It's perfect outside. Not a bug bite today. I'm sure they could be found if one were to go looking.
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Having now paid TripAdvisor a ransom to gain control of my listing, there are still some parts that I am locked out of. I cannot affect pricing displayed on my listing without paying them MORE. Then I still do not get to directly post prices. Instead, some wacky formula is used by a 3rd party to come to a price point that is not accurate.
This practice is shameful, and counter to good business practices. I attempt to be clear and truthful in all advertising for my property. This site is the ONLY place where you can find accurate pricing for this premises, as is stated on my log cabins page. Consumer beware! Want to see the International Space Station? This is a schedule of when you can see it in the sky. The home page on the site shows what the astronauts are seeing, updated every minute.
Possible meteor shower this Friday/Saturday, May 23/24. past full moon, and the rise is late, so a good chance to see something if you can get away from the city.
There are a lot of booking engines out there. One click, your vacation is booked. Or is it? I don't use booking engines for a lot of reasons. Unbeknownst to me, Hostelworld has been directing my inquiries from TripAdvisor to their site. I have put a stop to this, but have no idea how long it will take for them to clean up their side of the problem.
Book direct. It's the only way. I forgot to mention, heard the first loons Sunday night.
Lots of wildlife checking in. This is a great time to see and hear wildlife, before the weather gets hot, and before there are lots of people around. Just a reminder for all of you who ask about wildlife experiences in July and August... From now until May 16, you can camp for free and help me clean up the grounds. It's a rake and shovel type of job. Free campfires as well for those who want to help. The only rain date in the bunch is looking like Friday May 9. Beautiful here today, sun is shining, 20C, birds are singing, and the landscape is greening nicely.
No biting bugs either at this time. Call or email to apply! This is the time of year that you can catch them in the river. In other words, lake trout can be caught while shore fishing. The water is still cold in the river, from the freshet, and so the trout are up in the river looking for food coming over the falls with the runoff.
No need for big boat and downrigger. Just some yummy treats. Worms work well. Finally! I hear peepers out there.
You know what that means... The Madawaska Country Store is installing gas pumps. The drought is over! I'm going to bet it will be an Esso, because the owner also has a store in Harcourt, where he has an Esso.
To me! Today is my 25th anniversary at Red Deer.
In honour of this auspicious occasion, tent campsites are $25/night this season. That includes the tax, like all of the pricing here. $25 for a night in paradise for 2 adults and their children under the age of 18. Long holiday weekends are not included in this promotion and there is no week discount of 2 nights free. For trailer sites using electricity and water add $5 (air conditioning or heat if needed is an additional $10). I don't think you can find a less expensive campsite in Canada. Today is similar to the day I arrived here take up residence. Sunny, light breeze, a little bit of snow lying about. Bird song. Even the water level in the river is similar. That first summer here was fantastic from a weather standpoint. Now it's in routers and phones. And the NSA has admitted that they have known about this bug for some time, and have been exploiting it. So folks, all of those things that you didn't want everyone to know...the American government has been collecting the details.
Changing passwords is not effective, because the leak allows the new password to be collected as well until the problem is fixed. Go ahead and fix the server, but if the router and mobile phone have hardware faults containing the bug, well, need I say more? I have spoken with banks, and they insist that their systems are secure because of multi-layered security. Yeah, right. How much denial can we possibly stand with this? There is no internet security. The oxymoron of our times... I bet someone yesterday that the American government was complicit in this problem. After all, they made a deal with Microsoft in 2003 to backdoor all PCs, so that the machines could spy on their owners. I have the information in file, from a reputable IT specialist. Edward Snowden has revealed the effects of this; it is not news now. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26954540
I especially love the part where you are supposed to put your passwords on your smart phone, instead of writing them down. Hackers are no good at cracking pen and paper. When was the last time you heard of password theft through a non-digital medium? At any rate, this is the kind of security issue that affects online, secure payment portals, as well as online banking, including credit card accounts. Revenue Canada is scrambling. Apparently 2/3 of the world's secure servers are affected. All of the social networks are at risk as well, but that is not threatening in the same way as financial breaches are. Getting your financial identity back once it has been stolen can ruin you. If anything happens, don't let the institution(s) suggest for a moment that any action of yours led to the infringement. They all guarantee safe transactions. Trouble is, when the crap hits, it may be difficult to determine where the breach occurred, so which institution is actually responsible? See, I am not paranoid! Hope you didn't get dinged! If you rush out and change all of your passwords today, you may not be safe. The bug is not fixed yet. All transactions for reservations are done here off the web. Very secure. I do all of the transactions personally. Very secure. Maybe not as convenient as pointing and clicking, but absolutely no repercussions to booking a vacation. I pay a premium to do manual credit card transactions, keeping your credit safe. The first of the Canada Geese have arrived. I know that isn't particularly exciting for anyone living in a city, where they stay all winter because people feed them. What it means here is that there is open water.
Inconsequent of the lack of snow, the poor condition of the trails, and the temperatures well above zero, I am still seeing and hearing snowmobiles. I just tried to map a route from here to Sudbury on Google Maps, and it still insists that Madawaska is near the town of Renfrew. This is not correct. I thought they had fixed this, but NO! I have sent them another trouble report. This has been going on for most of a year. Dumping the browser cache has no effect on the map results either.
Please follow the information on my How To Get Here page for directions. GPS is based on Google information, so following your GPS will still get you lost on a dead end dirt track east of the town of Maple Leaf, on highway 28, and nowhere near here. Speaking with someone at Algonquin Park administration the other day, it turns out Algonquin Park has the same problem. People following GPS to go to the East Gate at Whitney are not achieving their destination. Different dead end on a different dirt road...just as scarey if you are driving in the dark. Since cell phone coverage is spotty, due to geographical characteristics of the area, once you are stuck on that dead end, you may not be able to call for help. As far as I know, you can still get free road maps from the Ministry of Transportation. No cell signal required! Again, the weather forecast is not completely accurate for this location. Environment Canada says that it is 7C, but I see 15C on the thermometer. Walking around in the sun (yay!) with no coat. A short excursion on snowshoes showed me that the snow structure has gone to mush. There is water sitting on top of the ice on the river, from runoff, so the ice is going to be mush soon too. Looks like some sledders got bogged down mid river over the weekend, but fortunately did not go through. I heard the sound of stuck machines numerous times over the last couple of days. Even if we get more snow, the base is gone on the trails. I see grass poking through the snow pack.
Strangely, the blizzard that hit Ottawa missed here completely. Looks like snowmobiling season is over.
Those poor weather forecasters have had a rough go of it lately. Lets see if they have this right now.! An entire week of above zero daytime temperatures...starting today. It has been above zero every day for the last week, barely, though forecasts have been for -5 or so. The trees are already drinking heavily; there are bare patches around many of them. Snowbanks abound though. There should be a couple more days of Xcountry skiing/snowshoeing possible. Look at what Twitter is doing!
http://home.myhughesnet.com/tv/3/player/vendor/GeoBeats/player/fiveminute/asset/geobeats-twitter_builds_log_cabins_in_its_headqua-gnrc TEEHEE! Maybe I should get an account, so that Twitter can follow Red Deer Log Cabins! I'll also take Twitter's corporate move as an endorsement for my philosophy; log cabin=simpler time, more relaxing, and transporting from the current morass of too much, too fast, overwhelming, anxiety inducing aspects of our society. Not meaning to make anyone paranoid, but this was on my radar as well. Apparently now it is a reality
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hackers-hijack-car-computers-and-take-the-wheel-1.1322678 Convenience has its hazards... Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear of another data breach. Walmart and Neiman Marcus having their customers credit cards hacked. Canadian Security forces spying on their own citizens in airports. Etc.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/personal-data-online-5-of-the-biggest-security-breaches-1.2514287 I expect soon we will hear that travel sites and other internet portals will have the same problems. Hackers are often way ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. Some companies have even admitted to allowing spying through their digital products (though not in a very loud voice). Meanwhile, we are all pushed to use more and more devices, because of the "convenience". Is it convenient to have to replace your credit cards, or rebuild your credit reputation because of data theft/breaches? With regard to this, I have continued to make sure that any data I receive is secure. I don't share it with anyone, unless required by law enforcement. The only requests to date have been for information due to compassionate searches for individuals. This occurs when someone is on vacation and the police are contacted to find them because there is a problem at home. I am not using booking engines for this reason, and also to keep the cost of business down. Did you know that booking platforms can charge up to 15% to capture your reservation? It may not be as convenient, but if you make direct contact with me to make your booking, I can assure you that your financial and personal datum are secure. As well, I can answer any questions you may have about the premises. Assumptions can ruin a vacation. Asking questions is always a smart move. As a proprietor, I have heard many stories about a website and the reality not matching. My website is full of photos taken by myself, clients, and volunteers who have stayed here. There is one file photo on the entire site. If you can figure out which one it is, I'll give you a free 1/2 day canoe rental, value $15. Of course, there are a few people who know the answer to this, and they do not qualify for the prize. Also, you must pick a time when all of the canoes have not been rented by other clients (the prize cannot displace a paid booking). To qualify for this prize, an accommodation booking must also be made. Are you game? THIS is what makes Northern Lights, otherwise known as aurora borealis
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Must%20watch/ID/2414444233/ This happened yesterday, so starting tonight, if the skies are clear, there is an opportunity to view this phenomenon, for up to 3 nights. This season is almost finished. Time to start dreaming about next summer.
Make your dreams reality. Book early. Tell your friends. Get together, and make your own good time the best time EVAR in 2014. Full weeks are always the best deal. They make your weekend free. The full moon is going to likely make it difficult to see the meteor shower Monday just before sunrise.
The penumbral eclipse was a no go here with the recent pervasive cloud cover. CBC exposè tonight "Watch The Dirt On Hotels: We're Back at 8pm/8:30 NT" CBC Marketplace
There is still lots of colour in the landscape, but the brilliant and deep reds are gone. It's very much like the dying flames of a campfire. Looks like this shiny weather is going to continue through the weekend, the nights are warming up again.
There are still lots of reds to be seen on a close up basis. Mushrooms are blooming too. |
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February 2018
AuthorSince 1989, I have been known to many as The Red Dear. Most of the rest of humankind calls me Sandra. Categories
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