Week ending Aug 6, 2015 Longview - Enchant

Thursday morning dawned sunny and warm so we packed lunch and headed for Ptarmigan Cirque. On our way to the trailhead we encountered numerous mountain sheep along Highway 40. We enjoyed the hike and although seeing signs of bear we did not see any bears. There were many people, including some from a bus and a van, on the trail, so seeing a bear would have been surprising. We noticed that there were many traps set out by the University of Saskatchewan to capture Columbian ground squirrels to study the impact of climate change on them.  Thanks to good optical zoom we were able to read the trap labels without leaving the trail. There were a couple of researchers checking them out from time to time. We stopped at the top of the trail for a snack and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We watched a few chipmunks eating the flower seeds. One came over, begging for some of our peanuts. 

Cirque view from the highway

Ground Squirrel in trap

Waterfall

Ground Squirrel not in trap

Down Highwood Valley from the Cirque

On our way back to the trailer we stopped at Mist Creek for lunch beside the Highwood River which really is a babbling brook at this point.

Friday just after 10:00 A.M. we headed into Calgary. Joan's tablet had quit working so a trip into  Best Buy was necessary.  Within seconds the tablet was back in working order at no cost.   We then got groceries and supplies for the weekend, as we are expecting Trev and family for a BBQ lunch on Sunday. It was another warm day, and our neighbours in the campground had campfires so we had to keep cool with our air conditioner.

Saturday John went back to do some work on the roof of the trailer and Joan started preparations for tomorrows BBQ. It was a nice day to laze around the campground.

Sunday Trev, Sue and boys came out for a BBQ. We spent the day visiting with them.

Monday we watched the trailers pouring out of Kananaskis. We were very glad that we decided not to travel on the Monday of the long weekend.

Tuesday we went to Cochrane to pick up our mail. John's new US$ credit card arrived as well as the explanation of our seniors benefits. We stopped at the Country Corner Cafe at Millarville for lunch.  We figure it has been about 15 years since we've had lunch there. Our next stop was the hospital in Black Diamond so that John could get the wax cleaned out of his ears. It was then back to the trailer to put away a few things in preparation for tomorrows move.

Wedneday was moving day. We have always wanted to stay at Enchant as John's parents recommended this park numerous years ago.  After a grocery stop in High River Co-op we stopped for coffee stop at Vulcan. The PetroCan in Vulcan always has a great selection  of specialty coffees and we make a point of stopping there for our coffee break when we are in the area. Shortly after 1:00 P.M. we arrived at Enchant. This place has always intrigued us because it is a town of 250 + or - but has a campground with 150 sites. After driving around and we found the perfect site next to another  Titanium. The lady in the Titanium was from High River.  She sold her house just after the flood and is now a fellow Titanium full-timer. We got  set up just in time to see weather warnings on the satellite TV.  Works for us as it means campfires may be kept at bay. By 6:00pm the rain started.

Thursday after raining most of the night dawned bright and sunny, although there are still thunderstorm warnings in effect for this area. Today we booked our insurance for the winter to take advantage of  Medipac's  early booking discount.