We were awake before 6am and on our way by 7. We stopped for diesel fuel and coffee as soon as we passed the outskirts of the city. It was cloudy and smoky and raining on and off.
There were geese flying overhead in vee formation; traveling south like us! In fact, there were geese or ducks in almost every pond.
As we passed Elk Island National Park, we could see wood bison to the south and plains bison to the north.
We took the Yellowhead Trail or the Trans Canada Highway, Route 16, south and east. We crossed from the Alberta Province into Saskatchewan. We knew that this portion of Canada was plains. We could see 360 degrees at the horizon for most of the day. The road was wide and good and Tim was able to set the cruise control for 110kmph and just go.
The roadside was flanked by hundreds of miles of hayfields and wheat fields. We believe that this must be Canada’s breadbasket. There were threshers and harvesters out in force as soon as the sun was out. We passed granaries and train cars loaded with grain and tall silos filled with grain.
Our way was dotted by small and bigger towns. There are not too many RV’s travelling this way. As we approached Saskatoon, we crossed over the Saskatchewan River several times.
In the city, we dropped down to head south on 11.
We settled for the night in Moose Jaw at a Walmart. We needed to stock the RV with food and supplies.
I spent the evening getting things reorganized and unpacked after our extended hotel stay. I have everything back where I want it and it feels really good to be home and driving and moving closer to Atlanta. Tim drove almost 500 miles today and I think he was happy to be moving too!
Another walk in the industrial area. Edmonton is a trucking hub. There are lots of truck repair shops and parts suppliers in this area. Lots of safety messages as well.
I am determined to find something beautiful on each of these walks.
This afternoon, we drove to the Freightliner to check on the RV. We had not heard anything and we were anxious to see when our new turbo was scheduled to arrive. We got a pleasant surprise. Our RV was in the bay and the mechanic was actively working on it. He showed Tim the seized turbo and explained how the damage to the turbo likely caused all of the other problems in the emissions system. It was his best guess that we might get the RV tonight; pending the fact that no new codes popped up when it was tested. We knew better than to get our hopes up.
We drove downtown into Edmonton through the “Gate of Happy Arrival” into an Asian area.
We saw many tents here in this part of the city. I cannot imagine what these people do when winter comes.
We spent a couple of hours at the Royal Alberta Museum.
We wandered among the exhibits in the Human History section. First Nations Peoples have lived in Alberta for more than 13,000 years. There were ancient artifacts including tools and pottery. The collections followed the people over time.
Worlds Meet showed the changes that began as Europeans came to the area.
There was a portion dedicated to the residential schools for indigenous children.
There was a beautiful tribute to the cultures and traditions of the tribes that remain in Alberta. It was an immersive exhibit and I found it very moving.
The transformation of Alberta was depicted by the many modern changes that occurred in the most recent decades.
I love old medical stuff.
Tim likes old trucks and tractors.
We went upstairs to the Natural History wing. There were displays of the animals who lived here during the Ice Age and then the animals who live here now.
We spent a brief time in the Gems and Minerals room.
We really enjoyed our visit and I know that I could have spent a lot more time there.
A Ukrainian Catholic Church.
We went back to the hotel and watched the progress across the street. We could see that the RV was outside and undergoing the regen.
We walked to Aloha, a poke bowl restaurant not too far from the hotel. We had a really tasty meal. Tim even tried the kimchi and the seaweed salad.
When we got back, the RV was parked out in the lot. This was a good sign. We went into the service department office and we were told that the rig still had to undergo code testing and then quality control before they could say it was ready to go.
We got a call and email at 7:30. The RV passed testing and our invoice was complete!!! We could pay online and then pick up our vehicle either tonight before 10:00 or tomorrow at our convenience. We will get a good night’s sleep in the hotel and leave in the morning.
At 2:19am the fire alarm began to screech. We dressed quickly and walked down the five flights of stairs to the parking lot. Three firetrucks arrived and the firemen in full gear entered the hotel. There was no fire, rather a belt on the furnace was worn and smoking and that set off the alarm. The foremen worked to reset the alarm and we were all able to return to our rooms.
This morning, I walked again in the industrial area. I saw a bit of green space and saw these beautiful mushrooms.
We planned to go to the Royal Alberta Museum today. It has been recommended and has high ratings. It was damp and chilly and a good day to do something indoors. We put it in GPS and we saw “Closed Today” when it loaded directions…there went our whole plan for the day.
We went to get a few groceries. The hotel fridge is really small so we get a little at a time. It gives us something to do!
Afterward, we drove in the neighborhoods of Saint Albert. It looks like a really nice community. The leaves are beginning to change here.
We had a really quiet day. We went to the hotel restaurant again this evening. We were hoping to get some news today from the service center but nothing yet…hopefully tomorrow!
It was cloudy and chilly this morning. I got dressed and ready to walk and when I went out, it was spitting cold rain. I went back into the hotel and decided that I would use the hotel laundry. The machines were empty. I went to the room and collected everything I needed and when I went back down, the machines were full. I sat in the lobby and talked to Mom.
I went back to the room for the Jeep key and I found a nearby laundromat where I was able to get the job done.
When I returned, the rain had stopped and I walked in the industrial park.
When you look on Trip Advisor for the top things to do in Edmonton, West Edmonton Mall comes up first. Several people have told us that we must see this mall. Eddie and Chris told us to skip it! They gave us lots of recommendations for Abraham Lake and Jasper and Banff. Today the weather was dismal. We drove to the mall.
This place is the largest mall and entertainment center in the world. There are over 800 stores. In addition, there is a roller coaster, a carousel, , a casino, a hotel, a mini golf course, a marine life aquarium, and a Toyota dealership. There are high end stores including Tiffany’s, Gucci, Coach, and Rolex. The Gucci store had a velvet rope across the entrance and a bouncer to allow customers to come in.
Today was a holiday and there were great crowds of people. It was really noisy.
There was a running train for children.
There was a 2pm sea lion show.
There was a water park.
There was a full-service Asian grocery store.
There was also an ice-skating rink with its own Zamboni.
There was an amazing LEGO store.
Tim bought tart cherry juice at the health food store. I found a new silicone spatula in a knife store. We really were not there to shop. We were there to gawk and to see the spectacle. The opulence is comparable to Vegas. It was totally over the top.
We rode in the elevator today with a pair of teenaged girls. They greeted us and asked if we were evacuees. They are from Hay River a 12-hour drive north from Edmonton. They are here because their home and their community are at imminent risk because of wildfires. I told the girls that I would keep them in my thoughts and I have. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to pack a bag and leave your things behind, not knowing what you might find when you return. Perspective. It reminds us that our troubles are small in comparison.
We had dinner in the hotel restaurant. We will see what we come up with to stay occupied tomorrow.
Another walk in and around the industrial area to begin the day.
We had until 1pm in the hotel room. We checked out a little early and went across the street to collect a few things from the RV for our overnight adventure. We needed our pillows and blankets.
We drove the 30 miles to the park. We took our time, wandering through all of the loops and overlooks.
We saw this bison bull in a picnic area. We were out of the car, a safe distance away, taking pictures when a ranger showed up and asked everyone to return to their cars.
Soon after, another bull was walking on the yellow line in the center of the road. He crossed in front of the Jeep and walked off into the trees.
We took the road to the west entrance and saw some white pelicans in the lake. They should soon be flying south.
We drove the outer edges of the park and reentered at the north gate. We stopped to look at this snake on the pavement.
We stopped to walk at Beaver Pond.
The Cree First Nation People called this pace Amisk Wuche or Beaver Hills. When white settlers came, they trapped and harvested the beavers for their pelts.
We went to the campground office to register. There was a BBQ food truck set up in the parking lot. We had decided not to bring a big dinner with us. We were going to have yogurt and fruit and nuts. All of a sudden, BBQ sounded very appetizing. It was delicious! We sat under a shade tree and enjoyed our sandwiches.
We watched a long line of people at the soft serve ice cream truck. It was too hard to resist. We sat under the tree savoring this rare treat!
We got set up and organized on our campsite. Tim napped and I read. Later, we took our bikes for a nice ride. We walked the boardwalk.
The lake area was extremely crowded on this beautiful albeit smoky and windy day. The lake had a blue green algae alert and swimming was discouraged. There were a few brave souls out there anyway.
We were sitting outside in the evening. We were talking about how we are usually tenting in a remote location and not in the middle of a busy campground. The couple next to us was camping in a 4WD van. We began talking with them. Edwina and Chris are from Edmonton. They told us that there might be an opportunity to see the Northern Lights which is something we have never seen. They both take beautiful photographs and she shared her pictures of the Northern Lights at Elk Island. They have also traveled extensively in the southwestern states. We have been in many of the same places and it was fun to share stories. The evening passed quickly and as often happens after such a conversation, we were reenergized and excited about exploring; thinking about where future trips might lead us. As we went to bed, Edwina and Chris promised to wake us if the Northern Lights were going to show their colors. During the night, the smoke and clouds moved in. Maybe next time!!!
The last couple of weeks have been stressful for us. We are accustomed to having things go our way. We are usually lucky and probably spoiled. We were on our way home and having to be delayed has been a disappointment. Having said that, last night, talking with likeminded folks, it made us remember how much we love what we do and how grateful we are for the opportunity. The evening helped us to adjust our perspective and that was much needed!
This morning, Chris came out with his map to show us how to get to Lake Abraham. Unfortunately, the weather tomorrow calls for clouds and highs in the 50’s with a low of 43 degrees…we may not get there this time. We chatted until it was time to go about all manner of things. We were happy to get a chance to meet this bright and adventurous couple.
We drove to the hotel, taking a long and wandering route back. Today was a recovery day. We were fairly lazy. I went to get a few groceries and some food for dinner. Tim watched the NASCAR race.
Another morning walk around a huge block in the industrial complex. Thanks, mom, for listening this morning <3
Tim went across the street to see where the RV might be. It was sealed behind the garage bay doors and no one was working on it. He decided to go in and talk with the service department. The turbo for the exhaust system is seized up. There were no replacements here in Edmonton. They found someone to rebuild the old one and they were offering a one-year warranty…in Alberta. The turbo would not be complete until next Friday. NO THANKS! A new turbo would have to come from Seattle. We authorized expedited shipping but because of the holiday weekend, no one was sure what that means. Hopefully we will get the turbo early next week and then they can install it. Maybe we will be here another week or so…
We were disheartened.
This afternoon, I was able to get an appointment to get my hair done. It was a nice treat and uplifting!
We went to the RV to get rid of all the spoiling food that we bought more than a week ago. The shop has been able to keep the fridge plugged in so at least all of our freezer food is okay.
This evening, I went out and bought a bottle of wine and a taco tray from Real Canadian Superstore. It was really good and plenty for both of us.
Tomorrow, we are going to drive back to Elk Island. We have made a reservation for a campsite and we will stay in the rooftop tent. It is something we enjoy and something to look forward to. The weather is supposed to be perfect. I started to get things packed and organized.
Sunday, we will return to this hotel and stay until the RV is right.
I was in a new neighborhood this morning when I went for my walk. Through Lexus and Mercedes and Maserati and Jaguar and other luxury car lots.
The forecast for today was 70’s and cloudy with a 10% chance of rain however; it began to rain as I wandered through the car dealerships. I found a place to stand under an awning and waited for the rain to let up. I was able to run quickly across to the NAPA store where the rain began again only harder. Tim called to check on me and just a couple of minutes later, he was there to rescue me.
Maybe we will see some sun later.
We both went to the hotel fitness room where he used the weights and I hopped onto the treadmill.
We went back to the room and we waited.
We called the service center at noon and they expected that the RV would be ready by the end of the day. We checked out of the hotel and went to get a few groceries. We went to First Truck and saw that the RV was being scanned. The mechanic said we should know by 2:30pm if we were good to go. But, there was a new code…
At 4pm, we went out for an early dinner…still hoping…
At 5pm, when we returned, the mechanic was under the unit, taking things off…
We spoke to the customer service guy who told us we should get a room…
Now we are back at the Holiday Inn…maybe tomorrow?!?
I started the day with a long walk in the city. I saw this small origami frog on the sidewalk and it made me smile!
Last night, we heard from the Freightliner Service Center. They were partway through our repair and the manifold studs were breaking during removal. The studs were in stock. They also noticed that a mounting bracket appeared to be cracked. They did not have a replacement and they were going to find the new part in the morning and let us know how that might affect our timeline. We had been able to have an extended 2pm checkout form the hotel. At noon, we still had not heard form Freightliner. A call to them revealed most excellent news. The bracket was not broken as they had feared! We were on schedule to get our unit repaired by 8pm. Great!!!
We packed all of our things and checked out of the hotel. We drove across town to the Freightliner where we could see the RV was in the bay and was being fixed. YAY!!!
We went to a nearby park that was little more than a block of green grass. We found a shady spot where we had lunch and then relaxed for a couple of hours. I had a good book to listen to and I was happy.
At 4pm we went to look again and the RV was on the computer doing the regen.
We decided to go to an early dinner at Ricky’s across the street so that we would be ready to leave when the RV was ready.
We went back to Freightliner and we saw the guy unplug the RV from the computer and then he proceeded to pull it back into the bay. Tim got out to speak with the mechanic. There was bad news. The RV was throwing codes indicating that the exhaust system was STILL NOT HAPPY!!! ARGHHH!!
There was another Holiday Inn directly across the street. Last weekend when we arrived in Edmonton, it was completely booked. Tonight, there were openings. We checked in and we were allowed a late checkout tomorrow to allow us extra time to figure out what we will need. The view of the First Truck Center from our hotel window.
We were able to talk with service. There is a recall for several of the gaskets on the Cummins exhaust catalyst system. They have ordered the parts and they should arrive tomorrow morning. Maybe replacing these gaskets will be the answer…we hope so.
We settled into our room and then went back downstairs for a drink. The bartender served me a Gigi Plus pour!
Lee and Claudia were back at Salmon Grove this week. A black bear began frequenting the campground and became a nuisance. Unfortunately, it had to be put down. There was bear for dinner.
I did a short walk this morning. I did one more load of laundry.
We called Freightliner this morning and we were told that the RV was still scheduled to be repaired by 8pm tomorrow. We extended our stay at the Holiday Inn for one more night.
I found a nice nail salon close to the hotel and went for a pedicure.
This afternoon, we took the Jeep and our bikes back to Queen Elizabeth Park.
We rode our bikes along the river. It was 80 degrees and sunny and it was wonderful to be outside and moving.
We found our way to the REMAX Stadium, the home of the Riverhawks baseball team. We went online right away to see of there was a game scheduled for tonight but unfortunately, the season is over.
I also found a wonderful Italian grocery store. We went and picked a fresh ciabatta, some salmon pate, an orzo kale salad and a bean salad for our dinner.
We spent a quiet evening.
We are hopeful that tomorrow at this time we will be driving toward home!
Another walk on the city streets surrounding the hotel.
Yesterday at the Real Canadian Superstore, we got some picnic food. We packed that today and set out to explore Elk Island National Park. We had to travel about 30 miles east on Route 16. This is a park dedicated to bison conservation. In the early 1900’s almost all of the bison had been extinguished from North America. The Canadian government shipped a herd of more than 400 bison to Elk Island.
We could see a herd of wood bison from the highway. The wood bison are fenced in the southern portion of the park. Plains bison live in the northern part. The fence looks sturdy! This is the only completely fenced national park in Canada.
We went into the Wahkotowin Visitor Information Center where we got a map and some hiking suggestions.
We traveled along Elk Island Parkway, stopping at all of the viewpoints.
We parked at the Astotin Lake Recreation Area and walked the Living Waters Boardwalk Trail.
There are beaver lodges in every lake and pond.
Recent beaver activity.
These caterpillars were everywhere.
Some geese and ducks.
Flora.
We had our lunch and then took the bikes off the Jeep to ride the Shoreline Trail.
We stopped to sit awhile at Beaver Bay.
It was here by the water that we realized how badly we needed to be out of the hotel, out of the city, and OUTSIDE!!! It was a restorative balm to sit in the warm sunshine on this beautiful day. The water was calm and the scenery was lovely.
The trail was somewhat hilly but I only had to get off and push a couple of times! It was absolutely good work!
There was very fresh evidence of bison activity on and along the trail but we did not see any animals.
We got back into the Jeep and did the rest of the park road. We decided to take some back roads back to Edmonton. Tim turned onto a gravel road that ran along the border of the park. Here we saw PAPA bison. This guy was huge!
We rode through farmland on country roads.
Pumpjack…this is still oil country. Edmonton has a huge oil refinery on the east side of town.
What a great day we had. It was nice to put our worries away and just enjoy the ride!
The hotel has a great Indian restaurant called Monsoon. The reviews are good and we got a recommendation from the staff to give it a try. We wanted to but we were a little leery. We don’t have much experience with Indian food and we didn’t know what we might order. I was talking with David this afternoon and he was all about it! He said he would do whatever he could “to promote us trying something new in the big city.” Tim sent David pictures of the menu and he made some suggestions.
We enjoyed butter chicken, lamb biryani, and garlic naan. It was all flavorful and delicious. We enjoyed this experiment and we will continue to look for adventure and new experiences wherever we go!
