The Road Trip Begins

Tomorrow morning, at 4:45 am, I am heading off with 29 high school athletes and five coaches, to attend the CSSRA regatta in St.Catharines, Ontario. West Jet decided to change our flights on us at the last minute, so we are now traveling through Calgary, Winnipeg before landing at our destination in Hamilton, Ontario. From there we will travel by bus to our hotel, 45 minutes away in St.Catharines.

At 4:45 am in the morning, I am not sure we are going to be as sprightly as those on this bus....

Getting 34 people to agree on the seating plan for a plane can be frustrating or... just deal with it! The tall ones want the emergency seats for the extra leg room.

We are at the Calgary airport for a few hours. I am not sure if we are going to see any cowboys or anyone from the Calgary Stampede. This picture reminds me of a Wednesday afternoon, Best in Boathouse competition. Calgary is the largest city in Alberta. It is located approximately 80 km (50 mi) east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The city is located in the Grassland region of Alberta.

 It has been years since I have been in Winnipeg. Looking forward to may be seeing a few hockey players. Will we be seeing a new (recycled) NHL franchise in the city? Winnipeg is the largest city and capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is an important regional centre of commerce, industry, culture, finance, and government. It lies in close to hundreds of lakes, including Lake Winnipeg. Winnipeg, is known as a windy city. The average annual wind speed is 16.9 km. The city has been the gateway to the prairies since 1873.

Flying into Hamilton, Ontario, one sees the change in the prairie economy (agriculture) to Great Lakes - St.Lawrence Lowlands economy, (manufacturing).

The largest employer and polluter in Hamilton is the Hamilton Steel Factory in Hamilton Harbour on the banks of Lake Ontario. Going over the Burlington Bay - James N Allan Skyway along the Queen Elizabeth Highway, you can see what effect this Steel mill has on the environment of this region. Not sure how many people swim in the harbour?

After two bus rides, three plane rides, two fast food meals, we arrive at our destination in St.Catharines. Finally after two years of renovations, the Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Center is finished. For the past 25 years, Brentwood crews have stayed in this hotel. It is great to be back!