Wednesday, September 28, 2011

And Here is the Rest of the Summer

There are a couple reasons I haven't worked on the BLOG.
First off - nothing was happening! Boring!
Then, suddenly everything happened all at the same time and I haven't had time.

Did you know that I can rationalize almost anything? I’m good at it! No good excuses!

A good RV buddy got killed in a bad accident not that far from here and that kind of took the wind out of our sails.

We did get up to Wetaskiwin to see Chuck and Sheila. We spent our three days with them and I got my IKEA fix and Chuck introduced us to Smoothies that have become almost a nightly thing.

Let’s see, we finally got it together to go over the “Road to the Sun” and the Logan Pass in Glacier . . . one of the places we visited often when we were kids. It is so much busier and is showing signs of wear, just like most of us, but it is still specular. Did I tell you that I love the mountains?

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We got a photo of one of my favourite sculptures. These Native warriors sit just south of the Canadian/USA border crossing at the entrance of the Peigan Nation. They were constructed by a local Native out of parts from vehicle destroyed in a big storm that ripped through the reserve many years ago.

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In the background is one of my favourite mountains – Chief Mountain. Actually one face of it slide down a few years ago.

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I have been writing a few articles and RV West gave me a column called Snowbirding 101 (http://www.rvwest.com/index.php/snowbirding_101/ ).

I like that, it keeps us busy researching things. The Escapees Magazine printed my piece about being Canadian and spending all those months in the US.

Some interesting feedback, (and not what I expected) and one fellow wanted to know if he could buy hard wheat flour on-line . . . who’d a thunk?

RV Lifestyle Magazine (out of Ontario) want a feature piece of attractions around Calgary for next Spring and sent me a Press Pass.

Now, this was fun!

We managed to arrange a couple of nights at a new RV Place (Aspen Crossing) about 3/4 of an hour south-east of Calgary; then we toured the Blackfoot Crossing - a National Heritage site designed and built by Siksika Blackfoot Nation close to the TransCanada Highway about an hour east of Calgary. Our final destination was Rosebud - a small town in Southern Alberta that hosts a Theatre Arts School and a Dinner Theatre.

Aspen Crossing isn’t a resort or just a place to park your RV but a complex with umpteen dozen features besides a place to stay. It started out as a family farm – they added a tree farm then a nursery and green houses, then a railway dining car restaurant that has a dinner theatre in the winter, then the RV Park then a caboose transformed into a sleeping cabin and . . . it goes on and on and on.

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Blackfoot Crossing The Interpretation Centre of the Blackfoot Crossing Heritage Park stands guard over the Bow River Valley and the many ceremonial and sacred sites that found shelter in the River coulee.

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It celebrates the Siksika Nation and the signing of Treaty 7 (the most important treaty for the Blackfoot Confederation) signed by the Seven Blackfoot tribes: Siksika; Piikani (Peigan); Kainaiwa (Blood); Tsuu T’ina (Sarcee); and the Stoney (Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley/Goodstoney).

It’s so well designed and even has a teepee village where guests can spend the night.

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Rosebud is the School of the Arts and the Theatre. The population is less than 100 people and the whole town lies dormant until around 5:30 when the doors open to the Mercantile and you can get your tickets for the Dinner and the Theatre.

There is an Historical Walk that explains how Rosebud became what it is and highlights some of the significant buildings.

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The Mercantile-site of the dinner

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The Opera House – site of the Theatre

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Museum – site of the old Chinese Laundry

We had a Great Adventure!!

Our final adventure this summer is going to be Frank Slide – then we leave October 20th – WOW – that's getting close.