"The Summer of 2002"- Once You Start . . . It's Hard to Stop!! - Exploring Southern Alberta and B.C.

We got back to Lethbridge to be greeted by some pretty cold and miserable weather . . . so time to get the Condo in shape, seeing as how we'd only been there six weeks before we left.

It really did feel like the 5th wheel was our home and the Condo was the place we stay when we were not home. Even though it's a one bedroom unit, it felt like a mansion as we wandered from room to room.

But . . . Lethbridge and the surrounding areas have some incredibly interesting sites and we certainly have the time to explore close to our mailing address.

Locally, the first thing I have to show off is the view from our balcony (one of the reasons we chose this Condo).

We have an fantastic view of Lethbridge's famous Railway tressle (the longest Railway tressle of its type in the world) and can actually see the University of Lethbridge across the Coulee.

Many Japanese were sent to Southern Alberta from the coast during the war and they have established a traditional Japanese garden. The Japanese Gardens are both beautiful and serene. It a great place to go to just sit and enjoy the peace and tranquility.

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Our first venture out was to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park. There in the middle of the prairies just north of the Montana border is the Milk River. It carves a path coming up from Montana - meanders along for a few miles - and then wanders back into Montana. The banks are steep cliffs and hoodoos erupt throughout the entire area.

There is a wonderful array of wildlife that seeks out the shelter and food of this protected area.

Apparently it was also considered a sacred area for the Natives (mainly Blackfoot) and they left many "messages" (petrographs) which are still there today. They will only allow visitors to go in with a guide - he was very quick to point out how until it became a protected area (in the 1970's) people would leave graffiti on the rocks!! Begs the question - what were the Indian petrographs if they were not the graffiti of their day?!

We went just after our last BIG snow storm and happened to meet up with a group of birders who were out counting birds. There were a lot of unusual birds (like the Swainson's Thrush and Albert's Towhee) that they thought must have come down for shelter from the storm. The birders were some excited about all their citings.

I have a question for you all - why is it the Blackfoot in Canada and the Blackfeet in the U.S.A.?

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Our first sojourn into Southern B.C. was to the RV Lifestyle Seminar in Kelowna. The Crowsnest Pass is so familiar to us, the only stop we made was at Frank to pick up some beer before we hit the B.C. border and the dreaded sales tax.

We took the route up along the Kootenay Lake and crossed at Kootenay Bay to Balfour and then travelled to Kelowna via Highways 3 and 33.

The trip back was far more interesting. We followed the Okanagan Lake north from Kelowna to Vernon, went across the Monashee Mountains and took the Neddles Ferry across the Arrow Lake. The best part of the trip was from Nakusp to New Denver and over this wild road to Kaslo. The scenery was spectacular and we wondered why B.C. folks would go up to Alaska when they have it all here!!

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We've really only been camping in the mountains once this summer . . . it's been dreadfully hot (+33 C) and dry but we have done some day trip to see those places you've never take the time to visit when you live somewhere (unless you have visitors you want to take there).

We always talked about going down to the Remington Carriage Museum in Cardston

and (of, course) the wind mills at Pincher Creek!

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Waterton National Park

We went off to Waterton, which still is one of my most favourite places. We went up to the Prince of Wales Hotel that overlooks Waterton Lakes. Waterton and Glacier connect into the International Peace Park. The far end of the Lakes is actually in Montana (centre picture). Cameron Falls is right in the town site. I spent a good part of the summers of my childhood here attending Camp Insupi (Y.M.C.A. camp) that doesn't exist anymore.

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And I thought we hadn't done anything this summer!!