Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Prairie Pearls in Oceans of Wheat

A few loaves of bread here!!
What a wonderful time to visit Prairie country. Endless skies, fields of different hues and unique, treasured places dotted amidst the far horizons.

We took a quick trip to Moose Jaw and drive round the fields of south west Saskatchewan.

We encountered the world's largest coffee pot:

Now just the cream and sugar.















Investigated the tunnels of Moose Jaw:
Chinese laundry under the main street.
Marvelled at Moose Jaw's murals:
Celebrating prohibition


This is how it is done.

























Searched for Corner Gas: (Corner Gas : Link)
Brent and Lacey

Where has it gone?























Looked at the weird and wonderful: 
A monster moose!
What else would you expect to see in the heart of Prairie Country?
Little church on the Prairie





A town by any other name.....


















and to top off a magic weekend we watched a series of horizon filling thunderstorms that looked like a Pink Floyd concert.
The prairies at this time of the year really do fill the senses.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Home Sweet Home

After travelling over 6000 kilometres, using enough petrol (gas) to trigger an oil crisis and spending more time in a tent than a Bedouin on holiday we finally made it home to Lloydminster.

THUMBS UP:


* To our wonderful neighbours who ensured the house and gardens were safe, secure and well looked after; despite thunderstorms, tornado warnings and stray skunks.
Eugene, Elaine, Michelle, Brad - neighbours from heaven. (Absent from the photo are the amazing gardeners; Amy, Stephen and Jaycee.)
* To spectacular scenery and friendly, abundant wildlife.
* To the wonderful hiking weather.
* To the Walker family's camping gear - a tent that is water proof, sleeping bags that are warm and a stove that makes even my cooking edible.
* To Yukon Camp sites – free wood, fire rings, water, clean, tidy and cheap.
* To the long, long days –reading by daylight at 11.00 pm, (get to the camp site in the evening and still plenty of sunlight  to set up the tent, eat supper and check the map to see where we are)
* To petrol at 99.4 cents per litre (Courtenay, Vancouver Island.)
* To free camp sites in Alaska and  Alberta – with free fire wood, fire pits and toilet paper.
* To our Jeep Cherokee, 2000, sport – Over 5100 kilometres only a hole in the muffler, two windscreen chips and worn winter tyres (and that was with my driving!)
* For not having to use our screen tent, (the swarms of mosquitoes we had heard about must have also been on holidays).
* To the friendly, helpful and well equipped visitors centres, (flushing toilets, WiFi, free coffee).
* To paved roads in places that would only see 100 vehicles a day in summer and the nearest town is 250 kilometres away.


THUMBS DOWN:
* To petrol at 196.6 cents per litre (Muncho Lake, BC).
* To the occasional Canadian weather of 2c nights and summer showers. 
* To the odd, mad driver who insisted on overtaking despite the solid yellow line, curves and crests (and they were driving a tour bus!).
 * To the mosquitoes and black flies who forgot to go on holidays and who would hang around despite "Jungle" strength spray.
* For having to wait nearly half an hour for the pilot vehicle to escort us through the inevitable road works on every major highway.



 We have had an experience that will be with us for life.
We hope in the future we will have the opportunity to explore the hundreds of amazing places we drove past and said:
"Wow, look at that, we will have to check that out when we come back".



















Monday, August 22, 2011

A peaceful, "big" trek home

Looking for home - Charlie Lake, Fort St John.
Fort St John - Lloydminster
Dawson Creek - Mile "O"

2237 kilometres long and we didn't see a single parking meter.
Who's he calling grizzly?

After finally passing through Mile "O" of the Alaska Highway the homeward bound leg of our holiday saw us travel through the scenic and historic Peace River country, along the "Grizzly Trail" and finally the northern lakes area.




Sunset over  Peace river


Looking north over  Peace river
The town of Peace River

This is "Lesser Slave Lake" - imagine how big 'Not so Lesser' Slave Lake is.
 Again we encountered some beautiful scenery and the occasional wildlife. This time of year many of the fields are a sea of green and yellow - although some of the canola, wheat and other crops has already been harvested.
Rolling Hills!

Inspecting the crop.
As with many of the rural communities around Lloyd, most of the hamlets, villages and towns we passed through take considerable pride in their communities; clean, tidy, proud of their past and hopeful for the future.
Naturally being in Alberta we had the opportunity to see some of the world's LARGEST things and a few significant icons.
Longest suspension bridge in Alberta - Dunvegan














Another adventure, another time.
A big bull rider - looks pretty 'armless'.



 
12 foot Davis - a Peace River legend.
The World's largest Bee in Canada's honey capital - Fahler
Imagine trying to ref this fight!!


Holding up the World's largest wagon wheel and pick axe.















Is this a male or female heron?

World's largest weather vane with a tractor on top.



















A few bowls of soup here.
Anything magic about these?

Peter Fidler - legendary map maker




We were nearly blessed on from a great height.















We also encountered some more unworldly images....................

UFO landing pad - St Paul

Good to read everyone is welcome in  St Paul

We even found somewhere over the rainbow




Scotty trying to beam us up!




















An early version of the RV.            On our next trip I'm taking one of these Cat trains.



Saturday, August 13, 2011

Back to BC – Northern Rockies

Watson Lake to Fort St John:
Another wonderful few days travelling – when in the Rockies it is said you can experience a range of contrasts (especially the weather)  in a matter of a few short hours -  we certainly did:
We experienced HOT:
Liard Hot Springs -  now I know what a tea bag feels like!
 We experienced FREEZING
Glacier fed Muncho Lake - Now I know what a frozen chicken feels like.
 We experienced relaxed driving
This could drive you round the bend!
We experienced not so relaxed driving
This did drive us round the bend.
We experienced fat
How many Bison burgers in this chap?
 We experienced thin
"I met Jenny Craig".
UP
DOWN














Luxury camping by the Lake
More modest accommodation sites

Not so scary

Scary











Jaw dropping scenery
"Gob-smacking" scenery

Incorrect road usage

Correct use of the hoof path










What now?

Just take the plunge

Picturesque

Make your own mind up!