Tag: Explore Canada

The Best Time at the Wrong Time in the Yukon

Posted on by moniquerenaud

We are Monique and Bohdan Renaud, and single mom and her little sidekick who like to go go go. Allison has invited me to share one of our favourite adventures – and of course we chose something in Canada! It’s important to get to know your own country and Boh and I have dreams of visiting every corner of Canada. That might be impossible, but let’s see how far we can get. The furthest we’ve been so far? The Yukon!

I was extremely lucky to have a work project take me to Whitehorse and, of course, I brought my sidekick along with me. The down-side was that I couldn’t select our travelling dates – work was there in April and I wasn’t going to say “no.” For Northern Canada, that means that winter is almost over but spring activities haven’t begun. Snow and ice are furiously melting, making a lot of outdoor activities (winter & spring) dangerous.

No ice fishing, no dog sledding, no rock climbing, and no kayaking just yet! So how the heck did we experience the Yukon in April? We were there at the wrong time! Or were we?

There were no tourists in April – which was actually much more suited to the Mo and & Boh style. No crowds and endless hospitality from the locals. Here are 5 of our Yukon favourites:

  1. Baked Cafe

The Baked Café is the local café and a place to warm up as you walk around the downtown core – the very small downtown core so you won’t miss it! As we sipped our hot chocolates on our first day in Whitehorse, we introduced ourselves to some of the locals and got tips on what to do while visiting their home. This was the place to start and get acquainted. It’s a colourful, kid friendly cafe that is next door to a toy store with occasional live stand up events happening in the evenings.

  1. Takhini Hot Springs

Boh and I were invited to the Takhini Hot Springs with a local family. Sitting in the hot springs while snow fell onto the evergreens felt so right. I almost cancelled our flight home right there! Check out their website to see when their frozen hairstyle contests are.

  1. Swan Haven

While we were at the Baked Cafe, I asked another parent to suggest activities that they like to do with their kids in the Yukon. He suggested we look for Swan Haven. We followed our Google Maps and found the very small Swan Haven Interpretive Centre. The man who ran the centre encouraged us to walk along the frozen Marsh Lake and look for the swans. If we saw the swans, it meant spring was here. If we didn’t see any, then it wasn’t time. He wasn’t sure if we would see them because we were there a bit early in the year. We went for our ice hike anyways and after an hour of walking out in the middle of a beautiful nowhere, we heard them. Far far away, we saw the swans celebrating the arrival of Spring!

  1. S.S. Klondike National Historic Site

This is a quick stop as you walk or drive through town (Whitehorse) but it’s very neat for a little one to see. The S.S. Klondike is docked on the Yukon River and if you’re there at the RIGHT time (unlike us) you may be able to get inside. It was closed while we were there but we did get as close as possible… eventually setting off an alarm and running away to watch security drive in and make sure we weren’t trying to steal the S.S. Klondike…

  1. ALASKA

Skagway, Alaska is only two hours from Whitehorse and you even get a bonus of driving through Northern B.C. for a portion of this car trip. Snow covered mountains, frozen waterfalls, and historic towns like Carcross (Caribou Crossing) are just a few of the spectacular sights that won’t let you put your camera down. You can also take a neat train trip to Skagway that gets you closer to the alpine scenery… but again you should go at the right time (summer months) if you are looking for a train adventure. When we arrived in Skagway there were about 3 stores open and maybe 5 people were seen in the entire town. I think that’s the definition of Ghost Town? This put me in a pretty bad mood but as we wandered aimlessly, we found one of the best hiking trails of life. Just look for the Skagway Footbridge and start climbing. The scenery is breath-taking and if you go at the wrong time, you get the mountains pretty much to yourself.

If you do happen to visit the Yukon during the winter or the summer months, please feel free to share your adventures with me @morenaud on Instagram. I would love to know what it’s like when you do it right 😉 For now, we will keep doing it wrong and enjoying every moment of it.

Xoxo

Mo & Boh

We are Monique and Bohdan Renaud – a single mom and her little side-kick who like to go go go – whether it’s to a different town or a whole new country. Our favourite kind of trip is a deep dive into the local culture – discovering new homes across the map. Staying in less touristy areas, eating at hidden restaurants that may not make it to the top ten on Google, and choosing transportation that allows us to go anywhere (not just the tourist attractions) is the way we like to go!

Crabby Kayak Adventures at Kejimkujik Seaside

Posted on by allywithkids

“Come on, Uli! Let’s get ’em! We’re coming for you, Mom!” Isaac warned as we played kayak tag. His voice being the only sound in this serene estuary other than our paddles gliding through the flat water and the birds wondering who we were.

Here I sit in a frigid arena at the commencement of winter sports struggling to believe that a mere 4 weeks ago we were 2000 km away, gently kayaking through a protected estuary and chowing down on decadent lobster roll and seafood caesar salad on the white sandy shore at Kejimkujik (Ke-jim-koo-jik) National Park Seaside in Port Joli, Nova Scotia. Keji Seaside for short.

We were thisclose to backing out of this trip because it would mean arriving back home to Ontario with just sixteen hours before the bell rings on the first day of school.  I’m so grateful that we followed through. 

We met Matt DeLong, owner of Candlebox Kayaking based in Shelburne, NS, along with his team, Uli and Rob in the parking lot of Keji Seaside. We were outfitted with life jackets and water shoes.  They hoisted dry bags full to the top with supplies onto their backs and we all struck out down the trail.  It’s a picturesque, 3 km hike on a well-maintained trail.  Along the way we saw lots of seals and sea birds.  We have been on several designated “seal hikes” with zero luck.  We saw more seals in 5 minutes here, than we have on any other excursion.  We crossed by wetlands and spied several species of birds.  We learned much from our guides about cormorants and other wildlife in park.

Fun Fact: Have you ever seen a cormorant standing atop a rock with his wings spread out? I’d always thought it was some intimidation tactic, to make them look bigger.  Wrong!  They don’t have enough oil in their feathers to repel water while they dive for their dinner.  They become saturated with water and could drown because they are so heavy.  So, there they stand, wings spread, just drying out.

We made it to the cabin to learn all about the invasive and wildly destructive green crabs.  Gabrielle from Parks Canada was the perfect interpreter for kids.  She let Isaac help pull up a trap, carry it to the dock and inspect the crabs.  Gabrielle patiently answered each of his questions in language he could understand.  The green crabs were first discovered in the 1950’s in the Bay of Fundy.  They, along with so many other invasive species over the years, traveled here from Europe in the ballast waters of ships. By the 90’s they’d made their way to Nova Scotia’s South Shore including here at Keji Seaside.  At first, researchers couldn’t figure out what was crushing the clams and breaking off the ecologically important eel grass at the base.  Local fisherman were the ones with the answers.  They said that those signs were the calling card of the green crabs.  Researchers started to set traps and were shocked at the numbers.  Green crabs are voracious, and not terribly discriminating eaters.  They eat anything they can get their claws on, clams being a favourite. Keji Seaside has 2 estuaries.  Both were chock full of green crabs. Their appetite left the estuaries as a “moonscape”, meaning there is essentially no life.  The researchers and Parks Canada decided to try and find a solution.  They left one estuary as a control and started trapping in the other.  They catch up to 1000 crabs per day in traps specially designed by fisherman Russell Nickerson.  Over 2.2 MILLION crabs have been trapped since 2010!  For the first time since embarking on this ambitious project, they are finding other creatures in the traps such as small lobster and fish making this the first successful ocean restoration. Isaac pointed out an odd looking crab in the trap.  Gabrielle carefully pulled the crab up to discover that it was in the middle of molting.  We were able to witness the completion of the molting process.  The crabs new shell was as soft as skin and would within 24 hours.  Restaurants are trying out different recipes with the softshell green crab which apparently are comparable to a sweet scallop.   There’s even an entire green crab cookbook.  I’ll be searching out a restaurant with that on the menu next year.

This already incredible day was about to get better.  We zipped up our life jackets, jumped in our kayaks and started paddling through the estuary.  This is a rarely before paddled spot and knowing that we are some of only a few to witness it added to the experience.  The water was clear straight to the bottom.  Timing is key because if the tide is going some of the spots will be too shallow to paddle through.  Matt has the timing worked out just right.  The scenery and tranquility were breathtaking.  We paddled to a secluded beach and Isaac and I explored while Matt and his team set up lunch. Oh, my goodness.  THE FOOD!  Savoury and chocked-full-of-meat lobster roll accompanied by seafood caesar salad complete with scallops, lobster and shrimp.  Isaac is not one for lobster so after paying him $1.00 to try a bite, I took one for the team and devoured his, too.  It’s a hard ole life. Ha! Then along came crackers with goat cheese and red pepper jelly.  I didn’t think we could eat one more bite.  I changed my tune, however, when strawberries, biscuits and whipped cream appeared.  This was 5-star food with an unmatched view.  A sailboat sailed past.  It barely felt like reality. We could’ve stayed here all day long, but we did have to work with the tides.  The guides packed up the picnic while we wandered along the shore.  On our way back we paddled through little coves and spotted lots of wildlife on the one hundred little islands along the way.  We even spotted a bald eagle!  Isaac was in a kayak with Uli.  She was just right for him.  Isaac has energy for days and she was so patient, fun and kind and again, answered all of his questions.  One of his favourite parts of our day was playing kayak tag.  We paddled quickly as we tried to tag the other boats.  It’s a blessing that Uli was such a strong paddler because I’m not entirely sure Isaac’s hypersonic, tag-playing strokes were moving them forward. He was, without a doubt having the time of his life. After landing at the cabin, we headed to the beach to jump in the waves while the guys packed up.  I’m not sure why we waited this long to explore this park but can guarantee that we’ll be back.

From the hike in and the green crab experience to the tranquil kayaking through a rarely seen estuary and a delectable seafood picnic on the beach, this was certainly a once in a lifetime experience.  Isaac wrote and illustrated his own book about the day to remember it by and for my birthday this year he drew green crabs on the front of the card.  This memory and everything he learned will stick with him forever and I adored being able to experience it with him.  The efforts and attention to detail that Matt has put into this package are evident at every turn.  CandleBox Kayaking also offers this package with meals and accommodations at the 5-star Quarterdeck Beachside Villas and Grill which would certainly make a unique and memorable “glamping” getaway with the girls.  Matt told Isaac about “kayak surfing” at the beach so Isaac already has big plans to test that out next year. 

Catch ya next summer, Nova Scotia!

Accidental Adventures in Baie Sainte-Marie, Nova Scotia

Posted on by allywithkids

No cars.  Not a one.  Despite having a copy of my reservation, there were zero cars to rent on Nova Scotia’s South Shore in June. 

Dear car rental companies,

Could you kindly fix your glitchy system that allows customers to go online and reserve vehicles, despite there not truly being any vehicles available?

Sincerely,

Stranded on the South Shore

The kiddos and I flew into Halifax in June.  My family loves to pick up/drop off at the airport, even though it’s 2.5 hours away.  We’re sappy like that.  There’s nothing like seeing your very own people coming down those stairs.  I had planned on picking up a car in Bridgewater for the week as I had a super fun event to attend aboard the ferry in Digby.  Despite the reservation, Yarmouth, it turns out didn’t actually have any. I thought that surely Bridgewater would come through.  Nope! 

My mother offered to drive us all the way to Digby, watch the kids for the day and we could plan to stay for the night somewhere along the French Shore.  These lemons were turning into lemonade right before my eyes.  She booked the Baie-Ste. Marie Cottages. They were stunning.  Cliffside and all windows with a breathtaking view to watch the Bay of Fundy tides flow in and out.  A staircase led down the cliff which allowed us to explore what the tides brought in.  We walked out a long way until – squelch – my oldest sunk into the sinking sand up to his knees.  Little sister thought it was so funny that she jumped in herself.  They were laughing so hard that they fell backwards accidentally on purpose.  After pulling them and their boots out we squelched and squrched our way back to the cottage and straight to the tub.  There were two twin beds in the downstairs bedroom and a Queen size bed in the loft.  The kids had already claimed their beds and after 73 emergency drinks of water they finally fell asleep.

The next morning, we hit up the local farmers market and picked up some hand painted decorations, a snack and walked out to a replica lighthouse on the wharf.  I had left a message that morning for Hinterland Adventures to see if we could get out kayaking.  As we were leaving the market he called back and said we could come out in a couple hours.  We quickly jumped into the car, grabbed a bite to eat and struck out along the long, windy road.  Just when we were positive that we’d taken a wrong turn we found it.  The owner, Hanford, has been a wilderness guide for 50 years and still guides 21-day kayak tours through the Tobeatic Wilderness Area.  He filled us in lots of local information and lore before we dipped our paddles into the Sissiboo River. This was my mother’s first time in a kayak and with his kind instruction she was an old pro in no time.  We weaved our way up the river.  I was in absolute awe of the peacefulness.  So was Maddie apparently, as she fell sound asleep for more than an hour.  That kind of peaceful feeling that you wish you could bottle and hang on to forever.  While paddling back we came across a nest housing a family of Bald Eagles. Mom, Dad and at least one baby.  They were keeping a close eye on us as baby’s head poked in and out before Dad spread his wings and soared away.  I stayed behind for a bit to quietly watch.  We made it back to shore and checked out the kayaks that he had for sale.  If you’re in the market for a sea kayak, he had the best price I’ve come across and with his 5 decades of experience, I’d trust his advice.

After the peace and tranquility of the afternoon we were down for some comfort food and found it at the Roadside Grill in Belliveau Cove.  The clams.  THE CLAMS!  Order the clams. They were super kid friendly with grilled cheese and chicken fingers, too. 

Back at the cabins we explored the ocean floor at low tide.  The kids found all kinds of shells and colourful stones and bet each other whether certain spots were sinking sand or not.  There was a long, loose stone breakwater that we climbed from one end to the other and back.

On our way out the next morning we stopped at Meteghan Family Park.  This is an ideal stop for young families.  I can’t list everything they’ve managed to include but our favourites were the small climbing wall, the climbers, a long slide, a fishing net to climb across and the perennial favourite, a zip line made from a fishing boat bladder.  Such a great idea!!  A skate park was found at the back of the park as well, but we aren’t at that stage just yet.

Next stop along the journey back was the Église Catholique Sainte-Marie in the aptly named, Church Point.  It’s the tallest wooden church in North America!  This was a surprise favourite.  Our guide knew just the things to point out to keep the kids interested. All of the intricately created stained glass windows were shipped from France. In Molasses! I swear, there’s nothing molasses can’t do. It’s the real super food.  The pillars are in fact tree trunks.  The most fascinating story involves the altar.  It came from Saint Pierre and Miquelon during Canada’s prohibition. The island is off the coast of Newfoundland but is actually part of France so wasn’t subject to prohibition. They brought the altar over with a bevy of bottles stashed away which weren’t even detected.  This is worth a stop if you are traveling in the area.

Our final stop was Mavillette Beach.  What a gem!  1.5 km of sandy beach.  The water was even warm (for June, anyway).  The kids ran, explored and jumped the waves until it was time to begin the drive back to Lockeport. 

Our car rental debacle had turned into one of the best getaways in a long time, made even better by getting in some real quality time with my mom because as Donovan Woods wrote “You can’t beg, steal, borrow or make time”. Living 2000 km apart makes these visits that much sweeter.  We can’t wait to explore more of the Acadian Shore this summer!

Living History on Nova Scotia’s Acadian Shore

Posted on by allywithkids

While driving in Nova Scotia last summer we heard about an Acadian Festival happening in Pubnico.  It was a CBC radio show and the minute they mentioned it I saw a road sign for Pubnico.  “Clearly a sign” I say to myself.  We hadn’t learned about the Acadians in our high school history classes so this could be an education for all of us.

Quick History:  French colonists settled in the area, then known as Acadia, in the 1600’s.  They created a thriving community that worked closely the Mi’kmaq population.  The Acadians had modern irrigation systems for farming and were very conscientious of the land they were inhabiting.  The British eventually landed as well and unfortunately, in keeping with the spirit of the 1700’s, war broke out.  Beginning in 1755, the Acadians were forced out.  This event is known as the Acadian Expulsion. 

Come the day of the festival, we piled in the car and headed to Pubnico.  Don’t be fooled by the Manhattan Suburb-sounding West Pubnico, East Pubnico, Middle West Pubnico and Lower East Pubnico.  They are all teeny communities close to one another.  If you accidentally find yourself in the wrong Pubnico it’s only a hop, skip and a jump to the next.

The Acadian Museum played host to a BBQ, local vendors, great music and exhibits.  Unfortunately, the south shore had been on the receiving end of another rainless summer.  Great for beach days and exploring, but not if your thirsty or are partial to indoor plumbing.  The well had apparently gone dry that day, leaving the washroom out of order.  Best laid plans and all that.

When a 3 year old has to go, time is of the essence.  After looking around I decided to jump in the car and search one out.  This is where the Universe came into play.  We pulled into a large parking lot at the Historic Acadian Village in West Pubnico.  We ran in and begged for the bathroom.  Success! 

The woman at the counter asked if we were coming to explore the Village.  We were already there so why not?  Plus, it seemed like a way to learn about the Acadians that I knew embarrassingly little about.  Then she said that the admission was free today.  Free, you say?  That’s my very favourite price! SOLD! 

We found a little café in the welcome building which was great because we were all getting a wee bit hangry.  Best.  Grilled Cheese. Ever.  According to the kids anyway.  You can even get them to pack up a picnic basket and take it with you to the village for an al fresco lunch.

The Village was a similar to the pioneer villages we’ve been to but with a French twist.  Everyone we came across was bilingual and French swirled around us like a melody. 

The blacksmith was hard at work forging nails.  The amount of work that went into creating a single nail would have people nowadays running for the hills.  He made a nail for each person there with their first initial and age imprinted on the nail head.  Such a great keepsake!  He taught us quite a bit about Acadian history and culture.  I’d wondered in the past why there were so many Oxen, as opposed to work horses in Nova Scotian history.  He taught us that the poor quality of the grasses available were suitable for the strong and hardy Oxen because of their 4 stomachs. The saying does go “strong as an ox”, after all.

While on the subject of sayings, we learned the origin of “goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” and “pull out all the stops”. 

Before the advent of box springs, a bed’s foundation was made of rope.  The rope would stretch and the knots loosen.  “Sleep tight” was a reference to tightening up the knots.  The mattresses were filled with hay – complete with tiny critters, which leads to the “bed bugs” portion of the phrase.  We were all immediately grateful for the critter-free beds waiting for us that night.

To “pull out all the stops” on an organ would make the sound loud, free and unencumbered, just like the saying means today.

One house had freshly made Rappie Pie.  Rappie Pie is an Acadian dish created by shredding potatoes, squeezing all of the liquid out of it and replacing that liquid with double the amount of broth.  Whatever meat the Acadians would have had on hand was then layered with the potato mixture and baked in the wood stove.  Luckily, it was made with chicken that day and it was delicious!

After having a Dory Day on the South Shore a couple of years prior, we’d been very interested in the history of the humble dory.  The Dory shop at the village did not disappoint.  The person on-site builds them bottom to top with hand tools.  It takes two summers to complete one dory.  He patiently answered all of our questions.  Sadly, this is a trade that is going to fade away if some younger people don’t take it up.  The dory builder that day said that they are continually looking for someone to take on the trade and learn, but so far, have come up short.

The fish shed was home to salt fish.  Isaac had agreed to try new foods everywhere we explored this past summer.  He tried dulse in Grand Manan, NB and Oysters in PEI.  Now, salt fish was on the menu.  He gathered his nerve and with some encouragement from the fella working there, went in for a big bite.  I don’t think he’ll be requesting salt cod anytime soon, but I was pretty impressed that my picky eater tried it.

There is a little lighthouse to explore and a trail to take around the village which would be a great spot for that grilled cheese picnic.

We were grateful to have stumbled across this little, very interactive and hands on museum.  We’ve been inspired to check out more of the Acadian Shore next summer and will be sure to head back during the next Acadian Festival.

A Grand Ole Time in Grand Manan, NB

Posted on by allywithkids

I’ve been curious about the Island of Grand Manan since a Mars bar commercial years ago about renovating their local arena. Seriously. So, I guess advertising works, even if it takes 10 years.

The chance finally arrived and we jumped! There are two different ships ferrying people to and from the Island. We were aboard the ‘Grand Manan V’ traveling to Grand Manan. There was plenty of seating with a lunch counter with real, home cooked meals. While exploring the outside decks a crew member noticed the kiddos and asked

Continue reading “A Grand Ole Time in Grand Manan, NB” →

Cape D’Or: Rugged and Unplugged

Posted on by allywithkids

We were able to sneak away for a last minute escape to Lockeport, Nova Scotia this Spring. On our way back home to Ontario, we had the chance to make a couple of stops.

Like every 5 year old I’ve ever known, my little guy loves all things dinosaur, so we headed to the Fundy Geological Museum and Joggins Cliffs Fossil Centre. While looking for a place to stay in between the two, a few spots popped up including the Cape D’Or Lighthouse in Advocate Harbour. I’m a certified lighthouse junkie and staying at a lighthouse has long been on my bucket list.

Continue reading “Cape D’Or: Rugged and Unplugged” →

The Beauty and the Brrrr: 5 Niagara Falls Attractions for Your Family This Winter

Posted on by allywithkids

My name is Allison and I unintentionally lie to my husband and children every November, without fail.

Allow me to set the scene.  It’s mid-November, the leaves have all fallen off of the trees, the days are shorter and getting greyer by the second.  I grab my giant cup of coffee and proudly announce that this-this is the year I am going to enjoy winter!  We’re going to learn to snowshoe and cross-country ski and enjoy all of the parks that are open around us.  Then, before I know it it’s mid-January and I’m spending my spare moments wrapped in my Snuggie, Continue reading “The Beauty and the Brrrr: 5 Niagara Falls Attractions for Your Family This Winter” →

Kids CanLit for Christmas! Explore Canada With Your Little Readers Through These Sweet Books

Posted on by allywithkids

In the words of everybody’s favourite medical professional, Dr. Seuss

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

My mother was an elementary school teacher with a great love for children’s books.  I so fondly recall crawling up on to her lap in the giant, wooden rocking chair while we uncovered the latest adventures of Curious George and Amelia Bedelia.

Lucky for us Canada also has a long list of entertaining and engaging children’s literature to broaden the imagination of our nation’s youngest readers. There is no feeling quite like Continue reading “Kids CanLit for Christmas! Explore Canada With Your Little Readers Through These Sweet Books” →