A slightly different adventure this time.......

It was time once again for my annual moose hunting trip with a few of Swiss guys I know. It is quite a ways to travel from Montreal to Northern B.C. but well worth it. It is so nice to sit on a stump in the middle of nowhere covered in dirt and think back to sitting in a nice crisply ironed white shirt in the warm confines of a flying computer thousands of feet above this earth. Out there there is no noise, no constant buzz, no horns, no.......nothing, just the sounds of nature. And the sound of my thunderstick as we got this moose! Moose were somewhat scarce to see this year but me managed to come home with one.



One of the guys with us is a butcher by trade so he does all the work to perfection. What would take me hours only takes him a matter of minutes. A fine skinner he is!



The lake we stay at is called Merton Lake. Last year we never fished the lake but this year we decided to give it a try. We could have ate fish all week this year. There is nothing like fresh rainbow trout cooked over a fire.



We had a beautiful campsite this year right on the lake. I should have taken a picture when we were all set up but this one is just after were were all packed up to leave.



I have only seen these big hunting tents in pictures but this year we erected ours. I at first thought that staying in the trailer was a luxury for me, but soon learned the tent with the warm stove inside was truly the place to be. It was toasty warm in the morning even being -10 outside. Maybe I will graduate to the tent one of these years.



Beautiful Merton Lake in the morning.



I came across this cabin deep in the woods one day. I still wonder how they got all the supplies out there to make this cabin. The 4 wheeler trail was a tough 2km in to this place. This cabin almost had it all. 2 beds, a cast iron stove, a double sink(no running water though), a 14 foot aluminum boat, motor, gas and a propane stove. It was situated on some lake but I couldn't find it on the map.




These guys I was with have been hunting together for 30 years. They have got it figured out. There are no paper plates or plastic wine glasses, that would not be right! There is no pork and beens or hot dogs on this trip, only swiss cheeses, fine salami's and bakery bread for lunch. For dinner we had pork chops and prime rib steaks, tortellini, moose liver thanks to the lucky hunt, 2 nights of grouse, fresh rainbow trout and when we were really roughing it a couple racks of lamb. Our cook makes this lamb mouth watering. Only the finest of red or white wines were served in which you have a bottomless cup. Did I mention dessert? It was tough to come back to the real world. Who would have thought one could eat better 100 miles in the bush than at home!



Of course the scnapps. What would hunting be with a bunch of Swiss fellers and no scnapps. Well, there was plenty for all. A wonderful nitecap after supper/ dessert....and if you had a tummy-ache (for those who know of this term).

My trip to the zoo

I had the pleasure of doing some flying out of Toronto last week. I do enjoy the change but Toronto is really an aviation zoo. As we were coming in the first time the other day we were informed that there was only 1 of 5 runways in use due to construction and we were # 22 for landing so expect delays. So we were given a tour of the country side until we were slotted into position for landing. When it is this busy you are touching down on the runway just as another is pulling off and you had better slow down and pull off soon because there is another plane touching down right behind you.



The morning line up at Toronto's Dash 8 gates. Just after 0700 we are all preparing to depart for the morning rush.



Here we are, #5 for takeoff. This is pretty good for the morning. I have been #27 before.



A bit different landscape out here than I am used to seeing. There are NO mountains anywhere as far as the eye can see. Good for flying....nothing to hit.



DHL the cargo company uses this and many other DC-8 for overnight shipping. This 40 year+ old aircraft has been given an engine upgrade. These shiny engines are modern turbofans which are quiter and alot more fuel efficient than the gas guzzling turbojet turbines these aircraft were introduced with.



I had my first visit to Sault St. Marie. Didn't see very much on this trip but a huge steel factory a bit of the Great Lakes nearby and the big water tower beside my hotel. What is with these water towers? There is none out west but they are everywhere in Ontario. I assume they hold water but what is their function? If anyone knows please fill me in. The weather was very rainy the whole time we were there. This is yet another morning view from the office climbing out of Sault St. Marie for Toronto. This was my earliest check-in time yet. We had a hotel pick up at 0455. Really, who wants to travel at this time? Not me! Oooohhhhh the glamour once again.



Beautiful downtown Toronto.



London, Ontario in the wee hours of the morn'. Preflight and walk around time........and coffee time too. Tim Hortons in London Airport. I still wonder why Montreal Dorval Airport does not have a Tim Hortons and why Toronto only has one. What is going on with that? The stress I am forced to deal with is almost unbearable sometimes.

Bon Matin YUL

One of my favourite pairing I do is called the continuous duty. It consists of the last flight of the night to a destination and the first flight out in the morning. We usually leave Montreal at 2100 and head east. We arrive anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours later depending on where we are going. Add a 1 hour time change and we end up at our hotel at midnight or so give or take a few mins. Here is the fun part. We have to be ready for our hotel pick up at 0515. Not to many ZZZZZZZZZ"s We have 2 hour or more flight back to YUL usually fighting with 80 knot headwinds only lengthening our trip. With just over 4 hours of sleep it is a battle to stay awake. The flight attendant gets numerous calls from the front for coffee refills. Anyways the weather has been great lately and I was able to get some morning pictures at 0645 of Montreal Island from about 14000 feet 60 miles away.



This is the same picture about 30 minutes earlier the following day.



I lied about this being my favourite. I actually hate doing these pairings. It is like having the day off but you have to sleep in a different bed. Ooohhhhh the glamour of life as an airline pilot!!

Captain Blog goes to London

I was excited when I found out I would be able to take a trip to London this month. The weather was fantastic and I only wish I could have stayed longer.



I am not one for museums but I almost went in. It must be a good one if it is in London.



Of course, a walk along the River Thames.



The local transit system. I walked everywhere so I had no need to get on the bus.



What would a trip be without a nice pint of Guiness. That first one tasted like another.



I managed to find a few castles. Apparently, this one is an old courthouse. Hangings took place in a nearby courtyard back in the day.



A quick snap of the control tower before we got back on the airplane bound for Toronto.



Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport from about 6000 feet. Not so smoggy in T.O. today. Click this pic for a better view.