Starting it back up

Well, I sort of fell out of the whole blogging thing since January, particularly due to the end of the major conflict in the government (ie the coalition), and because I felt disheartened.  I suppose I feel that writing something on the Internet requires a certain need for attention, and when no one is visiting, you kind of give up.  I guess I need to do more reading of other people's blogs, and they will come here in response.

At any rate, I feel there are many things going on in this world, and I feel the need to write about it.  The depression I felt that compelled many of my previous posts has largely subsided, due to my move to another part of the country.  I don't think it will always be gone, but for the moment I feel pretty good.

Canada is a lovely country with many places that are must visits.  Recently, I moved to the Calgary area after living in Sudbury, On for the better part of a year.  After seeing much of the country, I would have to say my favourite drives of Canada for scenery are (in no particular order):

1) Icefields Parkway - this drive takes you from Lake Louise in Banff National Park to Jasper.  You need a park pass to get through, but it is totally worth it.  The sheer beauty of the mountains and glaciers is unlike anything else in Canada.

2) Lake Superior, highway 17 - this drive takes you from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste Marie.  It is sparsely populated, and the terrain is rugged.  It is in the Canadian Shield, but it is one of the younger parts of it.  Lake Superior formed during a failed rifting phase in the early Proterozoic, and the rocks, especially in the Thunder Bay to Wawa section remain relatively undeformed.  The red sedimentary rock cliffs are amazing and beautiful.

3) Ontario, Highway 41 -  This highway stretches from Pembroke to Napanee, but the truly beautiful part is the middle section of this road.  For the most part, it is relatively unpopulated.  The terrain is hilly, and covered in an assortment of deciduous trees.  I went during the summer, but I could just imagine how amazing it would be during the autumn with the coloured leaves.

4) Highway 20 (Trans Canada Highway) in Quebec, east of Quebec City - This is a great drive.  The highway hugs along the St Lawrence River, as it gradually widens on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.  There are mountains of moderate height all along both sides of the river, and a variety of farms.

5) Highway 1/5 from Chilliwack to Merrit - Of the mountains in BC, I think the neatest portion is the Coast Range.  These mountains are heavily glaciated, full of jagged arretes.

6) Winnipeg to Portage La Prairie, highway 1 - no list of favourite drives could exclude a prairie drive.  The thing about this particular drive is that it is one of the flattest places on Earth.  Though everyone claims Saskatchewan is pretty flat, it is downright hilly compared to the area around Winnipeg.  The Winnipeg to Portage drive is largely devoid of trees, and is pure cash crop farmland.

I'll probably get back to the political stuff in my next post.  The drives thing was on my mind at the moment.