Category Archives: Travel Articles

Articles, stories and advice on travel.

A Word of Warning about HittheRoad.ca

February 23, 2012 Red Hunt 90 Comments

As a frequent road tripper, I am pretty sure I enjoy driving across country more than your average traveller. No other form of travel puts you in control as much as a road trip, with the ability to cover lots of ground or take it slow by stopping, changing plans and embracing surprises.

Tennessee and North Carolina Border — TN / NC Border in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

With ample free time on my hands, I decided to do something last year that I had heard of for some time – be a driver of cars for Canadian snowbirds. The company I hooked up with is Hit the Road, and while the actual road tripping parts were great, a few bumps in the road (pardon the pun!), in particular the actions/inactions and disorganization of Hit the Road left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Ok, let’s get on to the hit the road review.

What is Hit the Road?

First, some background on what car delivery is all about, to help you decide if it’s something you’d be interested in. These services exist because retired and wealthy Canadians head down to Florida, Texas and Arizona each winter – and they don’t want to drive.

So, while they fly back and forth to their sunny destinations, somebody has to drive their car. One such company that arranges car delivery for Canadians is called Canada Driveaway, or Hit the Road. They also provide this service for people who may be moving across Canada, say from Toronto to Vancouver.

To car owners they advertise providing a safe, quick and reliable service for a fee. Then hittheroad.ca / canadadriveaway.com locates a willing driver to spend a few days on what they liken to a ‘free road trip’, providing compensation to cover gas and possibly some expenses.

Sounds pretty sweet doesn’t it? It could be, but for a fair review, let’s see how things stack up when it comes to using hittheroad.ca vs. a rental vehicle.

Benefits of using hittheroad.ca instead of renting a car

you get a free car to drive for a specified number of days
you get to personally meet the person / people who own the vehicle
there is the potential that you may drive a vehicle that is nicer than anything you would rent
compensation paid to you upon successful delivery is made in cash
overall, it should save you money

Risks of using hittheroad.ca instead of renting a car

the pickup and drop off locations will not be as convenient as the nearest rental car company
you are limited to the provided insurance coverage, there is no all-inclusive ‘loss damage waiver’ or other coverage option
a deposit of $500 is required before you can drive any vehicles for Hit the Road
you do not get paid anything until you have delivered the vehicle
your support system is a small organization that may not always be reachable
roadside assistance is not provided if the car breaks down
you are given a limited number of days
you are given limited kilometres / miles, which may restrict the route you wish to drive
you are limited to the dates and destinations offered by hittheroad.ca
confirmations tend to be done last-minute, within a couple of weeks of departure, meaning the cost of your one-way airfare (if needed) may be high
you have no control over the quality of the vehicle being driven, it may be an old, beat-up car
there is no eating or smoking allowed in the vehicles and you can not bring pets
you are told not to drive at night
there is limited space in the vehicle as the owner will have their personal items in the trunk and possibly the back seats as well

Jaguar in the Painted Desert — Benefit of using Hit the Road? You may drive something you’d never rent like this Jaguar

There you have it, what it really means to deliver a car using a service like Hit the Road. If you’re just in it for a drive to get from A to B as quickly and directly as possible, while taking the risk that nothing will go wrong, then it can be a great option. If you are used to having flexibility on your road trips, want to book things ahead of time, enjoy having no-worry insurance coverage or need lots of vehicle space then you may want to reconsider.

How much do you get paid for car delivery?

This is the most common question people have asked me. From the two experiences I had driving for hittheroad.ca it seems to be around $100 per day. You can negotiate more depending on the route and car requirements, or if you’re backpacking across country already, you might only be paid enough for gas money.

With that information you should be able to make an educated decision yourself whether driving a car for hittheroad.ca is something you may be interested in.

Warning: I suggest stopping here and spending your time reading something else, unless you prefer controversy.

St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium — Catching a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium during a Road Trip

Disorganized Business Practices

At the start of this review of Canada Driveaway / Hit the Road I mentioned they seemed surprisingly disorganized. So let’s have a little recap of the issues I encountered from the time I agreed to work with them, up to the time I dropped off the last car.

Disorganized Issue 1: Wrong Information. Where is the car?

The first car I picked up for hittheroad.ca in April 2011 was located in the Fort Lauderdale area. Before agreeing on the assignment, I had numerous emails and phone calls with the owner of hittheroad.ca, Mr. David Smaller. Our first chats said he had a car in Miami. After more questions it became either Miami or Fort Lauderdale or Hallandale.

The dilemma this created was – do I fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale to get the car? Prices for flights varied greatly. I decided to fly into Miami, it was cheaper.

Pick up day arrives, so I head out early to the address listed on the official ‘vehicle delivery agreement’ provided by Canada DriveAway. Should be easy. After an hour of searching, the car owner and I realize the wrong city was listed on the agreement. Turns out the car was 15 miles away, in Hollywood, a city never even mentioned once by hittheroad.ca.

Alright, no big deal. Everyone makes mistakes…there is a fun road trip ahead. I mentioned this issue to hittheroad.ca when I picked up the car but didn’t receive any apology or acknowledgement of error.

Disorganized Issue 2: Last-Minute Planning without Enough Information

Before signing up to deliver a car, you need to go through a process of providing a drivers abstract and references. Once accepted, you can begin talking about delivering a car. It’s generally a quick process, if there is a car available to go somewhere you are interested in, hittheroad.ca will be happy to sign you up asap.

However, it becomes difficult to make those arrangements as you will not be told any specifics until after confirming your agreement. Building on Issue #1 above, the process for confirming my Florida delivery went something like this:

Hit the Road: I have a car to pickup any time these three days.
Me: (Reply next day) – Ok, I can do that and book a flight down to Miami.
Hit the Road: (Next day) – Have a car the next week now, in a different city.
Me: Alright. Done. Deposit sent. (I had already booked a flight for the week before)
Hit the Road: *Silence for a week*
Me: Umm, are we confirmed?
Hit the Road: Silence for a few more days.
Hit the Road: (Three days before pickup) – Oops, my bad. Sending delivery details today. (They didn’t.)

Bear in the Smoky Mountains — A ‘Bear’ in the Smoky Mountains, North Carolina

I had actually started to expect a message saying “sorry, I don’t have a car for you.” and began planning my own way back home, until I received documents the day before pickup.

This is an example of how hittheroad.ca could improve their business. By locking in a date with their car owners further ahead of time, they’ll allow themselves more time to find a driver, who in turn will have more time to make plans and find the best travel deals en-route to picking up the car. Less stress and less hassle for everyone.

Disorganized Issue 3: Changing details after Accepting a Delivery

If you think the last-minute stress of agreeing on a car delivery is enough, it potentially doesn’t end once you’ve accepted a delivery.

On my second car delivery for hittheroad.ca I had a number of phone calls and emails with David Smaller. As I was now a successful driver, having delivered my first car, we agreed on a delivery of a new Jaguar from Phoenix to Toronto.

After being a tourist for a couple of days in Arizona, I printed out the delivery agreement papers that had come in by email the day before pickup.

However, three things had changed since confirming details with hittheroad.ca by email earlier in the week. First – it was a different car, but still a Jaguar. Second – I was given an extra day of driving to deliver the car. Cool, but that meant last-minute accommodation changes. Third – the trip expense reimbursement fee had been increased by $200, presumably to cover the expenses of the additional day, yay!

Disorganized Issue 4: Security Deposits and References

Hit the Road requires a $500 security deposit before you drive any cars. They also need references, both of which are reasonable, except they forgot that I sent them my references and later seemed to have no record keeping of when I paid my deposit.

They advised that the deposit is returned upon a successful delivery and the delivery agreements stated that the $500 deposit was to reimburse the vehicle owner any costs associated with insurance if the vehicle were damaged. Ok, all good, that seemed legit.

On more than one occasion when checking the hittheroad.ca PayPal link I got the notice that the account was frozen. Fun! They didn’t have any alternative to PayPal at the time, which seemed a bit Mickey Mouse, but thankfully I can say this is one issue they’ve since addressed.

Disorganized Issue 5: No Support if Something Goes Wrong

Chances are nothing will go wrong when you deliver a car and, for the most part, Hit the Road was fairly responsive to any questions posed to them from the time of signup to the time of picking up a car. Even while driving a car and providing a progress check-in Mr. Smaller would normally reply within a few hours.

Guess what? Something went wrong on my second delivery.

Bumper stumper — Uh oh, Someone scratched my Bumper

After parking the car in a secure parking lot, I returned to see the left corner of the rear bumper sticking out. Looking closer, there were very, very faint scrapes and it seemed that someone had bumped the corner of the bumper in my absence. There was next to no damage, save for a hairline crack in the corner and some surface scratches – the bumper simply ‘popped’ back into place with a gentle push.

Still, I reported the incident that day. After no response, I contacted Hit the Road again by email and asked if they wanted to advise the car owners and forward the photos. No response.

The next day I take photos of the slight scrapes and sent to Hit the Road, asking what they want me to do.

Again, no reply.

Finally, two days after the incident, I get a response to the tune of ‘talk to the owners tomorrow when you drop off the car.’ I was shocked that Hit the Road didn’t even want to advise the car owner in advance of the minor issue, to avoid a surprise.

Upon delivery, the owner was surprised, but also understood it was something out of my control. They paid the full delivery expense agreed that the car had been dropped off in good condition.

Considering this was a ‘top client’ I would have expected Hit the Road to have advised their client ahead of time, but that’s just my opinion on proper customer service.

Unprofessional and Unaccountable Management

Now on to the last two issues. A month after my second car delivery, I began the process to have hiththeroad.ca return my security deposit or advise me that it was used for repairs to the Jaguar. Little did I know that this would turn into a massive, drawn out ordeal.

The following issues stem from more than 100 emails exchanged between myself and David Smaller, the owner of hittheroad.ca and canadadriveaway.com

Unprofessional Issue 1: The hittheroad.ca Scam of Not Returning Deposits

Car delivery number two was completed on May 12th. As part of the process, hittheroad.ca requires each delivery agreement to be signed upon pickup and dropoff. Three copies must be signed, with one being mailed back to their headquarters in Toronto.

So I waited until June 13th to send Hit the Road an email and inquire about the status of my deposit. The response was not what I expected. I got a response, but had to remind them of the date I paid my deposit and under what name, email I used. Not the most attentive over there at hittheroad.ca

Fast forward to August 11th. Two months later and not a single word from Hit the Road. So I send a follow up asking about the status. The response I get a few days later is ‘let’s meet for coffee’. Sure, I agreed let’s meet that week, just say when.

No response.

I follow up again the next week, asking if the refund is on the way or if my deposit was used for repairs, only to get a delayed response advising that Hit the Road hasn’t heard from the car owner yet (3 months after I dropped it off).

So, I chase Mr. Smaller again the next week. Now he advises they repaired the car on their own and has asked them if they want to put my deposit money towards the cost.

Silence again, until I email Hit the Road in September, finally expressing some frustration in this lengthy process, suggesting they return the deposit or send proof it was used for repairs.

Now things get interesting. Mr. Smaller replies saying he wants to offer them a $100 goodwill gesture. He proposes to meet again and suggests that the $100 be taken from my deposit. I respond the next day, make him a counter proposal and agree to meet, just tell me when and where.

Silence for two weeks.

I chase him again, saying I’m free to meet.

Silence again, until October 4th, Hit the Road sends a newsletter to their mailing list. I respond saying we’re overdue for our meeting about the deposit.

Guess what? Silence from Hit the Road.

Finally, on November 28th (5.5 months after I dropped off the car) I send hittheroad.ca a lengthy email outlining three options. Get the deposit sent over asap, show me proof it’s been used for repairs or ignore the issue and I’ll be happy to report these ongoing issues.

The next day he advises he drove their car recently and gave them $100 off. Did I want to spot him that money? Umm, no.

I advise him that he owes me $400 still, as we agreed by email that I previously received $100 of my deposit from my first car delivery. He claims that the extra $200 I received for delivery two was from my deposit and not from the extended day for that delivery (so I was given no extra pay for an extra day of expenses?). There is no record of that and the agreement clearly states the entire payment is for expenses, not deposit.

He wants to pay me $200, I say $400. He offers a middle-way solution. As it is November I agree to accept $300 just to get it over with.

On December 6th I receive an email payment notice for $100.

I ignore the notice, thinking it must be a mistake and he’ll send a corrected amount shortly. The reply I get is ‘what did we agree on?’.

So, with that we progress on to the last issue.

Sunset in the Florida Keys — Benefit of driving a Rental Car? You can drive at night and enjoy unlimited Sunsets

Unprofessional Issue 2: Aggressive and Innapropriate Attitude

When first wanting to drive for Hit the Road, there were a number of aggressive comments said that made me wonder how legit Hit the Road was. Nothing crazy, just your usual pushy sales lines like ‘if you confirm today, I can pay you extra’.

But, let’s get back to the escalating deposit money issue.

The communication continued on from December 13th to 15th and deteriorated quite rapidly as I point out his personal contradictions and inability to meet from our previous agreements. Accusations get thrown back and forth.

He claims my reasoning is flawed and lacks merit. Yet, his calculations include $100 of ‘withheld’ deposit, for no valid reason, along with saying that $200 is to be taken from the second delivery, yet there is no record of this being agreed upon or mentioned and contradicts what our signed agreement says.

Mr. Smaller ends his communications with a ‘lets agree to disagree’ attitude, saying he can’t offer me any more of my money back.

My last response is that I consider the issue unresolved and that – agreeing to disagree – is not a solution.

As it stands, I have received $200 of my deposit and Hit the Road has retained $300.

Other Reviews of hittheroad.ca

The last part of this post may seem one-sided, so please get in touch with Hit the Road and check them out yourself, or tell me about your experiences. I do know of other people who have driven for them – once – without incident, including other travel writers and bloggers.

It isn’t the type of company that has tons of online reviews either, but I did manage to find the two websites below. I share them only because they echo my concerns about deposit returns and an aggressive attitude from hittheroad.ca

Planes, brains and no automobiles from David Cheesman – who experienced the aggressiveness of Hit the Road, but managed to avoid being a driver.

Yelp reviews of HitTheRoad – one negative review, which echoes my deposit issues, quickly followed by a number of perfect reviews (Tripadvisor syndrome, perhaps?)

Final Comments

It took me a long time to decide if I should write this review as I took pride in delivering my Hit the Road cars on-time in accordance with their delivery agreement guidelines. I hope that the information posted here will help others decide if car delivery is a sensible option during their travels. I’m sure I will hear from Mr. Smaller shortly after this review and will be happy to post any response or comments he wishes to share.

If you’re considering Hit the Road, my suggestion is to just pay for a worry-free rental car. Or, consider these alternatives to hittheroad.ca (I can’t personally vouch for any of these services):

torontodriveaway.com
automoves.ca
carstoflorida.com
snowbirdcarservice.com
professionaldrivers.com
proway1.com

Road Trips

5 Crazy Moments from my Most Epic Road Trip

February 21, 2012 Red Hunt 24 Comments

My most epic road trip was a 4000 mile drive through the Mountain States of the US.

The road trip went something like this: Fly into Denver. Buy groceries. Drive. Explore nature. Drive. Explore nature. Drive. Sleep. Wake up. Drive. Explore nature…ya, it was pretty exhausting.

Looking out over Inspiration Point — Standing over Bryce Canyon National Park

It was a road trip that changed the way I take road trips now, as I had tried to to do too much in too little time. I haven’t totally gotten over that compulsion, but I have definitely taken more time to chill out on road trips since then.

Alright, so here are some photos from five of the crazy moments I had on my most epic road trip and the lessons I learned from them.

Scoring the Last Campsite

If you skip Alaska, the greatest wildlife destination in the Americas has to be Yellowstone National Park. This was the number one reason I took this epic road trip, and I spent more time here than anywhere else on the road trip.

Waking up before sunrise, exploring all day and getting to sleep after midnight, my days in Yellowstone were adrenaline-filled adventures of hiking and wildlife watching.

Bison near Campsite in Yellowstone — Don’t Feed the Wildlife – Bison roaming the Campground in Yellowstone

Now one day I didn’t have a campsite booked for the night. It was summer, so it was packed. With a bit of luck and a chat with a park worker at Norris campground he said if I showed up right at a certain time I might be able to snag one of their blocked sites that are reserved for backcountry trekkers. Awesome.

Sure enough, I roll in at twilight and there is one site that hasn’t been claimed. The last site. At the end of a path, just beside a meadow and forest. Pure paradise.

At least it seemed like pure paradise, until I saw the Bear markings on trees nearby and had to keep an eye on some Bison that were wandering around the campground. That wasn’t so much scary as it was intimidating, since I was camping solo. With my tent up, darkness had fallen. I was damn hungry by now – so I tried to enjoy some heated up chili over a camp fire and a bottle of beer. The problem was that there were constant noises nearby freaking me out.

Trying to enjoy a campfire in Yellowstone National Park — Me, trying to enjoy a campfire in Yellowstone, but being freaked out by nearby animal noises

Aside from my fire, everyone else was sleeping in their tents. It was pitch dark. I didn’t know where those Bison were. I could hear things in the forest behind me.

After my nerves were totally shot, I scampered into my tent and had a restless sleep…maybe there was a reason nobody else claimed this campsite on the edge of the forest?

The next morning I woke up early and discovered a Bison had left a fresh present for me just outside my tent. Thanks Mr. Bison. Lesson learned here was to secure a camp site early in the day to avoid having after dark nightmares!

Dizzy and Dehydrated in a Desert Canyon

Thanks to Bryce Canyon National Park I had my first lesson in how not to hike in the dry heat of the desert.

Bryce Canyon Scenery — Beautiful, enticing and dangerous Bryce Canyon National Park

I took off on a short trail to head down towards the valley. As I was short on time that day, I figured I’d just do part of a trail and didn’t worry that it was already scorching hot out at 12:30 in the afternoon. So down I go, along a path. Within 10 minutes the sun is piercing the canyon and the rocks are getting blazingly hot. It’s dry, rough and nobody else is around. Pushing on to get some photos, my water supply is already being drained way too fast.

After only about halfway down, I see a super amazing lookout further on. But it is also getting hotter and hotter by the minute. I want the photos, but I’m melting, so choose to turn around.

I begin the trek back up. Having underestimated how steep the trail was, I quickly drink all my water and struggle the last mile or so. It’s a steep wall of rock on my right, a narrow path to walk on, and a deep, deep canyon on my left. As I start to slow down and get a bit dizzy I stumble, lose my footing and am about to fall into the deep canyon. With a last-second shot of adrenaline, I dig my hiking boots into the loose ground and get enough traction to scramble back onto the path. Without looking down, I force myself to hike out of there as fast as I can before the adrenaline wears off.

Warning Sign at Bryce Canyon — Pay Attention to Warning Signs like this one at Bryce Canyon

It was one of those moments I barely remembered later, as it all happened so quickly and I prefer not to dwell on such near-misses. One more step in the wrong direction and I would’ve been splattered on the bottom of Bryce Canyon.

Overheated, with heart and head pounding I made it to the top a short time later, drenched myself in water, cranked up the AC in my rental car and drove away. Disaster averted, but now even when I plan to be on a short hike I take extra water and supplies, just in case.

The Lost Keys Hike

Another hike, another lesson learned.

This time I was in Arches National Park. I decided to take a popular hike just before sunset, as the red glow on the rocks would make for some stunning photos. The hike itself was amazing, lots of weird rock angles, odd desert plants to look at and little lizards running around.

I stopped twice along the trail to drink some water, relax and just enjoy the scenery as the sun got lower and lower on the horizon. After about an hour and a half, with the sun nearly gone I made it back to my rental car.

Sunset at Arches National Park — Ominous looking Clouds at Sunset – Arches National Park

Reaching into my pocket for my keys, I found my camera lens cap. Hmm. No keys. They were in my pocket, but I had also put my camera filters and cap in that pocket. So, I instantly knew that the keys must have fallen out at one of the spots I stopped for photos.

Looking back at the nearly gone sun, I knew I had to do a quick re-hike now or I’d never find the keys. Off I go, jogging most of the way this time. Spot one – no keys. darkness starting to set in now, I reach the next couple of spots – still no keys.

One last place I think they could be, I get there and search around on the ground, but still – no keys.

Dejected, I head back to the trailhead, hoping perhaps a ranger or somebody will be nearby. I have no phone on me, so I can’t call anyone to get extra keys either. Thinking it is going to be a fun night locked out of my car in Arches National Park, I walk the last part of the trail in the dark.

As I approach my car, I notice a young couple sitting on a nearby picnic table. Wandering over, we chat – they had found my keys and were waiting for me to return. Amazing! Again, disaster averted. Lesson learned since then? Always put my keys somewhere secure in my backpack while hiking, never in my pockets.

Going after a Grizzly Bear

The first Grizzly Bear I ever saw in the wild was on this road trip. It was in Grand Teton National Park. A big, lumbering Grizzly was strolling across a field. Cars began to stop, parking on the side of the road. By the time the Grizzly got to the road, there must have been 25 cars stopped.

Grizzly Bear in Grand Teton National Park — Grizzly Bear walking in a field in Grand Teton National Park

Without hesitation, he simply crossed the road and kept on meandering through a field on the other side of the road. As he got farther and farther away, people began to leave.

I noticed a side road nearby that went off in the direction of where Mr. Grizzly had been going. So, I head down the road, keeping an eye out for him. After 10 minutes of searching it seems he has gone off into the bush, so I get out and wander around the field of flowers.

Looking for a Grizzly Bear — Where did you go Mr. Grizzly Bear?

After taking some pictures and wandering a good distance from the car, it isn’t until I am ready to leave that I realize if Mr. Grizzly was still anywhere nearby I would have been an easy meal if he was so inclined.

Just because you can’t see something as dangerous as a Grizzly doesn’t mean they’re not there. After that little bit of stupidness I paid extra attention to any bear warnings I saw on my travels.

Driving 4000 miles in 10 Days

In 10 days I drove through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. I visited 7 National Parks, 2 State Parks, 1 Tribal Park and drove through countless National Forests.

Mountain road scenery — Road trips require balance. Be sure to split these kind of views with…

Zion National Park — …these kind of views! Or your road trip may be lacking crazy memories when you get home.

Realistically this road trip should have been cut into 2 or 3 road trips. Outside of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons the rest of the trip felt rushed and I had to sacrifice skipping some hikes (and meals) just to keep on moving.

It was an epic, awesome road trip, but lesson learned – I should have slowed it down and saved some parks for another time.

Wildlife and Nature

Seeing Seals in La Jolla

February 19, 2012 Red Hunt 1 Comment

On my recent San Diego road trip one thing I wanted to do was go and see the seals that call La Jolla home.

Happy Harbor Seal in La Jolla — A Happy Harbour Seal in La Jolla

I knew these San Diego area Harbor Seals were located at a place called Children’s Pool in La Jolla Cove. I didn’t really know anything else, but figured it would be easy enough to find! So I drove along the coast down to La Jolla from Torrey Pines Reserve. Snaking along the coastline, stopping at places such as Kellogg Park and La Jolla Shores Park.

Those parks had nice beaches, but nobody was swimming – not even a seal – so I kept on moving.

La Jolla Cove from Coast Boulevard — La Jolla Coastline, approaching the Seals, walking along Coast Boulevard

Not long after I came to Coast Boulevard, ah ha! I was getting close. I purposely had come here on a Monday too, after hearing that finding a parking spot is a near possibility on weekends. Time to see the San Diego seals!

First, I got distracted by a cheeky little squirrel who’d obviously had a few over-friendly people supply him with some tasty treats, as he was all too eager to hang around. Cute little guy, but still – not a seal.

Seal in the sun, La Jolla — A sunning Seal on the Oceanside of La Jolla Cove

Just a short walk further was my destination. I walked along the seal viewing pathway, which juts out into the ocean and provides a nice viewing area above the Children’s Pool Beach. After watching a handful of Harbour Seals lolling about on some rocks on the ocean side of the wall, I came upon the haul out beach. Wow…there must have been a hundred or more seals sunning themselves.

Lazy Lounging Seals in La Jolla — Lazy Lounging Seals on the Children's Pool beach in La Jolla

Very cool, it was fun getting to see them enjoying the beach. They looked happy and peaceful (but don’t all seals seem to look happy??)

While pups are usually born starting in February there were a couple of young ones on the beach already, which was a nice surprise.

White baby Seal in La Jolla — White Baby Seal on the beach in La Jolla, California

One of them really caught my eye. The mother of this pup was a lighter silver-grey colour compared to most other seals on the beach. But the pup she was looking after was nearly pure white! It stood out from the crowd, as the other pups and seals were mostly dark grey or almost black in colour. I asked around but nobody else seemed to know why that mother and especially the pup were of a lighter colour.

Stretching Harbour Seal, La Jolla — Stretching Harbour Seal, Looking for Attention at La Jolla Cove, near San Diego

I hung around for about an hour before moving over to the other side of the beach and watching the seals from the viewing wall along the sidewalk. A few people went down to the beach, up to the roped off area which protects the harbor seals from being harassed. I thought about heading down, but it seems like some seals were sensitive to people being that close, so I enjoyed them from a distance.

It was a fun afternoon and a real treat to have such creatures be so accessible!

Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla - The Viewing Walkway and Harbour Seals as seen from the Tower

On a side note – It turns out the harbour seals are a bit of a controversy to some local residents, who want free reign of the beach as well. Apparently the seals were originally released in the area without full approval from the local community. Some people want them relocated, some people want them protected more. Given how many other beaches I saw nearby (without anyone swimming!) my personal vote is for saving the seals of La Jolla. To be honest I wouldn’t have visited La Jolla and spent my money there if they didn’t have the seals.

Travel Articles

Romance in Nuwara Eliya

February 14, 2012 Red Hunt 3 Comments

Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and the day I spent driving through the Nuwara Eliya highlands was one of my favourites. The cool breeze and lush landscapes hiding secret waterfalls were a nice nature break from the city life I had been living for a few days back in Kandy.

Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya — Near Nuwara Eliya, in the Highlands of Sri Lanka

A lunch time stop at a tea plantation was the perfect way to break up the day. I had a personal tour all to myself and was surprised just how much effort, and pride, goes into making tea in Sri Lanka! After buying some packages to bring home for friends, and sampling some myself, I was off to go higher into the mountains for a good nights rest.

Tea Pickers in Sri Lanka — Tea Pickers near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

Now, I should point out that when I visited Sri Lanka it was near the end of their civil war battles in 2009. Tourists were few and far between, while tanks, fighter jets and road blocks were common sights.

But up here in the mountains it was quite peaceful and I was happy to enjoy some quiet time.

Once again, I learned that I was the only guest – yes only guest – at the hotel that evening. When you’re the only guest in a large hotel it means that the bartender, cook, bellman, manager, front desk clerk and cleaning staff all usually know your name and where you’re from. It is a bit intimidating and uncomfortable really. Such a level of customer service I’ve never experienced anywhere else before, or since.

Hanging out at the Hotel — Another Quiet Hotel in Sri Lanka

This great customer service was no exception at Nuwara Eliya. After checking in I was informed of when dinner was being served and had a couple of hours to myself. The staff made sure I was happy with my room and that I had everything I needed.

Relaxing out on my front patio, drinking a beer and snacking on fresh cashews, I watched a nearby cascading waterfall while the sun set over the mountains. One of those romantic settings from a travel brochure, all for me to enjoy!

With the sun gone it was off to eat, by myself, again.

As I entered the dining room, I was intimidated. This hotel had obviously seen better days, as the grand dining room was lined with framed pictures on the walls giving it an air of importance from another era.

Bar Area of the Hotel Dining Room — Bar Seating Area of the Hotel Dining Room in Nuwara Eliya

The dining room was large, seating for more than 100 guests I imagined, complete with a lounge and seperate bar area. It was all dimly lit, partly for romance and partly to hide the dirt and aging infrastructure.

I ventured in and was greeted by a smiling waiter. Looking around, I confirmed that it was only me who would be dining on this night.

Impeccably set tables all around me, I was seated by the friendly waiter and informed of my meal options. He knew I was Canadian, so we had a brief chat about snow before he vanished away to the kitchen. I ordered a beer and snacked on some bread while I waited for the first course to arrive – French onion soup.

My Dinner Table in Nuwara Eliya — Dinner for two? No, just one.

It is a weird, awkward feeling being in such a cavernous room all by yourself with nobody else around. You feel like you’re being watched and there isn’t really anything to stare at after a while, so you just sit there in silence. I pretended to read the book I had with me, but the silence was too distracting.

Finally, the French onion soup arrived. It looked delicious!

Before I sampled it, The waiter asked if I would like some music while I enjoyed my meal. Hmm, sure, why not…it will do well to break that awkward silence.

French Onion Soup in Sri Lanka — Hot French Onion Soup in Nuwara Eliya...but First some Music

So he wanders over towards the old wooden bar and after a minute or two, finds something worthy of accompanying my meal.

I hear the crackling of the speakers come to life, realizing that a vinyl record has been put in motion.

As the waiter fades away through the kitchen doors, I dip my spoon into my soup, and a recognizable Canadian voice begins to sing and fill the otherwise empty room.

My thoughtful waiter had carefully selected a special song just for me: My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

For the rest of the meal, I sat by myself in this somewhat dated yet still romantic dining room, being serenaded by the songs of Celine Dion.

Just another fun day in Sri Lanka…happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Wildlife and Nature

Easter Island – Te Ara O Te Ao Trail

February 7, 2012 Red Hunt 5 Comments

An impressive hike on Easter Island, the Te Ara O Te Ao Trail from Hanga Road town up to Rano Kau crater, via the Manavai Garden is a moderate to challenging day trek depending on weather.

Most people hire a car or simply hop in a taxi for the ride up the hill to the edge of the crater and nearby Orongo ruins. But doing that you miss out on some great seaside scenery, a botanical garden, ocean-side caves and an enjoyable uphill hike through grassy fields and tree patches that offer a beautiful panoramic view of the island.

Easter Island Trail Marker - Pie del Rano Kau — Pie del Rano Kau Tuki Marker on Easter Island

I started my hike at Camping Mihinoa, where I was staying. It is a bit on the edge of town, so I was already between hike marker (or ‘TUKI’) 10 and 11 when I got on the road. From there, you follow the road towards the mountain that looms in the distance. The full trail, one-way is slightly more than 3.5km long and takes roughly 2 hours at a decent pace, but stopping to enjoy the highlights.

Highlight 1: Fishing Harbour

On the outskirts of town is the lively fishing harbour. This is where so many Easter Islanders make their living, heading out to sea each day to catch some fish. No tourist facilities here, this is all business.

Fishing Boats on Easter Island — Easter Island - Fishing Boats on the Outskirts of Hanga Roa

Highlight 2: Flowers and Trees

Flowering hibiscus are among the more colourful sights you’ll see on a hike up to Rano Kau.

Hibiscus Flower — There are plenty of trees and flowers along the Te Ara O Te Ao trail

Highlight 3: Ahu Riata

A fairly simple Ahu. You can find Ahu Riata across the road from the harbour and just before the airport. As you can see in the photo here, airplanes fly in pretty close!

Ahu Riata, Easter Island — Ahu Riata on Easter Island, with Moa Statues and Airplane in the Background

Highlight 4: Manavai Exhibition Garden

Dozens of different plants are on exhibit in this botanical garden. They’re mostly protected with circular rock structures surrounding them, to keep them safe from rodents. Easter Island was once nearly all forest, before the early inhabitants wiped it clear. Today, efforts are under way to re-forest the island with endemic plant species.

Manavai Exhibition Garden - Mandioca — Mandioca, a native plant, at the Manavai Exhibition Garden

Highlight 5: Observacion Geologica

A great view of the island and Hanga Roa town. You can stop for a break, have a picnic on a bench or just enjoy the view here.

Te Ara O Te Ao Trail - View of Hanga Roa — View of Hanga Roa from the Observacion Geologica

Highlight 6: Cooling off in a Rainstorm

I had a big rainstorm blow in halfway between the Observacion Geologica and Rano Kau. Considering I was dumb and had run out of water in the 35C heat it was a welcome relief. Did I mention I only ran across two other people on the entire hike? A local father and his daughter who were hiking down the mountain. They seemed surprise to see me, a visitor, bothering to enjoy some nature on Easter Island.

Storm Clouds Clearing on Easter Island — Storms Roll in Quick on Easter Island, but Give Welcome Relief to the Heat

Highlight 7: Mirador Rano Kau

This is the reward at the top of the hill and edge of the ocean. One of the most amazing views I’ve ever enjoyed! Hiking inside the crater is technically not allowed and can be quite dangerous, but some people venture further.

Rano Kau Crater on Easter Island — Crater of Rano Kau Lookout on Easter Island

Highlight 8: Taking the Easy Road back to Town

On the way down I took the easier route and hiked down the main road. It goes more inland and is actually a longer route that allows you to pass by a few farms and through some forest and rural parts of the island before swinging back to the coast, around the airport.

Road from Rano Kau and Orongo to Hanga Roa — Road to Hanga Roa from Rano Kau Crater

It was not nearly as scenic a hike as the way up was, but if you feel like taking it easy, it still gives you a better appreciation of the island than driving does. Just be wary of the local farm animals, I had a stare down with a rather intimidating cow on this remote road!

Red Hunt Travel