Goin’ places that I’ve never been Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again On the road again Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway We’re the best of friends Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way Is on the road again…”
As is our tradition, Willie Nelson’s On The Road Againblasted through our motorhome’s speakers as we set out on another leg of our overlandish odyssey this week. This pictorial post provides a quick update on the past few days.
Charlie says “I’m ready to go! Can someone push the gas pedal for me?”Our site at Town & Country is packed up, with anything staying behind in our new shed.As mentioned in our last post, our family bubble got together for a celebration of 4 birthdays & Thanksgiving on the night before our departure. We stayed within the current Manitoba guidelines for this gathering.Adam & Valerie were also there. Just couldn’t find a wide enough lens to get everyone in one pic…So we set out over the Canadian prairies to the west, with miles & miles of blue & fluffy sky above and golden fields below.Our first night’s stop was in Elkhorn, MB, just about 3 1/2 hrs west of Winnipeg. (Don’t like to push it too hard on the first day. lol) The municipal campground has about 10 full-service sites at $25./night, plus a number of unserviced sites adjacent to Elkhorn’s fair grounds & cemetery. We more or less had this campground to ourselves, and it was a peaceful stop. Don’t those clouds look like mountains in the background?Our second night on the road was in the large Walmart parking lot in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Next we drove to Calgary for a couple of free nights at this local casino parking lot. With the pandemic continuing, the lot had room to spare.We were unable to visit most of our old friends due to COVID-19, but couldn’t pass through Calgary without seeing Wendy & Ken Colvin, who have been close friends for the past 50 years. Unfortunately, dementia has hidden many of our shared memories from Ken. It was still sweet to see him at his care home, even if we had to mask up and social distance. Our continued love and prayers for Wendy & Ken, as they gallantly face this part of life’s journey.The Calgary skyline has changed a fair amount since we moved away in 1987, with a huge combination of remembered and unfamiliar streets.As we left the city, the rugged Rocky Mountains came into view beyond Alberta’s foothills.We couldn’t leave the area without a quick visit with old friend David Milgaard. While we masked up for our greeting hug and social distanced as much as possible, Betty & I couldn’t resist a hearty bowl of David’s chilli, to keep us warm on the road. Thanks David!Our next stop was at the municipal campground in scenic Canmore, Alberta.For $40./night, we had mountain views in all directions, and were able to get a site with 30 amp service and nearby access to drinking water & a dump station.As we approached Banff National Park on the Transcanada Highway, we came to this familiar view of the majestic mountains. We never get tired of this!Our site (#804) in the national park’s Tunnel MountainCampground includes water, sewer, and 30 amp service for $39. Oh yeah, the dominant view of Mount Rundle is pretty awesome too! Betty uploads some messages to social media, as we relax in our campsite. Where’s Charlie? – Blending into the grass. lol. The ranger says the park is full of elk, and other animals that are predators of elk, – guess we’ll have to keep our eyes open…
Well, that catches you up to the end of our first week on the roadagain. Many more miles to go before we set up camp for the winter, so hope to have a few more stories to tell. Keep safe!
Cheers!
Our current view – looking down the street from our Banff campsite. WOW!
