"Our" Work Week

Ron's been working 8 days in a row and so I have been putting in lots of hours "at my desk."

Ron's week has been pretty interesting starting with his drive to work.

Only in Alberta would this obstacle be found on the way to work.  This week Ron dressed in his finery for a walk around the park and he soon became a celebrity.

He was meeting all kinds of tourists who just wanted a picture with a real Mountie. 

On one nice evening, we went for a motorcycle ride down to the park.  We saw a bear, lots of deer and a cute little fox family.  The scenery, of course, was spectacular.

On Thursday evening, I met Ron at work for a Pow Wow.  It was National Aboriginal Day.  The evening started first with a few pictures for the newspaper.

Ron could have been an actor.  Then the drums started, followed by some singing.  The parade began with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carrying the banner.

Behind them came the dancers, all wearing wonderful bright costumes.

The evening continued with dancing and singing and more drumming but the rain started coming and so the Mounties needed to get their hats in out of the weather.  Ron and I had supper at the park and then came home.  .

Today is Ron's last day.  I've worked, baked and watched tv.  It's a rainy day but the sun will come out tomorrow and we will head to Three Hills for a few days.  I'm excited to sleep in my own bed and see Brianne blossoming with her two little babies.

"Our" Weekend

Weekends for most people are Friday to Sunday but for us it could be any time of the week because it happens whenever Ron has the days off.  Our weekend this week was from Wednesday to Friday.  We left Pincher Creek in the morning and headed west.  I missed the best picture of our trip.  On the side of the road a deer was chasing a coyote.  We assumed that the deer was protecting her fawn.  We drove into British Columbia and then headed south.  We crossed the border into Montana.  We drove for miles along the Kootenai River.  We stopped to stretch our legs and do a short little walk to the falls.

 

We continued our drove to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho where we booked into a little motel downtown.

In the evening, we went for a long walk and enjoyed seeing this pretty little town nestled along the lake.

In the morning, we drove down the one side of the lake.  The road was curvy and it rained for a little bit.

At the end of the lake we stopped in Historic Harrison.  This little village has a paved bike trail that goes for miles.  We had a break at a coffee shop before continuing on our way.

Outside the coffee shop was a cute, very shy service dog.  He only had eyes for his master.  From there we drove back into Montana.

All along the route trains caught my attention.

Of course, there were other things that caught my attention along the way.  Some times an eagle flying overhead or deer along the side of the road or these guys that I managed to get a picture of.

We called it a night in Whitefish, Montana.  We went for a walk in the evening before falling, exhausted into bed.

In the morning, we decided to stretch our legs before our trip back home.  We found a lovely little trail through the town.

Just before crossing back into Canada, we stopped for gas and a snack.

We crossed into British Columbia with clear skies to the north, south and west of us BUT we had to head east.  In Fernie, BC, we stopped for a soup lunch and put our rain gear on.  The clouds moved in as we headed east.

Just as we approached the Alberta border, it began to rain but thankfully it wasn't a real downpour and we were able to make it back to Pincher Creek without getting too wet.  "Our" weekend was over and for most everyone else it was just starting. 

Yesterday was our daughter's 29th birthday.  Wow, how did that happen?  We didn't get to see her but I will celebrate with her next month when I get to Ontario.



Adventure from Pincher Creek

Days off mean planning what to do and which direction to take.  This week, we first went west to almost the BC border.  We drove 14 km off the main highway down a very sketchy road.  There were curves and ruts and even water holes to cross until we came to the trail head of Window Mountain Trail.
The first part of the trail started off with us tip toeing through a mountain creek.

As we steadily walked up the washed out road, the pebbled path led us into the trees.

 

The climb was steep and I slowly followed Ron.  As we got deeper and higher into the woods....we found snow!

Some parts of the trails were steep switch backs and others were climbing rocky paths.

The trail opened up to a beautiful mountain lake.

We walked to the other end of the lake but couldn't make it all around.

On our way back, I rejoiced through the walk in the woods and on the snow when my fitbit cheered me on for getting 10,000 steps.

By the time the day was done I had walked 15,087 steps and about 10 km.  We got back to Pincher Creek in time for dinner.  One of the students from the college, who is working in Waterton for the summer, came with us.  It was nice visiting with him and then we played Catan before we said our goodbyes.

This morning, we decided to bike in Waterton.  When we parked the truck and unloaded the bikes the wind was pretty strong and I was a little apprehensive about the adventure.

Even going down the hills was an effort with the wind blowing against us.  I wanted to give up a few times but my encourager kept me going.

We had lunch by the lake in a little shelter to give us a break from the gusts.  We rode the bikes around the village to check out some of the sights and stop for a tea break.

Ron gave me the option of waiting in the village while he rode out and got the truck but I decided that I would give it a try.  Two things were on my side: less up hills and the wind was now on my back.

 

 

 
Just before the last big down hill, I stopped to take these pictures.

Finally, we got back to the truck...27 km later. 

Another a successful couple of days off and tomorrow we are back to work....Ron in Waterton and me at the table.