Tag Archives Tales from the Road — page 10

We silently rose above the rice fields just before dawn, the only sound an occasional blast from burners on the hot air balloon. Our pilot made fine adjustments to the heat until our almost vertical ascent caught the high gentle breeze that took us slowly along the Nam Song River Valley. We looked down over […] Read more

The full moon cast a soft light over the world’s largest salt lake, then as it dipped below the horizon, the rising sun suddenly washed a warm glow over the brilliant white salt that had crystallized into strange polygon patterns stretching to the horizon. While impressive, this was only one of a series of mesmerizing […] Read more

Prepare for an adventure among the moss-covered rock formations formed more than 400 million years ago

The forest path brings us to the rim of a rocky cliff overlooking the vivid blue waters of Clearwater Lake. We have to be careful where we step, since the flat-topped cliff suddenly drops into deep, narrow crevices. Closer to shore, we gaze over a jumble of massive boulders, remnants from a cliff face that […] Read more

“Two bears are coming down the path toward us,” warned the park ranger. “We had better move back and wait on this rise until they pass by.” As we stood on the small knoll right beside the path, two well-fed brown bears (larger cousins of the grizzly) ambled by, seemingly ignoring us. Just when we […] Read more

Battle Creek may be one of the shorter waterways on the Prairies, but few can match it for the mix of history and scenery around every corner of its meandering course. Located at the northern extent of the Gulf of Mexico watershed, the creek begins in the Cypress Hills, just east of Elkwater, Alta. While […] Read more

One switchback after another took us higher and higher as the highway snaked up the mountain pass. The air became progressively cooler as green grass and forest gave way to rocky slopes blanketed in snow. In places, the highway was like a tunnel as we drove between three-metre high banks carved by snow plows. Stopping […] Read more

It was as if we were looking at a gigantic work of abstract art. Steep slopes of the mountain valley were completely covered in contoured terraces, a complex network of wildly sculpted land that is an engineering marvel. While we see scenic beauty, local people see it as the only way to make a living […] Read more

Our hearts pound and lungs gasp with each upward step as we hike through oxygen-starved air at altitudes of more than 4,000 metres. But our discomfort is quickly forgotten with each breathtaking view: soaring jagged peaks, gorges galore and cliff faces dropping a half kilometre almost straight down. The Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia are […] Read more

Although we’ve travelled to Cancun frequently over the years, we’ve spent little time in the mega-resort developments around the city and nearby Riviera Maya. Rather, we use Cancun as a jumping-off point to explore the Yucatan Peninsula. Only a few hours away, another world awaits: ancient Mayan ruins, historic colonial cities, nature reserves, traditional villages […] Read more

The landscape changes dramatically soon after we leave Smeaton, Sask., at the start of the Hanson Lake Road (Highway 106). The northern edge of the grain belt in eastern Saskatchewan gives way to the boreal forest of Narrow Hills Provincial Park. It is an exceptional place to experience the powerful effects of 10,000- year-old glaciers, […] Read more