The Mantracker TV series is a rough and tumble, rustic game of cat and mouse. Two people set in the wilderness (locations change) with the equipment they can carry on their back plus a compass and a map. They are given a starting point and a finish point on the map, which they have to find in order to win. In a day and a half (a 36 hour time limit) they must reach the finish, 22 miles away.

This means they will have one overnight outdoors, on their own. Other than the map and compass people bring their own gear. If they are cold at night, they stay that way unless they brought something to help themselves. If you get too much sun and not enough water, try to find a puddle. If he rain has you walking in mud up to your knees, pull your boot out of the mud and keep going. If there are signs of a bear, they better hope they took precautions... before they left home.

Just coping with the wilderness and finding the finish would be challenging enough. But, that is the easy part. Mantracker is a race to the finish because you're being tracked and chased like prey. (Did you ever read The Most Dangerous Game)?

Imagine yourself, in the outdoors, trying to remember your skill with a compass and maps, having to cross freezing rivers, stumbling over fallen logs, bushwhacking, possibly losing your map along the way. Using whatever you know about nature and the outdoors to avoid getting lost. But, you do all that while running for your life to avoid being caught by the Mantracker.

Mantracker is a man who seems to appear like a ghost, larger than life, on top of his horse. He has a local guide who directs him to how the trail runs and gives him a second set of eyes and a decoy too.

The Mantracker finds you and chases you down. You can't hope to hide, unless you get lucky. He can even figure out where you will be just from a footprint you left by mistake. People will try to trick him, distract him and they will even laugh - just before they realize the Mantracker is on his horse right behind them!

Run!

If you're lucky you will find a place where the horse gets caught in brush and scrub.Take a break, drink some water (if you have any left) and catch your breath. Figure out where you are among all the trees and if you are still going in the right direction. Try to pick a route and decide how you can avoid being caught before you get to the finish.

Well, that used to work with the older, more gentlemanly Mantracker (Terry Grant). The new Mantracker isn't so... forgiving. I've seen him jump off the horse and run through the scrubby brush to grab some poor prey who thought they had outsmarted him. I've also seen him fall from his horse and land badly, bruised and sore. So, the pain goes both ways.

You may think Mantracker is a game for the boys, like a war game, an action movie come to life. This isn't the case. Women have challenged the Mantracker too. Some have even been successful. However, the success rate is not so great on the side of the prey, overall.

The Original Mantracker: Terry Grant

Terry Grant is a veteran of the Alberta Foothills Search and Rescue Team. He built up his skills working as a full time cowboy on remote ranches in southern Alberta, trailing and gathering cattle. He became an expert horseman and a guide and outfitter in the Rocky Mountains. He is an expert in tracking prey utilizing footprints, knowledge of the outdoors, probable path, and other signs of human presence.

Terry Grant became a consultant with the British Military Chiefs for basic ground and track awareness training for the 7th Armoured Brigade (the Desert Rats). Terry is also one of the few civilians invited to the K-9 Training Facility for the Edmonton Police Service.

Terry Grant retired from Mantracker (the TV show) after the 6th season.

He continues to work with Foothills Search and Rescue Team. He is also a popular speaker, when he appears at functions hosted by law enforcement, private groups, fundraisers and schools.

There are dinosaurs in Canada and they aren't all quiet, old fossils.

Primeval was (or maybe still is) a science fiction series about dinosaurs coming into the current, modern time through anomalies. The anomalies were portals which popped up in the time of the dinosaurs and led them to the current time. If you watched Primeval you would see dinosaurs in the swimming pool, the fast lane on the highway and acting like a bull in a china shop at the city museum.

The show was created in the UK, cancelled and brought back, then cancelled again. For a year (a season) Primeval had a new version, made in Canada. The Canadian show didn't get a second season but it sure went out with a bang, not a whimper.

The Story So Far

The leader of the Canadian team (Vancouver, British Columbia) is Evan Cross. He seems to have unlimited money from a business connected to science and computer technology. Evan Cross discovered the anomaly and the dinosaurs while urban exploring with his wife. She was eaten by a dinosaur, he witnessed her death but was unable to stop it. Since then he became determined to discover where the dinosaurs are coming from, how they are able to travel through time and how it can be stopped.

So Evan builds up resources (hidden inside his existing business) and a team of people to help him. First on the team is Mac Rendell. I count Mac as first because he has a connection to the dinosaurs in his own unique way. He was also killed by one, but in a future time which is how Even finds him (at Mac's death). It is a complicated story and yet while you watch the episode on the show it all seems pretty logical and sensible. Mac, in the future, was on the UK Primeval team and died trying to capture an escaped dinosaur. Of course, he could not have his body found in the past (when he should have been a teenager living in the UK still). So Evan hides the body in a deep freeze in his offices.

Dylan Weir is used to dealing with wild animals, in the present time. She joins the group when her mentor is killed by a dinosaur - this is also how she finds out about the dinosaurs. Evan invites her to join and she becomes his right hand in the field.

Toby Nance is a young woman who dresses like a pop star but is actually the brains being the operation. She is inventive and ingenious. She does not usually join the group in the field but stays behind in the secret lair to guide the team and come up with solutions when technology fails or any other problems arise.

Ange Finch starts out running the actual business. She is Evan's business partner and a trusted friend. As the show progresses Ange wanted to take part and do more. She has feelings for Evan and though he also likes her romantically he can't quite get past his wife's death and his own feelings of guilt and the drive to do something about it. At one point Ange seems to defect and being working with another group who are aggressively hunting the dinosaurs for their own purposes.

Primeval New World didn't get another season but you can watch the original UK series for more background on the story.

If you are truly a Canadian science fiction fan/ geek you must know Starlost.

If you have never heard of Starlost you need to catch up on it! Starlost was a Canadian science fiction TV series created by Harlan Ellison and broadcast in 1973 on CTV in Canada. Ben Bova was the science advisor.

It was quirky and people will say it was not very good but I would say it had personality and was loads of fun to watch. But, I like science fiction when it’s not very good. (I do draw the line at down right awful though).

The Starlost was 16 episodes (1973 – 1974)

• Keir Dullea as Devon
• Gay Rowan as Rachel
• Robin Ward as Garth

One Day you Discover your Planet is Actually One Community on the Spaceship, Ark

The Starlost is about Devon, Rachel and Garth who grow up in a backwards pioneer sort of community, Cypress Corners . Rachel, Devon and Garth are in a romantic triangle. Rachel wants Devon but is told to marry Garth. So they run away, Garth following. This is when the bottom drops out of their world.

Garth, Rachel and Devon are on a spaceship, the Ark, which is on a collision course with a Class G solar star. Cypress Corners has just been one domed community in a giant spaceship. They find this out when they discover a computer set up to provide assistance and answer questions should any of the Ark inhabitants wander outside of their community domes and discover they aren’t on a planet at all.

The TV series becomes the three of them working together, in spite of their differences, to try to keep the Ark and all it’s inhabitants from destruction. They meet other cultures who have been isolated in their own domes (biospheres) and evolved in unique ways. They also find out more about the Ark itself and those who built and ran it. However, they discover the crew of the bridge are dead when they find skeletal remains in spacesuits.

The most memorable part of the show for me was the computer man. Sometimes he was just a disembodied voice and other times he was the face on the screen when they interacted with the ship’s computer. The actor who played the computer and voice was William Osler. He was very distinctive and a bit intimidating (even scary) when I watched the show long ago.

Quirky, old science fiction TV series and movies are a treasure to be shared.

Canada is the second largest country in the world.

Canada covers five time zones from one coast to the other..

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are the Maritime Provinces. The territories are north of the provinces: the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.

We celebrate Canada Day on July 1st.

Canadians speak English and/or French.

Bring Your Passport

Previously the border crossing did not require much (if any) paperwork. That changed due to US government restrictions on travel. As of 2009 you do need a passport to cross the border and travel in Canada mainly because the US border will require your passport to let you back in.

Top Ten Things to Know Before Travelling in Canada

There are a lot of differences in culture and traditions and laws between Canada and the US. Most are not so noticeable in everyday life. Things like Canadian spelling won't be an issue unless you want to work in Canada or stay a lot longer than the average vacation. This top ten list are the things a tourist from the US needs to know.

Many things are the same too. We tell time the same way, the clocks in Canada tell time the same as the US. We drive on the same side of the road as you do in the US.

Currency - Canadian money comes in coins and bills but we have coloured money and our one dollars (loonies) are in coin. We also have the two dollar coin (toonie). Our paper money is steadily being replaced by plastic money so you will still see a mix of bills in paper and plastic.

Metric System - You will manage with the old Imperial system but in Canada we use the Metric system: Mainly you will notice Celsius for temperature. (weather) and kilometres measuring distance when driving on the roads and highways.

Language - Canada is bilingual. This means there are two official languages: English and French. However, we do not all speak French. English is spoken across Canada, even in Quebec and the Maritime provinces where you are most likely to hear French. In Quebec, French is the official language of the province.

Politics - The main Canadian political parties are Liberal, Conservative and NDP. There are smaller parties like the Green Party but what you really need to know is Canada is not a communist country.

Smoking/ Cigarettes - You can not smoke in a public area in Canada. This includes indoors at restaurants. No one will ask if you want smoking or non-smoking because it is all non-smoking. Outside you need to stand far enough from public buildings and entrances to avoid having cigarette smoke entering the premises.

Littering - Canadians can get upset about littering. Sure there are some messy areas but, litterbugs are not okay in Canada. Many people will get upset with someone who litters.

Shoes Off - When coming into someone's home Canadians remove their shoes at the door. Even if they say it is okay to leave your shoes on, should you ask, it really is customary to take them off. I wouldn't have known about this difference in customs but for my Mother living in the US half the year. She noticed it.

Climate and Weather - Canada and the US have seasons at the same time of year. You won't need skis in July, no matter how far north you go. Canada is not the land of endless winter. Summer can be humid and hot.

Wild and Natural - Canada is not one big, wilderness. True, most of the population lives in cities along the Canada/ US border. But, it does not become a vast, unpopulated wilderness once you leave the cities.

Canada is Big - By land mass Canada is bigger than the US and you can not fit Canada inside of Texas, or Alaska or any other US state. You can not drive across Canada in a day. You can not even drive across most of Canada in one day, even if you take a shortcut around the Great Lakes.

What keeps you from travelling to Canada?

• They all speak French.
• I'd have to cross the border.
• I don't like a lot of wilderness and camping.
• I don't like winter, snow and ice.
• Canadians drive on the wrong side of the road.
• Canadian money is confusing.
• I don't know how to speak, read or write in Canadian.
• I don't really know where Canada is.
• I don't understand the weather in Canada, it's not in Fahrenheit.
• I'll miss all my favourite TV shows.
• It's a communist country.
• I might not be able to get home again.
• I might see a moose.
• Butter tarts are way too fattening.
• I'd have to wear a parka.
• I'd have to wear a toque.
• I wouldn't be able to plug in my laptop or get cell phone signal.
• I'm allergic to maple syrup.
• They put vinegar, cheese and gravy on French fries. Shudder.
• Canadians drive too fast.
• It's a crime to harm the holy bird of Canada, the Canadian geese.
• A tree might fall on me from all those beavers.
• I don't think a trip to Canada is all that scary.

Oh Canada!

Why become the Squidoo Contributor for "Oh Canada"?

First, I am Canadian. Born in down town Toronto, grew up in and around Ontario but mainly in the town of Port Union (which became Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto). I have travelled across Canada on the Via train, Greyhound bus, and by camper van, staying in youth hostels and the odd fancy hotel when the budget stretched enough. I've been from the ocean in Vancouver out to the ocean on PEI (Prince Edward Island). I have yet to be north enough to see the Canadian tundra - but I have been to Timmons and Thunder Bay at least twice.

Secondly, I really love to find out about Canadian art, history, culture, people, places, traditions.... all of it. When I see the word Canada on something it pops out at me and I will read whatever it is about. Even something I would otherwise not have an interest in or not even like all that much. I absorb Canadiana, greedily. That doesn't mean I immerse myself in everything, there is only so much of me I can give, but I like to know the good, bad, and the ugly so I can create a whole picture of what Canada is and who we, as a people in the world, are.

I think it is a shame for people to say they are Canadian if they have not done some travelling to see Canada and meet more of the people than they find in the area they begin in. Canadians are told we don't have a real identity so we often defend ourselves with what culture, art and history is uniquely our own. That is a shame too because it just shows how well we know Canada is the country which people think of as nice but don't really know who we are.

So, that is why I have taken on the challenge, the project, of being the Contributor for "Oh Canada". I want to teach the world (at least those who stop by here) about Canada and Canadians.

My Background (like an About Me).

I am a proud Canadian and I do like to write about, research, and teach the world about Canada and Canadians.

I photograph abandoned, derelict farm houses. I like the history, the feeling of something surviving in spite of time and neglect. I like the way old buildings give us so many links to both our past and our culture. Travelling around Ontario (day trips and some over nights) I take a lot of backroads, get coffee in local restaurants and I keep in touch with other explorers across Canada through the groups I founded and moderate on Flickr.

I especially like Canadian music, literature and movies/ TV shows. Here we get so much media from the US it can be overwhelming. I make a point to support our own Canadian media by watching and listening to CBC, the oldest Canadian broadcaster and the most Canadian focused of them all. If you want to know about Canadian music, writers and others you can count on the CBC to have current news and old facts in their archives too.

I studied Canadian Literature as a course in high school and college. I do read a lot of everything, not just Canadian, but I am aware of Canadian writers and did belong to an online group (until it folded). I had thought to start up another group but that does take a huge amount of time and energy so it on a project on the backburner. Meanwhile I continue to write my site for writers and it does have some focus on Canadian resources (just because that is what I find most useful for myself, as a Canadian freelance writer).

As the Oh Canada Contributor at Squidoo I would be happy to bring some niches of Canadian culture, history and art to light.

Canada Day in 2017 Will be Canada's 150th Birthday 1867 - 2017