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!