Tag Archives: Canada

Staying in Shape for Travel

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I do a lot of walking (and eating) when I travel, so I try to stay in peak travelling condition by being very physically active when I am in Kingston.  Hockey lasts all year, while soccer has just started and curling will end this week.  I supplement these sports with brisk walks in and around the city. 

Today’s post contains some photos from my local wanderings.  A favourite local destination is Lemoine Point, which is also home to an increasing number of wild animals.  

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Lemoine Point, Kingston (March 2014)

We used to see deer from time to time but they are now almost an everyday occurrence.  All of the deer in this post were spotted on the same trail, at approximately the same time of day. 

Lemoine Point, Kingston(February 2014)
Lemoine Point, Kingston (February 2014)

When Lemoine Point is too wet or muddy, there  is a (mostly paved) waterfront trail between Lake Ontario Park and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.  It is a good place to cool off, as the wind really keeps the temperature down.

Lake Ontario Park - Kingston, Ontario (April 2014)
Near Lake Ontario Park – Kingston, Ontario (April 2014)

Running north from the built-up part of the city is the K&P Trail.  The most interesting part of this former railway is the long climb between Jackson Mills Road and Cordukes Road.  We walked the entire trail between Kingston and Harrowsmith last fall and are walking north of Harrowsmith this spring.   

Next Tuesday, I’ll be leaving on a lengthy (almost three weeks) overseas trip .   As always, I won’t specifically identify my destinations in advance on this blog.  One interesting aspect will be the use of two different alphabets, as well as at least four different languages (in name, if not necessarily in substance).  While there, I hope to see some professional soccer, as two of the countries I’ll be visiting will be participating in this year’s World Cup and two others narrowly missed qualifying.  However, the most important thing will be experiencing a beautiful region with a tragic recent past.

The Travel Checklist

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

OK, I admit it.  I am a travel geek and have recorded every trip I have ever taken.  I know how many countries I have visited and how many times I’ve been to each of those countries.  In fact, because of the vastness (and proximity) of Canada and the United States, I have recorded the same information for all of the provinces, territories and states of those two countries.  Alas, if this becomes the basis of your travel planning, it becomes a “checklist” approach to travel…and I am trying to avoid falling into that trap.

Having said that, I’m not going to throw out my travel records.  Tallying up the number of countries visited is an interesting, though easily manipulated, way to measure how much one has traveled.   Although my travel decisions will (hopefully) not be guided by these statistics, I will continue updating my lifetime travel stats as the year progresses.  And yes, when the 12 months are over, I will probably calculate how many countries I visited during this special year.

I will also admit that one of the destinations under consideration for my travel year is Saskatchewan:  the only Canadian province/territory that I have never visited.  But I won’t go just to check it off the list…there must still be something special for me to see or do that justifies a visit.  Will it make the cut?  Stay tuned and see!