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.

Goldsprings Campground, Milk River, AB

Site #29 - $30, p/w, poor cell, Internet, Temp 18C

We rather like this place. There is a unique horseshoe shaped lake that was created when a couple farmers dammed up the river in the 60's.  

Goldsprings Park (from their website)

This photo was taken on a much busier weekend. We are camped on the left side of the island. It was hot when we arrived. Finally! It was nice to open up windows on the RV once again. We enjoyed the warm evening and a late campfire.

view from our Campsite

hey! that's us!

Canoers and tubers make use of the fast flowing Milk River beside us. We've been told that people think they can tube between Milk River and the campground in a matter of minutes. Realistically it takes about 4 hrs because of all the twists and turns in the river. It would take about 2 days to get from here to Writing on Stone which is only about 50 km from here. A look at google maps will show you just how twisted this river is.

Even though there are quite a few young families with young children camped here, it is actually very quiet and relaxing sitting by the lake. People are fishing off shore and in their "belly boats". The lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout although most of what we've seen caught are small throwbacks.


My only complaint is the ants! Gah... It's one huge ant hill here!! Even when they aren't crawling on me, I feel like they are. I will have nightmares for sure!

                                     Hi-Ya!
We plan to stay until Monday and then we will probably make a short jaunt/tour in to the US.

close to home, Lundbreck, AB

Hiawatha Campground
Site #4 - $28, p/w, Internet, Temp 14C

So here's the thing.  You wake up and the temp is only 6C.  You head south towards Jaffray and Elko and it remains chilly, plus it is starting to rain.  In Fernie it is pouring.  Camping kind of loses its appeal so you keep driving. You think about heading home.  Then driving through the Crowsnest, the sun comes out and it warms to 11C, so you decide to give it another night.  You pull in to a campground at Lundbreck. This is camping, no-particular-place-to-go style.

 

We are now at the Hiawatha Campgrounds.  I was ready to drive back out, but after winding up the hill and landing at the office, Ron figured we would just spend the night.  (Also, it was lunch time, I think he was hungry.) 

campground view

This campground is mainly filled with permanents but hardly any of the units are currently occupied.  Thankfully..!  We are shoe-horned in.  My least favourite way to camp.  Oh well.. There is internet.

 

sign on campground washroom

I was about to say this will probably be my last update for this trip but we have decided to check out Gold Springs Park south of Milk River for the weekend.  It's a fairly new park and it looks rather cool from their website photos.  We are just hoping that the weather isn't! NEED SUNSHINE AND HEAT!!!

 

checking out Kimberley.. the town..

Riverside Campground
Site #65 - p/w/s, Internet, Temp 18C

We left Crawford Bay and decided our next stop would be Kimberley.  We have driven through town, but we have never really explored much of the area.  We are camped beside the St. Mary River south of town near Marysville, beside the Kimberley golf course.  Very pretty digs. A nice view.




Kimberley Riverside Campground view

We did the town tour.  We had no idea Kimberley was so populated.  All the Alpine Lodging located on ski hill is incredible.  It would be a very crowded ski slope if all those lodges fill up every winter.  This time of year the lifts sit empty and only a few of the buildings show signs of occupancy.


the lifts sit empty

Back near our campground, we decided to follow the road along the river to the lake.  It was further than we expected, but a most enjoyable drive.  We were surprised at some of the large new homes being built in such a remote area.  There is no cell service or other services to this area.  They appear to be relying on solar panels or wind mill.



St Mary Lake south of Kimberley

The road home on the other side of the river was pretty rough going.  One might think there isn't a lot of vehicle traffic along this road.



excuse us.. we're busy here

We had a bit of a chuckle last night while sitting around our campfire.  There is tenting on the level down below us and one young couple had this area to themselves.  Or at least I'm sure they thought they did. The young fellow stripped naked and proceeded to enjoy the solar bag shower he had hanging in the trees.  He forgot to look up! 

We are here for another night.  I am doing a couple more loads of laundry while making use of the wifi hotspot.  More decisions needed about where to next.

Another day at the Bay

And this is what we woke up to this morning...

Crap. A mouse in our camper.  A similar destructive job was done on the kleenex box. Nesting time.  So Ron was off to the store and we now have a couple traps in place.  The response to Ron's inquiry from the sales lady? -- No guarantee and no refunds if they don't work.  :)

 

Yesterday was such a pleasant day and as we sat around the fire, we decided to stay another night.  This morning Ron registered, took the bikes off the bike rack and then rain.  Sh*t!!  So no biking and most of day was spent indoors.  We did do another drive up one of the side roads. Such pretty country.  It's evident where most of the Crawford Bay residents live.  Out in the bush.  There are a lot of homes nestled in the surrounding countryside.  I'm sure some never see the light of day though.  Such thick lush growth.  Also, one has to wonder who/what lives in some of the rough looking ramshackle hidey holes.  Still some hippies from days gone by, I'm guessing.  There are plenty of the more luxurious homes, however, and there is some evidence of a few new builds.

Despite a wet dreary day with no campfire, we did enjoy a delicious shrimp dinner.  With wine!