Friday, July 7 to Sunday, July 9, 2023 - Road Trip - Part 2 (Edmonton, Alberta)

Gordon and Esther are very active and had 3 full days planned for us! Starting on Friday (July 7) with a visit to Fort Edmonton Park.

Providing the best in living history, Fort Edmonton Park is nestled on 64 hectares (158 acres) of wooded parkland along Edmonton’s river valley. What began as a Canada Centennial project in 1967 to reconstruct the old Fort Edmonton, quickly grew to encompass much more. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Rotary Club of Edmonton and the Fort Edmonton Foundation, the Park now includes the 1846 Hudson’s Bay Fort as well as the Streets of 1885, 1905, and 1920, depicting the evolution of Edmonton’s early history.

After parking and paying admission, we waited for the train that would take us to the back of the park. There is even a Midway...we'll check that out later! What is really nice about this park is that once you pay your admission fee, everything is included...no extra fees for the train, streetcar or midway.

Here comes our ride!

All aboard!

We got off the train at the platform at the back near the 1846 Fort and the new Indigenous Peoples Experience. The Fort is on the left...

But first, we are going into the new Indigenous Peoples Experience...

A beautiful building and display...very well done! But it's best to come back multiple times to actually read everything!

Next was the 1846 Fort...

Just some of the rooms...

Panorama view from upstairs...

Storage rooms...

Various pelts and a Hudson Bay blanket...

Panorama view looking back at the main building where Steve took the other panorama view...

Boat shed...

Canola crop...

After touring the Fort, we moved onto the "streets"...starting with 1885...then 1905 and 1920...

Uncle Gord is a retired minister and has performed many weddings in various locations within the park. He has also married and buried many family members and friends. 

The Tack building...

Steve here: As a side note to the above mention of the Riel Rebellion...My Great, Great Grandfather (Daddy Oaks) from my mom's/Gord's side of the family was with the North West Mounted Police (now the RCMP) and was one of Louis Riel's guards. According to Uncle Gord they had become friends and Louis Riel had given Daddy Oaks photographs and books which he in turn gave to a friend for safe keeping...never to be seen again.

Blacksmith making nails. Every time we see a Blacksmith...that's what they're making!

Moving on to 1905. By this time we were getting pretty tired of walking so didn't tour inside any other buildings. 

Time for a little dancing!

Our mission was to find some ice cream, and those people up ahead seem to have found some. Thanks for treating us Uncle Gord! 

The Fire Hall...

Moving onto 1920...

We watched a short movie at the Capital Theatre... 

We took a ride on the street car...

It was nice to get off our feet...

Views along the way...

Now off the street car we continued on...

Once we had had enough of all the "streets", our final stop was at the Midway....

We tried our luck out at a bunch of games. Horse Race...we had to fling a ball into those holes to get our horses to the end... 

Uncle Gord trying his luck on this one...

Gord, Esther and I even went on the carrousel...too funny! Steve decided to forego the horse ride, instead opting to take pictures of us on it... 

Against my better judgement, I was talked into going on the 1920s-style Ferris wheel...okay, it didn't look too high! HA! It scared the crap out of me...no, I do not like heights! To make matters worse, since we were one of the first to be loaded, each time they stopped the wheel to load more folks, the basket swung back and forth...OMG! 

Here are Gordon and Esther...we're next to be loaded...

I basically  held on for dear life and didn't even want to look when Steve took a selfie...look at that grumpy face! When is this thing going to end?!

Steve took a short 30 second video...

Ah...I'm all smiles now...it's time to get off!! However Steve was laughing as he watched the colour go back into my hands as I removed them from the cross bar.

What a fun day (well, except the Ferris wheel, LOL)! 

Saturday (July 8) morning Esther and I put together a picnic lunch and we were off to Elk Island National Park. Less than 35 minutes east of Edmonton lies a year-round oasis where bison roam freely, sun glistens off lakes and ponds, and stars light-up the night sky; Elk Island National Park. This gentle wilderness of aspen woodlands, prairie meadows and pockets of wetland is a wildlife-watchers paradise; free roaming bison, elk, deer, moose, and more than 250 bird species call this place home.

Our first stop was at the Visitors Centre. We bought the park pass and had a look around...

With such healthy Bison at this park many are transplanted to other parts of the world...

After leaving the Visitors Centre, we drove the Bison Loop Road...where there is often lots of bison to see, but not today. There was a heat warning issued so they seem to have headed for the shade!

Next was to choose a trail to hike...after some deliberation, we chose the Moss Lake Trail, a 4.8 km/3 mile loop. It is described as a winding trail through the forest...which it definitely was! Not much to see other than trees for probably 4 km which was disappointing...

So we were happy when the trail finally opened up to the grasslands and a lake!

Time for a little rest and enjoy the view!

The map said that the grasslands are ideal for seeing a bison or two...and they were right. Steve spotted one on the other side of the lake standing in a wallow...

What is a wallow you ask? A place to roll around in for a dust bath to avoid biting insects, or lie in to keep cool. Looks like the Bison don't want anyone sitting next to this wallow!

It was hot out in the open...

Nice to be back in the shade again but nothing to look at...

Bison have obviously been through here!

That was quite the hike! We were back at the car about an hour and a half later. Now it's time to find a spot to have our picnic lunch...a bit difficult on a busy Saturday now that schools are out, and especially a table in the shade. After driving up to the main picnic area on Astotin Lake and having no luck, we tried another spot, Tawayik Lake. Not nearly as busy here and we found a nice table in the shade!

The first (and only) time Steve and I had Dim Sum was 2 years ago when we were here visiting Gord and Esther. Steve suggested we go out tonight for some...so we went to the Tasty Noodle and enjoyed our second meal of Dim Sum. 

(Uncle Gord's photo)

After dinner, Uncle Gord took us on a little tour of the downtown area to see Rogers Place Stadium and the Ice District. 

Neon Sign Museum...Outdoor installation of 20 notable vintage signs that originated at stores, theaters & railroads. Very cool!

Even more on the other side of the street...

The Ice District...Downtown hub with restaurants & bars, plus sporting events & concerts at Rogers Place stadium.

Unfortunately, Steve developed a cold the night we arrived here. Esther has been doctoring him up and he's been able to partake in all our activities over the last couple of days. On Sunday (July 9) a bike ride was planned for the morning...like 2 years ago, Gord was borrowing bikes from friends for both Steve and I to ride. However, with the increased smoke and having a cold, Steve decided not to go...coughing and blowing his nose would be a real pain! So we left him at home to edit pictures and Gord, Esther and I headed out...

Edmonton has a great network of paths connecting neighbourhoods, so there is little street riding. This was our first rest stop...

Then a stop at Waves Coffee House for an iced coffee...

We had a great 20 km/12.5 mile bike ride! Esther and Gordon have e-bikes but I rode a regular bike...for the most part I was able to keep up with them, except for one spot where they had to wait for me to get up the hill, LOL!

That evening, family friends, Don and Gweth, along with Steve's cousins came over for dinner. We first met Don and Gweth on a trip to Cabo with Gord and Esther back in 2011. Always good to see them again! 

Left to right around the table...Gord, Gweth, Don, Heather (Steve's cousin), DJ (Heather's husband), me, Yolonde (Steve's cousin), Esther...

A great picture of us all!                       (Gord's photo)

It's hard to believe Uncle Gord turns 82 next month...going on 72. Happy Birthday!

After 4 nights here, it's time to carry-on...next stop, Dave and Leslie's in Leduc 30 minutes away!