Thursday, June 16, 2022 - We drove from Jasper to St. Alberts Kinsmen RV Park just west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The drive took about five hours and was on Highway 16, the Trans-Canada Highway.  We were a little frustrated because it was such an exceptionally nice day and we had to drive. It would have been the perfect day to ride bikes near Jasper. Oh well? Just as were were leaving Jasper, we crossed and area with lush green grass on both sides of the road. A large black bear ran across the road in front of us and it was so easy to see against the green grass on both sides of the road. We slowed down way short of the animal. A short time later we came upon three male elk grazing alongside the road. They looked pretty cool with their large racks of antlers. About and hour later we came upon some cars stopped alongside the road. More animals. This time a small herd of mountain goats were grazing on the steep sides of the hill along the road. Pretty cool. About an hour later, we came across what looked like a wolf, but it could have been a coyote too. We looked at some photos afterwards and seemed to feel that it was more likely a coyote due to its size, but it could have been a small wolf too. Next, we had an antelope run across the highway right in front of us. It was not dangerously close, but it did give us a good view of the critter. We also saw a deer alongside the road a short time later. It turned out to be a fun day of watching animals with glorious scenery all around.

We stopped at a rest stop and entered into a conversation with a truck driver named Gary. He is a super-nice guy and used to be a county Sheriff. Nearing retirement, he took a buy out and then tried RV traveling for a while. He then went into trucking and likes the freedom it provides him. He was driving for 1,250 kilometers ( 750 miles) today and would end up in Calgary. We had a fun conversation with him.

Note; I have yet to be bitten by a mosquito. Lisa has been bitten once. So far, so good. We still have a lot of traveling to do in mosquito country after we leave Edmonton.

Note: We have also noticed that there is virtually no trash along Canadian roads. Clearly, Canadians take pride in their country and the way it looks. We saw two people walking along the Trans-Canada Highway picking up trash (of which there was little). I wish this were the same in the states.

Note: Lots of small restaurants in the Canada sell something called a "poutine." We have never heard of this type of food. It turns out that it is well-done French fries covered with cheeses, gravy, cheese curds, meat sauce, and more. We haven't tried them yet, but we plan to give them a try soon. We also saw a pizza shop that advertised pizza and "donair." What the heck is a "donair?" Turns out that a donair is a kabob with sliced meat, vegetables, and cheese on it. You can even buy a "donair" pizza with parts of a donair spread out on the pizza. This is a Canadian food.

Note: We also went into a bank to get some Canadian money. We could not get the ATM to work the way we wanted, so we went inside to see a teller. There was no teller like we normally see. Instead, there was a young man (possibly 18 years old) at a desk and no counter. He was very cordial and asked to sit down. He was on the phone with his cousin who had just gotten her drivers license on the first try. He spoke to her for some time while we waited. After the call, he said, "What can I do for you? Boss." Boss? He was the only person in the bank on this Saturday morning and he was having a great time. Very interesting. Not like we would normally see in the states. It was odd to be served by such a young person and that there was not counter for him to be behind. He just got the money and handed it to us at his desk.

We arrived at the RV park without any issues. We got backed into our slot and then decided to go to lunch. After lunch at Wendy's, we drove to the Ford dealer that is scheduled to look at our truck on Monday to purchase a large plastic valance that goes under the front bumper of the truck. I parked in a hole and knocked it off when I backed out at Wapta Falls. To make matters worse, I then drove over it with two tires. We picked up the new one and met the maintenance manager too. They even gave me a Ford Diesel PowerStroke hat. Very nice of them. We then left the Ford dealer and found a place to wash the truck. Then it was back to the RV to relax. Likely a bike ride in the morning.

Friday, June 17, 2022 - Well, I should have known better than to wash the truck; it poured down rain last night. We had thunderstorms in the area and quite a bit of rain. The good news is that when the truck is clean, I can just take a towel to it and dry it off and it comes out clean again with minimal effort. We went to Costco and Walmart to get our shopping done. It was, basically, a day of chores. We also went to Woody's RV Store to get some parts for the RV. Needed a backup teflon ring for the fifth-wheel hitch and a set of pins for the front landing gear of the RV.

Saturday, June 18, 2022 - We started the day with a walk near the RV park and then a drive over to the St. Albert Farmers Market. This is a pretty popular and famous farmers market. It begins around June 1st and goes through September. During the summer, there are normally about 400 vendors in the market, but for today, the number was closer to 270. It is early in the season and the weather was a little overcast. We walked around and enjoyed the ambiance and did manage to buy some cinnamon rolls and loaf of cinnamon bread. We bought some coffee at a coffee shop and enjoyed some of the cinnamon rolls.

After we departed the farmers market, we decided to get some walking miles in at the West Edmonton Mall. This mall is the largest in the world based upon the number of tenants and the parking lot. Of all the malls in the world, this mall has the biggest parking lot and the most vendors with over 800. There is also a complete Toyota Auto Dealer in the mall with maintenance facility, a water park with zipline huge water slides, hockey rink, racing karts, complete amusement park with roller coasters, lagoon with a pirate ship, and much more. It is pretty amazing. We put in seven miles of walking yesterday without realizing it. It also has three huge food courts one of which is lined with sit-down restaurants. Quite a place and it was crowded. During the winter, it has to be a go-to place. Pretty unique and an opportunity to see something that you do not see every day. After the mall, we returned to the RV to relax.

Sunday, June 19, 2022 - We are going for a bike ride today. We stopped at a bike shop and got some info on where we might take a road ride in the local area. We can actually ride from our RV for today's ride. We rode from the RV and went along the Sturgeon River though St. Albert. The ride was about five miles each way for a ten mile ride. Along the way, we stopped to watch kayakers in the river, a couple of bands taking part in a Music in the Park program, a pony league baseball game, and a large arboretum with flowers just beginning to blossom. After the bike ride, we pulled out the kayaks and went for a two-hour kayak ride on the Sturgeon River. The river is flowing slightly, but to a kayaker, there is virtually no current in either direction. It is and easy trip either way. We saw some ducks and beaver dam, but that was about it. The water was pretty shallow with a lot of moss. There was some moss on the surface of the water that we were able to cut through with the kayaks. After the kayak ride, we washed the kayaks and put them away.

Monday, June 20- 2022 - We got up early to take the truck in to the Ford dealer in Edmonton to have it checked for the little issue we had where the "over-drove" the turbo. Since this happened, the "check engine" light has gone out and the system has reset itself. The manager said that he could look at it and give it a test drive then charge us $200 for virtually not doing anything. He didn't think it was a great idea and we agreed with him and cancelled our appointment. It has been working great ever since we had the incident, and kind of reset itself, so all is good. After the Ford "about face," we filled up with diesel. We returned to the RV and Lisa took a four-mile walk while I gave the entire RV a bath. It sure needed it. I also attached the new plastic valence on the front of the truck. I ripped the old one off in a hole and then ran over it. After a short nap, I launched the drone to get some photos of the RV park and the local area. I also prepped the RV for tomorrow's departure to Dawson Creek.

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - We depart at 8:30 am for Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada.