Kinbrook and home . . .

Kinbrook Island Park
Site #113 - $29, p only, poor cell, Temp 18C

We pulled out of Buck Lake with expectations of heading home.  Particularly as it was a wet morning. It was absolutely POURING at Red Deer. 

 

As we headed down Hwy 1 towards Medicine Hat, the sun started shining and the temp got warmer. And so we turned towards Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, south of Brooks.  We would have stayed there for two nights, but our old nemesis 'Reservations' once again reared it's ugly head . . .

 

Regardless, it was a great end to our spring camping and we look forward to our summer at Pelletier.

Sunset over Lake Newell, Kinbrook Pk

 

Buck Lake, AB

Buck Lake Recreation Area
$18 - n/s, Random parking

We left Meota in the rain Monday morning and headed to Buck Lake.  Charlie had already set up camp and we 'circled the wagons'.  The bros did some fishing while Janice and I hung at the campsite.  We did have a short but very productive bike ride when we came across a good stash of firewood.  It was put to good use!

 

 




Look at all that wood!  Good find J & S!

 Jim and Jan - what?? A blond haired, Jan?? joined us for dinner one evening. 

  

Charlie churned out some awesome dinners on his barbecue smoker.  No fish, however. The fishermen didn't fare well!!  Charlie's fishing buddies dropped by regularly for visits.  Ken managed to 'sweet talk' himself a couple of meals and for that, he provided us with a lake tour on his pontoon boat. 

yum!! ribs!

 

Ken's Tours

We were pretty lucky with our weather considering all the rain and flood warnings taking place in Southern AB.  We only required the umbrellas for a short time.  All in all, it was a great three days! 

 

Meota Celebrations

Regional Park
Site #215 - $25, p only, Temp 19C

After a few days at home (did I say laundry?) it was off to Meota.  The bros and sisters-in-law would celebrate Larry's 70th birthday.  That is one thing we do quite well. Party and celebrate!  Love our times together. SO MUCH FUN! 

what?? I am 70 years old ???

Merle (Phyllis's sister) joins us for birthday dinner

 One of the big perks of camping in Meota is that Phyllis and Larry provide some extraordinary meals.  Yum!  Jackfish, Pheasant (which Larry assured wasn't a relative of our Medicine Hat brood), Salmon, bouillabaisse and beef tenderloin.  Also? No shortage of delicious hors d'oeuvres, snacks, cocktails and wine. 

 

not going to share!

some brother bonding

The toilet heist gang.

Janice wonders if she can sneak a sip

 

The bros with their better half

Good times for sure.

 

With fish flies you get sea gulls!



Perfect days end with perfect sunsets.

 

back on the road

Well that was short and sweet.  Loved having a few nights at home.  Everything is so lush and green.  Beautiful!  Also the weather was much warmer than we have experienced for quite some time.  Maybe it's time to start thinking about the stay-cations.

One great find while we were at home.  Ron was doing his usual 'eye on the dumpster' routine and lo and behold we now have one of those large 'almost like new' RV outdoor mats.  We have been eyeing these up for quite some time, but this was the best deal yet.  I can't imagine why our neighbour would throw it out??  Anyway, we will certainly use and enjoy it!

 

And now we are back in the RV and heading north.  To Meota and Jackfish Lake.  The Kesslar bros and wives are looking forward to celebrating Larry's 70th with him and Phyllis.  We hear rumors that there may be a few cabin renos involved, but for sure there will be some good times!

Back in the Hat . . .

yes... Well camping in the hills may not have been our best choice.  High altitude, cold weather. Maybe we are getting too old for those single digit temps? Especially when they occur during the daytime in June.  It just seems colder this time of year then when we are camping in say October or November.  Anyway, we did the two nights and we decided that was enough.  Apparently we missed out on the marble size hail when we did a drive to Reesor Lake.

View of Cypress valley on way to Reesor Lake

fishing on Reesor Lake

I must say that it was a little disconcerting to see these boys in their camouflage gear complete with rifles after the recent Moncton event.  On the way back home we did see the sign that the military were doing exercises in the area, but a bit more visible warning would have been appreciated.

Regardless of the cool weather, we did enjoy a couple of fires.  We just had them before dinner rather than later in the evening when we preferred the warmth of the RV and our portable heater.  As we left the campground it was shaping up to be a nice day.  However, the one thing about camping in cool weather, it sure feels good to arrive home!  If only for a couple nights before we head out once again to Meota and Jackfish Lake.  Looking forward to celebrating Larry's 70th with all the bro's and sisters-in-laws.

Elkwater Rodeo grounds

A side note:  Blew a tire on the RV just out of Medicine Hat.  That was a 1/2 hour change to spare.  Also, new purchase needed tomorrow.  Once home the hot water heater wouldn't light.  Ron is out shopping for thermo coupler now.  But still...  home looks good!  Oh... hullo laundry....


welcome home!

 

Hullo Canada and the Hills...

Elkwater Campground
Site #75 - $35, p/w, Temp 4C, cell

When you arrive at Elkwater, Cypress Hills and the temp is 4C, that kind of gives one the message that they should just keep on driving. We didn't. Crusty old buggers that we are, we set up camp in one of the 'first come first serve' spots. All of the reserved sites are reserved, so that tells you how tough us Albertans are. And how much we love our camping! Hopefully things will warm up over the day and the weekend. The sun is trying to shine, so that is always a good sign.

We have paid for 2 nights, but we could be 3. We will be using our little electric heater though!

Havre happenings

Evergreen Campground
Site #16 - $30, p/w/s, Internet, Temp 19C

Nothing very exciting happening here in Havre. It is cool and cloudy, so we are sitting indoors. The breadmaker is chugging away while we each sit at our laptops. We are staying in a campground just south of town. Away from the trains. Actually our second night in Shelby wasn't bad. The Engineers didn't feel the need to subject us to the horn blowing of the previous night.

We did a bit of shopping and we enjoyed our propane fire yesterday. 

Ron had planned to do the "Beneath the Streets" underground tour which is similar to our Moose Jaw tunnels, but he didn't want to wait around the 90 minutes for the guided tour which was his only option. Another time! He did get to see the model railroad museum which he thought was pretty cool. We stopped at Walmart on the way back to the campsite. I ran in to a gal who I used to work with in Swift Current. (Carla Holmes for the SC people.) Funny thing is, the last time I ran in to her was in Mexico when we there for Mike and Gail's wedding. We had a chuckle about that.

So it's back to Canada tomorrow. We are still uncertain whether we will just head home or spend a couple days in Elkwater.

from Shelby, MT in the U. S of A

Lake Shel-oole Campground
Site #18 - $18, p/w, Temp 24C

Smooth sailing across the border yesterday.  We had toasted tomato sandwiches in Canada before crossing as we had to get rid of a damn tomato.  They have caused us enough problems! This is the emptiest our fridge has been with only lettuce and carrots for veggies.  They didn't even look this time.  Also, our liquor cabinet is empty. Time to do some US shopping.

 

In less than an hour we drove the 70 km to Shelby, MT.  We are camped at 'Lake Shel-oole Campground'.  Huh...?? No lake?  The sign says there is a dam over there.  

"Fishing Behind Dam"

We picked up a few RV fix-it items at the local hardware, plus groceries and beer at Albertsons.  The local liquor store is closed Mondays.  So that was on today's agenda.  Shelby is kind of a neat old railway town with lots of historic buildings.  We have driven by it before, but never stopped.

 Last night we sat out while dinner cooked on the barbecue.  It was a beautiful hot evening and we discussed an evening fire when all of a sudden, the wind picked up and a windstorm blew through. The temp quickly dropped. It is obvious that this is a high wind area as they have permanent wind warning signs on the highway.  Also, there is the tell-tale Wind Farms west of town!  The other thing is trains.  Stupid trains came through twice during the night and took great pleasure on laying on their horns.  We never really noticed them tooting during the day, but it appears to be their nightly pleasure.  I'll be digging out the ear plugs tonight.

 

Today we did a drive to the town of Cut Bank on the east side of Glacier Park.  Lots of snow in those Rocky Mountains yet!  It explains the coolish weather. On to Havre tomorrow.