Day 327. June 29, 2014. Peace River outing

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta, in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Cool and some rain. Highs in 60s

Another nic day with my aunt and uncle.  

We drove about an hour north and attended church in a small community.  Aunt Martha is the education supervisor of the church's student minister from Korea.  Everyone was happy to see us.

After church, we drove a bit farther north to a park along the Peace River.  It is in a beautiful, lush valley.  We had a picnic and walked along the river.  Here are my aunt and uncle.

Martha and Leo's son Jeremy visited us from Vancouver.  We ate lobsters from Nova Scotia.  Quite a feast!

July 1 is Canada Day, so many people, like Jeremy, have a long weekend

Martha and I saved the lobster legs and bodies so we can make lobster bisque tomorrow.  

Day 326. June 28, 2014. Relaxing in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Perfect...Sunny, highs in 70s

Today was odd job day around the farm of my aunt and uncle.  George helped Uncle Leo with the water tank and helped set up their camper and awning.

We went into town to do some of our grocery shopping in preparation for Alaska.  We need to have enough to get us to Fairbanks.  I bought lots of canned goods.

In the evening, we went to my cousin Mandy's housewarming party.  She and her boyfriend have just bought a new house. 

DINNER:  Elk sausage on the grill.  As a side dish,  I sautéed some onions and added to black beans.  Cuban, with a Canaduan twist!

Day 325. June 27, 2014. Another nice day in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta in NW part of Alberta

WEATHER:   Beautiful. Sunny. Highs in 70s

We are enjoying  the longest stretch of great weather of this entire trip.  George worked on the camper tires, in preparation for the Alaska roads.  I cleaned out the car, hoping to find lost items and/or to consolidate boxes.  No luck on either front, but it does  look cleaner.

We went to a bakery for salads and sandwiches for lunch, and did some shopping.  We bought some British Columbia cider (apple and Saskatoon), as well as a growler refill to take to tonight's dinner party.

In the liquor store, we saw a can of pre-made Cesar's.  This is a drink that many Canadians love.  It is Clamato juice, vodka, and hot sauce.  This one was new....advertising bacon-flavored vodka!

The party was at the home of some friends of Leo and Martha.  The lady of the house is from England.  She grew up near Ringo Starr in Liverpool, and had interesting stories to tell about listening to young Ringo before he was famous.

We had grilled hamburgers.  An appetizer was pickled green beans...delicious.  Pickled by the hostess last year.    

Day 324. June 26, 2014. More in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta, in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Another beautiful day. Sunny. Highs in 70s

In the morning, I did a major spring cleaning of the camper.  George did odd jobs around the house.  We had another lovely lunch in the sunroom.

In the afternoon, we drove to a provincial park nearby where the geography is like the South Dakota Badlands

. We got in a short hike, enjoying a lot of wildflowers at their peak.  This is the Wild Alberta rose which is the provincial flower.

After a nice happy hour with British Columbia beer and Argentine wine, we had a good  dinner prepared by Martha.  We started with leftover bean/veg soup and added hamburger and more vegetables, accompanied by a Greek salad.  

Day 323. June 25, 2014. Grande Prairie maintenance

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta in NW part of Alberta

WEATHER:  Another beautiful day. Sunny. Highs in 70s

Today was maintenance day......I needed a haircut and George needed to change oil in the car.  We accomplished those tasks, then had lunch with Leo and Martha downtown.  

We shopped for dinner, which included a stop at the liquor store.  Prices are quite a bit higher  here than in the USA.  I bought a nice Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which we enjoyed later in the day as we planned our Alaska trip, studying maps and the Milepost reference book, and got helpful hints from Martha and Leo.  

We received a text from some friends in Rochester who are also headed to Alaska.  They were nearby. We had hoped for a rendezvous with them here, but it didn't work out.

Dinner on the sun deck, watching birds and bees happily flying around.

DINNER:  Grilled porkchops with leftover risotto with broccoli on the side.           

Day 322. June 24, 2014. Gathering in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta, in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Sunny and nice. Highs in 70s

We helped Aunt Martha prepare for the lunch meeting.  We set up tables in the sunroom, and got things organized.  About 15 people attended.  

For the lunch, George grilled hamburgers and veggie burgers, while Karmen arranged salads, condiments, and drinks.  Great success.

The group went out for dinner, and George and I stayed in.  We watered the garden, and then it rained!

DINNER:  I wanted to use up some leftovers......I tore some of the grilled chicken thighs into bits, and sautéed the chicken  with onion and garlic.  Added a bit of the leftover broth that I used for the risotto.  I made some spaghetti, and topped it all with Parmesan (more leftovers from risotto). 

Day 321. June 23, 2014. Nice day in Grande Prairie

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Beautuful. Highs in 70s

George cooked his famous shrimp and grits for breakfast...with a twist.  He used the meat from some of the leftover lobster legs.  It turned out great.  The weather is so nice that we ate in the sunroom.

Aunt Martha is hosting a business luncheon tomorrow, so we helped her prepare for that.  George and Uncle Leo worked on the deck, trimming lilac bushes, 

...while Aunt Martha and I cooked and shopped.

Enjoyed Skyping with daughter Alexis in Rochester, MN.  

For dinner, I made a mushroom risotto from a recipe I found online.  It called for truffle oil, which I miraculously have, scrounged from a campground kitchen several months ago in Texas that someone left behind. I marinated chicken thighs from a sauce we bought at the Tabasco factory in Louisiana.  George did them on the grill with some marinated portobellos.  This BBQ was a test of the gas grill, so we will be prepared to grill hamburgers tomorrow for the luncheon.  

Day 320. June 22, 2014. Relaxing in Grande Prairie

LOCATION: Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, in the northwest part of the province

WEATHER: Beautiful. Highs in 70s

We relaxed around my aunt and uncle's house, then took a walk in the park downtown.  Lots of people were out, enjoying the sunny weather.

For my Rotary friends....an idea for Rochester, perhaps.  The local Rotary Club manages a municipal RV campground here, next to the city park.

They also give tours to visitors

In the evening, we went to my cousin's house for a lobster dinner.  The lobster was flown in from Nova Scotia.  A local lady arranges this delivery for friends each year.  My cousin (my aunt and uncle's son) has 4 children, all in their 20s, who joined us, too.  We sat outside on their deck to eat.  Lovely evening. 

Day 319. June 21, 2014. Happy Summer Soltice!

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, in NW part of province

WEATHER:  Sunny and pleasant.  High around 70

With my aunt and uncle, with whom we are staying, we went to the senior center in their hamlet for brunch.  Then we visited the farmers' market where Martha bought some lovely Alberta cheese.  Martha had scouted out a craft beer store for George.  We tasted some beers on top, then George filled on of our growlers.  

George helped Leo in the garden while I finished an E-book that was about to expire.

Since it is Saturday, we listened to Prairie Home Companion, which comes on here at 4:00.  

Nice Skype call with daughter Meredith.  We did laundry and odd jobs around the camper. 

After dinner, we got ready to drive  to a mountain-top nearby to watch the sunset, on this longest day of the year.  Here is their deck around 9:00 when we left.

The view is beautiful from the top.   We could  see about 100 miles to the snow-capped Canadian Rockies.  We could also  see Grande Prairie below,  appropriately named,  as we are surrounded by a vast green prairie.  Here are Martha and Leo  on that mountain

These photos were taken about 10:00.  Here are George and I.  No sunset yet!

We took back roads home through lush grain and canola fields, interspersed with oil wells.  We arrived home about 11:00, when the sun was almost setting.  Lovely!

Day 318. June 20, 2014. Northward toward Alaska!

LOCATION:  Grande Prairie, Alberta in northwest part of province

WEATHER:  Sunny send nice. Highs around 70

We packed up from Jasper National Park and hit the road.  As we were leaving the park, we saw a grizzly bear along the road.  It is easy to spot wildlife.....just slow down when cars are parked along the side of the road, or sometimes just stopped in the middle of the road!  We also saw some mountain goats high up on a cliff, and a coyote.

We drove 250 miles northwest to Grande Prairie, through lots of pine forests, both provincial parks as well as commercial land.  Lots of logging trucks and oilfield trucks.

We will be staying with my aunt and uncle for about 10 days, here in Grande Prairie.  They have lived here for about 35 years.  My uncle is my mother's brother.  They grew up 300 miles south of here in the country near Edmonton.

The flowers here are so pretty.  This was taken in Lake Louise.  I think the flowers like the long days.

We had a nice evening.  Before we knew it, it was 8:00, and we were eating a nice dinner that Martha  prepared.  

At 10:30 we went to bed, even though there was this sunlit view from their deck

Day 317. June 19, 2014. Wildlife in Jasper!

LOCATION:  Jasper National Park in western Alberta

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Sunny, highs in 70s

We hiked on one of the trails in the park.  The trail followed a series of emerald-colored lakes.  We encountered two bears while hiking.  This was the first time we've been up close to a bear without being safely escounced in the car.  It was a little scary, but they were more interested in eating grass than us.

Then we drove to a picnic spot along a roaring river.  George had a peanut butter/honey sandwich.  I kept a lookout for bears who might have picked up the scent of honey.  George climbed down the rocks to fill our water jugs with the fresh mountain water.  He looked like he was going to fall in, and be swept away.  

In the afternoon, we drove to another hot springs.  It was so nice to soak in the pools surrounded by trees and mountains.  A lot of Europeans were there.  On the road near the hot springs, we saw lots iof big-horned sheep, and this big moose nonchalantly chomping on grass, not bothered by cars and people.

On our way back to town, we stopped in the Jasper Fairmount Lodge.  Like the hotel at Lake Louise, it is very high-end.  We met a couple this AM staying there.  They said it is $600 per night, but they got a "deal" at $400.  We had a drink on the patio overlooking the lake.  Really luxurious feeling

This little guy dined next to us

Back at the campground, George built a fire in the picnic shelter and cooked some sausages.  These shelters are so nice.  We relaxed and had an appetizer of wild boar pate which George bought in an unsupervised moment when we were at the gourmet food shop in Lake Louise. 

As we were eating dinner inside the camper, this herd of elk wandered into our campsite.  They were about 2 feet away from our door.  Amazing!

DINNER:  Jambalaya with some of the grilled sausages.  I added the rest of the  bell pepper and onions to use them up.  Quite good!

Day 316. June 18, 2014. Majestic Icefields Parkway!

LOCATION:  Jasper National Park in Western Alberta

WEATHER:  Couldn't be better! Sunny, highs in 70s

We packed up in Lake Louise and hit the Icefields Parkway.  It is named the most beautiful highway in the world.  We had a sunny day for the drive, too, making the mountains popping in the foreground.

This is a typical scene, with mountains, river,  snow and glaciers.

 We stopped for a picnic where a bear was running through the grounds.  We also stopped at the Columbia Icefields, but it was overrun by tourists.

We are giddy about the lack of rain here in Jasper with warmth  and sunshine.  We are staying outside of town in a nice, woodsy campground.  After getting set up, we put our damp clothes out to dry.  Probably look like country bumpkins!

We drove into town.  It was bustling with tourists and sporty-looking locals.  Several Canadian passenger trains arrive and depart here, with tourists connecting with tour buses.  I would love to take this train one day.  It has a roof dome to see the sites.

We went to the Jasper Brewpub for a beer and to watch the World Cup.  (At least that is what everyone else was doing!)

The hanging baskets throughout the town are pretty

We took another scenic drive in the evening, seeing bears, this caribou,

..and this elk

The days are so long that we didn't eat dinner until 9:00.  

DINNER:  Before this trip, I never bought too many canned meat-type products, but now I frequently buy canned tuna, chicken, sardines, corned beef, etc to have on hand. I invented this recipe that turned out well:  Pasta with clams.....I sautéed onions, leftover red bell pepper, and the rest of the frozen spinach.  I stirred it into a garlic/butter sauce.  At the end, I topped with a can of smoked clams and some diced smoked Gouda.  Smokin'!  

We went to bed about 10:30, and it was still light

Day 315. June 17, 2014. Hot springs!

LOCATION:  Lake Louise in Banff National Park, in western Alberta

WEATHER:  A bit warmer.  Sunny PM. Highs near 70

The day started cloudy again.  Here are the mighty Canadian Rockies soaring out of the clouds.

We took an all-day loop drive starting south on a scenic parkway in Banff National Park.  Then we drove through Kootenay National Park to Radium Hot Springs.  (We want to make sure we take full advantage of the Canadian National Park pass we bought!)

The natural hot springs were wonderful.  Very steamy.  We soaked in the hot pool, which warmed us up.  Hopefully the radon did not toast our innards!

We saw lots of beautiful mountains, mountain goats,  and waterfalls

On our way back, we stopped in Golden, British Columbia for a break.  We loved the town.....mostly young people who like mountain sports.  We had B.C. craft beers and a goat cheese dip.  Yummy!

Back here, we went back to Lake Louise.  Here is the lake with the glaciers behind.  It was much colder here, due to altitude and the clouds rolling in. We walked through the luxurious Lake Louise Chateau by Fairmont.  

We stopped at a mountain inn for a drink.  Really cozy with a fireplace.  It is fun to talk with the staff.  They are mostly college students here for the summer.

DINNER:  I really had to improvise on a hash brown omelette recipe I wanted to try.  The grocery here did not have frozen hash browns, so I substituted with  a can of corned beef hash.  This was the first time I used the convection oven in our microwave/confection oven combo.  It was essentially an omelette with the hash browns on top, then sprinkled with smoked Gouda.  It turned out well, but made way too much, so we will be eating leftovers.

Day 314. June 16, 2014. Rain, rain, go away!

LOCATION:  Lake Louise in Banff National Park, part of the Canadian Rockies in western Alberta

WEATHER:  More cold and rain. Highs in 40s

Since it was raining, we decided to do scenic car trips.  We visited the chateau/hotel at Lake Louise.  This is what it looks like on a sunny summer day

And this is what it looks like in winter

We had lunch in a village cafe.  Everything is super expensive.  We sat next to a woman, Fran,  who has been full-time RVing for three years.  

We drive to Yoho National Park which is next to us, in eastern British Columbia.  We saw lots of beautiful lakes and waterfalls.  All the parks have really nice lodges with cabins.  We stopped at this one to take a look inside.  The fireplace in the lounge area was cozy, and they were setting out afternoon tea.

The bar was cute, too, with mining carts on the bottom for a design.

I asked about the price for one night....$460!  

Bears are a big deal here.  Our campground has an RV side and a tent side.  The tent side is surrounded by an electric fence to keep out the bears.  The highways have overpasses and tunnels so the wildlife can cross safely.  Many of the trails are closed due to bear sightings.  George calls it Bear-anoia.   At the visitor center, we learned that this is more to protect the bears than the people.  They are trying to keep the bears natural, rather than becoming habituated to man.  We did see one grizzly along the highway.

We invited Fran over for drinks.  She is a professional photographer, and very interesting.  Always good to swap stories about interesting places to go, and campgrounds to hit.

The weather is supposed to be better tomorrow.  The constant rain is depressing!

I made the mistake of not grocery-shopping before we got here. Today,  I took my shopping list to the store in Lake Louise Village.  It is very high-end.  It is like a gourmet shop with a few staples.  Super expensive.  I ended up scrapping my menu ideas, and just buying a few things.

DINNER:  We needed to use the last 2 wieners, so I made a chili with them, and served like a chili dog.  Hearty, so hit the spot.

Day 313. June 15, 2014. On to Banff!

LOCATION:  Lake Louise in Banff National Park in western Alberta

WEATHER:  Cold and rainy. Highs in 50s

We packed up from Waterton National Park and headed northwest.  We drove on the "cowboy trail".  Lots of cattle in the fields.  The few ranch houses we saw seem very isolated.

We stopped at a historic site called Bar U Ranch.  It has been preserved in the style it was around the turn of the century.  We took a walking tour of the stables, chow house, ice house, and iron smith shop.  

People in period dress explained things.  It was very interesting. We had cowboy coffee with a lady who told us about the round-ups.  We learned that these chuck wagons were converted from old ambulance carts from the USA.

Unfortunately, the weather was cold and we got rained on.  This ranch was the largest Percheron horse breeders in the world.  They still haul the tourists around.

We were able to take a mountain road through a pass that had just opened up today, after being closed all winter. It was a beautiful drive.

We had planned to stop at a provincial park along the way, but the rain continued.  We decided to drive on to Banff.  We are in the town of Lake Louise, famous for its beautiful views and lakefront hotel.

By the time we got set up, it was 8:00, so we just had dinner and read.  We plan to stay here a few days.  Hope the rain stops.

DINNER:  Don't laugh....I had planned to shop today and had planned grilled chicken over the campfire.  We didn't shop, and it was not good campfire weather, so I dug into my back-up food box.  We had scalloped potatoes with jalapeño SPAM, with a side of canned corn. 

Day 312. June 14, 2014. Watery Waterton

LOCATION:  Waterton National Park in southern Alberta

WEATHER:  Cold and rainy

We awoke to a miserable cold rain.  The clouds were really socked in over the mountains.  It rained almost the entire day.  

We did a repeat on our scenic drives, thinking we might see different wildlife in the rain.  We saw a baby cub hiding in the branches of a tall tree.  Then, these big horned sheep appeared and seemed to want to run us down!

They were not afraid at all

We had lunch in a little cafe in the village.  It is so cute

We have thousands of prairie dogs running around the campground.  A British family camped next to us yesterday and their little children spent hours chasing them.  

They make big holes to hide in.  You really have to watch your step to avoid stepping into one

There is a red fox that runs around the campground, snatching 5-6 per day.

In the PM, we rented the old Robin Williams movie "RV".  It was hilarious.

Then, to end our stay, we visited the grand Prince of Wales Hotel which overlooks the village and lake. It was built in 1927.  

We had a drink in the lounge and enjoyed the view, which had cleared up.

DINNER:  Spaghetti in a pesto sauce with canned chicken, onions, and garlic.  I added a small can of peas and carrots, then topped with Parmesan.  I made Parmesan toast on the George Forman grill, too.  Yummy!

Day 311. June 13, 2014. Waterton, Wildflower Capital of Alberta

LOCATION:  Waterton National Park in southern Alberta

WEATHER:  Mostly sunny. High around 60

We biked to a nearby waterfall.  Beautiful.   In the winter, this park stays open.  One of the winter sports is climbing frozen waterfalls.  Not for me!

Then we took a 3-hour hike on a trail overlooking Waterton Lake.  We met back country hikers continuing on to the Montana border, about 10 miles.  The wildflowers are at their peak.  There is a wildflower festival here next week.  There were signs of bear and avalanche warnings at the trailhead.  We saw lots of globs of bear poop along the trail (extremely large and fresh), but no bears.  We walked by an avalanche path.  It was so strong that it had come all the way down the valley, then took out trees on the other side, going up.  

Waterton is supposedly the windiest place in Alberta.  It has been calm, but today lived up to its reputation.  There were white caps on the lake.  The afternoon turned blustery, so we did laundry in a warm laundromat, occupied by a backpacker warming up.

We are really appreciating the electricity hook-up.  It is amazing how something like that is so important....easy hot water, toast, heating pad to keep warm. 

In the evening, we made a fire in the picnic shelter and used our pie iron to make turkey/cheese paninis.

Here is George getting started....

Toasting away.....

And the finished product....

They turned out perfectly.  I think the cast iron has become seasoned.  (The first few times we used it, food stuck and burned)

DINNER:  The paninis with some canned soup that I doctored up.

Day 310. June 12, 2014. Wildlife in Waterton

LOCATION:  Waterton National Park in southern Alberta

WEATHER:  Sunny, nice. Highs in 60s

We took some scenic highway drives around the park.  It was a good day for wildlife spotting.

On our way, we saw this bear along the highway.  

The road ended at a mountain lake, where there is still ice.

Many of the hiking trails are still closed due to snow and avalanche debris like this we saw along the road.

The avalanches are so powerful that they tear down huge trees.

On this same drive, we saw this group of big-horned sheep.  They say that the sheep

and the deer have become a real problem in town, begging and butting the tourists to get food.  So the town has hired a woman with a sheepdog to herd them away.

Later in the day, we took another drive, this one to a beautiful canyon where we hiked.  Lots of hikers wear bells on their belts, making noise to scare away the bears as they walk.  On our way back, we saw this bear and followed him a bit with the car

Then, back in a picnic area in town, we saw a mother bear and her 2 cubs.  She seemed pretty calm

OK....enough bears. Now for real wildlife....George has been anxious to cook road kill.  The trick is to get it fresh.  We watched a car in front of us run over a prairie dog, so knew it was fresh. George was excited, planning the prairie dog menu, but I convinced him otherwise!

In the evening, we strolled around town and ate bison brisket in a restaurant.  Surprisingly tender.