Blog
Roaming Central Canada: August 21-October 4, 2024
On August 21, I quickly crossed into Ontario, and after driving only 250 km, I found a beautiful roadside stop at Dogtooth Lake (near Kenora), so I paused for a restful sleep. The next day, I stopped at the wonderful Terry FOX memorial near Thunder Bay to pay my respects and reflect on what an …
Rolling Across the Prairies: August 11 – 20, 2024
Across the Prairies: August 11-August 20, 2024 I woke up on August 11 from my looping rest stop roosting place, had a short picnic table workout, and headed east across white salt piles of Chaplin Lake from which sodium sulphate is mined. I get to Regina and have a workout at Planet Fitness, before hitting …
Run Down to Idaho
Now it’s Saturday, July 27th, and I get word that Edmonton and Calgary will host me, so I start driving in that direction. It stopped raining, but it is cloudy. A few white-tailed deer crossed my path. There is a roadblock at Hwy. 40 and Hwy. 16; there are some RCMP checking westbound traffic before …
Up in Alaska
It’s now July 9th, 2024, and I find myself at the North Pole, near Fairbanks, Alaska. It really does exist! The Clausy street names and candy cane light poles were corny (even the McDonald’s sign pole bore the kitschy red and white stripes). Imagine going a call to St. Nicholas Dr. and Santa Claus Lane …
Back Home in Canada and Off Again I Go
So, after my exhausting flight back to Vancouver on May 21, 2024, I realized I had travelled 35,500 km (mostly by air – 23,100 km – in 34 hours of flying time). I drove 7,700 km in Australia (1,900 km of which was in a motorhome with my gal Laurence HOFFMANN) and 4,800 km traversing …
Auckland In-service Training
A blur of towns, crossroads, and touristy sites, many with long unpronounceable Maoritized names, are passed as I make my way up the picturesque east coast of the North Island. There are massive rolling hills populated, even on the steep bits, by daring sheep, cows, and even domesticated deer! Twisted gnarly trees look like Mother …
ROYAL NEW ZEALAND POLICE COLLEGE (Wellington)
On May 9, I arrive at the RNZPC bright and early to be greeted by Insp. Derek SARNEY, who was proven to be a gracious and knowledgeable host. He gave me a tour of the college complete with defensive tactics, gun range, scenario village, etc. I was impressed with the sim village as it was …
New Zealand Road Trip
Having departed Australia on April 29, 2024 (by plane from Sydney), I landed in Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand, where I rented a small car. My contact with the RNZPC, Insp. Derek SARNEY, was very accommodating and he suggested that there would be more to see if I came by the police …
QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE ACADEMY (Brisbane)
After my wonderful visit with the Melbourne training crew, I make the 1,800 km drive (18 hours) up the east coast of Australia to Brisbane in the state of Queensland. I overnighted in Holbrook (a quiet farming town sporting a submarine!) and then to the surfing paradise of Newcastle. On April 15, I make my …
