Canadians use litres!
(And a Canadian litre is about the same volume as a US litre)
That George Vancouver from King's Lynn, he got about a bit…
- Thread starter MikeO
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(And a Canadian litre is about the same volume as a US litre)
16th September 2025
I sleep terribly — as is usual before a long trip. I think I eventually dropped off at about 02:30…
I eventually surface at about 08:45, and have a leisurely shower and shave — my checkout time is midday, and my first travelling port of call is the Avis return garage at 13:15 or so. My BA flight is scheduled for 15:15. I check the inbound flight and am happy to see it got airborne on time…
I pack my wash-kit (plus anything else I can jam in) into my checked bag, leaving stuff that has to be in my cabin bag (laptop, iPad, anything with a battery etc) for the time being. I wheel my checked bag down to the car, which is waiting in the car park like a big, dusty dog, and load it into the boot (trunk).
Time for a spot of breakfast — I head back to the hotel, whilst the car closes and locks itself behind me — I'm going to miss the auto tailgate closure gizmo — on my Škoda I have to close it manually. Like a savage…
I walk into the restaurant — no wait staff apparent. Eventually one turns up, and I say, “Anywhere?” and she nods. I sit down, and she immediately moves me to another table…
I peruse the menu…
Oh — Canadian breakfast, I think — eggs over easy and sourdough toast.
I get my coffee mug filled and then watch as, over the next 15 minutes, two couples come in, have their orders taken and get their meals delivered…
Eventually, my waitress comes back and says, “I'm sorry, but what did you order?”…
It arrives a few minutes later and is OK — but not great. For the first time this trip, I pointedly don't tip…
I go back up to my room and write the journal up and sort stuff out ready for departure…
More later (maybe)…
I sleep terribly — as is usual before a long trip. I think I eventually dropped off at about 02:30…
I eventually surface at about 08:45, and have a leisurely shower and shave — my checkout time is midday, and my first travelling port of call is the Avis return garage at 13:15 or so. My BA flight is scheduled for 15:15. I check the inbound flight and am happy to see it got airborne on time…
I pack my wash-kit (plus anything else I can jam in) into my checked bag, leaving stuff that has to be in my cabin bag (laptop, iPad, anything with a battery etc) for the time being. I wheel my checked bag down to the car, which is waiting in the car park like a big, dusty dog, and load it into the boot (trunk).
Time for a spot of breakfast — I head back to the hotel, whilst the car closes and locks itself behind me — I'm going to miss the auto tailgate closure gizmo — on my Škoda I have to close it manually. Like a savage…
I walk into the restaurant — no wait staff apparent. Eventually one turns up, and I say, “Anywhere?” and she nods. I sit down, and she immediately moves me to another table…
I peruse the menu…
Oh — Canadian breakfast, I think — eggs over easy and sourdough toast.
I get my coffee mug filled and then watch as, over the next 15 minutes, two couples come in, have their orders taken and get their meals delivered…
Eventually, my waitress comes back and says, “I'm sorry, but what did you order?”…
It arrives a few minutes later and is OK — but not great. For the first time this trip, I pointedly don't tip…
I go back up to my room and write the journal up and sort stuff out ready for departure…
More later (maybe)…
All litres are exactly the same volume.
I calculate how many kilometres I have covered (from the odometer), then divide by 1.6 to convert it to miles.
I note the number of litres I put in the car and divide that by 4.55 to convert to UK gallons, and by 3.78 to convert to US gallons
I then divide the mileage by the number of gallons, getting mpg and mpg (US). Clearly the car will do more miles per UK gallon, as it is a larger volume…
Hope that helps to explain things…
Are you sure you aren't one of my exes? You sure enjoy digging old shit up...And you didn’t crash the car this time either. Well done.
Black Squirrels, Birds and Stanley Park, Vancouver | BaldHiker
The Black Squirrels you see here in Stanley Park are technically a morphed form of the Eastern Grey Squirrel. An anomaly occurred in the colour genes at some point
www.baldhiker.com
they are quite brave !
down near the Totem poles. IIRC.
16th September 2025 (Cont)
At just before noon, I pack the last of my stuff up into my cabin bag and shopping bag and catch the lift down to the lobby. I hand in my room keys and drive the car towards the Avis rental return car park…
It's a beautiful day, with barely a cloud in the sky and 22 °C.
I'm quickly checked in, and wheel my baggage to the terminal.
Bit of artwork on the way — it reminds me that we put a man on the moon before we thought to put wheels on a suitcase…
I've come to really like the Pacific Northwest First Nation style of art…
In fact, at a First Nation art shop just inside the terminal, I buy this chap, who is now carefully wrapped in my carry-on bag.
The BA check-in is very full, and it takes me about 40 minutes to dump my checked bag, then make my way towards security. I don't think I've ever experienced a worse, more uncoordinated security check, with conflicting advice given by grumpy operatives.
I'm eventually through it, refill my water bottle at the water fountain on the other side, and make my way to Gate 62…
Our aircraft has arrived from London.
At the Gate, there's plenty of room for everyone — I'm sitting at a pedestal type desk, on a bar stool. There are power points aplenty, and very fast free Wi-Fi…
More later (if they have Wi-Fi on the flight)…
At just before noon, I pack the last of my stuff up into my cabin bag and shopping bag and catch the lift down to the lobby. I hand in my room keys and drive the car towards the Avis rental return car park…
It's a beautiful day, with barely a cloud in the sky and 22 °C.
I'm quickly checked in, and wheel my baggage to the terminal.
Bit of artwork on the way — it reminds me that we put a man on the moon before we thought to put wheels on a suitcase…
I've come to really like the Pacific Northwest First Nation style of art…
In fact, at a First Nation art shop just inside the terminal, I buy this chap, who is now carefully wrapped in my carry-on bag.
The BA check-in is very full, and it takes me about 40 minutes to dump my checked bag, then make my way towards security. I don't think I've ever experienced a worse, more uncoordinated security check, with conflicting advice given by grumpy operatives.
I'm eventually through it, refill my water bottle at the water fountain on the other side, and make my way to Gate 62…
Our aircraft has arrived from London.
At the Gate, there's plenty of room for everyone — I'm sitting at a pedestal type desk, on a bar stool. There are power points aplenty, and very fast free Wi-Fi…
More later (if they have Wi-Fi on the flight)…
Whoops sorry Mike it looks like I've jinxed the last part of your adventure. Good job I didn't pipe up on day one.
16th September 2025
I walk into the restaurant — no wait staff apparent. Eventually one turns up, and I say, “Anywhere?” and she nods. I sit down, and she immediately moves me to another table…
I get my coffee mug filled and then watch as, over the next 15 minutes, two couples come in, have their orders taken and get their meals delivered…
Eventually, my waitress comes back and says, “I'm sorry, but what did you order?”…
It arrives a few minutes later and is OK — but not great. For the first time this trip, I pointedly don't tip…
16th September 2025 - (Cont)
We get boarded and take off on schedule…
I have an aisle seat, which is better than the middle one I had on the way out — but the legroom leaves something to be desired…
About 40 minutes into the nine-hour flight, we enter an area of severe turbulence — easily the worst I've ever experienced — they made the cabin staff strap in. After an hour or so, the weather stabilised, and the seat-belt sign gets switched off.
The rest of the flight passed without further incident. I watch The Amateur — a CIA thriller starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne — OK, but not great. I also rewatch V for Vendetta — an old favourite of mine and, as we approached Gatwick, managed to fit in the first three episodes of The Day of the Jackal— which were great.
We arrive early at Gatwick, then use all the time we'd gained sitting in the stack. We touch down, and our taxi-in is delayed by an EasyJet waiting on the taxiway for a slot. By the time I get onto the walkway, it's gone 09:00. I try three different machines to gain entry at passport control, without success, so have to queue to get an immigration officer to check my passport in person. He waves me through, and I manage to snag my checked bag very early and wheel it through Customs to the arrivals area.
I've been texting Adrian since just after takeoff with my progress. He's been caught up in some horrible M25 road closure, and what should have been a two and a half hour journey has taken three hours 40 minutes…
As it happens, I'm waiting less than ten minutes before Adrian turns up. We roll my bags to his car, a few minutes away. I'd normally use a luggage trolley, but they require you to insert a one pound coin to release them — I don't have any UK currency with me. Come to think of it, isn't an international airport the worst location to have this system in place? At Heathrow, they are just free to use…
In contrast to Adrian's outbound leg, the return one is excellent — we stop for a ridiculously expensive burger and shake at Five Guys at Barton Mills, and Adrian drops me off at home at about 13:00. Top chap — the breakfast team is meeting up at one of our favourite cafés — Café Verde — on Sunday.
I'm absolutely knackered — this has been an overnight flight, and I've not slept a wink. I have a delivery from Morrison's arriving between 16:00 and 17:00. It arrives at 16:30 or so, the driver waking me from my snooze on the couch with a loud knock…
I put everything away — start to unpack, put a load of washing on, then drive over to Vikki's house and pick up Harry. He's falling over himself with excitement. I leave Vikki with the two toys I'd bought for Bonnie in Canada, then we drive home.
As usual, after staying with Vikki, Harry just wants to sleep — she has four young boys, a dog and a cat, and I should imagine “quiet time” was in short supply.
I feed and walk him, watch the penultimate episode of Alien Earth — very good, then type up my journal…
Rough day — good trip…
We get boarded and take off on schedule…
I have an aisle seat, which is better than the middle one I had on the way out — but the legroom leaves something to be desired…
About 40 minutes into the nine-hour flight, we enter an area of severe turbulence — easily the worst I've ever experienced — they made the cabin staff strap in. After an hour or so, the weather stabilised, and the seat-belt sign gets switched off.
The rest of the flight passed without further incident. I watch The Amateur — a CIA thriller starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne — OK, but not great. I also rewatch V for Vendetta — an old favourite of mine and, as we approached Gatwick, managed to fit in the first three episodes of The Day of the Jackal— which were great.
We arrive early at Gatwick, then use all the time we'd gained sitting in the stack. We touch down, and our taxi-in is delayed by an EasyJet waiting on the taxiway for a slot. By the time I get onto the walkway, it's gone 09:00. I try three different machines to gain entry at passport control, without success, so have to queue to get an immigration officer to check my passport in person. He waves me through, and I manage to snag my checked bag very early and wheel it through Customs to the arrivals area.
I've been texting Adrian since just after takeoff with my progress. He's been caught up in some horrible M25 road closure, and what should have been a two and a half hour journey has taken three hours 40 minutes…
As it happens, I'm waiting less than ten minutes before Adrian turns up. We roll my bags to his car, a few minutes away. I'd normally use a luggage trolley, but they require you to insert a one pound coin to release them — I don't have any UK currency with me. Come to think of it, isn't an international airport the worst location to have this system in place? At Heathrow, they are just free to use…
In contrast to Adrian's outbound leg, the return one is excellent — we stop for a ridiculously expensive burger and shake at Five Guys at Barton Mills, and Adrian drops me off at home at about 13:00. Top chap
— the breakfast team is meeting up at one of our favourite cafés — Café Verde — on Sunday.I'm absolutely knackered — this has been an overnight flight, and I've not slept a wink. I have a delivery from Morrison's arriving between 16:00 and 17:00. It arrives at 16:30 or so, the driver waking me from my snooze on the couch with a loud knock…
I put everything away — start to unpack, put a load of washing on, then drive over to Vikki's house and pick up Harry. He's falling over himself with excitement. I leave Vikki with the two toys I'd bought for Bonnie in Canada, then we drive home.
As usual, after staying with Vikki, Harry just wants to sleep — she has four young boys, a dog and a cat, and I should imagine “quiet time” was in short supply.
I feed and walk him, watch the penultimate episode of Alien Earth — very good, then type up my journal…
Rough day — good trip…
Superb trip report Mike, thanks for taking the time to do it.
I'm delighted to learn that they are going to make Project Hail Mary into a movie and can't wait to see if their interpretation of Rocky matches my mental picture. A very highly recommended Audiobook.
I noted the Chipmunk parked behind the Triumph bike didn't have the Canadian bubble style canopy which was favoured by glider tow pilots.
I'm delighted to learn that they are going to make Project Hail Mary into a movie and can't wait to see if their interpretation of Rocky matches my mental picture. A very highly recommended Audiobook.
I noted the Chipmunk parked behind the Triumph bike didn't have the Canadian bubble style canopy which was favoured by glider tow pilots.
As always I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Mike's adventures - thank you for sharing them!
Mike.
Thanks for taking us along on your trip.
Cafe Verde. New one on me, and in my neck of the woods...ish...
Thanks for taking us along on your trip.
Cafe Verde. New one on me, and in my neck of the woods...ish...
20th September 2025
Jet-lag in this direction is brutal. I've been wandering about in a sort of dazed state for three days now — forcing myself to stay awake until at least 21:00, before sleeping like the dead.
I popped the raven up on the wall…
My convertible had been left with Norwich Audi for the whole time I was out of the country, having a new camshaft and cam-belt, and also getting an AC service. My mate Kate gave me a ride over there yesterday afternoon.
I paid the (not inconsiderable) bill and drove it out onto the A47.
Where it immediately made a loud, but muted, backfire, and the glow plug light started to flash, and the check engine light came on, as the car went into limp-home mode…
I nursed it back to the dealer and — fair play — one of the techs (not the one who'd done the job) stayed on past his normal finish time to put it right. He and I had both diagnosed what had happened — a pipe had blown off the intercooler. It was put right in 10 minutes, and I was on my way.
It was 25 °C, and it was nice to drive home with the top down…
My other car (God, this makes me sound affluent) is in a local garage having a new alternator fitted. The health check on the convertible noted that the rear pads were 70% worn. When I got home I ordered a set of discs and pads off eBay and will try to swap the cars at the workshop so that they can be fitted, once the alternator is done.
This morning I delivered the alternator to the garage, then went to my local Tesco, where I let those nice Eastern European chaps clean the car inside and out, whilst I had a coffee and a bacon butty in Costa…
The guys do a superb job on the car, which is now as shiny as a new pin. I drive home, to let Harry out of his cage — you'd think I'd been away for another fortnight…
I'll round this trip off with a pic of tomorrow's breakfast — if you got this far, I hope you've enjoyed it — I certainly have…
Jet-lag in this direction is brutal. I've been wandering about in a sort of dazed state for three days now — forcing myself to stay awake until at least 21:00, before sleeping like the dead.
I popped the raven up on the wall…
My convertible had been left with Norwich Audi for the whole time I was out of the country, having a new camshaft and cam-belt, and also getting an AC service. My mate Kate gave me a ride over there yesterday afternoon.
I paid the (not inconsiderable) bill and drove it out onto the A47.
Where it immediately made a loud, but muted, backfire, and the glow plug light started to flash, and the check engine light came on, as the car went into limp-home mode…
I nursed it back to the dealer and — fair play — one of the techs (not the one who'd done the job) stayed on past his normal finish time to put it right. He and I had both diagnosed what had happened — a pipe had blown off the intercooler. It was put right in 10 minutes, and I was on my way.
It was 25 °C, and it was nice to drive home with the top down…
My other car (God, this makes me sound affluent
) is in a local garage having a new alternator fitted. The health check on the convertible noted that the rear pads were 70% worn. When I got home I ordered a set of discs and pads off eBay and will try to swap the cars at the workshop so that they can be fitted, once the alternator is done.
This morning I delivered the alternator to the garage, then went to my local Tesco, where I let those nice Eastern European chaps clean the car inside and out, whilst I had a coffee and a bacon butty in Costa…
The guys do a superb job on the car, which is now as shiny as a new pin. I drive home, to let Harry out of his cage — you'd think I'd been away for another fortnight…
I'll round this trip off with a pic of tomorrow's breakfast — if you got this far, I hope you've enjoyed it — I certainly have…
Thanks for the ride MikeO. Looking forward to joining you on another trip soon.
Like others thanks for the travelogue Mike. Very enjoyable. I do worry about your excercise regime and diet though 
Like others thanks for the travelogue Mike. Very enjoyable. I do worry about your excercise regime and diet though
I put on one pound...
Great report as usual Mike. Many thanks 
Like others thanks for the travelogue Mike. Very enjoyable. I do worry about your excercise regime and diet though
- he walks through quite a few airports so that should suffice before the holiday also - have you seen the size of him
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