"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.

---

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.?

---

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!!

---

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!

---

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.

---

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

Episode 9 - Going Home

The Coasts of California & Oregon, the Redwoods, Oregon Bridges, the Columbia River Valley and home!

We left Nevada the Monday after the Pow Wow (I think it was March 4th). Our plan was to slowly travel through the Sacramento Valley, over to the coast and up that way. We went along Hwy 40 to Barstow, Calif. then 58 to just outside Bakersfield.

We stayed at a park called the Orange Grove. Every site has at least one orange tree. We stayed at the Orange Grove a second day and did some touring around. We toured around Bakersfield and stopped to visit the California Living Museum. Great little zoo with a focus on reptiles and birds of California, particularly the south. Then we visited a local growers market $3.50 for a small flat of fresh strawberries, $2.00 for a large plastic bag of avocados,bag of almonds for $2.00 and tomatoes for 2 lbs for $1.00. This is what I've been looking forward to!! And then the rain started . We really hadn't seen rain since we left Alberta almost 5 months ago-it's wet!!

From Hwy 58 we took Hwy 99 toward Fresno and Sacramento. Mile after mile of orchards and trees in bloom-blossoms ranging from white to light pink to dark pink. Some were in full bloom, some were losing their blossoms while others were just starting - possibly apple, cherry and we were told there are peaches and apricots.

We stopped at a small park right on the Merced River. We found an interesting Cheese Factory in the next town, Hilmar and spent a couple of hours touring that and getting some great cheeses. The next day, even though it wasn't raining when we got up, it's rained most of the day. We were going to shift over to Hwy 5 but decided to stay with Hwy 99 to Yuba City and then turn off at Hwy 20 towards the coast. Didn't do much sight seeing but found a dry camping area around Colusa (next to a Casino, of course) and headed over towards Clear Lake the next day.

The sun came out so travel wasn't too bad. We followed Hwy 20 to meet Hwy 101 and then along Hwy 101 and stayed at the "Golden Rule" campground @ Willits. We were going to stay there longer but thought the weather out at the coast might be better so we went up to Crescent City.

SURPRISE! Crescent City weather was HORRIBLE!! Cold/rainy/windy but the area is incredible! We toured the Redwoods, and spent as much time as we could on the beaches.

Here is where our only disaster occurred! Did you wonder why there were no pictures from Nevada to Crescent City? Well, they got deleted before they got saved to the disc. So naturally, we had to retrace our steps back along the shores and through the Redwoods in order to take more pictures!

---

The Redwoods - Crescent City, California

---

---

The Coasts of California & Oregon

---

Crescent City, California

---

From Crescent City we travelled up Hwy 101 through Brookings to Coos Bay, Oregon and stayed there for a couple of days - again trying to avoid the bad weather.

---

Brookings, Oregon

---

Coos Bay and Charleston, Oregon

---

We decided NOT to take the coastal road the rest of the way up and took Hwy 126 from the coast over to Eugene. What a nice little city! Our plan was to stay in Eugene until the cold weather in Alberta broke. We did end up buying some new tires for the truck because we had been travelling on summer tires and had no idea what weather we would hit.

We met some very nice people at the RV Park who showed us around Eugene and we toured around the area on our own. Around Cottage Grove , famous for its covered bridges, but I've given it the award for worse directions for anyplace we had been throughout our trip. We finally did find the covered bridges and saw much of the countryside in the process.

---

Cottage Grove, Oregon

---

By this time both of us really wanted to get home . . . it looked like the weather broke and we booted it up Hwy 5 to Portland and then Hwy 84 along the Columbia River then north to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and up Hwy 95 to the border at Kingsgate and home along Hwy 3. We left Monday morning and were home for supper Tuesday night.

---

Columbia River between Washington and Oregon

---

near Pincher Creak, Alberta

---

Home!

Episode 8 - Pow Wow

Avi Kwa Ame Pow Wow

---

We stayed around Laughlin, dry camping at the Avi Casino and Resort, in order to take in the Pow Wow - a big annual event there. Avi is actually on Indian lands and is owned and operated by the Mojave Tribe. There are lots of casinos throughout Arizona and California but they can only be built on Indian lands and most are owned and operated by the various Tribes. According to my intelligence (a couple who were standing behind me in the line up. He was Mojave from Fort Mojave and she was Navajo from North-eastern Arizona-I want to get up there next year), their political and tribal structure is far different than ours. Apparently they do not have Bands and the foundation structure is the Tribe. Most of the Indians down there live in the local towns and not separately on a Reservation. There are some villages in California and Arizona, but very few.

Anyway, back to the Pow Wow. This should have been a video experience but I did the best I could with the still camera. Most of these pictures were taken at the Grand Parade as the dancing competitions were held at night and we were asked not to use flashes. There was Tribal representation from across the southern U.S. - we talked to some folks from Texas - but most seemed to be from California.

---

The costumes were incredible!

---

The children were priceless!