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Day 11 – The kindness of strangers

A windy storm arrived last night as I was pulling into camp, just setting up my tent without it blowing over proved challenging. The howls of the wind came with their strong gusts that tested the durability of my shelter as they beat relentlessly against the walls causing them to vibrate back and fourth in rapid oscillations. Strangely enough I slept through the storm with minimal interruption and woke up refreshed and ready to embrace the day.


There’s an abundance of great places to meet people depending on what you’re after and who you want to connect with. With today being Sunday I figured I’d go to a little church in town before getting back on the road, I arrived and took a seat. It was a small place but full of friendly people who greeted me with kindness. I met a man named Gerrit who lives in Alberta and knew some amazing places to venture that were a little less known to anyone but the locals, we exchanged numbers and I find myself looking forward to chatting some more with him and the discoveries I may have otherwise missed.


The church service was done and I was back on the road once more, I started heading southwest towards a small area called Enterprise, it rained on and off throughout the drive and I found myself taking breaks when I could. The rain had subsided for a little bit when I arrived at a beach along Great Slave Lake, eager to get some aerial footage I pulled out my drone to fly it. A native family was eating lunch nearby and two young boys greeted me eagerly wanting to see me fly the drone, I got all ready to fly it and right before taking off glanced at my gps, I was within 5.6km of an airport, dang! Drone rules are there for a reason and I try to be as responsible as I can with it, sadly I told the youngsters that I was unable to fly it due to being too close to the airport. As I was packing up the drone I began to chat with the woman there who was readying some smoked ducks, she offered me some and I couldn’t refuse, she even gave me a bag, napkins, wipes, I could tell she was a mother without a doubt. As she was packing everything up for me the rest of her family arrived and we chatted for a little before we parted ways. The kindness was appreciated and I cheerfully went on my way.


I realized it was getting late quickly, with the events of the day adding to the clock faster than I thought they would I decided to set up camp at Fort Providence. A gas station with wifi was nearby and I decided to take advantage and go about troubleshooting my blog, I made progress but found the process to be lengthy and a pain to figure out at times, life is busy enough as it is and dealing with troubleshooting can be a real headache sometimes. The sun was taking its final dip below the horizon as I made it back to camp to set up my tent, where will I end up tomorrow I wonder, time will only tell.

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Day 12 – Warnings from the less fortunate

I slowly crawled out of bed and started packing my tent, as I was doing so I narrowly missed getting bit by a pretty big spider, I guess if he was eating the bugs off my tent he was paying his rent, oh well, such is camping life I suppose.
I began my travels by heading deeper into Fort Providence, it finds its home right along the MacKenzie River. It was a small town, many of the buildings having become relics as they bore the strain of time. One such building stood out to me in particular, an old church. A fellow traveler mentioned to me that the doors were open and they’d taken a look inside, my curiosity perked I followed in their footsteps. It was a calm, cozy and quaint auditorium with paintings adorning it’s walls. I took my time admiring the unique artwork before cheerfully saying a goodbye and returning to the road.


The destination before me was a long stretch of seemingly unending asphalt. I was reminded of the potential danger of wildlife galloping across the road as I passed some pretty banged up abandoned vehicles. I would stop when I could to take pictures but I was unable to stand in one spot for too long before an army on insects would hone in on my position and advance upon me in endless ranks.


Eventually I made it back to Alberta, saying my farewell to the Northwest Territories for now. A short drive into the province and I could see helicopters flying above me looking for potential new fires erupting among the smoldering forest floor.


I arrived at the Aspen Ridge Campgrounds, now a familiar place to me having stayed there not even a week ago on my venture north. As the sun was settling I set up my tent, grabbed my chair and relaxed over a good book while Winnie scoured about the foliage looking for the perfect branch gnaw on. A chill of night air slowly drifted in with the dimming light as a lambent drizzle patted the leaves above me, it was time to head into my tent and call it a day.

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Day 13 – Vast fields and smoky horizons

The forest fires were wide spread and keeping the firefighters on their toes. I woke up at 5:30 am to let Winnie relieve herself, right away I noticed the smell of burning accompanied by a hazy fog permeating the campground. In the distance I could hear helicopters flying to and fro in constant motion, regardless I decided I’d just head back to bed. Upon awakening a few hours later all the smoke was gone, I went about packing up my things and headed off towards my next destination.


My first stop was a visitor center to pick up a map for Alberta, while I was there I noticed they had a mini museum which I took and quick stroll through. Before long I was back on the road driving through vast fields of farmland, I turned off the highway and ventured down a dirt road that took me to a small clearing between two fields, the perfect place for Winnie to burn off some of her energy. When we got back in the car her eyes were wide, full of excitement and life as she panted about.


I continued to my first town, La Crete. As I got closer the smoke started to thicken, at times blotting out the blue sky completely, the worst I had encountered thus far on my trip. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and did some minor exploring, arriving at a quiet little park where the dragonflies had devoured every mosquito in sight. Oh how I love anything that voraciously chows down on mosquitoes, such wonderful creatures.


It was now time to head to Fort Vermilion, a tiny town that sat along the Peace River. Aside from the occasional wood carving there wasn’t too much to see in the actual town itself, my stay was short and I soon began my journey south. The goal was to reach Lesser Slave Lake and set up camp there for the evening. The drive was a long and tiresome journey, the sun had set 30 minutes before I arrived and now dusk gave off it’s feeble glow, enough for me to set up my tent. With the breeze rustling the leaves around me and the lake gently pushing up against shore in the distance I called it a day.

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Day 14 – The deadly Athabasca River

Even though I’m aware of wildlife in the areas I’ve been staying, always taking the necessary precautions, sometimes it’s the warning signs that can be an uncomfortable reminder of what lurks in the shadows, this time being cougars. I found myself a little more on edge with Winnie as I went to bed. Awaking in the morning I packed up my things and having slept so close to the beach I decided I would take a venture on down for a peek, sadly no dogs were allowed so I didn’t stay too long, just enough to appreciate the scenery before saying a goodbye.


I started off towards my next destination, not even 15 minutes on the road and I was already taking a detour to view a bird sanctuary I’d caught of glimpse of while driving by. Having found a place to park I walked inside the building where a friendly receptionist greeted me, talking of the various hikes and attractions nearby. I took Winnie for a walk down one of the trails that led to a beach where she enjoyed a refreshing drink as I took in the scenery. The birds played an orchestra of melodies as I walked, the occasional feathered creature darting out of a tree and quickly hiding itself in another before I could snap a picture. The light rainfall was starting to pick up so I cut my walk short and ventured back to the car.


I had planned to head to Edmonton but figured I’d dawdle getting there and explore some towns on the way. Sometimes my adventuring is akin to throwing a dart toward a map on the wall, picking random destinations as I go. Once again I found myself sidetracked which led me to stop at a place I had glanced at while passing, Lawrence Lake. It was perfect for Winnie, there was a wide open area where I could let her off leash and toss a ball around with her, as I was doing this I noticed a lady pull up in her vehicle beside the lake and start taking pictures. I figured I’d go say hello and ask if she could take a picture of myself and Winnie. Turns out her name was Belinda and she was a kind old soul, happily taking our photo and proceeding to share stories of her own adventuring around the area. In time we said our farewells and I was off once again to explore something new.


It rained most of the day, quite heavily at that, but it didn’t slow down my thirst for adventure and soon I arrived at Athabasca. I topped off my tank for what was probably the cheapest I have ever payed for gas in my entire life then went about exploring. The town itself was fairly small but the river running through it was another story all together. I found a spot by the river bank where the deluge raced by with vigorous speed and power, carrying all manner of objects in it’s unstoppable fury. A man sat on a bench under a gazebo nearby and struck up a conversation with me. It turns out the Athabasca River has a frightening reputation for casualties, as an example he pointed to a baby deer that was tangled in the reeds, long having already drowned. Livestock, humans, whatever was foolish enough to tread too deep was dragged to the bottom by strong undertows and drowned long before they could reach the surface for a breath of air, sometimes being found days later upstream or never to be seen again. Amazing how beautiful and yet how dreadfully lethal this force of nature was.


The rain had now turned into a torrential downpour and I decided it was time to continue heading towards Edmonton. I arrived in the town of Morinville just outside of Edmonton and set up camp for the night. Establishing my sleeping quarters adjacent to a lively pond tonight I fall asleep to the chorus of bullfrogs, briefly interrupted by the occasional splash of a fish.

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Day 15 – Wandering through Edmonton

After taking Winnie for a run in a nearby dog park it was time to get out and explore Edmonton. One of my favorite ways to explore a city is to purposefully get lost, wandering about appreciating all the new things you haven’t seen before. I arrived in the city with no real location in mind to aim for, I chose to simply just drive about and see what I could find.


With such an open day I found myself in all sorts of random places, admiring buildings, finding the perfect lookouts which showcased the landscape, venturing across all sorts of bridges and getting into conversations with the locals. Many of the places I wanted to explore further but with Winnie accompanying me I was unable to do so. I decided to make a list of all the places I couldn’t see today such as the Royal Alberta Museum and the Muttart Conservatory, then went about finding a dog sitter to watch Winnie for the day tomorrow enabling me to take my time seeing all the places on my list tomorrow afternoon.


Having spent my afternoon exploring it was time to start heading out to meet a family friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. It’s always nice meeting people from the same home town and hearing what brought them out west, everyone has their own unique story that’s worth a listen. We chatted for hours, sharing all sorts of stories together, it turns out I probably skateboarded with her husband a few times back in Brantford. The sun had gone down and dusk was shedding its final remnants of light, it was time to bid my farewell. Cheers to you Natalie and Shane, you were great company.


I was back on the road heading to my campsite, as I drove along I couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely. You meet wonderful people as you travel and one of the hardest parts is saying goodbye, not knowing when/if you’ll see them again. I arrived back in camp and set up my tent in the moonlight, a friendly gesture by mother nature to illuminate my final workings before heading in and calling it a day.

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Day 16 – When expectations are blow away

What a completely packed and yet incredible day! I awoke to what felt like a sauna, though still fairly early the sun was beating down relentlessly on my tent, a fiery motivator to get up and start the day. My first initial stop was a doggy day care center where I dropped Winnie off in the morning before venturing downtown.
I started my tour with the Royal Alberta Museum, a place I walked about for hours, with so much to see it would’ve been easy to spend an entire day there. They had a special exhibit on vikings which was quite interesting, all sorts of items from swords and armor to boats and fancy gold ornaments, there was enough content to keep oneself entertained for hours.


The next exhibit was human history, it had a surprising amount of war displays, showcasing a range of weapons, uniforms and medallions. Mixed in with all this was a blend of native culture, with it’s intricate artwork ranging from colorful clothing to towering totem poles.


I walked into the final exhibit, natural history. This was my favorite area by far, displaying all sorts of wonderful things from the various gems and rocks found in the earth to fossils and preserved animals in creatively artistic poses. I could have spent my entire day analyzing all the rocks and minerals, the gemstones alone were enough to draw me in for countless hours.


As much as I wanted to stay longer I realized my parking was about to expire, with much of the day still ahead of me I decided to bid a farewell and take a journey to my next destination, the Muttart Conservatory. Upon arriving I noticed there were construction gates around the entrance, curious I asked a man standing nearby, he informed me that they’d closed down for heavy construction starting just 11 days ago, darn! Already being there I decided I’d take pictures of the buildings outside and try to peer through the glass as much as I could to view the various plants that grew about. I ended up meeting a pretty friendly man named Will that was doing a personal training video on the terrace and soon found myself in a great conversation, ah the wonderful strangers you encounter. It was time to bid farewell, we said our goodbyes and I was off to the next spot on my list.


It wasn’t long before I arrived at the West Edmonton Mall, my dear friend Danny had recommended this place and I took him up on it, what an immensely fascinating building it turned out to be! The amount of attractions was staggering, it had an ice rink, wave pool with massive winding slides, pirate ship, it even had a sizable theme park equipped with some pretty epic roller coasters that weaved throughout the area. I was fascinated by the mind-boggling amount of attractions spread throughout the shopping center, it was as though someone got the idea to not only raise the bar, but to put it on a rocket ship and send it to the moon.


I looked at my phone and realized time was flying by, it was time to leave the mall and go pick up Winnie. I arrived back at Waggytails where they shared with me the stories of Winnie having the time of her life playing with all the other puppies, a complete social magnet. They brought her out to see me and she went crazy with excitement, hopping all over the place with exuberant joy.


I wanted to get a little closer to Jasper for tomorrow so I started venturing west towards a campground two hours away. Rain clouds were gathering in the distance with an occasional light shower as the sun shone brightly, I found myself eagerly investigating the surroundings for rainbows, I wasn’t disappointed, I looked out my car window and I could hardly believe what I was seeing, it was a triple rainbow! Immediately I found the quickest road I could turn down to fly my drone. When I was able to get in the air one of the rainbows had already disappeared but I was still able to capture the double rainbow.


The rest of the way to camp was a wonderful experience, I kept randomly bursting into a joyful laughter as I thought about the sight I had seen, as though God himself had blessed me with seeing such a rare natural display of vibrant colors bursting fourth from the darkened clouds. I arrived in camp a bit later than I had planned but the lady at the desk had been kind enough to wait for me, filling the last spot they had available. What will tomorrow bring I wonder? I find myself going to bed with eager anticipation.

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Day 17 – A return to the mountains, Jasper National Park

I found myself leaving camp a bit late this morning, the owner was a kind lady who assured me all was well while I finished up my blog post. I got on the road around noon heading out towards Jasper, the sun shone brightly above me bringing out the colors in the landscape ever so vibrantly. I watched as the lowly farmland began to change into rolling hills as faint snow capped mountains began to reveal themselves far off in the distance, the roads rising and diving with increasing intensity until the titanic structures of rock took center stage, I had arrived back in the mountains.


I continued pressing forward, reaching the entrance at last, I had arrived at Jasper Nation Park. Merely a few minutes in, having barely arrived, I found myself in complete awe at the sublime scene before me, majestic in resplendent glory. Mountains standing tall and proud adorned with all sorts of lively evergreens, steep grassy regions, wide fast flowing rivers with an aqua tint rushing beside isolated pools of water so crystal clear you could view the bottom with ease.


Driving along I found myself stopping constantly as I took time to appreciate the radiant beauty that revealed itself everywhere I looked. Wildlife would graze right beside the road feasting on the various greens with minimal worry of the public snapping pictures nearby. I looked off into the distance where a storm was gathering, lightning crashed down to the earth in resplendent fashion briefly illuminating the darkened areas where the rain had begun to fall. Rumbles of thunder reverberated off the mountainous landscape, making itself known to the distant observer.


It wasn’t too long until I arrived at the town of Jasper, a small but lively village. Tourists scurried about like busy ants in and out of the various shops that lined up along the road. I drove around observing the sights for a short while before setting off along the winding roads that weaved throughout the mountains once more.


The detour was well worth it and I found myself heavily rewarded for choosing to do so, the scenery was a marvelous sight to behold. I saw all sorts of wildlife, even catching a glimpse of a black bear with her cub that walked so close to my car I could have reached down and pet her had I chose to. I arrived at Maligne Lake where I took in the scenery and ventured back to town.


Wanting to enjoy the view during the daytime I chose to camp a little ways past the town of Jasper, the sun having just disappeared behind the mountains. On the way to my resting place I saw a sizable bear maybe 1 km from my campsite being shooed off by a park ranger who informed me of their frequency in the area. Arriving at the campground the clerk told me they had exactly one spot left, it’s kinda funny how often this happens, someone up above must be looking out for me. After setting up my tent I pulled out the laptop and having barely sat down two bats darted out of the sky mere inches from my face devouring a bug, startled I nearly fell out of my chair, Ah the joys of being so close to nature.

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Day 18 – The Icefields Parkway, a sightseers paradise

I got a pleasant surprise when I awoke in the morning and it wasn’t pouring on me, the weather had been calling for heavy rain all day, I certainly wasn’t gonna let the cloudy skies deter me and set off on the road with plans to appreciate everything the day had to offer.


Like before, I found myself stopping quite a bit, Jasper is a sightseers paradise no matter where you turn your head, there is always a picturesque scene waiting to place your mind in a state of awe and wonder. I took the road south driving along the Icefields Parkway and soon arrived at my first major stop, Athabaska Falls. The enormous amount of raging water crashing down the cliff was remarkable, a powerful and thrilling display that had me staring in wonder despite getting soaked by the mist before returning to my car as I continued south.


The roads led to countless phenomenal sights, magnificent waterfalls, fierce rushing rivers, wild animals roaming about and prodigious mountains towering over everything. I found myself elated to see breaks in the clouds and the rain, revealing blue sunny skies to further enhance the surroundings.


At last I had arrived at the main attraction, the glaciers, towering mounts of ice slowly creeping down the mountains. With Winnie needing to stretch her legs we did a small hike that brought us closer to the foot of the glacier which brought about a new perspective in appreciating its enormity. With so much ground to cover I quickly ventured back to the parking lot and hopped back in the car to continue the drive.


It took me longer than I thought it would with all the constant stopping but in time I arrived at Banff. The water was surreal, a shade of aqua rarely seen, I refilled my water bottle constantly as I took giant gulps from the pristine river, a truly refreshing taste.


Pressing on I came across another spot worth checking out, at first I was hesitant but decided I mine as well just go for it, a choice that came with quite the reward, Peyto Lake. I grabbed Winnie and started the hike uphill towards the lookout, as I arrived at the observation point my jaw dropped, just wow. A perch high up on the mountain gave the perfect vantage point to gaze down upon the valley below where the water glimmered like gemstones set upon a vibrant aqua canvas, I must have sat there lost in utter amazement for at least 45 minutes.


With still much ground to cover I started my walk back to the car, in good timing at that as it had just started raining pretty heavily as I arrived. I kept pressing on south until it was quite dark, the dusky sky a deep blue as the moon took its place governing the night. I lucked out finding a campsite despite it being so late, set my tent in place and took one final look at the starry night before heading into my tent to call it a day.

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Day 19 – Relaxing in Calgary

The wind tested the strength of my shelter throughout the night, gusts so strong I felt the sides of my tent pushed up against my face. By morning the gale had passed and I awoke to the sultry heat roasting me alive. I got my things together, cleaned up and set off towards Calgary. Towering mountains began to sink into the earth once more, turning to wavy rolling hills.


A myriad of houses bundled together on the hillsides begin to reveal themselves, soon adding high rises to their numbers. I looked out my window and saw the welcome sign, I had arrived in Calgary. I began a journey deeper into the city. Unique looking architectures stood tall and proud over the bustling streets below. It wasn’t long before I arrived at heart of the metropolis.


I found myself craving a place to relax. With so much sightseeing the previous couple of days I found myself feeling rather exhausted and in need of a rest. This led me to keep my exploring to a minimum, admiring fewer sights before moving on. I ending up at a place called Heritage Park where I took Winnie for a stroll as I looked out upon the Elbow River.


As I got back to my car and sat down I got a call from my friend Dale, him and his wife Janice had invited me to their home and I quickly set off in their direction. As I arrived Winnie burst fourth with energy as she raced out to greet their dog Jasper. Being gracious hosts they fed me and opened their home to me for a place to stay and rest up. We spent the evening sharing in great stories together, a wonderful change of pace. It was exactly what I needed. Feeling a sense of calm wash over me I head to bed appreciative, tomorrows adventures patiently awaiting the dawn.

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Day 20 – Drumheller, land of the dinosaurs

I woke up craving that sweet precious coffee pretty heavily this morning. Winnie had kept me up the night before dry heaving. She continuously heaved with nothing coming up and I began to worry as I found myself reading into all the horrendous things it could be. I decided I would see how she was doing again in the morning and if there was no improvement I’d take her to the vet. On the bright side when I awoke she was back to normal, cheerfully wagging her tail.
Adventure was calling and it wasn’t long before I was on the road driving through waving canola fields as I wondered when my destination would make it’s appearance. Being a valley, it snuck up on me pretty quickly. Before I knew it I was dipping downward as strange looking earth enclosing me on either side revealed itself, I had arrived at Drumheller. I grabbed a quick bite to eat before continuing deeper into the town, soon arriving at an enormous dinosaur where I pulled over to take a picture. As I gazed up I realized I’d just found the visitor center and cheerfully ventured in. The lady at the counter was quite friendly, showing me all the best places to see.


It happened to be pretty cloudy at the time with the weather report claiming it was to clear up later in the day. With this in mind I set off to explore the Royal Tyrrell Museum. What an incredibly interesting place this building tucked away in the valley turned out to be. A weaving jaunt took the viewer through the various eras in the earths time, starting from the earliest known beginnings to the present day. I meandered my way about casually observing the remnants of ancient times, now but a shadowy glimpse into earlier life on the planet. I soon saw the entrance I had longed for the most, the jurassic era. I proceeded through the doorway where I was greeted by daunting gargantuan skeletons, most of them towering well above me. I had seen Jurassic Park as a kid, and as I stood before the t-rex I was reminded of the many times it had appeared in my dreams, savage and menacing. To think of these creatures wandering the earth once more was a scary thought.


I continued moving forward and soon saw the exit, returning once again to the stratified valley. I looked up and smiled, the rain had ceased and the sun was shining brightly among blue skies, it was time to continue the adventuring outdoors. The landscape layered like a cake revealed the history of ages past, every section sharing a story. It wasn’t long before I arrived at one of the many lookouts I would stop at, Horsethief Canyon. I observed as Prairie Dogs scurried about, curious and bold they would dart out of their burrows to greet people in hopes of food, often getting their desires fulfilled.


Having enjoyed an ephemeral stop I took off towards the ferry. I drove up onto the boat and parked before getting out to share in conversation with the operator. A friendly man, we found ourselves chatting a fair bit as the ferry took it’s leisure time providing passage across the river.


I had one more major stop to see before heading back, The Hoodoos. It was a decent drive but worth the detour. Upon arriving I noticed strange rocks pointing up out of the earth, an odd but fascinating sight. Like their own small little family they huddled close to one another.


A day full of adventures and many unique sights came to its close as I said my goodbyes and headed back to see Dale and Janice before spending my final night in their home. Tomorrow lingers on the horizon, new adventures beckoning me forward.