I have a bit of a thing for notebooks and have several on my desk at all times, a variety of spiral bound, sewn, glued, stapled, small, large, soft-covered, hard-covered, lined and unlined where I jot down ideas, make lists, take notes on things I read or find interesting and do my best to keep organized. But I didn’t photograph any of my current set of notebooks for this post. Read on to learn why...
In January 2020, when we planned a 10-day trip to California, Nevada and Phoenix, we were aware of COVID-19: a new and highly-infectious virus centered in Wuhan, China. And we took what we thought were appropriate precautions, such as wearing a cloth mask during flights; disinfecting door handles, light switches and remotes in our hotel rooms; and hanging the "no service please" sign so that housekeeping stayed out for the duration of our stay. But we enjoyed eating out three times/day, joined throngs of people exploring Las Vegas at night and didn't hesitate to get up close to the eyepiece of the Clark Telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. We certainly didn't imagine our 10-day getaway would be our only vacation in 2020 and into the foreseeable future. And now I sit, more than 4 months after our return to Calgary, writing the wrap-up post for a holiday that seems like it took place a lifetime ago...
Parks Canada is doing their best to lay on a few pandemic perks in Banff National Park. For example, the Bow Valley Parkway is closed to vehicles between Banff and Castle Junction. With fresh asphalt and no cars, it's a great summer of 2020 highway ride for cyclists.
The summit stretch of HIghwood Pass is closed to vehicle traffic from Dec 15 through June 14 each year. Depending on snow pack and spring temperatures, that means there's a short window each spring when it's possible to ride from the locked winter gates to the summit of HIghwood Pass. We made our first attempt in 2016 (successful) on mountain bikes and have returned each spring since, usually on our cyclocross wheels which make for an easier ride. Highlights from our 2020 ride include spotting a couple of white-tailed deer, riding into strong and gusting headwinds on the descent and seeing a grizzly bear on the drive out. At the date of publication, there are two more weekends to ride Highwood Pass before it re-opens to vehicle traffic on June 15, 2020.
Staying busy from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been difficult. I still can't figure out how so many people are finding big chunks of time to do deep cleaning, sorting and tossing/recycling/donating! 🙂 Between sewing masks, gardening, exercising, cooking/baking, learning and family phone/Zoom calls, our days are rich and full.