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Sign seen on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, that might serve us on
2 lane highways in Canada. In case you can't read it, it says
"Delay of 5 vehicles illegal. Must use turnout". Good idea! |
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We found it quite comforting to return to cities we had visited
before. This is a shot of the water control in Whitehorse |
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| Raven's House (see below) |
We were excited to revisit the site where Wayne Price was working on the Healing Totem and when we got there on Labour Day weekend, we discovered that the team was spending the weekend with their families. We were happy to learn that Wayne had driven, as he does every weekend, to visit his wife and children in Haines, Alaska. The totem was shrouded and I was tempted to take a peek but we waited until Tuesday to see if Wayne and his crew were there. We were very, very happy to find him there early Tuesday morning and were stunned when he spotted us, grinned and moved swiftly to greet us. We are honoured by this wonderful man and agree that we don't just like him, we love him. Such a gentle soul.
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Woman's hand on Wayne's first project, the Spousal Abuse Healing Canoe...in a building not yet open
to the public. The man's hand is on the other side. |
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| The child |
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Figure represents a mother holding a box. Names of those
who wish to begin the healing from residential school experiences or
from any pain in their past, may write their names on pieces of bark
chipped from the totem log. The names are being collected in a box
that will be burned prior to the raising of the totem. A hole will be
drilled into the totem, in the centre of the box seen here and all of
the ashes will be placed into the hole and the hole sealed. |
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Figures carved into the wood represent the mother, father, unborn
child and the mother holding the healing box. The totem will be topped
with a raven and wolf...the protectors. So much progress has been made in less than 2 months
since we first watched them carving.
Wayne said that aboriginal history was oral history and there were
no books to tell their stories. The totems tell a story and
he said that he and his students are making history with this totem and the healing
canoe. |
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Wayne and his students. The totem is expected to be raised in late October.
Note the box on the bench behind Wayne. It contains the names collected so far,
of those who wish to begin the healing process and the box and names will be burned
the day the totem is raised. When he asked if we would like to see the box and the names, he carried it
so gently from the trailer where it is stored at night. Such respect for those who need to heal.
Wayne's words to us as we said "goodbye"...
"Keep in touch". He is an inspiration. It was a privilege to meet him. |
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| Beautiful murals and buildings around Whitehorse |
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| Wildflowers changing colour as we leave Whitehorse |
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RV Park and lodge at Muncho Lake. The owners are pilots
and this miniature plane is a weather vane with a whirling prop |
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The dining room wall holds a huge map of the region, created by hand
in separate pieces, all to scale. |
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| He even positioned the lodge appropriately |
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| A carved mermaid on the ceiling |
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| Quaint cabins for rent |
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| Muncho Lake |
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| Lovely statuary in Prince George's public spaces |
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Carl and Cathie also own a Great West Van. They are from Thunder Bay
and we learned that Cathie took a photo of us as we entered Sleeping Giant
Park, Northern Ontario, in June. We had several stalkings and unusual encounters
because of our van, which seems to be quite the novelty among campers. |
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Mount Robson...varying stories on how it got it's name but
we are happy to declare it our own. |
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| This big fella hung around our camp site most of the evening |
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| Raging rivers down from Mt. Robson. |
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| Gorgeous totem in Jasper |
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The story of the totem. This is a replica of the one
recently returned to it's home in Haida Gwaii |
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| How wildlife casually controls traffic in the Alberta mountains |
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| Smack dab in front of us! |
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| Athabaska Falls |
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| We spent a long time watching these rock climbers |
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Arriving at the Columbia Icefield's Provincial Park we get
snowed on! |
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and wish each other "Merry Christmas!" Our furnace ran
out of propane sometime in the early hours and it was bloody bracing! |
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| Columbia Icefields |
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We were transported by bus to a location fairly close to the field, then
rode in this rig, onto the ice |
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| Dangerous fissures and holes in the ice |
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| A blizzard hit as soon as we stepped onto the ice |
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Our guide promised us a speedy return to the bus, donned his do-rag, sun glasses
and sped up to 5 mph. He was a riot. |
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| Not too cold for this gorgeous little European visitor |
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| Below us, hikers heading to the toe of the glacier |
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| Our guide James, without his Rambo disguise |
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| The vehicle that Mom and Dad took to the glacier "in the day". |
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| Five glaciers seen from one spot |
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Note the little sign in the lower corner and the distance
to the Columbia glacier way out there.....see below |
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| Receding quickly |
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| Glacial waterfalls |
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| Lake Louise Glacier |
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We discovered a variety of mushrooms at our Lake Louise campsite
and on our hike |
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One campground is surrounded by fences and electrified gates
to protect the guests from bear. Interesting! |
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| Turquoise rivers |
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We loved the wildlife bridges....clever idea that has
reduced animal deaths on the highway |
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| View from the top of Sulphur Mountain, Banff |
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| A wee chipmunk (they called it a squirrel) at the very tip top of Sulphur Mountain |
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| The market we visited earlier. Not a bad telephoto lense Kirkham! |
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| Banff Springs Hotel |
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| Still showing off my telephoto ....van's still there! |
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Bob thought he'd demo, in warmer weather, the size of the tires on the rig
we had ridden on the ice fields. He wasn't allowed to lay under the
tires on the Icefields. |
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Banff Springs Hotel. Bringing back memories of my annual conference
visits with Royal Trust |
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| We really, really love the Magpies in Alberta |
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| Our campsite at Two Jack Campground, Banff |
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| The part of the Banff Centre that nephew Craig helped build |
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| He built this one too! |
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| All part of the Centre |
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Our first day in Calgary, Mary gave us a tour of the Children's Hospital
where she works. |
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| Mary is so proud of this well designed and beautiful hospital |
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| Directional signs are statues of different wildlife |
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| Terrific photo's..... |
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| comprised of smaller photo's |
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| Stained glass walls |
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| Ceiling of the rotunda theatre |
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| The stage below |
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| Mary's offices are here in the Hospital Foundation area |
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A non-denominational chapel that provides facilities
for every religion |
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| Masks created by the children are on display |
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There are seven fish tanks around the hospital and the children
love them |
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| Alberta skies never disappoint with their unusual cloud formations |
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An old threshing machine outside Stampede Park brought
back memories of my youth on our farm |
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Craig and Mary were wonderful hosts, taking us all over Calgary.
Here we are at a bird sanctuary on the Bow River |
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The property was donated to the city by a philanthropist. Thousands
of migrating birds visit this place |
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| A wonderful dinner in Craig and Mary's beautiful home |
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| Two unicycles brought all the way from Malaysia |
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Craig and Mary have 3 cats. ....this is one....I call "feathers" because
of the unusual bits of fur hanging off it's feet |
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| This is Harley with Feathers |
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| Now this is the roundest cat I've ever seen...Wait 'till she lays down... |
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Ok...now she's laying down now. Hard to tell 'cause her
legs are so short...or her belly hangs so low |
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After leaving Mary and Craig on Monday morning, we have breakfast at
Ricky's diner while our van gets a brake check and shocks replaced. Phil and Nancy, this
one's for you because we know you are somewhere out there on Route 66 |
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We head south to Fort Macleod and stop in at the best named site
in the world! Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump |
So, how did it get it's name? According to one of the Blackfoot oral traditions, a young boy wanted to witness the plunge of countless buffalo as his people drove them over the sandstone cliff. Standing under the shelter of a ledge, he watched the great beasts fall past. The hunt was unusually good that day. As the bodies mounted, he became trapped between the animals and the cliff. When his people came to do the butchering, they found him with his skull crushed by the weight of the buffalo carcasses. This is why they named this buffalo jump "Head-Smashed-In".
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The cliff (or jump) used to be 20 metres deep and is about half
that now, due to a build-up of buffalo bones and vegetative growth |
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| The view from the top |
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| Interpretive Centre sets and descriptions |
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| The Interpretive Centre is beautifully designed and subtly built into the cliff |
The next day we left Alberta and drove to Fernie, BC. We hadn't been there since Rachel and Peter owned a house there, 13 years ago. Wow....has Fernie ever grown! The provincial park attendant remembered Rachel and Peter so it hasn't grown that much it seems.
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| Rachel and Peter.....recognize the place? |
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| The house is being dwarfed by the buildings going up around it |
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| The old abandoned high school is now a very chic apartment building |
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Alberta was dry as a bone and this part of BC on our way to the Okanagan
was dry as well. |
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The craziest mountain pass we've been through ...the Kootenay,
has to be the longest and sharpest turns we've experienced. Meeting
these big fella's keeps the blood pumping |
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We had to have seen at least 5 Runaway Lanes (built in case your brakes fail)
on our trip through the pass. We thought we'd never get to the bottom. |
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Coming down into Osoyoos, we spot gorgeous mansions high
on the mountain slopes |
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| Below us.....Osoyoos Lake |
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| Our camp site on the lake at Nk'Mip |
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The First Nations property and vineyards are gorgeous,
as is everything in the interior....Canada's desert |
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Rachel and Peter gave Bob a "Perfect Couple's" Voucher for his
birthday and he chose this winery. We were spoiled with a tour,
wine tasting (6 wines), lunch, a gift and a bottle of wine. It was
spectacular! |
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Each row represents the grapes used to make the wine. Normally,
the tastings would take place among the grapes so we could taste
the grape, then sample the wine. A bear has been running about the property
looking for her wayward cub and so we weren't allowed in this are.
Instead, the grapes were brought inside to us. It was a fun and
interesting exercise. |
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The restaurant overlooks the amphitheatre where concerts
are held from July to October |
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| The grape crusher |
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| Leah, our hostess |
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We were happy to see sumac growing along the driveway.
The first we've seen in the west. |
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| Our view from the restaurant...perfect! |
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| Last night in the campground in Oliver |
We spent today in Penticton, a lovely city on Lake Okanagan. Tomorrow we will visit the farmers market then head on up the road to Kelowna and Kamloops. A week from today, we'll be in Whistler for Rachel's solo art reception and demo. It's 30C and we are in heaven. Such a beautiful place! We completely understand why so many Canadians move here from colder climates. There just might be too many wineries for me though.....and I don't think they have a Betty Ford Clinic here either! While we're here though.....we must do as the Romans do. Cheers!!
