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#153
Prefers Cicero
I had hoped to use VIA out of Toronto for day trips - take the train to Brantford or Kingston, bike around for a few hours and then take the train back, and they advertise the "bike train" which has racks so you don't have to box your bike. There are multple trains in each direction every day. Unfortunately, all the trains equipped with racks leave Toronto at midday or in the afternoon, which is incredibly annoying!
#154
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I agree, and when I go to otherwise-wonderful natural preserves and see all the cars parked and all the people walking as if they're at an amusement park, it bothers me; but when I think about what it would be like if there was a train line or direct bus connection, I think it might get even worse. Compare US national parks with touristy parts of, say, Switzerland, where there are trains and cable lifts, etc. Gatlinburg and Pidgeon Forge are touristy, and it's certainly understandable to have some touristy areas like that, but given the way humans behave when they all flock to just about any destination, I wonder if making such places transit accessible isn't even worse than having them easily accessible by driving. I don't know if it's possible to entrust the transit-using public with responsible stewardship of natural areas if they get car-free access to them.
Surprise. Surprise.
I just went with the flow.
So, while we're here. What National Parks have you visited?
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#155
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A lot of people, it turns out.
I had hoped to use VIA out of Toronto for day trips - take the train to Brantford or Kingston, bike around for a few hours and then take the train back, and they advertise the "bike train" which has racks so you don't have to box your bike. There are multple trains in each direction every day. Unfortunately, all the trains equipped with racks leave Toronto at midday or in the afternoon, which is incredibly annoying!
I had hoped to use VIA out of Toronto for day trips - take the train to Brantford or Kingston, bike around for a few hours and then take the train back, and they advertise the "bike train" which has racks so you don't have to box your bike. There are multple trains in each direction every day. Unfortunately, all the trains equipped with racks leave Toronto at midday or in the afternoon, which is incredibly annoying!
Seriously, We only have I think 3 trains a week pull out of Vancouver but there is one Friday at about 10pm so it fits perfectly for a weekend departure. Takes about 20 hours to get to Jasper though. I don't think they have a bike car on this one, just a regular baggage car and the website suggests a box but they told me even a large plastic bag over the bike will do (so the other baggage doesn't get greasy). My station is quite funny as there is no station at all or even a platform and I have to hand the bike up to the person in the car because they aren't allowed to lift.
I was fortunate to take the southern route from Calgary to Vancouver back in 88, just before they privatized the route. Cost $120 then and no charge for the bike. Now it's about $2000 - 4000 and called the Rocky Mountaineer so I won't be doing that again.
#156
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OK, so there are 47 National Parks or National Park Reserves in Canada ...
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
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#157
Prefers Cicero
Well that's unfortunate (living in TO that is )
Seriously, We only have I think 3 trains a week pull out of Vancouver but there is one Friday at about 10pm so it fits perfectly for a weekend departure. Takes about 20 hours to get to Jasper though. I don't think they have a bike car on this one, just a regular baggage car and the website suggests a box but they told me even a large plastic bag over the bike will do (so the other baggage doesn't get greasy). My station is quite funny as there is no station at all or even a platform and I have to hand the bike up to the person in the car because they aren't allowed to lift.
I was fortunate to take the southern route from Calgary to Vancouver back in 88, just before they privatized the route. Cost $120 then and no charge for the bike. Now it's about $2000 - 4000 and called the Rocky Mountaineer so I won't be doing that again.
Seriously, We only have I think 3 trains a week pull out of Vancouver but there is one Friday at about 10pm so it fits perfectly for a weekend departure. Takes about 20 hours to get to Jasper though. I don't think they have a bike car on this one, just a regular baggage car and the website suggests a box but they told me even a large plastic bag over the bike will do (so the other baggage doesn't get greasy). My station is quite funny as there is no station at all or even a platform and I have to hand the bike up to the person in the car because they aren't allowed to lift.
I was fortunate to take the southern route from Calgary to Vancouver back in 88, just before they privatized the route. Cost $120 then and no charge for the bike. Now it's about $2000 - 4000 and called the Rocky Mountaineer so I won't be doing that again.
Last edited by cooker; 09-23-18 at 07:59 AM.
#158
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OK, so there are 47 National Parks or National Park Reserves in Canada ...
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
#159
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Ok, so you are ok with people going with the flow of whatever is mentioned in the thread, but you still reserve the right to respond to things you dislike by complaining they have nothing to do with the thread topic?
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I have visited Grassland National Park in SASK way back in 1999. I drove there from Ontario. It's a fascinating place, the park is divided into a west side and east side. I am fascinated by desert landscapes so I visited the part which looks like a desert and camped there for a few days, had to use water filter to filter my water out of a small creek which had milky coloured water full of sediment...I have also visited Lake Superior Provincial Park...Most of my wilderness trips have been done on Crown Land in Ontario. I used topo maps and compass and just bushwack my way in and explore.
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#162
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OK, so there are 47 National Parks or National Park Reserves in Canada ...
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/recher...s-parks-search
These are the ones I've visited:
-- Banff National Park
-- Elk Island National Park
-- Glacier National Park
-- Grasslands National Park (not sure if I've been to this one, but I lived close to it when I was young, so I might have)
-- Jasper National Park
-- Kootenay National Park
-- Mount Revelstoke National Park
-- Riding Mountain National Park
-- Waterton Lakes National Park (oddly enough, given that I've lived in Alberta for much of my life, I haven't spent much time in this one)
-- Yoho National Park
#163
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Just a month ago I drove out to the Great Sand Hills in Sask. to see those as well. Similar but not as dramatic.
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Just a month ago I drove out to the Great Sand Hills in Sask. to see those as well. Similar but not as dramatic.
I wonder if there are any other sand dunes to visit in Western Canada?
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I distinctly remember thinking I was being cheeky because I claimed student status to get the reduced fare at the time. I had a student card from SAIT as I was doing a modular EMT-A course that had training days on the campus so I wasn't really a student in the traditional sense but was willing to win with VIA on a technicality
#166
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And I am not surprised.
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Just for the record, I don't think putting diapers on a horse is respecting nature. No sir.
I did try putting some on a Chihuahua once and that turned into a fiasco. In my defense; by that time I had lost all respect for the little piddle monster.
I did try putting some on a Chihuahua once and that turned into a fiasco. In my defense; by that time I had lost all respect for the little piddle monster.
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This is an old discussion I've had many times before. I didn't say I'm necessarily for it, but I also can't say I'm necessarily against it. It depends on how the animal feels about the situation. Some animals really enjoy helping humans in certain ways, the way some people really enjoy certain kinds of work. Some discipline may help animals as well as people discover that they actually enjoy doing things they consider burdensome chores at first. I hated household cleaning chores when I was young, but now I enjoy them somewhat, depending on how they're done. I can happily do dishes by hand in some situations but in a job situation where there is pressure to get a lot of dishes done in a limited time frame, it becomes stressful. I imagine it's like that for horses; i.e. if there is pressure on them to go fast and push themselves beyond their comfort zone, they are unhappy, but if they are enjoying pulling a wagon and getting the exercise and checking out the scenery, they probably are happier than sitting in a barn waiting to go out.
#169
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Only if the bears dig AC/DC.
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#170
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I'm not going to get all religious about that but some donkey did Mary a favor getting her into town.
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#171
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I have been there! Probably.. 1990ish for a family reunion. We took the wagon ride and walked around the sand dunes - just like the Sahara only smaller. Apparently the prevailing winds were out of the southeast so the dunes were slowly traveling across the prairie in a NW direction at a rate of about 6" a year IIRC. The wind picks the sand up on one side and deposits it on the other.
Just a month ago I drove out to the Great Sand Hills in Sask. to see those as well. Similar but not as dramatic.
I wonder if there are any other sand dunes to visit in Western Canada?
Just a month ago I drove out to the Great Sand Hills in Sask. to see those as well. Similar but not as dramatic.
I wonder if there are any other sand dunes to visit in Western Canada?
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#172
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Deep frying had to come before the finger lickin', as well as mass merchandising of quality spices at good prices.
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#173
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Where we're going Marty, we don't need rails!
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#174
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Bye.
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But ... it has NOTHING to do with what we are discussing, which are tourists riding around for personal pleasure ... so let's not mix the divine and the worldly eh? I am wide open to discussing the other ... but we cannot do it here.