Canadian Adventures - 10/10/2008 - 12/10/2008

My visit to Canada started with a bunch of work stuff while the jetlag was at its worst but followed with some downtime over a long weekend. I spent Saturday exploring London, ON, and Sunday running London's Gobbler Gallop (think Turkey Trot) 6K and then exploring Niagara Falls. The Falls themselves are beautiful, just don't turn around. Tourist Trap. I spoke to my mother on the phone this morning and she said she and my dad nearly took a week's vacation at Niagara Falls. My jaw hit the floor at the word week. A few hours of that and I was done. What would they do for a week?

A photo for my dear LL, who has a thing for squirrels. Apparently, the black squirrels are beating up the gray squirrels, who had a bad reputation for beating up the red squirrels.

Upstream, looking towards Niagara Falls and the tourist trap below it.

Above the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Thinking as a boater, that's one hell of a horizon line...

The mist at Table Rock made for lots of wet and lots of photos of the wet.

This shot of Canada's Horseshoe Falls is my favourite, with the Maid of the Mist giving a great sense of scale.

Maids of the Mist run from both the American and Canadian sides of the Niagara River. The American side of Niagara Falls has never been run successfully in a barrel. The size and abundance of rocks beneath it make that lack of success not much of a surprise.

The cyclists slogging up Tourist Hell I mean hill seemed to enjoy being in my photo. It would not have been my choice of cycling route, but all the power to them.

Not a great place to get stuck considering what waits below.

Niagara-on-the-Lake was just as infested with tourists as Niagara Falls, but I found a quiet(er) spot. The mouth of the Niagara River forms the border between the US and Canada. An ill-fated US invasion of Canada at Fort George and this surrounding area during the War of 1812. Probably a few times.

Lake Ontario had the can't see land for miles view but lacked the salty air of being at a beach.

O' Canada - 25/5/2008 - 28/5/2008

Like the stereotypical American, I had never set foot in Canada in my life. All of that changed after my supervisor moved there. He wants me to move there, too. Research-wise, it looks great. The lab should be ready in the next three or four months. The research groups are young and have lots of energy. I didn't see much outside of the university so I don't really know if I'm cut out to be a Londoner. But at least it was warm while I was there and everybody lied that the weather was always so nice there. Just a couple of pictures.

The Thames River in London. Ontario, that is.