Fun on a Relics & Bones Tour

Artilce by George Hauffe

The first stop on this pilot tour that was meant to prove concept was the Bragg Creek Trading Post.

This historic Trading Post, a vintage Log Cabin structure, was nicely maintained.

They specialize in Native Crafts, Moccasins, Mucklucks, real Cowichan knitwear, and other crafts.

Bragg Creek Trading Post: 117 White Ave, Bragg Creek, AB T0L 0K0

The STOCKMEN'S Memorial Foundation at the Cochrane RancheHouse was a brilliant stop. It was plush with history, with one wing devoted to Cowboy memorabilia, the Bert Sheppard Stockmen's Library and Archives.

We learnt how branding took place and how stock brands were made, utilized and recorded.

We even got to design, approve and document our brand. We could then use our brand on some old pieces of barn wood.

Activity, some flames and smoke, all occurring safely under the watch of our guides.

It was a blast!

Sitting at the bottom of Big Hill in the valley of Bow River, it is in a spectacular location, and the view is beyond contestation.

It was a joy to visit, learn and participate.

I loved this stop!

STOCKMEN'S Memorial Foundation

101 Ranchehouse Rd, Cochrane, AB T4C 2K8

We stopped for lunch at a great dual eatery, The Forge & Smoke and the Black Smith Pub. Located at the Trading Post in Sunset Ridge in Cochrane.

Our tour then took us through some lovely landscapes, across the Brazeau Dam, past Lodgepole and Cynthia before dropping our kickstand down in Edson for the night.

The next morning we headed straight to the Galloway Station Museum, Travel Centre and Archives.

Did you know that Edson has a beloved mascot, Eddie the Squirrel?

The original cement Eddie greeted travellers for over 40 years until he retired. The new Eddie, designed by Sookum Creative Works in 2011, has a cast bronze cone and a superb airbrushed paint job.

The museum has something for everyone, so consider stopping in! You won't regret it!

So far on our tour, the food stops have not disappointed me.

On this leg of the tour, we stopped at the Coal Branch Hotel in Robb, AB and then at the Ridge Restaurant and Lounge in Grande Cache, AB.

Our final destination for the day was Grand Prairie, AB.

We started our next day off in Grand Prairie with some wonderful discoveries.

Our first stop in Grand Prairie was the Veterans Memorial Gardens & Interpretive Centre. As a partial acreage filled with gardens, info stands and an interpretive building filled with war memorabilia, there is a lot packed into this stop.

Being a veteran myself with a high level of apathy, this was emotionally draining, so many lives lost from this region alone, my heart pounded with pride in what has been built here. The effort and love poured into this attraction speaks volumes of those that facilitated its belongings.

For our next stop, in the words of Nir, one of the riders on the tour, Grand Prairie is "full of skeletons, and one dinosaur museum called the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.

A small entourage of greeters and a Fire Department Firetruck with flashing lights and sirens blazing greeted us.

We took a tour of the museum's cornucopia of skeletal remains, fossils, etc.

They also served homemade donut holes that were to die for.

Continuing, we came across a second-hand store in the middle of nowhere. The Valhalla Coop. A hodgepodge of collected stuff, well, everything from the 50's to date. I'm not a collector nor a hoarder, but if you love product memories from your youth, chances are you'll find something that strikes a cord. As for me, myself, and my shadow, the Cokes in the fridge were very cold and welcomed going down.

Across the road was a Norwegian Settlement Museum with artifacts dating back beyond my days. Trolls and a big matted cat control the grounds. Everyone enjoyed the history and the trolls, as a lot of photobombing took place.

Another unexpected gem was found in the middle of nowhere.

We had also stopped at the Beaver Lodge Cultural and Art Centre, where we took turns photographing the world's largest beaver.

Then we enjoyed the hospitality of the town councillors and the great sandwiches that were prepared in our honour.

A great chat ensued and lunch was enjoyed by all.

We continued onwards, following long straight roads that seemed to last forever until we reached a stop sign and a downhill gravel road ending with a Ferry Crossing.

I think it was an antique ferry with gravel up/down ramps on both sides of the river.

It was one of the oldest ferries in the world I'd ever seen or been on, but it got us to the other side of the river without an event.

On the other side of the river, we were gifted with some amazing newly paved roads that were fast and winding, up and down, and worth all the "straight" ruler-like roads from the hours prior.

We ended up in Grimshaw, ending the evening with dinner at Norms Pizzazz.

We closed the place, being the only remaining diners since walking in 15 minutes before they closed. The economic punch to the cash register was obviously a blessing, we were treated with care and gratitude in spite of being here at the end of the day.

First stop the following day was fuel. Then off to Peace River Museum, Archives and Mackenzie Centre.

Question: Is the Peace River peaceful?

From the geological creation of the area, its rich aboriginal heritage, the fur trade and the evolution of the settlement into the Town of Peace River, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Such skilled artisans as we call them today, to the taxidermy, display setups etc., if you are going to align with something somewhere, chances are it will be here. school.

Amazing!

Lac Cardinal Regional Pioneer Museum represents life in the 1920s to 1940s.

Everything is furnished, the houses, hall, bakery, municipal office, church, the blacksmith's forge.

This was an awesome stop. It was wheelchair friendly, there were clean public washrooms, guided tours were given, there was a gift shop, and you could camp there.

The grounds reminded me of the Waltons TV show when the first modern vehicles were used in the series. I could imagine John Boy willing up to the fuel pump in that old pickup truck and asking Ike Godsey for a dollar of gas.

Our next stop was in Manning, the Battle River Pioneer Museum.

Outside, you see old buildings in front of a steel warehouse facility. But looks can be deceiving.

Besides, the main building there is a log cabin, post office, Anglican Church, machine sheds, a blacksmith shop and a windmill.

Inside are various taxidermy mounts, from an albino moose, timber wolf, cougar, deer, bear and even a two-headed calf. You name it; they had it. I thoroughly enjoyed poking around the various collections.

This is also easily accessible to all, and it was a pleasure to view such interesting collections.

Definitely worth a stop for just about everyone.

While in Manning, we had lunch at Sings Restaurant. I'll definitely be back for more...

We then headed to High Level, AB. Our first stop there was the Mackenzie Crossroads Museum & Visitor Centre.

This log building was unique, and it opened in 1991.

It features a visitor centre, a regional human history museum, a souvenir sales counter, and WiFi access to a public computer.

It also has an outdoor picnic area and a very large parking lot. So you don't need to worry about parking anywhere.

The main exhibit is the "Northern Trading Post" with items and artifacts from the 1800s and early 1900s.

This is the place to be if you seek the opportunity to learn, interact, or participate, even in a photo challenge.

Then we headed to our hotel for the night in High Level, AB.

Travelling an unknown road is either fun or it's not; it depends on you. It also depends on your route.

Ours brought us to the Bicentennial sign gifted to Fort Vermillion by the High Level Chamber of Commerce. 200 years of history (1788-1888). The base of the sign has a time capsule in it. I wonder what is in there?

We rested, then backtracked a little and came across the Bay house, but it was closed.

We continued to the Heritage Centre and were greeted by a very astute young man with a tremendous amount of information to pass off to us.

He later brought us over to the BAY House for a private tour.

A spectacular building, it's an Airbnb.

Built over 2 years, 1906-1908, it is the only Hudson's Bay Company factor's house on its original site in Alberta.

Easy access with a rear side parking lot, bikes, cars, trucks, busses, etc., it is a must-see, must-stay BNB.