What did July Look Like (over 2500Km)

July 6: 4H39m & 354KM

• St. Albert - Mundare ***1h8m***91.8km
  World's Largest Keilbasa: Middle of Town
  
  
• Mundare - Vegreville ***23m***23.8km
  World's Largest Pysanke, Elk: Off Hwy 16A,
  Our Lady of the Highway Shrine: Off Hwy 16 - near Vegreville
  
  
• Vegreville - Lloydminster ***1h44m***145km
  World's Largest Survey Markers: East end of Hwy 16 on provincial border
  World's Largest Sundial
  Moose
  
  
• Lloydminster - Dewberry ***56m***65.4km (although I'm sure Navi took us on a much longer route)
  World's Largest Chuckwagon: Hwy 45 through town
  Tirelady
  
  
• Dewberry - Ross Lake ***27m***28.2km (However it took us longer, given that we were headed towards Elk Point) SecHwy 646
  

July 7: 2h49m & 199km

• Ross Lake - Esker (Glacier Walking Trail) north off SH 646 to end of Twp. Rd. 564/RR 45
  
  
• Esker Walking Trail - Heinsburg ***9m***7.3km (This does not include the drive along TWP RD 564) Alberta's Only Intact Wooden Water Tower
  
  
• Heinsburg - Elk Point ***30min***34.4km
  Pete Fiddler: N end of town on Hwy 41
  
  
• Elk Point - St. Paul ***30min***36.2km
  World's Largest UFO Landing: Downtown on Hwy 44
  
  
• St. Paul - Bonnyville ***55min***69.5km
  Angus Shaw Statue corner of Hwy28 & Hwy 41 beside museum we also stopped for lunch and drove around trying to lose the truck that was following us
  
  
• Bonnyville - Cold Lake ***43min***51.2km this does not include going to the different campgrounds or detours
  

July 8: 5h9m & 383km

• Cold Lake - Lac La Biche ***2h***147km
  David Thompson: downtown by water front
  V&H Space Dock: foodstore & restaurant
  
  
• Lac La Biche - Grassland ***38min***47.2km
  Tireman - Hwy 55
  
  
• Grassland - Athabasca ***39min***48.3km
  Rocking Horse Ranch
  
  
• Athabasca - Legal ***1h15m***99.7km
  Depression Pete doesn't count driving around town for a long time
  
  
• Legal - St. Albert ***36min***40.4km
  

July 14: 1h16m & 80.1km

• St. Albert - Morinville ***20min***19.3km
  World's Largest Toque
  
  
• Morinville - Legal ***18min***21.3
  Depression Pete
  
  
• Legal - St. Albert ***36min***40.4km although I took a much longer route home - why I went to Hwy 28 is beyond me
  

July 26: 2h51min & 194km

• St. Albert - Villeneuve ***18min***15.3Km
  Weather Rock
  
  
• Villeneuve - Sangudo ***1h5m***84Km
  Stone, mini grain elevator sundial: town entrance
  
  
• Sangudo - Mayerthorpe ***17m***20.3km
  Fallen Four Memorial Park: 52 & Veteran's Way
  Four Metal Flowers: in front of RCMP building
  
  
• Mayerthorpe - Whitecourt ***34m***46km
  Sled
  Steam Engine
  
  
• Whitecourt - Carson Pegasus Provincial Park ***33m***28.7km
  

July 27: 8h13m & 579km

• Carson Pegasus - Swan Hills ***1h8m***68.9km
  Wilderness Scene: off Hwy 33 beside tourist information booth
  
  
• Swan Hill - Slave Lake ***1h29m***116km
  Wal Mart
  
  
• Slave Lake - Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park ***19m***18.8km
  Bird Observatory
  
  
• Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park - Hilliards Bay Provincial Park ***2h1m***149km
  Walleye: Sec hwy 750 @ Shaw's Point
  
  
• Hilliards Bay Provincial Park - Carson Pegasus ***3h16m***227km
  

July 28: 4h20m & 281km

• Carson Pegasus - Whitecourt ***38m***28.8km
  
  
• Whitecourt - Blue Ridge ***31m***32.8km
  Trigon antique resstoration
  
  
• Blue Ridge - Fort Assiniboine ***50m***59.7km
  World's Largest Wagon Wheel & Pick Axe: Hwy 33 beside museum
  Bear
  
  
• Fort Assiniboine - Barrhead ***35m***40.3km
  Blue Heron - Downtown off Hwy33
  Tinman
  
  
• Barrhead - Westlock ***35m***40.2km
  World`s Largest Tractor Weathervane: off Hwy 33
  
  
• Westlock - Legal ***32m***38.5km
  Depression Pete: 50th & 47th down from small info booth
  
  
• Legal - St. Albert ***36m***40.4km
  

July 31: 8h18m & 521km

• St. Albert - Southgate Center ***29m***20.2km
  World`s Largest Shoes & Stockings (Immense Mode): 111St in City Bus Terminal
  
  
• Southgate Center - Whitemud Tourist Center/ Gateway Park ***5m***2.5km
  Leduc #1 Oil Derrick Replica: Hwy 2, south side of Edmonton
  
  
• Whitemud Tourist Center - Devon ***32m***35.2km
  Baseball Helmet: Hwy19 @ Baseball Park
  Oil Derrick: Hwy 60, 2km S @ Cdn. Petroleum Ctr
  
  
• Devon - Mulhurst ***57m***58.9km
  Pink Combine: Hill Top House RR280
  
  
• Mulhurst - Pigeon Lake: Ma Me O ***33m***31.0
  
  
• Pigeon Lake - Bluffton ***52m***57.2km
  The Rock: Hwy22 TR440 Commemorative Memorial Park
  
  
• Bluffton - Markerville ***1h26m***81.4km doesn't include trying to find the place
  World's Largest Cream Can: TR364A
  
  
• Markerville - Sundre ***1h10m***74km
  8-ball
  
  
• Sundre - Cochrane ***1h5m***79.7km
  Cowboy: NW of town museum
  White Horse
  
  
• Cochrane - SeeBe ***46m***53.3km (couldn't find ghost town)
  
  
• SeeBe - Canmore ***19m***27.7km
  

Didn't find about until after visit
No longer there
Couldn't find

July 31 - Canmore Here We Come

With the boys having left for Canmore on Friday; this trip would only be Hubby and I. I think he is even less enthusiastic about visiting all the big things than the boys are. I had previously mapped out the route, and it would take us most of the day to get there, with stops.

The first couple of stops were easy; we would generally drive by them on our way out of town anyway; well, with just slight detours. The first stop was at Edmonton Southgate Center (what used to be called Southgate Mall), to see what I believe are the World's Largest Shoes and Stockings (Immense Mode). I thought they were so cool. I loved the details of the flowers on the boots. I just wish they were easier to get to. Poor Hubby looked really embarrassed to be there taking the photos.

Not to far away, was our next stop: the #1 Leduc Oil Derrick Replica, located at the Edmonton Whitemud information center. Of course on our way there we saw the large Labatt's Beer Can. I enjoyed the views and the opportunity to take some artistic photos. The location was busier than I would have expected; however, given that it was the Friday of a long weekend I guess it makes sense.

We then took a slight detour and headed west towards Devon to view the Baseball Helmet and oil derricks. The helmet is easily seen off the Hwy, located beside the ball diamonds. Across the Hwy are the oil derricks. We didn't drive by them; I simply took pictures of it from a distance.

I wanted to cross over the Hwy to visit Hay Lakes to see the Hay Bale Lifters. Hubby, of course, didn't see the logic in this. Why would we zigzag across the Hwy? I suppose it was a good thing that I was prepared and had a second route mapped out. So, we headed south to Mulhurst to find a pink combine. That was the biggest waste of time. It is on a private lot, behind a fence, acting as an advertisement for some restaurant that was closed (Hill Top House).

We then did a quick drive through visit of Pigeon Lake (Ma-Me-O Beach). I forgot how beautiful it was. I was also surprised that I remember anything about it.

"The Rock" in Bluffton was the next scheduled stop. Here is where it would have been nice to have real direction. Bluffton is one of those towns that if you blink you will miss it. I finally convinced Hubby to stop, so we pulled into a little store. A nice gentleman agreed to show us the way. We followed him to the corner of Hwy 20 and TWP RD 440 at the Commemorative Memorial Park. It is literally a rock. The history behind it has something to do with honouring the courage and sacrifice of early settlers, teachers and military personnel. It was here that I wished I had the luxury of being a male, so I too could simply empty my bladder into an bottle. However, I don't have that option so the bushes were my only choice, which tells you how badly I had to go.

Since crossing the Hwy was out, I'd have to save Ponoka for another day. We continued south towards Sylan Lake. I was surprised at how cozy the town felt. I quickly found the mermaid and child statue in front of the information center parking lot. I then walked to the end of the parking lot to take photos of the wooden sail boat and big anchor. Across the road there were three metal people holding up what could be a globe. I think it is somehow connected to the Credit Union. As we were leaving town I noticed a cute freestanding clock tower in the Legion Park. At some point, I also noticed some metal palm trees at a car wash.

For some reason I was excited about seeing the world's largest cream can in Markerville. As soon as you drove into Markerville, you felt like you were driving back into the past. As with most of the roadside attractions, I had a hard time finding this one with the directions that I was given. We tried to follow signs towards the and then the Stephansson House Provincial Historic Site and the Markerville Creamery; however somehow we must have missed the turnoff. We then went back towards town and decided to drive west on the main road. There is was on the south side of TWP RD 364A. After taking photos of the cream can, I walked back to take some photos of old building and some scenic shots of the river.

As we drove towards Sundre, I think I already knew that the 8-ball was gone, but I had to be certain and verify for myself. It used to be on some one's private lot, and was taken down when it was sold. Apparently it wasn't much of a roadside attraction to begin with. Sundre provided a great place to rest and have some Subway for lunch. Now on a familiar route, we headed towards Cochrane, so I could get a picture of the cowboy statue.

There is no road access to the statue, so we parked in the information parking lot off Hwy 22, and walked up the hill. This is were we discovered how bad the mosquitoes were. It was unfortunate that neither of us had any spray on. As we walked up the hill, I took my time and took some lovely scenic photos. The Man of Vision, as it is called, overlooks the Cochrane Ranch Historic Site. It was commissioned in honour of the working cowboy of the early ranching days in the area. Buzz obviously thought it was real, because he wouldn't stop growling and barking at it. Eventually, after smelling it for awhile, he gave up. We tried to stick to the path on the way down, but it looked as though it went the wrong way, so we cut down the side of the hill. It was hard for me to get my baring in the tall grass.

Almost in Canmore, I had one more scheduled stop at Dead Man's Flats to get a photo of the windmill. However, we got sidetracked, and pulled off towards SeeBe, once a hamlet of within the Municipal District of Bighorn #8. It is now believed to be a ghost town, which was left just as it was when the employees of the former Calgary Power Company Ldt. left in 2004. Navi, stopped us in the middle of a bridge. Just passed the bridge is a locked gate. I believe that behind those gates is Seebe. Although, some articles have stated that many of the buildings and houses have been moved.

Of course, Hubby didn't believe me that we couldn't get to Dead Man's Flats without turning around. So we continued toward Exshaw, and entered Canmore the back way. This last stretch of road was enough to make my stomach crawl. The car sickness that I'd been trying so hard to keep at bay, hit and I was nauseous and dizzy; I was more than ready to get of the van and put my feet up for a break.

July 29 - World's Largest Jade Buddha Tour

After arriving home on July 28, my mom asked me if we'd had a chance to visit the World's Largest Jade Buddha while we were in Westlock. I had no idea what she was talking about. Apparently she'd heard something on CBC about this Buddha being at the Westlock Meditation Center for a few days promoting world peace. It was only one of three Canadian stops. After she left, I hit the Internet for more information.

The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is the largest Buddha
carved from gemstone quality jade in the world.
The Jade Buddha is 2.7 metres high and sits on an alabaster throne of 1.4 high.
The Jade Buddha itself weighs around 4 tonne and has been valued at $5 million.
Its size and beauty make it a wonder of the world.

Knowing that my mother-in-law would be interested, I invited her to meet us there. I was also able to convince my husband to tag along. I had a general address to the center, but nothing concrete. The first thing we did wrong was head from here to Westlock. Why? Well, the Westlock Meditation Center is actually not in Westlock and certainly not that close to it. We were driving down a RRD when Hubby decided that we were going the wrong way. I tried to assure him that we were not since the numbers were getting smaller, but being as stubborn as I am he turned around.

After a phone call from my MIL, who was already there and waiting for us, we attempted to continue on our scavenger hunt. Step one, turn around and go back in the right direction. Turn after turn we did eventually find the center, which is much closer to Pickardville or even Busby than Westlock.

I wish that I could explain the experience of being there. Though the place was relatively busy, the atmosphere was very calming. The aura and the spiritual energy so riveting. I really did feel at peace. I was so unsure of the proper etiquette. Were there certain rules around photography? Did I need to bow as I approached the statue?

I gave a small donation to help with the tour. The message of peace is such an important one for the world to hear. I don't just mean peace in the world, I also mean peace with personal relationships and peace within one's self. My MIL was also kind enough to buy me a blanket as a souvenir or this magical moment. I am still in ah, at the beauty.

July 27 - Another Night to Party

We finally made it back to Carson Pegasus shortly after 6pm. Not bad at all. We drove down to the public beach and small convience store. Once again my 12 year-old had managed to fill half a bottle with his pee. I really had started something.

We bought some treats and some magic fire. Normally for my youndest we have fireworks out at the farm for his birthday; however this year it wasn't going to happen. It was too strange with just losing Hubby's dad. I decided that this year we'd try the magic fire.

After walking along the shoreline and seeing all the fishers we went back to the van. I was surprised but neither of the boys wanted to go swimming. We ran into a family from the boy's school who were also tenting at the lake. It was wonderful to see someone else we knew taking advanture of the great landscapes and opportunties Alberta has to offer. It got me thinking about when I used to camp with my family as a child. We used to see so many tents and RVs were rare, now it almost seems like tents are becoming somewhat of an oddity. Why is that? Have we become that reliant on modern comforts?

I delivered the wood to the site next to mine and had a quick visit. We decided to join up later for some quick marshmellow roasting. Their son really wanted to play with the boys. We started the fire and ate dinner, we relaxed for a bit and then went over to the other site. The boys were very annoyed with me. They would much rather have sat by the fire all night. They very patiently blew some bubbles with him and roasted a couple of marshmellows before heading back to our site. I was soon to follow.

As the sun set for the evening and the darkness settled in, we decided that it was time for the magic fire. It was really cool. I was very skeptical about it actually working, but sure enough our fire started to dance verious different colours: purple, blue, green...

July 28 - My Birthday Boy puts up with me

Wow - ten years old no more...I was suddenly the parent of an 11 year old and 12 year old. My little birthday boy woke up and seemed to be a bit grumpy. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to see anymore big things or if it was simply from so many nights of little sleep. Plus, much like me, he isn't a big fan of mornings. After cleaning up the campsite, we stopped in Whitecourt for some gas before heading on to Blue Ridge.

The drive to Blue Ridge was a lovely one, on a variety of dirt roads, past a lot of original, abandoned homesteads. The town itself was also very cute. I didn't however find anything that looked to me like a roadside attraction. Now, that could in part be due to the fact that I am around farming equipment a lot out at my in-laws farms.

I was excited to leave there to go to Fort Assiniboine; home to the World's Largest Wagon Wheel and Pix Axe. Fort Assiniboine was originally set up by the Hudson Bay Company as a trading post. The town now has a cute historical museum and friendship club drop-in centre. Both are located on main street. I later found out that there is also a statue of a bear somewhere.

We were off to see the World's Largest Blue Heron in Barrhead, which acts as somewhat as a town mascot. The Blue Heron is a common bird in local lakes.. The first stop was a quick stop into the Barrehead Centennial Museum. The of course the boys needed lunch; another stop to KFC. The statue is located off of the main street. It looks like it has seen better days. I found it difficult to take photos of since it is located in a garden, very close to the highway. Also, in the area is the Klondike (Vega) Ferry. It is one of only 7 remaining ferried in Alberta; we did not stop to take a quick look or ride.

Heading towards home, Westlock was our second last stop, where I thought I was looking for the Largest Lapel Pin. You see, I must have gotten a few things mixed up on my various lists. As we drove into Westlock I saw a very cool Weathervane. It was huge with a tractor in the middle. I turned off and took a couple photos. I then drove around trying to find the lapel pin. No one knew what I was talking about at the gas station, or the county building, of of course the city civic building. Everyone I met mentioned the weathervane, but I still hadn't put it together in my mind. My list said lapel pin, so lapel pin I wanted to find.

I had a great visit with the people working in the city civic building. We talked about our road trip to date and the many places I still needed to stop. I was told that Travel Alberta introduced a passport to encourage people to visit the largest roadside attractions - too bad for me it was introduced a little too late. I wouldn't have minded the chance to win some prizes. Each of my boys were given a City of Westlock bag and Frisbee. I was given a mug and pen. Once my list is compiled I will be sure to email them a copy.

Once I got to the van, I told my boys it must be another item that was no longer there. I looked at the list, ready to cross it off, when I noticed that lapel pin appeared in two cities and weathervane in none. This is when I realized the error of my ways. With over 175 items on my list, I am truly amazed there hasn't been a lot more errors.

I really wanted to head up to Ghost Lake Campground, which is a few kms north of Athabasca, to see the large chair, but the boys wanted to go home. How could I argue when it was my little guy's birthday. I promised just one more short stop and then we'd be home. The final stop? Third time a lucky charm - would this hold true when looking for Depression Pete in Legal?

We pulled into Legal and headed down the main street; we drove down almost every road and still had no luck. Eventually the boys complained that they were thirsty. I parked by a local shop and went in to buy them water, resigned to the fact that we'd go home without ever seeing Depression Pete. Why I didn't top it up to him simply being gone like a few other attractions was beyond me. With the boys buckled up and ready to go in the van, I made one last attempt and asked someone where I might find Depression Pete. She looked and me and let out a small chuckle. I said, "You're going to tell me I've passed it many times or that I am right by it aren't you?" She wanted to know why I was looking for him and how it was that I'd even heard of him. Of course I told her of my summer quest, and she was shocked to hear that he'd made it onto any one's list of attractions. I was then given directions. He was right across the road and down at the corner. Right there on main street.

I got the boys out of the van and told them that we'd driven by Depression Pete numerous times, not just this visit, but also the past two visits. After crossing the road to finally stand in front of Depression Pete, all we could do was laugh. We'd come to Legal how many times looking for this local icon, to find a rusted metal man and his pet flamingo. Was he worth all the numerous trips to Legal? No. Thankfully though Legal has some lovely buildings and very interesting murals. Legal is the French Mural Capital of Canada.

July 27 - Swan Hills

Originally I had planned to take a day off driving; however I asked the boys and they wanted to go on. Their hope being that it would mean less travel time on the way back home. I decided that Swan Hills would be a great one to get out of the way since it was further north; this meant that we could simply start heading east the following day. If only I'd known how much road construction there would be. I used this extra waiting time to take about the changing landscapes and the many lakes in the area. To be honest, I'm not sure that the kids heard much of what I said; they were to wrapped up in their DS games.

Along Hwy 33 as you enter Swan Hills you will find a very unique scene - The Wilderness Sculpture. It is located beside the tourist information booth; which is a beautiful historic log cabin. The scene the depicts a mother goose protecting her eggs from a bear. It is hard to miss the copper and red sculptures. The unique steel sculptures, weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, were constructed in 503 hours by Kevin Oracheski of Edmonton, Alberta. Nearly 20,000 pieces of steel make up this truly unique piece of art.

After filling up with gas and buying each of us a tub of Ice Cream for lunch it was time to decide what to do next. We could either return to the campground or continue our journey further north to Slave Lake. The boys seemed happy enough to keep going. We drove around trying to find somewhere that might sell firewood. I was determined to buy it at a cheaper price. However, unlike back home firewood wasn't an easy thing to find - not even at gas stations. I went into a Home Hardware (I think) to check. The people working joked with about the irony of being surrounded by the logging industry and all this lumber and not being able to buy a simple bundle for sale. One women even joked that her husband could go chop down and tree and sell me that wood.

It was until after leaving Swan Hills that I learned of "Center of Alberta". You see, Swan Hills is the closest municipality to the Geological Center of Alberta. From the information kiosk on Highway 33 (the Grizzly Trail) it is just a three kilometers hike to the Centre of Alberta. Apparently, once you arrive at the "Center of Alberta" you can have your picture taken by the bear statue. It is supposed to a great place to enjoy a picnic and to explore the many natural trail that lead of from this spot.

Slave Lake is only 1h16min away from Swan Hills, so it seemed like a shame not to take advantage of the closeness. Not only had I heard about how beautiful of an area it is and how magnificent the shear size of the lake it, one of my lists also said there was a huge Walleye Fish Statue in Lesser Slave Lake. While the list was correct, it would have been nice to have a better sense of the region before heading up there.

The drive up to Slave Lake was incredible. At times I felt like we were simply in the middle of nowhere; everything around me seemed to calm and yet the nature was so alive. I had fun talking to the kids about how long it had been since we last saw a house, and asking them questions about the habits in the ares. How did they know we'd changed regions in Alberta? What did they think the main industry was? I mentioned how lucky we were to have so much land and what a shame it was that people took advantage of it - littering and using ATVs off-road.

We arrived in Slave Lake and stopped at the local Wal Mart; you see, I'd forgotten to pack enough clothes for the next day. Plus, I wanted to see if maybe they had any firewood. After looking at some bathing suites, which I've been trying to find a new one all summer, and trying on a few clothes I was finally ready to rescue the boys from the van to keep driving. However, once I went up to pay I realized that my wallet wasn't in my purse. Of course, instant panic. Had it fell out in Swan Hills? Did I leave it at the gas station there when I bought gas? The cashier was kind enough to put my items aside as I went to check the van; of course my wallet was there on the passenger seat.

I got back to the car and before looking for Lesser Slave Lake, I stopped at a few more gas stations looking to purchase some firewood bundles - still no luck. I was thankful that Navi knew where I wanted to go, because I sure didn't. I saw the sign saying that we'd entered Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, but the further we drove the more I questioned the direction in which we were headed. I saw a sign for a Bird Observatory (off Hwy 88) and pulled off the road. I am every glad that we did. What a beautiful spot. It is a lovely building surrounded by various walking trails. After looking around at some of the signs, I went in to ask where I could find Shaw's Point.

It turns out that I was at Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park and I wanted to be at Lesser Slave Lake Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong. I was on the east side of the lake and I needed to be on the north west side of the lake. I talked with them about my trip to all of Alberta's Big Things and how the boys were so done with it all today. They just wanted to get back to the campsite. Plus, we still needed to buy firewood.

It just seemed like a shame to be so close to the big Walleye and yet so far at the same time. She showed me some of the information in the centre and told me that more than 24o birds have been observed in the area. I also found out that Lesser Slave Lake is one of the, if not the largest recreation lake accessible by vehicle. The lake drains into the Athabasca River Basin and covers 1160 sq km.

The more we started to talk, the more determined I was to go see the Walleye. She kindly gave us two bundles of her firewood and wished us safe travels. I headed back towards the city of Slave Lake, slightly over 10 Kms and then over to Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park. It is about 13Kms outside of Grouard. Grouard is over 1h15m outside of Slave Lake. After that you still need to travel down some more roads to get to Shaw's Point, which is where the Walleye is located. It seems like a very family friendly campsite, although to open for my liking.

July 26 - Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park

Another hidden gem - Carson Pegasus is located on McLeod Lake, just outside of Whitecourt. While our spot was not as private or as close to the water as the one we had at Ross Lakes, it was still very calming. With two nights of previous camping experience behind us, the fire was much easier to start. This time we also remembered to bring flashlights, just in case. It wasn't until we were setting up camp that we realized we forgot city water, cleaning cloths and a few other items; perhaps next trip we'll have it all organized.

This time we decided to bring our bigger tent; bigger and much harder to set-up. A lot of frustration built caused some very tense moments. We had the tent up, but realized there was only a shell and no floor. This was after playing with the poles and turning the canvas around in various shapes, sizes and directions. We soon discovered the floor piece, which was also attached to the main tent; apparently we had simply built the fly. We pegged that down, figured out what the next tent piece was for and were done; well., with one extra piece to spare. Thankfully, I knew that this piece was meant to be a room divider. What I'd like to know is how small the people are who claim the tents can fit 6 or more people?

The site that we were assigned had no grill over the fire pit. Problem - we were going to be cooking pizza for dinner. We tried building a tinfoil tray over top of the pit - not heavy enough; we tried cooking it on the small ledge and roatating it - the pizza started to drup since it wasn't big enough; we tried putting it in a pan on the ledge - not hot enough. Eventually we just sort of mushed it all up and ate a very gross looking, burnt pizza mush dish. I think even prisoners get better meals. It was a good think we had hot dogs for a back up mean.

I don't recall if it was before or after dinner that we drove around the campgrounds trying to find the beach. Apparently my map reading skills left me when Girl Guides ended years ago. We were on the opposite site of the lake. We found a very nice walking path and took a quick stroll. The kids asking what we'd do if we came across a bear. Being the nervous person that I am, it was time for us to turn around, hop back in the van, and return to the site.

While I read by the fire, the boys had fun playing with their knifes and with the fire. We also met our camping neighbours - a wonderful family from the Grande Prairies area. You see, I had only bought two bundles of fire wood, even though I was told that I would likely need three. At $7 a bundle, I was determined to make two last. Opps, apparently we need a little over two. I did what anyone travelling with two boys out on an adventure would do in this situation; I asked out campgroung neighbours if they had any extra wood that I could buy off them now or simple replace tomorrow night. Okay, so maybe not anyone would do this, but I have learnt that it never hurts to ask in life. Plus, all my years of camping have shown me that most other campers are very friendly people. Plus, their four year old son was so excited to have boys in the site next to theirs. Darkness cam quicker than we realized.

July 26 - Ready to go again

With the funeral behind us, and the reality that life must slowly continue it was time for the boys and I to head out once more. However, I did feel terrible about leaving hubby at home alone. He was very instant that we continue on what had now become known as my "crazy idea". At this point I think the word obsessive might have started to come into use.

The first quick stop was in Villeneuve to find the Weather Rock. we drove into town and stopped to ask for directions. At first no one seemed to know what I was asking about, until one lady told me she thought it was in the yard of one of the houses on the main hwy, but she had a feeling it had been taken down. I pulled forward to take some photos of a lovely church, before turning around back towards the Hwy. I have to be honest I didn't actually look very hard, but there was nothing obvious that stood out. I have driven by Villeneuve many times, but I have never actually turned off. I was surprised to see what a quaint community it was and how many homes were being updated or built.

Sangudo was our first stop to view the world's only grain elevator sundial, which has also become a landmark and town entrance sign. The dial is a small replica of a country grain elevator and the time markers are various boulders. While the sundial does work, the time is not quite accurate. The boys and I took the wrong entrance into town and had a difficult time finding the sundial, although once we were told were is was, I felt rather foolish. The boys enjoyed the look of the small outhouses beside the sundial. I was able to get some lovely photos in the area.

Not officially on any of the lists I'd gathered my next planned stop was Mayerthorpe. I wanted to visit the Fallen Four Memorial Park. To this day I still shiver at the thought of this tragedy and so many other senseless deaths that occur. For me it was here that the trip took a bit of a turn. It became less about the "big things" and more about Alberta's history and diverse landscapes. I suppose that to some degree it had always been a bit about those things, but now I wanted to know the history of the small towns we were to visit. Also in Mayerthorpe was four metal flowers, which I think are lilies, that rest in front of the RCMP building.

What do a big sled and a steam engine have in common? They were both supposed to be located om Whitecourt. Once again I found myself staring into confused faces as I asked about these attraction during my quick stop at the information centre. They certainly hadn't heard of any big sled and the only steam engine that they could think of was located in Millar Western's Lot somewhere. They were unsure if it was accessible to the public. Around the centre were some old buildings, all of which offered me some photo opportunities.

They were kind enough to tell me that the Oil Derrick in Fox Creek was no longer an attraction, since it was up and running again. They also told me about a few other attractions, all of which I already had on my lists. They recommended that we stop by Riverboat Park; however, as with most things that I suggested I couldn't seem to convince the boys. Instead we headed up towards Swan Hills to find our resting place for the night. First, we need to stop by a local store to pick up some forgotten food items...I guess we should have thought about lunches for the next couple of days.

July 15 - Moose Lake here we come or not

The van was ready and packed. The boys and I were ready to go catch-up with some friends in Moose Lake. We'd even be able to stop in Vilna, Glendon and Smoky Lake. However, the trip never came to be. Unfortunately things took a bad turn for my father-in-law and I stayed at their place to care for him, giving his wife a chance to be his wife and not a care-giver. Although I hoped things would improve and we could still make it out to Moose Lake before Sunday, they did not. I was their 24h, until he passed away early Sunday morning.

Being with family was where I wanted to be, and I was glad that we hadn't left for the trip or been away when all of this was happening.

July 14 - Close to Home

After a very few short days of rest, I was ready to hit the road again. The boys complained about no being able to play XBox and about how uncomfortable the van was getting, but I chose to ignore it all, still convinced that in the future they will thank me for forcing them to go one this adventure around Alberta. I think what scared them more than anything was that I'd spend a better chunk of my weekend compiling all the lists and information from our previous trip. Plus I got a fresh copy of the Alberta map to re-highlight all the areas we were going to visit.

I assured them that today's visits would be quick and close to home. Reluctantly the got into the van and we headed up to Morinville to find the World's Largest Toque. Given that Morinville isn't a large place I figure it would be easy enough to find...not so much. I stopped at the information center, which is attached to the town museum, and asked them where I might find the toque. I was met with much confusion. Neither one of the ladies their new anything about it. Eventually, they were able to track down someone from the historical society who told me that the toque was no more. At least that explained why I couldn't find it. I did take some photos out front of the museum. Morinville also has a centennial clock tower downtown, although I did not take any photos.

I decided that we should head back to Legal just to see if maybe we'd missed Depression Pete because of how hot and tiered we were. Once again we drove around town, still unable to find him. Although, I did learn that Legal is the French Mural Capital of Canada. The art work is very interesting. Instead of turning around and heading back to Hwy 2, I decided to try a new route. As the road I was on continued to keep going, I started to question whether I'd taken the right turn. Eventually, I did make it to Hwy 28 and we were on our way home.

July 8 - The Long Way Home

It was once again time to pack up the van. This time we did a much better job knowing that we were one our way home; plus, the boys wanted to sit in the very back seats of the van so they could charge their DSs. I was disappointed that the boys didn't want to stop and see any of the plane displays in Cold Lake, but figured it was best not to push my luck. They had been so well behaved that I didn't want to jinks it.

A visit to David Thompson in Lac La Biche was our first stop. David Thompson travelled more than 100,000 kilometres. He mapped the Columbia River system to the Pacific, helped pinpoint the sources of the Mississippi River, and explored much of the territory east and west of the Rocky Mountains. He later surveyed expensive portions of the border between Canada and the United States. Upon entering Lac La Biche the first thing I did was look for the information ? sign. I'd done this when arriving at most new towns. The information centre is located along the river front. We took a lovely walk down by the lake to find the David Thompson statue. At first my boys whined that I was forcing them to walk. I couldn't believe how lazy they were being. After a bit, it did feel like we'd gone to far. I knew we hadn't though because I was told we'd find it at the end of the trail. The views were exquisite. Suddenly the boys wanted to know why we hadn't camped here. Funny, I believe I gave them the choice last night, but they chose Cold Lake because it was closer.

The boys happily walked along the shore trail back to the information centre, as I walked along the road, taking photos of the many beautiful churches. Time for the boys to moan again...they were hot and they were hungry. Even though I'd told them we wouldn't buy any fast food on this trip, KFC looked like a wonderful option. We didn't have to go digging through the cooler or pull over to make a sandwich and we could stay in our air conditioned van, while continuing our journey.

Shortly after leaving Lac La Biche my 12 year old had to go pee very desperately. Apparently he'd forgotten how not hold it. Not wanting to pull over I jokingly gave him and empty pop bottle and mentioned how lucky he was to be a boy in moments like these. While, you give a 12 year old a bottle to pee in and he'll do it.

Thanks to the list we'd been given in St. Paul, I discovered there was a large Tireman in Grassland. It was so cute and certainly a "big thing". Although it was difficult to get pictures of, it soon became the boys favourite roadside attraction. From there it was off to another item from the list the Rocking Horse Ranch in Athabasca, which apparently is no more or perhaps never was. The girls in the tourist information booth were extremely helpful and enjoyed learning about the various roadside attraction we'd seen thus far. They also told me about a large chair a few Km north on Hwy2 in Ghost Lake Campground. As they told me, I couldn't almost picture the boys sitting in the van rolling their eyes.

Only two more stops and we would be home. Next stop Legal to find Depression Pete. After driving up and down the main street, plus a few back roads to find him, we eventually gave up. At this point we were all hot and getting grumpy from being stuck in traffic for so long with all the construction. So, I decided that we would save Morinville for another day and just go straight home.

By the time we got home the 500ml pop bottle was full. What had I started?

July 7 - How Lac La Biche Became Cold Lake

The next planned stop was Lac La Biche; however I decided to take a detour and drive to Cold Lake. I'd never been before and wanted to see its beauty first hand. My sister-in-law lived there at one point. Plus I’ve had either friends visit and they all had great things to say about it. Plus, it was slightly closer than Lac La Biche and the boys were ready to call it a day.

We drove into the Cold Lake Provincial Park and looked for a spot. While it was a nice campground, the spots seemed smaller than those at Ross Lake and we couldn't find any that were right on the water; although, I am sure that there must be some. Instead we drove to the Cold Lake M.D. campground. We needed to call from my cell phone for directions, but we did eventually find it. We ended up with a lovely spot close to the water. Generally we like sites that are a bit more private, but it worked well for one night.

For $5 we got a huge amount of wood; in fact we even turned some down. Looking back we should have taken it for future camping trips. Due to the rain, the wood lot was very muddy and I almost got stuck backing into the wood pile. Of course I was surrounded by men, so all I could do was joke about being a "women driver". I had a lot of help filling the back of the van, mostly with smaller piece that would require little cutting. With only two young boys to help me this was very important.

Before unloading the van back at the campsite, the boys really wanted to go for a swim. Once again we tied Buzz up to the "no dogs on beach sign" and got ready to play around in the water. I now know why it is called Cold Lake. It was freezing. I was the first one to get my hair wet and eventually did get used to the fridget temperature. The boys became fasinated by these tiny minoes swimming around near the shore, so we decided to try and catch them. I soon discovered that the trick was to disorientate them from their school and was the first one to catch one. However, the boys quickly caught on. I do have to admit that the occasional fish didn't make it through the boy's accidental pinching.

Now extremely wet and cold, it was time to light a fire. We did it in under 15 minutes and sat back to watch our camping neighbour try to start theirs. We could certainly sympathize with the frustration in not being able to start one. As the night went one, I did need one of the neighbours to chop some of the wood for us. Laughing at our small hatchet, he brought over his own axe. In return, I gave him some extra paper to see if that helped to get his fire started. I believe that all it did was create extra smoke.

With a park close by, the boys went off to play. As with many of their escapades this one didn't last long. They quickly returned asking to show me a rock. Reluctantly I followed them to three rocks that had been graffitied to say "the penis rock", which as it turned out was very fitting. Unfortunately now when people ask my boys what their favourite "big thing" has been so small they chuckle and answers, "the rock".

July 7 - On the Road Again

We got up relatively early and packed up the van - we did a very quick job of it. We just sort of folded the tent and placed things very arbitrarily. After speaking with the campground hosts the day before, I added a couple more stops to our planned list for the day.

Stop number one was going to be a short walk up an old glacier path. I had my tiny map from the campsite in hand and a very vague idea of where it was - towards Elk Point. I must have driven for about 45 minutes, going up and down a small stretch of highway before I finally saw the tiny sign for the RR that I needed. Now, most people likely would have given up after the second time turning around, but not me. I am way to stubborn; once I get an idea in my head we are going to follow through. Once we found the turn off, it was still a short drive down some dirt roads. We hit the dead end and saw the parking lot that the camp hosts had described...a small patch of dirt by a farm house.
Then we found the sign for the path. It stood behind a "Do Not Trespass" sign. Hum, I recall them saying something about the farmers being okay with people doing this walk, but the grass looked like it hadn't been disturbed in a long time. Remembering that we were in bear country, I decided that it wasn't worth the risk. So, the boys stood behind the sign and I got a few pictures of them pretending to walk up with path. The drive wasn't a total waste. I also got some great photos of old farm buildings. Plus, it became another silly thing that mommy did on the trip for us to laugh at.

Okay so maybe the first of the camp hosts ideas didn't pan out; this didn't mean that I wasn't going to backtrack to another small town: Heinsburg: Iron Horse Trail Ghost Town. It is located on Hwy 45. We stopped at the Railway Theme Park to view an impressive restored 60,000 gallon Wooden CN Water Tower. It is located in it's original spot. The boys were none to impressed with this impromptu stop. What they failed to see was this historical relevance and natural wonders of the views. Frog Lake (near Heinsburg ) is also home Frog Lake Massacre Historical Site, although we didn't stop in.

Once back in the van the boys were pleased to be back on our original journey route. In fact, my youngest (then 10) was very excited about seeing Pete Fiddler, located in Elk Point. He had just learnt about him in grade five social studies. Pete Fiddler was a British surveyor, map maker, chief trader and explorer who had a long career in the employment of the Hudson's Bay Company. First stop in Elk Point, the beautifully redone, green information booth.
Here I was given an abundance of information, which of course worried the kids. I think they saw more attractions being added to the list. To be honest I can't recall whether they were right. Pete Fiddler certainly is larger than life - 32 feet high. He is located along Hwy 41.

We continued up Hwy 41 and turned off onto Hwy 29 to St. Paul, home of the World's Largest UFO Landing Pad (or is it Canada's Largest?). Maybe it was the World's First UFO Landing Pad? Attached to the Landing Pad is a small UFO exhibit, where you can see crop circles and reported UFO sightings. It is also where the tourist information centre is located. Here I bought the boys each a small souvenir.

I also had a wonder visit with the guy at the booth. We talked about how much I was missing my daily Starbucks visits, and the fact that I needed a good cup of tea (as someone who sells tea...I did have a small collection of loose leave with me, but nothing substantial. He provided me with a very long list of big things in Alberta. The boys sort of rolled their eyes, thinking great here we go with more stops, and boy were they ever right. It was looking at that list when I started to realize that perhaps I wouldn't see all of the "big things" in Alberta.

Bonnyville was our next planned stop. We were looking for an "Angus Shaw". Me in my ignorance thought that we were looking for some type of cow statue. We'd been to Bonnyville once before for a hockey tournament, but never left the main drag. Little did I know, that from our hotel window I'd been looking straight at Angus Shaw.

The first order of business was to find a nice spot to enjoy a picnic lunch. We found a beautiful spot by Jessie Lake. The boys were grateful for the opportunity to run around and stretch their legs. I was grateful for the chance to study my new list. I also asked a couple of local women where I might find the large Angus Shaw. I was glad to see that they too were a bit confused at first. One finally realized that I must be talking about the large wooden person statue. Instantly not only did I know it was located by the museum, but it made sense to me who Angus Shaw was. He was known fur trader and somewhat of local politician. I guess that I did pay attention in school.

On route to the museum we were cut-off by a turning truck. I off course honked my horn. Looking in the rear view mirror I was the truck do a u-turn. I didn't think much of it initially until the boys pointed out that the truck was following me. Keep in mind that I am on a main street through town. However, when I turned down some street, the truck also turned. When I went back onto the main stretch of road, the truck also went back onto the main stretch. I turned onto Hwy 28, towards the museum so did the truck. Now my heart was pounding and the boys were freaking out. I was on my cell phone with hubby, and he told me to drive by the local RCMP to scare the truck away. I pulled off the Hwy and headed back into town. The truck simply drove by.

We pulled into the museum parking lot and just sat there, too scared to get out of the car. I had trapped us. Heart racing, we quickly got out of the van and ran towards to museum entrance. We sort of stood their in shock before finally asking if we could go and get a photo of the Angus Shaw statue. It is 7 meters high. Once I was done with my many photographs within the museum ground, we hesitantly walked back towards the parking lot - what would we do if the truck was waiting there. Of course, it was not. We picked up some ice cream from the little museum shop and hit the roads again.

July 6 - Time to Stop for the Day

Dewberry to Elk Point - That was the plan. However, as you've likely guessed, this quickly changed. Along the Hwy 41, I saw signs for Whitney Provincial Park Campgrounds. The boys and I agreed to check it out. The signs led us to Ross Lake Campground, which is within the provincial park. We drove around a few of the loops and all agreed that it would be a great place to spend the night. We were all ready for the rest. You see, I used to be so afraid of driving that I'd barely leave the city, I eventually did some short highway driving and then a few longer trips, but nothing as long as this. Crazy since I've had my licence for over 16 years.

We chose spot A9, given the easy access to the water. We set up our tent - with only a bit of bickering, and decided we should start a fire. So, off we went to buy some firewood. Another fork in the road - firewood was not for sale at this site on Tuesdays. We went back to the tent, the wind started to blow, the rain started to pour and we were stuck with no firewood, no candles and no flashlights. This was my moment to panic. I did what I think everyone expected of me all along, I called my husband crying.

"I can't do it. I don't know what I was thinking. It's raining and cold. We have no firewood and we can't buy any. You told me everything we needed was in the camping tool box, but there are no candles and no flashlights. The tent is blowing in the hard wind and getting wet. I'm taking the boys back to Lloyd to stay in a hotel."

"Ok," was all he replied.

I hung up my cell, looked at the boys, and shock myself off. Ok, 'I am not a girly-girly, I can do this.' So, I told the boys that we were staying. There response, "Dad said no to the hotel didn't he." Not even my boys believed that we could do this. Here we were at this beautiful campsite and we were going to make the most of it.

We drove back to where they sold the firewood; perhaps we were hopeful that we'd read the sign wrong, but of course we hadn't. We drove down towards group camping to see if we'd missed anything on our first drive-thru of the park. On our way back towards our campsite I decided to stop by and visit the campground hosts, perhaps they could help me?

Was I ever correct. Not only did they give us enough firewood to get us through the night, they gave us a fire-starter candle, some maps of the area, a few activity ideas and offered my boys the use of their paddle boat and life-jackets. Maybe it was their kind spirit that help to part the skies and let in the sun, because shortly after our visit things started to somewhat improve.

It took us almost an hour to get our first fire started (keep in mind some of the wood was wet), but we did it. Once we got it going the boys decided they wanted to go to the beach. This meant putting out the fire that we'd tried so hard to start; I was a bit annoyed but realized this was to be as much their vacation as mine. We got back into he van and drove towards the lovely sanded public beach. We tied Buzz leash onto the 'no dog's allowed on beach' sign and went down to the water. It was chilly, but you quickly got used to it. After a brief bit of water fun, it was time to go back and attempt to start another camp fire. Surrounded by ants, we laughed about how we might get rid of them, pocking them with hot sticks, dumping boiling water on them or a few other possible options. Eventually we gave up, and after a few bites to my feet I barely noticed they were there.

This time we managed to get one up and going in almost half-an-hour; pretty awesome if I do say so myself. We roasted marshmellows, talked and giggled. I read a chapter of our book and then we went to bed; another big day ahead of us tomorrow.

July 6 - Trip One - Big Things to the East

After seeing the big pig in Red Deer, my boys were a bit skeptical about what they`d see next. However, they reluctantly help my husband pack up the van for what would be our first over night camping trip on our journey around Alberta. People I told either thought I was crazy or brave to take the boys out camping alone...me, even now I am trying to decide which one it was.

We left around nine on July 6th with the first planned stop being Mundare to view the World`s Largest Keilbasa, or for those of you are are no familiar with this Ukrainian Sausage it is a Garlic Sausage, very tasty I might add. The sausage is 42 ft. high replica sausage and weights 6 tons; it is the only one of its kind in the world. The Stawnichy family set up a non-profit foundation that completed it.

Although our navigation, ``Navi`` system took us on a bit of a strange start while leaving town and there was a ton of highway construction (welcome to summer in Alberta) we did eventually arrive to the cute town of Mundare. It is nicely located in the middle of town. As you have likely guessed, Mundare had(s) a strong Ukrainian Settlement; you can learn about the history in the Basilian Father`s Museum (although we didn`t take the time to stop in).

Mundare is 70Km E of Edmonton.

Only 24 Km W of Mundare is Vegreville our next stop. Vegreville is home of the World`s Largest Pysanke (Ukrainian Egg),




Canada`s Largest Elk statue (although this may have changed over the years) and `Our lady of the Highway` Shrine just off Hwy 16 (we didn`t find out about this until after our visit). Other attractions include the Main Street Sidewalk Plaques and Regional Museum, although we didn`t stop at either. History of these many attractions can be found on the Vegreville website. While the egg can be seen from the highway it is well worth the stop to get out and walk around the lovely park area.


It was time for a longer stretch of the journey as we continued west towards Lloydminster, the border city. It was here that the rain began and I started to question the whole idea of camping. However, I was about to give up this easily, not yet; plus, we still had a few more stops along the way. In Lloyminster the boys stayed dry in the car, while I tired to take pictures of the World`s largest survay markers, which sit on the Alberta-Saskatchewan boarder.
It is not the easiest thing to photograph. The boys didn`t seem all that interested until I explained to them that just pass those markers we`d be in another province. So, of course we drove into Saskatchewan; okay, so maybe it was because Navi was once again taking us on another one of her strange little detours. What I didn`t realize at the time is that Lloyd is also home to the World`s/Canada`s largest Sundial, situated in Bud Miller Park.

Now the question was how to get to Dewberry, and if I blink will we miss it? Navi has gotten us this far, it was time to see how well she'd do finding small towns. Well, she found it alright; however, for whatever reason she decided to take us down a bunch of dirt roads, and I mean dirt, now muddy from the rain, roads. This would not be the time to get a flat tire or to get stuck in one of the ruts; we were literally on some road in the middle of nowhere. After much laughter to help me get through the frustration and nerves of driving in this we were in Dewberry, Alberta. Yes, it is a town that we would have normally just driven through likely without much notice.
Now we just needed to find the World's Largest Chuckwagon. Small town, should be easy. A good starting point seemed to be the local museum - closed. With the kids whining for a bathroom break, the next best option appeared to be the local store. Apparently we'd driven right by the chuckwagon on our way into town. We were told we could find it in a case/house thing in the field by the E entrance of town. Back we went - still no chuckwagon. We found the case, but I guess the wagon must have been out at some parade or local fair. We were also told that there was a tirelady in the area...no such luck with the either. We found out later that blew over in a wind storm.

Two hot, tiered and crappy boys, did I dare drive further? Could I push one more stop into the day?