Heritage Park

We spent a glorious sunny Saturday at Heritage Park; a place where you can see small town Canada of Olde.  From the car park you can either take the trolley bus to the admission kiosk or walk along a paved walkway which takes back in time from 2011 to 1800.  Inside the kiosk all those people selling admissions are dressed in clothes of yore and even at the gates students check your tickets wearing long dresses (girls) or trousers with waistcoats (lads).  The walk uphill is gentle and quickly to the left is a windmill turning and in the distance the sound of the steam train calling passengers prior to departure.  We quickly left the young children to the games and activities in front of us on a large grass expanse and set off to the left following our map to the compressed air mine locomotives.  Bill had promised me shopping at the end of the day as there were a number of Olde World shops at the entrance!

The locomotives gave way to the Dingman Discovery Well (1913) made of wood making it much easier to leave behind when the oil ran out!  The road construction barn brought a smile to our faces as we recognised the shapes of Calgary's snowploughs! The S.S Moyie, a paddle steamer, was calling passengers on this occasion, we watched the vessel depart as we hurried to the Railway Roundhouse - what fun, a steam engine, a caboose and you could walk around unhurried.  From there we made our way to the Main Street; most of the buildings had been brought to Heritage Park from other parts of Alberta.  

We spent time with the Blacksmith, entered a Masonic Lodge, walked through Wong's Laundry, marvelled at the tools for tooth extraction at the dentist's.  The snooker parlour was particularly grand and of course you get a hair cut at the barbers at the entrance.  We entered the Alberta Bakery, well our noses led us there, the smell of cinnamon rolls freshly brought out of the oven; we treated ourselves to freshly baked sausage rolls Heritage Park style and a loaf of tasty bread.  Lunch was had at the Wainwright Hotel; a grand building with all the original features we spent time reading a Christmas menu from 1914 - we don't think that could have moved after eating such grand fayre.  We chatted to RCMP members; one along the main street and the other further along at Berry Creek where the RCMP shackled a lady for making too much noise in the saloon!! She was shackled to a chair as there was no cell - not very comfortable.  As ever we thoroughly enjoyed the schools; the classroom layout, the Union Jack and pictures of Queen Victoria.  We spent time in the Aboriginal encampment and spoke with the ladies of the Blackfoot Tribe who were sitting inside their teepee's. 

Life for settlers coming to western Canada was not easy whether they came from Eastern Canada or from overseas. The climate; the harsh winters and hot scorching summers must have been extremely hard to get used to not to mention the Aboriginal Tribes who did not see eye to with each other let alone the settlers.  The Hudson Bay Company had forts all over what is now Canada to buy pelts, mostly beaver, from trappers.  Many a young man from Scotland came to Canada to work for The Bay and after three years could return to Scotland, ticket paid or remain in Canada with small portion of land, three acres or so.  Many of course decided to stay as they either had nothing to return to or could not as the solitude of working in the Great White North (Canada) meant that they could not readily live a normal life.  Small churches sprang up to help people come to terms with where they now lived; singing hymns helped many to forget from whence they had come - there were so many people in the same boat so to speak.

There was so much to see and do that we will certainly return another time.

Healy Meadows

Last week we went out to Healy Meadows and Healy Pass hoping to see carpets of wild flowers, as we had seen last August.  The weather forecast was good; plenty of sunshine and temperatures around plus 23C, so good hiking weather.  We made our way to Sunshine to catch the 0900 shuttle up to Sunshine Village, it's an hour and half from home.  We were therefore somewhat surprised to see that the whole world had descended into the car park for the 0900 shuttle which was already somewhat full - should have reserved seats on line! Seems everyone was going up to the Village to view the wild flowers by the three lakes (thank goodness) and a second shuttle duly arrived to take the overflow which included us - it was packed to capacity.

A small number headed towards Simpsons Pass and Healy Creek, we were all prepared for the hike carrying plenty of water, sunscreen, bug spray and bear spray!  As the views opened up we saw the larger amounts of standing water and lakes larger and much fuller than usual and then the flowers started; the anemones had already gone to seed but the wild asters, columbines, saxifrages and paint brushes to name a few, were all in full bloom.  The higher we hiked the more like a carpet the flowers became, hues of yellow, purple, red and white and the scent, indescribable - you will just have to come and see for yourselves, as photographs seldom do justice to such a scene. 

The top of Healy Pass was full of hikers, all searching out that quiet spot for lunch, to sit, eat and just commune with nature in all its glory.  We really didn't want to start our journey down, this time via Healy Creek.  We dawdled and allowed numerous people to overtake us as we took in the meadows.  The way down is all down hill with a long walk out towards Sunshine car park, we took our time enjoying the warmth of the day and the sound of the creek running over rocks.  The car park and our vehicle came too quickly in the end, the cool box provided cool refreshments prior to our journey home. 

We decided to end the day at the Scotsman's Well in Creekside; a simple evening meal before home and showers and then a cool glass of wine on the deck; taking in the colours and sounds of our garden.

Where the Mountains meet the Prairie

We set off on a Thursday evening with our friends, Neil and Linda for the south of Alberta and Waterton National Park.  We had been to Glacier National Park on the American side many, many years ago and had fond memories of the Going to the Sun Road and Logan Pass and the very large grizzly bear we saw .... not that far from the Visitor Centre!  On this occasion we were driving through gently rolling prairie grassland when the mountains erupted up and out in front of us.  There were no foothills to draw you towards the mountains scenery.  Waterton National Park and its other half, Glacier National Park in Montana were the first National Park in  North America to gain UNESCO World Heritage status as a Peace Park.  The scenery is spectacular, the wildlife is abundant and the wild flowers beyond comparison.

Our first excursion was to Wall Lake and we crossed into British Columbia through the Akimina-Kishenina Provincial Park which was established in 1995. The lake lies buried in glacial cirque pockets beneath stupendous cliffs.

Our route took us over creeks, through old forest lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir.  Arnica, queen's cup, foam flowers, cow parsnip and wild onion, amongst others, lined our journey towards the lake.  Great bear habitat although the bears were resting that day!!

Wall Lake is a large lake with the Akamina Ridge rising above it, a little over 750 metres from the south shore, almost shutting out the sky.  An ancient forest rings the north shore and fisherman are found along the shore, with BC fishing licence of course.  At the end of the trail beside the lake the path petered out and we decided, as we were hungry, that this was a good a place as any to stop for lunch.  In front of us a snow patch - the product of  innumerable avalanches slowly melts into the lake.

As we returned we detoured to Forum Falls, the waterfall was full as it came hurtling down the rock face.  The spray was cooling and this coolness along with the breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay. 

Our second excursion was to Bertha Lake via the falls.  En route we counted over 45 varieties of wild flowers.  We reached the falls and met up with a couple who been along the Lineham Creek Falls trail and had seen many more wild flowers; bear grass and monkey flower.  So a change of plan and as we returned to the car park it felt as if we were in the middle of Piccadilly Circus as hordes of people, in inappropriate footwear made their way to the coolness of the waterfall.

The Lineham Creek Falls path greeted us with mosquitoes and other flying, biting creatures so it was time to "deet" up - lots of it.  The path was uphill and we passed through colourful meadows full of wild flowers including mariposa lilies and wild buckwheat.  The Falls, were loud and full of water.  We were grateful to return as it was hot with very little moving air  until we reached the shade of the woodland.  Ice creams made the perfect end to the day.

<>

<>

<>

<>   <>   <>

A Knight Up High

Saturday the 16th July and we rose early and set off for Kananaskis Country, our destination the trailhead for The Black Prince Cirque. The name Black Prince conjures up images of medieval castles and chivalrous knights! The name originated with Prince Edward of England, a fierce, 14th Century warrior who wore striking black armour.  It was revived as the name of a World War 1 battleship.  In memory of the ship, the name was bestowed on a striking Canadian Rockies peak: Mt. Black Prince.  Our destination was Black Prince Cirque.

Channeling the warrior's spirit we hiked up the steep head wall guarding the lower Black Prince Cirque and wandered amongst the lakes hidden within it; Warspite Lake is one.  Odd to think that as we neared the head wall having navigated our way across an avalanche area full of rock and newly deposited trees it was snowing in the cirque. Yes, snow.  To our joy the cloud lifted as we entered the vast basin, or cirque, and the sun shone through. 

The final assent was steep and muddy as we navigated our way alongside the creek which was in full speight and provided us with a splendid waterfall, the Warspite Cascades.  The sound of rushing water masked our huffs and puffs as we went ever higher.

As we entered the upper cirque cresting its lip we entered a grassy basin littered with boulders, ahead of us was Mount Warspite at 9348 feet and to the left was Mount Black Prince.

A grand day on the hills!

July 24th. 2011. Our second Canniversary!

We haven't posted for a while, been somewhat busy with the garden.  It's quite time consuming when starting from scratch and especially with the soil that we have, that's if you can call it soil as it really cannot support much except weeds and prairie grasses!  Bill has been improving the soil with peat and  richer garden soil, we have been out watering the plants but the dry winds certainly dry out most things pretty quickly.  We have been successful with roses, rudbekia and sweet peas to name a few and we have a good display of hanging baskets and tubs.  we bought a cherry tree and also an apple tree; the apple trre cam covered in tiny apples we removed most of them so as not to stress the tree but we will have half a dozen or so in September!  Bill is growing beans and tomatoes but we now realise that we will need to start growing indoors and plant out once the plants are much bigger.  The snow didn't really disappear from the garden until mid April and then the ground needed to thaw so all in all a very short growing season.

We have been out hiking and found that the snow pack has not fully melted so cirques which would normally be filled with wild flowers are still in late spring stage with snow and tiny leaves breaking forth out of the ground.  There are of course the early flowers that shoot up ever so quickly.

This second year seems to have  flown by more quickly than the first year! We are trying to get out and enjoy the mountains more this summer as well as work in and around the house.  Stampede came and went, good to have William and Kate as so many more folk attended Stampede this year but then the economy is picking up.  

What's that Bill ... not another weed!!

Time to cut a trail!

We spent a glorious day beside and on Upper Kananaskis Lake enjoying a spot of snowshoeing.  It was a cloudy day with a chill breeze which fortunately wasn't in our faces all of the time otherwise it would not have been so much fun!  Fourteen of us gathered at eh Peter Loughead Centre to assess the trails and also to take any extra information about avalanche conditions.  We had three possible routes but only one stood out for its length, location and the possibility of sunshine, if there was any to be had.  The ladies of course visited the washroom prior to the short drive to the starting point.

Our four vehicles were the only ones in the car park, no one had really taken the rangers words seriously - " you will be the first group out and may have to cut trail".  We donned our snow boots and snow shoes, set our poles to the correct length and looked at the map to find the trail head ... and that's where the fun started we followed i8n line, crocodile style, past the locked washrooms, to find the start of the trail.  Our leader, Chuck, disappeared up to his thighs in snow, by the time Bill and I reached this point twelve pairs of snow shoes had plodded over the trail and the deep hole could not be seen.  We were the first snowshoers out on this pristine white snow.  We made our way to the front and helped cut trail, not necessarily in the right place but the scenery looked magnificent in its winter cloak.  We stopped for lunch by the Lake, well actually we were on the Lake.  As we left our picnic spot we heard a thud as fourteen pairs of feet started on the ice.  In the distance some folk were ice fishing and we decided that behind the fishing tents some hot toddies or vodka or a combination of the two were being imbibed, after all what else can you do whilst waiting for fish to take a bite?!.

Neil informed us that snow shoeing helps you use over 600 calories an hour and up to 1,000 if you are cutting trail, well I never!

After 5 kms or so we decided it was time to head back and as we turned to look at our tracks other people were walking in them! A fine trail we were told as we passed by.  Back at the car park we treated ourselves to hot chocolate mm Green & Blacks - what a treat.  We declined stopping at the Centre to sit by the log fire and as it turned out a very wise decision.  We found ourselves in a blizzard not far from the Nakiska ski resort turn off and remained with limited visibility until almost at the City limits of Calgary and then it just disappeared!

Last Sunday night to Monday morning we had over 15 cm of snow; we were shovelling for well over an hour to clear the drive in order to get the vehicles out for work.  We shovelled again when we returned from work in the evening.  Now we are basking in Chinook winds, it is a lot warmer (plus 6C) but very windy with gusts @ 100 km/hr.

From minus 26C to plus 26C

We finally decided to follow the 'snowbirds' (retirees who leave the cold of Canada and travel south to the warmth of the USA) in search of some warmth. This winter has been very different from the previous one: we have had snowstorms lasting a week or so with cold temperatures, snow flurries (intermittent snow) which fell for days on end and more cold temperatures and greyness. Okay so we have had more Chinook winds that have raised temperatures from minus 30C to plus 3 all in an afternoon. Last winter we don't recall having a Chinook at all! Temperatures last winter (2009/10) were low, in fact we didn't see minus 5C for over 30 days, but then the skies were blue and the sun shone.

We shouldn't grumble after all we live at over 3,300 feet.

We spent a few days in the warmth of Palm Springs, California. On board the aircraft the pilot told us that we were leaving a chilly Calgary (minus 26C) and that temperatures for noon in Palm Springs would be plus 26C ....... say no more.

As usual we strolled through downtown Palm Springs, window shopping. This is the sort of shopping Bill likes as there is no need to enter shops at all unless they are bookstores, museums or places offering refreshments. We had decided quite early on that golf was not on the agenda for this trip and therefore I would forgo my spa day (not quite sure why, as he could always read a book or newspaper over coffee somewhere in the shade).

We visited the Indian Canyons on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the Palm Springs area many centuries ago. They developed complex communities in the Canyons where there was abundant water, plants and animals. They grew crops (melons, squash, beans and corn), gathered seeds for food, medicines and basket weaving. The baskets were beautiful and depicted the life of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians. They believed that this productive land of their ancestors would always be theirs; just how wrong could they be? In 1876 the US Federal Government deeded in trust 32,000 acres to the Agua Caliente people and at the same time they gave the Southern Californian Railroad ten miles of odd sections of land to induce the company to build the railroad. Of the reservation's 32,000 acres, 6,700 lie within the Palm Springs city limits and the rest fans out across the desert and mountains in a checkerboard pattern.

We had three Canyons to choose from: Palm, Andreas and Murray. We opted for Palm Canyon, which is 15 miles long and is considered one of the areas of great beauty in western USA. We began our hike at the Palm Canyon parking lot and descended into the Canyon. Our trail took us through the lush vegetation, mostly palm trees, cacti and ferns, as we strolled beside running water shimmering in the sunlight. The palm trees provided shade from the already warm sun.

In 1994 a fire had severely burned the area and we could see evidence of the fire and now lots of new growth. Our route took us up and out of the Canyon, and away from everyone else who opted for much shorter routes, and out onto the back country high desert plateau. Once out on the plateau we were able to pick out the Santa Rosa Mountains and the snow covered San Jocintos Mountains. We certainly enjoyed our 8 1/2 mile hike and found time to visit the Trading Post before heading back to Palm Springs.

We also visited Joshua Tree National Park. The area had been a National Monument since 1936 (President Franklin D. Roosevelt) but in 1994 (President Bill Clinton) as part of the California Desert Protection Act, Congress renamed the area Joshua Tree National Park and also added more land so that the Park now protects 794,000 acres, nearly 3/4 of which are designated as wilderness, where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge. The Joshua tree, Yucca brevifolia, is a member of the Agave family and is a good indicator that you are in the Mojave desert. The Joshua tree was recognised by American Indians for many useful properties: its tough leaves were worked into baskets and sandals, the flower buds made a tasty addition to their diet. By the mid 19th Century, Mormon immigrants had made their way across the Colorado river. Legend has it that pioneers named the tree after Joshua as they saw the limbs of the tree outstretched in supplication guiding the travellers westward. At the same time ranchers and miners arrived in the high desert in high hopes of raising cattle and finding gold. These homesteaders used the limbs and trunks of the Joshua tree for fencing and corrals. Miners found a source of fuel for the steam engines used in processing ore. The Park is a Geographers dream with granite outcrops which began life as batholiths beneath the surface. We were able to find gneiss outcrops, one of the oldest rocks known to man.

Our hike took us to the top of Ryan Mountain, where we were offered some scenic views of the Park. From the top (at 5458ft) we were able to see, even if it was a little murky, the Peaks of San Jocinto and San Giorgonio and were able to look into the Pinto Basin, Lost Horse Valley, the Wonderland of Rocks and the San Bernandino Mountains which form the northern border of the Coachella Valley. We enjoyed our views and we were quite alone having passed three groups descending and as we headed down we passed three more groups going up. We decided that this was area we would like to visit again; the scenery, with its granite Tors, was very lunar.

As we headed down to Palm Springs the warmth of the Valley hit us, we marvelled at the wind turbines all along the Coachella Valley all turning, all producing power for California.

We had plenty of time for R + R as well as reading our books - sheer pleasure in the warm sunshine with clear blue skies. We returned to Calgary to temperatures of 0C, so warmer than when we had departed but a lot colder than Palm Springs.

We would certainly return to Palm Springs as there is so much more to do than just golf and the casinos!