The 6 best things about Canada

I have been accused in the past of being a little bit "anti" Canadian. And while it's true that I am outspokenly critical of things that I think Canada could do better, being back in our home country for a couple of weeks has reminded me that there are some distinctly Canadian things that make me think "hey...that's pretty good"!

So, in no particular order, here's my own personal list of what I believe to be the 6 best things about Canada...

Global warmists - please do not reply

Because as we sit here in the snow and cold, your rambling sounds like complete nonsense.

We've been in Ottawa less than two weeks, and I am reminded every day why our number one goal in life is never to spend another winter in Canada.

The last time the temperature here in Ottawa was above 10C (50F) was November 24. So glad we haven't been here that long!

Upcoming flights

We were on 16 different flights in 2014. And in 17 different airports! I keep track of all of our flights on a website called Flight Diary.

It's free, and it gives you all sorts of fun statistics. Like the fact that we sat in airplanes for a total of 64 hours during the year!

Off to the sugar bush

There isn't much more that is Canadian than hockey and maple syrup. We're not big hockey fans, but we sure are big maple syrup fans!

However, going to the maple sugar bush now is not the same experience that I remember as a kid. Back then, you went for a walk in the bush and had fun checking for and tasting the sweet sap in the buckets that were hanging from the trees.

Gotta get outside!

Been spending far too much time sitting and staring at the computer. At least we're getting caught up on a few things, and it's nice to have a consistent supply of internet, instead of being limited by our expensive cellular internet when we're on the road with the motorhome.

So when Ruth's dad said that he needed to go in to the nearby town of Carleton Place for an appointment, we didn't hesitate to go along for the ride.

How to collect your Amazon packages while on the road

A lot of people buy through Amazon.com, but when you're living and traveling in your RV it's not always that easy to order and be able to list a delivery address.

Sure, a lot of campgrounds will allow you to have packages delivered...but what do you do when you don't stay at very many campgrounds?

A day at the beach? Not quite...

In fact, pretty much the opposite. Late March in the Ottawa area can be a mixed bag, so we knew we might experience pretty much anything during our two week visit. However while we were hoping for at least March or possibly even April type of weather, instead we are getting what is typically January weather.

But, we have to bear with it, so we still went out for a 5 km (3 mile) walk.

Tilley - 6 month clothing update

It was about six months ago that we received our order of Tilley clothing in the mail. We were about to embark on a one month trip to South Korea, and we like to travel light. We only take a wheeled carry on bag, and just about everything that was in our bag came from Tilley.

Hats, socks, underwear, shirts, jackets, and pants!

Family and friends

Two weeks seems to go by pretty quickly, so we're trying to make the most of it by spending as much time as possible with family and friends. After all, we didn't come here to enjoy the cold and snow, although I have to say that it's not bothering me as much as I thought it would.

It's almost a refreshing change, especially knowing that we don't have to put up with six months of it!

The Great White North

Welcome to Canada, the great white north! That title is sure living up to it's name for our visit. Snowing this morning, on the first full day of spring! Daytime temperature not bad, hovering around the freezing mark. But, still unseasonably cold at night. Supposed to go down to -17C (2F) tonight. Brrr!

Took a blog break yesterday, so here's what we've been up to...

Surprise!

We said that we were in Las Vegas for one reason, and one reason only. What was that reason?

To use the Las Vegas airport!

Ruth's great quiche recipe!

The other day when we went for a hike in Sedona, Ruth had made a quiche the the night before. And she used corn tortillas instead of a pastry pie crust...and it was delicious! Many of you were asking about the recipe she uses.

So here it is...!

A look back at Arizona

We made it to Las Vegas. And so of course now we are in the state of Nevada.

We spent almost two months touring Arizona. I think that's the longest amount of time that we've ever been in one state...and we still haven't seen it all! Our original plan was to take in parts of Southern California too, but there was too much to see in Arizona.

Oh, of course we did spend some time at Imperial Dam and Pilot Knob which are both technically in California, but right on the border.

Our new RV washing machine!

Just puttered around most of the day yesterday.

I had bought a gallon of distilled water at Walmart the other day and topped up the batteries. I check them once a month, and they were due for some water and a clean up.

Almost felt like Christmas!

Yesterday, we drove about 129 miles (206 kms) to just north of Kingman, Arizona. We've dropped back down into the desert now, and temps are warmer. It's just me, but I really do like the forest and the trees better than the desert. Even if it comes with slightly cooler temperatures.

Before we left, I had taken apart that switch that was affecting our transmission torque converter. I cleaned the contacts, and that seems to have done the trick. So our gas mileage is back to where it should be and Sherman's transmission is acting the way it was designed.