Canoeing Weekend!

This weekend we went canoeing for the first time! Woohoo! We traveled out to the East Kootenays to Canal Flats.

Here we are...on the way to the put-in... At our put-in spot...We had lots of fun, however our trip was cut short by a day so we could come home and have an extra day to pack up for our sea kayaking trip. I'm sort of bummed that we had to miss the side trip to Lussier Hot Springs after our canoe trip (it would have felt good on the sore muscles!), but it's probably better that we were able to get a good night's sleep in our own bed. I am sore, sunburned and REALLY itchy; the mosquitoes were abundant, as well as some other little biting variety of bug. And maybe now that I'm sunburned, I'll actually have a little color in my skin! What an idea. Regardless, it's still mostly my top half that burned, and not my legs; they're really what needs some color!
I didn't get any pictures while we were ON the water because my camera was safely protected in my dry bag, so as not to ruin it if we dumped into the river. We had a community waterproof camera, as well as Kevan's digital camera that he had handy in a little protective bag in his life jacket. We'll swap pictures later, and maybe I'll get around to posting some of those; I haven't even seen them yet, but I'm sure they're bound to be interesting.
On our very first day after our put-in, brother Mike(who flew in from Ontario to join us on our trip) and his canoe buddy, Dennis, nailed a really big wave and capsized!! We all had tried to avoid the wave as much as possible, and I think what happened was that they had taken on too much water prior to this(their boat had a lot of gear, and Mike's not a small sort of guy!), and when they hit the wave(which happened to have a rock under it somewhere), it just sucked them and the boat right under! Duane and I were up ahead of them, so we didn't even notice until I turned around to check everyone out, and I saw two helmets bobbing in the water and no boat! I think, in the end, brother Steve and his girlfriend Karen, rescued Mike from the water, and Dennis just floated along holding onto the submerged boat until he got towed to an eddy where everyone had pulled their canoes out of the water. Duane and I were still up ahead, and had seen something floating in the water, so we frantically paddled our little hearts out to get to the "thing", only to find out that it was a stupid piece of styrofoam! ARG. Duane was right ticked! We had overheard that the guys had lost a piece of their boat, so we thought it might be something important. It wasn't, but we grabbed it anyway. The guys' boat had been nicely bent in half in the process of capsizing, so when they pulled out they spent some time banging out the dent and wrapping the middle of the boat in some extra rope we had all brought along. They had lost the middle support beam from under the middle seat of the boat, so it wasn't supported very well, but it all turned out ok in the end, and we were able to continue on down the river. That sure added some spunk to our first day out! We're just glad the guys were ok, and that we weren't going to have a severely wrecked boat that we'd have to leave behind! Duane and I took some of their bags onto our boat, as we had the smallest amount of gear, and a pretty light boat.
We found a campsite shortly after that...we had only been on the river about an hour before we set up camp...and relaxed for the rest of the night. At our campsite setting up camp...Drying clothes, etc...very typical...Hackey sack...also typical... Sunday morning we packed up and got on the river by about 11 AM, and our day was relatively uneventful. Nobody else capsized, the guys' boat held out all day, and we had a nice, relaxing paddle down the river. Steve taking an exhilirating swim in the river at lunch break...Every now and then there were some nice waves and converging rivers, which added some pep, but everyone did very well, especially considering that only two out of the ten people could be considered "experienced" paddlers! That river was pretty spirited for all us first timers! Yay us! We even got to see a small amount of wildlife while paddling, so that was neat. The drive home was also really good. It was a beautiful day out, and I had never been down that part of the highway before; it was really pretty! We got to see a bunch of bighorn sheep(minus the big horns) when we were just outside of Radium; they were all over the road. Man, did they look stupid just standing there staring at all the cars! There was a baby one, though, and it was pretty cute! :)
Alright..well, I think this is about all for now...and for the next month we'll be gone, so I will post about our BC visit sometime in August!

~K~

A Few New Launches!

Hello faithful blog-readers!

As you may have seen below, my photography business is finally up and running full-swing. Instead of using our blog here, I've launched a few new tools for my business.

First off, feel free to check out my website and look at some of the exciting work Kevan Wilkie and I are doing with our clients. You can find it at www.duaneclemens.com

The second exciting site I've launched is the Duane Clemens Photo-Blog. You can find it at http://duaneclemensphotography.blogspot.com/ Check in from time to time to get some stories from photo-shoots, check out some of my favourite pictures, and view slide shows Kevan and I have created.

Duane

Mika - Grace Kelly

I was directed to this fabulous song by a friend, and I think it's just SO FUN! Enjoy!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n9g4GIu5JM0

I don't know how to add the actual video on here from YouTube...so I hope this works!

~K~

Newfoundland...A Place Time Almost Forgot

I'm in Newfoundland right now gearing up for the Canadian Library Association trade show happening in St. John's. I booked my trip a day early by accident as I thought I was going to need to set up today but in fact, I managed to get a day off to tour around. Not knowing Newfoundland at all, I decided to drive the Irish Loop, historic route 10/90 on the southern part of the island. The total length of the trip was estimated at 320km. My tour book told me that there were chances to see 10,000 whales, puffins, and icebergs...

The first part of my drive was through some small fishing villages. They were mostly the same; small square houses, and NO services aside from the local whale watching tours and small cafes. I decided to take a walk at the first town in search of a lighthouse to take some pictures of. I ended up talking to a few locals who told me it was down a trail and pointed me in the right direction. They were pretty insistent on telling me NOT TO GET CLOSE TO THE CLIFFS. I think they thought I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up walking along the East Coast Trail for a little while but stumbled upon a sign that said the lighthouse was 3.7km away (which really meant more like 7.4km for me) and I was concerned about not having enough time to complete the loop. There were a few shots to be had of water crashing against the rocks.As I continued down the road I ended up in Ferryland, one of the oldest settlements in North America (dating back to the 17th century). I stopped there for some lunch at a small cafe that served a variety of food including cod tongues (which people were eating when I walked in). The food was OK but to just sit there and listen to the accents, be immersed in that history, it was pretty neat. I manged to get a few shots of boats, small bay islands, etc...As I continued down the road the scenery changed and it became what I would picture the tundra looking like. Lots of small ponds, very low vegetation, and NOTHING around. I passed a few shacks on the road that I'm not totally convinced were abandoned but clearly did not have modern amenities like running water or electricity! I was told by the waitress that I could expect to see herds of caribou but alas, I did not see any. I ended up driving down to St. Shotts and took a drive in the wilderness. I don't know why, but every time I get out on the road I need to get off the beaten path (though St. Shotts was already quite off the beaten path but still a paved road led to it!). There the waves were crashing into the rocks and made for some nice pictures.Once I left St. Shotts it was getting late, about 4:30pm, and I was considering going back the way I came but my better judgment told me to continue on. I hate turning around when I've started something. I was at about 1/2 a tank of fuel and had about 150km left in my journey. As I continued the scenery stayed much of the same...tundra followed by fishing town. When I arrived in St. Mary's I thought it wise to grab some fuel at one of the three gas stations I passed on my entire trip! The remainder of the drive was boring and uneventful.

I'd have to say I was pretty disappointed with my first tour of Newfoundland. I didn't see any whales, puffin, or icebergs. The drive was long and pretty boring. That said, it did give me some time to ponder...

1. Despite the boredom of my drive, it was neat to experience this part of Canada.
2. I have no idea how these people sustain themselves. In each town I saw basically no services, no businesses, and very few boats (which could mean they were all out to sea!).
3. I would go BONKERS living in this part of Canada
4. If it were not for new cars in people's driveways, this part of Canada could easily pass for any decade between 1920-2007
   
5. I'm more determined to see a whale, a puffin, and/or an iceberg before I leave

Hopefully I'll have a chance to blog again before I return to Calgary.

D

I Blogged!!

This is probably the most ridiculous thing to post about, but based on the fact that I haven't blogged in quite some time, I figured anything would do :)

Here it is: I GOT TO HOLD A BRAND NEW BABY THIS MORNING!! I was in my freakin' glory, people! Honestly, not many of you would think this is blog-worthy, but at this point I pretty much don't care. I'm still grinning...and it was hours ago! And I suppose he's not really 'brand new' anymore, either...he was born on the 23rd of April...anyway....
Here's some background.
I met a couple almost a year ago(through bro-in-law Steve and his girlfriend, Karen), and they have two kids, and were pregnant with their third. Their oldest son happens to be a student at the school where I drop all my bus kids off(he has some minor special needs, but is pretty much a regular preschooler!). Being new to Calgary, they were glad to see me there most mornings while dropping him off and we'd exchange friendly hellos and such. One day, after I had informed them that I was leaving HandiBus for a number of random reasons, she asked me if I would consider taking care of her munchkins every day for her while she went back to work. Unfortunately for me, I already had another job lined up, so I couldn't work for her. I told her I was still available evenings and such, if she and her hubby needed a night out. There have been a couple times they've attempted to have me sit for them, and then things always fell through...like the last time, when she ended up in the hospital having her baby! Well, the other day I was asked to babysit for them tonight while they go out and have wings. They've just moved...in a city they don't really know...with three small children(one still pretty much newborn)...and they only know a few people, so I thought it'd be good for them to get out with their friends and away from the kiddies for a bit, and I was glad to do it. Unfortunately she'll be taking the baby with her(being that she's portable food for him!), but I get to look after the other two hooligans for a couple hours and I'm really actually looking forward to it! I get to work with kids all day long, but not really on a one-on-one basis, since we're all on a bus and everyone wants my attention at the same time! There's only one of me, so this will be much more fun...I think. I hope. Hmmm....should I re-think this?? Meh, if I'm gonna have kids one day, I guess I better get used to handling them on a different level than when they're all strapped into their seats on a bus! Eh? :)

~K~

Montana...The Open Road

Yesterday was a driving day for me in Montana and I came to a few realizations:

1. I like Montana around this time of year. They've had a lot of precipitation in the past few weeks and everything has greened up making it just beautiful.
2. Montana is one of the few places I've ever been where you can be driving in straight prairie, crest a hill, and then be driving in a forest.
3. Montana is one of the few places I've driven where you can be going down a main road and not pass a single house/car for over 30 miles!

I left Great Falls yesterday morning and drove East on my way to Colstrip. Along the way I traveled across some beautiful country and loved almost every bit of it. The geography in this part of the USA is awesome and I wish I had a lot more time on my drive to stop and take pictures. Lots of sandstone rock walls lining the road that have so many photo opportunities and also would have been great to top-rope and climb. I ended up getting a little off the beaten path, literally, when I decided to take Montana highway 310 between highways 12 and I94 and it wasn't one of my better ideas. The road was paved for the first 25 miles, then it became a dirt road for about 10 miles, then it became a large-pebbled road (kind of like the shore on the ocean!). The car got very dirty and I was a little concerned about rock damage on the new Caliber.

Yesterday I was thankful for a number of things:

1. Being able to do the drive on someone else's dime
2. Cruise control. On long, flat, open roads it sure was nice to not have to worry about my speed
3. Under-carriage protection. I thought some of those rocks were going to leave holes in the bottom of the car!
4. Space. How awesome it was to drive for miles and miles and not run into a single person and not to see any signs of civilization aside from the rough tracks of another vehicle that went along the road hours before.
5. Pavement. I was pretty excited when I got off the pebbled road!
6. Rain. While it didn't do much, it was enough to somewhat wash off the Caliber after I was done with it.

When I got into Colstrip I felt like I was on the set of "An Inconvenient Truth" (even though they didn't have a set). As you may have guessed from the name, coal is a mainstay for the town and they have a 4-tower coal-burning plant right on the edge of the city. It stank...A LOT! Great town in terms of people though and I got to experience small-town Montana to it's fullest complete with a full tour of the city (of 2,000 people) and dinner in a house-turned-restaurant with the strangest restaurant layout you've ever seen!

Today was staff training for both libraries and installation (part II) for one of them. It's been a long day and tomorrow is shaping up to be a lengthy one as well as I need to drive from here to Helena for my trade show. Hopefully I'll have some time to post pictures when I get there.

D

Another Funny

I have just found THE EASIEST way to blog...EVER! Find something someone else has written, and copy and paste to your blog! Why haven't I done this more?? :) Thanks cousin Mel!

*THE NEW RULES FOR DRIVING IN **CALGARY**

1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is: "CAL-GREE".

2. The morning rush hour is from **5:00am** to **noon**. The evening rush hour is from **noon** to **8:00pm**. Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.

3. The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 130 kph. On Deerfoot, you are expected to match the speed of the airplanes coming in for a landing at the airport. Anything less is considered "Wussy".

4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. **Calgary** now has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, **Hamptons** , SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.

5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot.

6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.

7. Road construction is permanent and continuous in **Calgary**. Detour barrels are moved around during the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a bit more exciting, but nothing ever gets finished, and more construction starts every day.

8. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, skunks, dogs, cats, deer, barrels, cones, cows, horses, cats, mattresses, shredded tires, garbage, squirrels, rabbits, crows, and coyotes feeding on any of these items.

9. 16th Ave, Trans Canada, and Hwy #1 are the same road.

10. If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been "accidentally activated."

11. If you are in the left lane and only driving 110 in an 80-90 kph zone, you are considered a road hazard and will be "flipped off" accordingly. If you return the flip, you'll be shot.

12. For winter driving, it is advisable to wear your parka, toque, fur lined mittens and mukluks. Make sure you have a shovel, food, candle and blankets in the vehicle, as snow removal from the city streets is virtually non-existent until the spring thaw.

LOVE IT!!

~K~

Update from Montana...Day ONE

Hello faithful blog readers! It's a beautiful Monday morning and I'm currently in Great Falls as part of my installation/trade show trip here in Montana. Yesterday I drove from Calgary to Great Falls as part one of my two-stage trip to Rosebud County (east of Billings).

What were the highlights of yesterday you ask? Well, let me point them out below:

• Got my rental car after church and I got stuck with a Dodge Caliber again. Talk about a terribly designed car. The lines are horrible and there are blind-spots galore. When I asked if they had something else she said my options were the Caliber and a 15-passenger van. I stuck with the Caliber! The interesting thing is the Caliber only had 217km on it so far so I'm driving a brand new car.
  
• Stopped in Lethbridge for about 45 minutes and had the opportunity to go for a walk with Aaron and Megan. I love hanging out with those kids. There wasn't anything overly exciting about the visit, just nice to get out of the car.
• Stopped a few times between Lethbridge and the USA border to snap a few pictures. I'm not sure what they look like but I'll try to get a look-see tonight.
• Almost ran out of gas and had to make an emergency stop in Power, MT. Thank the Lord they had a gas bar that still allowed you to purchase fuel when it's closed on your credit card! Out of a possible 13.6 Gallon tank I put in 12! That officially makes the Caliber not that great on gas.
• Great Falls is officially the mosquito capital of Montana already. As I pulled up to park they swarmed the car...hundreds of them! I had to strategically pack my stuff in the car so I would spend as little time in the open as possible!

Well, that's about it. On my way out to Colstrip, MT now and hopefully I'll be able to give an update when I'm there.

Duane. Over and out.

Zooomr

I said that I'd make a post of pictures, but since Duane has set up a Zooomr account I think we'll just put them all on there instead! I might take me a bit to figure it out, so bear with me as I do...and I'll let you know when they're posted and give you all the link!

~K~

Post Below

Hey all...I've finally finished my post!! I started almost a week ago, and finally just finished. Because I started so long ago, it has been entered BELOW Duane's hiking post...just so you all know :) As I said at the end of that post, I'll get to adding more pictures from our trip as soon as they're edited and sized. Duane's too.


~K~