Trip Update July 2010 AB, BC, Part 1

Maligne Canyon
Young Black Bear
Maligne Lake
Western Wood Lilies

Jasper/ Rocky Mountain House
We rolled into the town of Jasper on Canada Day (July 1); so did about 20,000 Canadians and visitors. Every campground was full so we ended up at an overflow campground - a big field with at least 100 other campers. We spent four days exploring the lakes and doing some hiking. After hiking through Maligne Canyon we drove up to Maligne Lake. On our way up we saw a black bear along side of the road and we saw a grizzly on the way back down. From Jasper we drove down the Icefields Parkway and over to Rocky Mountain House. Just outside town is the Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site. This is the site of the archeological remains of four fur trading posts built between 1799 and 1875 on the banks of the Saskatchewan River. In 1807, the great Canadian explorer, David Thompson, used the trading post here as a base for his extensive journeys in western Canada.

Trip Update July 2010 AB, BC, Part 2

Young Cow Girl
Mounties, always a crowd favorite
Street Cleaner, horsing around
Hockey Float (Calgary Flames)

Calgary Stampede
We met up with other members of the Good Sam (RV) Club in Cochrane, AB and spent three days enjoying the Calgary Stampede. First we had reserved seats for the 2.5 hr Stampede Parade with lots of horses, bands and floats. Of course with so many horses, you need street sweepers to clean up their mess and even these machines were decorated. At the fairgrounds we watched the various rodeo events. The following day we visited Heritage Park, where a pre-1945 Western Canadian village was recreated. There was also a fully stocked Hudson’s Bay Co. trading post, similar to what existed at Rocky Mountain House in the 1800’s. You would need more than a day to see most of the 150 exhibits. We left early to catch the Chuck Wagon races and the evening show and fireworks at the Stampede Park. The next day we returned to see sheep dogs compete against the clock in trying to herd sheep into a pen. Next we saw the World Championship of the six horse hitch competition. Each of the 15 wagons in the completion was pulled by 6 beautifully decorated draft horses (Clydesdales were one of the 4 types of draft horses represented). The output of one draft house is equivalent to 3.5 Horsepower!

Trip Update July 2010 AB, BC, Part 3

Tough way to make a living!

Chuck Wagon Race

Six Horse Hitch Competition

Calf Roping

Trip Update July 2010 AB, BC, Part 4

Moose family
Elbow Valley
Mountain Reflection
Pat in Birch Forest

Kananaskis Country
While all the international tourists flock to Banff and Jasper, the folks from Calgary avoid all these crowds and make the short trip to Kananaskis Country, which is that portion of the Canadian Rockies just south of Banff. The gem of this area is Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, and that is where we headed after the Stampede. The weather did not cooperate with our plans to hike, so we spent several hours in their excellent Visitor Center watching movies and playing interactive games. Despite the cold and wet weather we did get out on a few trails. We came upon a moose family enjoying the mud. We returned to Cochrane, AB to met Don and Patty White for dinner. They flew up from Miami for a wedding and to see the Canadian Rockies. From here we drove down to Elbow Valley and enjoyed hiking in the area.

Trip Update July 2010 AB, BC, Part 5

Mountain Goats
Eldon and Lois at Summer Lake
Tom, Mimi, Susan, Julie, and Pat
Island Lake Lodge


Fernie
Because we didn’t come here last year, we arranged to have 4 consecutive weeks this year at our place in Fernie. Our friends, Eldon and Lois, joined us for our first week. One night we headed up to Blairmore, AB for Thunder in the Valley. They put on a spectacular fireworks display and the noise of the fireworks echoed off the surrounding mountains. It was just what we needed after missing 4th of July fireworks! More than 10,000 people gathered in this small town to witness one of the largest fireworks displays in Canada. Another day we took a trip up into the mountains to Summer Lake. On the way to the lake, we saw several mountain goats. Later, Eldon gave me a lesson on fly fishing. I must be a quick learner because I got 4 flies and 6 mosquitoes. All Eldon could catch were fish. After a week of beautiful weather, Eldon and Lois returned to Maryland’s heat and humidity.
Pat and I did a hike just outside of town and saw a wolf and a cow moose and calf. Before you could say get the camera out, they were gone. We explored the area and took it easy as the temps approached 90 F. Tom, Julie, Susan and Mimi arrived to spend some time with us. We hiked the Old Growth Cedar Trail and enjoyed lunch at Island Lake Lodge.