Tuesday, July 25, 2017

FORT MACLEOD AND SPONTANEITY

Those of you who know me know that I am a very organized person.  I usually have a plan in place for days ahead.  Not lately.

We pulled into Daisy Mae Campground in Fort MacLeod, Alberta and got set up by mid-afternoon. 

Our sit right on the banks of the Oldman River


 I got a message from friends we had made at Monck Park two years ago.  They wanted to get together.  Within an hour we were off to dinner together.  Sorry Doug and Eileen Priestley, I forgot to take any pictures.

Yesterday morning things went as planned.  We were off to Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a short drive from Fort MacLeod.


I usually don't do this type of thing but this was quite interesting even if it is gruesome.  The Indians drove hundreds of buffalo over the cliffs and butchered them at the bottom.  This went on for thousands of years.  The interpretive center had great artifacts and was so well laid out.  It was also impeccably clean.  It was a very hot day but only a short time was spent outside.  

Me at the bottom of the cliff inside the center

The cliff behind was just one of the ones they used.  The drop used to be much higher.  There are thousands of bones 10 meters deep at the bottom of the cliff.


These big guys were grazing on the way to the Buffalo Jump

As we were coming out of the Smashed-In Head Buffalo Jump we noticed that there would be the RCMP Musical Ride at the Fort at 3:30 in the afternoon.  We went home had a rest and then......


Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing, sky, shoes, tree and outdoor
Jan captured our reaction

Oh my gawd, there's our friend Jan Mains coming out of the fort.  We knew they were somewhere in Alberta returning from their trek to Alaska.  We had no idea we would run right into them.  Bill was inside the museum already.



So together we went to the RCMP Musical ride. 



 The ride was underwhelming, the company was thrilling.  Jan and Bill had trek-mates Carlena and Harry with them.  A pleasure to finally meet them after reading Jan's blog for a few months.


Doug made a new friend at the museum.


I managed to stretch our prepared dinner for two to dinner for six and we had such a fun time catching up with Jan and Bill (they were also staying at Daisy Mae) and making acquaintances with Carlena and Harry.

Doug made another fan and autographed a copy of his book for her.



Today we are off to Drumheller to visit the dinosaurs posthumously. 



4 comments:

Paul and Marsha Weaver OCT. 17, 2009 said...

Oh what fun meeting up with Jan and Bill and friends.
I love your new header photo. Gorgeous.
We visited a buffalo jump in Bighorn Canyon. Horrible to think of those buffalo heading straight to their death.

Linda Sand said...

Jan seems to be everywhere, doesn't she?

I think the natives were amazing to realize the benefit of using a buffalo jump. Food and materials for a lot of people for a long time.

billandjanrvingtheusa.blogspot.com said...

You forget to mention how excited we were to see your new home. It's so much nicer than the photos you posted. It's so light and bright, with beautiful wood and a floor plan that just flows.

Wanderin' said...

It's great you're able to meet friends and see new sites this time of year. Keep the traveling going.