American Southwest, Part 1

The land of the Wild West has intrigued me for years now... its massive canyons, its colours, its open skies, its desolation, its kitsch, its mystery.  Perhaps it was an article I read in a magazine, or Kerouac's writings in 'The Dharma Bums', or the imagery in 'Into the Wild' when Chris McCandless spends time in desert, or maybe it the classic film 'Easy Rider', which I saw for the first time last year.  I guess it doesn't matter what it was, but either way, this fall it was finally time to take a trip to this strange part of the world.  Nadia and I flew to Las Vegas in late October with Halloween costumes in our luggage, hit the strip for a few days, then headed out onto the open highway in a rental car.  The map below shows our route from Las Vegas counterclockwise into Arizona and then north into southern Utah, returning to Vegas.  Six nights on the road.  First night at the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs, Arizona.  Second night tenting in -5 to -10C temperatures at the Grand Canyon.  Then a night at a hotel in Page, Arizona.  Then three nights at Zion National Park in southern Utah with friends Dennis and Ashley.

  

Las Vegas was a blast.  We both enjoyed it more than we thought we would.  The timing was perfect too.  We were there October 29-31, right over Halloween!  It was lots of fun just to wander up and down the strip, stopping every now and then to take in the rather ridiculous and oversized sights.  People watching is something else there too.  A highlight for us was dressing up in costume.  I dressed up as Shaun from the British zombie comedy 'Shaun of the Dead'.  Nadia was dressed as a killer pyschopath.  Interestingly, our costumes were quite similar; the common denominator was BLOOD, and lots of it!!  There were others dressed in costume but we still seemed to stand out.  We got overwhelmed with positive comments and laughs from others.  We went out to dinner in our costumes and were the only ones in the whole restaurant in costume.

We left Vegas and floor 13 behind on October 31st and took to the highway.  After stopping at the Hoover Dam and driving long (and tiresome) straight stretches through open desert, we reached Kingman, AZ near dusk.  Then we continued east onto Route 66 and before we knew it darkness had set in, the road was growing more desolate, and the night ominous.  The passing towns were void of motels so we kept on going, hopeful but growing somewhat weary and worried.  Finally we found a lodge in the town of Peach Springs, operated by the local Hualapai Native Americans.  So we stayed the night there.  We were happy we did, because we had a gorgeous drive the next morning and saw lots of the kitchy Route 66 attractions at Canyon Taverns and in Seligman, stuff we would have otherwise missed in the darkness the night before.  Soon I will post part 2 and 3 of the trip, which will include the Grand Canyon and Zion. 

The last gasp of light at dusk before darkness took over on Route 66

Enjoying wacky roadside attractions along Route 66

Seasons and time of day

October is one of my favourite months because it is time of change and transition.  It is unlike any other month.  A recent drive through BC's interior on the Coquihalla highway to Kamloops and back reminded me how beautiful this time of year can be.  Now I don't have any photos from this drive but it did get me thinking more of how season and time of day change how we look at the world.  So I'd like to share with you photos of two of my favourite places.  Mount Seymour, BC in different seasons and Villamayor de Montjardin, Spain at different times of day.

Mount Seymour's 1st peak (Pump Peak) in late September

Same view of Mount Seymour in January, about nine months earlier

Village of Villamayor, cool and blue, near dawn

Villamayor in the afternoon heat, stormy sky in the distance

My new photo gallery

I've created a NEW photo gallery with Google's Picasa web albums. This will be where I post photos of my travels and hikes 2011 and beyond.  I still have my Pbase photo website, of course, and this is where you can find older photos (2010 and earlier) as well as any special photo project that I'm working on. If you want to check out my galleries, the links are in the column on the right of this page, near the top, underneath my profile photo.

Finding peace in the Kootenays and Pemberton Valley

Yes, it's been almost two months since I wrote last.  No shortage of things to write about, that's for sure.  But sadly I have no excuses to offer for not writing.  Blog hiatus aside, it's been a busy couple of months and I've been on the road a little bit, mostly local trips in BC and one trip south across the border to Seattle. 

A summer highlight was spending Labour Day long weekend in the Kootenays with Nadia and my parents.  I've been to my parents' cabin on Kootenay Lake many summers in years past, but it was different this time as I was showing it all to Nadia for the first time! (well, first time in the summer; she has been to the Kootenays before in winter).

For pictures of Kootenay Lake and other recent trips, visit my Picasa web albums.

Below is a neat find in the Pemberton Valley.   It's an "honour stand" offering  fresh corn, potatoes, cucumber, and other vegetables to passers by on the road.   The catch is that nobody mans the stand; you choose your food, add up the price, and put money in a metal box.  It was refreshing to be so far out of the city to find something like this.  Thank you Goat Mountain Produce!

A neat find in the Pemberton Valley.  It's an "honour stand" rewarding

honest people with good fresh food straight off the farm.

Riots, more riots, and Manning Park

It's been over a month since I returned from Europe.  A lot has happened since then, particularly in England (my home base on the trip), with the street riots this past week in all the big cities I visited: London, Manchester, and Liverpool.  It's interesting how I totally missed the Vancouver riots (was in Amsterdam with Brad that day) and now back in BC I have (thankfully) missed the England riots. 

But all this rotten riot business aside, I'd like to focus on the beauty of the British Columbia summer in this posting.  Last weekend Nadia and I went backcountry camping in Manning Park.  For those who don't know Manning, it's a large provincial park in the North Cascade mountains about 3 hours drive east of Vancouver on Highway 3 (the Crowsnest highway).  It's a wonderful meeting place of coastal BC and interior BC ecosystems.  It's where the coastal rainforests and damp temperate climate starts to transition into the drier climate and pine forests of the BC interior. 

We camped at Buckhorn camp and day hiked on Heather Trail to the Three Brothers area.  Highlights were the wildflowers and striking views of the North Cascades.  We had to cross patches of snow leftover from last winter and spring, which have been slow to melt off in the cool early summer we've had.
 

Nadia looking northwest over the rolling terrain leading to the Three Brothers, which are

in the far top right of the photo

View south into the high Cascades in south Manning Park and on the other

side of the US border in Washington state

Our packs

Off the Road, for now

I'm back in Canada now and am enjoying a quiet Saturday morning in my own home.  After four weeks of sleeping in different beds and always being on the go, this is a feeling like none other. 

I do miss the Camino de Santiago.  I had a great experience being a pilgrim for a week and a half and met some truly wonderful people.  I walked from St Jean Pied de Port, France to outside of Logrono, Spain - eight days and nearly 150km - but this is not even one quarter of the whole Camino Frances, which spans all the way across northern Spain ending in Santiago.  I know that the Camino will always be waiting for me to pick up where I left off.  I know exactly where my starting point will be based on where I finished the Camino this year - the small Knights of Templar church in the middle of the village of Torres del Rio.  When will I return to the Camino?  No clue.  It could be three years, ten years, or twenty years from now.

The highlight of the rest of my trip was travelling with my brother Brad for ten days, of which I have a few blog entries that you may have already read.  Something I didn't blog about earlier was that Brad and I had a great day in Paris meeting up with my parents (who had been travelling in Ireland and were spending a few days in Paris before returning to Canada).  What a city to meet up in for the day!

So this marks the end of my travels (for now) and I'm officially Off the Road for the time being.  BUT... please do check my blog from time to time.  I will continue to post, often about local trips and hikes, but also future trip plans and just general thoughts I'd like to share with you all...

The Ashmans in Paris... strangest family portrait ever!

Bilbao

Today is my full day in Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque region of Spain.  It´s a nice city and reminds me of a smaller version of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Lots of grand boulevards, old Spanish architecture, gardens, and bridges.  Also a lot of modernist architecture.  It´s a hilly city too, with the edges of the city climbing up the nearby hills and mountains.

But... it´s a city and it´s unfamiliar.  I can´t think of a place I´d rather not be right now.  Bilbao is in such stark contrast to my days hiking on the Camino.  The fast pace of the city, it´s noise, construction, and traffic are the complete opposite to the warmth and nature I´ve been walking through at very slow pace over the past week.  So in short, I want to be home now instead of in this strange grey zone in an unfamiliar city.  I´ll be back in Canada on Friday after a day in London... can´t wait to get home!

My last night on the Camino

Since my last update in Lorca I´ve had two more walking days, starting early in the rising sun.  Last night I stayed in a Dutch albergue in Villamayor de Montjardin, a small town on a hillside overlooking the countryside.  I had a great day relaxing after arriving early in the afternoon, beating the worst of the heat.  After a few days of walking with girls, I had the chance to hang out with some guys in Villamayor and had some beers and laughs together.  Two Danish guys and one guy from Navarra (the province of Spain I am currently in, which is part of Basque country).  Today I walked to Torres del Rio, the final stop for me on the Camino.  I walked alone most of the time, but two of my original group (Anna-Kathrine and Petra) started and ended with me, and we are staying at the same hostel.  Just said farewell to both of them... they will continue tomorrow without me!

Tomorrow will be much different than my past eight days on foot.  I will take a bus to Logrono (my original planned ending point of the Camino) and then take a different bus to the large city of Bilbao.  It will be interesting to see what a large city in the Basque region will be like.  Apparently it used to be very industrial but now has a lot of culture (including a Guggenheim) as well as it´s own metro system.  I plan to relax and eat the great food and see if it lives up to the hype.  The wine and the pintxos are spoken highly of.  "Pintxos" is a Basque word and is basically the same things as tapas in southern Spain.

Then off to London on Thursday and Canada on Friday!  Just booked my hotel for London.  More updates to follow, either from Bilbao or London.

Albergue (pilgrim hostel) in Villamayor de Montjardin

Dawn, looking over Villamayor from front steps of albergue

Spending a hot day in Lorca

I left Puente la Reina this morning and arrived in Lorca, a small village, around noon in searing heat.  Many of my friends from the past few days arrived either before me, with me, or a while after me and most decided to stay at an albergue (hostel) here rather than go further in the afternoon heat.  So I was faced with a decision.  Continue in the heat and really push myself to my intended destination of Estella... or stay here, rest, avoid the heat and spend another day with friends?  I chose the latter, so am enjoying a low key afternoon inside the cool albergue.  Had a nice cold San Miguel beer in the hostel bar.  Tomorrow´s weather forecast is for slightly cooler temperateratures so I may go for a long haul.  I am thinking of starting before 6am, as the day wakes up, to get the most out of the morning!  Only two days left in my camino... 

Happy Canada Day from Puente de Reina

Happy Canada Day everyone!  For the second year in a row I am not in Canada for this day (last year was in Iceland) so I am definitely missing home today. 

It´s been a long day.  I walked alone mostly but did walk for a bit with two guys from Spain who studied English in Vancouver... they wished me Happy Canada Day as soon as I said I was from Canada.

It has also been a hot day.  The morning was cool to start and the views incredibly scenic as the path climbed up a mountain outside of Pamplona.  On the hills leading up to the mountain were sunflower fields.  Along the mountain ridge was a wind farm, with dozens of turbines.  The afternoon was very hot as I was walking through open farmland with little shade.  It was nice to arrive in Puente de Reina and find many of my friends at the same hostel, even Petra who stayed behind in Pamplona a few days ago with really bad blisters.  She walked the whole way today (over 20km) in sandals!

In the heat, the right gear makes all the difference - hat, sunglasses, hydration pack

Through Pamplona now, taking a rest today

Thank you for your comments, everyone, on my last post.  Two full days have passed since that last update and I now have around 75km of the Camino behind me.  Thankfully the weather has gotten colder and cloudier, making the trek easier physically, but the pack is not getting any lighter (well, actually, I have discarded a few items, but a few litres of water seems to cancel this out).  I´ve been heading westward away from the Pyrenees so the terrain is more forgiving now - rolling wooded hills interspersed with farmland with bright yellow hay.  The path has crossed the Rio Arga a few times, a small river we´ve been following.

I´ve been hiking with a great group of people.  There have been six of us since Day 2, all individual travellers who have met up along the way.  Some started in St Jean, others further back in France.  There is Gerd, the bearded German who I like to think of as "The Elder" and is clearly the group leader, and Anna-Katherine and Charly (both also German) who are both tai-chi instructors and have stopped a few times to do tai-chi in serene settings along the Rio Arga, and there is Claudia (from Austria) who I have walked with on and off since Day 1 in St Jean, and lastly there is Petra (from Slovenia), the youngest of the group who we adopted after we came across her tending to her blistering feet beside a water fuente along the way.  The group has gone separate ways now, however, due to injured feet, plans to go home from Pamplona, and ambitions to go on ahead.  I am still with Claudia and Anna-Kathrine resting in Cizur Menor (just over 5km from where we all stayed in Pamplona last night) but I am feeling the need for some alone time on tomorrow´s hike to Puenta de la Reina, so we may all split soon enough.

Pamplona is a wonderful city.  Once you get over the fact that it hosts the Running of the Bulls (San Fermin festival) every year (in early July), you realize that there is much more to the city.  Lots of trees and parkland and beautiful old walls around the city.

Clockwise starting with Claudia (in pink), Anna-Katherine, Petra, Charly, Gerd

This stop sign has the right idea

Made it over the Pyrenees

Wow, that was probably the most challenging day I have ever experienced!  I made it to the village of Roncesvalles (valley of thorns) in one piece after crossing the Pyrenees from France into Spain, starting in St Jean at 6:30am arriving at Roncasvalles at 5:30pm.  There was a 1300m ascent to the pass, then steep 500m descent for the last two hours.  It was hot, the sun was high, and my pack heavy.  My body is in shock.  Luckily the other Camino pilgrims are helpful and encouraging; we are all travelling together as a family.  So now I sit in a pilgrim hostel in an old monastery, tummy full, and planning to go to bed soon.  My wounds today range from foot blisters to a huge welt on my lower pack where my pack rubbed.  And I mean HUGE welt.  Tomorrow I will walk towards Zubiri but depending how I feel I may stop at intermediate accomodation.  This is not a race of course and I don´t want to wear myself out completely on Day 2.

A neat side note about today... the route I followed was the Route de Napoleon, and has been used not only by Napoleon but also as a route across the Pyrenees by many other groups in the medieval period.  Much of the route is high and open, as opposed to other routes in deep dense valleys below the peaks where it was easier to be ambushed in the medieval era.

Nearing the pass over the Pyrenees, still in France at this point

Taking a break in the shade, utterly exhausted and light headed, but still 4km descent to go

Changing gears in St Jean Pied de Port

I am currently in St Jean Pied de Port, a town at the base of the Pyrenees in southwest France.  This is the beginning of the main route of the Camino de Santiago, which I will follow into Spain for the next 8 days.  I am definitely "changing gears" now.  Gone are the trains, the bustle, the cool weather, and the familiarity of northern Europe.  And of course, Brad, who I've been travelling with and said goodbye to in Paris yesterday.  I will be on foot for the next 8 days, with nothing to do but walk, think, reflect, and take care of myself (food and water and of course shelter by the end of each day).

If there was any transition day it was yesterday.  I found myself asking "Why am I doing this?" a few times.  After a relaxing train ride from Paris to Bourdeaux where I sat beside a nice lady whom I practiced French with, my second train from Bourdeaux to Bayonne was stifling hot and crowded, sun blazing in across the countryside.  English is not spoken much at all in Bayonne (where I spent the night) and is fourth to Basque, French, and Spanish.  I got by though, thanks to some studying and hugely to the nice lady on the train who really helped me out.  As if the day wasn't challenging enough I discovered what I hoped was a heat rash on my shoulders before bed last night... but just as likely they are bedbug bites. 

But I've left the city behind and am in the mountains now.  It's cool and early and the day feels promising.  I'm not sure when my next update will be, but hopefully in the next few days from Roncesvalles or Pamplona.  'Till then!

Wimbledon

Brad and I went to Wimbledon last night, which is about a half hour ride on the London Underground from where we are staying close to Hyde Park.  It was a great experience!  After "queuing" we paid 20 pounds and made it to the courts for a few hours in the warm breezy evening.  Got really close to an Ivanovic match (first row courtside), which she won in two sets.  It was awesome watching the tennis so close up and really interesting to see how official and proper the courtside officials and ball boys/girls are.  Another great day!

Through Belgium and now in London

It's been a few days since my last update.  In that time, Brad and I spent two nights in Belgium in the city of Ghent - which is one of the most beautiful (but least travelled) cities in Belgium.  The highlight in Belgium for me was most definitely the beer culture!  I already knew Belgian beers were ridiculously good but a trip through Belgium (albeit only two days) has confirmed this fact.  The number of different beers is staggering and they are all unique from each other it seems.  Many are Trappist beers that are brewed by Trappist monks.  They are strong beers (most of them 6-10% alcohol), the glasses are cool, the beer halls are awesome, and the prices actually not as high as I would have thought (one glass for 3-4 Euros).

Okay, enough about beers.  We are now in London... one of the world's greatest cities.  Highlights here have been visiting the City of Westminster (reminds me of home), riding the London Underground around with our Oyster cards, two cool walking tours (one was the Jack the Ripper tour that covered the dark history of East London, the other was a Royal tour).  My favourite architecture so far has been Big Ben and the British Parliament buildings...  "Remember remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason, and plot."  If you know the film "V for Vendetta" you will recognize this line!

Two more days in London.  I'll send more updates when I can...

At Kings of Leon concert in Hyde Park on June 22: Me, Will, Brad, and Jill

In Holland now with Brad

I am writing this from Amsterdam, where the travel paths of Brad and I have finally converged! It's just after midnight now and we are just about to call it a night after a great day. We rode around the city on bicycles today (just as aggressively as the Dutch), played chess in a coffee shop, and went out for all-you-can-eat ribs and pints... where the Canucks and Bruins game was on replay. Sad news in more ways than one. Anyway, we're off to Belgium in the morning... updates to come.

Renting bikes in Amsterdam was just the start of the Ashman brothers' adventures

In Manchester

I've left the lakes behind and am now in Manchester.  Spent the day walking the city.  What a mix of old stained brick and modern lines and shapes... very interesting buildings here.  Toured the Manchester United FC stadium - Old Trafford - which was very cool!  For dinner I had an amazing curry dish at a pub nearby the hostel.  One thing I've realized is that the British sure can make a mean curry and an even meaner cup of tea!

Loughrigg Fell, The Hobbit, and iocane powder

Today I did an awesome ramble and hike around England's Lake District.  The weather here has been uncooperative (cloud and drizzly and cool) but this has only added to the mystique of the region.  I hiked up a mountain called Loughrigg Fell, near Ambleside, and also walked Coffin Road and saw Wordsworth's home.  Loughrigg and a nearby cave were the best part of the day.  I felt like I was a lone walker in medieval times, especially up high on the fell where there were very few people.

It felt like I was walking through a landscape in The Hobbit - a book I have never read but decided to pick up at a local bookstore yesterday.  It's perfect for travelling - a fun adventure and light read.  The landscape also reminded me of The Princess Bride!  There was more than one moment today where the grassy knolls in front of me could have been where Vezzini tried to trick Westley in a game of wits.  Iocane powder, was it?

The Hobbit was also a good book choice because later in my trip I'll be spending a few nights in a city in northern Spain called Bilbao... not quite Bilbo the hobbit but close enough, haha.

The inspiring landscape of England's Lake District

Nearing the summit of Loughrigg Fell

Posting comments

I just looked at my settings and saw that it was set so that only Blogger members could post comments on my blog.  I've changed this so that everybody can now post comments.  So write away as you wish, or don't, it's up to you :-) 

In England now

I arrived in London yesterday and have been heading north since then, and am currently in Ambleside, which is in England's Lake District and best hiking region (in the northwest between Manchester and the Scotland border).  I'll be staying put here for a few days.

Yesterday I got a quick taste of London as I took "The Tube" through on my way to Euston train station to connect north.  I had some time to kill so took a quick walk around Victoria tube station.  It was the Queen's and Prince Phillip's birthday celebration so I watched their parade outside Buckingham palace.  I was only in England for a few hours and I managed to see the queen!

For you Pink Floyd fans:  While taking the train from London Gatwick into the city centre, it was my first view of England.  The imagery of the train tracks and brick row houses kept making me think of Pink Floyd for some reason.  Then all of a sudden as the train crossed the Thames River, the massive Battersea Power Station appeared out the window, its stacks towering high into the sky.  This is the power station on the cover of the Animals album that has the floating pig overhead!

Welcome to my travel blog

Welcome to my travel blog!  I've kept journals before while travelling (in fact I have a whole tin full of journals of all shapes and sizes), but a blog?  This is a first for me.  So why the travel blog you ask?  I'll be travelling in Europe this June and early July and am looking for a new way to share stories and insights with friends and family members.  I also like the idea of getting feedback on my blog posts. 

Now a few details about the trip.  I'll be revisiting a few places I travelled to with Mike back in 2004 and Nadia in 2009 but mostly exploring new places.  I start in the UK on my own then head to Holland to meet up with my brother Brad.  Eventually I'll finish off the trip flying solo again, this time on the Camino de Santiago in northeast Spain.  The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage walking route that's been walked by millions of people over the years.  I've wanted to do a long distance walk for ages and have had the Camino de Santiago in mind for quite some time now.  I leave for Europe today, so more to come shortly!!