Looking like Fall

But only for an hour. I join 3 gals for a walk, Mon, Wed and Fri and then I swim Tue, Thur and Sat. We started off today with heavy morning fog looking down 0 Ave. The tide was out really far and you couldn't even see over the sandbars. It cleared up completely by the time we finished the walk and we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. The flowers in the Peace Arch Park are always pretty. The US is clearing a swath 12' back and adding new border posts right out to the Sumas border which we saw when we went to Abottsford. I wonder if the border jumpers are going to see the new posts and stop crossing? You think?

Beautiful sunny days

We're taking advantage of these wonderful sunny days and had Penny and Ron over today. We were together in nurses training school many years ago. Neighbours joined us and we had a lovely afternoon.

Good Breakfast and Happy Hour

We went off to IHOP and Irv and Gini joined us. We had a great visit, nice to be together.
This afternoon was a fun happy hour with neighbors who moved to Osooyos and are back for a visit.

Boilermaker Retirement Dinner

Our friends from Kamloops, Chuck and Karen came down today and we went to the guys annual retirement dinner together. Great company, great food and lots of fun seeing the fellows they've worked with over the years and wives we've met along the way. I hope Pete got the point Ron was trying to make.

Good Health News

We saw Ron's GP and the brand new Cardiologist Monday. There are some med changes for the diabetes and heart and Ron's cleared to head south by those two. Needless to say, we're thrilled. We saw the Internist today and are fine tuning the diabetes plan as Ron is on insulin now. He is really right back to normal so that's wonderful. I bought a new camera yesterday, cheaper than trying to repair the old one ( one new gadget to figure out) and can resume pictures for the blog.
One of the women I worked with at Realty World went up on balloon ride this week and shared these neat pictures with me. It's a view most of us will never see.

Catching up

We're catching up with all our friends in the park and went to Pool Friday night. I stopped at the condo to see the girls first and then came 2nd in pool for $15. Ron won $35 playing crib. That's now the unemployed earn their spending money. Saturday we had a big party at the park, sort of Oktoberfest and goodbye to the snowbirds who are starting to head out. Great food and lots of fun with the HongKong Cowboy providing the music and we even have a dance floor now. My camera stopped working 6 days ago and I am lost!!!! First thing on the to-do list. Today we went to see Chris and Julie and family. We had a lovely time and great dinner.

Home to Pacific Border RV Park

We had a nice easy drive down the Coq today and arrived back at our home park. It was an 11 day drive, hate to think of doing it all over again to get back to Ottawa some day, to continue on to the Maritime's, but, oh well, we will sometime. Ron's fine and it's doctor time starting Monday.

On to Kamloops

We had a nice overnight in the Husky station right on the #1 and headed our at 8:30. It's such a pretty drive through the mountains, past the lakes and how our pioneers every found a way to put a road through here, amazes me. We passed 3 Vally Gap and the Sushwap and arrived in Kamloops at 2 to park on Chuck and Karens front lawn.

Going West to Golden

We had 2 blinds adjusted and left Calgary at 12:45. We passed the ski hill and luge track from the Olympics and headed for the Rockies. Man, they are big. It's always an awesome sight and the pretty greenish rivers are a delight as well. A good drive and we pulled into the Husky lot in Golden at 4:30.

Calgary Day

Well, I guess we were ready for a day off. We slept in and then enjoyed a leisurely coffee without having to get going. I did a good 40 minute hike along the road, joining a fellow walking while his wife sang in the local choir. I couldn't believe the traffic coming off the freeway beside us and he pointed out the new Mall which was 3 years in the building and he said was the largest in Canada. Ron and I went over for a look but I still think West Edmonton is bigger with 2 floors and the water park. This was squeaky clean and had several attractive sculptures. It's called Crossiron Mills, whatever that means.
Then the best part of our day was when we met our niece Vanessa for dinner and a visit back at our place. We haven't seen her for 3 years and what a treat, a beautiful accomplished young woman, working here in Calgary.

On to Calgary

Another gorgeous day across prairie wheat fields with cattle, rolled hay, right down to the highway, oil rigs and tanks showing up now. Near Brooks there are lots of little lakes and marshes with ducks, good hunting area. We pulled into Bucar's RV and plugged in. What a treat not have to have a generator in the background when you want power. We met Cathy and Morley in the parking lot and visited for 3 hours. They've just got their first RV and are really enjoying it.

On to Medicine Hat

Great surprise this morning – Ron turned the key in the ignition and complete silence. We phoned Tiffin, who referred us to Freightliner, who referred us to the local dealer, who came over to Wal-Mart. A hidden fuse has jiggled loose, so a quick fix and we were on the road. I think this tells you how rough some of these roads are. Good thing we enjoy our little adventures. We passed large salt deposits by Chaplin Lake which covers, 15,000 acres, the 2^nd largest inland saline water body in Canada. 30 species of shorebirds follow an ancient pattern linking their winter habitat in South America to rest and nesting here in the summer or refuel on their way to the high Arctic. Some fly more than 70 hours and 3100 miles. We're following the train tracks which were so instrumental in settling this country. Below here, is the Grasslands National Park right down on the border of the US. There are miles of rolling hills and hidden coulees where buffalo once roamed and Sitting Bull took refuge. There you can see burrowing owls, prairie dog towns and ancient tepee rings. Also below Highway 1 are the Badlands of the Big Muddy, which were once the northern sanctuary of the Outlaw Trail, organised by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The terrain is riddled with caves, canyons and gulches. We entered Alberta and got to Medicine Hat at 4 p.m. and parked at Husky. One of the double trailers was parked by us.

Into Saskachtewan and Moose Jaw

Away in beautiful sunshine again. We see lots of double tracker trailers – a tracker pulling a 53’ trailer and a second 53’one attached to that. Huge. We’re passing wheat fields, some cattle and rolled hay. They even cut hay on the road allowance right up to the highway. We crossed into Saskatchewan by 9:40 and went by the small town of Moosomin, where my maternal grandmother was born and still has it's grain elevator. Named after a prominent Indian chief, it became an important trading center outfitting the pioneers, when the C.P.Railway arrived in 1882. Today it’s a mixed farming community with potash and oil industries expanding. We gained an hour at 12:30 and are driving through he beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley with history and culture dating back to the 1700’s. The Hudson’s Bay Company established a post in 1864, the North West Police in 1885, in time to head north to deal with the Riel Rebellion. 130 years ago, 32 First Nations Bands signed Treaties with Her Majesty the Queen and hold annual celebrations on these traditional lands today. We arrived at Wal-Mart in Moose Jaw by 2:30.

Into Manitoba and Brandon

Lake of the Woods is more cottage country; lakes, marshes and bulrushes everywhere beside the rock blasted roads. Ontario produces ½ of Canada’s industrial output. We left ON and were into Manitoba by 9:30. Here it’s scrubby brush and trees, then flat land. We’re back to a 2 lane highway for the Trans Canada with no shoulders. The right white line runs right onto the gravel in some spots. There’s lots of wheat and some very old barns ready to fall down, probably built 100 years ago in an old fashioned barn raising, our history disappearing. We stopped in Headingley just west of Winnipeg, to fuel and lunch. We used Gabby, our Garmin who is always gabbing at us. She said to turn left on Racetrack Road, which was a block ahead of the Flying J and was we were going into a graveyard!! I use maps, road signs and check to see if Gabby is telling the truth. She’s misled us several times. Every town has its own grain elevator by the train tracks. I go a kick out of these two. One looks like it has a face on it. We pulled into the Husky lot at Brandon at 3:20.