Friday, June 28, 2019     -     Poplar Grove Campsite – Ottawa        

I was feeling a bit fatigued and retired early. Then came bright flashes of lightening followed by sharp cracks of thunder. Gusts of wind blew rain through the vents and windows. The rain pounded down. Our electricity wobbled upon a near strike. We went back to DC for an hour.  The converter quit. In the morning I reset breakers, unplugged and replugged the 30-amp main outside. No tell-tale hum. Run through the process once again – you know, if you can’t figure things out try the same thing a few hundred times thinking it might just work one of those times. Second time through there’s a hum from the converter. All is good, for the time being.  Yet one more thing to keep an eye on.

I’m up at six having had a relatively decent night’s sleep. The sun is shining low in the morning sky, golden and syrupy. A few birds stretch their throats. There’s a ring of itchy, red bumps all around my left ankle.  It must have been left out during the night. My personal mosquito, well fed through the night, has found some little nook within which to retire. I suspect he’s overfed, has a belly ache, and is too fat to fly. Perhaps he’s too fat to crawl into his hidey hole. I refrain from giving him a name because I put a warrant out for his capture, dead or alive. No trial, execution by squishification.

The weather for Ottawa shows 26 degrees and cloudy, rising to 28 by 3 PM with a 40% chance of rain. The weather station shows humidity as 61% but I’m pretty sure they forgot to put the 1 in front – 161%. It’s sweltering. There’s also a couple of interesting metrics for 1. Mosquito Index, currently ‘mild’, and 2. Sweat Index, currently ‘mild’.  I’d hate to think what the conditions would be like if we were at ‘high’ or ‘extreme’. 

View toward our campsite. Water slides defunct.

Not much more to report. It’s getting on toward 11 AM and some of us are heading out from the campsite.  We’ll see what thrills that brings.

Back from a lovely Indian lunch with my friend Eileen. Always nice to catch up. Halfway back our old friend lightening and rain made an appearance.  Back at camp, we hang about for a few minutes before the storm catches up.  It continues to rain. Seems very tropical really.

June 27^th – Chalk River and on to Ottawa a day early

The dawning is gentle. A cloudless blue sky, cool zephyrs and an unknown bird’s song warbles in the morning. Squadrons of mosquitoes are arranged in formation immediately outside the screen door for an early morning assault. I’m not a fan of the chemicals in bug sprays but the sprays are essential here. Perhaps not as large as their Winnipeg cousins these wee beasties make up for lack of size by providing overwhelming numbers.

We’ve not seen a large variety of animals on our journey; a couple of white-tailed deer, a turtle in the middle of the highway, dozens of gophers, a coyote, some Eastern Red squirrels, and chipmunks. No moose. No pronghorn antelope. No felines. We do see ravens by the score, hawks, and myriad songbirds in suits of various colours. And bugs. Insects. They fly, they walk, they crawl. They feed huge populations of birds. A few, mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, and deer flies’ lust after we humans. I’m pretty certain we’ll see at least one moose on the ‘rock’ – Newfoundland.

Ant mounds occupy every square foot of the campground!

Clouds have crept over our sky though forecast to be sunny. We’ll see as the day unfolds.

We arrive at the gates to the Chalk River reactor complex. Strangely enough the barrier doesn't lift to allow our caravan of three RV's entrance to the 7 km road to the facility. Sven approaches the door to the security station and a grey uniformed security dude, complete with sidearm, exits the door to inform Sven that they haven't done tours for years. We are to turn around and clear the road.  This we do, unimpressed with the Chalk River nuclear program. 

Onto Pembroke for lunch at Tim Horton's. I'm just not that Canadian I guess, as Tim doesn't overly appeal to me. It's OK and I'm happy that at one time it was Canadian, but now it's more South American and has some hiring policies that cause my social activist radar some blips. Nonetheless it fills the tummy with food that seems more healthy than McDonald's et al.

We decide to hit Ottawa a day early. I phone and we can extend our reservation by a day. Back into our chariots and we head off down the road. The sky darkens. Some really big raindrops descend rapidly and quickly fill the road with water. The long weekend is approaching, there are lots of cars and trucks splashing water like kids in a playground pool. But we make it through clover leafs and turnpikes and side roads and highways and chemins, and rue's and finally reach the barrier at Poplar Grove Campsite. It's now hot and muggy. The lady takes our money through a dial-up card reader that, she says, is powered by tiny mice. It is really sloooooowwwww. 

We have three side by side pull through sites for the next five days. A more permanent RVer lets me know, in a bit of a supercilious fashion,that I'm pulling through my assigned site in the wrong direction. I thank him, park and put lifts under the left side tires, just like I planned. I hope his weekend isn't ruined.

The Ceilidh at rest for the weekend.

And here we are...Ottawa, the nation's capital, on the Canada Day long weekend.  Cools.

June 26th - Stonecliffe, Morning MIst Resort

Sudbury to Stonecliffe

We took a lazy morning to decamp and head off toward Ottawa, backtracking a hair prior to heading east on Highway 17 via Sudbury. Lots of tiny towns whose names are, unfortunately, all too easily forgotten. 

We stop at a Tim Horton's (not a place I frequent) and have whatever they call their Strawberry milkshake thingy. First brain freeze in forever!  

Even though I'm not reciting vehicle challenges, they continue to be a significant part of our journey. Larry's unit still requires a doughnut gasket between his exhaust manifold and header. Who wants to do that on a long weekend?  No one of course.  I climbed up the rear of the RV last night and sorted out the Wifi backup cam. All about the installers scrarphing the wire into a clearance light and not the backup light. I'll wire it to a hot wire so that its on whenever he wants it.

The Ceilidh continues to be temper-mental but then that's what we expect from our Gaelic miss. She refuses to ignite with regularity upon  key turn requiring our under-the-hood-hot-wire start. I keep thinking Spitfire when it happens. More challenging is the increasing 'surging' when accelerating. While yesterday she was brilliant (pat, pat, hug, hug), today she was crabby as hell. Spent most of the driving day 'feathering' the accelerator, 'tickling' it, to make it up hills.  But, she also 'sputters' from time to time on the descent. I'm thinking pollution devices and hoses.  We'll see.

So, we arrived at the Morning Mist Resort on the banks of the Ottawa River.  The river looks more like a lake at this point, wide and slow flowing.  Quebec is on the other shore. Its uninhabited for miles.

The Ottawa River, Quebec on the far shore.

When we entered Ontario, or perhaps a wee bit before that, I noticed the wide, cleared verge on either side of the highway was covered in ferns. Ferns that seemed unique to this particular vegetative zone.  these ferns continue to dominate the roadside clearing and I've found them here in the campsite filling spaces that seem to have been cleared of undergrowth recently.  They're almost like west coast sword ferns but don't reach the six foot height.  I've also noticed, along with Larry, that the robins here tend to run and hop rather than fly.  Some of them are almost road runners in their dedication to keep afoot!

If possible, look closely at the river bank - that's as much as there is.

. 

The Ottawa River at this point doesn't rise very much in flood. When it does, it overflows the tiny banks and inundates hundreds of buildings sitting mere metres from the flow.  Contrast that with the floods we have in BC. The banks are steep and high and overflow on a somewhat consistent basis.  Different geography and different weather patterns. How cool to travel this great country or ours.

And...meeting folks. What precious connections to remind us how awesome and caring and interesting are the people of this earth! Here this evening is Lorne, who tells us he is "almost eighty". He was a logger in his youth. For those who know, he used cross cuts to fall and buck Ontario 'timber'. Up to eighty trees a day, felled, limbed and bucked into eight foot sections. (Seems like a lot of eights but perhaps that's just synchronicity). He also drove truck for years, both on the ice and throughout the continent. Whites were his favourite while on the road. In the bush, 'anything with a Cummings'.  

There's also a couple from Iowa riding a 1600 BMW, a beautiful bike. Last year they rode to Alaska and back. This year they're doing Winnipeg to the east coast, down into the states and then back to Iowa.  Cool dude. About six four with white hair in a pony tail and mustachioed like Pancho Villa.  

In the morning we figure out whether to stay an extra day here or meander closer to Ottawa for the 28th.  On a personal note I find I'm missing my folk.  Didn't see that one coming.

Arrive in Sudbury

June 25^th – arrive Sudbury

A significant run today, ensuring we are within striking distance of the nation’s capital for our four-day booking over the July 1^st long weekend. Ottawa for June 28^th through July 1^st and the full celebration deal. National Gallery of Canada, Rideau Canal, parliament buildings, Canadian War Museum, Diefenbunker, Royal Canadian Mint (a Sven must), the Byward Market and so much more. Four days won’t be enough.

We ran 350 km today and stopped in at Bruce Mines for a couple hours. The Bavarian Inn served up a delicious pizza, some excellent sandwiches and lots of local lore from the gracious host. She related that she was passing through town four years previously and stopped for breakfast at the Inn. She and her husband never left. They are now the only establishment to provide alcohol and entertainment on Friday evenings.

The Marina sign at Bruce Mines

The museum is housed in an old Presbyterian Church that was abandoned once they joined with Methodists to form the United Church. It still has stained glass windows, but the rest of the space is taken up with over 40,000 different artefacts from first nations’ stone tools to World War I Prussian army uniforms. Our guide was a teacher, bought one of Sven’s books and happens to be the sister of a BC Supreme Court judge. Quite a small world really.

This tiny burg advertises it’s attractions as the marina, the museum, the mine;  the first in Canada, discovered by Europeans via first nations in 1846; and the library.

All across Canada so far, but particularly in Ontario, ravens patrol the highways. We can’t go more than a kilometer without seeing at least one on the side of the road. I suspect they have plenty of opportunity for scavenging roadkill without expending too much energy. On the other hand, they may be special guardians who are keeping an eye on travelers and reporting miscreants to a special accountant.

We pass through Blind River, a town little known but for Neil Young’s hearse blowing its transmission and dying, giving rise to ‘Long May You Run’. Funnily enough I’m now onto ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ wherein Neil is castigated for dissing the South on two of his tunes; Southern Man and Alabama.

We arrive at our campsite just east of the city of Sudbury just about 18:00. Located on Richard Lake, Carol’s Campsite is, well, kinda ‘Trailer Park Boys’. But the washrooms are clean, and the showers are free. Some cottonwood ‘puffs’ are floating in the air and the weather is sunny and warm. Giant puddles remain as testament to the heavy rainfall of the past day or so.  Folks around here are calling this a ‘late spring’.

Sven goes for a swim in the lake and claims its warmer than the pools at the KOA.

Dinner is grilled chicken, Spanish rice, grilled asparagus drizzled with butter and a fresh garden salad. Larry’s excellent red vin ordinaire if you wish. We eat well.

This morning I wake about 07:00 and go for a walk about the campgrounds. A child’s yellow boots are lying on top a small hill of sand on the lake shore. I see this as a very cool reminiscence of a carefree childhood, or more ominously, a reminder of the vulnerability of children. My volunteer time with Child Find BC has left me deeply aware of how easily young children can disappear. One very positive aspect of modern smart phone technology is a significant reduction in the number of cases of missing children.  Yay!

I prefer to see these yellow boots as a child’s great fun by the lake….

Tuesday morning - June 25th

Monday, June 24, 2019 – Onward to Sault Ste Marie

Our first morning where there is rain. Not much and it doesn’t keep the mosquitoes down. One upside is cooler temperatures and cleaner RV’s.

We’ve decided to run a little longer and make up some distance. From time to time along the road we glimpse the grey expanse of Lake Superior, fading out in the hazy distance. The terrain here is more hilly, more folded. We drop down to the lake shore and then struggle up another steep rise.  Repeat and repeat. Now I’m singing Neil Young’s ‘Long May You Run’, in my head. A fitting tune for a boy from Ontario about his beloved hearse that died in Blind River.

We refuel at White River. The Ceilidh pouts. Up goes the hood, press the hot-wire and presto, the engine is purring. Up and down more hills, more miles, more trees.

At 4:30 we pull into our campsite, having traversed the past few hours in bouts of rain.  We set up and the rain starts in earnest.  It passes through in waves. Raindrops bounce off hard surfaces and our roof is playing a military drum tattoo. Outside our door the water has formed a small river four or five inches deep. Water rolls over the dirt roads of the campsite.  It really does rain here.

Tomorrow we’ll head for Sudbury, nickel capital of the world and home of, yes, a giant nickel.

Monday, June 24 - near the Soo

June 23, 2019 - Hattie Cove Campsite -  Pukaskwa National Park

So, with a number of campsite possibilities around Thunder Bay, we dropped anchor in the KOA. Now to be fair, they are extremely well run. We did pay a  premium price but for that you get two swimming pools, free showers, a small restaurant if you are so inclined, potable water, 30-amp electrical service, free black/grey water dump and, if required, full propane filling, a paid service that is relatively rare while on the road.

Spaghetti and ‘meatball’ dinner. Need I say more. 😊

The morning saw us fill all our propane and then head off for the Terry Fox park/viewpoint/ statue/ memorial site.  It is located 5 minutes from the KOA and overlooks Lake Superior. It’s a lovely, touching tribute and worth the visit.

Statue and memorial to Terry Fox overlooking Lake Superior.

On the road. I still say ‘miles and miles’. I wonder if younger folks say ‘kliks and kliks’ or ‘kilometres and kilometres’ – doesn’t sound right to my ears. Once out of Thunder Bay communities become a wee bit rarer.  We’re traveling highways whose pavements change colour and composition based on the type of stone found in the local hills. The Trans Canada Highway through northern Ontario seems to be in a permanent state of repair and new construction. Temporary stop lights control access to single lane bridges while yellow hard hats are fully stopped and studying plans or jumping around looking for their heavy equipment.

We stop for lunch at a Husky station that serves as a local restaurant and convenience store.  I have a Denver omelette, one of my favourites.  We fill The Ceilidh with gas. I jump in, turn the key…you know the situation.  She has nothing to say. I get Sven to open the hood and we start her by using the hotwire.  So, folks out there, here is the logic question.  What could cause the 1979, 350 cu GMC’s ignition to fail to engage the starter immediately after a fill up? Now to be completely accurate she also, from time to rare time, fails even when not after a complete fill. I’ve got a couple ideas, but I’m interested in your thoughts. My older brother was an auto mechanic and he may well have some ideas too.

So off we go from the Husky station near Nipigon, heading toward the Soo, (Sault St. Marie), a couple days away. The hills are getting larger, the rivers wider and the trees are changing to more deciduous, birch, poplar, rowan and various willows.

The Ceilidh in her natural environment at Hatties Cove.

An hour and a half down the road we decide to make one of our regular stops to rest, stretch and at least have a look around.  More often than not we meet folks and have a nice chat. We’ve found that folks are almost always friendly and quite interesting. We pulled over into a nice open lot in Marathon, a once thriving train station. Not so much now but the folks are determined to make a go of it and have decided to create a ‘virtual’ railway museum, along with some actual railway gear; engines, cars, tracks and such.

What drew me was the ice cream stand. It just appealed to me at that time and place. I seldom have an ice cream cone and this double scoop of black cherry seemed to be the best I’d tasted. I treated the gang to cones. Gowan’s ‘Criminal’ was playing and became the tune-in-my-head as we drove the rest of the day. It was a most enjoyable stop.

Ever onward we decided that we couldn’t easily make White River in good time so the search was on for a closer campground. Our first venture was a failure. It was a smaller, city park and all but one site was already occupied.  Back on the road we opted for our first national park, Pukaskwa, and its campground at Hatties Cove. 

Fourteen kilometres off the Trans Canada this is a newer camp with great facilities.  Pukaskwa is a huge area of natural wonder, rugged, unlogged and as ‘natural’ as any area on the shores of Lake Superior. The Anishinaabe have occupied these lands for millenia and still have a presence both on reserves and as park staff. This is a place to which I’m tempted to return for an extended visit.

Hatties Cove, Pukaskwa National Park

The mosquitos are thickening to the degree that we decide on burgers and salad inside Larry’s larger RV.  Still, there are sufficient mosquitos running between RV’s that I’m getting bumpy from bites, and itchy. 

Monday, June 24, 2019 – Onward to Sault Ste Marie

Our first morning where there is rain. Not much and it doesn’t keep the mosquitos down. One upside is cooler temperatures and cleaner RV’s.

Saturday, June 22nd

Sometime it's a challenge to write up the blog at night. No Wifi, late arrival, cooking dinner, that sort of thing. It's morning at the Birchland RV Park & Golf (haven't seen any golf yet), near Two Mile Corner on the Trans Canada Highway. 

The sun is shining and there's a lovely breeze keeping things fresh and cool. Last evening was a bit muggy.  When I look at the map of the area, the larger area, it seems as if we're in a lake dotted with islands and peninsulae rather than on land surrounded by lakes. I suspect all the lakes and marshes add to the humidity and the bug population.  

It's an interesting transition between prairie flatland and the Canadian shield. Once past the geographical centre of Canada, clumps of trees appear more often. Their makeup shifts from poplar and birch to pine and spruce. Before long patches of trees join together and we find ourselves in the huge, temperate boreal forest. The bluffs and rock of the Shield poke up through the forest, cradling increasing numbers of lakes. Our highway has hills again, things we've not encountered since entering Alberta through the Crows Nest Pass. 

So far we've fared well against the mosquitoes though there were a few out last night. More interesting by far was our first sighting of fireflies. Sitting by the fire in the dark I was staring off into the woods and saw lights.  Assuming they were cars I was trying to figure out how the highway could be so high in the air in this flatish country when it dawned on me that I was seeing fireflies. These were not flashing like an incandescent light bulb but were bright and crisp like an LED. We grow so accustomed to our surroundings that after a while things are taken for granted. I imagine that folks in Ontario think little about their fireflies. Coming from the west coast where there aren't any these amazing little creatures, they seem a miracle.  I wish I could have captured their flashes on camera so I could share their dance with you but it is one of the many marvels of nature that you will have to experience first hand. 

Our goal today is Thunder Bay. We'll pass by Max the Moose near Dryden. I know there will be other giant replicas of pickles and geese on our way.  I guess in BC we tend toward first nations' totems while the rest of Canada tends towards symbols of local produce or animals. We all mark our territory.

For some reason Blogger won't let me put in photos today. C'est la vie.

Thursday, June 20,2019

Wednesday, June 19, 2019 – Winnipeg

The Ceilidh does it to us again. Fueling up at the Red River Co-op we chat with the full service crew, who seemed slightly impressed that we’re driving this old 1979 RV cross country. Jump back in to the cockpit, fire up engines….fire up engines….damn! Once again no starter.  Grrrrr.  Sven’s off to an auto parts distributer to get, well, some auto parts.  I’m on the phone to the CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) to arrange a tow to the nearest certified mechanic.  While giving vehicle data I try the key yet again and presto, the temperamental Ceilidh grants us ignition.  I head off for Pavel’s, Sven has joined Larry and crew to get to the parts palace and arrives at Pavel’s some time after I do.

Pavel and Elzbeata have two beautiful children, a boy, Konrad and a girl, Amelia. Both kids are excited, in their own way, with such interesting strangers in their house. I love seeing well adjusted children and these two are most lovely.

Then begin the many tales of work at the Pacific grain elevator where Pavel and Sven both worked. We have a feast laid out before us and continue the tall tales over drumsticks, breaded pike (caught by Pavel), a giant salad and my favourite, pickled local mushrooms. Delicious! Before long it’s midnight and folks head off to bed.

In the morning (20^th) we have the house to ourselves and I get to enjoy a nice long shower and some down time before tackling the redoubtable Ceilidh. This time we pull the engine cover, drop the starting motor, and change 6 of the 8 spark plugs. It takes hours. The plugs are nearly inaccessible, the remaining 2 are inaccessible! The starter solenoid is hot-wired to a spring button installed under the hood. No more will be unable to start the shy Ceilidh! New PCV, new air filter. Spray the carburetor linkage, spray carb cleaner into the warmed-up engine, install new automatic transmission ignition lock-out…and a few other mundane car fixing things.  OK. I think we can head out tomorrow. We’re hoping for much better mileage. I personally don’t think it will improve much but if it does, bonus. 😊  Tonight we’ll BBQ hamburgers for the whole gang.

Another shot of the Assiniboine River

Saturday, June 15, 2019 – Swift Current

We took a lengthier drive from Swift Current to Moose Jaw in order to be closer to a service call in Regina for Bruce and his super RV – perhaps a water leak in the cooling system. On the other hand, our wee Ceilidh took on another giant load of fuel and promptly refused to start.  Same erratic challenge. Key turns, ignition on, no starter motor. Tomorrow (Sunday) we can get a new lockout switch and we hope after installation that the problem will finally be solved.

It’s also kind of cool that we’re into Saskatchewan, well on our way cross Canada. I hear a fascinating story about the tunnels of Moose Jaw and how they may have been used by Chinese immigrants working on the railways and rum- runners, both trying to avoid detection.

Sunday, June 16, 2019 – Moose Jaw

We settle into an ‘interesting’ RV Campground that once again promises Wifi but doesn’t deliver. One has to be within 15’ of the Wifi router to be able to access the service – hardly the ‘campground wide’ advertised.  Methinks this is likely to  be the standard for most of the adventure. But I will take the laptop into the laundry room and send away.

The gophers have the run of the place.  There seems to be thousands and they have yet to evolve to recognize the dangers of passing semi-trucks and RV’s. Still intent on red-tailed hawks and cunning coyotes, they seek the centre of the freeway for the free view it offers.  Unfortunately, they simply don’t understand the reason for this gift of clear viewing and end up flattened. Ravens in particular view the freeway as a long, beneficent smorgasbord.

Speaking of easy pickings, we ventured downtown for lunch and dined on traditional prairie Chinese, end-of-the-lunch-day smorgasboard. It was nice to eat out and leave the BBQ behind.  From there we went in search of the famed tunnels. After some to-ing and fro-ing we finally entered a store that’s been renovated into a theater.  We were advised by a surely young theatre type that the next show wasn’t on until 4:15, some 2 hours later. And, we simply couldn’t wander the tunnels without guides, it was simply, too, too dangerous.  We left, disappointed to miss Al Capone’s oratorio and decided to head into the province’s capital and set up camp.

Monday, June 17, 2019 – Regina

It was pleasant weather all day, warm, overcast in periods and a very slight but appreciated prairie breeze.

Since we’ve hot-wired The Ceilidh, she’s started by key every time. I think she knows… We’ve found a water leak in the heads – can’t say that’ll be fun chasing down. Life on the road is rich indeed.

Played some tunes this morning to keep the fingers limber and noticed that most of my nails have broken off in ragged asymmetry. I suspect hot, dry weather, too much necessary hand washing and a ‘road’ diet – not enough fine olive oil. Adjustment required.

Into the city of Regina to scan the RCMP Heritage Centre. They’ve done a decent job of including some significant faux pas’ amongst all the flag-waving nationalism. It is quite a good exhibition. I picked up an interesting book detailing the end of the ‘West’ and the alienation/decimation of the first peoples.  Quite looking forward to having the time to read it.

RCMP interceptor/chase car. One of only 8 built for western Canada.

From there we visited the Lieutenant Governor’s mansion. Built near the end of Queen Victoria’s reign it contains many turn of the 20^th century items. A very good personal guide did a most excellent job of explaining the customs and the technology of that period.

Not finished with the life politic we then took a tour of the Legislature. Our guide was exciting and clearly took pride in her province and her position of explaining all the features of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building and assembly. We all got a pin.

Entrance to the largest Legislative building in Canada, Saskatchewan's.

Not having eaten all day we found a restaurant and celebrated Larry’s 88^th birthday.  He is one of the reasons we are taking this trip. I had spaghetti – crazy prairie food I guess. 

On to Winnipeg next, perhaps via Brandon.  We needn't be too structured on our route so long as we make it to our reserved spaces in Ottawa for the July 1st celebrations.

Medicine Hat - finally some WiFi

One of the more interesting aspects of RV Campsites advertising Wifi connections is that they do have Wife, but sometimes there's a very small radius for connecting, or the service is 'temporarily down' or the password provided doesn't work and the 'we're only employees' can't help.  But here we are in Medicine Hat at the Gas City Campsite and huzzah, we have connection, thus a new post on the blog.

We spent a couple days in Drumheller smack in the middle of the badlands and home to the Tyrell Museum.  Dinosaur heaven - well, long fossilized remains of millions and millions of dinosaurs, some of which ended on display in a truly spectacular museum.

The wee caravan split up and Sven and I headed north through spots named Rumsey, Big Valley, Fenn and Meeting Creek until finding my friend Forrest in the middle of somewhere, sitting on four sections of ranch/farmland through which the Battle River runs.

He also runs an eco-tourist operation based on these lands that have been in his family for generations. Forrest took us to places he's know since childhood; dinosaur fossils, tipee circles, eagle pits, areas where the first ferry crossing and 'town' were located and hills exposing rows of quarts crystals.  It's pretty easy to see that he loves the land, the history, the birds and animals that live in the groves that he continues to protect and expand.

The next day we headed for Medicine Hat. On the way we stopped in for lunch at Hanna, a small town that  seems nearly to be abandoned.  Many of the smaller villages seem to be struggling as more and more folks head in to Edmonton and Calgary.  Back on the road we decided to check out Dinosaru Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We parked at the top of the park, the flak lands of Alberta, and looked over into the badlands of the Red Deer River.  It's quite spectacular. On the way back to RV, we notice that the outside aluminum panelling has started peeling off. Bummer.  Ok, we spend a half hour repairing it. Jumping into the drivers seat once again, the starter motor won't kick over. Sigh. This after having already replace the ignition.  Wiggle the key, smack the dash, finally it starts.  Yay. 

We arrive at Medicine Hat at a 6 PM, join the rest of our caravan and have a lovely dinner finishing with a most delectable watermelon.  Hopefully the RV will start tomorrow....

That be all for now.

11:15 sunset at Forrest's farm.

Monday, June 10

Having overnighted at a lovely little campsite near Fort MacLeod, we scurried off (at 80km) to Mo's-Tire Ltd in Lethbridge so Larry could buy two new tires for his front wheels.  Our little wagon also got a new ignition switch and front wheel balance.  Mo - actually Dave the Mechanic, spotted two shot tie-rod ends and shot bushings on the swing arm - all to do with steering and suspension.  A must do replace sooooooo....we are overnighting in Lethbridge while the parts come in for the steering tomorrow.  We're really, really hoping this is the last of the major surprises.

Nonetheless we are in Alberta in one piece and plan on visiting Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump tomorrow while Dave the Mechanic works on the wee beastie.

Sven and I hit the pool this evening and will watch the Raptors in the well appointed lounge in this premium location....hmmm...small wisps of rain sketching on the window beside me...

The pool that we tested for sufficiency...it passed.  So, we aren't suffering.

All for now and until the next campsite with WiFi.....

Sunday, June 9th

Up at the crack of 9 we had a quick breakfast, tucked up our RV life lines (water hose, power cord), turned off the propane heater and stove, checked the lockers, secured the doors and set off for Fort Steele, just outside Cranbrook.

My family visited Fr. Steele in about 1964 when there were only run down, old wooden buildings. It was pretty cool but nothing like the restored town itself. For $10 it is one of the best attractions I've seen in a long time. The historical society there has restored an impressive Opera House, jails in the government building, stables, private residences, three churches, Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian, inns, hotels, a brewery and the police barracks used to garrison Superintendent Steele's NWMP . Ft. Steele (originally called Galbraith's Ferry) was founded in 1864, by John Galbraith, funnily enough, owner and operator of a ferry cross the Kootenay River. It was renamed Fort Steele in 1888 after Steele himself quelled a dispute between First Nations and the town.  It was however, never a 'fort'. 

The old barber shop where we urged Sven to go for a haircut - she offered to 'let blood' or use a leech

After a quick bite at their cafe, we trundled down the road intending to make Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump by about 2:30.  Larry's great beast of an RV (30') needed refueling. Near Jaffray, we stopped for fuel and some bags of salted peanuts for the road.  Alas, The Ceilidh refused to start. Up goes the hood and a quick look determines nothing. Lights work - battery good. Dash lights up when key turned to run, but nothing when sprung to 'start'.  Starter solenoid? Ignition switch?  Grrrrrr.
Walk around the vehicle. Sven and Larry confer. I get back in, turn key to start, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle - bravo, she starts.

We're off. Back down to Highway 3, Fernie, Sparwood, Michel (no more), Natal (no more), Corbin (no more) and into the Crowsnest Pass itself. Through the Pass, great huge sentinel - Crowsnest Mountain to the north.

Just coming in to Blairmore and we hear a 'boom' behind us.  It might be something falling from one of our overhead lockers but no, Larry's rig has blown it's front left tire! A fellow from a nearby garage heard it and came out to investigate. We limp onto the road into Blairmore proper and pull off on a wide verge. A quick look shows the sidewall blown out.  Hmmm....BCAA? We phone.  Not much luck on a Sunday afternoon even though there is an answer there is reluctance. A young man stops and says he's a tire mechanic and offers to help.  We struggle at the task for about an hour and get it done. Luckily the sun was shining, no one was hurt and we got back on the road.

 We stop at Frank and stare in wonder at the millions of tons of limestone rock that crashed down and obliterated the town in 1903.  There are still hectares of jumbled giant boulders without a tree or twig.  It's somewhat like a lunar landscape that's been shaken and broken.

By this time it's too late for Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Tomorrow we'll search for tires for Larry's rig and a new ignition switch for The Ceilidh.

Finally, a WiFi at a campsite.

Well, it's been quite a while since I've been able to access the blog to update any followers that I might have, or still remain. June 4th was more repair, June 4th was off to Jiffy Lube for and oil change, transmission flush and differential check. After some back and forth, the agreed upon transmission fluid check was waved off by Jiffylube.  Back to Sven's and we dropped the tranny pan, drained the ATF, got the wrong filter, scraped the previous goo off the pan and transmission (thick silicone sealer one should never use), reassembled, refilled,. and yes, it too was back. June 5th saw Sven packing his gear into 'The Ceilidh'. I won't list the number of things we attended to during the 'refit', but they were exhaustive! On the evening of the 5th we retreated to the brand new Legion at Port Moody and our gang of Bruce, Shannon, Betty, Larry, Sven & myself, Iain and Irene, toasted our imminent departure.

Thursday, June 6th and we're off at the break of ...  13:53. I drove off in the wee beastie toward our evenings destination, close to downtown Princeton. The Ceilidh was swaying, surging, tires thumping, but otherwise the drive train was running smoothly.

Approaching Chilliwack we stopped at an RV shop for an end piece for our blackwater hose. Naturally we had to improvise. The we asked the techie to look at our tires. He filled them to 60#, all but the rear, outside passenger dually.  The valve stem has been partially crushed and won't take air. So, we left Chilliwack for Princeton on tires at 60# rather than 25# and 32# etc..  Not surprisingly the chariot ran far more smoothly and we managed Alison Pass (Manning Park) with ease, reaching Betty and Larry at the first campground of the journey, Yay!

Friday, June 7th and we're off for points east. Travelling at cruising speeds of 100km, we stopped at the railway museum at Midway.  Highly recommended, with exhibits for ranching, railway, early schooling, community and other small town memorabilia that folks would not likely recognize.

Who can identify this item? No, not the cowboy hat the chest thing...

Larry, Betty and the redoubtable Sven at the train museum at Midway.

After our tour of Midway, we ventured to Greenwood for lunch and decent fish and chips, their daily special.  Greenwood is famous for being the smallest 'city' in Canada and for being the home of interred Japanese grandparents of NHL star, Paul Kariya.

From there we traveled on find a campground at Christina Lake, complete with showers and an early evening.

Almost on the road....

Well, here we are still in Delta at the Stefanov residence, putting the finishing touches on a labourious update to the RV - pristine it was not.  We're hoping to get the wee beastie lube, oiled and filtered by the end of the day, perhaps tomorrow and get on the road before the rains hit.

After considerable deliberation she's named 'The Ceilidh', roughly translated as 'the gathering' and for those who don't speak gaelic, pronounced as 'kay lee'.

So a wee bit of running around to do and then we're off.

Next posts will be somewhat more detailed and descriptive.