While two weeks went by like a flash, I had a nice vacation. It's always good to get away and recharge those old batteries. I went to visit family and friends in BC, where I spent most of my life before coming to Central Alberta two years ago to work at the Mountain View Gazette.
I headed out mid-June and took Highway 1 across the province and towards Banff with plans to join my sister and her family at a campsite on Premier Lake. It was a good drive with some beautiful mountainscapes in the background. After four or so hours on the road, the GPS told me I was close. Of course, I didn't realize I had to drive 20 minutes down a windy dirt road to get to the campsite.
It was great to see everyone and we had a wonderful barbecue dinner among the trees. I even got a tour of the nearby lake. I'm not a big camper, something about sleeping on an air mattress and being outside, but I do enjoy the non-sleep outside parts. I went back with my sister and nephew and one of the dogs and stayed at their place in Cranbrook.
From there, I travelled to Grand Forks, where I had spent three years living and working at the newspaper there. Grand Forks recently had the worst flood ever with over 1,000 residents being evacuated and some 300 properties suffering great damage. I drove through one area that was particularly hard hit and it was like a war zone with houses being torn down due to water damage and rubble everywhere.
After visiting my good friend there I was off to see my mom in sunny Oliver. She has her own place and is doing very well. It was nice to visit and get some home-cooked meals. She is on a lake there so it's great to sit by the lake or on the deck overlooking the lake and just relax.
We did have a troubling experience one evening when a lady with a dog came to the door at about 9 p.m. asking for us to call 911. All I could think of was every movie and TV show and story, and I expected her partners to jump out of the bushes and murder and rob us. Of course, that didn't happen. I'm still here and mom is fine.
It's funny how that protect your family vs. help others battle occurs in the brain. I think it's important to help people in need certainly, but there are many criminals that would take advantage of people's good natures.
This lady apparently had been walking on the reservation land dirt road nearby when some fellow threw a beer bottle at her and called her names. That's pretty awful, but why was she out there walking? It's a long way from town. She said she was dropping off bandages for dogs or something. So her story didn't make a whole lot of sense.
Anyways, my mom gave her the house phone and she called police. She then called her brother to come pick her up. We never saw her after that. I don't know what happened with the police and the alleged assaulter.
After that I came back east, and stayed in Grand Forks and then Cranbrook with my friend and sister once again. I was back again for the Canada Day weekend. Although I was halfway to Didsbury when I discovered I had forgotten my backpack with my medications, phone chargers and a few other things at my sister's. I did not want to backtrack so I left it as is. I was able to pick up a charger relatively cheap and I have pills at home so I'll be fine for now.
So now I'm back, recharged and ready to see what's happening in Mountain View County!
- Lindsay is the Mountain View Gazette reporter
