Today was a long distance drive for most RVers – over 350 miles. We departed from Lethbridge at 8:30 am, and I drove the first 150 miles, needing to take a break for the last 40 or so, but not able to find a place to pull off with 3 motorhomes towing cars where we could comfortably get off and back on the freeway. When we finally stopped on the north side of Calgary, at the first stop light Don and I did a ‘power switch’ where I unbuckled the seatbelt and slipped out of the driver’s seat as he sat down and took over. I raced for the back room as he released the brake and took off when the light turned green. Oh, what a relief it was! The guys driving the other 2 motorhomes had to wait until they got parked in the Walmart lot to take their breaks, as their wives don’t drive the motorhomes.
We had to take a detour in Edmonton to buy fuel at the Flying J, and we encountered construction and heavy traffic, but it saved us a lot of $$. We paid $1.07 Canadian per liter for diesel (about $4.35 US per gallon, I think), whereas prices elsewhere were $1.17 and higher, and some would have been difficult or impossible to get into with a big rig. In fact, Don had to battle a bit (thanks for the air horn!) with some cars and pick-ups who thought they could cut in front of him when he’d been waiting to get to one of 2 diesel pumps. There were no dedicated RV pumps, as is usual at Flying J stations in the U.S., and we were not allowed to get fuel in the truck lanes. Our fuel economy worked out to 9 mpg for the day, and we aren’t complaining about that!
We finally got parked at the Alberta Beach Golf Resort at about 5 pm, after a slow check-in and winding our way through the trees. You can see Dennis and Carol’s tow car with kayaks on top as they make a turn ahead of us.
Our sites are pull-throughs, so we didn’t have to unhitch. There’s not much to see around here, anyway, as it’s too early for boating or much golfing or anything else.
The wind was blowing pretty hard when we arrived, in fact the last half of the trip, so we just hunkered down. Marilyn had a chicken enchilada casserole (yummy!) ready to heat up, and Carol made a big spinach salad, so we enjoyed an easy and nutritious supper together.
A walk around the park showed lots of long-term/seasonal occupants.
Some left several belongings on their site but haven’t arrived with their RVs yet. What a different place from where we stayed the last 2 nights!
We caught a glimpse of the lake, Lac Ste. Anne, which looks like it’s quite large. But the wind, cooler temps and long day prevented us from getting serious about putting the kayaks in. Maybe another day in another place.
You are traveling with Dennis and Carol Hill, and Carol doesn't drive the motorhome? Aren't these the RV Driving School folks? We are surprised. I suppose there is a reason for that, but it just struck us as odd.
ReplyDeleteJudging by the state of the trees, with no leaves, it still looks pretty cold back there. I haven't seen $1.07 diesel prices for quite a while, we're a lot higher than that. Albertan's are lucky to live on top of all that oil!!
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