Arial View Of Niagara Falls Old Postcards

 This colorful Niagara Falls postcard shows the falls from a generally unique angle.  It went through the mail to a friend in Pennsylvania in 1957.

Panoramic View of Niagara Falls Old Postcard

 This wonderful postcard of Niagara Falls is unused and undated.  I am guessing that it is, or is close to, a century old.

Matchbook Covers from Niagara Falls, 1970s.

 I found a nice set of Niagara Falls Matchbook Covers from the 1970s!  One of my favorite places around!

1970s Matchbook from the Skyon Tower, Niagara Falls Ontario

Here is a nice, simple matchbook cover showing Canada's Skylon Tower from the 1970s, located at Niagara Falls!  We've been there!

General View of Falls from Canadian Side, Niagara Falls Old Postcard

 This postcard went through the mail to a mother from her children in 1924!

Niagara Falls Old Postcard

 Another great unused postcard showing Niagara Falls.  I am guessing this one was bought sometime in the 1950s.

Greetings from Niagara Falls, Canada Old Postcard

 This is a fun postcard from many decades ago (any guesses, judging by those old cars?).  It was unsent and undated.

Random Thoughts on Friday

Oh Canada!  I have never been ashamed of my patriotism.....  I love America....  But, I am a huge fan of Canada too.

I think it started in the early 90s.  Growing up in very rural Kentucky, we couldn't get cable.  It wasn't available in our area.  Well, we found out we could get a satellite dish that would offer more channels!

The dishes were huge.  It reminded me of the big dishes seen in Empire Strike Back on Hoth.  Also, if people were in our backyard, we would check before changing channels- the dish moving around COULD hurt someone.

We couldn't get MTV, BUT we COULD get MuchMusic out of Canada.  Close enough.  Of course, Canadian Music is SLIGHTLY different from what Americans are used to.

Big rock and pop stars in the US are pretty much always big in Canada too, but the reverse isn't always true.  

The Guess Who, Rush, and the Barenaked Ladies found success in the US, among others.  Some great bands, however, never could get that same momentum.

You could maybe assume that some bands are just too Canadian.  Excessive references to hockey, and towns totally unfamiliar to Americans might explain some of that.

Watching MuchMusic back in the 90s...  well, I thought The Northern Pikes and Jane Siberry (two of my favorite Canadian artists) would take over America.  I thought Barenaked Ladies were too goofy for their southern neighbors and would never make it.  A Paula Abdul knock off singer in Canada going by "Alanis" repackaged her act and Alanis Morissette would be one of the biggest acts in the world.

Quick, without thinking- name the greatest band from Canada.  I can almost guarantee you, that Canadians and Americans will have different answers.

Americans will likely answer Rush, thought the Band, or one of the other bands I mentioned earlier might come up.

If you are Canadian, there is really only one answer- The Tragically Hip.  If you are American, you likely are totally unfamiliar with that one.

I'm not even going to try to explain that here, but the Tragically Hip are very important to Canada and the death of their irreplaceable lead singer in 2017 was a national tragedy.  Their last concert, broadcast on many platforms, we estimated to have been watched by a third of the population of the country.  The Prime Minister had a press conference on the day he died.

I have told people that I feel like Canadians put more into their music.  The lyrics are more poetic and emotional, in my opinion.

I have found that I love Canadian TV shows a lot too.  Heartland (a show about a family and horses, in a very brief nutshell) has a big following worldwide.  The scenery on the show is always beautiful.  The Murdoch Mysteries is a detective show set in the 1890s that is crafty and smart.  I love their vintage postcard like settings.  Co-star of the Murdoch Files, Jonny Harris has his own show, Still Standing, which showcases the wonderful small communities of Canada.

Those are about my three most favorite shows, all Canadian.

Victoria BC while on our Alaska Cruise 2024

We made a brief stop in Victoria BC while on our Alaska Cruise!

"Strange Stories of Alaska and the Yukon" by Ed Ferrell

You know me....  when I have a trip planned somewhere, I like to read a lot of books relating to the area...  especially weird ones.

I found "Strange Stories of Alaska and the Yukon" by Ed Ferrell for a couple of bucks at a thrift store and it was a great bargain!  It is a slim, and easy to read book clocking in at just over 150 pages, but the stories are fun, and you have to read them slowly and pay attention to take them in.

The book is pretty much a collection of strange and hard to believe stories collected from old papers, many going back into the late 1880s, but there are some mentions of more modern times.  A sonar image of a lake monster from the 60s comes up.

Cryptids, mysterious characters, ghosts, lost mines (this is Alaska) are in the volume.  I particularly enjoyed the stories of locals reporting encounters with mammoths!

I also enjoyed a strange story about a very detailed mirage city.  Of course, there are some stories of miners who are never heard from again.  There is a story of a captured young sasquatch.  And a verifiable story involves a frozen mammoth that is discovered!

Vancouver International Airport British Columbia

In general, airports can be tough.  Everyone is in a hurry, and you can't wait to leave them, and get on with your adventure.

I will say that I have found one that I enjoy.  The Vancouver International Airport is generally calm, and I like the way they have things set up.  Nice art, friendly staff, etc.

Incognito Coffee Vancouver British Columbia

One of the best cups of coffee I have had in a while was at Incognito Coffee in Vancouver.  

Banff Springs Hotel and Sulphur Mountain, Banff, Canadian Rockies

The sender of this postcard tells a friend in Kentucky about the snow in the Banff area!

JJ Bean Coffee Vancouver British Columbia

JJ Bean was one of our favorite coffee shops we found in Vancouver BC.  They had really good drinks and friendly staff.

I was personally impressed with the fact that they had oat milk out right next to their cream and sugar.....  no upcharge or anything like that.

There was plenty of seating too, which is not common in big cities like this.

You know me, I have a lot of favorite coffee shops....  But JJ Bean is definitely one of the nicest I have had been to ever.

JJ Bean gets my highest possible recommendation.

Walking Around Vancouver British Columbia

Well, I am wrapping things up with our Alaska Cruise/Vancouver BC visit....  We had a really good time.  Vancouver is a big, beautiful major city, but it is very unique.  We enjoyed walking around and seeing the sites, but we also took note of some of their other issues- crime and drug use.

Look around, you will see that Vancouver is dealing with those issues in ways that only this city can.

CPR Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Canadian Rockies Postcard

This cool postcard was sent from Alberta in 1936.

Canada Place Vancouver British Columbia

While we were in Vancouver, we walked around Canada Place.

Robson Street Vancouver British Columbia 2022

We spent some time exploring the very happening Robson Street in Vancouver British Columbia!

Ontario Canada Mounties Old Postcards

I found a couple of great postcards showing Canadian Mounties!  I am guessing these unused cards are from the 60s.  The top one says it is from Lake Dore, Ontario, and the bottom one says "Greetings from Eganville, Ont."

Vancouver Police Museum and Archives- British Columbia

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the Vancouver Police Museum and Archives.  For a lot of roadtrippers, this is a place high up on their list.  It is very strange and informative, and they have a lot of info on crimes in the area!