Got a day to spend in Port Townsend, Washington? This small seaport packs significant historical punch — including dozens of pre-1900 heritage buildings and businesses, many owned and operated by residents keen on preserving and sharing their town’s history. I made a day trip to Port Townsend in May 2018. There, I devised my own…
On April 21, 1918, some 150 women gathered at a popular hiking trail in Mill Valley, California, and made athletic history. The women had entered the inaugural “Dipsea Hike,” a long-distance cross-country running race along the seven-mile (11.25-kilometre) Dipsea Trail connecting Mill Valley to Stinson Beach in Marin County.[1] The “Hike” – so called to…
I’m standing atop an abandoned gun battery in California’s Marin Headlands, gazing southeast toward San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, imagining a time when eager young soldiers stood where I stand, scanning the swells outside San Francisco Harbour for hostile ships on the horizon. The concrete mass beneath my feet is Battery Rathbone-McIndoe. Once armed with…
If you’ve ever travelled the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff, you’ve undoubtedly seen those ubiquitous blue Brewster tour buses rolling along the road (see photo below right). But did you know that this iconic transportation company has been shuttling tourists around the Banff area for over 125 years — and that the company played…
Did you know that Terry Fox first announced his intention to run his epic Marathon of Hope after completing a footrace in Prince George? Fox, a university student from Port Coquitlam, BC, lost his right leg to cancer in 1977. Immediately following his amputation surgery, the plucky 18-year-old began formulating a secret plan to run…
Ever wonder how Connaught Hill got its name, why it rises higher than the surrounding Prince George bowl, what structures have — or could have — graced its top, and how it figures in First Nations’ legend? Read on for 10 fascinating facts about our city’s highest downtown park. 1. Royal namesake Connaught Hill is…
The Road Home 