bay (Victoria), Duke Point (Nanaimo) and the Southern Gulf Islands. Visit the Tsawwassen Quay for shopping and a range of food and beverage options. On Vancouver Island we visited Sidney, Cassidy, stayed in Duncan, Crofton, Swartz Bay, Lake Cowichan, Port Renfrew, Nanoose Bay, Port Alberni, Beaver Creek, Long Beach, Tofino and then returned to the Islands Capital Victoria which is just such a lovely place with the historic Empress Hotel. We returned via the fabulous Shawnigan Lake, we also visited Sooke on the island where our B&B landlady told us a about the replica Captain James Cook ship the Endeavour on its re-enactment voyage, just wonderful especially as Captain Cook is our hero and we have tried on our travels to visit many of the places he went to , from Middlesborough to 1770, big tick, plus we remember the sordid Patricia Hotel, North Saanich, Cordova Bay, Thetis Lake Regional Park, Esquimalt, Millstream, Squamish, Whistler, Banff, Pemberton, Mount Currie, Lillooet, 70,100,150 mile house, Quesnel, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake, Gitnadoiks River Provincial Park, Hazelton, Seven sisters provincial park, Chemainus and all the wall murals, bit like the place in New Zealand called Kati Kati, Giant Sequoias, McBride, Athabasca Falls, White Water Rapids, MacMillan Provincial Park , the Canopy Bridge at Grouse Mountain and the Lumberjack games display there, The Fraser River, Gaslight Jack and Granville island, ferries galore, Moraine Lake, Robson Bight, Banff Springs Hotel, talk about posh, Jasper National Park, We camped in Kamloops where despite the time of year one of the residents in a caravan had their Christmas decorations up, bizarre but very festive, Kelowna , the pacific rim national park on Vancouver island was spectacular, we camped at gold river and visited Campbell River (later we discovered Annie has current rellies living there, shame we didn’t know at the time, Strathcona Park. We then drove up to Port Hardy staying in this old house B&B there before getting up very early to travel on the ferry up to Prince Rupert , this was the famed inside passage, we headed up the coast having set sail from Port Hardy through the magnificent glacial fjords of the Inside Passage to the stunning and wild destination of Prince Rupert. It passes through the Queen Charlotte sound but for us the weather sadly was appalling so we were a bit restricted in what we managed to see. We stayed at the Tall Trees B&B in Prince Rupert run by the lovey Kathy Butterfield who was so welcoming and told us quite a bit about the local area. Travelling back down to Vancouver in the car we stayed at a B&B in 100-mile house having had a quick look around Prince George after leaving Kathy. On the 22nd of August we made our way back to Vancouver having seen Whistler the previous day , remember mountain bikers coming hurtling down the now snow clear mountain sides, frightening, even in my hey day I would never have had the bottle to travel quite so fast, overnight we stayed in a B&B in Squamish, we then swapped the car for the motorhome before heading off to Edmonton. In the motorhome we visited Banff, Lake Louise which is where sadly our water tank came detached from the underside of the hire van, a very kind Canadian stopped and applied a rope he had to it to strap it up enough for us to get back into the town of Lake Louise where we took it to a garage having rung the hire company and had it welded back on, we kept the receipt so we could claim back later, on route we also saw Kootenay, Waterton, Roger’s Pass National Park, Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk, Seaplanes over Vancouver North Harbour, Spray Can Art, Bungee Jumping (not us just watching) near Nanaimo, Yoho National Park where we visited and went for a swim in the Radium Hot Water springs pool, it may have been chilly outside but in the water was heavenly. We also saw the Columbia Icefields Park where we travelled on a snow mobile / coach called the ice explorer out to the Athabasca glacier one of the ice fields 5 toes, do remember them specifically telling us all to stay within the perimeter rope for our safety, folk had died falling down the many crevasses, a foolish tourist in our party didn’t follow this advice and hoped over the fence to get a better picture, he was lucky. We also saw Aspen Grove, Art Ksan at Hazelton, the wonderful Butchart gardens, so loved that what an experience, Cathedral Grove, lots of wildlife along the roadways edge especially in the Rockies National Park, fishing on Nicola Lake outside Kamloops, Glacier National Park, Sulphur mountain which we took a cable car known as the Gondola to the top of , amazing views looking back down at Banff, Keef of course got his Hard Rock Café T-shirt from Banff, why not, smile, we also took the van into Calgary but it was just so busy we decided not to stay long and headed off to Edmonton, remember David clearly saying when we camped some 300 miles down the road, hey you were so nearby, Canadians have a different view of distance, their country is just so huge in comparison to the UK. Also visited West Ed Mall, amazing what was in there, Annie going down the hugely deep-water slide is one memory, the other is denting the side of the van on a bollard in the car park which I didn’t see, oh dear. We eventually drove back to Calgary to hand the van in there and did a deal on receipt against busted water tank and dent in van, so quits no charge for either party, result. All drive hire company gave us a lift to Calgary airport, part of our one way hire agreement and we flew back into Manchester I think via Keflavik in Iceland (but that may have been on the way out, can’t remember) but what I do remember is buying the Reykjavik T-shirt from the Hard Rock Café in the airport tee-hee and then home to Nottingham. A lovely trip with some great memories and shared with Doug in his teenage years, Craig was in Spain with his mates. That’s all folks, I think its quite enough but memories reconstructed in 2022 by KeefH Web Designs, thanks for listening folks. Diary Audio Diary Trailer

SASKATCHEWAN ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus New York & Maine in the USA in 2010, this part was the Prairie Provinces set of 3 Provinces 5 Days in Saskatchewan, Canada - 29th May-2nd June 2010, 79 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, amongst others we covered saskatchewan landing , saskatoon , regina, visiting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - RCMP "mounties" academy and heritage centre , chapel and museum in regina , goodwin house, red river cart, wanuskewin heritage centre, heritage, prairies, railways, swift current, elbow , lake diefenbaker , davidson, moose jaw, First nations including cree, matis, lakota tribes, hudson bay company, meewasin park in saskatoon plus we saw bears and we have now been right across canada in a motorhome and we loved it #FACT See the Prairie Provinces Talkies Video keef with the mountie bear annie with the mountie bear 1/40 Slideshows Talkies Images Map Overview Saskatchewan, 29th May to 2nd June 2010 Summary: We spent 5 Days in Saskatchewan, Canada from 20th May to the 2Nd of June 2010 We took 79 Photos, many of which are included in the summary slideshows. We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever. For Saskatchewan the following were some of the highlights, Saskatchewan landing provincial park and camping there, a bit of a write up on this campsite we stayed at is, Straddling the South Saskatchewan River Valley at the west end of Lake Diefenbaker, the Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park celebrates the site of the first historic crossing on the South Saskatchewan River. A great area to be enjoyed by all ages, the park is popular for its fishing, sun-bathing, and hiking opportunities. This park features several interpretive trails and historic sites including the handsome Goodwin House, now home to the park’s visitor centre, main office and interpretive centre. The boat launch is located on the north side of the lake while the main beach area, located on the west side of the park, is a perfect place to enjoy a warm summer’s day. We remember with some fondness saskatoon, Regina, visiting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - RCMP "Mounties" academy, see the link in the overview on the HOLIDAY 2010 site for more details, chapel and museum in Regina (capital of Saskatchewan), Goodwin house, red river cart, the fantastically interesting wanuskewin heritage centre, and here are a few words about its heritage, and what it hopes to show, Wanuskewin Heritage Park sits above the Opimihaw Creek and the South Saskatchewan River near Saskatoon – a window into a part of Canada’s history that remains largely undiscovered, and a link to our past unlike any other National Historic Site in Canada. Wanuskewin’ s uniqueness is not just the fact that there exists evidence of ancient peoples, but rather the composition of many different aspects of habitation, hunting and gathering, and spirituality – all in one place. The Wanuskewin area contains some of the most exciting archaeological finds in North America, many of which pre-date the pyramids of Egypt. To date, 19 Pre-Contact archaeological dig sites have been identified on the terraces and point bars in the Opimihaw Creek valley bottom or coulee depressions along the valley wall of the South Saskatchewan River. As soon as the Opimihaw Creek valley became available for human occupation 6,000 years ago, virtually every Pre-Contact cultural group recognized across the Great Plains visited this location. The result is a remarkably complete and intact record of cultural development in the region over that time span. The archaeological resources of Wanuskewin are exceptional and among the finest examples of Pre-Contact occupation of the Great Plains of North America. Indigenous peoples of the Northern Plains came to the Opimihaw Creek area year-after-year, following the bison and range animals who provided sustenance, and gathering plants of the prairies. Their way of life evolved to suit their unique environment. Wanuskewin today gives us the opportunity to delve into the past and discover what life was like for these nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples. The theme of Wanuskewin Heritage Park is one of interpretation – exploring and explaining the meaning of Plains cultures to gain a better understanding of ourselves, Saskatchewan’s Indigenous peoples, and our common heritage. The wind on the Prairies and having to take the van back into the Canadreams depot in Regina to get the steering sorted, as a new van it was incredibly dangerous to drive in high winds with it badly attuned, they agreed and fixed it thank god, then we had no further problems, rf prairies, railways, swift current, elbow, davidson, First nations including cree, matis, lakota tribes, hudson bay company, meewasin park plus we saw bears and moose. Other things we remember in no order are, it is called the land of living skies and we can see why, the old colonial government house in Regina, swift current battle field, wheat and barley fields and grain stores everywhere, Lake Diefenbaker and memories of that TV show from our childhood, cranberries growing in fields, shaw street marching, bison heads, railways and cedar clad out buildings, there is just so much local wood in Canada via its massive forests that you would expect houses, apart from the risk of fire, to be built with wood, they often are, north exhibition artwork, which was just so brilliant, chief sitting bull, the wheat belt town of Kyle across the windy plains, the Hudson bay company heritage in Regina, fort ellice on the elbow trail, and a whole lot more, maybe have a look at the slideshows and images on the website to accompany these fine words, thanks Diary Audio Diary Trailer

LABRADOR ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus New York & Maine in the USA in 2010, made it all the way to the Trans Labrador Highway, normally traveled on when perma frost 2 Days in Labrador, Canada - between 12th & 13th July 2010, 51 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others the ferry MV Apollo departing st barbe newfoundland at an ungodly hour and arriving at blanc sablon which is 2 kilometers from Labrador's border , cold, wet, foggy, misty and early ha-ha, intra-provincial ferry service, welcome to the big land, driving the Labrador Coastal Drive , l'anse au clair (where we camped overnight), forteau, travelling the jersey trail , l'anse au cotard and its church, the jersey rooms, abandoned tankers rusting, basque fisherman, l'anse au covert, l'anse amour, red bay united reform church, dinosaur feet, tapestry, fishing jetties, whaling museum history, sadly little work now on labrador's coast so many join the army, fishing is not the industry it once was, tracey wicking battery and tracey hill boardwalk, the earliest burial mound and monument in the world at l'anse amour, traditional stone men along the road side, red bay including the museum and look out at old whaling station, saddle & capstan islands, fogo island punt race, trapper and whalemen memorabilia, start of the trans labrador highway (gravel and permafrost) oh and black fly galore on the Pinware river bridge and the Pinware River Provincial Park. We have been from one side of Canada to the other See the Maritimes Talkies Video brekkie on the apollo ferry keef at museum red bay 1/28 Slideshows Talkies Images Map Overview Summary: We spent 2 Days and one night in Labrador We took 51 Photos, many of which are included in the summary slideshows. We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever. As an overview The Strait of Belle Isle separates the combined province of Newfoundland and Labrador into two geographical parts: Labrador, which is a large area of mainland Canada but in fairness so much more remote, and Newfoundland, an island in the Atlantic Ocean. The vast expanse of Labrador is mainly served by the perma frost road the Trans Labrador Highway, which we visited the start of, would love to travel it in winter, what an experience that must be and scary I bet. For Labrador the following were some of the highlights the Apollo ferry departing st barbe newfoundland at an ungodly hour and arriving at blanc sablon which is 2 kilometres from Labrador's border , cold, wet, foggy, misty and early ha-ha, intra-provincial ferry service, welcome to the big land, L’Anse au Clair (where we camped overnight), Loving the UNESCO world heritage township at Red Bay, it is a natural harbour residing in the bay that gives it its name, both names in reference to the red granite cliffs of the region. Because of the sheltered harbour it was used during World War II as a mooring site for naval vessels. In the bay are Penney Island and Saddle Island, which were used by the Basque fishermen for their whaling operations. The location of the sunken vessel San Juan is near Saddle Island. We also remember travelling a small bit of the jersey trail at L’anse au Clair, here are some words about it, the trail follows the shoreline of the small town of L'Anse Au Clair which is nestled against rugged clifftops and benchland sloping down to a beautiful red sandy beach. You can walk between 3 and 6 km along this easy trail of crushed stone as it weaves along boulder fields, tuck more and beach. Interpretation tells the story of 19th century fishermen from Jersey, an island in the English Channel between England and France. Look for the infamous " Bubbling Sands" feature of this trail. We also remember visiting L’Anse au cotard and its church, the jersey rooms, abandoned tankers rusting, Basque fisherman, Forteau, L’Anse au covert, L’Anse amour, red bay united reform church, dinosaur feet, tapestry, fishing jetties, whaling museum history, sadly little work now on Labrador’s coast so many join the army, fishing is not the industry it once was, Tracey wicking battery and the Tracey Hill Walking trail board walk in Red Bay, some history and advice is, at the start of the Tracey Hill Walking Trail in the town of Red Bay, Southern Labrador, a boardwalk and the first of 689 steps lead the way. The climb up the stairs will reach the destination point at the top of Tracey Hill where the scenery is breath-taking. The trail is moderate on a degree of difficulty and runs for 1.5 kilometres, a return trip of 3. The average time along the boardwalk and stairs of the Tracey Hill Walking Trail is about 30 minutes, but many stop for breaks. Picnic tables, telescopes and a resting area makes the journey longer, but this is a day well spent while visiting Red Bay in Southern Labrador. The Boardwalk and stairs at the start of the Tracey Hill Walking Trail in the town of Red Bay, Highway 510, Labrador Coastal Drive also counts as one of the Viking Trail, in the Straits of Belle Isle, Southern Labrador, Labrador, Canada. Maybe give it a go when you ever visit, we just did the start bit and had a mooch around, sadly not the whole thing, not enough time in Labrador. Plus, the earliest burial mound and monument in the world at L’Anse amour, traditional stone men along the road side, red bay including the museum and look out at old whaling station, saddle, Penney & capstan islands, Fogo island punt race, trapper and whalemen memorabilia, start of the Trans Labrador highway (gravel and permafrost) oh and black fly galore on the Pinware river bridge. Although our time on Labrador’s southern coast was short our memories will be long, it was a fascinating place to visit. Diary Audio Diary Trailer

HOLIDAY 2010 TRAVEL BLOG OVERALL SLIDESHOWS HOLIDAY 2010 - These were taken from each page to aid better SEO as they code wise produce a long series of "press to zoom" instructions to crawlers and that is not good for my individual pages ... words by KeefH Web Designs April 2023. Each slideshow was automatically migrated by Yell using a concept of slider gallery called "nuts and bolts" I have shifted them here as they are great fun NOTE : WIP HOLIDAY 2010 SUMMARY SLIDER Summary To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Alberta HOLIDAY 2010 ALBERTA SLIDER To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 SASKATCHEWAN SLIDER Saskatchewan To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 MANITOBA SLIDER Manitoba To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 ONTARIO SLIDER Ontario To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 QUEBEC SLIDER Quebec To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 NEW BRUNSWICK SLIDER New Brunswick To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND SLIDER PEI To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 NOVA SCOTIA SLIDER Nova Scotia To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 NEWFOUNDLAND SLIDER Newfoundland To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 LABRADOR SLIDER Labrador To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 UPSTATE NEW YORK SLIDER New York State To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 MAINE SLIDER Maine To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 CANADA TRIP 1999 SLIDER Canada 1999 To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. HOLIDAY 2010 USA TRIP 1997 SLIDER USA 1997 To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Pre Travel HOLIDAY 2010 PRE TRAVEL RETROSPECTIVE SLIDER To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key. Trailer

HOLIDAY 2010 CANADA - Pre Travel Blog 2010 Canada & 2 US States (NY & Maine) Pre Planning on big trips always pays off HOLIDAY 2010, Tips for planning a big motorhome trip away we would suggest number one is to put together an outline calendar so you can map in your obvious things like flights, motorhome / campervan / RV - recreational vehicles / car hire, hotels, campsite bookings and a whole set of reminders about things such as insurance, creating a currency converter sheet, list from the book 1000 places to see before you die etc etc I m sure you will add many more but this is the way I always plan a big trip and we have been luck enough to have had a few! ​ Maybe look at the hints and tips section of our blog to get a few more ideas #justsayin' click HERE Planners Images Time Zones by Province Weather by Province & Month in degrees C 1/10 Trailer

USA 2010 ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus Upstate New York (across the Niagara River and back into Canada) & Maine in the USA in 2010, we did Florida with the Boys way back in 1997 5 Days travel in the USA - 14th-15th June Plus 4th-5th July 2010, 82 Photos, Approximately 538 miles covering Maine & Upstate New York. By 2020 we have been to the following states - Florida, Maine, New York, California, South Carolina, New Orleans, Montana Here is a HIGHLIGHT movie culled from the talkies movies we have here on the site following this movie. It was created in response to You Tube telling us that the very early movie from 2010 trip where there was a thumbnail overlay screen may be in error due to You Tube processing issues pre March 2020. On investigating we found no such issues but decided as we had up ended that movie to create a more up to date one, created and uploaded by KeefH Web Designs in November 2023 (KHWD), enjoy. The total movie is almost 2.5 minutes long and covers Upstate New York and Maine only. America the Talkies Overview The Audiobook Trailer

ONTARIO ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus New York State & Maine in the USA in 2010, this is one of the Central Provinces 15 Days in Ontario, Canada - 4th-20th June 2010, 372 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, visiting amongst others dryden , wabigoon lake, nipigon , wawa, marathon, heron bay, elliot lake, lake superior pronivcial park, montreal river, echo bay, lion beachfront walk, espanola, sudbury, lake nipissing, parry sound, wabi bay, french river provincial park, white river, old woman bay, mississauga, hamilton, st catherine, katherine cove, sinclair cove, voyageur trail, new liskeard, musselmans lake, camppark resorts niagara falls, toronto, 1000 islands boat trip from gananoque, 1000 Island dressing, johnstown, percy lake, central standard time zone, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake& beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay , the great lakes -superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them, niagara on the lake, Niagara Falls and the magnificent Maid of the Mist boat trip, Sinclair cove, mounties, ottawa ontario's capital, aguasarbon falls, lake superior national park, latchford, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park, whitchurch-stouffville and a potential parking fine, niagara botanical gardens , floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, St Lawrence river , gananoque town and harbor, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies, MacDonald Cartier Bridge to Quebec Province & all ports in between. We have been from one side of Canada to the other, hey did I mention that? 😉 See the Central Provinces Talkies Video taken by a kind tourist after 3 failed selfie attempts, smile 120610 camp park resorts niagara falls 1/188 Slideshows Talkies Images Map Overview Summary: We spent 15 Days in Ontario Province, Canada from 4th to the 20th of June 2010 We took 372 Photos, many of which are included in the summary slideshows. We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever. For Ontario the following were some of the highlights, nipigon, wawa, elliot lake, new liskeard, musselmans lake, Toronto which we are glad we visited although in reality were not that impressed by (along with Montreal in Quebec province, maybe as travellers we prefer being away from the big cities I suspect that is the answer, anyhow we did see the CN tower and surrounds and walked along the river’s edge to see all the restaurants, note the G20 conference was due to be on in Toronto whilst we were in Canada that year, getting up early to watch England get knocked out of the world cup football and flying our flag on the motorhome, tee-hee, Niagara falls which was just magical, we did do the maid of the mist boat trip and put on those flimsy pak-a-maks which in reality afforded little or no protection against the force of that water, we got close and also marvelled at some of the history of the fool hardy who went over the edge into it in a barrel, I ask you would you, we also read and saw how the devil’s hole whirlpool in the accompanying Niagara river was so forceful, we loved the Niagara area, 1000 islands boat trip from Gananoque which was just fantastic and covered that really weird Boldt Castle on route and an amazing number of very small but mostly exclusive islands with yachts etc and either Canadian or American flags proudly displayed and sometimes both, when we returned from the boat trip armed with the recipe Keef made 1000 island sauce to go with our salad, see the recipe below, percy lake, ignace, sault ste marie, wabigoon lakes, agimak lake & beach, rossport, terrace bay, pays plat, thunder bay, the great lakes-superior, huron, ontario & dipping my toe in them – I made a point no matter how cold the water was of taking one sock off and dipping my toe in them so I could say I had “swam” in all of the great lakes which along with the Prairie Provinces I remember studying at school with our Geography teacher the somewhat outlandish Rev Rooney who had spent much time in Africa being a missionary and photographing tribes and showing us schoolkids on the big screen – maybe I learnt my interest in travel from him, maybe it’s just in my DNA, the reality is I did do the toe dipping in all of them bar Lake Michegan, we didn’t go over the US border into that State, maybe another time, you never know, Niagara on the lake, the snow goose, Sinclair cove, mounties, ottawa, aguasarbon falls, entering central standard time, lake superior national park, latchford, spanish, temigami, temiskaming shores, bobbie rosenfeld olympian & park, Wilson island, passport, squirrels Canadian style, white river views, cousins in parry sound, a big welcome to Ontario but sadly not being able to meet up with annies cuz Jamie, bottles in the sewage systems at campsites to prevent odours when using the provided triple services, ha-ha, the lovely Ontario capital Ottawa, stouffville, niagara botanical gardens, floral clock, devils hole whirlpool, st Lawrence river, Gananoque town and harbour, rideau falls, river and canal, byward market, haileybury the home of Annie's rellies and all those kid ex school pupils of Uncle Ralph’s who were now either teachers at his old school or worked in the local museum who helped us locate places of interest and aided our family research. Genealogy is fun, fact! Here are a few words and facts in summary about Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls, city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, south-eastern Ontario, Canada, a port on the Niagara River opposite Niagara Falls, New York. The city overlooks the Horseshoe, or Canadian, falls cataract of Niagara Falls; the crescent-shaped cataract is 54 M (177 ft) high and carries nine times more water than its United States counterpart. Niagara Falls is an enormously popular tourist destination, and it also serves as a major source of electricity for Ontario. The city is connected to the U.S. side of the falls by several bridges, including the Rainbow, Whirlpool, and Queenston-Lewiston bridges. Principal manufactures include processed food, abrasives, chemicals, automotive parts, metal and paper goods, and wines and alcoholic beverages. Logistics, i.e., storage and warehousing and information technology/call centres are also important to the city's economy. Points of interest include Queen Victoria Park, adjacent to the Canadian Falls and principal site of the annual Winter Festival of Lights; the historical museum at Lundy's Lane, site of a brutal battle between American and British forces in 1814; The Maid of the Mist, Marineland, with Friendship Cove which provides interaction with Killer and Beluga whales, an aquatic theatre and a game farm; Skylon Tower and Pavilion, containing a revolving restaurant and an observation deck overlooking the falls; the Butterfly Conservatory at the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens; Canada One Factory Outlets which features brand name shopping And the accompanying Maid of the Mist, America’s most iconic boat ride since 1846, which was its maiden voyage. See the raging currents. Hear the deafening thunder. And feel the refreshing mist of 600,000 gallons of water falling before your eyes every second. Experience it all aboard the iconic Maid of the Mist. It’s the one and only tour boat fleet whose captains have safely navigated the mighty waters of the Niagara Gorge for over 100 years, taking tens of millions of visitors directly into the centre of the swirling mist. Dress code: blue rain poncho optional. But we highly suggest you wear it, or else… 😉 Before this date, rowboats ferried passengers across the Niagara River below the Falls. By 1846, however, entrepreneurs decided a bigger craft could profit by transporting people, luggage, mail and cargo. So, the first Maid of the Mist steamboat, large enough to carry a stagecoach and horses, was christened. In 1848, construction of a suspension bridge curtailed business and the Maid of the Mist was re-branded as a sightseeing adventure that still operates to this day. Recipe for Thousand Islands dressing, if you’ve been there you have to sue it and we did in the van so here goes, Ingredients List 1/2 clove garlic, minced 1/4 tsp salt plus more to taste 190ml prepared or homemade mayonnaise 60ml bottled chilli sauce 2 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 1/2 tbsp minced onion 2 tsp sweet pickle relish 1/2 hard-cooked large egg, pushed through a sieve or finely chopped Freshly ground black pepper How to make Make a paste with the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt by crushing them with the side of a chef's knife. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, mayonnaise, chilli sauce, ketchup, onion, relish, and egg until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Diary Official photo - Maid of the Mist boat trip at Niagara Falls, Canadian side Maid of the Mist Audio Book Trailer

CANADA 2010 for HOLIDAY 2010 A Travel Blog ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus States New York & Maine in the USA in 2010 HOLIDAY 2010 87 Days travel Canada - 18th May - 24th July 2010, 1769 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, Approximately 4200 miles, Highlights Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump, Seeing the Harveys (dear friends), Dauphin, Wrestling with the badly sorted Steering wheel on the very windy Prairies, Maid of the Mist on Niagara Falls, Red Bay Labrador, Canada day in Fredericton, Gaspe peninsular, Mounties museum in Regina, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, seeing Moose plus potentially more importantly achieving travelling from one side of Canada to the other - all provinces (Canada does provinces, America does states-BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, PEI, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland (Newfie heaven) & Labrador Welcome Prairies Talkies Map Maritimes Talkies Central Provinces Talkies Overview The Audiobook Trailer

ALBERTA - HOLIDAY 2010 - A Travel Blog Experience ACROSS CANADA IN A MOTORHOME 2010, Alberta to Labrador (we did British Columbia in 1999) plus NY & Maine in the USA in 2010, Alberta is one of the 3 Prairie Provinces For HOLIDAY 2010 we spent 11 Days in Alberta , Canada - 18th - 29th May 2010, 219 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, the summary slideshow is selective, We have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome, BC to Labrador, loved it, fabulous country including across Alberta the following highlights, Medicine hat, head smashed in buffalo jump world heritage site, snow at high river end of may, the campsite said happy christmas (smile) when we arrived, 2 caravans were ruined by falling branches weighed down by weight of the snow, plus cardston, high prairie, staying with dear friends david & cathy and family in Edmonton , the Hoo Doos , and specifically those at Drumheller, west ed mall, Strathcona street car, crandell mountains, UNESCO sites, dawson bridge, perogies, royal tyrrell heritage centre , dinosaur museum, drumheller, fort edmonton, winterton lakes np, bow river, Mennonite sects, bow river, border with montana glacial park,red deer, calgary, brand new motorhome, dog and beaver fighting in a 1st nation township near slave lakes, hoo doos at willow creek, blackfoot tribe and many more gems, we have now been from one side of canada to the other in a motorhome using the Trans Canada Highway See the Prairie Provinces Talkies Video cheers annie at head smashed in buffalo jump , fort mcleod, alberta 1/110 Slideshows Talkies Images Map Overview HOLIDAY 2010 Summary: We spent 11 Days in Alberta, Canada - 18th - 29th May 2010 We took 219 HOLIDAY 2010 Photos, many of which are included in the summary slideshows. For HOLIDAY 2010 We have now been from one side of Canada to the other in a motorhome, British Columbia to Labrador, we loved it, it is a fabulous country and quite an achievement with memories we shall treasure forever. HOLIDAY 2010, For Alberta the following were some of the highlights, Medicine hat, head smashed in buffalo jump world heritage site, snow at high river end of May, the campsite said happy Christmas (smile) when we arrived, 2 caravans were ruined by falling branches weighed down by weight of the snow, plus we also enjoyed visiting Carston, high prairie, staying with dear friends David & Cathy and family in Edmonton, west ed mall, Dawson bridge, perogies, royal Tyrrell heritage centre, dinosaur museum although when we got there it was closed but the surrounding Drumheller area including the Hoodoos was amazingly interesting, fort Edmonton park with David, it was a little contrived but interesting none the less, its where keef learned to his cost that if you ask for Burger & Chips what you get is a burger and a bag of crisps, ha-ha, Winterton lakes national park on the border with Montana in the States where we saw the wild buffalo roam, bow river, border with montana glacial park, red deer, Calgary, picking up our brand new hire motorhome from CanaDreams in Calgary with posh new carpets and then having to pull out onto the Trans-Canada Highway almost straight away was scary, plus we bought towels to put down over the carpets to protect them, Canadreams more that happy as we paid to the petrol to reposition their van on the other side of Canada at the end of our trip, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, loved the hoo doos at willow creek, Blackfoot tribe and many more gems. HOLIDAY 2010 We remember also and in no particular order, many railway lines but very few trains, its all cars in Canada apart from the odd cargo train, the problem bear in an out of the way township, chopping logs for our own campfire pits, long drop loos, national and provincial parks to camp in at reasonable cost, grouard, it was the wild rose province, world heritage site at fort McLeod, ice rinks and ice hockey, Tim Horton’s, downtown Edmonton, the Strathcona street car, various interpretive centres full of info, the town of high prairie, UNESCO sites, mega trucks, Mennonite sects, Bow River, Fescue prairies, the centre of Alberta at Swan Hills, Tee Pees and 1st Nation education for us, just so interesting cultures, spray valley park, the fantastic slave lakes , prince of Wales hotel, rocky mountain high, buffalo, sheep, deer, goats and endless wild life, fort MacMurray, peanut and jelly bagels, Scottish bag pipers, mountains and snow, that’s all folks, we loved Alberta a big tick from us. Enjoy HOLIDAY 2010 Diary Audio Diary Trailer

USA 2022 Florida (FL) USA with the grandchildren for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World resort, Walt had built it from the late 60s when he purchased the land from Irlo Bronson Sr, rancher and Democratic senator for the state of Florida, it opened in 1972 hence the 50th celebrations including fireworks at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot which were spectacular. For this trip I will mention where we went and what we did which included Davenport, Berry Town Centre, Kissimmee, all 4 parks, i.e. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, Universal Studios (although that was only Craig and family) as near Septuagenarians by then having walked 37.5 miles around parks in blistering heat and humidity we were to put no finer point on it... knackered #teehee, we returned again in 2018 on our 40th Wedding Anniversary cruise, click HERE to see that Blog. This Family trip is also replicated on the motorhome-travels blog as BLOG 183 . We had been before BLOG165 but if you prefer to stay here on this site there is a almost identical version of that here as USA 1997, thanks as always for looking folks, best KeefH Web Designs . Intro Family Holiday to Orlando, Florida, USA - Theme Parks for Disney's 50th at Magic Kingdom A wonderful family holiday for 3 weeks staying at Regal Palms Resort in the Davenport and Bay Lakes area of Florida, just off the Purple heart highway (no 27) and mostly using the 192 Highway (West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, both father and son Irlo Bronson (Sr & Jr) were prominent Floridian Democratic Politicians and the father is best known for selling some of his ranch land to Walt Disney to construct Disney World, there you go a bit of relevant history for you). The 192 got us to Disney (& Universal) theme parks and all the obvious American eateries, some of which are to die for (sadly in some folks cases literally) just loved the all American "big and brash" approach to life for 3 weeks. Not sure I could live there, the gun thing and school shooter issue is very prominent every day in their newscasts (dominated by adverts #smile) plus Florida's republican governor Ron DeSantis has views I could never align with , BUT 3 weeks to explore a highly interesting culture that really defines the term "2 nations that speak the same language but are separated by it" was truly a wonderful opportunity spent with my loving and fun, caring extended family, I am a VERY HAPPY MAN #fact Note also entry to Animal Kingdom off the 192 should be via the Sherberth Rd (entry point) Overview july 2022 august 2022 his 1921 business card, obviously worked july 2022 1/3 Calendar 29th july his 1921 business card, obviously worked 21st august 29th july 1/25 Day by Day DIARY Fun times with the family, use this to see what we did and where we went on our 24-day holiday with Craig, Leanne, Edie and Tate. It of course included that very special day on the 16th for Edie's 6th birthday, it was also the last of our 14 days continuously at the Disney World Parks, a fabulous time of rides, shows, shops, restaurants and meeting celebrity Disney characters, getting their autographs and having cuddles with them and getting our pictures taken with them a true delight for grandchildren #magical Have I said as yet, we almost Septuagenarians, walked 37.5 miles around the parks, not bad in that heat and humidity #creamcrackered Note on the 17th we returned to Disney Springs in the eve to watch Disney's version of Cirque du soleil, but I sadly left that off the calendar #dumbkopf (see I do know some other languages) #haha WEEK 1 - 29th July to 7th August 2022 Summary: There are 660 images in a slideshow lasting 21 minutes followed by a video with speech lasting for 43 minutes. Since we are in movie land the ones with speech we will call "The Talkies" #haha #hollywood The contents of which cover flying from Manchester Airport on the Saturday having stayed in the Premier Inn, quite a posh modern one, and eating at their attached pub, nothing special but good for the Friday eve before flying and it avoided any unforeseen obstacles to getting on the plane, most relaxing. We took quite a few pictures of the takeoff over England before hitting the cloud and Soarin' through it (this is a reference to the mega ride experience in Epcot which was a 4D hit with one and all in our party, how to fly around the world in less that 80 minutes (well seconds maybe #haha) rather than Mister Verne's days. Our seats were over the right-hand wing and engines so a little noisy, Keef took his headphones which were far superior to the free Virgin Atlantic free ones. Watched 3 movies on the way out. The best of which was The House of Gucci (Lady GaGa is excellent) and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast a close second, it certainly passed the time as well as playing with / chatting to grandchildren over the seat tops, they were all in the row in front of us. Food also not bad and well designed with eco sentiments in mind. I guess if you are burning fuel at a rate of knots as an airline it's good to contribute in some small way #COP26 We landed and the least said about the rest of the night probably for the better, if you really wish to indulge them have a read of the LOWLIGHTs, I've warned you it wasn't a great time and boy were we all tired after 22 hours traveling. The kids had a bit of a melt down at the start of driving the new hire car but who can blame them being 5 and 1 a piece. I think the adults were probably close to it as well, but we are HELLINGERs and soldiered on. So besides doing some shopping in the very convenient and hugely stocked Publix supermarket a stone's throw away up the road in the Berry Town centre area and lots of swimming in the Regal Palms complex with its lazy river, 5ft pool and paddling area Keef, Craig and Leanne tried out the "fast water slide" into the pool. Only Craig was brave enough to lie down whilst descending although I can vouch for it building up speed even if you were sitting on that last bend #fun Loved the Reggae playlist music that adorned the swimming complex, I could almost believe with the sun that I was back in Jamaica. We also went out for breakfast at the i-Hop, a pancake place, and Applebee's, a trad American bar / diner which did fab chicken dishes especially the Lime chicken and meltdown chocoholic puddings with ice cream. Overall, I would rate US ice-cream but not eat it in tub loads as sadly many Americans must appear to do whilst watching TV. Don't get me started on the quality of US TV! Both these establishments were on the Berry town centre site. So, what else did we do in that 1st week. Got AT&T Sim cards, unlimited data, for Craig and my phone, Visited all 4 Disney parks for the first time. Ate a buffet lunch out at Ponderosa, a nostalgic visit inspired by Leanne's extended family visit over 20 years ago. I will always remember those brightly coloured sugary drinks and Edie's dark blue and bright red Jelly (or Jello as our Patriots call it) Addendum she didn't eat it after the 1st mouthful #notsurprising Saw and recorded the magnificent 50th anniversary firework shows at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot, both late nights for the grandkids but they were great and loved them. I now know a lot more Disney "toons" than just let it go, Annie & I are determined to watch a few of the Disney's we don't know well, sorry we are old skool ...from Snow White probably only as far as Sleeping Beauty, one of my favourites is Dumbo. Bambi was I think the first movie I saw at the cinema as a kid when Mum took us. We did 1 Magic Kingdom visit, 2 Animal Kingdom visits and 2 Epcot visits in that first week. At Animal Kingdom whilst collecting stickers for Edie's conservation book we visited Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, Harambe Market, where later in the trip we saw the truly wonderful Lion King show in the theater just behind on the riverbank . Plus, the whole conservation area where animals are housed getting there via the old train. At this centre Granny, Edie & Grandpa joined the artwork class and drew Pula (the pig) from the Lion King, great fun. See our artwork BELOW. We saw various animals and fish which the kids loved. On those 2 Animal Kingdom visits visited mostly Oasis, Africa, Rafiki's Planet watch and bits of Discovery Island. WEEK 2 - 8th to 14th August 2022 There are 738 images in a slideshow lasting 25 minutes followed by a video with speech lasting for 43 minutes. Week 2 kicked off with our first visit to Disney Hollywood Studios, which seems to have been designed on a 1930s film set theme. Very classy, liked it here a lot, the Star Wars theme now they own Lucas has expanded massively from 1997 and their rides are enhanced, Tate was even quizzed by a stormtrooper, he didn't seem interested #haha The Mickey / Minnie / Goofy train ride was very classy and some of the shows were good. Due to thunder and lightning our 1st Indiana Jones show was wiped out, just too dangerous and because of the loud bangs Edie was not interested in a 2nd attempt although Keef & Annie did for old times' sake. Lots of hats were tried on in the various shops and Minnie ears for Leanne and Edie. Street parades (nothing like Magic Kingdom) featured the Incredibles and others. We did a few trips to regal palms pool area this week as well as having a few meals out plus a splendid Planet Hollywood bonanza for our first visit there as well as a late night for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and breakfast at the Rainforest café in Animal Kingdom, what a surprise that was, just amazing, only at Disney, with thunder and lightning inside the café on the half hour with real rain showers over you. # Amazing The restaurant also had a whole host of animatronic animals as well as giant fish tanks, the grandkids loved these. We did a 2nd visit to Hollywood studios as well, getting to know our way around by now. Sadly the white knuckle ride themed on Aerosmith the band broke down just as Leanne and I were about to get near the front of the queue , Friday this week was a lazy one, but one we all picked up a bit of sun burn despite factor 50 sun tan lotion at waterpark Typhoon lagoon. Just shows how intense the sun is in Florida, 34-39c often and very humid. We also did our final Epcot visit this week and Edie had to say goodbye to her beloved Soarin' ride , she went on 5 times in total, it is a very clever 4D experience. It was also our final visit to Animal Kingdom, mostly spent in Asia area just across from the stage Dino land we had been in earlier in the week. Edie and I did the triceratops rid twice. Want to see more then look its all here on the blog via picture slideshows etc. Note we also visited Typhoon Lagoon, for which we don't have a site guide but it can be found here and Disney Springs which is included in the set of guides. That's it for week 2 WEEK 3 - 15th to 21st August 2022 There are 461 images in a slideshow lasting 12 minutes followed by a video with speech lasting for 44 minutes. Week 3 started with the last trio to Disney Hollywood Studios and the kids both dancing and singing along to the Frozen show, the male compare was great at ad lib, and very funny. Tuesday saw us finish our very enjoyable 14 days at the Disney parks with what was probably both our longest and most fulfilling day , it was Edie's 6th birthday, we started with a bit of present opening at 257 Bergamo followed by a very posh breakfast in the Royal Table restaurant within Magic Kingdom's Castle, Grandpa discussed Grits with the the suitably medieval attired waiter, he liked them with sugar, YUK! but why does that not surprise me, the gouda ones I had were superb. We then went to more shows and on more rides than we ever have and the wonderful "It's a small world" was included. Wednesday we did a bit of shopping and all ate out at the Australian themed Outback restaurant, great grub cobber. Edie even went to the Sheila's. We had a family swim in the eve before tea. Thursday C&L & Co went to Universal studios and K & A had a chill day mostly eating, drinking and watching awful movies however the Meg Ryan / Hugh Jackman time travel romance from 2001 called Kate and Leopold wasn't bad. Friday was a relaxed day with an early morning swim, our last, then packing and getting ready for the big trip home, you don't wanna know about the car dying on us as we left for the airport, but if you do read the LOWLIGHTS, Grr. We finally managed the full Indiana Jones show, hooray. Used both ferry and monorail at Magic Kingdom. Edie could have had a go on the cable car at Hollywood studios , there and back but we just didn't find the time, sadly. The pilot of the river boat cruise was a hoot. Belle was so nice and Cirque Du Soleil back at Disney Springs on Thursday eve was possibly , no definitely, the best circus show G&G had ever seen. Giant donuts and weird picture templates spring to mind, that’s it folks, take a look in more detail through the rest of the menu, I hope there is something to delight each and every one of you. Best KeefH Web Designs. x To see more details of both Magic Kingdom (for Edie's spectacular 6th birthday) and Disney Springs for Cirque Du Soleil which we visited in Week 3 , that's it for week 3 REGAL PALMS RESORT We stayed at 257 Bergamo drive for 3 weeks and used most of the available facilities bar the Spa and eating at the Grill bar, towel hire for the pool was $10 deposit returned when you gave them back and for that deposit you could return them as often as you like, soaking wet during a days swimming if you wanted to. Granny & Grandpa got Edie and Tate a lilo and rubber ring which made journeys around the lazy river a little more fun. On the last day I had to walk from Bergamo back to the office to check out because of our broken hire car but in general one drove everywhere, after all this is America #teehee The pool stuff in fairness was a little too far from where we were. There were minor issue with our stay in the Bergamo villa but nothing particularly serious, more niggles. If you want to read about those click HERE Overall we thought the accommodation and location were great. Above are copies of the guides we were given, the housekeeping phone number was very useful, they got to know me after 3 weeks, indeed their manager did see my point of view when suggested they couldn't come until Tuesday in the last week #assertive Here is a slideshow of Regal Palms resort and the wonderfully relaxing pool time we spent, enjoy Tate loved the Regal Palms pool, especially the shallower baby pool bit where he could play, he has no fear of water and loved going around the lazy river on the Lilo but mostly in Mummy or Daddy's arms MAGIC KINGDOM We visited this park 3 times and saw the parade twice, well at least Edie and I did the second time, Tinkerbell and Chip & Dale were her favourites along with all the Princesses. We celebrated her 6th birthday there on our 3rd and final visit, starting with a fab breakfast in the Royal Table restaurant in the castle. Craig & Leanne had steak, I had old Gouda Grits, you gotta taste local food, so much better than the only time I've had Grits before. Edie's birthday cake was a chocolate mickey head and eats, yummy Clearly stuff is included in the weeks 1-3 You Tube videos but I have combined at least the images here. There are 278 images lasting 7 minutes. The talkies are included elsewhere under weeks 1 thru 3. Thanks for looking, best KeefH Web Designs x ANIMAL KINGDOM We visited this park 4 times and saw the Lion King Show in the Theatre in Africa. Here are some official photographer pix of us all There are 307 images lasting 15 minutes. The talkies are included elsewhere under weeks 1 thru 3. Thanks for looking, best KeefH Web Designs x EPCOT We visited this park 3 times and saw the spectacular Sonne et Lumiere fireworks show around the Lake, plus travelled on the wonderful rides Soarin' and Galaxy. There are 330 images lasting 9 minutes. The talkies are included elsewhere under weeks 1 thru 3. Thanks for looking, best KeefH Web Designs x DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS We visited this park 3 times and went on the fab Mickey and Minnie train ride in Main Street . We also due to thunderstorms had to have 2 attempts to see the whole of the Indiana Jones re-enactment of stunts. Its wonderful and not much changed from 1997 only that those stunt men and women have now retired #tooold There are 162 images lasting 6 minutes. The talkies are included elsewhere under weeks 1 thru 3. Thanks for looking, best KeefH Web Designs x We missed out on this one (Aerosmith Rock & Roller) having used a Lightening Lane and queued a bit when it broke down (again apparently last time was for 14 days!!!) they refunded our pass, but it didn't restart during the time we were there that day, good job that in the "white knuckle" ride stakes we did eventually get on Guardians of the Galaxy ride at EPCOT Diary Aerosmith DISNEY SPRINGS We went twice to Disney springs, I guess it is the mega replacement for what Paradise Island was back in the day as the entertainment element of Disney World Resorts offering. Disney springs is huge with many car parks, named after fruits, i.e., Lime, Watermelon, Orange etc. etc. All car parking is free. The first time we went we had a good look around, security is good on entry, all the typical posh shops and of course Disney & Co. which we did spend quite a bit of time in. Keef looked at buying Levi's, traditionally a cheap purchase in the States, but even with the 30% discount they were still way more expensive than the UK, must be the exchange rate or prices in the US have gone ballistic. The Lego shop was fun, Edie played with the available bricks to entertain the kids, Grandpa made a car #teehee We then avoided a mega downpour and eventually legged it over to Planet Hollywood for our pre booked table getting a little wet on route. What a fascinating restaurant. Reminded me of my fave Hard Rock café but with film memorabilia and some fab sing-a-longs. #magic Our second return was to watch Cirque Du Soleil, which was wonderful. You can park in the surface car park for free just in front of the purpose build big top. Disney don't do things by halves #haha UNIVERSAL STUDIOS We had a day off when C&L and family visited Universal, it is located about an hour away from Davenport in what is basically south Orlando. They had a lovely day mostly in the Harry Potter area with Edie using her Hermione wand to make stuff "move", i'll try and find some images, they stopped for donuts on the way back, but as the kids were flagging didn't make it through to 9 pm for the fireworks which was an original intention. It as fun place, much changed I'm sure from our 1997 visit but ET is still there although massively updated. Edie had great fun with her wand , now what exactly does "Expelliarmus" mean, well I'm so glad you asked Harry fans, here you go..... Expelliarmus is a disarming spell, and is used to knock the opponent's wand from their hand. It is commonly used in the dueling club of Hogwarts and in many of the Harry Potter movies. Although called the 'Disarming Charm', it is only used to take wands from your opponent, whereas other spells can be used for summoning or pushing away an object. There is a very brief you tube video of Craig & Leanne's day out FIREWORKS We were lucky enough to be at Disney's world resort to celebrate their 50th anniversary which meant spectacular fireworks every evening at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot, on reflection we all agreed it was the Magic Kingdom ones that were the best which is to take nothing way from Epcot who used huge screens to coordinate Disney classic songs and screen time with the fireworks over the world lake. By fireworks down main street in front of the castle at Magic Kingdom just edged it for us it was , sorry to repeat the word, just MAGICAL! Do hope these videos do it justice. It should be noted that each "performance" at both parks lasted about 20 minutes with a crescendo finale, our video has captured about 20 minutes combines across the 2, you will easily see which park is which, over the lake at Epcot and in front of the Castle at Magic Kingdom. EATERIES AND SHOPPING We went to very few shops apart from those inside Disney Parks for various souvenirs and gifts, Keef bought himself a NASA T-shirt inside EPCOT but for those outside we got SIM cards from AT&T, Food shopping from Publix, and we visited the old style US store Cracker Barrel and the Magicians Gift Store on the 192. Restaurants we eat at or got take aways were in no particular order, i-Hop and Applebee's at Berry Town Centre , Ponderosa on the 192, McDonald's on the Disney World Resort Estate, Mexico and China in EPCOT, Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs, take away fish and chips from the English bar in Berry town centre, where I had a draft pint of old speckled hen whilst waiting, a great place run by a nice English guy from London who had been there for 14 years. Plus for breakfasts Rainforest café in Animal Kingdom and the Royal Table in the castle at Magic Kingdom, all very magical. I think thats it... oh C&L ate at a Donut place on the way back from Universal on the last Thursday. We also did up sandwiches etc. which we ate in the parks to save a bit of money but mostly in that heat and humidity it was drinks we needed, lots of iced water and Sprite , which worryingly cost about £4 for a small bottle. Here is a short slideshow to capture those events Chinese lunch at the Nine Dragons, China, Epcot, absolutely scummy Final Applebee's meal. What a nice place and great food all just up the road at Berry Town Centre #ace Diary Cont. These are all provided via You Tube videos of both images and "talkie" videos, enjoy Comparing Disney at the 50th Anniversary to the 25th Anniversary of Magic Kingdom Opening Images Comparison Flights Fireworks Mickey Audiobook Pula Trailer