Hobby Thread - May 3, 2025 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies(TM) a spin and it came up with traveling to Canada!

Been a while since we have done a travel theme on the Hobby Thread. As winter recedes and spring and summer emerge (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), wanderlust starts to emerge. Where to go?

Since Canada has been in the news for a variety of reasons, let's take off to The Great White North. What are your favorite places or events to visit? Lots of variety and lots of places to visit. Everyone knows about Niagara Falls, but what else should be on a travel bucket list for Canada?

Lake Louise was developed as a tourist resort by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The luxurious Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise may be one of the most well-known and photographed locations in Canada. The Canadian Rockies include places like Banff, Jasper, and the national parks of Yoho and Kootenay.

The Calgary Stampede takes center stage in Alberta each July. The ten-day rodeo is world famous and apparently the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. The event has expanded beyond horse riding to become a cultural event with plenty of music. Shania Twain will headline in 2025. Rodeo activity happens each afternoon leaving the evening for hooting and hollering.

The Royal Canadian Pacific train is the Orient Express of Canada. If you're looking for a unique bucket-list way of seeing Canada in style (and if your budget is generous), the train may be for you.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was formed to physically unite Canada and Canadians from coast to coast. Construction was difficult at best. In 1885, the east and west portions of railroad track where joined with the last spike in Craigellachie, British Columbia.

Five star hospitality means stellar accommodations and cuisine. Train trips these days typically do not cross Canada, but instead tour western Canada for five days/four nights at a time. Trips start out of Calgary. If you're really a big deal, you can charter the train for 30 guests. There are other train trips in Canada but this is the most luxurious. Has anyone done a tour on this line or others?

Victoria, the capital of British Columbia sits on beautiful Vancouver Island and is arguably one of Canada's most picturesque cities. British heritage and history is everywhere, such as in the form of double decker buses. Museums, waterfront attractions, Parliament buildings, scenic day trips, and amazing gardens make it a tourist attraction. Its weather is also more mild than many other parts of Canada.

In more urban terms, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg get the attention. Montreal is known for its French language and influence, the 1976 Summer Olympics and F1 racing each year. Toronto is the financial hub and destination of teenagers in the US looking for alcohol. What urban places in Canada are your favorites?

Canada has many other attractions. Northern Lights? Panning for gold in the Yukon? Sled Dog Racing (not the Iditarod - that is in Alaska, not Canada)? Walking on glaciers? Whale watching? Scenic drives in Nova Scotia? Wild Polar Bears? Historic Quebec city? Thousand Island National Park? Winter sports at Whistler? Lighthouses on Prince Edward Island? Cruising the inside passage?

Where have you gone or would like to go? Horde from or in Canada - where do you recommend visiting? What hidden gems or little known spots should be on a touring list?

I was going to put this in an ONT, but the Hobbying Horde might have thoughts. Never thought of such a thing before. Is this real or AI? Even if AI, is this possible? Just need some patience and superglue?

Horde Hobbying update from polynikes - this one is called "Chambers Lake"

Good stuff as always. Thank you!

What are you hobbying these days? Does spring weather open up new options for your hobbying? As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Your participation does not need to limited to the theme. All hobbying is welcome. However, politics, current events and religious debates can live in threads elsewhere. Play nice. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls. Pants, as always, are optional.

Best wishes to those with Hobbies of the horse racing variety. Looks like it is going to be a muddy race today.

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We talked automata. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

Notable comments from last week:

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different theme next time. What are you hobbying? We love showing off Horde hobbying. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things. Lucky horseshoes to all.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

| Access Comments