Stratford, Ontario: Stratford is home to the Stratford Festival which is like nirvana for theater fans like me. During the festival which stages everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim to new Canadian plays you can stay in theater themed B and Bs hang out with actors post show at local bars like Down the Street go on backstage tours and attend dozens of other events with other theater mad folk. Stratford itself is the type walkable wholesome town Rodgers and Hammerstein might write a musical about. Evangeline Trail, Nova Scotia: Longfellow' s epic poem Evangeline evokes the story of two lovers who were wrenched apart during the 1755 expulsion of Nova Scotia' s French Acadians. The tragic tale unfolded along Nova Scotia' s northern shore where the Acadians eked out a living as farmers along the famous Bay of Fundy tidal bore. One of my favorite bike rides is through this bucolic region past the picturesque fields and through the historic villages between Annapolis Royal and Wolfville. The scenery is absolutely stunning but Evangeline' s story gives it an added touch of romance and a haunting sense of loss.
The Grand Pre National Historic Site dies a wonderful job in recounting the story including a bronze statue of Evangeline her face sweet young and beautiful from one side haggard and old from the other. But the place where I deeply sensed the suffering the Acadians must have felt was along the tidal bore itself. As I watched it creep out I reflected on the folks who gave everything to this land who built the dykes and farmed under the harshest of conditions only to be told to leave immediately forced to ride out the tide one last time their lives foreever changed.
Gros Mrne Mountain, Newfoundland: It' s been several years since I tackled the seven hour round trip hike up this gorqeous 2,789 foot peakhe highest in Gros Morne National Park but the exhilaration of the experience remains with me to this day. After traipsing through boreal forest (keeping alert for moose and black bear) and tuckamore one final burst of energy fired me up a steep scree filled gully to the flat treeless summit. There I reaped my reward: far reaching views of rumpled green hills spangled with indigo lakes and then the magical appearance of six caribou prancing off in the distance. Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta: Be you child or adult you can appreciate the wonders of Dinosaur Provincial Park. The well marked trails take you through the badlands of this red rock treasure field of fossils from some 70 million years ago. Don' t miss the opportunity to take a guided tour through one of the labs where scientists of today uncover the mysteries of the past.