I found this post in my draft folder. Somehow I forgot to post it 10 days ago.
This photo was taken from inside the car. It is the sight we have seen so many times as we cross-over Bow Summit (travelling north) and we enter into the Mistaya valley. Do you see the “beehive” in the center of the photo? At the bottom right of that beehive of trees is Waterfowl Lake campground. Although we knew these clouds meant more rain, it was a spectacular array of blues and greys as we headed home. It is Thursday afternoon and we decided to take a drive down to Bow Lake so that we could dry off in the car after our Siffleur walk. This shot is taken as we head back north to our campsite. Click here if you would like to seea couple more photos.
We were at Cypress Hills from Thursday until returning to Regina on Sunday. One of our highlights was visiting the Cypress Hills Vineyard and Winery which is located about 20 minutes southwest of Maple Creek on the highway to the Fort Walsh (which is a national historic park.) Click here to go to their website. This business is a wonderful example of how a ranch couple diversified after the BSE crises of 2003. Read the website for the full story.
Click here if you’d like to see photos of their various water features/ponds/streams as well as their vineyard. We taste-tested three wines. I really enjoyed a glass of rhubarb wine (white) while we shared a bread and cheese platter. The rhubarb wine is already sold out, but I have already put a reminder on my calendar to place an order next May.
We got into Swift Current by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday (19th). Doug lit the pilot light on the water heater and we gave the washer & drier a workout. We went shopping for a new mattress set which will be delived on Friday. We went shopping for a few things for the house e.g. a mini microwave for only $49! It was great to get a feel for the house. On Thursday we got groceries and then headed out to Cypress Hills.
This is the closest that I get to an “art shot.” I saw some amazing clouds on this holiday. This photo was taken through the car window as we were driving to Swift Current from Dinosaur Provincial Park. Click here if you’d like to see a couple more sky photos. Look at that flat, barren landscape … isn’t it beautiful?!
I do have one little story … a “poor Doug” story. It’s Wednesday morning and we’ve decided to leave Dinosaur Park a day early so that we could camp for one night at our house in Swift Current. Remember that we got a GPS unit back in July and the voice we hear is “Samantha’s?” On this trip we decided we would obediently follow Samantha’s directions. Samantha told us to drive straight south from the park for 27 kilometers on a gravel road which would then intersect with the Trans Canada Highway. It was a very wide gravel road in excellent condition. I commented on how wide it was and Doug explained it was for all the heavy traffic of oil rig trucks carrying crude from the jack pumps. We got about 10 km into the journey and we hit mud … a lot of mud … there was even mud on our windshield. On the GPS unit it counts down the number of kilometers … it was slow going but at least we never stopped moving on the top side of the road.
We didn’t take any further gravel roads.
We got home from holidays on Sunday, August 23rd but I’ve been tuckered out, finishing off packing … and of course doing quite a bit of coffee-ing with friends. Time to get caught up on our holidays!
On Monday, August 17th we left Rhett & Leah’s in Calgary. It was a beautiful, sun-shining morning as we headed out to Dinosaur Provincial Park which is about a half hour north of Brooks AB. The photo above is as we enter the park area. What always amazes me is that the landscape of southeastern Alberta is so absolutely flat … more extensively flat than the part of SK where I grew up. As you approach you begin to see this rift in the earth where the badlands occurs. It’s not such a wide breach and then it is back to the absolutely flat tabletop grassland.
We have camped at the park numerous times, but it has likely been fifteen years since we were last here. There are a number of short hikes from the campsite area. Although the Royal Tyrrell Museum is the primary tourist destination (we did drive north to Drumheller to visit the museum as well) it is Dinosaur Prov. Park which is where the fossil beds are located in wich most of the digs are taking place. You can take half day hikes out to the work sites (only on a scheduled hike with a guide.)
Click here to see a number of photos of the badlands, including our drive up to Drumheller which included driving back into a very scenic valley. At Dorothy AB, a near ghost town, there were several old buildings as well as the Atlas Coal Mine which is a historic site to visit.
When we got into Calgary … after having showers … we all went out to “The Keg” and had a great meal. We rented the movie “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” and it was actually quite good except for the title. On Saturday we mainly putzed around the house … and I wrote a bunch of blog posts which you’ve been reading “two per day.” Leah worked all afternoon making pizza & Italian pizza bread, she picked crab apples and made a pie, and she picked beans for our supper as well! She was tired but our tummies were full with wonderful food! Saturday night we watched “New in Town” and it was a delightful chick flick; then we watched “Twentyseven Dresses” … but Rhett refused to watch it … another chick-flick. Doug was a good sport and suffered through it … “poor Doug.”
This morning Leah & I walked down the block to the United Church. It was a wonderful service and I felt my spiritual batteries were recharged through the worship. Doug & I headed out to the Calgary Zoo. It poured rain just as we arrived … but then it stopped and it was the most beautiful afternoon. Click here if you would like to see the 40+ photosfrom the zoo. I had a psychic conversation with this tiger. It seemed like he/she was talking right into my eyes. Then I began to think he/she was sizing me up for lunch!
It was hard to pick only two photos to share … but who can resist a giraffe? Especially if you grew up watching “The Friendly Giant” on TV as a child! There was also a mature giraffe who was gigantic … I suppose as they shoud be.
We went out for a Vietnamese supper … and fortunately they had the Riders VS Ti-Cats on big screen TV. Then we went to Rhett & Leah’s neighbourhood pub and watched the remainder of the game. YEAH … the Riders won! I’ve spent the rest of the night writing a bunch of posts that you won’t be reading for four or five more days!
Tomorrow morning (Monday – 17th) we head out to Dinosaur Provincial Park just north of Brooks AB. On Thursday we head to Cypress Hills in southwestern SK. Rhett and Leah, Leah’s parents, and Emily will join us there. I won’t be posting again until we return to Regina on the 23rd.
The most incredible thing happened to us … four wolves crossed the highway in front of us just north of Bow Lake (about 25 minutes south of our campground.) It doesn’t matter how much it rained … we saw four – FOUR – woves at one time.
At first I thought it was a stray dog as this isn’t too far from a rustic inn/tourist destination. Then another, and another, … and then another.
They even stayed on the edge of the road for about three minutes, just casually hanging around and tussling a little bit with each other. Click here if you would like to seea few more photos. These are really the best ones. Doug had the good sense to say that we should report this at the Lake Louise (National Park) Visitor’s Information Centre. They called “dispatch” and the person asked to speak with Doug. She asked, “Do you have any idea how rare this is to see four wolves?” … Doug knew!! They took Doug’s contact information as a biologist may call him to get copy of the photos.
How unbelievable is all of this !?!
Some people might not think that I need to post a photo of my perfectly designed fire … but I disagree. We are all pyromaniacs in our family and it is usually a fight to get to see who gets to make the fire.
I wanted all of you to be sure to know that I can create a lovely fire … and it only took three discretely placed firestarters to help my blaze. You do remember that it has rained a lot and a bit of help is needed. Remember this is still Thursday. It’s suppertime and we can’t decide if we should try to eat at the campsite or move immediately to the camp kitchen. It’s very dark in the camp kitchens and it was only about 5:30 and rather bright outside.
Well … this is all the wood that ever got on the fire because it started rain.
Here is a photo of Doug’s perfect fire in the camp kitchen. Doug cooked supper with pots and pans directly on the cast iron stove. Eventually we had a number of folks join us in the cozy warm & dry retreat. A older couple from Spokane, a thirty-ish woman from France who started bicycling from Achorage, Alaska in May and will arrive in Mexico City in December (she has a return ticket for Dec 20th). Despite a language barrier we heard a bit about her adventures. There was a couple from New Brunswick. And to my great delight there was a young man bicycling from Jasper to Calgary who was originally from the Bruce Pennisula (just outside of Wiarton). He moved to Calgary a few years ago. I felt homesick for Ontario … and I think he does to.
This lovely evening came to an end just before 11:00 p.m. – as that is quiet time. It poured rain all night. It was raining in the morning but fortunately it stopped by the time Doug wanted to pull down the tent. We had arranged with Rhett & Leah that we would come into Calgary. Originally they were going to join us in Kannanaskis for a weekend of camping, but we made the right decision as it was still miserable on Saturday. (NOTE: I’m actually writing this post on Sunday night – 16th – from Rhett & Leah’s computer, but I have time-delayed all of these posts so you don’t get ten all at once.)
On Thursday, as the heavy clouds continued to hang low, we decided to head back east on the David Thompson Highway after Mistaya Canyon. We stopped at a pcinic area and made some lunch. We decided we would revisit Siffleur Falls as we’d been there about 15+ years ago. To get there you must walk across a suspension bridge which crosses the North Saskatchewan River. Fifteen years ago, Doug thought it was funny to make the bridge bounce as I walked across it … it made the kids laugh … I gave him strick instruction that there would be none of that tom-foolery again! It is very un-nerving as you can see through the grates and it bounces and swings (but only a bit), but it is a very long walk across a very cold, swift moving river.
After about 45 minutes of walking it began to drizzle … and then it began to rain. We got as far as the Siffleur Gorge seen here, but we decided to turn around. The falls would be about another 30-40 minutes upstream. We were walking on so many rocks and tree roots, and they become like marbles in the rain.
When we got back to a small bridge a group of four, and their big dog, caught up to us. They excitedly said, “Did you see that sow bear and her two cubs just back there?” Ignorance is bliss! I’m always thinking that there are critters in the forest snickering at us humans who “can’t see the forest for the trees.”
Wednesday night we had a thunderstorm overtop of our tent, and more rain. But Thursday morning we were up and on our way to do some hiking. Mistaya Canyon is about 15 minutes north of our campground (Waterfowl Lakes). It is a perennial favourite of Doug’s and a “must see” along with Athabasca Falls. Doug asked if I would take this photo of him (he’s there in the green jacket) … out on the rocks … I’m not very happy with him being out there. I’m safe up on the high bridge quite far away.
These photos don’t really do the falls justice. The gorge is quite deep and the pothole sculpting is amazing. Click here if you’d like to seea few more photos of the rushing water.
