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This was our second visit to Lake Manitou or as it’s sometimes referred to as the “Dead Sea” near Watrous, Saskatchewan, Canada and again it did not disappoint. The Regional Park campground there was an excellent spot to stay, it’s clean, very well run with 238 sites. Pull through, 30 amp/water sewer, 30 amp water no sewer, 15 amp electric as well as non-electric and tenting sites. The park has clean washrooms with showers, dump station, playground, camp kitchen and trash bins.

Next door is one of the last real operational Drive in Theaters left in the country and well maintained. The combine used in the movie Twister is on display at the gate entrance.

We find ourselves looking more to regional parks for our stays the provincial park reservation system usually has most sites booked for the weekends where regional parks give us the opportunity to stay extra days or even weeks if we feel inclined. The regional parks in Saskatchewan are top notch and barring a regional park we look to the small-town campgrounds for price and availability and the ability to choose how long we stay. As retired travelers we don’t schedule our travels by the clock or miles or days this suits our lifestyle best.

Manitou Beach Resort has had an incredible history and has changed and adapted over the years to fit into different economical and tourist changes. From the Roaring 20’s and 30’s through drought, fires and time it has survived to become one of Saskatchewan’s unique visitor experiences. Where else can you float effortlessly on your back and read a book in nine feet of water. They have a saying “even a goat can float”. Perhaps the Spa itself does not have all the bells and whistles and glitter of some of our popular spas it offers a clean well-run facility. The unique water experience to me puts it above other spas we have visited and price compared one cannot beat it. Even us retired people can afford a yearly visit.

I’m going to share a bit of history and I say just a bit this place could have a book written about it. It has been recorded and that is where I’m getting a bit of this information to share.

Those who want more can find it in the book “Lake of the Healing Waters” which contains 42 pages (including 27 pictures). TO ORDER your own personal book, send $15.00 (CDN.) to the Editor/Publisher: Ruth Schellenberg, Star Books, P.O. Box 97, RR1, Watrous, Saskatchewan, S0K 4T0, Canada. (Price includes all taxes and shipping and handling.) PS: not sure this price is current do your research.

Manitou: The Indians discovered the lake and its healing powers long before the 1920s. They claimed it cured smallpox, rheumatic conditions and burning fevers.

Medicine men called the lake “Manitou” because it means God to them, believing that it came from the Great Spirit. It became known as the “Lake of the Healing Waters,” or “the Lake of the Good Spirit.” Warring tribes never carried on their feud when visiting the lake. They laid down their weapons before entering the water. Tribes from as far east as the Great Lakes and as far west as the Rockies came to the lake which became famous for healing among the tribes. I have to admit there is a “peaceful laid back vibe” here, guess it’s not just me leave your guns and politics at home.

The Mineral Spa Resort: In the 1920s and ’30s Manitou Beach was alive. Thousands came to enjoy the mineral waters. It was the most popular summer resort on the prairies, offering an alternative, and became a rival for Banff Hot Springs.

People came by rail when Watrous became a division point of the Canadian National Railway. Excursion trains arrived from the four main cities. The tourists would ride the train to Watrous and then take a shuttle taxi to the resort. Also, thousands of automobiles would be parked in fields on weekends. The beach population would grow from 200 to 15,000 during the summer months.

The bustling resort had lots to offer any vacationer: 3 large dance halls, 2 large enclosed mineral hot bath houses, massage parlours, numerous beach stores and restaurants/cafes, several boarding houses, hotels and motels, many cottages, 2 drug stores, 3 grocery stores, 2 service stations, boat rentals, a barber shop, 4 ice-cream parlours, a Y.W.C.A. building, a moving picture show, and real estate offices. And yes….. bootleggers and a brothel.

Then the dirty 30’s and economic hardship hit across the nation, fires and changing tourist options changed the resort in many ways as outlined in the book but the resort and the resilience of the people have changed it to what it is today.

The Chalet opened in 1929 or 30. The pool was built on the west beach and operated for a year without a roof. It was the largest indoor pool of its kind in North America. Admission was 25 cents to take a dip and then stay all day.

In October of 1983 the Chalet Pool was destroyed by fire. In December of 1987, the Manitou Springs Mineral Spa, which is still operating in 2026, opened to the public as a four-season facility. Water was channeled from Little Manitou Lake, filtered, cleaned, then pumped into three pools. Each pool is heated to a temperature ranging from 94 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Whirlpool jets are also installed. Since the Spa started to filter the water, there are no more little shrimp swimming around you as there had been in the Chalet.

The Spa was so successful that in July of 1990 plans to build a new 60-room hotel and convention facility were underway. The new Manitou Springs Hotel opened its doors for business on September 1, 1991.

The Water: The water is also very refreshing. The specific gravity of 1.06 (density compared to water) makes you buoyant.

The chemical properties of the water are unique. The water is many times more buoyant than fresh water, making it very safe for swimming. The temperature of the water is a factor affecting the salinity.

Little Manitou Lake has many of the same natural qualities as the Dead Sea. Visitors take advantage of the buoyancy to do physiotherapeutic exercises that help ease aching joints. It contains more magnesium which is good for the skin and bronchial passages and contains more iodine, which is beneficial for certain glandular functions.

The minerals in the water make the colour look metallic bronze. They are Magnesium Sulphate, Potassium Sulphate, Magnesium Bicarbonate, Sodium Sulphate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Sulphate, Oxide of Iron & Aluminum and Silica. That’s what it takes to float your boat or in this case body it’s unreal.

Danceland: A dancehall like no other in 1928 Wellington White built “Danceland” pavilion on the east beach. It replaced an earlier Danceland built before 1919. There are two floors, a sub floor and a hardwood floor. Between the two floors is a layer of horsehair (bought from local farmers and imported from Quebec) six to ten inches thick. No nails were used to construct the floor. The unique construction of the floor gives it a flexibility (spring) which makes it easy to dance on. You actually feel the movement of the floor as couples dance.

Jitney dances were popular in the 1920s. (“Jitney” means a nickel.) Danceland would get 500 people in attendance. The hall was open every night, including a “midnight frolic” on Sunday. Admission was 10 cents. No longer just 10 cents but still there and open all year. One would have to check the schedule as it’s been closed when we were there during our visit.

Just a little information enough to hopefully make you want to check it out for yourself. As usual thanks to those who took the time to subscribe you will have gotten notice in you email of this post. I will no longer be posting a link to the site on Facebook. Appreciate your interest and no I did not get free admission to the spa, just a few images hope you enjoy. Safe travels and we hope to meet you down the road.

Gerry and Charlotte (slow roaming nomads)

Contact: gerry@studiowest.ca

Ever wonder what walking through 3.9 billion years of evolution would be like, we did and it’s overwhelming.

Situated in the Badlands of Alberta just outside of Drumheller, Alberta, the Royal Tyrrell Museum houses some of the most ferocious beasts that walked this earth even before I was born. Being born in the 50’s was scary enough but way back then there were some very supersized dinosaurs, vicious looking birds and massive fish that could do one a lot of harm. Our black bears, grizzly’s and cougars in comparison look like miniature poodles.

Be warned, it’s information overload and for those interested in fossils and prehistoric finds plan a lot of time to truly experience it all. We have driven by this place many times, the “we should check that out sometime” finally we cashed in on the “sometime”. This is an amazing find and extremely well presented in a first class setting in the Alberta Badlands where much of this was discovered.

For those of you who have never travelled through Drumheller Alberta’s Badlands there is much to do and see. If you like hiking, Bob’s your uncle as there are miles of trails throughout the regio. Must see viewpoints are the Hoodoos, Horseshoe Canyon and Horse Thief Canyon where there are many trails just to name a few.

If Badlands and hiking or even car touring are for you plan a least several days in and around the Drumheller area. It’s flat farmland as far as the eye can see until you drop down into a totally different environment where nature has covered millions of years of this planet’s evolution.

Definitely check out the Royal Tyrrell, you will not be disappointed, I’m sharing a few images from within, you have to experience it for yourself. I will not even try to identify many of these monsters that’s for you to do.

Note: I will no longer be posting our travel notes and photographs on Facebook or Instagram for those following as well as the different truck camper groups as I have in the past. I love sharing the beauty of this world in my images and a little on our experiences in our travels. It gets them off my computer and out into the world. I’m finding some social media a little toxic and too much AI generated material. I will however now be posting more regularly to this site, I do this for enjoyment and not monetarily, so your subscriptions will not be shared and you will not receive ads from this site. I will however continue to share items and things we would and could recommend for RV travel or home base off grid living.

By subscribing with your email, you will receive notice of a new post to view if you’re interested, that’s it simple and saves me time posting to many different groups.

Thanks for viewing, enjoy the images nature is just so perfect and beautifully remarkable even if some have big teeth.

To subscribe: Go to the menu and scroll down to subscribe enter your email address and hit subscribe, it’s FREE, sorry no prizes just a few moments of your time, catch you on the next one safe travels and we hope to meet down the road.

Your Slow Roaming Nomads: Gerry and Charlotte

gerry@studiowest.ca

Truck and camper additions for some extra storage and bike racks, one may be interested in that we made to our 2017 Northern Lite 9.6 and 2013 Ford F350. Over the years it seems after having spent months in our camper we come back to the cabin and dispose of more stuff we packed but never ever used. While one can hide a lot of “stuff” in many different spots, easy access to these items makes a big difference. Some of us also just tend to take more “stuff” just in case. These are a few ideas that work for us and our rig.

The front mount bike rack is now a must travel with, the rear tends to get a lot more dust and grime where as the front gets a few bugs which we feel is the better trade off. A front hitch receiver works, however I had to make my own to bolt under my homemade winch mount. I used a bolt on square receiver mount from an auto store got rid of the flimsy hitch mount that came with the bike mount for a short piece of steel tube it not only lowered the bikes from sight but made it much less wobbly hanging up front which bothered me. Hopefully these photos will help.

The other modification to carry my electric chainsaw and a few recovery items and bike parts was using a kick-about steel case, an aluminum rear bumper carrier and some plastic milk cartons cut apart for some extra fuel cans. A fairly easy mount however I have to pull the case out to access items this is not a big problem as they are items not needed every day.

Another modification to carry items for our compost toilet supplies camp tools and spade was to mount a case to the back ladder. Northern Lite does not recomend this however what we place in here is very light. The ladder was not used as I find it dangerous to try and crawl over the awning to the roof. I’ll access it with a separate ladder or the sky light above the bed. To mount it to the ladder event lighting brackets were used, they are heavy plastic and clamp on easy for quick and easy removal if needed. Event lighting brackets were used to secure our spade as well. A ladder mount holder above takes care of our back pack used to truck out garbage or haul firewood.

Just a few ideas to get your thinking in gear….

Hope to meet down the road some day

Gerry and Charlotte (The Slow roaming Nomads)

Last summer our return to the Northwest Territories did not go as planned. We were to travel back to Yellowknife to meet up with some friends we have been meeting along the road over the past several years. Our Northern Lite truck campers were the reason we met in the first place and since then have had many visits around campfires with Ron and Anne. Being as Charlotte and I had been to Yellowknife before and had been shown around the highlights of the city and area by some friends that lived there, we could kinda be like tour guides with limited knowledge. Well, they got to Yellowknife, we did not. We got as far as Hay River, that’s where this story goes and the journey north ends.

It’s a good thing we like Hay River Territorial Park, on our first visit “Slim” our campground host was amused by our “only one night” registration that lasted being revised into just over a week’s stay, one night at a time. Hay River is not high on the tourist sites but there is a lot to that community we discovered.  Our let’s overnight and hit the road got scrapped when we discovered the big Arctic tugs left from Hay River, a must see for a flatlander from the prairies.

Well, we met up with Ron and Anne and spent a few days camping there at Hay River and all was good as we also met up with Dave and Theresa from Calgary travelling in their Hallmark truck camper. We had met this interesting couple back down the road at Louise Falls Campground. Dave and Theresa were headed to Yellowknife to leave on a canoe trip to the Arctic, we found out later they too had a change of plans and did not make that trip.

Well, when one spends an entire summer on the road not all plans work to perfection as those who are nomads can attest to. We all parted company from Hay River each going their own way and on their own time schedule. We left to find a small lake only locals knew about off the main road to spend a few days there before moving on. An hour and a half later we found the turn off and travelled our kinda back roads, lots of sand and dirt later we found the lake and it was as described beautiful, peaceful and very remote. Just move the truck and we are staying, that’s when all changed, a bad grinding noise from under the hood. In the middle of nowhere and no cell service, (we do carry a satellite phone) a bearing somewhere was going bad. Yellowknife was too far to chance so we returned to Hay River and stopped at the local Ford Dealership. The next day they could get me in and charge me an hour to troubleshoot the cause even though I narrowed it down to the air conditioner pump. It would only cost $285 an hour! Ouch!

Once again “Slim” would be amused that we were back. He gave me the name of two other shops that would be quite reasonable and good. Well, they did not charge $285 an hour so they were swamped and after getting the run around for two days I had the Ford dealership order me the parts needed and picked them up the next day. If a shop could not get me in I would do it myself. “Slim” did not mind and said with a big grin I could book the campground till fall if needed.

Next problem I had lots of tools but needed a puller. After checking many places with no luck, out of desperation I tried Aurora Freightliner and met a new friend Glen Seaton. He saved the day by taking the time to round up one I could borrow. That one did not work so I returned it the next day and he ordered not only one but three from there supplier saying I could take the one that worked and he would keep the other two to make sure I could get back on the road. That’s the best part of our travel lifestyle we get to meet some incredible people like “Slim” and Glen who go that extra mile to help one out. Well, I got that bearing changed in my campground workshop. Finally, after just over a week “Slim” was going to get rid of us.

We did not make Yellowknife as those we were going to meet had left and were heading west, we started heading south. One would think after my blog posts all I do is repair the truck, but really when you spend the best part of the year on the road and the miles we put on, one has to expect a few problems and no matter what you drive, if you use it, it will either wear out or break at some point. We have our home in the back of our truck and everything we need so are never really stranded, we’re always home sometimes just delayed, all part of the game.

Hung up on repairs I did not mention the great campground hosts at the 60^th Parallel Territorial Park just on the Alberta-NWT border. A very nice little campground, quiet private sites clean but no power or hookups for those requiring that we enjoyed our short stay there.

Another awesome campground on the way to Yellowknife located on the Hay River in the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park, the Louise Falls Campground. There we met Sheila the campground host with the most. Sheila was struggling with fixing her bike and needed a wrench. I had an extra one so I gave it to her to help her out. We met Ron and Anne here, as well as Dave and Theresa and after visiting and comparing truck camper travels we kinda bonded being nomads in similar rigs. For some unknown reason Sheila kinda took a liking to our little group and invited us to a potluck dinner where she supplied fresh pickerel. Now that was a feast to remember. We almost hated leaving there as we were so welcomed.

It was from this campground one could see Louise Falls and from there could hike about a 5 kms round trip to Alexandra Falls. This is a must stop on your way into the Northwest Territories.

Hope you enjoy the images shared as much as we did taking them…don’t take my word for any of this, experience it for yourself. I have done a post in the archives of our trip previously to Yellowknife for those interested. From here we wandered down through the Peace River country on to Cold Lake, Alberta.

If you made it this far thanks for reading and we really hope to meet you somewhere down the road. Don’t know about you but we’re ready to hit the road and make some more memories.

Gerry and Charlotte (Slow Roaming Nomads)

Just a little adventure on my annual trip to the Lee Bellows Memorial Bucking Bronc School this May.  This blog is to feature RV travel, RV living and places visited focusing heavily on Truck camping, if you’re here for the bucking broncs you can skip this part and go directly to the images. Being as I have past posts on the Bronc School I will include the short write up I did on the 2025 school for information on that or you can go to the archives for more.

Back to the broken truck, Friday started great, little wind, truck camper unwinterized and I was on my way taking it slow conserving fuel. Around Douglas Provincial Park my red battery light appeared, I stopped and checked and my battery read 21.3 V. I knew I had a problem but was not going to fix it there so try and make Moose Jaw. Just before Eyebrow, Saskatchewan, approx. 50 some kms down the road, all my warning lights appeared, not good the truck started to loose power and a wrench symbol appeared. I just made it to a deserted service station and pulled off the road the truck dash went black and the truck died.

I checked the battery again and it registered zero so good chance it was the alternator. Now Eybrow is a beautiful little community approx. 55 kms from Moose Jaw but there would not be and alternator or battery to be found here. I had just purchased my new Renogy Suitcase 200 watt solar panel, I needed a battery charge and had nothing else but bringing the battery back from zero I had my doubts. Coffee, dinner and my home was with me so it was a great quiet place to pass 3 hours. An elderly local couple stopped by and said they could boost me but I knew I needed battery power to continue and they said they would stop back later. The owner of the shop stopped by and we had a great visit waiting for my solar to do its thing. They along with myself could not believe that panel was putting out 10.2 amps in the sunshine and it was bringing my battery up. Thank you Renogy you were the only source available to charge that battery.

If it wasn’t for my desire to get to the bronc school, Eyebrow and the folks I met it would have been a good place to spend some time. As soon as the battery hit 12.3 V I figured I could get to Moose Jaw or at least closer. A boost to save power the old Ford fired up and I was gone not worrying about fuel economy just battery time so a little excessive on the fuel end. Made right to the Bellows/Gommersal arena where I would normally park and the truck died right there, zero battery but I made it. I had called around and found a new alternator in stock, Ford dealer did not have one (of course why would they), it was approx. 4 kms away. I hooked up my trusty Renogy solar panel and started hiking to pick up my new Bosch alternator. Well it turned out to be closer to 5 kms each way but I had my problem solved and in hand. Changed it out that evening on the rodeo grounds, I figured the solar would top up the battery enough I would not damage the new charger and I could return the core to the parts store and get a new battery, when you discharge an old battery to zero twice the writings on the wall as to how long it will last and I had had enough excitement for one weekend.

All is good now, let’s buck some broncs! Hope you enjoy the images as much as I did taking them, these are some determined and tough young men and women. May they add to the great sport of Rodeo and go on to earn some travel money.

This was an article explaining the school I posted last year. A few faces and names can be added to this year but a big thanks to all those who made it possible to give these cowboys and cowgirls a safe start to a great sport.

Thanks to having a complete self-contained home in the back of our truck we have been able to experience our beautiful country in our travels, if interested check out our past posts. It’s not the places we have been but the great people one meets along the way from different walks of life that makes our travels special.

Again this year I was fortunate enough to have attended the Lee Bellows Memorial Annual Bucking Bronc School held at the Bellows/ Gommersal Arena in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Lee, along with Don Gillespie and Kelly Brice 17 years ago saw a need for a school to not only promote the sport of bareback and saddle bronc riding, but to share the experience of past rodeo champions to make the sport safer.

Over the three-day weekend they introduced 38 new students to the sport, a new high total this year that would have put a big smile on Lee’s face. Students, both cowboys and cowgirls, come from all over to learn the basic skills. Starting with ground school, equipment checks, physical conditioning and riding techniques on mechanical horses, is just the beginning. It’s about learning the proper techniques of the sport and safety, to get them started in the very action packed sport, I was told. Staying on the back of one of these trained bucking horses for eight seconds is job one, then one must learn how to safely get off preferably with the help of the pickup men. If your eight seconds was cut short and one finds themselves on the ground there are also techniques for staying out of the way of flying hooves. All good lessons learned from the experience being handed down.

In my past life I did a lot of rodeo photography, following the circuit where I got to know and even photograph many of the professional cowboys who are now older and wiser sharing their knowledge with those wanting to participate in either saddle bronc or bareback riding.  Rodeo people are like family and I have been very blessed to have had the opportunity to meet many of them with camera in hand. There are many ways to participate in the sport, this was mine. So my annual trip to catch up with old friends I have a lot of respect for is always special. There is a fee to attend the school, and that money is used to help cover a little fuel expense for the stock contractors that haul in the horses, and pick up men who also have to transport several horses to the event. The rest of the crew are all volunteers gladly sharing their experience to keep the sport of rodeo alive, safe and exciting. Over 50 horses chosen by the stock contractors that would be suitable to start students on were hauled in. These are the real thing, trained to buck so the students are not getting a free pass, these horses do not like passengers. Francis Rodeo stock, a longtime supporter of the school, along with Tom Bingham, Don and Rebecca Helmeczi and Kaycee Ericson of 4E Buckers supplied the stock this year. For the students safety the best pick up men in the business, Wade Rempel, Luke Ellingson and Dwight Dokken, are brought in. I think one of the toughest jobs in rodeo is being a pick up man rescuing riders from bucking broncs and seeing to the riders safety. Lee Sinclair, Ross Smith, Don Gillespie, Steve Glenn, Dallas Bessey, and Matt Campbell are just a few of the many involved that carry on the tradition in memory of our friend Lee Bellows.

I have wrestled with posting our continued summer travels to Tumbler Ridge, BC, due to the tragic situation the community has faced recently. We have stayed in the campground there the past two years and fell love with the community. The news this past winter left us stunned and shocked that this quiet, clean friendly community could experience such a terrible tragedy. Our hearts and prayers are with those in this wonderful community we kinda adopted.

By posting this I want to share the beauty of Tumbler Ridge and area and our experience within their community. The first season we had been advised by friends that the Tumbler Ridge area would be worth checking out. The beauty of the surrounding mountains, rivers and forest could be compared with those of Banff and Jasper, two beautiful but totally designed tourist traps. We fell in love with the community and area simply because of the lack of rows and rows of vendors selling cheap souvenirs at huge profits. If you’re looking for expensive restaurants and rows of taverns, you came to the wrong place.

It sounds like I may be coming down hard on Tumbler Ridge, and for those of you who are looking for that fancy dining and shopping experience I will save you the trip. When we were told we should visit Tumbler Ridge that it was like a mini-Banff, we were actually hesitant to check it out but so glad we did. I told Charlotte after spending a night camping at the provincial park by the Kinuseo Falls, we would overnight and check it out then get out of dodge. Well two almost three weeks went by before we left, and that was the first time. Our second visit was almost a month.

If you love nature, hiking, biking, canoeing and winter sports this is your place. This small community has everything one NEEDS, and just that we actually had to hunt to find a souvenir. Note: found at the travel center and the folks there are just wonderful and helpful. The stores and restaurants have everything one basically needs no Walmart’s or Costco’s. The community center is second to none, with everything one could wish for, swimming pool, several ice arenas, gym, library, conference rooms and more. All clean, staffed with helpful people making it a very user-friendly facility. We enjoyed their swimming pool to cool off during the hot weather.

We stayed a Monkman Campground on the outskirts of the community and absolutely loved our time there. We could bike into town from there and explore the community, go swimming or just enjoy the many bike paths. It was for this reason the proximity of the campground was important as we do not do electric bikes those are for the younger generation who do not need exercise. The campground host Terry went above and beyond to make sure our overnight stay would turn into three weeks. She runs a solid clean campground; the washroom facilities were the best we have encountered in our extensive travels and fantastically clean…always. The setting of this campground may not be as pretty or spaces with a lot of privacy but the atmosphere and quietness along with an on-the-bit camp host made it worthwhile, thanks Terry.

Just a bit about Tumbler Ridge, designated a UNESCO Global Geo Park, Tumbler Ridge is ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts. With accessible year-round recreation opportunities for all ages, interests and abilities, the possibilities are as diverse as the landscapes in which they appear. Fifty hiking trails and countless ATV, snowmobile and mountain bike trails lead to special places – caves, fascinating geological formations, waterfalls, dinosaur trackways and mountain tops. Tumbler Ridge lies within The Great Wilderness, one of six tourism regions in British Columbia and the largest by far. Spanning the vast northern half of the province, this region is defined by towering mountain ranges, ancient landscapes, and abundant wildlife.

Tumbler Ridge is located in the traditional territory of the Cree, Dunne-za, Metis, Saulteau and Tse’khene peoples, of the Kelly Lake Cree First Nation, Kelly Lake Metis Settlement Society, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Saulteau First Nations and West Moberly First Nations, within Treaty 8. Accessible via Highway 52 and Highway 29, the town in northeastern B.C. is roughly 660 kilometers west of Edmonton, 1,180 kilometers northeast of Vancouver and roughly 1,000 kilometers north of Kelowna. We enjoyed this land and trust we all use it responsibly to allow future generations the opportunity we have enjoyed.

Tumbler Ridge began as a coal mining community in 1981 and grew steadily until the 1990s. “As the 1990s rolled in, global coal prices began to dip, and Asian markets faced some challenges. These hurdles cast a shadow of uncertainty over Tumbler Ridge’s future, hindering its projected population growth to 10,000 residents. Despite the setbacks, this resilient town persevered. As coal prices rebounded in the 2000s, so did Tumbler Ridge. Since then, the traditional coal mining town has diversified its economy with an emphasis on tourism and renewable energy projects, including generating wind energy. According to our camp host Tumbler Ridge has faced challenging times before. In the 2023 B.C. wildfire season, the entire town had to be evacuated she said it was a little scary as they could see the glow from the fires just over the mountain tops. Everyone living in the community of about 2,400 people, along with people living in the areas east of it, including Bearhole Lake, was ordered to leave immediately due to the West Kiskatinaw River fire.

As always these are just my impressions, and one would have to experience for themselves, we are back country less crowds’ nature loving, keeping it simple kinda travelers. We have stolen several images to share with you and leave nothing but tracks and a deep appreciation for the area and its residents. We look forward to a return and again our hearts go out to those in this small community we have grown to love.

NOTE: As of writing this Monkman Campground formerly run by the Tumbler Ridge community has been sold as of  June 2025 to Dunne Za Ventures Limited Partnership. At this point I have no further information as to its status.

Our next travels take us back up through Dawson Creek and a return to the North West Territories…. tag along be glad for the company.

We hope to meet you down the road, look for the Northern Lite condo.

Gerry & Charlotte (Slow Roaming Nomads)

Our first impression of Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, Canada was a solid eight out of ten. Right up there but as we have more National Parks to discover we had to leave room at the top just in case one will score higher. Note this Blog of mine is not AI generated, so opinions, spelling and embellishing can only be blamed on me.

Our visit to the park was later in June and at that time the park was busy, at a roadside turnout we had met a couple who were travelling from Victoria, BC to the east coast; you guessed it in a truck camper. They had tried to book a campsite and were told “campground full”, so we went in with the understanding we would have to leave for the night and return to a small community to overnight. The drive in was awesome and it looked like a smaller Banff to us, a busy town site with lots of gift shops and eateries, a marina with boat charters and kayak rentals. Note: no outside watercraft allowed on the lake.

Camping? Completely by accident we ended up at the in-town campsite and yes, the big sign said “Campground Full”. Located at the south end of the community of Waterton, this campground offers 90 water, sewer and electrical sites, 45 electricity sites, as well as accessible, unserviced and walk in tent sites. I pulled to the kiosk and said to the young man that we had noticed the sign (one could not miss it) that they were full and we would probably have to leave the park come evening. He looked at our rig and asked if we would need power hook ups, we said no we would prefer not to pay for hook ups as we are totally self-contained. He then said he had a spot that we could stay (less price as well) and directed us to an area where we could pick a site. We had a choice! This after the sign said “campground full”. The sign should have possibly read dry camping no hook ups, only or something. But then after we got settled in our spot with some tents and other smaller van type campers, we realized looking at the size of the rigs around us these were smaller sites non paved without 30–50-amp water and sewer, most rigs could not stay where we were. Points for truck campers and smaller rigs, we had scored a site in the town campground.

We stayed a week and had a bit of a chance to check out some of the park. We are told it’s usually windy and they were right at least during our stay. Several days of heavy rain prevented some of our hiking however we did manage to see Cameron Falls which is accessible walking from the townsite or by vehicle.

For flatlanders our hike into Bertha Falls which if I remember was only 3 kms in was interesting as it was up and over a mountain. We kept running into people returning who told us it was not much further and it would flatten out, obviously they were from BC as they did not know what flat is. We did it and it was so worth it, I just had to get over trails that were walls on one side and sheer drops on the other. I had a horse take out my hip a few years back and every once in a while it gives out so I don’t trust it on narrow mountain trails.

The Prince of Wales Hotel is a wonder in itself.  What a beauty, not sure what the room rates are but we could afford to look in the windows. A bit of a steep hike up from the town site but again very happy we did it.

There is so much more to the park to explore but rain kept us checking out the shops in the town site. One evening we were treated to a fellow camper Rob MacLeod playing the bag pipes on the lake shore, I love the sound of the pipes and out in nature it was even better. Rob can be contacted at rowdyrobbie@gmail.com for those occasions one may want some pipe music, if I remember right Rob is based out of Calgary Alberta.

The predicted heavy rain and snow only came in a heavy rain, water running everywhere and no sun for our solar. Bracing for snow we were able to relocate to an electrical site so not full as advertised. Last year our National Parks offered free entry and 25% off camping fees and we noticed approximately 85% of the RVs were American. Pretty good deal with the dollar where it was and close to the US border into Montana and Glacier National Park bordering the Canadian Park. We wanted to return this summer early because it will be booked mid-summer and then proceed to Glacier National Park, however those plans changed when we discovered there was $351.00 Canadian for an annual non-resident pass or $137 Canadian per person into their popular National Parks in the US. At least at the time of this writing that’s what information we have, I think we are very generous with our entry prices north of the border. At that price were going to skip that trip as there are many less expensive options.

Staying in busy campgrounds is not who we are, so hearing about a small no service first come sites south of the park towards Montana we decided to check it out and found Belly River Campground just outside of the Kainai (Blackfoot) Reserve. Small quiet and primitive camping just our style.

Our quiet primitive campsite at Belly River, we’re not much for crowded popular tourist attractions and campgrounds so this suited us well for a couple of days.

After a few days stay appointments were calling us back to our home base cabin we must return and explore more of the area. As the park has so much more to offer we barley scratched the surface. We do not make reservations just take our chances but if you can’t be flexible, I would highly recommend reservations. I give this park 8 out of 10 and that may end up being our top score, yet to be determined.

Just going to include a little non tourist information on the park if you want to continue reading and let our images fill in the rest.

Waterton Lakes National Park is in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. Accessed from Highway 6 from Pincher Creek, Alberta. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 as Kootenay Lakes Forest Reserve. It is named after Waterton Lake in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist Charles Waterton. Its range is between the Rocky Mountains and the Prairies. This park contains 505 kms (195 sq mi) of rugged mountains and wilderness. It has a very diverse ecosystem.

 Waterton operated by Parks Canada is open all year, but the main tourist season is during July and August. The only commercial facilities available within the park are located at the Waterton Park townsite. This park ranges in elevation from 1,290 meters (4,232 ft) at the townsite to 2,910 m (9,547 ft) at Mount Blakiston. It offers many scenic trails, including Crypt Lake trail. In 2012/2013, Waterton Lakes National Park had 402,542 visitors.

The Prince of Wales Hotel as seen in our photos, is one of Canada’s grand railway hotels, was constructed between 1926 and 1927 adjacent to Upper Waterton Lakes, by the Great Northern Railway of the United States in an attempt to lure American tourists during the U.S. prohibition era. The hotel, which opened in July 1927, is the only grand railway hotel in Canada to be constructed by an American railway company. The hotel was named after the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), in a transparent attempt to entice him to stay in the hotel on his 1927 Canadian tour, but the prince stayed at his own nearby ranch in Pekisko, Alberta, instead.   Wow even King Edward could not afford to stay so I don’t feel too bad, if you can afford it do it as I hear the food is great. The hotel was designated as a national historic site of Canada on 6^th of November 1992.

More history if your into it, in 1932, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was formed from Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier. It was dedicated to world peace by Sir Charles Arthur Mander on behalf of Rotary International on 18 June 1932, whose members from the Alberta and Montana chapters lobbied for the formation of the park. The Peace Park was the first of its nature in the world, and was intended to promote goodwill between nations and underscore the international nature of protection of wilderness.

In terms of local governance, those lands within Waterton Lakes National Park were split between the Municipal District of Kerr and the Municipal District of Castle River prior to 1944.

The Waterton-Glacier International was inscribed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In 1979, Waterton became Canada’s second biosphere reserve and the first Canadian national park to take part in this UNESCO program. They say Biosphere Reserves are created to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between humans and the natural environment, have we learned anything?

In September 2017, a large forest fire forced the evacuation of the townsite and park. The fire burned through 200 km² of the park, destroying the visitor center, stables and other buildings. Some 80% of hiking trails were affected and several remained closed for the 2018 season. The fire severely damaged 30% of the park, and up to 70% of the park’s forested area was destroyed. However, the Waterton Park townsite and the Prince of Wales Hotel were unscathed. It’s amazing this historic site was saved as we could still see the devastation in the park.

A lot of word salad and hopefully for those interested some information that’s not hard sell tourist stuff. My photographs do not do the beauty of this park justice so don’t take our word for it; one would just have to check it out on your own. Our next post will be in northern BC followed with our travels to the North West Territories.

Safe travels and we hope to meet you down the road, may the wind be on your back.

Gerry and Charlotte

Slow Roaming Nomads, one frame at a time.

On our way to Waterton Lake National Park, we lucked out with a stop at the Bar U Ranch National Historic site. From Wetaskiwin we cut across and caught the Cowboy Trail Highway 22 south. While travelling, and on a mission when we only stop for the night, we usually find either a small community campground or a Walmart Resort. We found even the small community campgrounds in southern Alberta a little pricey for what they offered, usually all sites with power. Being as we are travelling in a truck camper and are set up for off grid camping, we do not need power sites. I can see charging the amount they do for the big rigs with double air, microwaves, massive water heaters etc. but our camper may use a little for led lights. We only need a chunk of dirt to park on for an overnight. I like to think we’re frugal and not cheap however when spending your entire summer on the road it can get very expensive so we seek less pricey options. We overnighted in a small, Longview, Alberta campground at good value and next morning continued discovering the Bar U Ranch site.

The Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, was just a short drive from Longview, Alberta, and is a preserved ranch that for 70 years was one of the leading ranching operations in Canada. At its peak, the ranch extended over 160,000 acres (65,000 ha) with 30,000 cattle and 1000 Percheron horses. Two owners were instrumental in the establishment of the Calgary Stampede, forming part of the Big Four. Ya I knew you were going to ask “Big Four”??

I dug up some information on the Big Four and who they were. They were all wealthy Alberta cattlemen Patrick Burns, George Lane, A.E Cross and Archibald Mclean. Together they founded the Calgary Stampede. All four men were involved in the Alberta cattle industry.

The ranch was founded by Fred Stimson, whose North West Cattle Company kept cattle on 147,000 acres (59,000 ha) of open range between 1881 and 1902. Stimson used the Bar U brand for NWCC stock. From 1902 to 1925 the Bar U was operated by George Lane and his business partners, whose business ventures included meat packing, mills and other farms and ranches. Lane renamed the operation the Bar U Ranch, buying out his partners in 1908. Lane raised both cattle and Percherons.

From 1927 to 1950 the Bar U was part of a group of ranches operated by Patrick Burns totaling 700,000 acres. Burns grew grains on the ranch, which remained one of the largest ranches in Canada during that time.

After 1950 much of the ranch land was sold. The present National Historic Site is the central remnant, owned by Parks Canada which bought the property in 1991 and opened it to the public in 1995. The site features costumed historical interpreters and is open daily from mid-May to the end of September every year.

We did not spend enough time there and will have to make a trip back and take a day to see everything. We were on a mission to get to the Waterton Lake National Park which we will definitely visit again as well.

I got a little sidetracked but thought a little information on this ranch was interesting and it would be a must see for yourself. Just a few images to share. Next stop Waterton Lake National Park.

Hope we meet down the road…

Gerry & Charlotte

“The Slow Roaming Nomads”

We love a good rodeo and were not disappointed in the Rawhide Rodeo in Wetaskiwin Alberta. A bit about the host community and the rodeo in images.

In 1892 the city of Wetaskiwin, Alberta Canada, was established by a group of Scandinavian immigrants. The city is located 70 kilometers (43 mi) south of the provincial capital of Edmonton. The city name comes from the Cree word wītaskiwinihk, meaning “the hills where peace was made”. Wetaskiwin was once the site of a battle between the Cree and the Blackfoot. In 1890, when the Calgary and Edmonton railway was built, it became a whistle-stop, and was known as Siding 16. In 1892, when the area was surveyed, it was named Wetaskiwin to commemorate the battle. In 1900, a Baptist church was organized. One year later, the village, with a population of more than 500, and was officially incorporated.

If you’re in the area Wetaskiwin is home to the Reynolds Alberta, a museum dedicated to celebrating “the spirit of the machine” as well as the Wetaskiwin Heritage Museum, which documents the pioneer arrival and lifestyle in Wetaskiwin’s early years. Southeast of Wetaskiwin, the Alberta Central Railway Museum, acknowledges the impact that the railway had on central Alberta.

Wetaskiwin sits on what was formerly the coast of the large sea that covered much of Alberta millions of years ago. The northwest end of Wetaskiwin is characterized by hills with sandy soil (formerly sand dunes), while the southeast end of the city is very flat with more silty soil.

The city lies at an elevation of 760 m (2,490 ft). Coal Lake, a reservoir developed on the Battle River is located immediately east of the city, and other nearby waterways include Pipestone Creek, Bigstone Creek, Bittern Lake and Bearhills Lake.

Enough already about Wetaskiwin, “Let’s Rodeo”, the main attraction for me was the Wetaskiwin Agricultural Society’s Rawhide Rodeo. As those who know us know Charlotte and I have photographed many rodeos over the years. A few of those years travelling the Canadian Cowboys circuit every weekend in one of our many truck campers.

This rodeo I must say impressed me, the contestants and rodeo stock we all local residents of the area, totally showcasing their western lifestyle. Some highlights each day included concessions, wild pony race, sheep riding, beer gardens, kids’ money pit, food trucks and theMini Chuckwagons are back as well!  We were there for their 25^th annual Rawhide Rodeo in June and I was impressed with how they were introducing the younger generation to the sport of rodeo and the western lifestyle.

On the main rodeo circuits, the seasoned competitors are the main event, but this rodeo was truly family-friendly featuring some very young up and coming rodeo stars as well as some excellent veteran cowboys and cowgirl performances in all the regular rodeo events.

The Mini Chuckwagons were a hit and a first for myself, a great performance put on by Wynnies Minnies Chuck Wagon Racing. A great group who love what they do. I thank Dion Lees and Wynn Schram for taking the time to answer all my questions.

Another feature I found different and again involved the youth was “Payce the Pick-Up Man and his Schwab Pick Up Chicks”. Anyone that knows rodeo knows just how important good pick-up men are to a rodeo and the contestants, well here at Wetaskiwin they start training them young. They were also excellent young marketers working the crowd during the rodeo when they were not picking up, to autograph a sheet with their photographs and names on. Payce, Brin, Aubrin and Kitt – watch out for these youngsters they are going places one day, perhaps the National Finals Rodeo. Well done.

If you’re in the Wetaskiwin area around June 12^th to 14^th this summer you may want to experience the 26^th annual Rawhide Rodeo for yourself, great fun and free camping right on the grounds. Below a chile supper at the rodeo grounds.

The beauty of a truck camper when you park it, you’re home but it’s also easy to move. Note we found a quiet spot on the grounds along a nice tree line not too far from 3 other trailers, well that was Friday night and before we knew it the area was full of cars and it was party central for the locals. Big speakers were hauled out and the party was going to get in full gear right after the rodeo. Within minutes we were packed up and moving across the large field parking lot to a much more secluded area, the beauty of a truck camper. We stayed the whole weekend and thank the Wetaskiwin Agricultural Society for their hospitality.

Thanks for getting this far into my ramblings and hope you enjoyed some of the images, our next stop is another first for us, Waterton National Park. Wow did we enjoy this place. More on that in my next post. If you want notification by email you can subscribe, don’t worry I will not be sending you a lot of marketing emails, I do this for the fun of it and to promote truck camper living and travel. I just hope I have provided a little information on a place to visit in your travels.

We hope to meet you along the road.

Gerry and Charlotte

“The Slow Roaming Nomads”

 I would like to just share some images from Elk Island National Park, taken this past summer. After years of driving by we no longer skip a stop-over at this National Park located just east of Edmonton, Alberta on the Yellowhead Highway. In a previous post I have given much of the information on the park so will not repeat in this post. These images were taken in June so wildfires were burning and either creating a haze or some interesting colour to the sunshine.

I hope you enjoy these images and if you have not visited the park, I hope they will create in you a desire to do so, you will not be disappointed.

Not having any commitments back home until the end of June, we decided perhaps the next National Park should be Waterton National Park in southern Alberta. But having met and visited with some other travellers they told us they were leaving to attend a rodeo in Wetaskiwin. Heck that was kinda on our way and although it would be far from our first rodeo, we decided it just might be fun. Join us for some images and rodeo camping in the next posting.

I would like to thank those who commented on our last post of Bud Miller Park, always appreciated. For those who want to get notification on my sporadic posts, one can subscribe no charge and receive notice via email. My days may be numbered on promoting posts on social media groups.

Enjoy every day, take time to notice nature, it’s perfect in every way, and we hope we meet down the road.

Gerry & Charlotte, practicing nomads