Good O' Canada

Yesterday was Canada Day where everyone Canadian celebrates everything Canadian. I did so by working and then drinking some beer.


Being Canadian is a blessing. There is so much that I love about it. Here are a few of the things I absolutely love about being Canadian:


1.  You have the freedom to disagree. You don't have to tow the party line and can choose to argue against any policy. It's important to know you can say what you truly believe and still be accepted. In fact you are encouraged to step outside the box and go against the grain.


2.  Diversity is encouraged. Canadians celebrate our differences. We tell jokes about them. We talk about how it can be difficult to be accepting but we work to be tolerant of differences. We want to know what's cool about our differences. 


3.  We are free to travel and many have the means to do it. I am writing this from Nova Scotia as I temporarily work from a different location. I have had many chances to see many places and I know many people who have as well. It's great to see many different places inside and outside of Canada.


4.  We like to have fun. Canadians try to not take life too seriously. We have serious moments. I am always all business when I'm below 100 feet while flying airplanes but I try to inject as much fun in as often as I can.


5.  We take care of each other.  We stop to help on the side of the road. We cover for our friends and we have universal healthcare. We are generally helpful by nature. We do it to a fault.


6.  We value education. We believe it is important to be knowledgeable about what we do and we make post-secondary education accessible to most of our population.


There are many, many other things that are great about being Canadian. I could keep writing for pages but that's not the point. I picked a few things that I really like and left a lot that I also like. It's amazing to be Canadian. Our problems are so minor and insignificant compared to much of the world and we are lucky. Now, if we could do something about winter....

Looking Good

Today I drove from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste Marie Ontario. The highway works its way around Lake Superior. It meanders in and out of the bush. This is one of the most scenic drives in Canada. It is not a short or easy drive. Parts of it are very curvy and hilly however, some of the views along the way are amazing.

Canada is a vast nation. I have been to many but not all parts yet. I think a true Canadian experience is to drive the north shore of Lake Superior. It is a two lane highway the whole way. Several passing lanes make it possible to get around slower traffic at various times. It is not the fastest route between these two Ontario cities but it sure looks good.

This may be one of the most difficult drives to make in Canada. I have driven through BC and I found it an easier drive than either time I drove this route. It is full of curves and hills. There is very little straight road. Around Marathon Ontario, you could be in any number of mountain ranges.

The most enjoyable part of the trip was to come out of the bush and there was the lake. Looking out down the hill to the water below with the hills above. The raw and rugged beauty is obvious everywhere you look.

If you are travelling from one end of Canada to the other, I recommend you travel highway 17 along Lake Superior. You will enjoy the view.