In the end (Over 100 Towns Later)

What started out as a cool way to stay close to home and still have a summer vacation started out as simply visiting the "Big Things" of Alberta, quickly turned into a huge list of roadside attractions to concur. With the kids back at school, summer vacation is truly over. In the end, we visited ? towns/cities, saw ? roadside attractions, went through six list updates, and at least four Alberta maps covered in various highlight routes, black lines outlining our route and approximate driving times. However, my obsession doesn't end there. With still ? small towns and ? roadside attractions left to see, I will have plenty to do in my spare time. Whether I go alone, with a friend, or with family, I hope to keep going places until a thick blanket of snow covers the ground, or too much ice covers the road.

If you're planning a trip, bring a pen and write down your memories as you go. Make sure you have a working camera. I lost a lot of great memories - photos that will never make it into my scrapbook. Set your course with no final destination in mind and have fun. Take in the scenery, meet the locals and drive around. Give yourself more time than I did to enjoy each town and what it offers Alberta.

Maybe one day I can take the boys on a tour of Alberta's festivals, rodeos, historical points or museums. Perhaps I could even take my MIL or biological mom on a tour of antique shops and old graveyards. Oh, Ghost Towns! I like that idea the best. All I know is that one day I would love to see a thumbtack on our Alberta map, showing places I've visited. So for me, the question becomes, when will this obsession end? Is it once there is a tack on every small town or more likely until the next big idea hits me?

However, before I travel again, here are some things that other drivers should know:

• There is such a thing as too slow
• Merge and yield are not the same thing
• The right lane is for slow people
• The white line should not be down the center of your car - you aren't trying to trace it
• A secondary highway doesn't mean it is paved
• Sometimes a map is still better than an electronic navigation system
  

Aug 27 - Next Stop?

We grabbed a quick breakfast in the hotel, sorted out confusion over our bagged lunch, and then went across the road to get photos of the Large, working Sundial (located off of Highway 43, in front of Centre 2000). I have to be honest, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. It was cool, but for some reason I expected more.The sundial measures 40 feet high and accurately tells time. Time capsules are sealed into the sundial, to celebrate the millennium. Unfortunately the World's Largest Trumpeter Swan is no longer in existence. It had to be taken down due to the high level of vandalism. As for the Massey 21 Combine and the Many Lawn Statues, we didn't take the time to look for those.

A slight detour further west to Beaverlodge to view the World's Largest Beaver (Hwy 43). It is really cool. The detail is amazing. The sculpture is 15' high and 28; long. It weighs 3000 lbs.

Continuing our journey N, we stopped at Rycroft next. The large Tepee is located at the Junction of Hwy 49 and 2 (in a very muddy parking lot). It is not in the best condition. It looks like wind as gotten the better of it. After a quick bathroom break, I asked the cashier where I might find the Wooden Train. She was amazed that it had made a website as a roadside attraction; it turns out that her brother was the one who made it.

Located at the Nardam Camp Site (just N of Rycroft, over a little bridge), the wooden train is beautifully carved. It sits atop a hill in the play area. The kids enjoyed running around and playing at the park, despite the wind. While I wouldn't stay at the camp site, the location was a great place to stop for lunch. Not only did it offer the playground, but also a small lake and a covered eating shelter. Our hotel lunch, which in the end proved to be very expensive, was not actually that enjoyable. Although, i must say I did like the Nanimo Bars.

Further N, is Hines Creek - home of the World's Largest Railway Spike (SecHwy 685W & 10St). It is nestled within a garden patch, and cute wooden train and telegraph line. We then went to tour the Hines Creek End of Steel Museum. It is a really cute collection of historical building and various relics. The museum is a self-guided walking tour. My MIL and I stayed together, while the kids ran around getting rid of their excess energy. When we were ready to go, the kids were no where in sight. My MIL and I decided to be evil and start driving away and parking the car somewhere else, to see if they would notice. They did not. We still needed to get out and find them.

Turning slightly S, the next planned stop was Fairview, to visit the Historical Dunvegan Site (I think). It turns out that it is located about 26Kms outside of Fairview, even further S. We decided to skip this stop and drive towards Brownvale instead to see the bull and rider - another town we decided to drive by. While we didn't take any photos we did see the Mile O Monument in Grimshaw, as we drove through on our way to Peace River. What beautiful territory. Wow!!! We eventually found the 12' Davis at the Crn of 102 Ave & 101 St. We then took a quick driving tour around town and stopped at the museum; although, we didn't go in. Unable to find a Best Western type hotel, we continued our journey. Not to mention, it was still relatively early.

Can you hear the buzzing? If so, it is coming from the World's Largest Bee in Falher, Honey Capital of Canada. It looks like it is made with some type of mesh wire. It is very cool. It is about 22' long and 7' in diameter. We were also fortunate enough to stop in at the visitor information center on its last working day of the season. Falher produces about 40% of Canada's honey.

We were now officially on our way home, as we headed S towards High Prairie. Although, not an originally planned stop, this is where we stayed the night. There was a hotel located along the Hwy and it meant we wouldn't have to keep going towards Slave Lake.

Aug 24 - Homeward Bound

We were in no big hurry to leave the campground the next morning. We took our time cleaning up the site and cooking our breakfast sausage over the fire. I have to admitted that the idea of having a banana boat for breakfast was very tempting. In fact, I believe we did. I even took the time to get some photos of the horse and dog. We were told that the two were best friends and that the dog rarely leaves the horse's side.

I had originally planned to go east towards Youngstown, but given the extra time at the campground and the fact that we'd already seen tire people, we went north. On my original list Castor was supposed to have a beaver, but I had since learnt that it was gone. Coronation was, therefore, our first stop of the day. The large crown is located on the W side of town, on the N side of Hwy 12 and SecHwy 872. It is in front of a cute little park, complete with a small bridge and other relics and replicas from the past. Further N, brought us to Hughenden. At the crn off Rydberg & MacTavish St is a Black-Eyes Susan made from a tractor tire. My list also indicated that Hughenden was home to a large Slingshot. I was unable to locate any such item. The town is pretty small, so unless it is located outside the town along one of the Hwys, I am inclined to say it is gone.

We were supposed to go to Wainwright; however, given our gas situation Provost seemed like a better choice. It was just barely closer. We filled up and grabbed a very unhealthy lunch of fridge sandwiches, ice cream, brownies, chips, slurpees... and headed towards the centre of town to find the flying car. Turns out we should have just stayed off Hwy Ave (57 Ave), which runs parallel along the S side of Hwy 13. Another quick stop into the gas station for some more junk food and then just down the rd to see the flying car. An old junky car with wings and tail attached. NOT worth a drive just to see that.

Given the detour to Provost, it meant like we'd be able to stop in Chauvin to see the World's Largest Softball (SecHwy 610, W side of town). The town itself is very cute. The people very friendly. Contrary to what Navi told us, there was no Candy shop or small local bakery to be found. Trust me, I not only drove around town multiple times, but also asked a few locals.

Chauvin to Wainwright the Buffalo capital of Canada, to see, you guessed it - Canada's Largest Buffalo Statue (Main St.). Located further along on Main St is Alberta's First Free Standing Clock Tower, which is in fact a war memorial. Remembrance Day celebrations are held there. This seems odd to me given its location in the middle of the Rd. However, I suppose the intersection is imply closed. We stopped in at the Train Museum. It was really cute and of course the staff was extremely friendly.

While we didn't actually look for it, I believe we also saw the Oil Jack Pump (wooden walking beam) along Hwy 14 as we were leaving town. The next stop Canada's second longest Train Trestle, but largest one in use. The drive to it is lovely - very scenic. I wish that we would have been able to see a train approach the trestle from around the corner, but I guess our timing was off. We also pulled into Fabyan, which overlooks the valley.

The next stop was Tofield to look for a Dirty Shorts Grain Elevator; however, by the time we got there everyone was too tired to pull into town to try and find it. We were so close to home at that point.

August 8 - Time to Show Hubby Whitney Lakes

After packing up our tent and parting ways with our friends, we are heading back up NE to what has been our favourite campground this summer - Ross Lake. Would I go back to Ol' MacDonald Resort? Likely not. I found it to crowded and not worth the money. I think they should have an arm band for resort guests and include the cost of the activities in the registration for the site. However, after having Navi try to lead us out of the area and seeing more of Buffalo Lakes, I would certainly go back and try another campground, maybe the provincial park by Rancho Sands.

Eventually, Hubby decided not to listen to Navi and to go back in the direction we'd just come from and retrace our original steps back to the SecHwy 601. We were back on track to see some of the items from my original Big Things of Alberta or World`s Largest Roadside Attractions.

Donalda is home to the World`s Largest Oil Lamp (main street - S side Hwy 13), which was constructed in 2000 as part of the town`s millennium celebration. At 47`this replica actually works and is lit all 365 days. While we did not enter the base of the lamp, I believe the interior is pained with a mural. Across the road is a very cute oil lamp museum. The town itself is a very typical Alberta small town with lovely old buildings, a welcoming feel and lovely murals and artifacts. Being a Sunday, most things were of course closed, which for me meant no visiting the tea shop.

If you are a baseball fan, you`ll want to stop in Heisler to view the Canada`s Largest Baseball Glove (located adjacent to the ball fields, which also offers a small camping area). The glove is 13.5`tall and 7.5`wide. Doodles wasn`t feeling well, so he stayed in the car with Hubby, who truly hasn`t been that cooperative this trip when it comes to being in photos. The mosquitoes were truly annoying, especially since we were out on wet grass, but Magoo and I survived and shared a few chuckles and we took turns trying to ``sit`` in it for photos.

Heisler to Daysland where I agreed that our first stop could be lunch. As it turns out that was in fact our second stop - the large metal crocuses are just off SecHwy 855 as we entered town. I took my photos quickly and then we went into subway for lunch. Everyone was much happier after a bite to eat.

From crocuses to the past; our next stop was Viking to see, you guessed it, the viking ship. This is another one of those town's were Hubby wouldn't let me get my bearings to figure out the possible location. He simply wanted to drive around getting annoyed. Eventually, I convinced him to pull over at a gas station. I went in and bought some firewood and asked for directions to Troll Park. The women was concerned that I was planning a small fire there and didn't want to sell me the wood if I wouldn't be able to use it, since you wasn't have fires at the park. I assured her that it was for camping. She was pleased; she didn't want me to waste my money.

Troll Park is located beside the old CN Station (51 Ave & 50 St). The tea house was of course closed. For a tea lover I certainly wasn't having much luck. The viking ship outside the park is old and not all the much to look at. I was annoyed with Hubby, when I took the boys, they had to come out and get photos, learn a bit about the area, stretch their legs, but not with Hubby there. He didn't want to get out of the car, so why should the boys have to. Not much of a family vacation if you ask me. I decided to have some me time, and actually walk around the park. I'm glad that I did. On the other side of the arch is a lovely garden with various plants and grasses. there is also another, well-maintained Viking ship and a very cute troll mountain. Crossing the small bridge takes you back to your childhood as you read Three Billy Goats Gruff. I got some great photos and enjoyed the fresh air, despite the millions of mosquitoes.

Viking to Myrnam to see the Peace Dove (site of the old Myrnam Hotel 50 Ave & 49 St). It is a very cute little community. It was great to see some kids outside enjoying the cool summer's day. I also came across a small Church just off Hwy 45.

I think I heard everyone else cheer silently once they learnt we were almost at Whitney Lakes.

August 6 - Next Stop Old MacDonald Resort, not farm

With much reluctance, we leave Canmore and start making our way to Ol' MacDonald Resort. It's not that we don't want to continue our journey; it's that we aren't certain we'll enjoy the destination. Our idea of camping doesn't involve trains and merry-go-rounds. We also have no idea how private the site will be. With the van packed, we start our drive towards Buffalo Lake, but not without stopping along the way.

Airdrie is home to a Large Cowboy and Korean Totem Poles. These are located at Nose Creek Park. They are not accessible by car, but are only a short walk down a lovely path, just by the parks. Like many places in Alberta during summer months, Airdrie was not without road construction. After finally locating the park, we needed to figure out how to enter it and where to park. First we drove past the entrance, my husband assuming or perhaps hoping that with the construction the entrance was closed off. I of course knew otherwise. Why would they block the entrance to their museum during tourist season? This is where we parked, in the museum lot. You can however pull up much closer to the picnic ares.

The 6 jangseung (Korean totems) were carved in South Korea (The largest ones stand about 16 ft high while the smaller ones are about 9 ft). Jangseung has a history of two millennia. It is part of the folk religion. They are placed in the entrance area of the village to bring well-being to the and prevent misfortunes, becoming the village guardian. The ones in Airdrie were placed on the 10th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Airdrie and Gwacheon, South Korea.

After reviewing the maps, we decided to leave Airdrie from a direction other than what I had mapped out, so we were unable to hunt for the large cowboy (SE cor Hwy2 at SecHwy567 - NE cor of town). Driving out along SecHwy567, already passed Hwy2, it was onto Irricana to view the large horse.Unfortunately as with many other items on my list, the horse was no where to be found. We even stopped at the old Irrican Hotel where he was supposed to reside. With the town itself not being that big, I'd be surprised it we missed it; however unlike me, Hubby will not drive around every street looking for things before giving up.

The town itself is rather cute, It has some interesting country murals. My favourite being the sunflowers, of course.

I also loved the various designs of their fire hydrants.

Irricana is also home to Pioneer Acres Museum. Being the weekend of their annual show and reunion it was buzzing with activity. It is certainly well worth the stop. Just outside the boundaries of Pioneer Acres you will spot two vehicles mounted on posts (I believe TwpRd 567 and RR 263).


Moving on from the Tasmanian Devil to a Large Skunk in Beiseker. This icon is known as Squirt and resides in the campground (S side Hwy 9, E side Hwy 72). This town mascot stands at 13' tall and was the result of a local contest held to decide what the mascot should be.

My love for photography (one of my many other current obsessions) also resulted in a couple great photos of abandoned building. I used it as an opportunity to play with my camera settings. I was hoping to capture the essence of the photos is a more creative manner - hopefully creating some unique pieces of art.


I'm not sure what it is with today's road trip, but it seems to be about animals. Rather ironic if you think about it. I've been referring to Ol'MacDonald Resort as Old MacDonalds Farm. We leave the Tasmanian devil and the skunk to the gophers that await us in Torrington. For years I have been intrigued with the idea of stopping in to see the World Famous Gopher Hole Museum. Yes, that's correct gopher museum, which features stuffed gophers dressed and posed to create various scenes. I could tell before we even got there that this wasn't going to be the easiest thing to convince the boys to see with me. They were hungry, tired and very whinny. This leads to bickering, stubbornness and sulking (I should know, they get that from me).

The town mascot is Clem T GoFur. He is about 12' tall and rests at the town entrance on the main street (Hwy 27). He was born in 1991. Following his birth, in 1996 the Gopher Hole Museum opened its doors. The road to the museum is clearly marked with cut-out gophers, so you don't need to worry about driving around aimlessly. At a cost of only $2/adult and $.50/child it is a very unique stop. As predicted I couldn't get hubby to come in with me. I mean really it's stuffed gophers, what am I thinking. Doodles was also too moody to leave the comforts of the van. I was grateful that Magoo was adventurous even to explore this unique attraction. Neither one of us knowing what to expect.

When you first enter the museum you are in a small gift shop. On the wall is a world map with pins marking the hometowns of all the quests. The museum itself is housed in a separate dimly lite room. There must be at least 40 or so gopher holes (small wooden boxes). Inside you will find a few gophers, neatly dressed and posed to showcase a theme. My favourites being the picnic and tea party. Magoo's were the bank robbery and the native village. It truly was a great little visit. Even after coming out of the museum and telling hubby and Doodles how cute it is, neither one was interested. If you ask me, it was certainly their lose. Expanding even further on the theme, each fire hydrant is painted as a unique gopher, each with a different name. Hunting them all down is a creative activity to get you out of your vehicle and walking around the small town.

Finished with ground animals, we were now going to visit with an alligator in the town of Alix. Alix the Alligator is a mythical creature believed to reside in Alix Lake. He is located just off the main Hwy through town. The kids mood quickly changed to excitement as we approached Buffalo Lakes, not because of where we'd be camping, but because it finally meant getting out of the van.

August 4 - More than a Big Rock

As we continued south towards Black Diamond, we saw plenty of big-horn sheep and mountain goats. I love the scenic drive along Hwy 40.

Black Diamond is a quaint little community, located just outside Turner Valley. In fact, I believe that they are sister communities. I might have read something about about one of the roads being called a friendship trail. The large Black Diamond was easy to find; located on Centre Ave (Hwy 7) bu the municipal building. After taking a few photos, the boys and went into a 50s themed dinner and candy shop for some ice cream (Marv's Classic Soda Shop). My mom went into a small coffee shop (I believe the Black Diamond Bakery & Coffee Shop) and learnt that in 1949, a fire ripped through Black Diamond's devouring most of the downtown. Buildings from the nearby abandoned settlements, mostly in the Longview area, were moved to Black Diamond and now comprise a large part of the downtown. There was also a very cute little shop that my mom and Hubby were trying to convince me to stop in. I was on a mission. I really wanted to see "The Big Rock".

As we headed out onto Hwy 7 towards Okotoks, my excitement grew. Eventually, I saw it. In the middle of a field was the rock. I pointed to Hubby and my mom said, "we drove here to see a rock." I looked at her. A rock? I explained that it isn't just a rock, it is the world's largest known glacial erratic-rock. My mom thought that it was just some rock that had been transported and rebuilt into the feild. However, the rock was transported far from its place of origin by glacial ice. The Okotoks Erratic weighs 16,500 tons. It measures 9 metres high, 41 metres long and 18 metres wide. The rock has been eroded into pieces, but is still a large landmark on the flat prairie.vOne interesting feature of Big Rock is the large split down the middle. A Blackfoot story describes how this may have happened:

One hot summer day, Napi, the supernatural trickster of the Blackfoot peoples, rested on the rock because the day was warm and he was tired. He spread his robe on the rock, telling the rock to keep the robe in return for letting Napi rest there. Suddenly, the weather changed and Napi became cold as the wind whistled and the rain fell. Napi asked the rock to return his robe, but the rock refused. Napi got mad and just took the clothing. As he strolled away, he heard a loud noise and turning, he saw the rock was rolling after him. Napi ran for his life. The deer, the bison and the pronghorn were Napi's friends, and they tried to stop the rock by running in front of it. The rock rolled over them. Napi's last chance was to call on the bats for help. Fortunately, they did better than their hoofed neighbours, and by diving at the rock and colliding with it, one of them finally hit the rock just right and it broke into two pieces.

On our way back to Canmore, we drove through Black Diamond, where Hubby and my mom tried once again to convince me to stop at the little shop. It almost became a game. I was just ready for the drive back to Canmore. Plus, my mom and I needed to get ready for our night out.

On the way back, we drove through Turner Valley. They have a lovely little park. It is another rustic Alberta Town with an abundance of history.

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 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 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.

How it Began

I didn't initially plan to travel Alberta this summer; in fact, I was busy planning a trip to BC and then Seattle. However life had a different plan. Due to a family illness, we felt it best to stick close to home. The question then became - well, what does one do in Alberta? Rocky Mountains...we go four or five times a year already, camping...we've done Waterton National Park and driven Crowsnest Pass...Drumheller...visit once when the boys were little and no one seemed that interested in going again. Hum, did that actually leave anything?

I've often thought about all of the "big things" in Alberta, but it wasn't until this year that I realized visiting them would become our summer. It was a great way to stick close to home, camp and get away from the electronics. Armed with a map of Alberta and a small internet list, I was ready to start our Alberta journey.

Little did I know at the time, that the little journey would grow very quickly. You need to know that not only do I have an A-personality, but I am also obsessive. One map of Alberta quickly became four (one to highlight the areas we were planning to visit, one to outline possible routes with travel time, one to put on our bulletin board at home so we could tack the places we've been and of course a spare one). The initial list also grew from one small Internet list to three Internet lists and two paper lists. With so much paper it was time to get to work - not on travelling, but on creating my excel spreadsheet - city, attraction, location, notes, other. I also started to colour code everything - green for places we've stopped at, red of the attractions are no longer there or we were unable to find them and yellow for attractions we've seen in previous years.

As of today, I am on my fifth draft of the list and we have visited around 40 small towns. I can't even tell you how many miles or how much we've paid for in gas, but I can tell you that it has all been worth it.