I had to drive around the Southwest corner of Alberta on Wednesday to hang up posters for work and I had a really fun adventure.
Pincher Creek
First stop was Pincher Creek where I went into the Outdoor Outlet where I picked up a pair of pink and grey Northface hiking shoes for only $90! I have had buying hiking shoes on my to-do list for months, but haven’t had a chance to go shopping and boom I am all set. Then I stopped into the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village which was a really cute little museum. I made a mental note I have to go up there one day after work and check it out.
Crowsnest Pass
Next stop was Crowsnest Pass which is just beautiful. I went as far as Coleman and stopped into the
Crowsnest Cafe and Flyshop on Highway #3 which was an awesome spot. It was very similar to Pearls here in Waterton. The menu was all healthy wraps and soups, it had a public computer with wireless internet, and half the store was all fly fishing gear and manuals. A very cool place to stop if you are passing through.
I also stopped in Blairmore and hung a poster at the Work & Play store where I scored a pair of black and pink running shoes for only $30! I couldn’t believe my luck! I have had new running shoes on my to-do list as long as I have had hiking shoes and I got them both done in one day for a little over $100 for both. I left Blairmore a very happy girl.
Frank Slide
Frank Slide is so… Creepy? Amazing? Awing? You drive through it and you see half the mountain missing and the boulders on either side of the highway and you can imagine the terror of that mountain slide. I popped into the interpretive center, which had a great view of the mountain. I was on the run so I couldn’t go through the center, but I highly recommend taking an hour or two out of any trip to stop at the interpretive center. And entire town was levelled by this slide and is STILL under all the rumble. Including corpses sleeping in their beds.
Fort Macleod
Next stop after Crowsnest was Fort Macleod. I took the time to walk the five blocks down the main street and check out the shops. Not much for
shops, but they had a bunch of restaurants ranging from cafes to diners, making me wish I was hungry. I always thought the only place to eat in Fort Macleod was the Red Roof Restaurant or the A&W, but those are just on the highway. I popped into the actual fort and forgot how much I love that portion of history. I stopped into Fort Steele near Cranbrook one year on my way back to Seattle and my then boyfriend got really annoyed by how much time I spent looking at everything. The same went for the Fort Macleod gift shop! I want to go spend the day there with my niece and nephew this summer, I went once as a kid and remembered having a blast.
Lethbridge
The last stop was Lethbridge which doesn’t seem as exciting as the rest since I go there on a regular basis. However, I did discover a really cool shop doing this, Awesome Adventures Ltd. It’s an outdoor store that sells gear, clothing, footwear, camping equipment, climbing gear, kayaks, canoes, etc. It is also a full scuba diving facility and has been teaching lessons for 24 years. Scuba diving is one of the many things on my life list to do, so now I have a place I can go.
So that was my roadtrip. It was pretty cool to get paid to drive around this beautiful province and of course, to shop. Ha ha! Tomorrow are the Dragonboat Races in Lethbridge! Go Team Happy Hour!
to Seattle when I was 15 (my mum met a man over the internet and married him). I went to university in Washington and worked doing corporate public relations in the city and I hated every minute I was there. I always talked about when I was going to move back to Alberta and at long last, after an October lay off I am home!
