Weaslehead Park

On Sunday morning Peter took me to one of the parks in the city that he often hikes. One of Peter's passions is photography and since he has been in Calgary he has tried to take pictures all around the city. He especially likes trying to find wildlife and seems partial to taking pictures of birds. He has done this since he lived in England many, many years ago. We did not see as many birds as were hoping to see but we were able to find one sand piper and a colony of cliff swallows under one of the footpath bridges. This park, like many places in Calgary, was also damaged by the flood. We started down one of the trails but turned back due to the very muddy conditions.

The Alberta Rose

All around Calgary and Alberta you see many references to The Alberta Rose. When I was here in 2010 and we were hiking, I kept seeing this little pink rose in the woods. Since then I am always on the look out for these little roses. When you start looking for them, you notice them everywhere, in the city used by landscapers and on the hiking trails. Many of you know how much I love flowers in general but how I am partial to roses. Peter and I have had as many as 24 rose bushes in our yard. With all the busyness of the last few years, I could not keep up with them and finally took some of them out. For roses to look their best they do need a little attention like pruning, deadheading, and fertilization. These little pink Alberta roses intrigue me. As we were walking around the flood ravaged area of Sheep River Park I came across this little Alberta rose. It had been covered in very fast flowing water for who know how many day days but there it was still where it was rooted trying to bloom its little heart out. What a lesson that little rose was trying to teach me. Bloom where you are planted and don't ever give up. You will be a blessing!

Flood damage at Sheep River Park

As you can tell by the pictures, this park suffered severe flood damage. There were virtually no trails along the river left. We found bits and pieces of tables here and there. We did find one table that was able to stand its ground. We talked to some people there who had been coming to the park for several years and they told us that the river course was altered by this flood. In places we could see from the debris where the water had risen 20 or more feet above the banks. In one of the pictures you will be able to tell that part of the road was washed out and most of the parking lot was washed away. So very sad.

Sheep River

Peter and I rented a car for the weekend and we wanted to find some places that we had not been before. After much searching and discussion we decided that we would go to Sheep River Falls. Sheep River Falls are located south of Calgary not far from Turner Valley. We got a late start and arrived in Turner Valley just in time to eat lunch at a little restaurant that we had enjoyed once before during a previous visit call The Chuck Wagon. They serve breakfast all day and also serve Alberta Beef that the owners raise. The picture of the the window boxes full of flowers was taken at The Chuck Wagon. The hamburgers and homemade fries we enjoyed there were what we needed before our quest to find Sheep River Falls.

As we entered Sheep River Provincial Park we crossed a Texas gate (cattle guard) and noticed a sign that indicated there was free roaming wild stock. The were not kidding. We saw dozens of cattle on out way to the falls. They could have been less interested in us but as you can tell by the picture, we found them interesting!

Those of you that know me, know that I am not terribly adventurous. Peter will try just about anything once and he is always up for exploring and pushing himself to try new things. When we got to the park, it was very clear that there was major flood damage and that most of the park had been washed away including the trails to the falls. Did that stop us? Oh you better believe that it did not! I was about 10 feet from the falls and will probably never be closer to falls again. Yes, I see that they are not huge falls but they were still formidable! Hopefully this park will be returned to a usable condition before long. It was very nice and since it is one of the lesser know parks, there were very few people there which we also enjoyed. The contrast between the river, the falls, the gorge, and the meadow was nice to see and somewhat unique. The meadow is where big horn sheep come to graze, especially in the spring however during this visit we did not see any big horn sheep. We were warned about a bear and her cub feeding close but thank goodness we did not see them either.

Sydney, Victoria Island, British Columbia

Our last stop on the Victoria Island was to eat lunch. We decided to eat in the little waterfront town of Sydney which was close to the airport. After parking and walking around a bit we decided to eat at a pub that was directly across the street from the water. We decided on a table outside. The food and beverages were very nice but the view was breathtaking. The mountain that we were looking at was Mt. Baker and is in the state of Washington. We has to have been a good 75 miles from Mt. Baker but it was a stunning view.

British Columbia Parliament Building

This is a beautiful building and our second Canadian Parliament Building. Once again we were amazed by the lack of security. Even after the thwarted bomb threat which was announced just the morning we visited, we just walked in to the building although there was visible security throughout the building. The tour of this building was by far the best tour we have ever been on bar none. While we were viewing the room where members of parliament use when in session to debate and to make laws, an actress appeared in period clothing. She was "Queen Victoria" and she told us her thoughts on the city, the building and her statue on the grounds. What an exciting idea and a great way to truly bring history to life.

Bomb plot foiled by RCMP

While we were roaming around the Parliament grounds and the area around out hotel on Canada Day, we both noticed what we thought was an unusually high number of policemen. There seemed to be three or four on almost every corner and they seemed to be quite engaged. We found out the next day that there had been a bomb plot that was foiled by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Canada Day. Two Canadian nationals tried to plant pressure cooker bombs on the ground of the Parliament Building. The RCMP were undercover and there was never any true danger to the thousands of people that were out and about July 1, Canada Day. When we walked up to the Parliament building on July 2, we very quickly noticed that there was to be some kind of press conference on the steps. We waited and waited to see what it was all about. After what seemed like a good hour, the Premier, Christi Clark, came out and made a statement. It was very interesting to see it all take place. There were not many people watching but there was one lone protester on the grounds. He was quiet but had a big sign. Our visit to Victoria was unique and I hope that we will never be in an area where bombs are planted.

Victoria on Canada Day

Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia

Vancouver

Our last day was spent as sea on the way to Vancouver