Ken Bell - Alton Family

Visiting Calgary - September 2010

          Carole, Dennis, Sabrina and Amy visited me in Calgary in September 2010. Sabrina and Amy were only able to stay a couple of days, but it was long enough for me to meet my newest relative, Amy. At that time she was only 9 months old, and a total delight! She was amazingly sweet, always smiling and very happy most of the time. While they were here I took them to Fish Creek Park for lunch one day. We also went to see the Glenbow Museum and to visit our cousins Lou and Donna. Their grandson Marcus was also there so the two kids spent some time sharing toys and being read to. Seeing Amy for the first time was really great; I just wish they could have stayed longer. She was such a little sweetheart!

            Amy              Amy and Dennis          Amy 2                Ohly relatives       Sabrina and Amy

  Ohly relatives 2    Ohly relatives 3       Reading time                Cousins                   Cousins 2

Heritage Museum and Drumheller

          After Sabrina and Amy left us to return home we started exploring by going to Heritage Park in Calgary. The park is only open on weekends in the fall, which left us little choice on when we could see it. The day was a bit overcast with a bit of rain, but overall it was not too bad. We all enjoy different aspects of the park, whether it was in the Gasoline Alley Museum, (one of Dennis and my favorites), viewing the wonderfully restored houses or taking a ride around the park on the steam train. Carole seeemed to enjoy the costumed interpreters and crafts that were on display in many of the houses. Personally I like the blacksmith shop, roundhouse and pool hall. Unfortunately there is too much to see in only one visit.

          The next day we drove to Drumheller. Rather than driving in past Horseshoe Canyon we approached from highway 21. At the edge of the Red Deer River valley I followed the road toward Bleriot Ferry to a viewpoint overlooking the valley. They were quite impressed by the site that lay before them. We went to the Royal Tyrrell Museum which also impressed them, before stopping for lunch at the Drumheller visitor center. After lunch we drove down highway 10, turning off to drive out to Wayne, crossing the 11 bridges along the Rosebud River. From there we went to explore the suspension bridge at Rosedale, and yes, we did talk Carole into walking across it to the other side. Afterward she said she enjoyed exploring around on the far bank, and let me know normally she is too intimidated by those types of bridges. She handled it wonderfully and actually enjoyed walking across on it. From Rosedale we drove to the hoodoos to spend some time exploring them, another part of the Badlands that really impressed them. Our next stop was at the Atlas Coal mine and bridge. We took a few pictures there but decided to continue to Dorothy. We checked out the old churches, the grain elevator and some other buildings, including one with an abandoned old Valiant beside it. On the drive home I stopped to show them the amazing Horseshoe Canyon so they had an opportunity to see it as others have that I take to the Drumheller area. Overall I think it was a pretty good day trip.

Inside Gasoline Alley       Beautiful cars              Blacksmith         Train leaving station          Windmill

   Horseshoe Canyon       Red Deer River        Suspension Bridge             Hoodoos              Abandoned Car

Waterton and the Crowsnest Pass

          Our next trip took us south on highway 2 until just before Fort McLeod, where we turned west to go to the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The day was pretty overcast and a bit cool, so we spent more time inside looking at the colorful paintings and reading about the history of the people and the area. We also enjoyed hearing some of the Blackfoot legends about Napi, their creator. We did walk around the pathway at the base of the cliffs, and to the observation point on top of the cliffs. After enjoying some great Chinese food in a restaurant in Fort McLeod, we drove on to Waterton. We drove around the Buffalo Paddock and did see some buffalo but they were pretty far away. In town we went to see Cameron Falls, the Prince of Wales hotel and spent time walking along the shoreline of the Upper Lake. In the morning I got up early and managed to get one or two good morning shots of alpenglow on the mountain behind our motel. We drove up to the viewpoint beside the Prince of Wales to see morning fog rising off the water, and to enjoy the spectacular view looking south down the Upper Lake, into Montana's Glacier National Park. From there we drove down to Red Rock Canyon where we walked around the canyon. We waited for a while for the sun to rise higher to illuminate the red earth banks of the creek. While we waited a helicopter ferrying camp supplies for the Park Rangers flew overhead on two or three passes. As we left the park I stopped at the entrance to take shots from the bridge that showed reflections of the mountains in the still lake waters.

Buffalo Jump Teepee    View from Cliffs     Alpenglow on Mountain      Morning Fog       Prince of Wales Hotel

      Canyon Road       Red Rock Canyon             Helicopter                Upper Lake           Mountain Reflection

          Driving from Waterton through Pincher Creek we headed west on highway 3 toward the Crowsnest Pass. Along the way we passed large wind turbines that the area is famous for. These are a mixed blessing from what I have heard, but only time (and honest facts) will tell. Approaching Blairmore we drove past the iconic Burmis Tree. This tree is possibly the most photographed in Canada or perhaps even in the world. Sadly it died years ago and weather has taken its toll. It is still an interesting photographic object however. Just down the highway from the tree is the terrifying Frank Slide. The north face of Turtle Mountain collapsed into the valley, wiping out a mining camp and a portion of the village of Frank back in 1903. Pictures do not do this slide justice. The immense size is very difficult to interprete in a photo. You really have to see it to believe it. Further west of the slide is Crowsnest Mountain, north of the highway. Near this mountain is another peak named the Seven Sisters that you can see in the photograph below. On the return drive we stopped near highway 3 to view the small but interesting Lundbreck Falls. I always show people from Ontario these falls because they are a miniature version of Niagara Falls, at least in my opinion. New observation platforms have been built out right over the small gorge. These allowing an interesting perspective looking into the gorge, and upriver toward the train bridge and the mountains. Finally, the last picture in the group below shows Carole at the "Big Rock" or Okotoks Erratic as it is formally known. This rock is the largest rock in the Foothills Erratics Train, a group of rocks that were carried by ice along the mountain front and dropped as the glacier melted some 10,000 years ago. This rock is thought to have come from Mount Edith Cavell, southwest of Jasper, several hundreds of miles away. These wandering rocks form an interesting part of the Blackfoot nation legends involving Napi and the Wolf. Click here to read about this tale.

         Wind Farm                 Burmis Tree            Turtle Mountain           Frank Slide 1             Frank Slide 2

Crowsnest Mountain 1    Crowsnest Mountain 2    Crowsnest River         Lundbreck Falls          Okotoks Erratic

Kananaskis Country

          Our last trip was a day trip to see the Kananaskis Country, one I am sure Dennis will not soon forget. We drove to Longview then started driving west and north to Highway 40, which goes all the way through Kananaskis Country to highway 1. As we approached the parks area, driving beside the Highwood River, it started to snow. I did not think it would last initially, so I convinced them we should continue on. It kept snowing. Just as we cleared the south boundary of the parks we hit our first traffic jam. There was a herd of cattle walking down the road to find better grazing. Roundup had started too, so I am sure they knew it was time to go. A bit further on, near the summit of the Highwood Pass, we encountered a small herd of Big Horn sheep. We stopped right beside them and took some photos. One of the small females came up to the van to check us out. After we crossed the Highwood Pass we stopped to get shots of the mountains and the snow falling on them. A bit further on a grizzly bear ran across the highway, but was too far away to get a good shot. By the time I pulled up to where he crossed he had disappeared into the woods. At least we got to see one! I took them up to see the Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes, but Dennis was not well dressed for the cold so we did not linger. I did take a picture of the Lower Lake that had some flowers in the foreground, looking sad and cold in the snow. We drove toward Kananaskis Village, and the weather improved somewhat so I stopped to show them Wedge Pond. The fall colors were starting to show so the pond looked quite pretty, reflecting the colored trees in the still water. After viewing the pond we stopped at Boundary Ranch for a late lunch to warm up. Although it helped Dennis was still pretty cold so we drove back to Calgary without stopping. Overall I think the trip was interesting and was something they had never seen before so it was worthwhile. I think they really enjoyed getting out to visit Calgary and see some of the sites in Alberta.

    Kananaskis sheep    Mountain photographer  Upper Kananaskis Lake  Lower Kananaskis Lake     Wedge Pond

Ben, Melissa, Emily and Luke

          Ben is Dennis and Carole's oldest offspring. He married Melissa, his high school sweethart, and together they have one daughter, Emily, and a son named Luke. Emily was the first grandchild for Carole and Dennis and she is really sweet. She has her Aunt Sabrina's blue eyes as can be seen in the photos below. Ben and Mel spend considerable time with their children, taking them to museums, camping, amusement parks, staying home to swim in the pool or watch movies in their entertainment room. Ben did an incredible job as a first time coach of Emily's soccer team and the team responded by winning their league. Luke is starting to come into his own and could not have been happier with the new bike he got for his birthday.

Sabrina, Anthony, Hannah and Amy

          Sabrina is Ben's younger sister. She is married to Anthony and together they have two little girls, Hannah and Amy. Sabrina and Amy came to visit in September when Carole and Dennis were here. Amy was such a sweetheart, just like her older sister Hannah. Both seem to have this incredible happy disposition, although I am sure there must be times when I simply don't hear about the off days! Both girls love the big house they recently moved into, with lots of room in the back yard to play. As you can see, sooner or later everyone in our family get victimized with "rabbit ears"!