Now Is Heaven

To be continued since I camp here until 7/26/17

Some of my fav living beings 

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On a glacier in Alaska! Woohoo!

Sooo much to share and such a small space especially compared to the big amount of space in the Canadian Rockies, Northern Rockies, British Columbia, Canada and the Yukon! Such an eye opener and with daylight around 20 hours a day there’s plenty of time to see it!

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Some pix & video Canadian ​

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Left Super 8 in Wwinnepeg, after enjoying Canada Day , 7/1, festival the night before with music, fireworks and good eats of all kinds. Used Yahoo maps for getting to Riding Mtn National Park and was it off-it only took me to Firth Lake, but then I found my way to the real deal which is awesome! Camped there and then headed out of Manitoba Province into Saskatchewan where a bear was roadside and I drove on road while he sauntered on the roadside stopping to eat along the way. I took numerous videos and pix for around a half hour-so exciting! Needed to get my tires rotated and an oil change, so headed to Costco in Saskatoon for gas & rotation but they don’t do oil change-I’ll try Edmonton tomorrow for that. The driving is so pleasurable-greenery, water, birds, deer, signs warning of moose which I did not see, light to no traffic, speed limits topping out at 110km/hr giving me better gas mileage, plentiful Provincial parks and camping, and the pleasant Canadian sense of humor and friendliness along the way. As I post this at Alberta visitor center on 7/4, I had departed Gordon Howe campground at 6:30 am in Saskatoon where I went spent the night after my Canadian Costco mission. Happy July 4th to all! Reminded that during tough times of my life there was a Birthday to celebrate and now our country faces challenging times and we celebrate her birthday of 241 years-and send blessings to all who have made her who she is today with hopes of a brighter future. I’m grateful to have a button on my Prius to switch from mph to km/hr, a new “instant” tent which is fairly easy to put up and take down, humor as in the signs for restrooms as Pointers for men’s room and Setters for Women, no hint of chlorine in the water, a gentle breeze, good health, awakening to the sounds of birds singing, and the opportunity to do what I’m doing with all the pleasant surprises along the way-Russell inn in Russell CA since my great grandmother was born a Russell, Gordon Howe’s mother being born in Winslow, services I need appearing when and where I need them, and so much more! A grateful heart leads to more things to be grateful for, right? {pix/video of bear on other phone so none here-sorry}

Hooray, in Winnipeg, Canada in the Province of Manitoba, where my only uncle, Uncle Mike, was born! What an adventure SD through ND, thru border showing my passport and chatting with agent, who suggested I stop at Visitors Center 1/2 mile in. Bless you young man, for I was able to exchange US$ for Canadian at no charge with exchange rate of $1US=$1.23CA, got location of Winnipeg celebration, got to view some historical exhibits, was given a map/pin/campground locations, got information on where to get the entrance card allowing me free admission to all of Canada’s National Parks (In celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary, all are given free entrance to their Natl Parks-so if you’ve wanted to go to Canada’s Natl Parks, this would be a wallet-friendly time for it, right?) I am so grateful for my Prius having a button to push for speed from mph to km/hr since Canada posts km/hr; so 110 km/hr is easy, especially with cruise control, too. 

I was awake and ready to go by 5:30. Got McD decaf and egg mcmuffin with a little Wifi and headed out. It was raining as I drove through North Dakota and I got sleepy around 11am. So, I pulled into a McD’s to take a nap and had a very curious dream which I am still processing. As I exited and headed towards I29, there was a bank with ATM, so I could get some cash out for my Canada to Alaska adventure. When I stayed at Super 8 on Thursday, I caught parts of the movie, Forest Gump, and today I realized that my driving everywhere is similar to Forest’s running! He just ran and I just drive! ND’s town of Drayton is the Catfish Capital of the North-bet you didn’t know that. A billboard sign in Pembina County reads simply, Be Kind; I love it-what a different world this would be if all people followed that admonition. Before I crossed the border, I turned off my two other phones, since Verizon’s best deal to use my old phone was $5/day each time I used it and my android plan with Totally Wireless has no Canada option. Using the iPhone my daughter gave me, and my son-in-law kindly set the phone up for me with unlimited everything for $44/month with AT&T, so I can use the GPS/maps app on IPhone to get around. And, I can use it to find out if Costco was open in Winnipeg-yes, I finally joined Costco primarily because every Costco has nitrogen for tires and I have had great difficulty finding nitrogen. Sky was beautiful as I entered Canada and temperature around 70. Many things named after saints I’ve never heard of – Adolph, Norbert, Vital. I’m sure there will be more saints I’ve  never   heard of before. Parking angels found me a great spot and it’s time I headed to the celebration. Happy Canada Day!

Great visit with my Cous and then flew to Raleigh NC to visit with my daughter and family. What a treat! The views from the plane at sunset are spectacular! Alicia, Matt, Asher, and Camryn are so fun!  And Margaret, who watches the children while parents work, is delightful! The resident child within me enjoyed the make-believe picnics, acting out Captain Underpants, dance parties, balloon and bubble play, pool activities, Batman & Sophia/Amber doings, Play Doh, Candyland, running/jumping/ chasing/catching, hide/seek, books, tub baths followed by bedtime prayers and tooth brushing, and more. Trips to Marbles, NC Zoo, and playgrounds entertained us, too! Then I had pleasant treats in mommy/daughter time with crepes brunch, salt cave with reflexology, binge watching “This is us”, and painting on canvas at wine bar. Thank you and love you, Fitzsimmons family-thanks for the memory-making! It was hard to leave, but going to Alaska by way ofCanada calls  me. Happy tears at the airport followed by rain at the touchdown of the plane kept the water flowing.  Thank you, Cousin Val, for picking me up at the airport and being the special person you are. Aafter Indian buffet the next day, I headed out to South Dakota full of happy memories and loving feelings. Now I’ve got a SD car registration and drivers license heading to Alaska via Canada. Today, 7/1, is the Canada’s 150th anniversary and one way they’re celebrating is by free admission to all their amazing Natl Parks-Banff here I come!

Their love story, Mia & David’s, is an amazing one as was their wedding celebration in Princeton NJ yesterday. All present felt the beauty of their love and shared in it. Thanks to the bride & groom, the wedding party, parents, family and friends, and the workers at the venue for their contributions to the celebration-what a joy! From decorations, food, music, ceremony, to music, dance, toasts, and laughter-the celebration was pure joy! Thank you for sharing your joy and love!❤️

Left KOA campground around 11 for 1 pm tour of mine-another beautiful drive! Mine tour of former zinc mine was sterling, indeed! Great tour guide explained the process well, answered all questions, and gave us an idea of what life was like for miners back in the day. Most startling was the procedure for each miner taking their numbered tag at the beginning of their shift and returning it to the board at the end of the day. When a tag was missing, a search was performed of the 37 miles of the mine. One unfortunate miner failing to return his tag was found at home, after the search failed to find him. His punishment was latrine duty for the 3 bathrooms on each level of the 2,000+ feet depth of the mine until someone else committed a more egregious act to replace him! In the mines were discovered 357 minerals of which 35 occur only at this location. The fluorescent rock displays are among the largest in the world, and the most stunning-no other place on earth like it! In operation since the 1630s, (no, not a typo) the mine evolved over time to meet the needs of consumers of zinc. The ore had the a 30% content of zinc, greater than any other mine in the world. The mine closed in 1986 because of a tax dispute after which in 1989 it became a museum. Fascinating! Well worth it!