INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 21)

Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … Waterton Lakes National Park

Waterton Lakes National Park is one of our most favourite places to visit! Waterton Lakes is one of the lesser-known National Parks in Alberta and is the most southern. It actually borders Montana's Glacier National Park. To me, it is the most beautiful and peaceful of Alberta's parks. Both Banff and Jasper draw more visitors and both are certainly more "commercial". Waterton has managed to maintained its rustic appeal. Judi and I loved visiting this wonderful park. When we first arrived, we stopped to view the lake that is located in the middle of Waterton Village. As we walked along the water's edge, we all of a sudden noticed two mule deer standing close-by motionless with their heads down sipping water! Even when they saw us, they didn't move until they had finished drinking. Then they moved off in a slow pace! It was all surreal and something we will never forget! Our stay in Waterton Lakes National Park was all too short. It was time to return to Calgary and have some fun at the Calgary Stampede! 

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 20)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … The Surrounding Area

There are lots to do in Calgary, but there is even more to do in the surrounding areas. The trip from Calgary to the Rockies is spectacular. As you leave the city, you soon reach the foothills. From there, you slowly encounter the Rockies. The majesty of these magnificent wonders of nature is awe inspiring! Today we were headed for “beauty” and “charm”. The “beauty” was Lake Louise. If you travel in western Canada by car, this is a “must” visit. Lake Louise, a mountain fed lake, is framed by high mountains on three sides. On a clear still day you can see the reflections of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the water. A postcard makers dream! The “charm” of this trip was Banff. Banff is a quaint village, set amongst the Rocky Mountains. In the winter, it is a skier’s paradise. We were there to visit the Friends of Banff National Park store and tell them about Michael Dumas's National Park program. Also, while we were in Banff, we had lunch at Joe Btfsplk's Diner.  This, if you are not aware, is a name taken from the Al Capp comic strip “Pogo”. Unfortunately, I understand that this great restaurant is now closed! The trip back to Calgary was just as exciting, especially if you keep your eyes open for wildlife. Along the way we saw Prong Horn Sheep grazing at the side of the road and a mule deer running through the tall grass! Like I mentioned, the surrounding area has much to see and experience. On another side trip from Calgary, we traveled south east towards Lethbridge. We were there to visit and meet with the volunteers at several historic sites. First there was “Head Smashed-in Buffalo Jump”. We visited the Interpretive Centre which tells the story of the "Jump" and its long and varied history. From there we traveled to Fort MacLeod and then on to Fort Whoop-up National Historic Site. It was originally called "Fort Hamilton" but later became known as "Fort Whoop-Up". The Fort is an interesting place to visit and learn about our country's wild history! Our next visited was the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. This was the site of the 2003 Frank Slide rockslide-avalanche. After visiting these historic locations, we were off to Waterton Lakes National Park!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 19)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … Lots of Fun in Calgary

We had planned our trip so that we could visit “The Greatest Show on Earth”, the Calgary Stampede. As it happened, Melody and Dick were both on the Stampede committee. This gave us a number of advantages. We could help their committee “Hot Air Balloon Races”, we could see the "Stampede Parade" from a really good vantage point and we could attend many of the Stampede activities, especially the very exciting “Chuck wagon Races”! When we got back from Edmonton, we were immediately commandeered to help with the Hot Air Balloons. We attended the “Strategy” meeting that was to go over the final preparations for the big race. The amount of planning and strategy was amazing. The committee had been running the race for some time, so they really knew what they were doing! Judi and I felt a little lost and out of place! The committee, however, was very friendly and welcomed us as one of them! The day after the “Hot Air Balloon” strategy meeting was the Calgary Stampede Parade. If you have never witnessed the parade in person, you have missed a wonderful treat! I have seen it a number of times and it never becomes “old”. We were also back in Calgary, at this time, to participate in our second event at Spruce Meadows, the International Cup.  This is where world class equestrians compete. It is one of the most prestigious equestrian events in the World. Ian Miller and Big Ben were competing again! After the Stampede Parade, we drove to Spruce Meadows to set up our booth and then, hopefully to sell some art. Unfortunately, it was a rainy and cool evening and not much happened! The next day was a little better, but not much! Fortunately, it became much warmer in the afternoon. This brightened our mood, just in time for the “Great Hot Air Balloon Race”! In the early evening we traveled with Melody and Dick to “Balloon Hill”! The “take-off” of the Balloons was spectacular! The people in the Stampede Grandstands had a wonderful view! We “chased” our assigned Balloon and then helped “pack up” once it had landed! After the “chase”, we came back to the Stampede grounds to witness the “Chuck Wagon Races" and then to walk the Stampede grounds! The next day was to be our final day at Spruce Meadows. I must admit that I did “sneak” off once or twice to watch the jumping. It was very special, to say the least, especially when I saw Miller and Big Ben perform!

INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 18)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

ACROSS CANADA … To Edmonton and Back!

The trip from Jasper to Edmonton was uneventful. I can’t say the same about our time at Elk Island National Park. After passing through the City of Edmonton, we traveled north east to Elk Island National Park. This is where we were going to stay for the night, plus we wanted to visit the Friends of Elk Island Park store. It was a dreary day when we reached the park. It had been raining for some time. Before we settled down, we wanted to explore the park to find the best place to park the van. As you can imagine, in a park such as this, animals roamed freely! Birds and small animals were there on mass! We even had to stop for a beaver that was crossing the road in front of us! One animal that we didn’t expect to encounter was a very large bison! Actually, he was very docile the first time we passed him. I’m not sure if he even looked up! The second time we passed he took a little more interest. He raised his large head to see who or what was invading his territory! That was the extent of his interest! The third time that we passed was a whole lot different. He definitely did not like us nor did he want us in his territory! We were driving slowly by, as we had before. This time the large bison lowered his head and started snorting. I’m sure I saw “fire” coming from his nostrils! He then came charging at the van! Judi yelled and I stomped on the acceleration! I’m sure we could smell the beast’s breath as he just missed our vehicle! I know I saw his “red eyes” glaring at me! Needless to say, we made a hasty retreat and parked quite some distance away! It was exciting, but not something I would want to do everyday! In the morning, still in one piece, we met with the “Friends” and then left for Edmonton. After a number of meetings in the city, we drove the long road back to Calgary. There was a “Stampede” to tame!