Calgary to Jasper via Alberta Hwy 11, the David Thompson Highway
On Wednesday, December 13th, I began the 60-hour drive home. I had planned to start by heading west on Highway 1, but my son suggested that I take Alberta Hwy 11, the David Thompson Highway. He said that it was spectacular, particularly the section that runs along Abraham Lake....
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Family time – Mennonite lunch and granddaughter’s basketball
We only had one special event for my 3rd and 4th days with my kids and their families in the Calgary area – attending one of my granddaughters’ basketball games with most of the family. But we kept busy with a little of this and a little of that....
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Touring a new micro-brewery, and Calgary Zoolights
We didn’t have any plans for my 4 days with my kids – we’d just see what came up. The Johnston Canyon hike the first day was a wonderful way to start it off. On the second day, Steve and I went to a new micro-brewery in Airdrie, then...
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Experiencing the CP Holiday Train in Calgary
Being a railfan (“train nut”), you quickly learn that timing is everything, and luck counts. I could hardly believe my luck that the Canadian Pacific Railway’s famous CP Holiday Train was going to be in Calgary for 45 minutes while I was there! After our excellent day hiking Johnston...
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Hiking Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park
For the first day with my family near Calgary (Saturday, December 9th), I suggested that we drive to Banff and hike Johnston Canyon. It’s a spectacular canyon located 22 km west of Banff on the Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy 1A). I was thrilled that everyone wanted to go –...
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A winter drive down the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies
Day 3 of the trip (December 8th) got me to Airdrie, where both my kids and their families live. It was a fairly easy day with 635 km to cover, but having perfect weather on the Icefields Parkway made it a fairly slow drive with lots of photo stops....
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Winter road trip, Day 2 – Muncho Lake to Grande Cache
Thursday, December 7th, was a long day with an early start. A look out my window at the Northern Rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake, with the moon lighting up the snowy peaks, got my blood pumping in a hurry. I took a few photos from the room, and at...
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Exploring Drumheller’s Atlas Coal Mine, and a bad road choice
Continuing on our Drumheller-area wander, our next stop after the East Coulee Hoodoo Park was the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site. Although I’d been to Drumheller a few times, this was my first time going down the Red River Valley, and I was thoroughly enjoying it. This would...
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Exploring around Drumheller – dinosaurs and a suspension bridge
I suggested to my daughter yesterday that we go to Drumheller for lunch, and it turned into an excellent day. So excellent that I’ve had to break it up into 2 blog posts. We hit the road at about 09:30. It’s just over an hour’s drive, and there’s a...
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Flying from Whitehorse sunshine to a Calgary blizzard
I’m currently in Calgary, on Day 5 of a 14-day series of family visits in Alberta and Ontario. It was gorgeous when I left Whitehorse, but a wild blizzard hit the next morning in Calgary. At 4:45 Sunday evening, we were about ready to board one of Air North’s...
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