Moose Tour Guide Profile

Nickname(s):
Murf, Uncle Ry

Who are you?:
I am a Canadian who can't enough of his own country. I have traveled to a bunch of parts of the world, but I have an addiction for my homeland and I feel I need to pass that on. I was born and raised in the capital of Canada... no, not Toronto... Ottawa. I now pretty much live out of a duffle bag when working for Moose - which I find liberating not having to worry about all those things that can clutter your life. I am just a guy who is trying to live a life with as many awesome experiences as possible. A good day for me is a day spent exploring. Reading National Geographic is more important to me than reading the newspaper. I get a bit nerdy when it comes to things like nature, animals, history and bicycles... but that's good... right?
I get so much satisfaction from my job with Moose. I mean, I get to take travelers to places I absolutely love and seeing my passenger’s happy faces when they spot a moose or go white water rafting is so amazing and gratifying. The job also constantly reminds me how lucky I am to live in Canada... I never get tired of the places we visit. I get paid to travel! I get paid to hike! I get paid to canoe! I get paid to make friends with people from all over the world! I could go on, but I won’t.

Favourite summer spot:
This is a hard one. It's a toss up between an old favourite and a new one.
I've had so many amazing times in Algonquin Park. It's one of the best places in Canada to go canoeing. I mean it's huge, absolutely massive. It's bigger than the province of Prince Edward Island! With thousands of lakes and beaver ponds - this is THE place in Canada for moose spotting! And if you want to see an actual real, red maple leaf, come to Algonquin in autumn there will be about a billion on display for you.
My new favourite is Cape Breton Island. With so much French and Scottish history of pioneers who struggled to colonize this Nova Scotian island, you can meet some really amazing people here. In the northwest corner is the Highlands National Park. This is about as rugged as it gets east of the Rockies and has jaw-dropping, coastline views around every corner.

Favourite winter spot:
Definitely, Gatineau Park. It's amazing how just roughly 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa, you can see so much wildlife in its forests, rivers and lakes. I've fed birds out of my hands, watched a bear cub scurry across a park road, found woodpecker feathers on the trails and followed (chased) a hawk through the forest until it finally got sick of me and flew far away. There is also some great trails for hiking, skiing and snowshoeing and even one with a cave you can explore. After a winter excursion to Gatineau Park, I can be home in time for dinner and then head out for some ice skating on the Rideau Canal (longest skating rink in the world) and eat Beaver Tails for dessert!

Favourite experience as a Moose guide:
The most special experiences so far happened while whale watching in Tadoussac, Quebec. Once, a minke whale breached the water two dozen times, it jumped out of the water over and over again for about a half hour. The driver of the boat told me it was just doing it for fun. Another time, I was two metres away from a beluga whale when it came right up to the boat just because it was curious. I stared into its eyes for a good 5 minutes... I was kind of falling in love. It was amazing to be so close to an animal that was maybe as smart as me. Probably smarter.

Guide pro tip:
If you haven't purchase you luggage yet, I say get a backpack or a duffle bag. Not one of those huge rolling bricks. We don't have elevators in Canada... Actually, just not in our hostels
Oh... rent a bicycles in the cities (especially, if you ride with me). You'll get the most of your time in places like Montreal and Ottawa. Both cities have bike paths that take you nearly everywhere. Anyways, people who ride bicycles are sexy.

Which tour is your main squeeze?:
The Schooner! It's got everything, some of the most beautiful scenery and the friendliest people. It takes you through 5 provinces, where you can get the biggest taste of Eastern Canada.

When did you start working at Moose?: May 2nd 2009... 7:30am.

Current favourite song:
There's too much good music out there to pick one song. I've been listening to a lot of lesser known Beach Boys music lately, like 'Heroes and Villains' and 'Here She Comes'. I mostly listen to jazzy, funky music... stuff that makes me bob my head and tap my foot. Aside from that, I'm always listening to Tom Waits.