Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Prince George
After a very long and adventurous driving day, we made it to Prince George. The traveling companions of Blanchard, Leach, Beardshear-Zimmerman and Warrens decided to do a little hiking to waterfalls along the way.
We started off at 8:30 and shortly thereafter spotted two elk alongside the road. Did they ever have antlers! A short time later we saw a black bear hightailing it across the road.
The Canadian Rockies are huge and spectacular. We've left the canola fields behind and traded for the huge mountains.
Our lunch stop in McBride was great. Inside the old railroad station was a cafe with everything homemade. We all got soup, sandwiches and pie for dessert. My varieties were: meatloaf sandwich, crab and asparagus soup and half of Larry's pecan pie!
Then on to the campground. We discovered we are not among the chosen few to receive WiFi, but then we do have sewer. Larry says he'd rather have WiFi. Luckily, Edgar and Kathy Simmons have donated their motorhome's very good connection to our cause. In return, I'm getting Edgar all fixed up with his very own blog.
Dinner at the Bon Voyage Restaurant last night was a buffet, one of the best we've ever had! The young Asian cook was very proud, as he should be! After that, about 12 of us headed out to a community center where a fiddling contest was being held. We were able to get in on the very end and it was very enjoyable. We seem to get recognized as strangers wherever we go and introductions to the entire crowd are always made. So much for anonymity.
This morning we headed to a Presbyterian church with Edgar and Kathy - soon to be joined by Mary and Chuck Banker. Chuck is retired from his NFL job and is Larry's hero! Mary is our resident photographer. If she doesn't have a picture of a site or event, it's not worth taking.
The church was not as well-attended as our at home, and of course we were singled out as guests. And, made to feel VERY welcome.
This afternoon was time for laundry. The gang always seems to end up at the same laundromats and we've made some very good friends that way. Those dryers sure seem to be shrinking my clothes, though. I may never want to wear them again, anyway.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Road to Jasper
It's been a few days since we had decent WiFi. Hopefully, I can remember everything.
After Lloydminster we headed to Edmonton, Alberta's largest city. Our campground was located in Devon, just south of Edmonton. Right on the river in a beautiful location.
The city bus tour took place on Monday - in the rain. Plan B was that we see the city from the bus and then tour the Alberta Museum. We scrambled to see everything, plus eat lunch there at the same time. A young mother of 3 boys sat at our table and highly recommended the Ft. Edmonton Park for our next day's outing. We took her advice.
After Ft. Edmonton Park we returned home and went back to Edmonton to an Italian restaurant so we could celebrate Gene Blanchard's 63rd birthday. Delicious dinners for all.
The wine was good, also.
We left with the parkers on Wednesday to Jasper. The campground handed out all the site assignments, so we found ourselves without parking jobs! Oh, Well.... Larry felt sorry for Lyle and helped anyway. After everyone was in, we headed for Judy Erb's site for a large happy hour - or hours, as was the case.
Thursday was our trip to Maligne Lake and a boat tour. It was rainy and cloudy, but a very nice ride. After that, we had lunch at their restaurant-gift shop and then headed for Maligne Canyon. The parking lot was large and the first bridge was a short walk away. So, we then went to the 2nd bridge and its vantage point. And, the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th! By now we were far away from the parking lot, but the scenery rewarded our efforts. Spectacular! Our fellow hikers had all fallen off the trail by now - except for Gene and Kathy. We all took the horse trail back and found it to be a much more comfortable walk without all those steps.
Tomorrow will be our trip up the tram to the top of the mountain. I've already checked out the town's quilt shop and it's a very nice one, but alas - the pricing is still Canadian! I'll wait until we get to Alaska!
Saturday it's on to Prince George (where we stayed twice on our Alaska caravan). Two more stops after that is Larry's favorite - the bears hang out in Hyder, Alaska!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Prince Albert
Our next destination was Prince Albert, where we stayed at the Exhibition Grounds. Fortunately the RV park backed up to a shopping mall, so we were thrilled. Tim Horton, Wal Mart, Sobey's, and on and on.
Wednesday most of us took off for the Prince Albert National Park, about an hour north of town.
The Blanchards went with us for the day and Rosemary and Carlos tried to fish. Before that, we checked out the Farmers' Market and bought lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, honey and fresh bread.
The bugs were fierce, but we were armed with spray and took a very nice hike along the lake. As we left the park, our one and only wildlife sighting was a black bear.
Thursday was Free Day and nearly everyone went to the laundromat in the morning. Afternoon was set aside for truck and trailer washings, a trip to DQ and later in the evening - a great dinner at Amy's on Second with Leaches, Blockers and Blanchards.
A driving day on Friday to Lloydminster on the border of Alberta and Saskachewan. Right after we arrived the sky let loose with rain and hail. But, we were undeterred. There is a fair taking place this weekend, so the six of us squeezed into our truck and off we went. The rains did indeed prevent most of the activities we'd hoped for, but we still got a grease-laden dinner of fish and chips, saw the draft horses, a petting zoo, a "Birds of Prey" show and a young female singer whose songs all sounded the same.
Tomorrow we tour the Heritage Cultural Centre in the morning and have a cookout for dinner.
Sunday it's on to Edmonton.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saskatoon, SK
The Merry Wives of Windsor was attended by: Leaches, Bacons, Blanchards and Warrens on Sunday night. It was a great show and most of us agreed that the actor who portrayed Falstaff was by far the best!
Before the performance we had a picnic across the street from the theatre area and watched a hot air balloon getting filled with hot air. It eventually rose, after getting rid of about half its original passengers. We never did find out where it went because we had to get to the play right after it achieved liftoff.
The play was fast paced and very humorous. We really had to pay attention to get the full effect.
On our way home we saw an interesting sight - a large number of baby skunks crossing the road! They were very cute.
Monday - We took off early to find someone who could fix the power steering malfunction in the truck. Finally success at the Chevy dealership. Carlos picked us up and not more than three hours later it was ready. We then headed for the Berry Barn - and lunch. It was delicious and we all had some form of Saskatoon Berry Pie for dessert.
The girls (Kathy, Kathy and Rosemary) then left the guys to fend for themselves and took off for some shopping. Kathy and Rosemary are still searching for small memento gifts for the birthday people of the caravan. Some success at the Superstore, but we enjoyed looking at the Canadian craft/gift stores.
Tomorrow we head for Prince Albert and the national park.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
River Cruise
I got ahead of myself. Last night we took a cruise down the river and had dinner aboard the boat.
It was a nice night and the food was delicious.
We are camping in a city park along the river and our sites are quite nice. We have lots of space in ours, which worked out well last night for our first GAM (Get Acquainted Meeting). We then took Tom and Penny Angelini with us to the waterfront.
The drive to Saskatoon was lovely and we stopped for lunch at a great roadside rest area. It had a giant mural-painted coffee pot and mug, as well as a large bird house with smaller bird houses inside. It was full of various birds as well, including parakeets, cockateels, and other small and cute ones.
Sunday in Saskatoon
What a beautiful day! We headed out for church downtown, but our original destination was closed for the month of July, so we went across the parking lot to Plan B. It was meant to be.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon was very nice, indeed. Built in 1912, it is the second most photographed building in Saskatoon. The service was very nice, but it was sad they had so few parishioners. We 10 visitors definitely stood out in the pews.
They had some refreshments following the service and we visited with many of the people before taking the tour of the church and Columbarium. A cemetery it's not! The remains are in glassed cubicles and can contain mementos, pictures, (small bottles of Jack Daniels) and the like. One had the inscription, "I'd Rather Be Golfing". Chairs were placed inside the rooms, along with boxes of tissue for "visiting".
We then decided to head down the street for brunch at the Delta Bessborough Hotel. We wanted to do one similar to Banff Springs Hotel's and weren't sure we'd have many opportunities down the road. It was very nice and I don't think we'll need dinner!
Tonight we'll be heading back downtown for Shakespeare in the Park to see "Merry Wives of Windsor".
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Great Day in Regina
What a gorgeous day. We carpooled to Saskatchewan Science Centre to view the exhibit of "Our Body: The Universe Within" with real human bodies. It was most informative. Since the rest of the centre was primarily geared to children, the Leaches, Blanchards and Warrens decided to see what else there was to do in the area.
The Legislative Building did stand out a bit, so we decided to check it out. A tour was available, so we took it. Kelly was a great guide - and we even taught her a few things!
Lunch followed and then it was time for the IMAX movie back at the centre. Excellent and touching.
The rest of the afternoon was spent by going to the MacKenzie Art Gallery and then a coffee shop. Across the street from the coffee shop was a bookstore going out of business. 30% off all merchandise did not tempt us, as that's still more than we pay back home.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Gillette to Regina
The Caravan has begun. However, we had a few adventures on our way that must be mentioned first.
Since Medora, North Dakota, is an interesting tourist attraction - and located about halfway between Gillette and Regina, several of us decided to spend two days there.
The first night we chose to partake of the Pitchfork Fondue Dinner and then head over to the Medora Musical performance. We were joined by Carlos and Rosemary, Gene and Kathy Blanchard, George Scott and Marilyn Curtis and Cal and Peggy Meuser. Excellent dinner and excellent entertainment, especially the comedian.
Yesterday we toured Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The guys (Larry, Gene and Carlos) took a LONG hike guided by a ranger, but the ladies chose to shop instead. We also had lunch and then all met for ice cream.
By this time Larry wasn't feeling well, so spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping. We had to get on the road early this morning because of the supposed time change. It didn't - because Canada doesn't "do" Daylight Savings. We're so far north up here, there's no need to.
The trip to Regina was beautiful. I talked everyone into taking the Montana route so I could take a trip down "Memory Lane". The highway more or less bypassed Glendive, but in Sidney we drove right by our old house and it looked totally different. Everything is greener than I have probably ever seen it because they've had lots and lots of rain.
We arrived in our campground around 1:30 and had the orientation meeting about 2 hours later. We then went back to get ready for our campground "Pitchfork Fondue Dinner" - an almost identical duplication of our Monday night's meal. However, the weather had other ideas. The sky opened up and POURED! It did let up long enough for us to grab dinner and then take them back to our rigs to consume. We also managed to squeeze in our laundry and a trip to Safeway. We're back in civilization again. There is even a Costco nearby. HOORAY!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
4th of July
Happy Birthday, America.
Our time here in Gillette is nearing its end and we have had a wonderful time. Highlights of the last few days include:
Nor Cal ladies tea downtown with a little shopping thrown in for good measure.
Hypnotist entertainment at the evening show. Truly hilarious. Some of those volunteer "stars" will never live it down! We have long memories!
Last dinner with our Gillette hosts and Carlos and Rosemary. We will miss them all when we leave. Our end of the rally gathering with the hosts and Airstreamers was a bit emotional. We bonded quickly and hopefully will see them again down the road.
Tomorrow the silver bullets will take off in every direction - for home, new caravans, more adventures, etc. It seems like we were all just hugging "hello" and now it's time for "good-bye".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)