GRABB - Gravel Across Alberta............Pages 39

The AB sign was blue and started at 10 and the SK sign was green and ended at 3290.

Almost done! I snaked my way through the sleepy town of Macklin and arrived at the Bunnock! A majestic 30-foot-tall bone in the prairies never looked so good. Kristin and Joyce were there and had a cold Coke and container of fruit for me. The Coke tasted extra sweet since I just ran out of all my water. The GRAAB Challenge was complete in 2 days, 7 hours and 1 minute!

Done at 4:38 on Sunday, Sept 26th, 2021.

Trivia Answers: A - Trivia Question 1 - St Paul AB A - Trivia Question 2 - Vulcan AB Bunnock selfie.

Victory at the Bunnock!

See Alberta Through the Eyes of a Tourist

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NW Alberta Route 10 Rumble Alberta by Carla Lehman Carla Lehman Photography www.carlalehmanphoto.ca carla@carlalehmanphoto.ca

Our travels from Slave Lake to La Crete took us on a scenic drive through the season’s changing colours.

We witnessed harvest in progress, grooved to music, and stopped for quick little peeks here and there.

A couple of things to note are that there is no cell service or data for much of the drive, and there are no gas stations between Red Earth and Fort Vermillion, ensure your tank is topped up.

Cabin in the Woods is a charming bed and breakfast hosted by the even more charming Lena.

We spent the night in the Tiny Cabin. It’s charm is the perfect blend between the antiques and white washed walls.

Walking in, one finds themselves in awe of the design and décor, all created by Lena. We arrived to a home baked banana bread and fresh fruit, as well as a continental breakfast all ready for us the next morning.

The girls slept in very cozy bunks while I had the massive master bed to myself, so comfy and roomy.

When we woke up, the three of us bundled up in the supplied throw blankets for tea and breakfast, incredibly peaceful. Exploring La Crete, we enjoyed a pizza at The Pizza Place.

It’s a busy place and it’s easy to see why, the pizza is excellent. We also stopped at The Espresso House, which offers Starbucks, The Homestyle Bakery for long johns and butter horns, then popped into The Country Grill, which was packed. If you’re looking for good down home Mennonite cooking, this is the place.

La Crete is a Mennonite community, the residents friendly and welcoming. Cont’d

This is my first time staying at a B&B, and Lena has set the bar high, between her grace and service, the incredible cabin and the food, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will be back.

Their Jubilee Park is beautiful with a gazebo, walking paths, skate park and pond with fountain. It’s a place to spend a peaceful afternoon with a good book and a coffee from The Espresso House. search, as it’s breathtaking. Never before have I been high enough to actually see the plots of land all laid out below me, it’s an incredible sight, and one feels that they are alone at the top of the world.

We took part in local geocaches at The Rapids, Buffalo Head Lookout and the La Crete Museum, it’s a ton of fun to use a geocache app and see just how close you are to your bounty.

From LaCrete, we toured Fort Vermillion were we met Steven, docent of the museum. He’s set up a pretty cool escape room in the Heritage House – it has a 30% escape rate, it’s a toughy!

We also did a local geocache, which was surprisingly tough to find as it’s located in plain sight so it tricks the mind.

We then stopped at the Peace River Bridge for a walk along the river and enjoyed the view from below the bridge – well worth a stop and a picnic!

We arrived in High Level just in time for the area’s Get To Know You Night, a showcase of local businesses, artisans and services.

As strangers in town, we felt welcomed and enjoyed watching the locals reconnect, check out the offerings, and watching the Fire Department Demonstrations. Western Plus has, without a doubt, the very best Tuna Poke dish there is to be had. As a connoisseur of all things Tuna Poke, my favourite thing on any menu, this truly is the yummiest I’ve tasted. Not only that, the service was top notch, fast, efficient and friendly.

The hotel itself is lovely, open and spacious, our suite was clean and inviting with plenty of room for three weary travelers.

The aquatic centre is massive and a vacation in itself for travelling families. Even with covid restrictions, the hotel ensures that guests have a safely prepared, filling breakfast to get them started on their day. Cont’d

In need of some pampering and girl time, we visited High Level Nails, a lovely spa focused on relaxation and service. Settling into the massage chairs, we enjoyed pedicures with leg and foot massages, skin treatments, and of course, gorgeous colour! Our technicians went over and above to ensure that we had perfect toes, and in my case of smudging my toe, redoing it completely for me. Very happy with the level of service and professionalism we received.

The Mackenzie Frontier visitor centre is exactly what one would picture with the totems in front welcoming visitors, giant chairs that beg for a selfie, and geocache treasures to be explored. Be sure to stop in here for a visit and a picture (or three). Cont’d

We visited Footner Lake and Walking Trails, truly beautiful and could have spent the day there as there are so many trails to explore, and beautiful areas set up overlooking the lake which beckon one to spend an hour or two relaxing and watching the water.

At Hutch Lake

The girls and I hit the road for the drive to Zama City, which would prove to be one of our major highlights of the trip.

Following careful directions from our tour guide, Lisa Wardley, we made our way to Zama City, stopping to visit Hutch Lake. The campground is truly a hidden gem, it’s immaculately cared for, clean and welcoming. There are nets for beach volleyball, trails and paths, and a dock to sit on and enjoy the antics of the birds.

Some things to note on the way to Zama, is that one doesn’t want to travel there in the dark. This is for your the few places in Alberta to actually see bison in the wild. We were also warned, that the sign posted that warns drivers about the “bump” needs to be heeded, because it is a huge bump. Even though we slowed down, it was still shocking to go over. Slow down and take your time, heed the warning signs.

The thrill of seeing wild bison overtook us just outside of town. We saw the bison just off the road, and were able to pull over, watch, and photograph them from a respectful distance. It’s indescribable, the feeling of witnessing these powerful creatures so close.

They were aware of us, and we ensured that we maintained that distance for their comfort.

Continuing along into town, we found a couple of bachelors, who make the townsite their home. As part of the Rumble Alberta tour challenges, the girls took selfies (again, safely) with the two well natured bachelors who didn’t seem bothered by our presence at all.

We again witnessed something special, a testament to this tiny, close knit community as we were pulled over.

A gentleman stopped near us, got out of his truck and came over to ensure that we weren’t having any car trouble and were safe and sound.

Such is the kindness of small town Alberta.

In Zama, we were treated to glamping Heaven, in the most incredible rustic themed cabins.

By rustic, I don’t mean missing amenities, because the cabins are completely outfitted with everything one might need, including fridge, microwave, coffee and BBQs on the front deck, along with sweet little patio tables that invite you to sit there to watch the sun go down, and head back out to watch the sun come up.

The cabins have beds with patchwork quilts, comfy pillows, heaters to stave off the chill – and to my girl’s delight, fishing rod kits with tackle and line.

Mackenzie Frontier Tourism Association even stocked the cabin for us for a steak dinner.

The incredible kindness and generosity that this community showed us has me so excited to go back, and I plan to visit again next summer to enjoy the wildlife and birds, the forest, and the peace.