While at the park we took a tour and the guide was informative and entertaining. Deion loves to ski and skateboard, when not doing those things he travels and films others skiing and boarding.

6/20/05. Today, we headed for the Olymic Park in Calgary. A cool place (really). They have training facilities for winter athletes who train here coming from all over the world. An innovative use for the park after the 1988 winter olympics.

The gardens were really outstanding and hard to describe with just a few photos. Basically, the gardens cover 2.5 acres of the upper mall floors. Litterally thousands of plant species are displayed thoughout the gardens. Very peaceful. If I lived in the city, I would probably hang here for lunch.

Getting ready to enter the Devonian Gardens in the top of the TD Mall building, Christa and fello caravaners, Wanda and Ray, pose for a quick pic.

Here we are downtown Calgary. A beautiful town with really friendly people.

6/19/05. Once on the train to the TD building downtown, fellow travelers Bruce and Ted are on the hunt for tourists. Hope they are able to find some.

Circa June 19th. Sorry about being late to update the blog, but we have been without internet since this date. Here we are all headed downtown Calgary to see the Devonian Gardens located in the TD building. We're trying to sort out the train schedules with SMART member Wanda leading. Should be an interesting excursion.

Fort Nelsen, BC.

Gerry and I await the arrival of the rest of the caravan in Fort Nelsen, BC, at the 5th Wheel RV park. This was an overnight stay and you can get an idea of the conditions most apparent at this park.

Gary explaining special needs for raising buffalo, interesting facts about them, and telling us the names of his bulls. They were very impressive when viewed this close from a hay wagon.

Dellene giving a narrative about the ranch and what they do to keep going. They turned to Agri-tourism when the markets for beef dwindled to the point of negative profit. The ranch sits on 1200 beatiful acres and was a real treat to tour.

A look up Main Street at the Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta.

Located in the heart of the park is the Wainwright Hotel. A period hotel that shows what a tourist might haver looked forward to in this posh (for the day) inn. We arrived just prior to the park's closing (we were late getting here) and did not get to look inside. However, views through the windows showed a hotel that might stiff offer a weary traveler comfort even by today's standards.

06/19/05. Heritage Park boasts a rather large Canadian Pacific inventory of train engines, period pullman cars, and other rail associated displays.

This paddle wheeler, the S.S. Moyie, was originally delivered to the north west territories to operate during the gold rush. Time was not their side though, and the gold rush died out just as the steamer was finally constructed. It finished out its time working the coal trade and now gives tourists a ride around the lake. The boat was not in operation this day due to recent flooding which had dumped a lot of debris into the lake.

One of the first items you come across in the park is this vintage rail that takes you around the perimeter letting you get on or off at several points.

06/19/05. Entering the Heritage Park we are struck by the old north west territories style fort facade. A $13 CAN admission fee allowed us into a little theme park that emphasizes the look and feel of the old west.

06/19/05. The rain has cleared revealing a marvelous day and a nice, though still a bit damp, campground. We started out mid morning headed for a good lunch and then on to the Calgary Heritage Park.

06/18/05. Here is a picture of the actual jump site where the buffalo were stampeded over the cliffs. This practice is dated back at least 6,000 years and continued until the introduction of horses and later, guns. After completing this site, the caravan continued onto Calgary, arriving in, of course, the rain. As I write, the rain has stopped and we may see a fine clear day tomorrow.

06/18/05. The second stop of the day was the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump center. The center works to keep alive the history of the Napi Native American peoples. This site was one of many used by the Napi and other First Nation Tribes stampeded buffalo over the cliffs for a big kill that could sustain the tribe for quite some time. A unique exhibit of native tool making and life on the Canadian plains.

06/18/05. Here part of the SMART bunch (including Christa and Mom) stand in front of the entrance to the Ft Macleod Museum.