FRANCE / GERMANY / SWITZERLAND

FIRST Adventure in EUROPE

Wikipedia: FRANCE

Wikipedia: GERMANY

Wikipedia: SWITZERLAND

 

LOGISTICS

Hosts: Monsheim, GERMANY with Edith & Rainer Bals, Schopfeim, GERMANY with Cornelia, Deiter & Felix Raps and Laax, SWITZERLAND with Deiter Raps

Air Travel: Air Canada from Montreal > Paris, FRANCE

Train: Paris > Mannheim, GERMANY

Private Vehicle: Mannheim > Monsheim & surrounding area

Train: Monsheim > Schopfeim

Private Vehicle: Schopfeim & surrounding area > Laax, SWITZERLAND > Basel

Train: Basel > Mannheim, GERMANY

Private Vehicle: Mannheim > Monsheim > Frankfurt

Air Travel: Air Canada from Frankfurt > Montreal, CANADA

Places: Paris  Versailles  Mannheim  Monsheim  Speyer  Ludwigshafen  Worms  Bacarach  St. Goar Braubach  Annweiker  Kallstadt  Schopfeim  Basel  Frohnd  Zell  Goetheanum  Freiburg  Ottmarsheim Haut-Koenigsbourg  Riquewihr  Luzerne  Laax Chur  Falera  Frankfurt

Background: We first met our German hosts on last year's Wind / Peel Rivers canoe trip in Yukon. They invited us to visit them ... it would be a convenient way to introduce us to a small region of Europe they said ... and, they certainly were not mistaken. Wonderful hosts and great tour guides ... we had a blast! The majority of our accommodation was in private suites at their homes and each shared us for part of the trip.

Canoeing the Rhine River, GERMANY: Bacharach > St. Gore

Castles & Class I+

LOGISTICS (GERMANY)

Private Vehicle: Monsheim > Bacharach

Shuttle Vehicle: Bacharach > St. Gore

Tandem Canoe: Bacharach > St. Gore - CI+, day trip, 16 km

Private Vehicle:  St. Gore > Monsheim

View Rhine River, GERMANY in a larger map

Hiking the East Coast Trail, NL, CANADA

We'll Return for More of the ECT!

LOGISTICS

Private Vehicle: Tim's Lake > Kanata & overnight at J & K's.

Airport Shuttle: J drove us to Ottawa International Airport and stored our truck 

Air Travel: Porter Air from Ottawa, ON > Halifax, NS > St. John's, NL & return trip

Trail Accommodations / Hosts: (1) Points East, Pouch Cove / Elkie proprietor

                                                  (2) Harbour House, Petty Harbour

                                                  (3) Brown Rabbit Cabins, Tors Cove Pond / Isa & Bill proprietors

Synopsis: We hiked with a group of eight, some old friends and some new. We spent some time in St. John's before hiking the trail and then a couple of days in Trinity at the end of the trip before returning home. Our accommodations were all good, any shuttle arrangements to and from trailheads worked out, the weather co-operated, we ate some good food, drank the local beers and absorbed a small bit of Newfoundland & Labrador culture.

East Coast Trail Photography

Canoeing in Algonquin PP, ON, CANADA: Rock/Louisa Lks. Loop

Old Friends on an Old Route

LOGISTICS 

Private Vehicles: Tims Lake & Ottawa > Algonquin PP and return

Put-In: Rock Lake

Tandem Canoe: Rock Lk > Pen Lk > Clydegale Lk > Pen Lk > Galipo R > Welcome Lk >

                            Harry Lk > Rence Lk > Frank Lk > Florence Lk > Louisa Lk > Rock Lk

Distance: 45 kms

Portages: (8) 16.7 kms

Take-Out: Rock Lake

Excerpt from KANOE TRIPPERS Adventure Journal:

'It isn't often that we get an opportunity to relive our life experiences from a previous time and place. This canoe trip gave me that chance. '

KAYAKING: Cabonga Reservoir, La Verendyre PP, PQ, CANADA

Double Blades

LOGISTICS 

Private Vehicles: From our homes > Le Domaine, La Verendyre and return.

Put-In: Cabonga 5

Tandem Kayak: Cabonga 5 > Site 25-228 > (3) nights @ Site 25-208 > (2) nights @ Site 25-232 > Cabonga 5

Distance: 94.85 kms (gps)

Portages: (2) 0.13 kms (gps)

Take-Out: Cabonga 5

View Larger Map

Crossroads Guitar Festival, Chicago, IL, USA

FIRST Really BIG Music Concert

LOGISTICS

Private Vehicle: Tim's Lake > Windsor, ON > Chicago, IL, USA > Austinburg, OH > Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA > Tim's Lake 

Excerpt From KANOE TRIPPING Journal:

I don't usually write up an Adventure Journal entry for entertainers, but this venue was different for us. The first time we've attended a large stadium 12 hour outdoor concert. The line-up of musicians was amazing, the sound quality and general organization at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois was superb, food quality was fair, food pricing was exorbitant, the heat and humidity were oppressive ...  12 hours went by too quickly ... this festival was an outstanding musical event!!!

Crossroads Guitar Festival Photography

Sandals Royal Hicacos, Veradero, CUBA

 

Diving The 'Bay of Pigs'

Synopsis: This was our third trip to CUBA and our most enjoyable. We found the time went faster on this adventure than in any other 'southern' country we've visited. Unlike our first trip to CUBA, in 2005, we didn't do much travelling around this time - most days were spent laying around the pools, reading and walking along the beach.