On Thursday Fran and I left for Vernon, BC to visit Fran's Mom Mary. We spent about a week with Mary before Fran had to fly back to Berrien Springs. She left Kelowna at 6:30 am on November 1st and I drove back to Berrien by myself. After driving through a snow storm on the pass between Kelowna and Kamloops I stopped at Dalton and Gail Heyland's for breakfast and a short visit. Then I drove to Hattonford, AB where I slept in the van.
On Tuesday morning I drove around Hattonford to take pictures and clock distances for my life story DVD. I want to be sure how far it was when we walked to school and to our friends house.These are the restrooms we had at our one-room-school. Note His and Her facilities.
Although the school at Hattonford was torn down it was the same style as this one.
This is a side view. Lots of windows.
This was the road we travelled from Hattonford out to Niton Junction (12 miles) where the centralized school was located. When we travelled it there was no gravel and if it rained the bus often got stuck and we missed school.
This was the store the bus stopped at on the way home. We could go in and buy candy or pop to have as we drove home.
Tuesday morning, after touring Hattonford, I drove down to Drayton Valley, AB via Cynthia and Lodgepole. This is a hill on which I experienced two hair-raising events. You'll have to watch my life story DVD to hear about them.
This is the type of road we travelled on throughout the oilfield. This would be a good road as most of the time there was no gravel on the road and when it rained the roads turned in to one giant mudhole. Often our trucks would be towed or pushed in to the oil site by a caterpillar.
This is the end-of-development for the oilwell. These pumps were put on to raise the oil up out of the well. When we performed the fracturing process it was before the pumps were put in place so all that would be on the site was the wellhead. Thats the valves that are on the pipe that comes up out of the ground (just in front of the trailer).
This is the view looking West from the highway between Cynthia and Lodgepole. I don't remember being impressed with the mountains off in the distance when I was driving truck in this area. Guess age brings a better appreciation of God's creation. After visiting Bud and May Wiseman and May Barker in Drayton Valley I drove to Edmonton to visit my Sister-In-Law Eva. I got to meet her friend Ben Hort and enjoyed Eva's cooking.
On Wednesday Ben and Eva took me on a tour of the Bonnie Doon area of Edmonton. We were looking for the house we use to live in before moving to Hattonford. This is the house. Compare the brick work around the door with the one around Grandpa's house. Same brick work. This is the house I lived in and where my Mom use to make the donuts. On the days she made donuts there was a steady stream of kids up that sidewalk to the kitchen door. Yum - Krispy Kreams don't even make it as donuts compared to those Spudnut donuts that Mom made.
This is Edmonton Central SDA church where I was baptized and where Fran and I got married.
On Thursday morning as I was getting ready to leave Edmonton I drove back to the area where we use to live before moving to Hattonford. This is the field where the outdoor ice rink was. It was just a block from our house and the McMullen boys and Brown boys spend most winter evenings at the rink. There's an indoor arena at the end of the field. Bunch of whimps!!!
This is the field where the skating rinks was located. Before we could skate we often had to shovel the snow off the ice. And after skating we would help clean the ice so the maintenance man could flood the rink. That way it was ready for the next night.
This is the house where my friend Jerry Brown lived. It was just a block from our house.
After talking with my sister Marg I was able to locate the house my Grandparents lived in. It is in the Scona neighborhood of South Edmonton. The brickwork that my Dad, older brother Wally, and Grandpa use to add to most of the houses they stuccoed was still in good shape (around front door). That would be 60 years since they did it. After leaving Edmonton on Thursday I drove to Carstairs, AB (just north of calgary, AB) and spent the night with Bob and Norma Disney. We had a great time remembering our times spent in Drayton Valley. Layed some plans for another Drayton Valley reunion next Summer as there are alot of us who will be turning 70 next year.
After leaving Bob and Norma Disney's I drove South to Lethbridge, AB then down to Great Falls, MT. This is the view between Calgary, AB and Lethbridge, AB. I spent Friday night in a Super 8 motel at Big Timber, MT which is about 60 miles from the North entrance to Yellowstone. I decided to spend the night in Big Timber because of the numerous deer I saw along the side of the highway. I figured driving after dark would greatly increase the chance of having a deer wrapped arounf the front end of the van. I got up at 5:30 am and after a waffle breakfast at the motel I headed for Yellowstone National Park entering at Gardner, MT
I spent Sabbath, Nov 6th in Yellowstone. The weather was beautiful and since it was late in the Fall there were very few tourists.
Saw buffalo, coyotes, deer, Elk, pronghorns, and 8 wolves.
This is Lake Yellowstone. Beautiful place to spend a few Sabbath hours in God's creation. No wind so the reflections were great.
I arrived in the park at sunrise and with the sun hitting the mountain tops it was really beautiful.
These pronghorns were just inside the north entrance, right on the outskirts of Gardner, MT. And they weren't concerned that I was less than 100 ft from them. After spending 6 hours in the park I headed home. The drive from Sheridan, WY to Berrien Springs isn't all that exciting so I drove until 10 pm then slept in the va until 2 am. Then I drove from 2 am until about 5 am until there were so many fresh deer kills on the road that I felt I was being a little presumptuous in asking God for a save trip but continuing to drive through an area where the deer were all along the road. After the sun came up I continued my trip arriving home at about 9 pm Sunday. Thank you Lord for a safe and spiritually rewarding trip. I had bought the New Testament on CDs and listened to the last one (Revelation) as I was entering Chicago.
