Eterno Dia PhotographyStaycation Alberta: Reynolds-Alberta Museum
Posted on June 16, 2018
Father’s Day is tomorrow and you may still be looking for ideas on where to take dad on his big day. Last year, my family and I were looking for somewhere appropriate to take our dad. He has Alzheimer’s dementia and it can be difficult to find places to take him that are easy to access with mobility issues and have something interesting to engage him and hold his attention. We decided the Reynolds Museum near Wetaskiwin, Alberta might fit the bill.
This museum has really just gotten better and better over the years. As they state on their website, they celebrate machines. The museum is filled with historical cars, trucks, and all manner of vehicles. You’ll also find airplanes and a dedicated aviation hangar.
Vintage starts with cars and paraphernalia dating from the 1890’s to the present and the displays are very well done with lots of information about the pieces. There are carriages, classic cars, motorcycles, vintage trucks, old gas pumps, farm equipment and even a section of vintage hearses. Their pieces are beautifully restored and some you can even sit on/in. They have a viewing area into their automotive shop to see what restorations they are currently working on.
There’s a huge outdoor space in addition to the vast indoor museum. That’s where you’ll find some super large wartime planes and the indoor hangar with lots of great aviation pieces and fun experiments for the kids (and adults) to test about the science of flight. 
You can also take a lift in a classic car where a chauffeur will take you through a tour of old mining vehicles (think early Syncrude and Suncor bucket wheels and diggers) and then take you back to the main museum. For an additional fee you can even book a short flight in an open cockpit biplane!
There is a restaurant/cafe at the museum, gift shop, plenty of washrooms and although it’s a large museum, it was easy to navigate. The whole family had a great time, and we aren’t even really big gear heads. My dad and my father-in-law both really enjoyed reminiscing about bygone days.
If you have a car/truck/plane person on your family, or if your dad would like a little walk down memory lane, I think you’ll enjoy it here. There are lots of interactive displays for all ages and even though we went on Father’s Day last year, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I would have expected. Give dad a treat this year and if you haven’t been for a while, or haven’t ever been, head out the the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. You can find them online and on social media. Have you been here recently? What did you think?
Thanks for stopping by. Happy travels and stay tuned for the next adventure!
Staycation Alberta: The Lake Louise Teahouse Hikes
Posted on June 16, 2018
I love the beach. But I love the mountains nearly as much. In Alberta we are lucky to have the Rocky Mountain range to the west of the province that travels all the way down to the southern border. Mountains are majestic, mysterious and untamed wilderness. I imagine the creatures living out in the dense forests and hidden up in mountain caves; all there but unseen. The air is so fresh, everything is so much more peaceful but also more grand than I find life in the city. For years I’d been wanting to do the tea house hikes near Lake Louise in Banff National Park. In addition to being an avid tea drinker and enthusiast, I like to stay active, try new things and confront fears. I have a fear that keeps me from hiking. I admit it. I have an irrational fear of bears. I say irrational because I know my odds of being attacked or killed by a bear is extraordinarily low. I have better odds of winning the lottery. Based on the number of actual bear attacks vs. other things that can kill you, you’re approximately one million times more likely to die of something other than a bear attack. It was a personal goal of mine to actually do this hike to confront my bear fear and have a great cup of tea on a mountain. We had a few days in August and decided to finally do the hike.
There are two tea houses to chose from in this area. I had it in mind that if I could make it to the closer, Lake Agnes tea house, it would be a success. The Lake Agnes tea house sits at an elevation of 2135 meters (7005 feet) and was built in 1901 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a shelter for hikers. They began serving tea in 1905 and it has since been expanded from its original size.
Looking down at the tiny looking canoes on Lake Louise
We started out from the Chateau Lake Louise parking lot at about nine o’clock in the morning. We packed sunscreen, bug spray, BEAR SPRAY, water, hats and a ton of snacks. I don’t have proper hiking boots, but my cross trainers did the trick. We layered our clothes as temperatures in the mountains can go from one extreme to another very quickly, even in August, but fortunately it was a warm day with a nice breeze.
Mirror Lake and the little beehive
The path up to Lake Agnes is wide and well groomed and for most people, considered fairly easy. It’s definitely a steady uphill climb of about 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles). I struggled with the elevation and stopped to huff and puff and attempt to regain my composure every 5 or so minutes. My husband was barely out of breath. Don’t take my progress as indication of the trail’s difficulty though; there were young children, and parents toting young children on their backs, passing me at an astonishing rate. While I found the uphill part quite strenuous, the views were amazing with lots of lookout stops. The path is very well traveled and is especially busy during peak season (June-August) so I found I really wasn’t concerned about bears. We stopped at Mirror Lake for a rest and took in the amazing views of the big beehive and the waterfall that runs from Lake Agnes.
Lake Agnes
It took about two hours for us to reach Lake Agnes where we stopped for lunch at the tea house. It was crowed with a long wait for tea, but the views were absolutely stunning.
Some hikers decided to take a cold dip in the lake
After a rest, some lunch and a delicious cup of tea, my husband and a staff member suggested we do “the loop”; a trail that connects the Lake Agnes tea house with the trail to the more remote Plains of the Six Glaciers tea house. Now I was thinking about bears. This Plains Of The Six Glaciers tea house is the lesser traveled of the two (and much farther from civilization). I was thrilled with how much I’d already accomplished but I was already tired. The staff member assured me that the rest of the hike (now a one kilometer hike to the Highline Trail that connects to trails, and then another five kilometers to The Plains of The Six Glaciers tea house) was mostly downhill, as the latter tea house is at a lower elevation. I reluctantly agreed. I still felt daunted by the amount of ground left to cover and slightly concerned if we’d make it back before dark but husband convinced me I could do it.
For the first ten or so minutes we were mostly alone. I started to panic about the possibility of bears and if this trail really would be this quiet all the way to the second tea house. The first set of hikers we ran into on the way to the Highline Trail were less than thrilled when I asked if we could “hike near them” due to my bear fear. They agreed with a certain lack of enthusiasm, assuring me that it was a busy trail, especially at this time of year. They all but guaranteed me I wouldn’t see any bears. 
Within about 20 minutes it became clear that they were right. There were plenty of people on the trail, and in some spots it was so busy, we had to wait for people to pass on the narrow paths before we could go. The hike to the “Six Glaciers” while, not as strenuous at the start, was a long hike. However, I was constantly distracted by the ever changing mountain vistas, valleys and glaciers ahead of us, and how small the Chateau Lake Louise seemed to be getting behind us. There were amazing flowers, stunning rock walls and gorgeous mountain meadows.
Lake Louise and the chateau getting smaller
Headed to the Plains Of The Six Glaciers tea house
The busy trail to the second tea house
As we got closer to our goal, the uphill portion began again and I was starting to tire. We had hikers on their way back from the tea house give us words of encouragement: “keep going!” “You’re almost there!” “Just around the corner!” That last push was really challenging for me. I was breathing pretty hard and a few swear words escaped me. Just as we were about to make the last corner, a loud mechanical whir interrupted the nature sounds as a medical helicopter swooped up from the valley below and up to our destination, just a bit out of sight.
My morbid curiosity peaked (I’ve worked in medicine for nearly a decade now) and finding out what the medical emergency was gave me the energy for the final push. The rumor mill at the tea house was strong and it seemed that a young girl who’d made it up to the top was feeling too unwell to make to 5 km trek back down. Luckily it didn’t seem to be a life threatening emergency, however I imagine it was an expensive helicopter trip…
Mt. Victoria and the Upper Victoria Glacier
Once the excitement subsided I was actually able to take in the INCREDIBLE scenery before me. Towering mountain cliffs that were so high, yet seemed so close. Stunning glaciers, huge moraines and even though there were many people there, still a sense of peaceful isolation being in such a remote place.
The Mitre
We had sandwiches and local tea at the two story, wooden building built in 1924 by Swiss mountain guides. It originally served as a rest stop for climbers on their way to the Abbot Pass. Both the Lake Agnes tea house and the Six Glaciers tea house to this day have no electricity or running water. Supplies are flown in by helicopter in the spring, and additional supplies are packed in (and waste packed back out) by staff. Baked goods are made in wood stoves fresh each day. We learned in chatting with staff members at both tea houses that they usually work a week at a time at the and live and sleep there for the week. At the end of their week they hike out and take supplies down with them. As I recall, even the outhouse waste gets shipped back down the mountain at the end of the season.
Plains Of The Six Glaciers tea house
We explored around the area after our meal and watched across the valley as huge chunks of ice sporadically detached from the mountain sides and caused avalanches below; a delayed, low, rumbling noise that sounded like thunder and explosions in the distance. We didn’t do the additional one kilometer hike from the tea house to the Abott Pass viewpoint as I was concerned about the five kilometers hike back and it was getting a bit later in the day. If you leave time to do this, most people we spoke to recommended the view.
Once of many avalanches we witnessed high up on the glacier
I hoped the hike down would be easier, but alas, the leg muscles you use to walk down (instead of up) were also fatigued by this point. It was at least a change from the uphill climb, and a gradual downhill hike to get back to lake Louise, but my knees were getting pretty wobbly by the time we hit flat ground again.
Lake Louise and the chateau in the distance
I never thought about a bear the entire way back, and again, the scenery was just stunning. We made it back to our car by about five o’clock and had logged 18 kilometers, 29,803 steps and the equivalent of 95 flights of stairs. It was an amazing day and an exhausting one. I was definitely hurting going up and down stairs and getting in and out of the car the next day but I can honestly say it was worth it to get out there and do something that scared me, physically challenged me and allowed me to experience such stunning beauty. The photos could never do this hike the proper justice it deserves. 
I highly recommend you get out there and do one or both of these hikes. If you live in Alberta, go explore our beautiful rocky mountains.If you don’t live here, you really should visit. As usual feel free to comment or ask any questions. Have you done this hike? What did you think? Other hikes to recommend?
Until next time, happy travelling!
Dance of Fire: Bungo at Jolly Beach, Antigua
Posted on March 25, 2018
When we visited the island of Antigua, which I keep recommending you do, we were treated to an amazing show hosted by the resort down on the beach. Normally when at all-inclusive resorts, we skip the shows (I’ve mentioned this in previous blogs). If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I find them to be a bit cheesy. While the performers are usually very well trained in their local dances, there’s seems to be a bit of fluff as well. This performance at the Starfish Jolly Beach Resort was the exception. Staff and other tourists kept asking if we were going to the show and insisting we should, and we were very glad we did.
The performers told us this dance is called the “Bungo” or “Bongo” and it originated in West Africa. There is very little I could find about it besides that. What I did learn upon further research is that it’s a dance accompanied by “qua-quas” which are large sticks of wood beaten together rhythmically. Dancers hop and jump between them in a way similar to when we used to double dutch while skipping rope.
They dance to and from the circle of spectators and other qua-qua players wait on the sidelines until it’s time to swap out. Dancers make particular steps that other dancers then try to imitate. The dance is performed to the sounds of “Kwa-kwa”; hand clapping, singing and chanting and a bongo drum. The little research I did find mentioned islands like Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago where it’s noted that this is a dance often done by men for wakes before funerals.
Our show featured plenty of very talented women and men. I’m not sure if they all include fire shows as well, but ours did and it was fantastic. The dancing was rhythmic, extremely athletic and mesmerizing. Being out on the sand on the beach in the dark gave it a really primal feel. We are certainly glad that we went to the show. Even though these photos are from way back in 2015, it seems the resort is still doing the shows, as there are fairly recent videos on YouTube, should you want to check out some live action. Enjoy, feel free to comment or ask questions and, as usual, happy traveling!
Breathing Under Water: Scuba Diving In Antigua
Posted on February 13, 2018
So I’m currently trying to convince you all to go to Antigua. You can find my first article about this incredible paradise here. But now, I’m just going to give further evidence on why Antigua should be very high on your bucket list.
Scuba diving in Antigua with a Blue Chromis
When we were planning this trip, I was in the middle of taking swimming lessons. You can read that blog here. Adult swimming lessons. Long story short, I never learned to swim as a kid. I tried but the fear was way too much for me to overcome at the time. Fast forward to my adulthood and ironically it turned out that I LOVE the ocean. I love the beach, palm trees, sand between my toes, the salty smell of the ocean breeze; everything about it. I love being on the water, and in the water, and I love sea creatures. What a horrible dichotomy to love something so much but to be so scared that the thing you love may kill you. I’d been snorkeling and boating on previous vacations, but there was always so much fear that really took away a lot the joy of the experience. Days of anxiety before a snorkel trip, holding onto the rails on boats extra hard knowing that if I went overboard, it wouldn’t be good. Even with a life jacket on, the fear was still almost too much. When I was 35 I finally had enough of the fear and decided to take control. I took adult swim lessons at a local rec center for 2 years. I pushed through the panic, I went even when I would have rather done literally ANYTHING else; I learned how to float, how to blow bubbles, and a bunch of different strokes. I learned that I’m way more buoyant than I thought and I learned how to acknowledge my panic but not let it take over my mind and body. When we booked our trip to Antigua I told my husband that I really wanted to keep pushing myself in the water and that I wanted a challenge. I don’t think he was expecting me to say I wanted to try scuba diving. And I don’t think he was really all that excited at the time.
Swimming lessons
I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable jumping in the ocean never having tried diving, so I booked an introduction to SCUBA class through a local dive shop. It was a three hour evening class that let you experience the basics of scuba; the feeling of breathing through a regulator, the weight of the tank and belts, and went through basic safety and hand signal. It’s the same course you would take as a first time diver on vacation, but in the safety of a local swimming pool. It wasn’t a pass/fail class, but I failed. Hard. I was hyperventilating, flailing and panicking. I was so discouraged. 
So you know what I did? I signed up and took the class again. And guess what? It went way better! I stayed much calmer, I could breathe with the regulator. I controlled my buoyancy, learned how to retrieve my emergency regulator, practiced buddy breathing, clearing my mask and hand signals.
As soon we arrived in Antigua and settled in at the hotel we booked our dive. I was anxious on the day, but also really excited. I knew there was potential for me to panic, but I also knew I wanted to see what was under all that turquoise water. I wanted to see the fish, corals, stingrays, and whatever else was down there, intimately and close up. I wanted to be in their world. The morning of the dive was spent in the pool, doing the same things we learned in the intro class I’d taken at home; breathing, learning how to regulate buoyancy, emergency procedures and communications. I did pretty well and was starting to get more excited than scared. Then, we headed out on the boat. Looking at the vast, choppy ocean, the reality that this was not the safety of a pool was starting to sink in. This was real life. We geared up and I was starting to wonder if I should do this; if I could do this… I was shaking, my heart was racing.
Heading out to dive
I think the worst was that we had to sit on the edge of the boat and fall backwards into the ocean. During swimming lessons we’d done flips into the pool as practice for a disoriented fall; how to right yourself and not panic if you accidentally fall into water. I knew it was going to suck. And it did. I was instantly panicky when I hit the water. The instructor could tell and she came to help me. She reassured me that I could breathe and I had to take a few moments bobbing at the surface of the rough water, telling myself to just breathe: in – out – in – out – in – out. My breathing felt forced. It felt like I had to think of each breath to make sure it would happen. I was consciously having to convince myself that I was fine. Once I felt slightly calmer, we began the descent, which was also terrifying. We had to follow a rope down to the ocean floor and every foot I descended was more terrifying than the last, but if I could just get down…. breathe: in – out – in – out – in – out….
Descent
Suddenly, on the bottom, I started to become aware of things besides my terror. The water was calmer; not choppy like the surface. I noticed the ripples on the sand that I was standing on. I noticed the slight pressure in my ears, one they told me to expect and how to clear. I saw that slightly ahead of us was a pile of rocks… a reef! The instructor checked that we were OK and ready to proceed and then motioned us to follow her. As we swam towards the reef, it was almost like a curtain was slowly pulled back and I started to notice more: bits of seaweed, a branch of coral.
Reef with coral
A FISH! A school of fish! More schools of fish! A coral that looked like a brain! More fish! Yellow! A stripped one! A red one! Suddenly, I realized I was breathing, and not having to focus on every breath in and out. I was breathing UNDER WATER! As the dive continued from there, anxiety and fear began to melt away and was replaced with pure exhilaration and wonder. I could see into caves and nooks. I could see fish and lobsters schooling and darting around and going about their aquatic lives. I noticed corals swaying in the current. A landscape was laying out before me like nothing I’d ever seen. And the colors! Brilliant. Red, orange, purple, blue; a rainbow of life, hidden from view save for those of us brave enough to dive.
Reef with French Grunt
Incredibly colored corals with a sergeant major fish in the back right corner
There are plenty of places in the world that are renowned for diving; Cozumel, Belize, Thailand, and Hawaii, just to name a few. Antigua, while amazing in so many ways, is not sought out for its diving. Because I’d never been diving before, I had nothing to compare to, so I wasn’t really concerned, and I’d kind of set myself up to be less than impressed knowing that it wasn’t a diving haven. That being said, the things I saw in the waters off the coast of Antigua were the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. If you’ve ever wanted to try diving before, there is no reason to not do it while you’re here. The water is relatively shallow in the good dive spots and there is just so much to see.
Coral reef
Longspine Squirrelfish school and Blackbar Soldierfish
When I was helped out of the water and nearly collapsed back onto the boat at the end of the dive, I was wasted. My adrenaline had used up all my reserves. I was overcome by pure exhaustion but also a thrilling exhilaration. I met my fear head on, succeeded, and was rewarded with some of the most amazing sights I’d ever seen. I did what I would have thought impossible only a few years earlier. And I did it in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. For the rest of the day I was filled with the most euphoric feeling. I’m so pleased that I pushed myself to do this and as it turns out, my husband also loved it.
Black Bar Soldierfish
A wrasse of some sort in the center of a coral. Perhaps a clown wrasse or a slippery dick wrasse
A Southern Stingray glided past us and then disappeared into the blue
“Everything is fine”
My scuba photos aren’t the highest quality, as my underwater camera isn’t a professional camera, and most of the photos are screen captures from the videos I took. That doesn’t matter. The photos captured moments of a truly incredible day. The reason I named my site Eterno Dia: Eternal Day; a day that I will remember for many, many years to come. Please enjoy the photos of one of the most epic days of our life and consider Antigua’s insane beauty for your next vacation.
Scuba selfie
School of blue chromis fish
Safely back on the water
Accomplishment
Don’t think I’m done trying to convince you all either. There will be more. As usual, feel free to share, comment or ask questions. Until next time, happy travels!
FYI: We booked our scuba trip with Indigo Divers Antigua. While the trip was a few years ago, I would highly recommend them. They get a 4.5 star review on TripAdvisor currently and you can find them here: https://indigo-divers.com/
Winter Blues: Experience The Teal, Azure, Turquoise and Indigo of Antigua
Posted on February 4, 2018
View from the water at the Jolly Beach Resort
When I think about Antigua, I think of the color blue. The shallow water surrounding the island is a florescent turquoise like nothing else I’ve ever seen before. It’s so blue that even the seagull’s bellies look turquoise from underneath as they soar over the water. The teal of the slightly deeper waters where we saw starfish below the surface and swam with stingrays was everything you’ve imagined seeing in a travel brochure to paradise.
Jolly Beach Resort
The deep, choppy, indigo waters on the Atlantic side of the island are mysterious and exhilarating. I was recently chatting with a co-worker and fellow travel enthusiast about a trip to Antigua we took a few years back. While bragging, I went to show her some of the photos I have online and realized that I’ve hardly posted any photos of my trip, which is a real injustice to Antigua and all of you. So its time for me to tell you why you need to go here and experience the rainbow of blues you’ll find in Antigua.
Seagulls at the beach
Sunset at the Shirley Heights lookout point party
Husband and I were looking for something a bit more special when we booked this one. We’d been to Mexico a few times. Cuba and Jamaica were beautiful representations of the Caribbean, but for this trip, we wanted something a bit more unique; a bit less popular. We had it narrowed down to Barbados and Antigua. Antigua came up for a few reasons. It’s not that hard to get to. Lots of smaller, less popular destinations have poor connections and require lots of additional transfers to get to. Antigua has direct flights from Toronto at just over 4.5 hours long. While Antigua is tropical, its in a weird zone in the West Indies that makes it a bit less humid and more dry than a lot of other islands in the Caribbean. It opens up travel dates a bit more with less of a rainy season. For that reason, its also a bit different geographically and definitely has a dry season where things look desert-like and brown. Antigua boasts a slogan of “365 beaches; one for each day of the year”. That combined with a glass of wine and searching photos of the sunsets and husband and I had our minds made up.
Looking west: Endless sky
The mysterious indigo of the Atlantic side of the island
Antigua did not disappoint and I’m ashamed I have not shared more photos of this truly special island. The Caribbean has a certain charm that is unlike anywhere else. It really is a thing; time moves slower, interactions are more friendly, life seems to be lived more fully and authentically. Here, in Antigua, it was still something more than that; the people were so warm and relaxed, the geography was so interesting, the wildlife was abundant and beautiful, and the ocean and beaches; simply stunning.
Swimming with stingrays
We went in June, which is during Antigua’s low tourist season. That only meant that tours ran on a less frequent schedule, were smaller and more intimate and the resort was slightly less busy. Antigua isn’t bustling though no matter when you go, not the same way as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta or Havana. It’s less touristy and more simple. Some very picky people might say it’s a bit run down in spots, but that’s the true Caribbean; chipped paint from the salty, humid air, and a more relaxed way of living.
Exploring caves on Barbuda
We were worried upon booking Antigua that we wouldn’t have enough to do during our week there. We love the beach but we also love to explore when we’re visiting a new place. Antigua is one of two very small islands in the nation of Antigua and Barbuda. I wrote about Barbuda (the smaller of the two islands) previously due to the direct hit the island took by hurricane Irma during the summer storm season of 2017. You can find that article here. Barbuda has a population of about 2000 people and will likely take years to rebuild after the damage caused by Irma. Besides the hurricane, Barbuda previously made news because the late Princess Diana used to vacation here with Harry and Will. Antigua, the bigger of the two, is also a tiny island. With an area of only 281 kilometers and a population of 80,000, it’s just quaint. However, Antigua has so much to do; it’s steeped in history.
As a former British colony, there is history galore, both good and bad, from a political view. Shirley Heights, an old British military lookout is where the tall sailing ships of the late 1700s and early 1800s used to dock. You can actually picture them floating there in the harbor in your mind’s eye. The capital of St. Johns is a livelier place than a lot of the other spots on the island and is where the cruise ships dock. There is just so much to do here: shopping, snorkeling at one of the countless reefs, relaxing on one of the numerous white sand beaches, swimming with sting rays, speedboat tours of the island, and these are only just a handful of the adventure you can find here. Tours that we went on all included lots of information about the history of the islands.
SCUBA diving
The food is as fresh as you can get; seafood, fruit, root vegetables, and there are so many places to eat, the trouble is deciding were to go. Antigua is a paradise, a natural wonder and one of the most special places you might ever visit. The wildlife is stunning: just the sheer variety of birds alone is remarkable, but then when you get in the ocean, there is still more to see; stingrays, fish, jellyfish, nurse sharks, and turtles. This is a wildlife paradise.
snorkeling near Nelson’s Dockyard
The Pillars of Hercules
I’ll break down my Antigua trip into a few different blog posts over the next few weeks as it wouldn’t be fair to anyone to just do one post. There is just so much beauty on these two little islands. Please check back to see more. If you have questions or comments, feel free to get in touch. If you are considering curing your winter blues with a trip south this winter, I highly recommend Antigua and Barbuda to you.
Jumby Bay
An secluded beach on Barbuda
Paradise
Eterno Dia Photography 