Man I miss the snow.While I have been in Victoria for over three years now, I still have a strong attachment to my former home in Stratford, Ontario. People like to complain about the snow since it slows down the business machine and it doesn't let you drive as fast but if you know how to enjoy it, it's pretty awesome. Living in Victoria can be hard at times since we basically have two seasons: raining and not raining; while it's never really cold in the winter, it's never really hot in the summer. The contrast is so little compared to the cold -30 days in the winter and the super hot and humid summers of Ontario.
Fortunately for me, we got a good snowfall in Victoria two weekends ago but I spent much of it driving to and from Seattle to partake in the BEAST race. So, I booked a plane ticket and was exited to visit my family back in Stratford and enjoy the crisp cold air and the good ol white stuff hung on the trees. 
I brought my running gear and was determined to wonder through the back streets of Stratford in search of old memories.
The weather was perfect for snow; about -3 to -5 degrees and about 4 inches of snow. I went on two ~15km runs with the highlights being the lake run, queens park, and of course, the beautiful cemetary and old grove park. 
I had the trails to myself as most people in town don't go out much once the snow hits. The differences in people's lifestyles at home versus the west coast is evident. If I was in the greater Vancouver area, there would be lots of people out enjoying the snow whether it be cross country skiing or running (no mountains to climb in Stratford :) ).
Instead, the only people I saw looked at me with a crooked grin and asked if it isn't just a bit too cold to be out running.
They don't know what they're missing :)
Check out these photos I took from the plane.
Mount Baker in the Clouds
An Ocean of Clouds
Alberta Badlands
Vancouver
Howe Sound
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