Regina - Tregarva Saskatchewan

Scenery? What scenery? Traveling the plains...

First house built by Bill's granddad; his mom was born in another house two doors down (now apartments)

The beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley, which lured settlers west with visions of lush farm and grazing land

Bill's great-grandmother's grave, a strong and courageous woman

The little cemetery in the middle of a field; the town of Tregarva no longer exists

Margaret Lambert's section of land she homesteaded; she's buried about 1/2 mile from here

Willison Lambert's acreage (Bill's granddad, who arrived here in 1878 at 18 years old)

A little happy hour next to my pilfered lilacs, in full bloom everywhere! (These were found in the back of a deserted parking lot, so no worries about turning me in, I hope!)

I was thinking yesterday as we arrived in sunny Regina that we had come in the gentle season - the winter wheat has already been harvested, and fields are quiet. As we drove out to the rural area where Bill's ancestors settled, the afternoon sun glistened on little bogs, the trees swayed in a gentle breeze, and the hills were fresh and green, the fields barren, awaiting their next crop. Today, having visited the local genealogical society and armed with maps detailing the homestead claims, we returned to the same spot, and experienced something far different, climate-wise. A cold, bitter wind blew from the north and threatening clouds scuttled across the horizon. We drove down gravel roads until we finally located the lonely, wind-swept cemetery where Margaret McKenzie Lambert, Bill's great-grandmother is buried. We donned our fleece jackets and took some photos, then drove past the fields Margaret and Willison Lambert, Bill's grandfather once farmed. This afternoon, we visited the Saskatchewan Archives and located the homestead applications and grants of land for them both, quite a thrill to see their handwriting!
Now we're back in our RV, staying out of the chilly northern winds as much as possible, and looking forward to seeing more cousins (on my side of the family) tomorrow and Saturday at Riding Hills National Park in Manitoba before heading into Winnipeg on Sunday.

Edmonton and starting across the Canadian Prairies

Helga in her beautiful kitchen

Spring green abounds!

We arrived in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon, after leaving beautiful Jasper and the mountains in our rear view mirror. We stayed with our cousin Helga Lambert, who had invited other cousins and assorted children and grandchildren for Sunday dinner in their lovely home (her husband David, Bill's cousin, was in the hospital unexpectedly, so we visited him on Monday).
After visiting another cousin late Monday afternoon, we headed south for the first time this trip, and Tuesday morning headed east toward the Alberta/Saskatchewan border and the little farming town of Maple Creek, where we are camped tonight. We spent the afternoon with a family that we are both related to through the Barber family, and had a lively discussion looking at genealogy records of our mutual great grandmother Louisa Lock Hughes (who I hope to include in my book of our amazing women ancestors).

No more mountains...just fairly flat, straight roads through farmland.

(Note to family members: this was Dorothy Barber Drever, her husband Bruce and their two daughters who are REALLY into genealogy!).
So far, we have covered over 2,500 miles, about a quarter of the distance we'll drive overall (gulp). Tomorrow we head into Regina, and hope to have a look around the Qu'Appelle Valley where Bill's ancestors settled when they moved west from Ontario and where Bill's mother was born.  Sorry prairie people but the outlook is a whole lot of the same compared to what we enjoyed the previous 2000 miles. However we did see an antelope grazing by the road. 

Jasper and Edmonton, Alberta

Saturday in Jasper found us traveling up yet another road with stupendous views, and beautiful Lake Maligne as our destination. En route, we stopped at a view outlook where a naturalist pointed out an eagle's nest at the top of a dark spruce near the shore, and we watched as the papa eagle flew in with food for mama and babies. After letting Sascha get her feet wet in the lake (tentatively!) we drove back down and at the same outlook, a group of people were gathered with their cameras, and sure enough, there was a mama bear and her two cubs!
Back at our campsite, we were just starting our campfire and along came a small herd of young elk (or maybe a caribou, we're not quite sure), munching their way through the campground.
Yesterday (Sunday) we drove out of the mountains and arrived in Edmonton to a big family dinner with cousins at the beautiful home of Bill's cousin Dave and his sweet wife Helga. It was great to see them, some of whom we hadn't seen in decades. Sadly, Dave is in hospital with a severe bacterial infection, so we'll visit him there today, catch up with another cousin, and head south to Medicine Hat for a visit with cousins who have some good resource material on my ancestors. So off to the prairies we go!

Sorry my posts have gotten out of order and I cannot figure out how to resolve it.  No wifi up here, using my iphone as a hotspot. 

Order should be:\
after Vancouver, Okagagan, BC Rockies, Lake Louise, Glaciers on Icefields Parkway, and then Wildlife.  Now in Jasper for one more day.

Enjoy

Okanagan Valley

The drive from Vancouver to Kelowna was lovely - not too much traffic, and views of spring everywhere. Mt. Baker was visible in the morning mist, a foretaste of all the spectacular vistas to come.
Arriving in Kelowna around 3pm, we parked our RV up the hill in Glen & Bette's driveway and went wine tasting and touring the famed Okanagan Valley, and some of their favorite places along the lake. It was reminiscent of our time in Austria's lake district, with lovely walks along the shore and views of distant peaks.
The wine in this area is superb, and the vineyards are just budding out. We visited one large tasting room set high on the bluffs overlooking the lake, and a few family-owned smaller vineyards where we got to talk to the winemaker.
Back home for a delicious dinner, followed by conversation around the fire in Glen & Bette's beautiful back yard. It's so nice to re-connect with these cousins, and we'll see more of Bette this weekend in Edmonton.

Glaciers on Icefields Parkway

Leaving beautiful Lake Louise, we first drove south along the Bow River Parkway for a bit, just to bask in the amazing mountain scenery, taking a short break to photograph our first bear of the trip. Heading north after a few kilometers, we turned off Hwy 1 onto the Icefields Parkway, a 153km scenic route between Lake Louise and Jasper.
Again, around every corner was a scene of staggering beauty with vast valleys, high jagged peaks and trees of every variety. The Columbia Icefield is the main tourist stop with rides right up to the glacier; we opted to photograph it from below so we could keep going. Further along were the Tangle Creek Falls in full flood from spring melt.
We made a stop at the Athabasca Falls, taking the short walk in to where the river drops several hundred feet in a swirling cauldron of spray, rainbows and glistening rock.

One of the things that impressed us was the high shelf of snow capping ridges hundreds of feet higher up. The wind had carved them to match the ridgeline, and all the snow below had fallen away. As we made our way up passes and down valleys, the spring temperatures had thawed several lakes, but many of them at higher elevations were still frozen over and covered with snow, a glorious sight among the trees and mountains. Here, too, the aspen have come into their spring color, a vivid green that will later give way to the beautiful yellow we saw as we traveled through Colorado last fall. Each season has its own serene, awesome beauty to enjoy!

Wildlife in Banff and Jasper

All along the way, we kept seeing signs for a variety of wildlife, tantalizing us with yellow and black depictions of leaping stags (next 10km), lumbering bears (beware! stay in your car!...which no one obeyed), or parading elk or caribou. We stayed on high alert lookout, and were not disappointed. The animals never showed up anywhere near the signs, but in the most unexpected places along the side of the road.
The most rare sighting was a herd of bighorn sheep, lazing along the gravel glacier wash in a valley far below the road. Most tourists missed it, en route to the next big thing (glacier sky walk? icefield tour?). These quiet, stunning creatures made any manmade attraction pale in comparison.
Once parked in Whistlers, a Parks Canada campground in Jasper National Park, Sascha and Bill reacted (one quietly with a camera, the other barking her head off) to a caribou lazily chomping her way through our campsite, not 20 yards away. The caribou didn't bat an eyelash at the little noisy creature, but posed obligingly for the camera!

BC Rockies from Kelowna to Banff

After a hearty breakfast prepared by Glen & Bette, we started up a route we hadn't traveled before, heading for Lake Louise. Around every bend was another eye-popping, jaw-dropping view of jagged, snow-covered peaks, aspen clothed in spring green, and gorgeous blue skies with puffy clouds. From Kelowna to Revelstoke, thence on to Golden for a gas stop, each mile was spectacular. We pulled off the highway alongside a rushing creek for lunch, with more stunning views from the little one-lane bridge. We arrived in Lake Louise around 7pm, and found one of the last remaining RV sites where we set up camp. The long days this far north last until at least 10pm, so we had plenty of daylight left for a nice walk, a good dinner, and time to relax.

Lake Louise

It was a cool morning in Lake Louise, and although spring is in the air, many of the lakes (including Lake Louise) are just beginning to thaw, and we found snow piles in shady areas. Nevertheless, the views of the lake were spectacular, and there was enough of the turquoise water free of ice that the reflections of the glacier were still stunning.
In Sascha's first experience with snow, she rolled about in it, created her own little sledding hill, and ate a bit - thoroughly in her element! She was quite a hit with all the Japanese tourists that poured out of their buses to take the obligatory photos and selfies.

Vancouver visits

Peace Arch USA Canada Border

Lambert RV Pad

Hard to believe we've already been away from Santa Barbara for over a week! Sunday afternoon we left Portland and drove to Olympia for a nice overnight at our friends' house, a lovely garden setting perfect for a long chat to catch up. Monday we had a very nice drive up to Vancouver, with only about 15 minutes and a few perfunctory questions at the border before picking up some groceries so we could cook dinner with Bill's aunt Helen. We had a nice evening with her, then made our way to her son's house where we've been parked for two days. It was fortunate that Glen & Beth came home from their lake cottage yesterday so we could have a bit of a visit with them, and Glen helped Bill fix a leaky kitchen faucet in our RV (it's always something, I guess!).
Today we'll be on the road again, finally heading eastward on our journey, with an overnight in Kelowna, a beautiful town situated among vineyards and surrounding gorgeous mountains just at the border between BC and Alberta. We'll be with more cousins, then head out tomorrow for Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Edith Clavell Glacier where we'll do some hiking before arriving in Edmonton sometime this weekend. As you can see from the photos, we're enjoying beautiful spring weather! Daffodils, tulips and magnolias are finished blooming, and peonies are just in bud, but they've had a lot of rain this winter (lucky them) so everything is lush and green. Beth has her vegetable seedlings sprouting near a sunny window, and will get them in the garden soon, between all their travels. They let us pick a couple of rhubarb stalks to bring along, so we'll be looking for strawberries to make a little jam to eat along the way. Life is good!

Spent the day with Matt touring the Lewis & Clark graduate campus where he will start school this fall, and it was such a lovely spring day we stopped by a rhododendron garden where everything was in abundant bloom. I love gardens in Portland, especially in springtime! We were inspired to come home and clean out their little back garden, exposing peonies, coral bells and a little groundcover I always knew as snow on the mountain back in Minneapolis. We trimmed the beautiful burgundy Japanese maple we had planted 10 years ago, now two stories high, and a beautiful flowering shrub they planted a couple of years ago as a memorial to a beloved kitty. The results were beautiful!
Last evening we attended a function with Matt & Kimberly for the Oregon Innocence Project, where we heard a riveting speaker tell the painful story of her rape, subsequent trial of the perpetrator, and 11 years later, his conviction being overturned through newer DNA testing. They are now fast friends, and work around the country to make sure that innocent people are set free, and the pseudo-science that wrongly convicts people is no longer used.

Road Trip!

We love the first view of majestic Mt. Shasta, still covered with snow in this early spring weather and peaking out from behind scattered clouds. We thankfully had a bit of rain along the way, something CA needs desperately. We camped at the Valley of the Rogue River campground Tuesday night, a lovely spot next to the river, and took a little walk down to the salmon viewing platform before dinner. Sascha, of course, got completely muddy, so she had a little half bath before bedtime. Good thing, too - I found a tick on her belly trying to make its home there. Yuck!
Yesterday we drove up to Portland, and here we are, parked outside his house, tucked in safely. Dinner last night was at the fabulous German restaurant right next door, which we love. Tonight we'll gussy up a bit and go with Matt & Kimberly to a gala fundraiser for the Oregon Innocence Project, an organization that helps people wrongly convicted win their freedom again. There are some very sad and amazing stories that we've heard, so the work of his organization is extremely valuable.
Kimberly is in the middle of the Legislative Session for the state of Oregon, so she's making the rounds of lawmakers in her capacity as Legislative Director for Oregon ACLU. She has made a seamless transition, enjoys it immensely, and is making a difference on many bills being considered.
We'll work with Matt on his basement remodeling project a bit, mostly planning at this point, I think, as he had a contractor come out and offer some suggestions on how best to do it without running afoul of inspectors. That changed things up on his plans, so we'll be doing some brainstorming with him.

Our Home away from Home

Our Itinerary: subject to change

Leave from Santa Barbara, California, United States Mon, 11 May.
First night Vineyard RV Park 4985 Midway Road, Vacaville , CA,
Second night Valley of the Rogue State Park Gold Hill, OR,
Matt and Kimberly Portland, Oregon,Wed to Sun
Sun to Will Beattie Olympia, Wa
Mon 18th to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Dinner with Helen, overnight at Glenn and Beth's
20th to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada to visit Glen and Bette
21 & 22 Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
23 Jasper National Park
24 & 25 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada see Lambert cousins
26 & 27 to Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada see cousins at Maple Creek
29 &30 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, Bill's mom's birthplace
June 1 & 2 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada visit relatives and friends
June 3 Bill's birthday Neche, ND, Grand Forks, North Dakota,
June 4 Big Sandy Lake MN Place of Joyce's vacation as a child
June 5 Duluth, Minnesota, United States and Lutsen on Lake Superior to see Joyce's high school friend
June 7 Rainbow Falls Prov Park on Lake Superior
June 8 Sault Sainte Marie,Ontario, Canada
June 9 Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada
June 10 Rousseau, Ontario, Canada
June 11 to Alfred, ON, Hughes compound
Visit surrounding area, Ottawa, Montreal
Dates past this point are still flexible
Fergus, Ontario, Canada, Mt Forest where Bill's mom's dad lived
Grand Rapids
Chicago
Minneapolis
Echo MN place my Barber relatives lived
Mobridge, South Dakota, visit Joyce's cousin
Gillette, Wyoming visit Joyce's niece
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park, Moose, Wyoming
Glacier National Park
Coeur D'Alene RV Resort
Bend, Oregon
Vacaville, California
Back to Santa Barbara by July 6