INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 22)

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 … Saying Good-Bye

Our western trip was winding down, but we still had a few activities that we wanted to accomplish. Going back to the Stampede and Balloon Chasing were certainly on our "to do" list. A return to Banff and a visit to Kananaskis Country Parks were also in order. Along with these "fun" activities, we still had business to attend to. In these last few days, we had meetings arranged with Trout Unlimited, the Calgary Zoo and the Glenbow Museum. The whole adventure, to this point, was bitter sweet. "Bitter", because we were saying goodbye to two very good friends. We had had a wonderful time with them but it was time to start heading home. The "sweet" part was the new adventures waiting for us, more interesting places to visit and a new life waiting for us in Cobourg! When we left Calgary, I think that the weather reflected our mood! It was cloudy and rainy! We traveled north on our way back to Edmonton. We passed through Red Deer and reached Edmonton in the early afternoon. Our final destination, for that day, was the small town of Vermilion and Vermilion Provincial Park. From Vermilion we continued on to Drumheller. The Town of Drumheller is located within the Red Deer River Valley (often referred to as Dinosaur Valley) and is considered as "The Dinosaur Capital of the World". One of the main reasons for visiting this area was the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Here is an excerpt from the Museum's website "The Royal Tyrrell Museum is Canada’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the science of paleontology. In addition to housing one of the world’s largest displays of dinosaurs, the Museum offers a wide variety of creative, fun, and educational programs that bring the prehistoric past to life." After visiting the Museum, all I can say is that it was amazing! The size and scope of the displays were mind boggling! The Royal Tyrrell Museum is certainly a place that everyone should visit! From Drumheller we set off for Medicine Hat. Our stay in Alberta had been excellent, but it was now time to explore the Prairies!