While practically all of the hiking trails in Nova Scotia were closed due to fires when we first arrived, the rain greatly helped the firefighting efforts, and the trails we were looking at were re-opened. Taking advantage of the situation, we did a couple of short hikes in Kejimkujik National Park on our way to spending the night in Annapolis Royal.
Read MoreOn our last full day in Halifax, we went up to the Halifax Citadel. The rest of the day was low-key, including a walk down to the waterfront.
Read MoreSince we knew the day would be rainy, we went to the Canadian Museum of Immigration, then had lunch at the nearby Farmers' Market. We then walked through the Halifax Central Library, then took it easy for the rest of the day.
Read MoreAfter our red-eye flight, we landed in Halifax and spent our first day getting our room and walking around the waterfront. We also made it to the Halifax Public Garden.
Read MoreSince we had an early evening flight from Seattle, we took our time finishing things at the house before heading to the airport. After we arrived, our first flight to Vancouver was delayed several times. It ended up leaving almost two hours late, but fortunately, that still left us with a layover of about an hour, so we weren’t too worried.
Read MoreAfter Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the second half of our trip was to Los Angeles. Melody was at a conference for the American Translators Association, so I did a combination of playing tourist and seeing family.
Read MoreSince Melody had a conference in Los Angeles in the middle of October, and we decided to leave a few days early to have some time in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. I hadn't been there since elementary school, and this would be Melody's first time. We did quite a bit of hiking, as well as many of the tourist favorites.
Read MoreMelody’s sister Celeste was in town for about a week, and we took the opportunity to do a bit of travel. It was a whirlwind week, and we got a lot done. We started with a couple of nights in Packwood, WA so we could hike in Mt. Rainier National Park, then went to Yakima to visit Melody and Celeste’s mom, then to Spokane to visit their uncle.
Read MoreOur last full day in Toronto was quiet, with me catching up on things and Melody going to her last conference day. Our travel day back to Seattle was pretty non-eventful, too.
Read MoreI ventured further away from our room than on previous days to look at bluffs on the lakeshore. Melody didn't have any extracurricular activities at her conference this day, but she did join people for dinner.
Read MoreAnother split day. Melody went to her conference and went on an art walk near the University of Toronto, while I went to the Art Gallery of Ontario. It was still hot.
Read MoreAnother full conference day for Melody, and I went to a castle. We both avoided the rain but not the heat.
Read MoreMelody's first conference day, so I walked around a bit. Since she didn't have anything in the afternoon, we went down to the Financial District to do a walking tour.
Read MoreThis was the first of our "split" days, where Melody and I do different things. At least for part of the day. I went to a Blue Jays game while Melody walked around a bit and had dinner with some people at the conference.
Read MoreWe often try to do a day trip when traveling, and that’s what we did this day. The last time I was at Niagara Falls was almost 50 years ago, and Melody had never been, so we figured it would be a good thing to do. We were prepared for crowds (a weekend day during the peak summer season) and were able to get plenty of time looking at the falls from two countries.
Read MoreOur first full day in Toronto included going through the Royal Ontario Museum and doing a walking tour of Chinatown and Kensington Market.
Read MoreMelody wanted to go to a week-long book group event in Toronto, so I tagged along so we could make a vacation of it. The last time we were there was almost a quarter century ago, so it seemed like an opportunity to revisit the city.
Read MoreThis installment covers hikes from the past several months. We were in Arizona for a week in November and did a couple of hikes in Saguaro National Forest. In late January/early February, we went on a short road trip to the Leavenworth area and did some snowshoeing. The last couple of snowshoe hikes were in the Seattle area.
Read MoreMelody signed up for a literary translation conference in Tucson, so I tagged along. We went a few days early so she could also play tourist for at least part of the time. Melody hadn't been to Tucson before, while it's been about 40 years since I was last in the city.
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