June 30

It's wonderful getting a picture of what the prairies looked like 1000 years ago.  Elk Island National Park, just east of Edmonton, has the original herd of genetically pure bison in North America.  They roam free over 1000's of acres and we were lucky to see plenty of them.  Some more closely than others!  A big bull bison was blocking our path yesterday when we were hiking, necessitating some very wet and prickly bushwacking to go around him.  (He didn't respond to entreaties to move!)

This morning, after a magnificent prairie thunderstorm last night, another big bull was mired in mud at the edge of the lake.  We're speculating that the storm drove him to run for cover from the little island he'd been grazing on the previous day.  We sat watching him pant and struggle, hearing his snorting and thrashing for most of the morning.  (Parks Canada seemed surprisingly unwilling to intervene, but to give them credit, what could they do?)  Finally, in a fit of supreme struggling, he broke out of the muck and swam to safety!  We cheered and clapped, much to his disgust, and he merrily launched into the grass in the picnic site. 

Hopefully no further drama tomorrow as we spend Canada Day getting our canoe lifter fixed and then back on the road, heading east towards Saskatchewan.  With luck and a tailwind we'll get to Manitou Lake where there is a spa, hot pools, and Danceland!!!!

June 27 Vancouver to Edmonton

Did I say Great Adventure?  Really?  Well, it has been, so far!  Very nice drive from Vancouver to Jasper to start off, and then .....

First, my Bell turbo stick which functioned just fine at home has failed to connect since then.  Of course to talk to tech support you need phone access, and it's costing me $$$$ on my cell phones as someone in India works out the problems. 

Then, our fabulous canoe lifter came to bits in a most spectacular manner in the campground in Jasper.  As we were lifting the canoe back up, suddenly the mechanism exploded, sending bits of wire flying, the aluminum arms careening around, and needless to say, the canoe crashing down against the side of the camper!  Wow!  Even the Dutch campers next door were impressed!  It was a challenge explaining to them that this wasn't supposed to happen.

Luckily (well, not so much, but I'm trying to practice gratitude) no one was decapitated, there is only one small hole in the camper (duct tape to the rescue) and the canoe is intact.  It took a while, and a lot of sweat equity, but we got the broken bits strapped down to the roof, the canoe safely back on top, and the camper off the middle of the road.  (Did I mention that?)

So, in order to take our minds off the awful truth, we decided to go off on a bike trek around the townsite.  Buddy in the trolly, lunch in the cooler, off we pedal.  Jasper is fabulous for cycling - bike paths for miles, along the Athabasca River, beside turquoise glacial lakes, through boreal forest, and all off the highway.  We had a lovely day out - elk, deer, hawks - and were just about back to the campsite, when we came upon a female elk.  Stopped to photograph her, and realized she was looking pretty aggressive - head down and tossing, foot stamping, snorting.  Decided to hightail it back down the path, but of course, a bike pulling a trolley doesn't turn around easily on a narrow trail!  The elk gave chase, I zoomed off down the trail we'd come on, and Norbert headed across the bush towards open country.  The elk cornered him, and he decided to abandon the bike and run for it.  Buddy, unfortunately, chose to follow me, and ran right under the elk's nose.  She tore off in hot pursuit, and all I saw was Buddy racing towards me with the elk prodding his behind! 

Laughing now, yes, but I sure wasn't then!  I've never pedalled so fast in my life!  And poor Buddy, he was like a greyhound in heat!  She didn't continue to chase us very far (she must have been protecting a calf in the long grass nearby).  We skirted around her, as fast as we could skirt, and for all our trouble were stopped just beyond her by the Park Ranger who wanted to know why our dog was off leash!  'We're escaping from an elk' somehow didn't seem to amuse him.  Some days you just can't please anyone.

So, adventure it is, and we've realized that we'll need to develop resilience (and stronger legs).  But there is good news on the horizon.  Internet now seems to work, canoe lifter can be repaired on Friday, and no elk in sight.  We are barbequing bison steaks tonight at Doug's house at Labyrinth Lake, and plan to spend 2 days at Elk Island National Park before returning to Edmonton for repairs.  We have time and friends and good luck on our side.

Thanks for all your good wishes, and yes, please, come along over the horizon to see what tomorrow brings.

Thurs June 16 - Pre-trip Planning

Aarrrgh!  Too much to do before we leave - pay bills, insure car, take camper in for service, dog to vet for rabies vaccine, pick up camper, clean house, organize internet banking, sign wills (well, it never hurts to be prepared!), find camping gear, pack clothes, tidy garden (or not)......

If this is what retirement looks like, I might have to go back to work to get some rest!  But with any luck, we'll be ready to leave mid week next week.  Bound for Newfoundland, with no time frame except home by Christmas.  We hope we'll still be camping when the first snow falls! 

We'll be posting here along the way, and we'd love to hear from you as well.  Please follow our Great Adventure, and come along for the ride!