16th & 17th July 2008 HOPE & THE OTHELLO-QUINTETTE TUNNELS
A little aside…The China Bar Tunnel is named after the gold bearing sand bar in the Fraser River. “Here the hardworking Chinese gleaned a fortune by reworking a supposedly exhausted area after others moved on to new and more promising creeks.”
We spent 2 nights and 1 day in Hope. We had visited it briefly 4 summers ago when we traveled with Alan and Matt and cousin Dave to Waterton National Park. Then we did a short excursion to the Othello-Quintette tunnels. This time we walked quite a bit further.
The historic Othello-Quintette tunnels are abandoned railway tunnels and have been used as settings in a couple of movies. They are within walking distance of where we were staying. These tunnels, designed by an Andrew McCulloch were built between 1911 and 1916 to complete the Kettle Valley Railway. This involved cutting through solid granite in order for the railway to span the 300ft deep Coquihalla Canyon, rather than having to go around the canyon.
It seems as though there are 3 tunnels, however Tunnel #3 is actually 2 tunnels with an opening out in the rock in the middle, hence the name Quintette. Between the tunnels are 2 bridges with spectacular views down into the gorge. Of course this stretch is all perfectly aligned so a train could travel along it. We tried to imagine what it must have been like to be one of those poor guys working in that canyon. Apparantly, they had to hang ropes ladders from the top down into the gorge for access. Then when they needed to blow out the rock they would lay and light the dynamite and then climb up the ladders as fast as they could to escape the blast. I can only imagine that lives were lost. It must have been incredibly hazardous work.
Once it had been completed there were constant washouts and rockslides. Evidently the passenger trains would only travel this section at night so as not to terrify the passengers. In the end it was closed in 1957.
This Andrew McCulloch loved Shakespeare’s plays it seems, and the stations along the Coquihalla Pass line have names such as Iago, Portia, Romeo, Juliet and Lear.
Today it is part of a much longer walking and biking trail, a lot of it along the old rail bed.
Early on Thursday morning, exactly 5 weeks from the day we left London, we drove the final stretch to Vancouver and Tsawassen, to catch our 11am ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island.
Oceanside RV Park, our home for 6 weeks, is very new and well cared for with attractive gardens. It is on the Saanich Peninsula about 15 minutes from the little town of Sydney and about 40 minutes from Victoria. With a sigh of relief Eric unhitched the trusty trailer knowing that it wasn’t going anywhere for a while.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
THE GOLD RUSH & THE FRASER CANYON
15th and 16th July THE GOLD RUSH TRAIL & THE FRASER CANYON
Taking the advice that we received at the visitor centre in Kamloops, we decided not to take the double highway, the Yellowhead, known on this section as the Coquihalla highway, south to Hope, but instead travelled west on highway #1, about 80 km to the little town of Cache Creek.
The sun was scorching hot and dry as we drove and I covered myself in sun screen and even draped myself in the sheet when the sun screen didn’t seem adequate.
Cache Creek lies at the junction of 2 highways and got its name because of its historical role as a cache for fur traders on their way from Kamloops to the Fraser River to trade. Later, during the gold rush (1858-1865) and the construction of the Cariboo Road (known as The Gold Rush Trail) in 1863, it became an important transportation hub.
From here we went south following the Thompson River, and The Gold Rush Trail. The history all along this section is very tied to the river and the lure of gold. Today it’s known for its excellent fishing and the thrill of river rafting.
85 km from Cache Creek, Lytton is located where the “jade-coloured water of the swift Thompson merges with the silt laden Fraser River”. Simon Fraser was the first European to come upon the meeting of these 2 rivers in 1808 and later settlers were “drawn to the banks of the Fraser River by the prospect of gold”.
All the way from Cache Creek we had been travelling down hill along winding mountainous roads, marveling at the engineering of the railway line that wound its way through the valley, sometimes out of sight and then reappearing again, sometimes with an extraordinarily long freight train on it, chugging purposefully along. This train line accompanied us all the way down through the gorge, a remarkable feat, I’d say.
But from Lytton we descended very steeply into the Fraser Canyon. There was frequent evidence on both sides of the canyon of rock falls, and dire warnings too. Trees were scarce on the rocky cliffs and I did notice some that had been uprooted during a slide, in the wrong place at the wrong time On several occasions I noticed rock “roofs” over the railway line, sloping at the same angle as the rock above, which would serve to propel falling rock out and over the line into the canyon below. Periodically we caught glimpses of the Fraser River plunging along far down in the valley.
There seemed to me to be quite a number of not particularly slow trucks on the road, taking the opportunity to pass us when they could. I guess they’d done it before many times. It took Eric a lot of focus and concentration to manage the steep grade and tight curves with the trailer in tow, but with gentle and masterful handling, the van kept its cool and made its way down, down, down. The views were incredible and exciting. I was on the edge of my seat.
We went through 3 rock tunnels. The 1st one, called the China Bar Tunnel (I wonder why?) is almost 700m long, curves in an arc and “should be driven with caution” and with headlights on. It is one of the longest in North America. The other 2 were shorter and straight so we were able to see the “light at the end of ….”
Hell’s Gate is the narrowest point in the gorge and the Fraser River “rampages through at approximately 28 km an hour”. Some gold miners lost their lives trying to navigate their rafts through this tight spot, hence its name. There is now a foot bridge one can walk across this gap. There are also 2 aerial trams. Unfortunately it was after 5 when we got there and the tourist attraction was closed for the day. I would love to have had a really good view of the canyon and “terrifying waters below”.
Not much further along we crossed the Alexandra Bridge, built in 1962. It is 500m long and the 2nd largest fixed arch span in the world (where is the largest one I wonder?). It replaced the old bridge built in 1926, which replaced the original suspension bridge built in 1863.
As we got closer to the bottom and the landscape began to open out, I noticed that the hillsides became more stable and green with trees again. The late afternoon had arrived and it was cooler.
Our final destination for the day was Hope, which is on a huge bend in the Fraser River as it turns towards Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean.
It had been an absolutely spectacular drive, one of the highlights of the trip so far, that’s for sure.
Taking the advice that we received at the visitor centre in Kamloops, we decided not to take the double highway, the Yellowhead, known on this section as the Coquihalla highway, south to Hope, but instead travelled west on highway #1, about 80 km to the little town of Cache Creek.
The sun was scorching hot and dry as we drove and I covered myself in sun screen and even draped myself in the sheet when the sun screen didn’t seem adequate.
Cache Creek lies at the junction of 2 highways and got its name because of its historical role as a cache for fur traders on their way from Kamloops to the Fraser River to trade. Later, during the gold rush (1858-1865) and the construction of the Cariboo Road (known as The Gold Rush Trail) in 1863, it became an important transportation hub.
From here we went south following the Thompson River, and The Gold Rush Trail. The history all along this section is very tied to the river and the lure of gold. Today it’s known for its excellent fishing and the thrill of river rafting.
85 km from Cache Creek, Lytton is located where the “jade-coloured water of the swift Thompson merges with the silt laden Fraser River”. Simon Fraser was the first European to come upon the meeting of these 2 rivers in 1808 and later settlers were “drawn to the banks of the Fraser River by the prospect of gold”.
All the way from Cache Creek we had been travelling down hill along winding mountainous roads, marveling at the engineering of the railway line that wound its way through the valley, sometimes out of sight and then reappearing again, sometimes with an extraordinarily long freight train on it, chugging purposefully along. This train line accompanied us all the way down through the gorge, a remarkable feat, I’d say.
But from Lytton we descended very steeply into the Fraser Canyon. There was frequent evidence on both sides of the canyon of rock falls, and dire warnings too. Trees were scarce on the rocky cliffs and I did notice some that had been uprooted during a slide, in the wrong place at the wrong time On several occasions I noticed rock “roofs” over the railway line, sloping at the same angle as the rock above, which would serve to propel falling rock out and over the line into the canyon below. Periodically we caught glimpses of the Fraser River plunging along far down in the valley.
There seemed to me to be quite a number of not particularly slow trucks on the road, taking the opportunity to pass us when they could. I guess they’d done it before many times. It took Eric a lot of focus and concentration to manage the steep grade and tight curves with the trailer in tow, but with gentle and masterful handling, the van kept its cool and made its way down, down, down. The views were incredible and exciting. I was on the edge of my seat.
We went through 3 rock tunnels. The 1st one, called the China Bar Tunnel (I wonder why?) is almost 700m long, curves in an arc and “should be driven with caution” and with headlights on. It is one of the longest in North America. The other 2 were shorter and straight so we were able to see the “light at the end of ….”
Hell’s Gate is the narrowest point in the gorge and the Fraser River “rampages through at approximately 28 km an hour”. Some gold miners lost their lives trying to navigate their rafts through this tight spot, hence its name. There is now a foot bridge one can walk across this gap. There are also 2 aerial trams. Unfortunately it was after 5 when we got there and the tourist attraction was closed for the day. I would love to have had a really good view of the canyon and “terrifying waters below”.
Not much further along we crossed the Alexandra Bridge, built in 1962. It is 500m long and the 2nd largest fixed arch span in the world (where is the largest one I wonder?). It replaced the old bridge built in 1926, which replaced the original suspension bridge built in 1863.
As we got closer to the bottom and the landscape began to open out, I noticed that the hillsides became more stable and green with trees again. The late afternoon had arrived and it was cooler.
Our final destination for the day was Hope, which is on a huge bend in the Fraser River as it turns towards Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean.
It had been an absolutely spectacular drive, one of the highlights of the trip so far, that’s for sure.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
KAMLOOPS
14th July 2008 KAMLOOPS
We really needed a day of rest after that hike!!
The day after that we left Valemount and continued along highway #5. It was a warm day and following the Thompson River we drove the 350km to Kamloops. At about lunchtime we got to Clearwater and considered taking an excursion into the Wells Gray Provincial Park, which is apparently another beautiful part of BC, but in the end we decided to leave that for another time. Instead we sat under the shade of a big tree and ate Hagen-Darz ice cream before getting underway again. We did need to find a tire place in Kamloops in order to get the improved spacers (which had been couriered from London) put on the trailer wheels.
As we approached Kamloops I was struck once again by its strange terrain.
It is “situated in the Thompson Valley, at the meeting of the North and South Thompson Rivers” and has a semi-arid climate, in such contrast to the lush green of the day before.
The windswept hillsides are gravelly and rounded, sort of like overlapping scoops of dusty brown ice cream. These lumps and bumps (hoodoos) are the results of erosion and vary considerably in size. Desert species, prickly pear cactus and sandy-coloured sagebrush are dotted all over the hills and the gaps are filled in with wheatgrass.
Wild fires are a big concern here. It’s very dry and hot in the summer and it’s a hard environment for the pine forests, which also grow on the hills, to thrive in. Between the wild fires and the pine beetle, which is causing havoc in the area, the poor trees are very stressed. Some are burned with nothing left but blackened bare limbs, others have been drained of their nourishing sap and their needles have turned to brown, a few seemed to have managed to escape the scourges and hold their own among their bedraggled fellow pines. Interestingly enough, all the efforts to control the fires have aided and abetted the flourishing pine beetles, which have always been around and fed on small or dying trees. Now they are feasting on the healthy trees and multiplying horrifyingly.
The overall effect for me was of round semi-bald heads with small tufts of hair interspersed with sparse wispy hairs standing straight up.
It’s is a haven for dirt bike riding. Trails are clearly visible weaving about on the dry dusty slopes. Kamloops is also well known around the world for its mountain biking.
With over 100 lakes within one hour of the city, the area is evidently renowned for excellent rainbow trout fishing, as well as canoeing and kayaking. For golfers too this is a “dream destination” with its diverse landscape. Kamloops has ten 18-hole courses and three 9-hole courses!
It was here, at Cariboo College that Alan spent 2 years studying Adventure Tourism.
We spent one night in Kamloops at an adequate if exposed and noisy campground, close to the highway, the train tracks and the South Thompson River. It was a brief and utilitarian kind of stop: I woke early and did the laundry before we attended to such matters as TLC for vehicles and grocery shopping.
We really needed a day of rest after that hike!!
The day after that we left Valemount and continued along highway #5. It was a warm day and following the Thompson River we drove the 350km to Kamloops. At about lunchtime we got to Clearwater and considered taking an excursion into the Wells Gray Provincial Park, which is apparently another beautiful part of BC, but in the end we decided to leave that for another time. Instead we sat under the shade of a big tree and ate Hagen-Darz ice cream before getting underway again. We did need to find a tire place in Kamloops in order to get the improved spacers (which had been couriered from London) put on the trailer wheels.
As we approached Kamloops I was struck once again by its strange terrain.
It is “situated in the Thompson Valley, at the meeting of the North and South Thompson Rivers” and has a semi-arid climate, in such contrast to the lush green of the day before.
The windswept hillsides are gravelly and rounded, sort of like overlapping scoops of dusty brown ice cream. These lumps and bumps (hoodoos) are the results of erosion and vary considerably in size. Desert species, prickly pear cactus and sandy-coloured sagebrush are dotted all over the hills and the gaps are filled in with wheatgrass.
Wild fires are a big concern here. It’s very dry and hot in the summer and it’s a hard environment for the pine forests, which also grow on the hills, to thrive in. Between the wild fires and the pine beetle, which is causing havoc in the area, the poor trees are very stressed. Some are burned with nothing left but blackened bare limbs, others have been drained of their nourishing sap and their needles have turned to brown, a few seemed to have managed to escape the scourges and hold their own among their bedraggled fellow pines. Interestingly enough, all the efforts to control the fires have aided and abetted the flourishing pine beetles, which have always been around and fed on small or dying trees. Now they are feasting on the healthy trees and multiplying horrifyingly.
The overall effect for me was of round semi-bald heads with small tufts of hair interspersed with sparse wispy hairs standing straight up.
It’s is a haven for dirt bike riding. Trails are clearly visible weaving about on the dry dusty slopes. Kamloops is also well known around the world for its mountain biking.
With over 100 lakes within one hour of the city, the area is evidently renowned for excellent rainbow trout fishing, as well as canoeing and kayaking. For golfers too this is a “dream destination” with its diverse landscape. Kamloops has ten 18-hole courses and three 9-hole courses!
It was here, at Cariboo College that Alan spent 2 years studying Adventure Tourism.
We spent one night in Kamloops at an adequate if exposed and noisy campground, close to the highway, the train tracks and the South Thompson River. It was a brief and utilitarian kind of stop: I woke early and did the laundry before we attended to such matters as TLC for vehicles and grocery shopping.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
MOUNT ROBSON
11-13 July 2008 MOUNT ROBSON
On Friday 11th we left Jasper with its cool mountain climate. We travelled through the Yellowhead Pass and crossed into British Columbia, another gorgeous scenic drive, towards Valemount. It all looks so flat and lifeless on the map (to me) with its little lines and dots and colours and words, but how the landscape finds itself on this remarkable earth is truly marvelous and full of surprises.
Shortly before Valemount we stopped at the Mount Robson Visitors’ Centre and this was the start of an adventure to top all that had gone before. Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (3954m), and we could see it rising up behind the windows of the Visitors’ Centre, its peak hidden in clouds. How much further up could it possibly reach?
Mount Robson also featured in a story I’d been told but couldn’t really imagine. Alan had climbed with a group to the very summit several years ago. Many groups of experienced climbers that have attempted the final ice-covered peak have had to turn back because of weather conditions. But Al’s group was “lucky” and they made the final climb in the dark so that the ice was good and frozen. They spent 5 minutes at the top admiring the sunrise and then before the sun could hit the face, climbed back down, onto terra firma, and that, of course, is the ultra simplified version.
The next morning we got up early and were on the Berg Lake Trail at 8am. This trail would take us some of the way up the mountain. It meant a lot to Eric and me to know that Al had climbed this mountain and I felt his presence that day as we trod the path.
We followed the route of the crashing Robson River crossing several narrow suspension bridges along the way, and here I could really feel the power and volume of the rushing, bubbling water.
The first 4.5 km was rolling and went through forest. Due to the height of the mountain, the rainfall here is very high, about 630mm a year, and the trees, Red Cedar, Western Spruce, Paper Birch and Douglas Maple, are massive, especially the wide-girthed cedar and spruce which are hundreds of feet tall. The soft scent of the cedar was a delicacy for our noses, and the green mossy carpet on the forest floor covered everything, old tree stumps, fallen logs, huge rocks and smaller boulders. It was cloudy or lightly drizzling most of the day, which made for pleasant hiking. When we came out of the forest we had reached Kinney Lake, with its unique and characteristic aqua blue water.
The trail took us all along the one side of the sizeable lake up and down and in and out of trees.
Then the real steep climb began.
We hiked toward and into the Valley of a Thousand Falls. Eric and I began to count down as in 999, 998, 997…and then quit that and took it on faith. Cliffs rose up on either side of both us, and the Robson River, and waterfalls dropped thousands of feet into the valley below. At one point the path became rough with loose rock and then we were on a very narrow steep path with cliffs falling straight down below us on one side and rising up vertically on the other. Ominous signs said “Warning – Beware of Falling Rock”. I concentrated on thinking happy thoughts… “beauty, kindness…etc” but I couldn’t help but be aware of the paradoxical strength and fragility of the Rockies which are constantly changing shape, being weathered and kinda falling down in places.
Many people who walk this trail come with full backpacks and camp in designated sites along the route. At the 11km mark we walked through one such area where we noticed bear poles (for hanging your food up on) and tents dotted about and people eating, washing up and doing their thing. Interestingly enough the language we heard most spoken was German, or English with German accents. Even the outhouses told you not to put garbage into the vault in English and German.
At White Falls the Robson River does what you’d expect and makes a very fine and mighty splashy spectacle.
Further up we came to the Falls of the Pool. Half way down this falls a pot hole has formed and a small blue pool can be seen seemingly unstirred by the force of water crashing down around it. A bench had been well positioned and we were able to take in the stunning view across the valley to the double falls, and catch our breath at the same time. So much water!!
After approximately 16 km we reached an even more spectacular waterfall aptly named Emperor Falls. Part way down the fall there must be some rocks that jut out quite a way because there the water is propelled out with such enormous force that the spray shoots into the air and far across the valley, reaching us.
Our plan had been to walk as far as Emperor Falls, but along the way we had spoken to some people who had been camping at Berg Lake and they encouraged us to continue. The days are long and we’d made an early start so we kept on going, eager to see the lake and get closer to the final ascent.
The last stretch before the lake was along a scree slope and a flat rocky wetland, not that easy to walk on but a pleasant respite from the up hill climb. The lake gradually came into view, but even more amazing to me was the sight of the summit of Mount Robson, clearly visible now, and 2 of its massive blue-green glaciers, Mist Glacier and Berg Glacier. These glaciers and a 3rd one, Robson Glacier feed the lake and we could see chunks of ice floating in the lake like mini icebergs. As we were approachng we heard one of the glaciers give a major cree…eeek!!!
Finally we sat down on the rocky lakeshore, and ate our lunch marveling at the sight and wanting to fully absorb the wonder and drama of it all.
But we didn’t rest for long, it was now 2.15, the weather looked unpredictable and we had the long walk down ahead of us. So after less than half an hour we turned ourselves around and went down down down. Our weary bones arrived all in one piece at the parking lot of the trailhead at 7pm.
It had been an 11 hour day!!!
We camped for 2 nights at Canoe River campground, which had a hill billy feel to it. Once a year, in late August, a rodeo event is held here and our trailer was facing a large enclosed grassy circle. An impressive gateway to the circle said “WELCOME Y’ALL” and there were black wooden cutouts of bucking broncos and lasso wielding cowboys. On Saturday night (the day of our walk) a dance was held in a circus-like huge tent and we heard country and western music late into the night. I wish we’d had some party energy. I would like to have checked it out.
On Friday 11th we left Jasper with its cool mountain climate. We travelled through the Yellowhead Pass and crossed into British Columbia, another gorgeous scenic drive, towards Valemount. It all looks so flat and lifeless on the map (to me) with its little lines and dots and colours and words, but how the landscape finds itself on this remarkable earth is truly marvelous and full of surprises.
Shortly before Valemount we stopped at the Mount Robson Visitors’ Centre and this was the start of an adventure to top all that had gone before. Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (3954m), and we could see it rising up behind the windows of the Visitors’ Centre, its peak hidden in clouds. How much further up could it possibly reach?
Mount Robson also featured in a story I’d been told but couldn’t really imagine. Alan had climbed with a group to the very summit several years ago. Many groups of experienced climbers that have attempted the final ice-covered peak have had to turn back because of weather conditions. But Al’s group was “lucky” and they made the final climb in the dark so that the ice was good and frozen. They spent 5 minutes at the top admiring the sunrise and then before the sun could hit the face, climbed back down, onto terra firma, and that, of course, is the ultra simplified version.
The next morning we got up early and were on the Berg Lake Trail at 8am. This trail would take us some of the way up the mountain. It meant a lot to Eric and me to know that Al had climbed this mountain and I felt his presence that day as we trod the path.
We followed the route of the crashing Robson River crossing several narrow suspension bridges along the way, and here I could really feel the power and volume of the rushing, bubbling water.
The first 4.5 km was rolling and went through forest. Due to the height of the mountain, the rainfall here is very high, about 630mm a year, and the trees, Red Cedar, Western Spruce, Paper Birch and Douglas Maple, are massive, especially the wide-girthed cedar and spruce which are hundreds of feet tall. The soft scent of the cedar was a delicacy for our noses, and the green mossy carpet on the forest floor covered everything, old tree stumps, fallen logs, huge rocks and smaller boulders. It was cloudy or lightly drizzling most of the day, which made for pleasant hiking. When we came out of the forest we had reached Kinney Lake, with its unique and characteristic aqua blue water.
The trail took us all along the one side of the sizeable lake up and down and in and out of trees.
Then the real steep climb began.
We hiked toward and into the Valley of a Thousand Falls. Eric and I began to count down as in 999, 998, 997…and then quit that and took it on faith. Cliffs rose up on either side of both us, and the Robson River, and waterfalls dropped thousands of feet into the valley below. At one point the path became rough with loose rock and then we were on a very narrow steep path with cliffs falling straight down below us on one side and rising up vertically on the other. Ominous signs said “Warning – Beware of Falling Rock”. I concentrated on thinking happy thoughts… “beauty, kindness…etc” but I couldn’t help but be aware of the paradoxical strength and fragility of the Rockies which are constantly changing shape, being weathered and kinda falling down in places.
Many people who walk this trail come with full backpacks and camp in designated sites along the route. At the 11km mark we walked through one such area where we noticed bear poles (for hanging your food up on) and tents dotted about and people eating, washing up and doing their thing. Interestingly enough the language we heard most spoken was German, or English with German accents. Even the outhouses told you not to put garbage into the vault in English and German.
At White Falls the Robson River does what you’d expect and makes a very fine and mighty splashy spectacle.
Further up we came to the Falls of the Pool. Half way down this falls a pot hole has formed and a small blue pool can be seen seemingly unstirred by the force of water crashing down around it. A bench had been well positioned and we were able to take in the stunning view across the valley to the double falls, and catch our breath at the same time. So much water!!
After approximately 16 km we reached an even more spectacular waterfall aptly named Emperor Falls. Part way down the fall there must be some rocks that jut out quite a way because there the water is propelled out with such enormous force that the spray shoots into the air and far across the valley, reaching us.
Our plan had been to walk as far as Emperor Falls, but along the way we had spoken to some people who had been camping at Berg Lake and they encouraged us to continue. The days are long and we’d made an early start so we kept on going, eager to see the lake and get closer to the final ascent.
The last stretch before the lake was along a scree slope and a flat rocky wetland, not that easy to walk on but a pleasant respite from the up hill climb. The lake gradually came into view, but even more amazing to me was the sight of the summit of Mount Robson, clearly visible now, and 2 of its massive blue-green glaciers, Mist Glacier and Berg Glacier. These glaciers and a 3rd one, Robson Glacier feed the lake and we could see chunks of ice floating in the lake like mini icebergs. As we were approachng we heard one of the glaciers give a major cree…eeek!!!
Finally we sat down on the rocky lakeshore, and ate our lunch marveling at the sight and wanting to fully absorb the wonder and drama of it all.
But we didn’t rest for long, it was now 2.15, the weather looked unpredictable and we had the long walk down ahead of us. So after less than half an hour we turned ourselves around and went down down down. Our weary bones arrived all in one piece at the parking lot of the trailhead at 7pm.
It had been an 11 hour day!!!
We camped for 2 nights at Canoe River campground, which had a hill billy feel to it. Once a year, in late August, a rodeo event is held here and our trailer was facing a large enclosed grassy circle. An impressive gateway to the circle said “WELCOME Y’ALL” and there were black wooden cutouts of bucking broncos and lasso wielding cowboys. On Saturday night (the day of our walk) a dance was held in a circus-like huge tent and we heard country and western music late into the night. I wish we’d had some party energy. I would like to have checked it out.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
MORE HIKING in JASPER
9th and 10th July MORE HIKING
Wednesday, my birthday, was a good day for a full day’s hike. So with enough food and water for almost any eventuality that I was willing to imagine, we set off to climb up to Verdant Pass.
The first 4.5 km are pretty straight forward, a nice wide path following the Astoria River. After one hour we looked for the telltale flat, 5ft long boulder that alerted us to the unmarked path taking off to the left. This is the Verdant Pass trail. Alas and alack we’d made a foolhardy decision not to bring the bug spray (no mosquitoes on a cool day and up high – WRONG).
The path here was narrow and rooty, climbing rapidly, great exercise for feet and legs and lungs. Up and up we went through trees and across little creeklets and springs, encountering several female white tailed ptarmigans. This quail-sized fowl has beautiful dark markings and moves completely silently. Each time we saw one, it was close to the path and would move towards and then away from us, sometimes stopping and remaining very still, perhaps in order to distract us from her young.
Finally we reached the subalpine meadows with a deep gorge dropping down below us. We were in the lower slopes of Mount Edith Cavell. Scrambling along a sporadic and very rocky path, periodically indicated by rocky cairns, we found our way to Edith’s first cirque (a cirque is a glacial feature that looks like an enormous amphitheatre) and a mountain creek full of boulder-hopping boulders. It was there that we planted ourselves for lunch. Food at the top of a mountain always tastes so delicious.
From our creek edge picnic spot, we could look one way up at the cirque with its characteristic arc shape, vertical ridges and horizontal bands; or we could look across the wide open, flat and pebble spattered meadow, bobbing with wildflowers, towards a spring-green Verdant Pass and Edith’s 2nd cirque; or we could turn around and look towards the steep slope that we’d just ascended.
After a brief rest we walked back across the meadow and took a good look across at Chevron Mountain. From where we were we could see its folded sedimentary strata and a glacier sitting in the bowl of the cirque.
This was a 6 hour hike and another glorious day in the mountains.
The next day, Thursday, was raining and cold. Our plan had been to do another slightly shorter hike, the Bald Hills hike. We tried the “ignoring the rain” routine again and drove all the way up a scenic road with the very full Maligne (pronounced Maleen) River rushing its way down along beside us.
The mighty water in all the rivers is a creamy pale aqua. This is due to the “rock flour”, sediment from the boulders that are caught in the glaciers grinding against the bedrock, as the ice moves.
However this time the clouds sat heavy on the mountains. We couldn’t even see the Bald Hills and they couldn’t see us. The rain had set in for the day, so we headed back down the road to the start of a short walk and view point of the Maligne Gorge.
The gorge was deep and spectacular with caves and pot-holes and pools far below us. As we followed the river there were noisy waterfalls as the water crashed its way over the crazy rock shapes. It was an impressive picturesque 45 minute walk.
The postlude animal report: during our time in Jasper we saw a couple of groups of bighorn sheep; one group of mountain goats, my personal favorite, white and bearded; several small herds of elk, and one lone handsome antlered male; and one young black bear close to the road.
Wednesday, my birthday, was a good day for a full day’s hike. So with enough food and water for almost any eventuality that I was willing to imagine, we set off to climb up to Verdant Pass.
The first 4.5 km are pretty straight forward, a nice wide path following the Astoria River. After one hour we looked for the telltale flat, 5ft long boulder that alerted us to the unmarked path taking off to the left. This is the Verdant Pass trail. Alas and alack we’d made a foolhardy decision not to bring the bug spray (no mosquitoes on a cool day and up high – WRONG).
The path here was narrow and rooty, climbing rapidly, great exercise for feet and legs and lungs. Up and up we went through trees and across little creeklets and springs, encountering several female white tailed ptarmigans. This quail-sized fowl has beautiful dark markings and moves completely silently. Each time we saw one, it was close to the path and would move towards and then away from us, sometimes stopping and remaining very still, perhaps in order to distract us from her young.
Finally we reached the subalpine meadows with a deep gorge dropping down below us. We were in the lower slopes of Mount Edith Cavell. Scrambling along a sporadic and very rocky path, periodically indicated by rocky cairns, we found our way to Edith’s first cirque (a cirque is a glacial feature that looks like an enormous amphitheatre) and a mountain creek full of boulder-hopping boulders. It was there that we planted ourselves for lunch. Food at the top of a mountain always tastes so delicious.
From our creek edge picnic spot, we could look one way up at the cirque with its characteristic arc shape, vertical ridges and horizontal bands; or we could look across the wide open, flat and pebble spattered meadow, bobbing with wildflowers, towards a spring-green Verdant Pass and Edith’s 2nd cirque; or we could turn around and look towards the steep slope that we’d just ascended.
After a brief rest we walked back across the meadow and took a good look across at Chevron Mountain. From where we were we could see its folded sedimentary strata and a glacier sitting in the bowl of the cirque.
This was a 6 hour hike and another glorious day in the mountains.
The next day, Thursday, was raining and cold. Our plan had been to do another slightly shorter hike, the Bald Hills hike. We tried the “ignoring the rain” routine again and drove all the way up a scenic road with the very full Maligne (pronounced Maleen) River rushing its way down along beside us.
The mighty water in all the rivers is a creamy pale aqua. This is due to the “rock flour”, sediment from the boulders that are caught in the glaciers grinding against the bedrock, as the ice moves.
However this time the clouds sat heavy on the mountains. We couldn’t even see the Bald Hills and they couldn’t see us. The rain had set in for the day, so we headed back down the road to the start of a short walk and view point of the Maligne Gorge.
The gorge was deep and spectacular with caves and pot-holes and pools far below us. As we followed the river there were noisy waterfalls as the water crashed its way over the crazy rock shapes. It was an impressive picturesque 45 minute walk.
The postlude animal report: during our time in Jasper we saw a couple of groups of bighorn sheep; one group of mountain goats, my personal favorite, white and bearded; several small herds of elk, and one lone handsome antlered male; and one young black bear close to the road.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mountains all around
7th , 8th July 2008 TADASANA – THE MOUNTAIN POSE
After much discussion and consultation the final decision was that we would NOT tow the trailer along the Icefield Parkway, “the most beautiful road in the world… 230 kms of continuous World Heritage Site scenery completely protected in 2 national parks” (Banff and Jasper). Instead we would rather travel from Rocky north back to the Yellowhead Highway and then west through Hinton to Jasper.
We spent 2 nights in a KOA campground in Hinton and enjoyed the luxury of “full hookup” and pristine shower facilities, and wireless internet, after our time in the provincial park. From here we did an exploratory trip into Jasper, and a short hike which took us along the wide and fast flowing Athabasca River.
From Hinton it’s an hour or so to the town of Jasper.
This is a real hubbub of a tourist town in the Jasper National Park and we found a spot in the Whistlers campground on the outskirts, where we spent 3 nights. Eric cleverly found a neat book by Kathy and Craig Copeland. It’s one of their “done in a day” series, called “Jasper – The 10 Premier Hikes”. A call to Al confirmed that this was a good find and so with confidence we planned to DO SOME HIKING!! Yay!!
On the first afternoon having settled into our campsite, we sat having lunch in the trailer, as it clouded over, grew grey and dismal and rainy. Ignoring all the signs of weather we set off as planned, to the Sulphur Skyline trailhead with book in hand. As we drove, low and behold the clouds blew somewhere else and the sun came out. To reach the trailhead we headed up a long mountainous road to the parking lot of the Miette Hot Springs where swimming pools have been established. This trail is a VERY steep one with an elevation gain of 636 m. We climbed through forest for about an hour then it opened out a bit and we were able to get a clear view of the skyline. The final stretch was tricky climbing, up a rough scree slope with the wind blowing hard and the lungs blowing hard too. At the top there was an amazing 360degree view of mountains in all directions. Eric is always looking for the “big picture” and this was it. There is something really awesome for me (in the fullest sense of the word) about witnessing that enormity and expansiveness opening out before me. My first impulse has been to want to start down almost immediately, but today Eric and I sat for a while with the wind tugging strongly at us and we attempted to take in the subtle variations of colour and shape, in those extraordinary geological features.
I was also moved by the beauty and abundance of the wild flowers. On the lower slopes they were robust and tall. As we climbed higher they became smaller till by the time we were above the tree line before us was a colourful mass of flowering heather. Over the next 3 days I took a photo of each different kind of flower I saw. The winter project will be identifying them.
It took us 3 hours to go up and 1 hour to come down.
From there we went and soaked in the hot pools, the perfect antidote to tired muscles.
By then I’d forgiven the town for being so touristy and we had a delicious dinner at Andy’s Bistro to celebrate and an excellent day and our 36th anniversary.
After much discussion and consultation the final decision was that we would NOT tow the trailer along the Icefield Parkway, “the most beautiful road in the world… 230 kms of continuous World Heritage Site scenery completely protected in 2 national parks” (Banff and Jasper). Instead we would rather travel from Rocky north back to the Yellowhead Highway and then west through Hinton to Jasper.
We spent 2 nights in a KOA campground in Hinton and enjoyed the luxury of “full hookup” and pristine shower facilities, and wireless internet, after our time in the provincial park. From here we did an exploratory trip into Jasper, and a short hike which took us along the wide and fast flowing Athabasca River.
From Hinton it’s an hour or so to the town of Jasper.
This is a real hubbub of a tourist town in the Jasper National Park and we found a spot in the Whistlers campground on the outskirts, where we spent 3 nights. Eric cleverly found a neat book by Kathy and Craig Copeland. It’s one of their “done in a day” series, called “Jasper – The 10 Premier Hikes”. A call to Al confirmed that this was a good find and so with confidence we planned to DO SOME HIKING!! Yay!!
On the first afternoon having settled into our campsite, we sat having lunch in the trailer, as it clouded over, grew grey and dismal and rainy. Ignoring all the signs of weather we set off as planned, to the Sulphur Skyline trailhead with book in hand. As we drove, low and behold the clouds blew somewhere else and the sun came out. To reach the trailhead we headed up a long mountainous road to the parking lot of the Miette Hot Springs where swimming pools have been established. This trail is a VERY steep one with an elevation gain of 636 m. We climbed through forest for about an hour then it opened out a bit and we were able to get a clear view of the skyline. The final stretch was tricky climbing, up a rough scree slope with the wind blowing hard and the lungs blowing hard too. At the top there was an amazing 360degree view of mountains in all directions. Eric is always looking for the “big picture” and this was it. There is something really awesome for me (in the fullest sense of the word) about witnessing that enormity and expansiveness opening out before me. My first impulse has been to want to start down almost immediately, but today Eric and I sat for a while with the wind tugging strongly at us and we attempted to take in the subtle variations of colour and shape, in those extraordinary geological features.
I was also moved by the beauty and abundance of the wild flowers. On the lower slopes they were robust and tall. As we climbed higher they became smaller till by the time we were above the tree line before us was a colourful mass of flowering heather. Over the next 3 days I took a photo of each different kind of flower I saw. The winter project will be identifying them.
It took us 3 hours to go up and 1 hour to come down.
From there we went and soaked in the hot pools, the perfect antidote to tired muscles.
By then I’d forgiven the town for being so touristy and we had a delicious dinner at Andy’s Bistro to celebrate and an excellent day and our 36th anniversary.
Friday, July 11, 2008
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE
1st – 6th July 2008 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE
Rocky is ideally located, 2 hours from Edmonton, 2 hours from Calgary, 2 hours from Jasper and 2 hours from Banff. It has a population of about 7000 and growing, with lots of new development happening. Rocky is the home of a long time friend of my family.
Jean is the widow of a man, John, who, with our dad, opened up a Deloittes office, in the early 50’s, in Umtali, Southern Rhodesia.
This was our home town for about 20 years, during which time the federation of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dismantled, and Southern Rhodesia became simply Rhodesia. Later, after independence in 1981, Rhodesia’s name was changed to Zimbabwe and Umtali was renamed Mutare.
Jean moved to Rocky a few years ago to be closer to her daughter Sarah and her husband Steve and children Sean and Anna, who live just a few blocks away from her.
I hadn’t seen Jean or Sarah since the early 80’s and it was wonderful to reconnect. We got together for part of each day we were there except for Thursday. That day Eric and I drove directly west to Jasper National Park.
It was a very beautiful drive. There was something thrilling for me as, in the far distance, I first caught just little glimpses of the mountains. Then as we moved closer they came into view more and more completely. What a magnificent sight, mountains of varying colours, textures and depths. There were fingers of ice following some of the gullies downward, and in other places, depending on the light, I could see what looked like the trunks and bare branches of trees. As we drove along the angles changed and so did the mountain faces. Clouds topped some of the peaks, sometimes like cotton wool, sometimes more like a gauzy mist. Traveling along with us beside the road was Abraham Lake, sometimes wide and spacious, sometimes confined by the rocky topography, always simply filling in the space available to it. Abraham Lake is the reservoir of a dam in the North Saskatchewan River.
Our destination that day was the Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier, the largest body of ice in the Rockies. It once formed part of an enormous ice sheet that carved the landforms that are now the Rocky mountains. Today it is also a catch basin for tourists. Still, it is a way to confine the wear and tear to one area, and we did get lots of great information at the Columbia Icefield Centre. From the centre we could look across to the Athabasca and Andromeda mountains, which was especially interesting to us as Alan has climbed these snow and ice covered peaks.
We took a 90 minute interpretive excursion onto the Athabasca Glacier “aboard a Brewster Ice Explorer Snocoach”. In this way we were able to get to and walk on the glacier and at the same time be regaled with interesting details by our gregarious guide from Quebec.
I was most fascinated to learn that the Snodome mountain which we could see from the bus, is the source of 3 rivers which simply put, flow in 3 different directions to 3 different oceans: the Athabasca river flows northwards and circuitously makes its way to the Arctic Ocean; the Saskatchewan River is used in the oilsands oil production and flows east to Hudson Bay and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean; and the Columbia river flows south through BC and Washington, then west to Oregon and on to the Pacific Ocean.
This trip was also a reconnaissance one. Would this be the best route over the Rockies for the trailer?
Rocky is ideally located, 2 hours from Edmonton, 2 hours from Calgary, 2 hours from Jasper and 2 hours from Banff. It has a population of about 7000 and growing, with lots of new development happening. Rocky is the home of a long time friend of my family.
Jean is the widow of a man, John, who, with our dad, opened up a Deloittes office, in the early 50’s, in Umtali, Southern Rhodesia.
This was our home town for about 20 years, during which time the federation of Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dismantled, and Southern Rhodesia became simply Rhodesia. Later, after independence in 1981, Rhodesia’s name was changed to Zimbabwe and Umtali was renamed Mutare.
Jean moved to Rocky a few years ago to be closer to her daughter Sarah and her husband Steve and children Sean and Anna, who live just a few blocks away from her.
I hadn’t seen Jean or Sarah since the early 80’s and it was wonderful to reconnect. We got together for part of each day we were there except for Thursday. That day Eric and I drove directly west to Jasper National Park.
It was a very beautiful drive. There was something thrilling for me as, in the far distance, I first caught just little glimpses of the mountains. Then as we moved closer they came into view more and more completely. What a magnificent sight, mountains of varying colours, textures and depths. There were fingers of ice following some of the gullies downward, and in other places, depending on the light, I could see what looked like the trunks and bare branches of trees. As we drove along the angles changed and so did the mountain faces. Clouds topped some of the peaks, sometimes like cotton wool, sometimes more like a gauzy mist. Traveling along with us beside the road was Abraham Lake, sometimes wide and spacious, sometimes confined by the rocky topography, always simply filling in the space available to it. Abraham Lake is the reservoir of a dam in the North Saskatchewan River.
Our destination that day was the Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier, the largest body of ice in the Rockies. It once formed part of an enormous ice sheet that carved the landforms that are now the Rocky mountains. Today it is also a catch basin for tourists. Still, it is a way to confine the wear and tear to one area, and we did get lots of great information at the Columbia Icefield Centre. From the centre we could look across to the Athabasca and Andromeda mountains, which was especially interesting to us as Alan has climbed these snow and ice covered peaks.
We took a 90 minute interpretive excursion onto the Athabasca Glacier “aboard a Brewster Ice Explorer Snocoach”. In this way we were able to get to and walk on the glacier and at the same time be regaled with interesting details by our gregarious guide from Quebec.
I was most fascinated to learn that the Snodome mountain which we could see from the bus, is the source of 3 rivers which simply put, flow in 3 different directions to 3 different oceans: the Athabasca river flows northwards and circuitously makes its way to the Arctic Ocean; the Saskatchewan River is used in the oilsands oil production and flows east to Hudson Bay and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean; and the Columbia river flows south through BC and Washington, then west to Oregon and on to the Pacific Ocean.
This trip was also a reconnaissance one. Would this be the best route over the Rockies for the trailer?
PEAKS CLIMBED BY AL
Just to the south (left) of the Athabasca Glacier are two peaks that Al has climbed.... far left and second from right. Mindboggling.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
OFF TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE
30 June 2008 OFF TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE
About half an hour from where we camped just outside Edmonton, in a small place called Devon, is the Devonian Botanic Garden. Eric and I arrived there at 10am just as it opened.
This Botanic Garden was established in 1959, on land that was donated to the University of Alberta by a certain Colonel Sandy Dyde. It comprises 80 acres of gardens plus 110 acres of natural area with nature trails. Evidently it is one of 300 botanical gardens in the world that have been established for research and is an “internationally recognized research centre for studies in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, botany, ecology, and horticulture.”
We started at the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, designed for strolling through or sitting quietly. Its original purpose was as a cultural exchange between Canadians and the Japanese. In the garden are 5 authentic stone lanterns, which are hand carved in solid granite. Originally they would have been used for lighting using candles or oil. Now they’re ornamental. The garden is designed to “interpret Alberta’s vast geography, mountains, hills, grassy hills, ponds, lakes”. It was interesting to find the places where rivers, lakes valleys etc were represented in the garden. I couldn’t help wishing I could visit it frequently, a peaceful, contemplative place.
We also decided to take an hour long tour through the main garden. Since we had limited time we decided this would be a wise choice. Eric and I were the only ones on a sort of extended covered golf cart with our enthusiastic and informative tour guide. We covered a large area of display gardens. Because it’s a research garden they get seeds from other research gardens around the world, which they try out in a huge area of seed beds. If the plants are able to survive in this climate they are moved to one of the display gardens. One example of this was a beautiful blue poppy from the Himalayas with a star like blossom, which seemed to be thriving in this Alberta garden.
At one point we got out and wandered around a large rock garden full of Alpine plants. The amazing thing was that every rock and boulder had to be brought in, as there are none in this part of Alberta. It must have cost a fortune. There were huge rocks down to little ones, a thousand tons of rocks! The plants come from all over Alberta, some from BC and parts of the States and other parts of the world.
From Devon we got onto the highway and headed south. I found the highway driving hot, busy and noisy. Every time a truck passed us we could feel its swaying and sucking affect on the trailer. Still, the road was smooth and straight.
I felt the relief when we turned west at Red Deer onto a secondary road. Now we were heading toward Rocky Mountain House, our next destination, with the Rocky Mountains beyond. At one point along the way the road became totally clogged with cars and we ground to an almost halt. We were in the town of Sylvan Lake and it was just teaming with people either in their cars on their way to park and then to the beach, or crossing the road with folding chairs and coolers, or already settled enjoying a hot day by the lake. Cars were parked all along the road and as we crawled along we could watch dozens of folks jostling for spots on the beach and swimming in an alluringly cool blue lake. It was Monday, the day before Canada Day and it seemed people had taken a long weekend. It had the feel of Grand Bend on a busy summer’s day.
We got to our campground in the Crimson Lake Provincial Park in the late afternoon. As I attempted to assist Eric in backing the trailer into a tricky spot, I was viciously attacked by thousands (at least) of mosquitoes. Eric has become increasingly skilled at manoeuvering the trailer but on this occasion he did decide to call for guidance from a friendly neighbour, “a little to the left then a little to the right then back some more yes keep going”, and all the while I was giving words of encouragement which I punctuated with mosquito swatting. Nevertheless, I was happy to know we were going to stop for a while and would be camping in the woods. We were to spend 6 nights here.
About half an hour from where we camped just outside Edmonton, in a small place called Devon, is the Devonian Botanic Garden. Eric and I arrived there at 10am just as it opened.
This Botanic Garden was established in 1959, on land that was donated to the University of Alberta by a certain Colonel Sandy Dyde. It comprises 80 acres of gardens plus 110 acres of natural area with nature trails. Evidently it is one of 300 botanical gardens in the world that have been established for research and is an “internationally recognized research centre for studies in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, botany, ecology, and horticulture.”
We started at the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, designed for strolling through or sitting quietly. Its original purpose was as a cultural exchange between Canadians and the Japanese. In the garden are 5 authentic stone lanterns, which are hand carved in solid granite. Originally they would have been used for lighting using candles or oil. Now they’re ornamental. The garden is designed to “interpret Alberta’s vast geography, mountains, hills, grassy hills, ponds, lakes”. It was interesting to find the places where rivers, lakes valleys etc were represented in the garden. I couldn’t help wishing I could visit it frequently, a peaceful, contemplative place.
We also decided to take an hour long tour through the main garden. Since we had limited time we decided this would be a wise choice. Eric and I were the only ones on a sort of extended covered golf cart with our enthusiastic and informative tour guide. We covered a large area of display gardens. Because it’s a research garden they get seeds from other research gardens around the world, which they try out in a huge area of seed beds. If the plants are able to survive in this climate they are moved to one of the display gardens. One example of this was a beautiful blue poppy from the Himalayas with a star like blossom, which seemed to be thriving in this Alberta garden.
At one point we got out and wandered around a large rock garden full of Alpine plants. The amazing thing was that every rock and boulder had to be brought in, as there are none in this part of Alberta. It must have cost a fortune. There were huge rocks down to little ones, a thousand tons of rocks! The plants come from all over Alberta, some from BC and parts of the States and other parts of the world.
From Devon we got onto the highway and headed south. I found the highway driving hot, busy and noisy. Every time a truck passed us we could feel its swaying and sucking affect on the trailer. Still, the road was smooth and straight.
I felt the relief when we turned west at Red Deer onto a secondary road. Now we were heading toward Rocky Mountain House, our next destination, with the Rocky Mountains beyond. At one point along the way the road became totally clogged with cars and we ground to an almost halt. We were in the town of Sylvan Lake and it was just teaming with people either in their cars on their way to park and then to the beach, or crossing the road with folding chairs and coolers, or already settled enjoying a hot day by the lake. Cars were parked all along the road and as we crawled along we could watch dozens of folks jostling for spots on the beach and swimming in an alluringly cool blue lake. It was Monday, the day before Canada Day and it seemed people had taken a long weekend. It had the feel of Grand Bend on a busy summer’s day.
We got to our campground in the Crimson Lake Provincial Park in the late afternoon. As I attempted to assist Eric in backing the trailer into a tricky spot, I was viciously attacked by thousands (at least) of mosquitoes. Eric has become increasingly skilled at manoeuvering the trailer but on this occasion he did decide to call for guidance from a friendly neighbour, “a little to the left then a little to the right then back some more yes keep going”, and all the while I was giving words of encouragement which I punctuated with mosquito swatting. Nevertheless, I was happy to know we were going to stop for a while and would be camping in the woods. We were to spend 6 nights here.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Lakeland College in Vermillion
- Mary outside the College where Neil completed his firefighter's training
THE HONEYMOON SUITE
There June,
Pictures of the inside of the trailer.
This is where Eric gets more moons than honey!!
A DAY IN EDMONTON
29 June, 2008 (Neil’s birthday) A DAY IN EDMONTON
True to the form of Mary and Eric, our first view of the city was along the trails in the William Hawrelak Park. The park is neatly situated on the inside of a large bend in the river, close to the University of Alberta and the downtown. The banks of the river at this point are very high and very steep with large beautiful old homes perched precariously at the top. It was a hot morning and we were both pretty sticky by the end of the walk. At one point we looked across to the other bank to a beach at the bottom of a slope. This was obviously an off leash for dogs and what a comical sight. There must have been about 30 dogs of various shapes and sizes all having the time of their life, running and “diving” into the water and chasing each other. It was a beach party for dogs.
From there we went to Whyte Avenue to find a place to have lunch. This had been recommended to us as a place of good restaurants and interesting stores. It didn’t take us long to find the most popular restaurant around. Loud Mexican music was pouring out of Julio’s Barrio and people were sitting on the patio drinking colourful, chilled and tempting looking drinks of the margarita variety. It made us think of Matt who works at Under the Volcano in London, Ont. We got seats with a good view of the sidewalk and ordered a hot, spicy soup to which one added thin strips of tortilla chips, avocado, feta cheese and cilantro. Yum Yum. By the time we left there was a line of people waiting to get seats. It’s obviously a fun place to go to on a warm Sunday afternoon in Edmonton and we found it, hurray!
2 doors down from Julio’s Barrio is a little store called Chicken Scratch with the best selection of cards I’ve seen in a very long time. Eric and I had a lovely time browsing our way around the store and laughing out loud. We came out of there with quite a collection of cards, which will keep us going till the next time we find such a good source, I hope.
Our next stop was the Royal Alberta Museum. With only an hour and a half till closing, we started at the “Dragons, between science and fiction” exhibit. It was a fascinating walk through the myths, religious symbolism and science of dragons, good ones and bad ones, with amazing examples of Chinese dragons. I was reminded of the beautiful family camphor chest that I have carved with dragons and roses.
In the Wild Alberta section there are exhibits of the animals and birds of Alberta. There was also a section on the history of their 1st nations peoples, very respectfully presented. This area is smudged regularly, many of the exhibits are sacred.
And now a few additional comments and observations.
We have seen many many flowering lilacs from Manitoba, through
Saskatchewan and into Alberta. They are coming to an end now and we’re enjoying the wild roses.
The heat here is a dry heat and it feels dusty, so different from the humidity of SW Ontario.
Generally the days have been warm and now hot, but the nights have been cold to cool.
All the way across we have been struck by how green everything is. What will it be like on the return trip I wonder.
The gas is cheaper in Alberta (a little bit), so that’s good.
True to the form of Mary and Eric, our first view of the city was along the trails in the William Hawrelak Park. The park is neatly situated on the inside of a large bend in the river, close to the University of Alberta and the downtown. The banks of the river at this point are very high and very steep with large beautiful old homes perched precariously at the top. It was a hot morning and we were both pretty sticky by the end of the walk. At one point we looked across to the other bank to a beach at the bottom of a slope. This was obviously an off leash for dogs and what a comical sight. There must have been about 30 dogs of various shapes and sizes all having the time of their life, running and “diving” into the water and chasing each other. It was a beach party for dogs.
From there we went to Whyte Avenue to find a place to have lunch. This had been recommended to us as a place of good restaurants and interesting stores. It didn’t take us long to find the most popular restaurant around. Loud Mexican music was pouring out of Julio’s Barrio and people were sitting on the patio drinking colourful, chilled and tempting looking drinks of the margarita variety. It made us think of Matt who works at Under the Volcano in London, Ont. We got seats with a good view of the sidewalk and ordered a hot, spicy soup to which one added thin strips of tortilla chips, avocado, feta cheese and cilantro. Yum Yum. By the time we left there was a line of people waiting to get seats. It’s obviously a fun place to go to on a warm Sunday afternoon in Edmonton and we found it, hurray!
2 doors down from Julio’s Barrio is a little store called Chicken Scratch with the best selection of cards I’ve seen in a very long time. Eric and I had a lovely time browsing our way around the store and laughing out loud. We came out of there with quite a collection of cards, which will keep us going till the next time we find such a good source, I hope.
Our next stop was the Royal Alberta Museum. With only an hour and a half till closing, we started at the “Dragons, between science and fiction” exhibit. It was a fascinating walk through the myths, religious symbolism and science of dragons, good ones and bad ones, with amazing examples of Chinese dragons. I was reminded of the beautiful family camphor chest that I have carved with dragons and roses.
In the Wild Alberta section there are exhibits of the animals and birds of Alberta. There was also a section on the history of their 1st nations peoples, very respectfully presented. This area is smudged regularly, many of the exhibits are sacred.
And now a few additional comments and observations.
We have seen many many flowering lilacs from Manitoba, through
Saskatchewan and into Alberta. They are coming to an end now and we’re enjoying the wild roses.
The heat here is a dry heat and it feels dusty, so different from the humidity of SW Ontario.
Generally the days have been warm and now hot, but the nights have been cold to cool.
All the way across we have been struck by how green everything is. What will it be like on the return trip I wonder.
The gas is cheaper in Alberta (a little bit), so that’s good.
INTO ALBERTA - wild rose country
28 June, 2008 INTO ALBERTA – wild rose country
We delayed our departure on Friday morning till the rain and wind had abated somewhat – no fun towing a trailer with the wind tugging at it. Eric kept his eye on the weather network and we eventually set off for the 2 hour drive to North Battleford at about 10.30.
Our exploration into the past at North Battleford took place at the Western Development Museum where we visited a 1920’s style heritage farm and village with a functioning grain elevator. This was the story of pioneer life of the time. We were almost the only ones there and took a self-directed stroll around quite a large outdoor exhibit. The buildings were authentically fitted out with all the appropriate artifacts.
The dentist’s office didn’t look all that different from that of old Dr. Woolford, of my Umtali days: the terrifying looking drill, the white glass bowl to spit into and the sterilizing chest in which all his various implements were waiting, ready to poke and prod. My favorites were the bank where the manager sat in a little office at the front and the teller was in a cage, the lawyer’s office filled with ancient books and glum looking pictures on the walls, the police station with the holding cell, and the grocery store, with goods stored a variety of tins and glass bottles but no plastic.
Numerous examples of old rusty farm equipment lay about for us to examine. Eric posed for a photo on an enormous steam tractor and we both climbed precariously up a vertical ladder onto a beautiful steam train.
We spent that night in border town of Lloydminster, half of which is in Sask. and the other half in Alberta. There are 4 impressive tall red posts to mark the dividing line. Our campground was in Alberta so we had to pay the Alberta tax. I’d heard about
Lloydminster and enjoyed spending some time there. This was where Neil and his friends would come for a more interesting night out to the movies or the bar when he was doing the Fire Fighting and Emergency Rescue program at Lakeland College in Vermilion.
The next morning we set off for Edmonton, stopping at the aforesaid Vermilion to look around the college. It was Saturday and no one was in evidence, so we had a bit of a wander, and took pictures of the burned out buildings where they practiced dousing fires and rescuing people. It meant a lot to me to see for myself where he’d been, doing a course that he’d found so stimulating and had thoroughly enjoyed.
About half an hour from Edmonton we stopped at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. The majority of settlers in east central Alberta from the late 1800’s and the early 20th century, came from the Ukraine. Perhaps more so than others cultures, they maintained close connections with each other and so were able to hold onto their traditions and particular identity. All the buildings and furnishings, and even a piece of railway line, had been brought to this heritage village from the surrounding area to tell a “living history” up to the 1930’s. The staff in each of the buildings, were costumed and “living in the past”. They spoke with heavy accents, and encouraged us to play along. It was very informative and gave one a sense of how tough it must have been to build a new life as an immigrant in those days.
We delayed our departure on Friday morning till the rain and wind had abated somewhat – no fun towing a trailer with the wind tugging at it. Eric kept his eye on the weather network and we eventually set off for the 2 hour drive to North Battleford at about 10.30.
Our exploration into the past at North Battleford took place at the Western Development Museum where we visited a 1920’s style heritage farm and village with a functioning grain elevator. This was the story of pioneer life of the time. We were almost the only ones there and took a self-directed stroll around quite a large outdoor exhibit. The buildings were authentically fitted out with all the appropriate artifacts.
The dentist’s office didn’t look all that different from that of old Dr. Woolford, of my Umtali days: the terrifying looking drill, the white glass bowl to spit into and the sterilizing chest in which all his various implements were waiting, ready to poke and prod. My favorites were the bank where the manager sat in a little office at the front and the teller was in a cage, the lawyer’s office filled with ancient books and glum looking pictures on the walls, the police station with the holding cell, and the grocery store, with goods stored a variety of tins and glass bottles but no plastic.
Numerous examples of old rusty farm equipment lay about for us to examine. Eric posed for a photo on an enormous steam tractor and we both climbed precariously up a vertical ladder onto a beautiful steam train.
We spent that night in border town of Lloydminster, half of which is in Sask. and the other half in Alberta. There are 4 impressive tall red posts to mark the dividing line. Our campground was in Alberta so we had to pay the Alberta tax. I’d heard about
Lloydminster and enjoyed spending some time there. This was where Neil and his friends would come for a more interesting night out to the movies or the bar when he was doing the Fire Fighting and Emergency Rescue program at Lakeland College in Vermilion.
The next morning we set off for Edmonton, stopping at the aforesaid Vermilion to look around the college. It was Saturday and no one was in evidence, so we had a bit of a wander, and took pictures of the burned out buildings where they practiced dousing fires and rescuing people. It meant a lot to me to see for myself where he’d been, doing a course that he’d found so stimulating and had thoroughly enjoyed.
About half an hour from Edmonton we stopped at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. The majority of settlers in east central Alberta from the late 1800’s and the early 20th century, came from the Ukraine. Perhaps more so than others cultures, they maintained close connections with each other and so were able to hold onto their traditions and particular identity. All the buildings and furnishings, and even a piece of railway line, had been brought to this heritage village from the surrounding area to tell a “living history” up to the 1930’s. The staff in each of the buildings, were costumed and “living in the past”. They spoke with heavy accents, and encouraged us to play along. It was very informative and gave one a sense of how tough it must have been to build a new life as an immigrant in those days.
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