THE COWBOY TRAIL

One of my favourite drives is the Cowboy Trail, which meanders through such small towns as Longview and Black Diamond, and wanders along beside the foothills, with great vistas across rolling fields to the mountains. The Cowboy Trail is actually Highway 22, tucked in between Highway 2 and the Rockies. We travelled south from 22X to the Crowsnest Pass.

For some great trivia on the Cowboy Trail, and off-the-beaten-path places to visit as well as suggested restaurants and accommodation, take a look at The Cowboy Trail by D. Larraine Andrews. For instance, did you know that the Sarcee name for Black Diamond is klas-hlath-tidi, meaning white mud, while the name, Black Diamond, refers to the abundant black coal found in the area? Or would you like a recipe for Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce from Memories Inn in Longview or perhaps Butterflied Prairie Oysters from Rusty Luca of Lucasis Ranch?

A tip from one of our CPL staff members - "We had dinner at the Longview Steakhouse a couple of weeks ago. My husband said the salmon was delicious. It is owned by the Belmoufid family and located at 102 Morisson Road, Longview, right beside the Esso. The phone number is 403-558-200. It is a bit pricey compared to stopping in for a burger at the hotel, but is good food. They let us in even after we were out in the woods for 4 - 5 days." And, of course, the restaurant is noted for its steak dinners.

Among the many places to visit along the trail is the historic Bar U Ranch. Some of the more well-known names associated with the Bar U are John Ware, the Sundance Kid, H.R.H. Edward Prince of Wales and two of the founders of the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede - George Lane and Patrick Burns.

Visit the Cowboy Trail Tourist Association site for more places to go, things to do and a map.

Marcin, a CPL staffer, suggests that the adventurous traveller take the Forestry Trunk Road from 22X to Coleman. (This is Highway 40). It's a maintained gravel road. Some sections are excellent (smooth,good visibility) and you can safely travel at 80 km/h. Some others are not as good (limited visibility, pot holes especially near the texas gates). The road condition also depends on the season. These roads tend to deteriorate in the fall and get fixed in the spring. It's a great access road to numerous hikes in the Highwood/Cataract area. (The same road also goes north towards Nordegg.)

Best of all, when you get to the Crowsnest Pass and Highway 3, there is lots more to see and do. More about that next time.

For books on exploring Southern Alberta, choose the tag, staycations.

Happy trails!

Southern Alberta for City Folks has just arrived on library shelves.

Caroline Steman, a city folk herself, shares some of her favorite hikes, drives and places to go in Calgary and Southern Alberta. Her choices require no special experience or equipment. This is a slim volume of 41 pages packed with beautiful colour photographs and lots of historical tidbits.

Another, slightly older, book which follows the road less travelled is Country Roads of Alberta (2007).

"This travel guide to the country roads of Alberta emphasizes locations that are "off the beaten track," offering plenty of color photography that should entice travelers to be more adventurous in their next Canadian sojourn. Bryan, a noted journalist and former co-founder of Western Living magazine, seasons this travelogue with historical facts and geological information while pointing out notable landmarks and wildlife. Detailed maps and driving directions enhance the stunning images, making this book a welcome traveling companion." (Book News Inc)

Other books that will help you explore Southern Alberta are:

West on one : the stories behind the scenery : fascinating facts, stories and pictures along the Trans-Canada Highway from Calgary to Lake Louise by Kathryn Manry (2010)

In plain sight : exploring the natural wonders of southern Alberta by Neil L. Jennings (2010)

And a couple of older titles that are still full of great information:

Alberta history along the highway [1996] : a traveler's guide to the fascinating facts, intriguing incidents and lively legends in Alberta's past by Ted Stone

Backroads of Southern Alberta by Joyce Donaldson Yarmey (1992)

Have fun exploring!!

A few weeks ago, I talked about our wonderful trip along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. We have just received two new books which would have really enhanced our experience.

"Since moving to the Rockies of western Canada in 1984, Lynn Martel has spent countless hours and days exploring the mountain wilderness with her many experienced friends as well as some of the best known and well-informed professional guides in the outdoor adventure business...Her vast amount of experience and insight into the most popular activities available to tourists, locals and the most skilled and competent weekend warriors infuse this collection of 20 of her best adventure stories. Complete with colour photographs and maps, difficulty ratings, seasonal details and general information, these stories will inspire those seeking to experience adventures at their own level in and around Kananaskis Country, Canmore, Lake Louise and Banff, Yoho and Jasper national parks." (Syndetics)

"Canada's 42 National Parks are beautifully showcased in this first edition official guidebook for the 2011 100th anniversary of Parks Canada...this book will be a handy, practical, and extensively illustrated guide to help visitors plan and execute their trips to all the Canadian national parks. It also offers short excursions to 40 plus National Historical Sites and the four National Marine Conservation Areas. Written by authors who know Canada's national parks, this volume includes seasonal facts on these stunning and vital wilderness areas as well as guidance for getting there, when to go, how to visit, practical information on where to stay, and detailed descriptions of specific places within each park. Stunning photographs and custom, one-of-a-kind maps prepared by National Geographic cartographers enhance the entries." (Syndetics)

I suddenly realized that it had been 30 years since I had travelled the beautiful Icefields Parkway to Jasper. So my kids and I started off from Calgary on the Labour Day weekend last year. My only regret is that it has taken me so long to return to this spectacular highway. We managed to turn a trip that usually takes 5 – 5½ hours into 11 hours of fun. We stopped at every viewpoint along the way, visited Sunwapta Falls and took time to see the Columbia Icefields, oohing and aahing all the way!!

If you are leaving from Calgary, Lake Louise is a great spot to stop for coffee and goodies before you start up the Icefields Parkway. Of course, on a beautiful day, there are lots of places along the way to stop for a picnic. Once you are on the Parkway, there seems to be a glacier around every corner and many, many places to stop and admire the view. One of the most beautiful is Peyto Lake. Unfortunately we somehow missed the walk to the lookout, so that will have to wait until next trip.

Once we arrived at the Columbia Icefields, we had to wait an hour before the tour bus took us over to the Ice Explorers (busses with giant tires). We took that opportunity to have our picnic lunch and to take a look at the very interesting displays about the formation of the glaciers and the history of the area. We managed to be on the glacier in the middle of a snowstorm (at the beginning of September yet), with the wind blowing the snow horizontally. However, it stopped before we had used up our 20 minutes and we tramped around and sampled a little meltwater, etc. I can’t believe the sun shone before and after we were on the glacier. The glacier gods were laughing!!

Sunwapta Falls was a huge success with all of us. It is an amazing waterfall and then we wondered down to the foot of the falls where the river is wider and quiet and found an amazing beach full of inukshuks that various visitors had built. One of those surprising and fun moments you have when you travel.

In Jasper the next day, we went up Whistlers Mountain in the gondola and then started to hike to the top. I hate to admit that the combination of altitude and climb was too much for me. My daughter and I sat on a rock while the guys went to the top. Watching a silver-haired couple with their walking sticks heading to the top made me think that I needed to do some serious stairclimbing.

We took time to walk around Annette Lake, a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains. It was a nice, easy hike with picnic grounds. We then headed home. I wish we had allowed ourselves an extra day as there was still lots to see. We missed going to the Maligne Canyon which is beautiful any time of year. On the way home, we stopped at Athabaska Falls, which was again beautiful and impressive. We made it back to Calgary, stopping in Banff for dinner. A busy and unforgettable two days!!

Pat

If you would like to know more about travelling to Jasper, check out these great travelguides!

Wondering what to do with the kids on July 1st? There is lots to do in and around Calgary to celebrate Canada's birthday!

Heritage Park is having an old-fashioned Canada Day celebration with bands, a trick roper, family games and more! My family always enjoyed the park. I loved the exhibits and the historical details in the houses and the school, the kids loved the blacksmith shop and the ice cream!!

Celebrate Canada's birthday with family and friends on Prince's Island Park July 1st, from noon to 6 p.m. The Island will be alive with music, live entertainment, food, and festivities. Three stages will be jam packed with live music and entertainment for all ages and interests. In the evening at Olympic Plaza there will be more food, entertainment and fireworks -- a great ending to another fantastic birthday celebration!

Fort Calgary is having a full-day celebration with a free pancake breakfast, live stage entertainment, petting zoo, pony rides, games, crafts, jump houses, and much more.

Spruce Meadows is hosting the Canada One Tournament. Watching the horses jump is exciting, and there is lots of space to wander around, get a bite to eat and visit the exhibits.

Of course, any day is a good day to visit the Calgary Zoo. Everytime we visit the Zoo, there is something different to see. When we were there in May, it must have been mating season for the peacocks as every time we turned around there was another marvellous display of tail feathers. You can attend some of the daily scheduled programs for various animals, such as the gorillas and the elephants, or just wander around. Who knows? You might see Zola the Break Dancing Gorilla!

For a list of other Canada Day events in Calgary, go to Calgary Canada Day.

A little further afield, DeWinton is hosting the annual DeWinton Station Garden Railway Annual Exhibit, from 10:00 - 6:00. It will feature G scale indoor and outdoor layout, Ol' Smoky rides, Panpipe musician Nikolai and Kazoo Facepainters.

Even further afield, Banff is hosting a Canada Day celebration complete with pancake breakfast, parade, native dancing and a magic show among other things. So if a trip to the mountains is in your future, this would be a great way to spend the day. Best of all, entry into Banff National Park is free on Canada Day, according to their webpage.

If you would like to share some of Canada's fascinating history with your kids and the reason for all the celebrating, why not check out some of the wonderful books at the library? Just don't come on July 1st -we're closed so staff can celebrate the day!

Here are just a couple of possibilities.