#37 Jun 2014 Old hills, NWMP, Sask winery??? and sand dunes

Ralph grew up on a farm near Birch Hills, 20 miles from Prince Albert. Despite the Saskatchewan reputation of flat prairie, that area has lots of hills and trees – hence the name “birch” “hills”.

My mother grew up south of Regina and Dad grew up east of Swift Current, Sask. I spent many vacations in southern Saskatchewan and yes, much of the countryside is flat but there are a great variety of crops, ranches, hills and river valleys.

June 11th we headed east on the Trans Canada. Right from the beginning this trip brought back the sights and smells of summer in southern Saskatchewan. Maple Creek was our first stop. It is small but centrally located to explore the Cypress Hills and area. Such wide open spaces to enjoy sunsets and moonrises.

At 4,800’ above sea level the Cypress Hills are the highest point between Labrador and the Rockies. Parts of the Hills were not covered by ice during the last Ice Age.

This aggregate rock formation is one of the layers which created the Hills.

This view shows the sand hills 100 km away. They are the “sandy” coloured streaks below the horizon on the right.

There was an Indian Massacre in the Cypress Hills in 1873. This hastened the formation of the North West Mounted Police to enforce Canadian law and order. Fort Walsh was the second fort established by the NWMP. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a sense of the rigours and rewards of the first police force in Canada.

This jail cell was frequently shared by gunrunners and whisky traders who took advantage of the First Nations people.

This cannon was never fired but certainly created fear in the “bad guys”.

The Hills are a refuge for a great variety of wildlife.

Some less wild than others. Grazing is a managed part of maintaining the balance of the grasslands. Cows are very placid and just watch us with calm brown eyes.

A vineyard and winery in southern Saskatchewan??? They have generous tastings and a lovely patio.

Yes, they even grow their own grapes as well as several types of fruit – rhubarb wine anyone?

A killdeer family has set up a home in the parking lot of the winery. Papa is very protective of his impending family.

Pronghorn antelope are reputed to be spotted along the Trans Canada Highway in southern Sask. We looked and looked - nothing until we headed north towards the Great Sand Hills Ecological Reserve. They are beautiful and move so quickly.

The museum in Septre took us on a tour of the history of the people in the Sandhills. Sometimes we feel very old when we visit museums and see displays we have experienced.

The ladies of the era scheduled their hair appointments with determination. I can’t imagine subjecting myself to this version of a perm! The hair was oiled, rollers applied and the cords were connected to an electric machine which sent currents through the cords to the hair.

Yes, sand dunes in the middle of the prairie.

What a diverse country we live in.

#36 Jun 2014 SIX Months and Loving It!

June 13, 2014

Yes, we have been living the full time RV lifestyle for 6 months today!

This lifestyle is everything we hoped for and more. It has been a perfect transition from work to retirement. We were not at home to be reminded about work. We met new people and shared new experiences. We avoided winter.

We have very little housekeeping to do. I am slowly rearranging cupboards and remembering where to find stuff. We continue to get rid of “stuff” we don’t need in this lifestyle.

Our motorhome is now 6 years old so there is normal maintenance which gives Ralph manly satisfaction. He is learning more about the unit and feeling comfortable with its performance.

We have had precious time to visit family and friends.

My challenge is getting mobile in the morning. I am not a morning person and it’s such a luxury to not hear the alarm, however, we still need to take advantage of daylight hours to be tourists.

Ralph’s challenge is learning to find a chore on his list while he waits for me to get ready for the day and finish my morning chores.

Our challenge is settling down to really plan our next destination. It is very easy to say we will do such and such when we don’t have a map or brochures in front of us. We have been very fortunate that we have always been able to stop at the parks we have chosen.

In the Calgary area we have stayed in Cochrane at Bow RiversEdge Campground. We highly recommend the park for the well laid out sites and spectacular prairie sunsets.

In Calgary a very big highlight for us was watching our granddaughter’s Musical Theatre dance recital at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. They performed “Hard Knock Life” from “Annie”. They were great and had lots of fun.

All of the dances were short, varied and very well choreographed. Three hours flew by and we were impressed with the finale and awards.

As we came out of the recital a dramatic lightning and thunderstorm captured our attention. In the pouring rain Dave guided us around downtown to view this Giant Head. The same firm created the Giant Raindrop at Vancouver’s new Convention Centre, the Giant Sparrow in Downtown Vancouver and the brand new Ice Walk at the Columbia Icefields. Amazing creativity.

I took this photo of the Raindrop in Vancouver in December but many people don’t know where or what it is. This may help.

In High River we had a great visit with Neil and Nancy then a very in depth tour of the flood damage. There is so much repatriation to be completed. This house is a shell with nothing on the back, river side. Look through the basement windows.

Look closely at the muddy, yellow high water line on this house.

This washed out sidewalk is a small example of the power of water.

The black line in this photo is the new berm between the homes and the water still sitting in the field.

Trish and Fars old home was in the flood plain so they had built a new one in what was supposed to be a safe area. The flood came from a completely unexpected direction. Their old home did not flood but their new basement flooded 5 ½ feet – nearly to the top of the patio support. The pressure of the water broke the window in the craft room and pushed a big screen TV through the door and across the family room.

On our way to Canmore we explored the historic McDougall Church. The story of Morley and the church is explained with well placed signage.

The nearby horses fit into the story very well.

We lived in Canmore from 1973 to 1978. Main street is the only area we now recognize including the Settlers Cabin. It opened when we were there and was the first boutique shop in town.

We intended to view flood damage but were so caught up exploring the new areas that we ran out of time.

Everywhere we go, there is always more to see and we look forward to many years of exploring with this RV lifestyle.

This post was ready to upload to the internet this morning. The internet must be having a full moon, Friday the 13th because it was so slow I washed the dishes between each photo upload. We hope you had a good Friday!

#35 May/Jun 2014 Sweet Celebrations!

I grew up and lived in various communities in Alberta. Ralph grew up in Saskatchewan and moved to Alberta as an adult. Since 1999 we have lived in Surrey surrounded by mountains and ocean. That environment has become our normal.

In the last few weeks we have re-absorbed the different feel of the prairies. The sky goes on forever.

But the countryside is not always flat.

Abandoned long ago, many homes and farm buildings dot the farmland. They are intriguing as we speculate about when they were built, who lived there and why they left.

This was the start of our family and friends visiting schedule. In Alberta and Saskatchewan we have many people that we stay in touch with but seldom see. Our trips east always focused on immediate family because our vacation time was limited. Now we have the time to see many more people.

In Camrose we had a short visit with Ralph’s cousin, Ken and his wife Noreen. Ken just had major back surgery and we very glad to see him moving slowly but steadily.

I was born in Edmonton but moved to Wainwright at age 7 so Wainwright has the most memories.

Fabyan campsite on the Battle River was a major part of our summers. We picnicked, climbed the hill and tried to skip rocks on the river. Dave and Kari have similar memories as we picnicked and camped there with my parents. As we drove by there was one site that would accommodate our RV and I was ecstatic. Hot dogs and marshmallows over the campfire and new memories were made. That was our first night “boondocking” – no services or hookups. We can do it!

The Fabyan hill has always been private property and now there is a fence with barbed wire to keep the public out. Apparently the park has been the site of parties that got out of control. Too bad, but that night was quiet and the stars were incredible.

In the early 1900’s buffalo were brought into the area to reestablish the herds decimated by hunters and settlers. They were later relocated and that area is now Camp Wainwright which is a major army training centre for troops from many countries.

Wainwright is a bustling community with a revived main street and many box stores, creating a feeling of prosperity. These businesses draw the army families into town and many retire there.

The clock on main street is a tribute to the fallen soldiers in the wars.

We visited Jim who gave me away at our wedding. He is 94 and still very alert and content with life.

Our next stop was North Battleford, SK where the prairie changes again.

We celebrated Ralph’s brother Paul’s 60th birthday and surprised his wife, Margo, with a joint party. It was a beautiful day for a picnic and lots of visiting. Family came from Calgary, Toronto and Surrey (us).

The next day in Saskatoon we celebrated Ralph’s nephew, Ryan’s, doctorate. A well-earned achievement.

In Saskatoon we also visited Stevey and Thelma. Stevey was one of the ministers who married us 42 years ago. After 64 years of marriage they still enjoy each other and are good friends. We can pray for the same future. At our wedding Stevey gave us handcuffs as he was determined that our marriage last.

We then celebrated Paul’s retirement. We were all ready to take a short retirement from cake!

On our way to Edmonton we stopped in Vegreville to enjoy the world’s largest Easter egg. There is a great Ukrainian village, as well, but that will have to wait for another visit.

In Edmonton we visited with 3 of my cousins and their wives. Jim and Lorna, Mike and Gayle, Jon and Sharon were great to see and we caught up with everyone’s lives.

We visited Beatrice who is the widow of the other minister who married us. That event took 2 ministers and handcuffs and certainly worked for us.

We took one day to rest and sort through all our conversations and visits. We exchanged so much information with so many people our heads needed a break.

#34 May 2014 Dinosaurs

My Mother’s Day continued on Monday when we visited with our daughter Kari’s son Joey and his father. They live in Regina but were in Calgary for a few days. In the evening we had supper with our son Dave and his daughter Danica. A great start to get away from home and catch up with family and friends.

We stayed at Bow RiversEdge campground in Cochrane just west of Calgary. We parked beside Karen and Keith whom we have known since our kids were babies in Canmore. They have been full time RVers for over 3 years and have shared invaluable tips and ideas as our adventure has evolved.

In Calgary we visited two aunts who are almost 89 and 97 years old/young. Some days they feel their age and others not so much. Their lives remind us to enjoy our health and mobility while we can.

Thursday, May 15th we packed up and headed for Drumheller and setup in Dinosaur RV Park. Their portable firepits are quite unique.

In our earlier family camping times we spent many days in Drumheller and we all have fond memories of dinosaurs and fossils. We wanted to create similar memories with Danica and agreed to spend the May long weekend doing just that. Friday morning we returned to Calgary and picked up Danica for the weekend. Dave had a meeting in Edmonton and drove directly to Drumheller Friday evening.

We had a great drive back showing Danica the sheep and cows and answering questions about the fields and farm equipment.

Many parts of North America has a very unusual winter and spring and we were seeing first hand evidence. North of Calgary there were ditches with snow under the grass.

In Drumheller we walked across the Red Deer River on the Star Mine Suspension Bridge. The bridge was built to carry coal miners to the mine in all weather. That would have been an extreme walk in the cold, windy winters.

The Atlas Coal Mine was the last one to close when natural gas became cheaper and cleaner that coal to heat homes and businesses. It’s an historical site with several tours to understand the history of the valley.

We took the coal train tour with an excellent guide who provided real examples of the life he was describing. While the passengers waited these volunteers were switching the train tracks so we would not run off the rails.

In the washhouse we were able to use the pulleys to carry wet clothes to the rafters. The clothes would dry as the heat rose as well as leave more room on the floor.

This coal train engine was well named.

There were many posters reminding the men of the dangers of their jobs but still many people were injured and killed. The back breaking, manual equipment is hard to comprehend in today’s western world.

Royal Tyrell Museum is fascinating and sometimes overwhelming with the information and models of dinosaurs and their ancient environment. We will return another time in order to retain more info.

Horse Thief Canyon viewpoint put us on top of an incredible view of the layers of history carved by the Red Deer River over thousands of years.

This view from across the valley shows the dramatic drop from farmland into the Canyon and why rustlers could herd horses into the canyon and bring them out with a different brand.

There are creative dinosaurs everywhere in Drumheller.

This one has a staircase inside to get a dinosaur's eye view.

We have pictures of Dave and Kari in this stew pot many years ago.

Fossil World Dinosaur Discovery Centre has a great story to tell and many hands-on experiences. This very animated T Rex tries to intimidate people but some visitors talk back.

Kids can dig for fossils with the help of a staff person. They find real fossils and can keep their favorite – including a description of the fossil.