Fort Walsh...

5 August - The sun was shining so with a picnic packed off we set for a day trip to Fort Walsh which is located in Cypress Hills, unfortunately Chris was in the middle of Prairie Thunder exercise. I decided to take the Trans Can Highway 1 which took me out of Alberta and into Saskatchewan for a short while before we came back on ourselves into the Cypress Hills area. The journey seemed to take forever and at some points during the trip I wasn't quite sure where we were heading as after coming off the highway the roads started to twist and turn and go up steep hills (something we are not use to living on the prairie!). The scenery was beautiful, which was a welcome change from our tumbleweed and grass in Ralston, and as always lots of wildlife could be seen. Finally we came to Fort Walsh - in the middle of nowhere which straight away gave you thought as to how all the settlers all those years ago managed to trek across the prairies to arrive at such places and set up homesteads. We were pleasantly surprised to see other cars in the car park as we thought we might be the only visitors as the roads were dirt tracks and we hadn't passed anyone.

We had arrived just at the right time to go straight into a 12 minute film depicting what life had been like and the story of the 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre. Farwell's Trading Post was originally constructed to house Abel Farwell during the trading season of 1872-73. Across Battle Creek, in the same trading season, Moses Solomon and his men operated another trading post. A third group of people, the Nakoda or Assiniboine, moved into the general vicinity after a long hard winter. All three groups were involved in the Cypress Hills Massacre in June of 1873. The massacre happened all due to lawless days of the American whiskey trade at Farewell's trading post where the traders and Aboriginals had drunk too much whiskey and an accusation over a missing horse. After the event the Northwest Mounted Police came to in force law and order and built Fort Walsh. The main trade at the time was buffalo hide parchments.

After watching the film we then hopped onto a bus (typical American/Canadian yellow school bus) and set off for a tour round the hills looking at Farwell and Solomon's homesteads and where the massacre took place. We then drove to Fort Walsh and disembarked from the bus. We were greeted by 2 guides who were dressed in period Military Police costumes. Tegan and Fraser were invited with the other children to go off and get dressed up and have their own 'kids tour'. Fraser being a little shy wanted me to also go - so I think I was the biggest kid!! Mum and Dad went off with the remainder of the adults whilst Tegan and Fraser got to wear mini Red Military Police jackets and off we set for our tour. Our guide was brilliant and really played the part getting the kids to march and shout out orders. We looked at several buildings including the Sgt's mess, Offr's mess, commanders house, horse stables, gunnery, jail, courthouse. The children were told that we need to arrest 2 mums and a dad - so we offered up a Grandad - at this point I thought it was going to be a simple pull them aside. However the children had to march them to the courthouse where roleplay was carried out. The Capt was the prosecutor with the children as the jury and the 2 mums who had been caught drunk and hitting each other. My dad was being charged with supplying unlawful whiskey to traders - he was given a small card with things to say but he brilliantly improvised and the whole roleplay was hilarious.

After concluding our tour of the Fort we were driven back up to the information centre which had a small museum of artifacts to look at afterwhich we ate our lunch whilst looking at the fantastic scenery and enjoying the sunshine.

We decided not to drive home on the highway but took the cross country route through Cypress Hills and eventually coming out at Elkwater. The route took us through open pastures where the beef cattle roamed freely and often peered into our car, the road was a dirt track so I only drove at 35/40km but it was a lovely journey back. We stopped off at Elkwater for an ice cream before heading back to Ralston. We all agreed that we didn't know what to expect when we set off that morning but had had a fantastic day full of history.

Airport Runs & The End of July...

20/21/22 July we spent each day going to the airport to take friends back so that they could catch their relevant flights - all very sad. On the Thursday we dropped Jan & John off at the airport so that they could collect their hire car as they were continuing their Canadian adventure off driving to Vancouver. Chris, myself and the kids then spent the day at Heritage Park in Calgary.

Heritage Park is Canada's largest living history museum travelling back in time from the 1950s to 1860s. All the employees wore traditional costumes and many of the buildings were original which had been lifted and transported to the park from other areas within Canada. Fraser loved going on the steamtrain which travels around the park stopping at 3 stations where you can hop off or on. We all loved going on the carousel c1904, ferris wheel, dangler swings, whip (old form of waltzers) and the caterpillar ride. We also went to sea on the S.S. Moyie paddlewheeler - well a gentle paddle around the lake. The park was well set up as you could easily walk round and see everything and not too busy when we were there. After eating our picnic lunch we decided to visit the traditional ice cream parlour - yum. So after an enjoyable afternoon we headed back to Canmore.

Friday we revisited the town of Banff for lunch - Chris and my Dad were very happy as we ate in The Rose & Crown a pub that servers traditional beers - apparently very good beer. That evening Chris and Dad set off to play golf at Kananaski golf club. Unfortunately Chris and Les had tried to play the previous week, it was going to be their boys night out, but the weather wasn't good and they had to cancel. However to my dad's advantage Les kindly left his golf shoes so off they went Friday evening and had a fantastic time.

Kananaskis Country Golf Course is one of the premier golf destinations in the Canadian Rockies. The surrounding mountains tower 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) above sea level, the courses themselves are at almost 5,000 feet (1,500 metres).

24 July - We finally made our departure from Canmore back to Ralston. So after a last walk along the Bow River for Jinx we packed the cars and set off on our journey back to Ralston. My mum and dad had only seen the Rockies and Calgary at this point so found it very interesting watching the scenery change to the prairies.

26 July - Monday - 5 mums and 12 children set off for an afternoon at Echo Dale Park. Armed with picnics, sun umbrellas, towels, beach toys, chairs and a birthday cake we set up our pitch. It had been Sam T's birthday during July so we decided to celebrate. The kids were all sun creamed up and took to the water, it was a glorious day and the perfect place to be. So after much water play it was time for lunch - out came a huge range of food and cake along with candles - not sure what all the Canadians around us were thinking. Everyone had a fab day and it was definitely time for bed for worn out children.

28 July - Wednesday Medicine Hat Rodeo. Chris and I were invited, along with other British Military to attend the Presidents Lunch at the Rodeo and then to watch the events. So with children at home with Grandma and Grandad off we set. Again it was a glorious day just right for watching the rodeo. After a spot of lunch and a long list of speeches we were set free to take our seats in the stands and watch the rodeo events. It soon became apparent the difference in the abilities of the cowboys taking part in the Calgary Stampede to the Med Hat rodeo, however we still take our hats off to them all for their courage (or stupidity) to ride bucking horses and bulls.

31 July - Saturday Sapper Oktoberfest. Chris and a team of Royal Engineers had organised a Sapper party in order to thank the variety of people in Ralston and Suffield who help them throughout the year.

The party took place at Ralston's own Fort Whoop Up. A large proportion of those invited all dressed up in either the girls dirndl or boys lederhosen, everyone looked fantastic. Games had been set up around the area along with big pictures boards with scenes of German mountains and countryside, along with yodeling and alpine music. There was a bar set up to serve traditional German beer and wine. There was however one minor hic up - food had been ordered but unfortunately the catering company took it to the original Fort Whoop Up in Lethbridge which is 2 hours away in the wrong direction, so the food finally arrived at 11pm - a little late but no one seemed to mind at that stage of the evening - good beer munching food!

Grizzly Paw Pub ....

18 July - Sunday. A night in the Grizzly Paw Pub - Canmore.

It was decided that we all needed a night out in the local pub in Canmore which brews its own beer. My mum very kindly agreed to look after Tegan and Fraser - so the rest of us hit town - well Canmore. Chris, Les, John and Jan all ordered a tray of 9 samples beers each - what a great idea. Alli, Tonia, my Dad and I all stuck to normal drinks - well I think Alli had something a little strange.

After several hours Jan, John and my dad decided it was time to go home. So the rest of us carried on drinking at which point Les and Chris decided to sing to the pub in their finest voices. The Canadians who were still in the pub returned with their version of a song, Les and Chris were then on a mission to out sing them. However over hearing a couple of girls who were heard to say "don't worry they're English" sums up their singing. It was then time to leave.

Prior to going to the pub we had visited Lake Minnewanka situated in Banff for the afternoon.

Chuckwagon Races & Show...

17 July - Saturday.

Off we set for our final trip to the Calgary Stampede, this time we were off to see the chuck wagon races and the evening grandstand show which promises to be the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

After a couple of hours of us all wondering around the show grounds we all meet up to take our seats in the grandstand - there was eleven of us in total. Yet again the weather was great for us providing a really nice evening to watch the show.

The chuck wagon racing was great, fast and being the penultimate night the guys were up for big money prizes.







Once the chuck wagon races had finished a huge stage was hauled into place and within an hour it was up and ready for a great show. By this time it was 9pm so we were ready for all the entertainment and fireworks. The show included everything from singers, dancers, acrobatics, motor cycles, comedian, children, musicians and of course and amazing firework display. The motor cyclists were amazing and the stunts that they did were incredible. At one point in the show 3 trap doors opened in the stage floor and up came 2 sets of drums with the drummers and a huge single drum - however the drummers and their kit didn't stay on the stage, their platforms were raised up into the sky and drawn towards the crowd. This also happened to guys on the motorbikes and other illuminated animals with stunt people on top of them doing acrobatics. The show really was breathtaking and an amazing evening to be part of.

We eventually left the show ground just before midnight and got back to Canmore in the early hours after a thoroughly amazing evening, so glad that we had all gone.

40th Birthday...

16th July - Friday was my 40th birthday. My only request was to go running in the morning along the Bow River with Chris and Jinx. Luckily the sun was shinning and I had a great run - absolute heaven. As for the rest of the day not much happened!!!!! On the contary - Chris had arranged all sorts. After opening presents and cards - which I did really well with and got totally spoilt we then set off to collect Tonia and Les from Banff (after their romantic night away) and headed for Hotel Fairmont at Lake Louise. This is a luxury hotel which sits on Lake Louise providing spectacular scenary. Chris had arranged for us to all have afternoon tea which takes place in a lovely lounge overlooking the views.


Whilst having tea my present from Chris arrived - a Tiffany & Co necklace - fantastic, a very happy girl. We spent the rest of the afternoon wondering around the lake and taking in the mountains and beautiful scenary before heading back to Canmore for supper and more champagne.

Chris also had made by the chefs at Fairmount Hotel a birthday cake - it was a fabulous chocolate cheesecake which had very ornate decorations on top and very tasty. However after eating all the afternoon tea we decided to take it home with us for later.

Mum, Dad, Jan, John & Alli Arrive in Canada...

14 July Wednesday - Chris and I go to Calgary airport to collect my Mum, Dad, Jan, John and Alli who apart from Alli have flown from Spain to Uk and then over to Canada - Alli direct from UK.
















15 July Thursday - Off to the Rodeo - again. This time however Chris and the kids stayed in Canmore. Tonia and Les went off to Banff for a romantic night for 2, however the ended up in a Greek restuarant smashing plates!!! So I drove the 6 of us back into Calgary to visit the Calgary Stampede.















More information to follow just thought I would get photos and dates on as I have so much more to say in the next month or so.....

Calgary Stampede...

Monday 12 July - We're off to the rodeo. Calgary Stampede is advertised as one of the greatest outdoor shows on earth and it was truly an amazing experience. Since 1912, the Calgary Stampede has been built on world-famous events. The Chuckwagons and Rodeo are one of a kind. There are six major events in the Rodeo – Bareback, Bull Riding, Barrel Racing, Saddle Bronc, Steer Wrestling and Tie-Down Roping are the backbone of the Stampede Rodeo. Add in Novice Bareback, Novice Saddle Bronc, Junior Steer Riding and Wild Pony Racing for the youngsters and you've got the best rodeo in the world.

Tonia, Les, Chris, Tegan, Fraser and myself took the drive from Canmore to Calgary which took just over an hour and luckily found a parking space in a small local church (we felt better paying for parking and giving the money to a church) just minutes walk from the stampede grounds. We were all dressed in our cowboy hats and boots and ready for a great day. Once into the grounds we were faced with all sorts of events going on throughout the day before the actual rodeo started at 1.30pm. Initially we were faced with a huge fairground but all around the grounds were smaller shows going on, a large indoor mall, an arts hall which had some amazing paintings, lots of food stalls, an Indian village, Budweiser Clydesdales Quintessential Draft horses to name a few events. After spending a couple of hours wondering around we made our way to our seats. All morning the weather had been great, however as we took our seats the skies went dark. The opening ceremony for the rodeo was great and fast paced. As with all Canadian shows/events the Canadian anthem was played and the whole stadium stood and removed their cowboy hats. All the cowboys participating in the competitions came out to take a round of applause before getting ready for some amazing rides.

The weather had been fantastic all day however as the rodeo started the skies turned black and before we knew it thunder and lightning was crashing over our heads. At first our seats were fine however the wind direction changed and at one point the rodeo stopped. We later found out that it was the worst weather for the stampede in the last 32 years. The grounds soon became a swomp of mud which made it all a lot harder for all the cowboys, however cowboys are as hard a nails - why would someone want to ride a mad bull? With so much rain the conditions were extremely hard and dangerous with one horse breaking its back and a young bull rider falling off and the bull landing on top of him, luckily (well sort of) it was only a young small bull.

The whole rodeo was amazing and credit to all the cowboys and cowgirls who rode throughout the afternoon. The prize money for all the winners in each of their categories was very surprising - the winner of the cowgirls barrel racing won $10,000 (approx £7,500) for 17seconds ride. We all left the stampede a little colder than we had arrived but had been part of an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed watching the rodeo. So off we drove home to Canmore where Tegan and Fraser were put to bed and we jumped into the hot tub.

Tonia & Les Arrive in Canada...

7 July Tonia & Les arrive in Canada. Chris went to the airport to collect good friends Tonia and Les who decided to visit us in Ralston and experience a bit of Canada for their holidays. They all arrived back in time for supper and champagne before jet lag set in and they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer - not bad as it was 11 pm Canadian time (6am UK). We spent the next couple of days in Ralston and Medicine Hat as Chris was still working on the prairie although he managed to get home a couple of evenings for us all the have a bbq. Tonia & Les paid a visit to Lammles which is a Western Wear and Tack shop as they needed to get kitted out ready for Calgary Stampede, they came away sporting new cowboy hats.

One of the days we went to Echo Dale Park just outside Medicine Hat which sits along the Saskatchewan river and has a man made beach. So off we set with our picnic and swimming kit - I think most of Medicine Hat were also there that day as it was extremely busy but nice for a couple of hours, Tegan and Fraser had a great time in the water.

Friday night the four of us went into Medicine Hat for a night out. First stop was Montanas Cookhouse Saloon for dinner where we all ate far too much but managed to sit outside as again the weather was great. Then we went to Ralphs Texas Bar to listen to the live band and watch a bit of two stepping by a few of the locals, I think we were all a bit tired so left just before midnight.

11 July - Sunday that morning we all got up loaded up the two cars and headed for Canmore - the Rockies where we had hired a house for 2 weeks. We left with all the girls in one car and boys in the other - apparently the girls did well as Fraser didn't stop talking for 31/2 hours - Les needed a very large G&T. The house was great especially as it came with a hot tub - so within a few hours of being in Canmore we were all in the hot tub and bbqing.

Soooo Behind - 7 Weeks....

1st July Canada Day - We started off the morning going to Rod and Laura Keller's (Suffield Base Commander) house for breakfast, along with the rest of the village. They were great hosts serving up pancakes, bacon, sausages, maple syrup and other bits - what a great start to the morning. Luckily the sun was shinning which was great as breakfast was served in the garden with kids running around, lots of people dressed appropriately in red and white. After a couple of hours interval, allowing all the pancakes to go down, we set off to Medicine Hat to continue Canada Day celebrations at Kin Coulee Park along with Noo and her children. The weather really was great so we ambled our way round the park stopping and looking at the activities going on including a skateboarding competition which Fraser and Harry particularly liked, I think the girls also liked the young boys skating - very cool!








There was also a display of old cars that were in immaculate condition which we passed on our tractor ride. After an ice cream and snow cones and a bit more wondering round it was time to go home.







4 July Independence Day - our friend Karen (who is American) decided to hold a party to celebrate Independence Day. Most of the guys were out on the prairie but a couple made it and Chris managed to turn up for some cold hot dogs and beer (all that counts really). So yet again more eating and drinking - great fun. Karen organised some games for the kids but I think the big kids had more fun. There was egg throwing and spoon racing - however the eggs were not hard boiled - there were quite a few 'splats' going on. Fraser then joined in the rugby game along with some of the grown up boys (men) and had a fab time.

Days inbetween we went to the splash park in Ralston village which is great in the hot weather and easily passes the afternoon. Noo very kindly turned up with her bright pink chairs - which are very comfortable - although the kids thought they were for them?? not a chance.