June 13, 2019

It was time to load up and move on!  Today is kind of a special day as we are going to Cold Lake to revisit the community of Debbie’s early childhood.  She and her family lived in Cold Lake for approximately three years, as her father was stationed at CFB Cold Lake as a fighter pilot and trainer on the CF104 aircraft.

We had reservations at the English Bay Provincial park near Cold Lake, however we wanted to see the community of Cold Lake before we set up camp.

The drive from Edmonton to Cold Lake had its own special scenery with rolling hills of fertile newly planted fields, separated with wide expanses of aspen and birch forests.  The horizons are miles away, something that we will have to get used to as we are used to the horizons near by, lined with mountains. 

We arrived in Cold Lake and Debbie remarked that the community has obviously grown.  She had grown up on the airbase, and the town of Cold Lake was a short walk from the main gate of the airbase.  The town seems to be spread out along Highway #28 and has three sections.  Due to security we   could not enter onto the base.   The houses are modern and the whole town has the appearance of prosperity. The oil industry is another large contributor to the economy of the town.As we drove around the town, the GPS that Debbie was using to navigate “seemed to be acting up”, and there were times we were driving in circles!  As we left Cold Lake to go to the campsite we consulted the map of the town in a brochure, which gave us the directions.  We were soon out of town and driving on a gravel road for 20 kms that eventually got us there.  We later found out that we had taken the back road to the campsite, quite different from the paved road that the GPS was trying to direct us!!  

The navigator, GPS, and I have been at odds several times so far on this trip.  Is it a communications thing?  Dutch driver, Scottish/English navigator, Korean vehicle and an American GPS!!  

The campsite we had reserved was perfect, right on the edge of Cold Lake, just a few steps to put in the kayaks.  This provincial campsite is clean and well maintained. After setting up camp it was time to barbeque the juicy steak we had bought, we were both hungry.  

The presence of mosquitoes convinced us to set up the net tent over the picnic table.  As I was barbequing, drinking beer and talking to Debbie I lifted the lid of the barbeque and rapidly melted a hole in the side of the netting!!!  After some choice words and rearranging the tent we enjoyed a great supper.  

The lake was calm and we were debating an evening paddle, but that big grey cloud was coming our way again!!   The sun was setting in the western sky and turning the sky a soft orange and reflecting off the lake.  We waited, had a second beer and I started a campfire and watched as thunder started rolling over us and lightning flashed in many directions.  It turned out to be a magical evening as we sat near the fire, and listened to the thunder and watched the lightning flashing around us in the distance.  A light sprinkle was the only moisture that evening.  It was now time for bed.  

June 12, 2019

We spent the day doing all sorts of chores that needed to be done, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. but most of all catching up on what our lives and families were doing since the last time we were together.  Aukje and Brendan are getting ready to sell their home and move into a retirement home.  They have been living in their home for over 20 years and they were now taking on the daunting task of scaling down their earthly belongings. 

We also discussed the plans for the upcoming wedding of their son, Arthur in February.  The wedding is to take place in Toronto and the reception is in Burlington.  A lot of things will be taking place in their life in the next few months; Brendan is slated for a hip replacement surgery, the move into their new retirement home and now the wedding of their son!

The day sped by.  We drove to the construction site of the new retirement home and discussed which suite they would like to pick out.  Our conversations crossed many topics and soon it was time for supper.  Brendan barbequed hamburgers to go along with mushrooms and all the fixings.  

Tomorrow we would be on the road again so we took the necessary “family” photos and then got ready for bed. 

June 11,2019

It was time to leave Jasper and continue east.  We had planned to travel north toward Wood Buffalo National Park and then onto to Yellowknife. The active wildfires north of Grande Prairie and north had caused evacuations and road closures, which would affect us if we were in the area.  We decided not to tempt fate, so we made the decision not to turn left after Hinton and continue east to Edmonton and stop in to see my sister, Aukje and her husband Brendan. 

We packed up our campsite and left Jasper National Park. I have been in Jasper many times, however my impression of the park this time is quite different.  I got the impression that the National Parks are in a fiscal crisis, as there seems to be a general rundown in the condition of the roads, rough with pot holes, signage that require upkeep and painting, washrooms that are dirty and in need of cleaning, campsites that require grooming and upkeep.  There are lots of signs of human wear and tear on the trails and around points of interest. 

The drive to Edmonton was pleasant and I felt sad as I watched the mountains disappear in the rear view mirror.  We talked about our future adventures and places that we wanted to see and it gave us inspiration.  We are looking forward to new sights in this great land.

Just outside of Edson, we stopped at a rest stop to make lunch.   We had just arrived when right next to us a white Ford Explorer towing a white and blue Trillium trailer parked besides us.  We had a great discussion with the owners about the similarity of the trailers. Their 1976 Trillium was in beautiful condition and they were enjoying their trailer as much as we were ours.   

We arrived in Edmonton and to my sister’s home by 4:00 and it was great to see them again as we had not seen them in three years.  We had lots of catching up to do, and we were going to spend two nights and one day in order to do that.  We went out to a nearby pizzeria for supper and enjoyed a delicious pizza.  

June 10, 2019

We planned to go kayaking on Maligne Lake today!  I have always wanted to do this, as this lake is one of my favorites.  Mother Nature, however, had other plans.  The weather was cloudy with a soft drizzle and gusty winds.  We drove back into Jasper and made the decision that if the winds kept us off the water in our kayaks, we would take the boat tour to Spirit Island on the lake, which would be a great compromise. 

We went to the Maligne Lake Boat Tour office in Jasper and booked a tour for 1:30 in the afternoon.   After enjoying a cup of coffee, shopping in some of the shops and walking about the town, we headed towards Maligne Lake.  We saw more elk and bears on our way there.  

As we drove past Medicine Lake we saw the devastation of the wildfire of 2015, which destroyed a large area around the lake and neighboring mountains.  We stopped and spoke to a Park Naturalist who had a display about the resident woodland caribou.  He explained the differences in caribou in Canada, and told us that the local herd around Medicine Lake is endangered as the herd in the past was made up of 68 animals, however is now down to 3!!  The park is considering implementing a breeding program to assist in increasing the herd.  The greatest threat to the caribou has been humans.  Caribou have hooves that allow them to travel through snow very affectively, however humans are travelling in the backcountry on snowshoes.  The snowshoe tracks allow the wolves to travel over snow also and this has made it easier for wolves to kill the caribou. His job is to raise awareness to this fact and give us greater knowledge to the negative effect of humans on the wildlife.

We arrived at Maligne Lake early enough to enjoy a sandwich. As we were walking into the restaurant, I noticed a woman who I thought I knew.  As I got closer she looked at me and asked, “Are you Bill?” and I asked, “Are you Beth?”   We acknowledged and gave each other a hug!  (Debbie was in front of me and turned around to see her husband in the arms of another woman!)  

Beth and I had worked together in Nanaimo before I retired. Beth introduced us to her wife, Kathy. Beth met Kathy online and they married in 2013.  Beth retired and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where they are now living.  They are vacationing in Jasper, Banff and Calgary and Kathy is really enjoying their time in Canada.   We had a great conversation and they promised they would follow us on the blog.  Another great coincidence! 

After a quick lunch we boarded the tour boat, a twin engine covered cabin cruiser that could hold 50 passengers.  We are part of approximately 30 passengers.  Maligne Lake Boat Tours has been taking tours on Maligne Lake for 70 years, before the park was created, therefore, they have been “grandfathered” into being allowed to have the only combustion engine on the lakes of the National Park.

Our skipper, Nat, and our onboard guide, Meg, gave a very informative history and pointed out specific mountains and details of the surrounding area of the lake and how the lake was formed.  Our trip to Spirit Island is approximately 45 minutes and once we arrive we can walk into the area near the island. The island is considered to be sacred according to the indigenous people and the Parks discourage anyone from walking onto the island, attached by a narrow isthmus.   We looked at the incredible scenery and took many photographs. It really is an iconic scene. 

As we returned to the docks, we noticed that the winds had increased and the temperature had dropped.  It would not be a very comfortable paddle and so we concluded that we had made the right decision.

We still had lots of daylight left so we returned to Jasper.  We took a side trip and explored the Pyramid Lake region and finally came back into Jasper for supper.  We enjoyed a delicious burger at Authentic Burger.  Before returning to our campsite, we stopped at the Jasper Recreation Centre for a swim, hot tub and a few minutes in the steam room.  The Jasper Rec Center is a clean and modern facility.

We drove back to the trailer and it did not take long before we were fast asleep.

June 9, 2019

Time to start heading east, but wait, we are still heading west and north!  We departed Crimson Lake campground by 10:00 and we were looking forward to the drive into the Jasper National Park.  Highway #11 is a real treat.  As we left Rocky Mountain House, the mountains began to reappear around each curve.  We had never seen the Rockies from this perspective and again, they became spectacular.  West of Nordegg, Abraham Lake, welcomes you into the Jasper National Park and the promise of more scenery that takes your breath away. At one point, we stopped to watch two young grizzly bears foraging on the side of the road.  We were the only vehicle to sit there and watch.  

Once we started north again on Highway 93, we started to encounter the tourist traffic.  When we pulled into the Columbia Icefield parking lot it was wall to wall with rental Rvs and tour buses!!  As expected, the Icefields had melted considerably since our last visit and we decided that we would continue to Jasper as it was getting late in the day. 

At a viewpoint just beyond the ice fields we stopped to take some photos and we met Jerry and his wife from Nova Scotia.  They are vacationing in B.C and visiting family in Alberta.  They own a Boler trailer and Jerry was excited to see the Armadillo as he had just visited the plant in Enderby a few days earlier.  Jerry invited us to drop in and see them in Nova Scotia when we get there, and we exchanged our information.  Jerry said he would follow our blog.  (He contacted us through the blog several days later.)

The most shocking sight was the huge area of the forest all around Jasper and the mountains, which have been affected by the mountain pine beetle.  The pines are a reddish brown color and it goes on for miles and miles.  I wonder how the forests will look in a few more years when the needles fall and the trees become bare.  The tourist brochures appear to be optimistic on the recovery of the forests, however, that recovery will take beyond my lifetime.

We arrived into the bustling town of Jasper.  We fueled the truck and noticed that the price of fuel had jumped twenty cents between Rocky Mountain House and Jasper.  It was a foreshadowing of the prices to come in Jasper.  

The largest campground in and near Jasper, the Whistlers, is closed for the year as it is undergoing a major infrastructure renovation. The result is that campsites are at a premium and difficult to secure.  We were fortunate that we had reserved earlier.  We noted, that speaking to some of the locals in Jasper that this closure is affecting businesses throughout the community.

The Pocahontas campground, that we had reserved, is 38 kms east of Jasper so after picking up some groceries we pushed on to our campsite. 

We had decided that after supper we would go for a splash in the Miete Mineral Hot Springs pool.   The Hot Springs are about 15 kms past the campground.   The temperature was dropping again as we arrived at the Hot Springs so the pool was inviting and we took our time to enjoy it.  

On our return trip to the campsite Debbie spotted some bears on the side of the road.  We were so excited as it was a mother bear with four cubs, two black and two brown!!  (We later mentioned that to a Park Warden and he told us that it was a real rarity for a bear to have four cubs.)  

We recounted the wildlife that we had seen so far; we had seen 2 grizzly bears on Hwy #11, 5 bears on Hwy#93, 5 mountain goats and 1 elk.  We also noticed the hazards associated with the folks stopping on the side of the road to see these animals. The road was often narrowed to one lane with people scampering across, cellphones pointed ahead of them, oblivious to the traffic or the hazards of approaching the bears.   That discussion topped off our day as we sat around the fire enjoyed a glass of wine and then went to bed.

June 8, 2019

Sunny today!!  Makes you want to get going and to enjoy the day.  Our plans are to go kayaking on Crimson Lake and it looked promising. 

It was my turn to make breakfast so I whipped up pancakes. The pancake mix we use is flour, which includes all of the ingredients, and you just need to add eggs and milk. I mixed all of the ingredients however, I took too long to heat the griddle and so the batter was rising before I could put them onto the griddle.  The result was the pancakes became quite thick however, they still tasted good and were quite filling.

So off to the lake we went and began a blissful paddle. Crimson Lake is quite shallow with a sandy bottom and it did not appear to have a lot of fish habitat.  We cruised along the shoreline, enjoying watching mother ducks and their ducklings, scooting through the reeds and cattails.  Lots of red winged black birds and meadowlarks let us know we were in their territory as loons floated out in their safety zone and called each other.  It was truly an idyllic time.  The west shore of the lake is lined with cabins and summer homes each with wharfs and the necessary recreational powerboats.

As we were circumnavigating the lake, we both noticed the big dark cloud that seemed to be coming our way.  Being the eternal optimist, I told Debbie, who was getting worried, that we were okay and safe.  Mother Nature must have heard me as she answered with a long rolling thunder that seemed to go on for half a minute.  We continued to paddle and the cloud continued to come closer.

A few more large thunderclaps increased the cadence of our paddle and we were still about a km from our destination.  A light drizzle started and suddenly the lightning began lighting the sky and Debbie threatened that she was going onshore if this lightning continued.  I assured her that we were almost there.

We came around the corner of the shoreline and saw our boat launch.  A couple of intrepid fishermen in a small skiff raced us to the boat launch and as we hauled out the kayaks, the heavens opened up and a hailstorm of biblical proportions crashed down on us!!  The ground turned icy white and the noise of the hail, hitting the water and the bushes made a loud hissing noise.  We stood under a small shelter and laughed at how the day changed in such a short few hours. The storm passed over us in about a half an hour with lightning and the hail turned to heavy rain.  I found it kind of awesome, but Debbie had another word for it. 

After loading the kayaks, we drove to Rocky Mountain House and replenished a propane tank as well as picked up a juicy steak and some smaller groceries.  Then off to Tim Horton’s to posts some more blog posts.  

Tomorrow it was time to move on so I broke down the campsite, as I barbequed the steak and Debbie readied the trailer for the start of the trip to Jasper.   We enjoyed a great supper and toasted the day.       

June 7, 2019

It rained all night and was still raining when we awoke. This day was going to turn into one of those days that we were just going to “chill out”.  It was a cold 5 degrees, and a constant drizzle.  Alberta needs the rain both for slowing down those wildfires and also to get those newly seeded crops out of the ground. The radio was advertising a local golf tournament as well as the start of the Annual Rodeo.  Good luck with that!

Debbie broke out her sewing machine and began to sew on a project that she had been working on before we left Nanaimo.  She had a deadline to complete it by July  1^st. so this was a good day to work on it.

I was behind in working on the blog so I too needed this day to work on it and post some posts that I had worked on in the past week.  

We both worked steadily for three hours and then decided that we could go back to Rocky Mountain House find a wifi hot spot and post some posts as well as catch up on some e-mails.   

We shopped at the local Canadian Tire for a USB memory stick so that Debbie could download some movies.   We then went to Tim Hortons and hooked into their wifi.  I was able to post three posts, but their wifi was not strong and it took quite some time.  Debbie was unable to download the movies that she wanted to.

While we were busy working on the blog in Timmys we looked up and noticed a white Armadillo pulled by a white Santa Fe drive through the parking lot and park near the Tim Hortons.  We both exclaimed that someone had stolen our rig although our Santa Fe was still out front.  Debbie approached the driver and introduced herself as being an Armadillo owner also. Jeanette told us that she had purchased her Armadillo in Enderby in March.  She lives in Drayton Valley and was visiting her father in Rocky Mountain House.  She said she “absolutely loves her Armadillo”.  She obliged Debbie with a photo and Debbie gave her our blog business card and encouraged her to follow us on the blog.  Her Armadillo is #40.  Jeanette suggested that the Armadillo owners should have reunion.  It was a great coincidence.  

The rain had stopped late in the afternoon when we returned to the campground and we checked out the boat launch in the event we could go kayaking tomorrow.  The weatherman predicted another cold and wet day and mentioned that there was a possibility of snow tonight and the temperature could go down to 2 degrees!! 

Debbie whipped up a great chicken dinner and then we read and blogged until it was time for bed.  We will see what tomorrow brings.     

June 6, 2019

This campground has wonderful showers!!! A toonie gets you a hot shower for seven minutes!!  It really is the small things in life that you love and appreciate. 

We had acquired a good load of laundry so while Debbie did the laundry I moved our camp to another site for a longer stay.  Mosquitoes were becoming more prevalent as we travelled so we erected our net tent over the table for the first time.  This tent had been a source of argument with us prior to leaving Nanaimo.  Debbie convinced me that we needed one and I had reluctantly agreed to the purchase.  Today I had to admit that she was RIGHT !!! My Brother John gave us a ZapLight for bugs. It provides a great reading light but also has a blue light that attracts bugs and they fly into the coils and get zapped and die. It works great.             

We noticed in our travels that the reservation system in the Provincial and National Campgrounds could be quite a chore in terms of acquiring campsites, even at this time of year.  We were able to get a campsite here however, would not be able to secure a campsite in Jasper until Sunday, June 9^th. This was unexpected as we did not want to set dates for our destinations throughout the trip.  We reluctantly spent some time later in the day at the visitor centre, a wifi hot spot, to obtain campsites in Jasper, Cold Lake and Waskesui Saskatchewan, our future destinations.  

We had to buy some groceries, beer and miscellaneous articles, (I had forgotten to pack an electrical extension cord).  Debbie was able to find another quilt shop, 21 Stitches, and she had to visit it.  It had just opened and today was the second day of operation.  The owner, Natasha, named it after the year of her age that she had started quilting.

The weatherman had promised rain and it started in the late afternoon.  The temperature dropped to 4 degrees by 6:00 pm and although Debbie braved the cold until 8:30, I wimped out and came inside to the warmth of the trailer and curled up in the bed. 

June 5, 2019

Up early, and a quick breakfast and we were heading out. We said goodbye to Piet and Judy and thanked them for being such great hosts.

We had planned our trip to take secondary roads and continued across central Alberta through farmlands and pastures to Innisfail, Alberta.  We had phoned ahead to have coffee with our nephew Greg, brother John’s son, who lives there with his wife Terra and daughter, Brielle.  We met at Tim Horton’s and had an enjoyable visit. It was camp day at Tim Horton’s so we also got a visit from a local Mountie in the picture!

Before we drove out of Innisfail, we spotted a monument of a fighter jet, a CF104, the plane that Debbie’s father flew in the Canadain Military before he retired. We had to stop and take a photo of it.  

Onwards and westward!  We are technically supposed to be heading eastward, but had decided to travel through to Jasper so that we could head eastward from there.  The Alberta wildfires had changed our itinerary as the fires had now cut off our destination to Wood Buffalo National Park. We decided to continue east from Jasper to Edmonton and then to Cold Lake, Debbie’s early childhood home.

As we gassed the vehicle in Spruce View, we noted that the price of gas was the cheapest so far on our trip at $1.11 per liter.  We decided that Rocky Mountain House was to be our destination for today.  

We arrived in Rocky Mountain House and after visiting the visitor’s centre, we settled for the Crimson Lake Provincial Park for our campsite. 

Rocky Mountain House was preparing for a busy weekend as the annual stampede as getting started.  The campground was quiet however, was expected to be full by the weekend.  

We secured our campsite for the evening.  We were to explore this area, do some kayaking and see what Rocky Mountain House has to offer. 

June 4, 2019

Our plans today included travelling into the Red Deer River valley to visit some historical sites as well as points of interest about the formation of this incredible landscape.  We would end the day by going to Three Hills to meet up with Piet ‘s son, Peter and family, wife Chantelle and son Brooks age 18 mts.  Piet’s daughter Tanya is also coming to join us for supper.  Tanya lives in Beiseker, approximately 40 kms from Three Hills.  

Before we headed out, Piet and I drove to a large field across the road from his house.  We watched two large John Deere sprayers working on the field.  These machines are huge, with a spray boom of 140 ft. each and a large 1700 liter onboard tank.  A transport truck tanker provided the water and pesticide that is pumped into the sprayers. The large 5ft tall wheels can be extended or narrowed to be able to drive between the planted crop rows.  The cab is pressurized and air conditioned and the machines are controlled by satellite GPS so that the operator does not over spray and they each know how the fields are “painted” by watching an inboard screen.   They were able to cover the entire section sized field in a matter of an hour.  The operators of the sprayers and the truck looked to under 20 years of age. 

These young men are from the nearby Hutterite colony and learn the various trades and are educated on the colony.  There are approximately 150 people that live in the colony and live in houses and apartments on site.  The colony own many sections of land and are highly successful farmers using the most up to date technology and equipment.  The children go to school on site and learn various trades. They are terrific neighbors to Piet and Judy, providing eggs and vegetables and helped Piet when he was convalescing from a recent knee replacement operation. 

It was then time to head out and explore the area.  We visited the Horse Thief Canyon and the Dry Island Buffalo Jump.  Both these sites are located on the edge of the Red Deer River Valley and have endless canyons and gorges shaped by the millions of years of erosion.  The valley bottom is hundreds of feet below and the river winds its way through the valley.  We crossed the river on the Beliot Ferry, a cable driven ferry.

After a long drive through the many fertile fields and coulees we made our way to the town of Three Hills to meet up with Piet’s clan, and enjoyed a wonderful supper.  During our conversations, we learned that Tanya, our niece, had just been at the Bar U ranch after we had been there.  She was helping out seeding the crops and was hopeful that she would be picked up as a “swamper”, at the upcoming Calgary Stampede.  A “swamper”, we learned, is an outrider with the horse teams. She owns a Clydesdale and also a miniature pony.

Peter and Chantelle live in Three Hills.  Chantelle is a vice principal in a high school in Trochu and Peter works for the City of Calgary and commutes the 45 minute drive each day. Driving long distance in Alberta, we found out, is not an issue.  We congratulated Chantelle for recently completing her Master’s degree.  It was our first time to meet young Brooks, a happy, blond, ball of energy.      

It was then time to drive home and to bed early as Piet and Judy work tomorrow and we had to continue on.  The weather incidentally, was hot and dry during the day but by suppertime the winds came up and the temperature dropped to 5 degrees!