TAKING IT EASY IN DONNELLY

South of Donnelly looking north - big sky country.

South of Donnelly looking west.

We found an elevator! Not many left now.

Wooded country south and west of Donnelly.

Looking into a poplar grove.

Poision Ivy at my feet.

#744 highway bridge over the Little Smoky River.

The above two were just up on the flat prairie above the Little Smoky River valley............

Judith had a day off yesterday and spent over half of it at the dentist. Aileen and I took the range road straight south from Donnelly until it dead ended way down yonder. We then went west to the highway and followed it south until we were able to turn west on #676 which eventually turned into #744 which we followed north to Girouxville. From there it was 18 km back to Donnelly. As we got further west, we got into more and more poplar forests. There were lots of birds singing their hearts out along there.
After lunch Aileen and I went with Judith to a greenhouse north of Girouxville to get a few more bedding plants and some flowers. We then went back to Falher for a swim in the community outdoor pool which was refreshing. By the time we finished our late supper, Aileen was ready for bed so just Judith, Mitzy and I on our walk around town later.
Aileen and Judith have been working in the gardens this morning and afternoon. Later, Aileen had a nap while Judith and I went to McLennan for potting soil and a walk out to the bird viewing platform. We saw 6 baby geese in perfect formation between their parents and two really tiny baby coots. Of course, my cameras were back at the trailer! It was a cloudy morning but has turned very warm this afternoon. The only salvation is the strong breeze which keeps it manageable.
Sophie, the cat, is recovering well and showing definite signs of renewed vitality. I’m thinking we’ll be back on the road Monday morning. First stop will be the dump station, second stop will be the car wash in Falher as Gravel Ave. is very dusty. They had dug the street up just before we arrived putting in new services so the gravel hasn’t had time to pack. There’s even a rumour the street may be paved but that depends on enough residents agreeing to pay the extra assessment (something like $6,000 per lot, and one woman owns four lots!). I was surprised how clean the solar panels were when I swept them yesterday; the truck is just covered in dust.

DELAYED IN DONNELLY

Barn north of Girouxville, Alberta

Dandelion field north of Girouxville, AB

Old barn near Reno, Alberta (the above three pics)

Shed boards at Reno farm.

Looking north. Peace River country north of Donnelly, AB

Looking south east. Peace River country north of Donnelly..............................................

Well, we are still in Donnelly, AB waiting for the cat (Sophie) to recover from her recent surgery. It seems she has a disease called Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions. It also occurs in big cat such as tigers, lions, etc. and is believed to be caused by too much Vitamin D in the diet. Apparently, cat food makers are reducing levels in their products to counteract the problem. What occurs is the teeth rot off below the gumline. Sophie had four teeth extracted and is rapidly improving but dislikes being force fed the antibiotics and pain killer. The vet suggested staying put and keeping her quiet for a few days so I guess we’ll stay the weekend here and head out Monday. We are enjoying our visit with Doug and Judith and they seem to like having us here.
We had 6 hours to kill in Peace River on Tuesday during the vet visit so we explored the town a little and had a nice Chinese smorg at a leisurely pace. Later we went up to the viewpoint overlooking the town and river and sat and rested in the sun for an hour and a half. Yesterday we went exploring a little west and north of Donnelly. The highlight was finding an old farm near Reno that was still in good repair and good light for photography. From there we followed gravel section and township roads and worked our way south to the highway a little east of Donnelly. I have been doing some chores for Judith including cutting the back lawn. I’m trying to earn our parking fee and pay for some of the food we’ve eaten. We’ve been eating inside mostly, sharing food and cooking duties.
Last night Judith went to celebration supper and received her 20 year award from the school. She’s been in charge of the distance learning program for the past ten years. I think she and Aileen are going to Peace River tonight leaving Doug and me to get our own supper.

VISITING DONNELLY, ALBERTA

Parked at my cousin's in Donnelly, Alberta

Aileen, Judith and Mitzy under the world's largest bee in Falher, AB

The town of Peace River, Alberta

Still hanging on!

Yield and stop signs in Donnelly, AB

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June 5th
We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. As we drove north, we experienced quite a bit of rain and heavy dark skies. About lunchtime the rain stopped except for brief showers but the wind picked up and was hitting us sideways. At one rest area we stopped at, it was difficult to open the right side doors against the wind. We stopped at a visitor centre and heard they were convoying traffic through the fire zone on the Alaska Highway today so that sounds more positive. We arrived in Donnelly at my cousin Judith’s (and Doug) late afternoon and have had a good visit. She thinks we’re the only cousins to ever visit her here and this is the second time for us. The first was in 1988. Judith made us a delicious supper and we sat and visited after a walk around the community. One thing of great interest is the backs of some of the stop and yield signs have a local scene painted on them.
June 6th
We went touring to Falher (pronounced falere – German name, French pronounciation) and McLennan before and after lunch with Judith as our guide. Later, Judith drove us to Peace River to take Sophie to the vet as she has stopped eating and drinking. The vet is unsure of her problem but gave her a shot and sent some antibiotics home. We’ll have to see if she improves by Monday. We took the scenic route home so supper was really late. Mitzy and I have taken several walks around the area. Very little traffic so Mitzy is enjoying being off leash.
Judith and I stayed up quite late going through some of the old family history documents I have. Aileen was smarter and went to bed early. I read today the Alaska Highway has re-opened to traffic for the time being.
June 7th
Mitzy and I have been for a couple of walks and now it is rest time for us. Aileen is helping Judith plant the garden. She has beautiful black soil, which is everywhere up here unlike most of southern BC. The long days this far north allow a long growing season in a short time.
The solar system on our trailer is performing quite well. We’re getting numbers never seen before. By 10:35 this morning we were reading 14.6 volts and the input was +9 amps. Of course, it does help that there is only about 4 hours of pure darkness at this time of year.
Sophie, the cat, is still not eating and we’ve had to force feed her the antibiotics. I suppose there will be another trip to the vet tomorrow so we may have to delay our departure from Donnelly.

MORE PICS WITH JUNE 4th

Leaving Jasper behind us.

Yellow Marsh Marigold

Close up of the Yellow Marsh Marigold.

LEAVING JASPER BEHIND

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

As a matter of fact, I do own the road!

Late to the party?

The big guy.................................................................................................................................................

After hooking up and using the dump station and then getting gas, we hit the road about 9:30. Today we saw all male bighorn sheep where the females and young were yesterday. I guess they must take turns using the spot as there were no males in evidence yesterday. They made a great sight grazing along the roadside right beside the truck. Mitzy was impressed.
We’re camped in a little county park on Highway 32 north and east of Edson. The first park we tried was right alongside the McLeod River but truck traffic on the bridge was horrible. As Aileen and Mitzy walked out when we were leaving, they met a park lady. When she heard we were going elsewhere, she offered to show us a very quiet park 2 kms from the road. It is very quiet, only two other campers here. The weather here is cool and overcast and downright chilly when the wind blows.
I read on the computer earlier this evening that the Alaska Highway north and west of Fort Nelson is closed indefinitely because of a major forest fire. That sounds like it will throw a monkey wrench into our next week’s plans. We’ll have to keep listening and try to come up with an alternative if the closure continues.

MORE PICS FOR JUNE 3

Looking south on Highway 5, the North Thompson - I saw this in my mirror

Mt Robson 3,954 metres (13,048 feet)

Mt Robson in BC west of Jasper, AB

South of Jasper

South of Jasper on Icefields Highway - moonrise June 2

South of Jasper

A hidden lake off the old Jasper - Lake Louise Rd

Fairy Slipper (calypso bulbosa) Aileen found and requested a picture

ON THE ROAD, YUKON BOUND

A little lake near Snaring River, east of Jasper, AB

Same lake

Same lake with a CN freight coming along

Interesting rock formation east of Jasper

East of Jasper

South of Jasper along the Athabasca River

Icefields Parkway south of Jasper

About 80 kms south of Jasper on the Icefields Parkway

About 82 kms south of Jasper.................................................................................................

We hit the road again June 1st, all be it rather late in the morning. However, we did get going and that’s the main thing. Lunch was in a large pullout by a travel centre before Kamloops. We stopped at a rest area at Little Fort for a nice break mid afternoon. We were able to find a quiet boondocking spot about 17 kms north of Avola. We drove in, along and across a natural gas pipeline right of way and found a very private place.
Yesterday we made it to Whistlers campground in Jasper National Park. The scenery was great all day with the pure sunshine and temperature in the low 20s C (low 70s F). Mt Robson was perfectly clear. It often is half covered in cloud. We puttered our way along mostly only speeding up if traffic built up and I couldn’t pull over. When we got to Jasper, we asked for a bright campsite so we could get maximum solar. Wouldn’t you know they gave us the darkest one they had! Back to the gate to tell them which one we wanted.
After supper we drove south taking in the beautiful mountain scenery, stopping often for pictures. I did see one bear but no pictures worth keeping. I then spent my later evening downloading. This morning we went east of Jasper and shot more spectacular scenery and some Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. We drove up a dusty gravel road and had our lunch beside a little stream. We sat in the shade awhile then let Mitzy go wading in the creek to cool off. We came back to the trailer for Aileen to have a long (1.5 hr) nap and me to download and process some of the morning’s shots. We had an early supper then Aileen drove us 82 kms south and back for more scenery shots. Saw a bear again but the only good shot I had, he moved behind a bush so no head – body was fine though. There seems to be quite a bit of smoke in the air today. I read there was a major fire near Lillooet so maybe that’s the culprit.
Tomorrow we will head east then north on the next leg of the trip.