Day 24: The Biggest Hill & Oil Rig Country

I woke up this morning at the Timber Green BnB. As promised the night before, the couple running the place, John and Louise, had the most incredible breakfast ready first thing.

I loved the BnB. The location was terrific and John and Louise really shower you with attention, but the grand finale is the breakfast. Wow! Everything was made fresh, including the blueberry muffins made by John himself. There was everything you could ask for - juices, coffees, yoghurts, cheese, jams, and more!

After such a large breakfast, I decided not to pack any sandwiches for the day. Instead, I relied on this breakfast feast to keep me going until Calgary. Before I left, I made some Nespresso Coffee for myself, John and Louise. After hugs and goodbyes, I was off to Calgary where someone very special would be meeting me.

Big Hill Creek

On the road to Calgary, I stopped by Big Hill Creek, which after arriving I realized was a very fitting name. I started off on a path to the viewpoint thinking it would be a short 1-2 minute walk.

Well, very quickly that walk turned into an all-out climb to the absolute top of a mountain (big hill). It was quite the strenuous trail and certainly not at all easy, but I thought "Heck, you know what, I'm already here, let's f*ing do this!".

I finally made it to the top after what felt like ages of climbing. We were so high that after some time with spotty or nonexistent reception, I suddenly had great phone signal! It was absolutely beautiful. Forresty mountains on one side, then an open grassy valley on the other, creating the most beautiful scene stretched out before me.

Along the trail, there were also hundreds of butterflies just fluttering around. There seemed to be a couple of different kinds, some very orange and black, and some mostly black with some orange, white and blue spots. Previously seeing bugs in these numbers came in the form of black flies, but I was much happier with the butterfly experience.

As I continued, I somehow stumbled into dog heaven! It seemed as if everyone and their dog were along the trail enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful nature.

I had to stop and take a picture with a particular dog who looked a bit like Ashleigh's dog, Marley. He had just come from swimming in the freezing cold water of the creek but seemed to be very happy and not at all bothered by the temperature.

I also bumped into a couple of avid hikers, Bill and Kathy, on my way back down the trail. They explained to me that these 6 weeks during mid-May to the end of June are the greenest of the year.

They educated me on the Pink Alberta Rose that I keep seeing on all the license plates in the area. I only realized after they pointed out the nearby flowers as the Pink Alberta Rose why the license plates read "Wild Rose Country" at the bottom.

Kathy told me an anecdote about how when she was a child she had picked these very same roses for her Aunt's wedding. She told me how her mother's brother had married a young woman who had previously been their housekeeper.

As I was saying goodbye, Bill suggested I visit the Kananaskis Trail. He said that during the winter season, the mountain trail closes because of all the snow and ice, and in the summer the trail is closed so that the newborn animals can cross the roads safely without being run over by passing cars. So there is a very small window of time when you can go visit.

The Oil Rigs

I was back on the road to Calgary, and suddenly saw on this very small road a group of three oil rigs very close to the road. You might remember from the beginning of my trip how I mentioned how many oil rigs I'd seen while driving through Alberta, so when I saw a dirt road leading to these big oil rigs, I just had to check them out!

I was even more shocked to see just how big they were from up close. I was able to stand right next to them and see how they are actually working. It didn't take long before a truck with some crew came out to check what I was up to.

I said my usual spiel about the blog and explained I just wanted to take a few quick photos. They told me they had come up here to do some maintenance and it wasn't actually because they had seen me nosing around. So they left me to my business and I was able to take all the photos and videos my heart desired.

Laptop Hunting

I arrived in Calgary and went in search of a computer store. I wanted to pick up a small laptop for Ole and Donna (Remember them? The living Canadian Legends from Pink Mountain). Before I bought anything, they told me that shipping to a P.O. box requires post office authorization and that I first needed to go see if they would even ship to this address.

So off I went to the Canadian post office, where I proceeded to sand in line for 45 minutes. I finally made it to the counter and they confirmed that yes, the address for Ole and Donna is deliverable. So I asked if I could buy a box and have them put the label on it already. Apparently, that is against so many laws! I was not allowed to do that and they could only give that to me after I brought them the purchased laptop.

Back I went to the local computer store and with Bipin's (the manager at the store) help I purchased an ASUS Laptop. I went back to the post office, fully expecting another 45-minute wait, but fate was with me! There was no line at all at this point. I sent the laptop off and in 3 days, if all goes as planned, Donna will have received her first-ever laptop!

Quick aside - Check out this article Donna Getz wrote for a local small newspaper about her husband Ole:

https://smallfarmersjournal.com/oles-log-building-and-horse-logging/

Hungry or Hangry

At this point, I was starving after all that work traveling between the post office and the computer store. I saw a very famous udon place on Google Maps and made a stop there to get some tasty food. The restaurant was called Jun Katsu, a Japanese restaurant with a 4.8-star rating on Google.

I may have made a small error, thinking the Japanese restaurant was a great SUSHI place. I walked in and asked, "Is this the Sushi place?" and the young man working there named Min, replied "Uhhhh, no, the sushi place is around the corner".

I walked around where there was in fact an actual Sushi Restaurant by a totally different name, "Edo Japan". It didn't look like the best choice so I took out my phone to double-check and realized the 4.8-star restaurant I wanted to try was in fact the one I had just been at. So back around the corner I went and when I saw Min again I said to him "I know you don't have sushi, but this is the place I wanted to try, so give me all the good stuff you have!"

Dang, was it worth it! I ordered a lot of different dishes so I could taste a good variety. The shrimp and chicken were crunchy on the outside and just melted in your mouth once you bit into it. All the sauces were incredible and I loved the flavor! What a gem of a restaurant.

I had arrived around 2:30 PM and after they served me the owners and crew sat down to eat just behind me. It's always a great sign when the owners and workers eat the same food you were just served, right? I learned this is a family-owned business and is run by a beautiful young couple named Jun and Sunny and their full crew. If you are ever in Calgary, visit this place, you will thank me!

Here She Comes!

After my meal, I went to check into the Hampton Inn Suites Hotel. I got my stuff sorted at the place and was ready to head off to go pick up my one and only, Ronit.

After much anticipation, I was driving to the airport. I was feeling great. I was well fed, the sunset was beautiful and I was about to see my wife after more than 3 weeks away!

I was finally at the airport! I waited eagerly at the arrivals for her to come through the door, and then I saw her!! I got a lovely kiss hello and then we were off to start our adventure together.

Welcome to Canada, Ronit!

Tomorrow we are "Going to the Sun" (that's the name of the road), if it doesn't rain. But nothing can dampen my mood!

More to come tomorrow

-Shlomo & Ronit