The opening ceremonies have begun....who will bear the torch up the rampart????

Oddly enough, we have 2 pairs of figure skaters from our area, one from Venice, competing for USA, and of course we'll be watching all the hockey, no matter who's playing. I thought the scenery shots from around Vancouver were absolutely beautiful, and the opening cerimonies were cool. Too bad about the kid that died from a luge accident. It's a crazy sport but you never think it's that dangerous. We hope all goes well for the rest of the games, and we have a new destination to add to our dreams. BC!!

Danny, be careful what you wish for....my brother "visited" Vancouver years ago. All we heard was Van this, and Van that. He finally got his wish and has been living on an island just past Vancouver Island (Powell River) for the past 17 years or so.

He absolutely fell in love with the place. I have not been there to visit him yet, afraid I'll catch the bug too. I'd really have to think about trading in the palm tree view for the mountain view

He may go to a few events, as of last night was undecided which ones, if any. For him, he has to catch 2 ferries to get him to the mainland, but he would not trade it for anything.

I'm happy for him, just wish he were closer to Florida.

Tina

The gardens in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, are spectacular, worth a visit if you're that close. The mild climate ensures year round beauty.

I haven't been to Vancouver, but have spent some time in Seattle and Portland and found it quite easy to fall in love with the natural beauty as well as the people of the NW. Growing up in Maine, heck, I feel half Canadian anyway, eh.

Summers driving East Grand Ave in Old Orchard Beach, French Canadian girls in string bikinis, watching Rush playing local bars, seeing pure white Canadian sunbathers turning their bodies into lobster red on day-one of their holiday, I love them Canuks.

If the Canadian Left-Coasters are half as fun as the Nor-East side, I gotta spend time der, eh!

I also am constantly amazed at how much talent comes from little Canada. Music, comedy, acting, they are such a contributor to the North American mixing pot. I even love their National Anthem which was done in great form last night by a 16 year old who is destined to be another International star, Nikki Yanofsky.

And I didn't realize we share the longest friendly border in the world with them, thank God it's friendly! Can you imagine that fence!!

There is some really beautiful country up there, Banff Natl Park is outstanding and we can highly recommend their Provincial Parks (like State Parks) for camping. About 15 years back they did not charge you a camping fee before May 15th. If you do not faint filling your MH up in LITERS. How much is gas now in Canada (or is it petrol)?

Looks like Petrol and Diesel are both at about $1.06 C a gallon. With 3.79 liters making a US gallon, that comes to essentially $4.00 C a gallon. With the Canadian dollar worth .93 of a US dollar, I guess that comes to $3.72 US a gallon for petrol or diesel.

All in all, not really that bad as a quick look at Seattle fuel puts gas at $2.65 and Diesel at $3.00.

It's interesting to see that Canada seems to be much more promotional of diesel than the US.

Here's a neat little factoid thingee I found doing the research on prices in Canada.

Why is gasoline less expensive in the U.S.?

Taxes. Retail gasoline prices in Canada are still the second lowest in the industrialized world. Only the United States has lower average gasoline prices than Canada and the difference between our retail fuel prices and theirs is taxes — not marketing margins, not refining margins, not profits. View international gasoline prices for a visual representation of average prices across the industrialized world.

* Taxes are one of the largest components of the retail price of gasoline, accounting for about 32%, or 33 cents per litre of the average pump price in Canada in 2007.
* The combination of taxes and crude oil costs together represents approximately 80% of the price at the pump.
* The remaining 20% must cover all costs of refining, transporting, distributing, marketing and retailing, as well as provide for a reasonable return on investment for the retailer and the company.
* Petro-Canada's retail profit in 2007 was about 3% of the average pump price.

Here’s a breakdown of the factors that determine the price you pay at the pump. For more information about these factors, please visit our Pump Talk blog.

Cory
Filled up the car here in Niagara Falls this morning. Gas was C91.9 cents per litre. We were in Hamilton yesterday and I noticed regular was C94.9 a litre!
What did you think of kd Lang's rendition of the Ceonard Cohen song Allelujah? Stirring, or what!
We flew home from Phoenix last Wed. for our grand daughter's first birthday. We are booked to return to the Barth this Wed. Lets see... 30F here and a light snow, ... 75F and sunny at the Barth. Love hangin out with the litle kid but it's no contest!
Don

Tina, your brother lives in Powell River, but it's not an island, the city is on the Canadian mainland. It's the furthest north city for resupply if you're cruising the waters of Desolation Sound & the northern inlets.
All of it is indeed lovely country.

It does take two ferries to get there, but you can drive all the way. The road ends about ten miles beyond Powell River in the town of Lund.

We bought a lot of supplies & moored many nights in Powell River during our cruising years. Someday I'll recount the tale of a night spent there, hearing about, "The Ayatollah of Rock and Roll-a."

Hey Don, I love KD Lang, and I love that song, but she did it so different from her album Hymns of the 49th Parallel I couldn't sing along with it and it bugged me. If you don't own that album, you're missing some of the greatest music ever created. Any Canadian has to love "A Case of You" I'm trying to embed it here, let's see if this works:

Hey ol Roy, I always thought Powell River was an island, I did not realize that he could drive to the mainland, as opposed to taking the 2 ferries. WOW, talk about having your head in the sand......I feel like a sand dollar.

Seriously, he has always loved being on the water, and would always take the most scenic route to anywhere, so what you are saying really does not surprise me. What does shock me though, is I never took the timeto check it out, maybe I'll learn more when (if) we ever get a chance to visit him......

Tina

Tina, your bro. is on the mainland. He has to ride two ferries to reach Powell river because there are two broad inlets of the sea between Vancouver & Powell river, that are too wide to bridge.

The further north you go in Canada, the fewer people you find, though Powell River itself is a metropolis of about 14,000 people. The whole "Sunshine Coast" region stretching along the shores and inlets of the sea for about 75 miles north of Vancouver, well-past Powell River, only supports about 50,000 people all together. Most of them live from wood products, fishing, mining, & tourism.

Get out your Rand-McNally road atlas & your magnifying class, turn to the Canadian pages in the back, find British Columbia, & explore up the coast from Vancouver.

Better yet, google B.C. Ferries, click on "travel planning," click on "route maps," & click on the "detailed map of all BC routes." It will open as a pdf. Zoom it to about 150% & scroll to the area that includes Vancouver & Powell River. You can see the whole road system from Van. north to Powell River.

You can get there in the Barth.

Hi all
We are very close to Powell River in a town called Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast(mainland). just one ferry ride from Vancouver and one ferry ride to Powell River. Moved from the city nine years ago and just love the rural setting and slower pace.
We were just at the Opening ceremonies and we were just in awe of the event...sounds like it showed well on TV. Off to Whistler tomorrow to see a skiing event. The biggest news is our mild weather and rain putting a damper on the festivities but the great spirit of the crowds all over the city have been great. Apparently the sun will be shining this coming week ...let's hope!

Victoria, BC is one of my favorite places in the world (and I've been to quite a few). The Museum of Natural History is spectacular.

Sitting around counting snow flakes I started wondering: What do Canadiens eat? Do they got a speciality i.e. Louisiana got crawdaddies, boudain and king cake. Texans got brisket. What is a regional or national dish?