Canada — Jasper National Park

As we approached Jasper, the weather was beautiful (see photo of magnificent cloud). We found a campsite in the campground near the town of Jasper and settled in. The next day was totally overcast and cool, so we spent the day driving around the park. Unfortunately the mountains and lakes weren't very pretty in the monochromatic light -- all in shades of gray. We drove all the way up to the hot springs pool, but by the time we got there it was cold and windy, so we didn't go in. Later, in an Internet cafe, I checked the weather forecast, which was for cloudy, rainy, and even colder for the next five days. Uf da! Here we were in the most beautiful parks in Canada and the weather was absolutely lousy! Then a sudden realization: We have no schedule -- we can postpone the parks until later, when the weather is nice. So we bailed right out of Japer Park, drove east, and headed for lower elevations farther south, hoping it wouldn't be quite as cold there.

That took us back in Alberta, north of Montana, in cowboy country. The highway we were on is nicknamed "The Cowboy Trail." We saw men in cowboy hats, and on the news stand, there were magazines like "Canadian Cowboy" and (I am not making this up!) "Cowboys and Indians." There were lots of shops that sell saddles and other horse gear, but the one that caught my eye had a sign, "Chiropractor available -- walk-ins welcome." Yes, after a rodeo, a cowboy just might need some attending to.

Two days later, we were camped in Red Deer, midway between Edmonton and Calgary, when the cold wave bottomed out at freezing temperatures overnight. We came through OK, thanks to an RV park that provided electricity to our electric heater, which we left running all night. What a weather oddity -- freezing temperatures in August, in the same province where a heat wave had us sweating and panting a couple of weeks ago!

Next day we explored Red Deer, the first town of any size we'd visited in weeks. It was a joy to have a selection of large grocery stores, hardware stores, and an actual big chain bookstore -- Chapters, a Canadian imitator of Barnes & Noble, including the inevitable Starbucks. I tried to buy a copy of "Are We Rome?" but they didn't have it. The clerk who helped me (a guy nearing retirement, reminded me of MPR's Tom Keith, without a bow tie) was a history buff, and we chatted about the similarities between ancient Rome and modern U.S., and then got off onto Islam, which he thinks will conquer Europe by the end of the century. An interesting exchange!

We rather liked Red Deer, not because it has any jewel-like qualities, but because it's big enough (80,000) to have the amenities that smaller towns lack, yet small enough that people are relaxed and friendly.