Alberta Musings

Alberta Musings

While we spent a few miles in British Columbia and some of yesterday in Saskatchewan, most of our Canadian time was in Alberta. I really like this province.
It seems the whole prairie is underlain with oil, gas, coal or other minerals, not to mention the Athabascan Oil Sands which are further north than we traveled. In today's world of high energy prices, these resources have created a rich, vibrant economy with Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and other oil patch cities really booming. Construction is rampant in all these places and others as prairie gives way to homes, shopping centers and industrial buildings. Unemployment is very low and help wanted billboards and 'trailer signs' are everywhere. Although I didn't see any new drilling rigs form the main highway, more than two thirds of the oil wells were pumping.

Traffic in and around the cities is tolerable, no traffic jams, because the planners of today's roads allowed extra lanes and many highways, which was a real pleasure for driving. And the roads everywhere were in very good condition, an order of magnitude better than what we experienced in Saskatchewan.

The people we met were gracious and friendly and we enjoyed ourselves with them and their 'dales. Our time at Calvary Worship Centre, once we found it, was a warm and caring experience, too.

Oh the Rockies! The breath taking, grandeur of Jasper and Banff National Parks was more than I expected. With wonderful weather, good roads, no traffic, the vistas were fantastic. I fell in love with these mountains. The amenities were also first rate, everything clean, well cared for and people friendly. I think these two national parks were a cut above the parks we have seen in the U.S.

The RV parks were clean, efficient and generally open, at least the larger ones. About half had WiFi, so we were able to get online every few days, too. On average, the parks charged about CN$27, a bit more than parks in the U.S. Motels were more expensive and food was about the same. Gasoline averaged about CN$1.15/liter, or about US$4.00/gallon.

Alberta is worth a visit and Jasper & Banff are 'don't miss.'